The True Meaning of "Feeling Is Self or Different from Self"

Original text of the Saṃyuktāgama, Volume 5: 「云何见受即是我？谓六受身——眼触生受，耳、鼻、舌、身、意触生受。此六受身一一见是我，我是受，是名受即是我。云何见受异我？谓见色是我，受是我所；谓想、行、识是我，受是我所，是名受异我。

「云何见我中受？谓色是我，受在其中，想、行、识是我，受在其中。云何见受中我？谓色是我，于受中住，周遍其四体；想、行、识是我，于受中住，周遍其四体，是名受中我。

释：How is the aggregate of feeling (vedanā) taken to be the self? The aggregate of feeling is the six feeling bodies: when the eye faculty contacts material sense-objects, eye consciousness arises, and eye consciousness has feeling; when the ear faculty contacts sounds, ear consciousness arises, and ear consciousness has feeling; when the nose faculty contacts scents, nose consciousness arises, and nose consciousness has feeling; when the tongue faculty contacts flavors, tongue consciousness arises, and tongue consciousness has feeling; when the body faculty contacts tangibles, body consciousness arises, and body consciousness has feeling; when the manas contacts mental sense-objects, mind consciousness arises, and mind consciousness has feeling. The manas takes all six of these feelings as being the self, believing that the self (the manas) is the feeling—this is called "feeling is the self" (the manas).

How is feeling seen as different from the self? That is to say, the manas believes the aggregate of form is the self, and thus the aggregate of feeling is what the self possesses; when the manas takes the aggregates of perception (saṃjñā), formations (saṃskāra), and consciousness (vijñāna) as the self, it will take the aggregate of feeling as what the self possesses. This is called "feeling is different from the self."

What is seeing the self (the manas) as having feeling within it? That is to say, the manas believes the aggregate of form is the self, and the aggregate of feeling is within the aggregate of form; the manas believes the aggregates of perception, formations, and consciousness are the self, and the aggregate of feeling is within the aggregates of perception, formations, and consciousness. The aggregate of feeling is what the self possesses.

What is seeing the self as being within feeling? That is to say, the manas believes the aggregate of form is the self, the aggregate of form dwells within the aggregate of feeling, the self dwells within the aggregate of feeling, and the aggregate of feeling pervades the four limbs and the whole body. The manas believes the aggregates of perception, formations, and consciousness are the self, these aggregates dwell within the aggregate of feeling, the self dwells within the aggregate of feeling, and the self pervades the entire body—this is called "the self is within feeling."