The Neutral Feeling of the Manas

Neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā) is a feeling that does not experience pain or pleasure. Saying that the manas has neutral feeling has some basis: the manas is neutral toward bodily contact and does not directly experience the realms of the six sense objects. No matter how much the physical body aches, the manas does not feel the pain; it is the body consciousness and the mind consciousness that feel the pain. When there is no body consciousness or mind consciousness, the physical body does not feel pain. For example, during surgery, if the body consciousness and mind consciousness are present, the person is awake and will certainly feel intense pain. To eliminate the sensation of pain, anesthesia is administered, causing the body consciousness to cease first, and then the mind consciousness to cease; in this way, when the incision is made, the physical body does not feel pain.

When one has a toothache, after falling asleep the six consciousnesses cease and the pain is no longer felt, but the inflammation in the tooth still exists, and upon waking the pain continues; sometimes one can even be awakened by the pain in the middle of the night. Why can one be awakened by pain in the middle of the night? When one is in a coma, although the body is in terrible condition, one does not feel pain; upon waking, the pain becomes unbearable. When undergoing retribution in hell, one only stops feeling pain after fainting from the agony, but the power of karma will not let the sinner remain unconscious; when the karmic wind blows, the sinner wakes up and continues to undergo retribution. In meditative concentration (samādhi), the sensation of pain also diminishes or disappears, because the six consciousnesses either cease or become faint.

Therefore, the sensation of pain is an experience jointly undergone by the body consciousness and the mind consciousness; the manas does not have such an experience. Even if it did, the mind consciousness would not know of it and could not observe it. Sentient beings take the experiences of the six consciousnesses as their experiences. When the six consciousnesses cease or become faint, no matter what experiences or mental activities the manas has, the mind consciousness does not know them; not knowing them, it assumes the manas has no feelings and no mental activities, or it says the manas is very simple and its wisdom is shallow.

When the functions of the manas grow strong enough to replace the six consciousnesses, all experiences belong to the manas; but by that time, the manas's cultivation of meditative concentration and wisdom is already extremely superior, and it is almost entirely neutral feeling, with no emotional fluctuations. The manas of ordinary sentient beings still has feelings of pain and pleasure, not merely neutral feeling; it has psychological experiences similar to those of the mind consciousness—feeling wronged, depressed, vexed, resentful, joyful, happy, excited—with great emotional fluctuations, which is why emotions such as towering rage, dancing with joy, and delight showing on the face arise.