The Neutral Feeling (upekṣā-vedanā) of the Manas

Neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā) is a feeling that does not experience pain or pleasure. Saying that the manas has neutral feeling is partly reasonable, because the manas has neutral feeling toward bodily contact. No matter how painful the physical body is, the manas does not feel the pain; it is the body consciousness and the mind consciousness that feel the pain. When the body consciousness and mind consciousness are absent, the physical body does not feel pain. For example, during surgery, if the body consciousness and mind consciousness are present, a person is awake and will certainly feel intense pain. To eliminate the sensation of pain, anesthetics are administered so that the body consciousness ceases first, and then the mind consciousness ceases; in this way, the physical body does not feel pain during the operation.

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 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 ceases to feel 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 a feeling jointly experienced by the body consciousness and the mind consciousness; the manas does not have such feelings. Even if it does, the mind consciousness would not know it and could not observe it. Sentient beings take the feelings of the six consciousnesses as their feelings. When the six consciousnesses cease or become faint, no matter what feelings and mental states the manas has, the mind consciousness does not know them; not knowing, one assumes the manas has no feelings and no mental activities, or one says the manas is very simple and its wisdom is very shallow.

When the functions of the manas become powerful enough to replace the six consciousnesses, all feelings belong to the manas; but by that time, the manas's cultivation of meditative concentration and wisdom is already extremely superior, and there is almost only 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 feelings similar to those of the mind consciousness—feeling wronged, depressed, stifled, resentful, or joyful, happy, excited—with great emotional fluctuations. Only then do emotions such as towering rage, dancing with joy, and visible delight appear.