Why the Buddha Says Even Pleasant Feelings Are Suffering?

**SUMMARY:** Explore the contemplation of feelings in the Four Foundations of Mindfulness with Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang, to see the true impermanent nature of feelings and discover the path to liberation in the present moment.

Have you ever noticed that whether you are happy or sad, there is always a faint emptiness and unease in your heart? Why does even a feeling of joy or happiness seem like just a fleeting wave that quickly vanishes? The answer lies in the Buddha's teachings on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, specifically the contemplation of feelings. Today, let us delve deeper into this practice through the discourse of Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang from the Nikaya scriptures.

**The Sole Path to Liberation**

In the Theravada Buddhist tradition, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are regarded as the principal practice. The Nikaya discourse even affirms this as the sole direct path to achieving the superior wisdom of liberation.

The text on the Foundations of Mindfulness states this is the sole path, with no other. This point gives me some pause, as I understand that all the teachings within the Nikaya are internally consistent. Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang shares that this single phrase made him suspect potential alterations over the many compilations. Yet, this very doubt opens a profound perspective: whether the Four Foundations are the sole path or just one part, the contemplation of feelings holds immensely precious value for practice in modern life.

**Contemplating Feelings Upon Feelings: Observing Sensations Objectively**

What does "contemplating feelings upon feelings" mean? Many people encounter this phrase in the Nikaya and find it obscure. Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang offers a simple explanation:

"Contemplating feelings upon feelings means we will examine our sensations objectively. That is, whatever the feeling is, we will examine it just as it is, without adding or subtracting anything."

This means when feelings of suffering or happiness arise, we do not embellish, suppress, or flee from them. We only need to observe them as they truly are. Sitting in a classroom, your legs might feel numb or tired, but all of these are simply feelings that are present. Learning to look at them with an objective eye is the first step toward liberation.

**Internal and External Feelings: Two Sources of Sensation**

The Buddha divides feelings into two types: internal and external. Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang uses a vivid example:

External feelings are those sensations that arise from our contact with the outside world. Internal feelings are those that arise from our own mind's thinking and imagination.

Imagine you buy some sour starfruit. When you eat it, the sweet and sour taste pleases you—this is an external feeling. But at night, you lie in bed imagining the two remaining starfruits under your pillow—this is an internal feeling. And when you discover your brother or sister has eaten them, the anger that flares up is again an external feeling. This interweaving of internal and external feelings creates a dense chain of emotions, causing our mind to spin endlessly.

**Feelings That Are Neither Painful Nor Pleasant: A Subtle Discovery**

One of the most intriguing points is the Buddha's classification of feelings into three kinds: painful, pleasant, and neither painful nor pleasant. This seems simple but is profoundly deep. Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang expresses his astonishment at the Buddha's wisdom:

A "neutral" feeling is completely different from having "no feeling." No feeling, meaning the cessation of sensation, only occurs in the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling. What we experience now is a feeling that is neutral.

When you sit in stillness without any clear joy or sorrow, it is not that you have no feeling. This is the state of "neutral feeling"—a very subtle state. The Buddha recognized this over 2,500 years ago, while today we might use the concept of a "zero tax rate" to explain the subtle difference between "not taxing" and "taxing at zero percent." The Buddha's astounding precision fills us with even greater reverence.

**Why Are All Feelings Ultimately Suffering?**

If there are pleasant feelings, why does the Buddha teach that "feelings are always suffering"? Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang posed this question to his students and received a perfectly accurate answer:

Because they are impermanent.

Exactly! Whether a feeling is pleasant or unpleasant, all are impermanent, constantly arising and passing away. It is this instability and constant fluctuation of feelings that keeps the mind perpetually agitated. One realizes that joy, too, is merely a passing wave. When that wave subsides, another form of suffering appears. But if we learn to contemplate feelings with an equanimous mind, we will not be carried away by those waves and thus break free from their bondage.

Contemplating feelings is not just a lesson in scripture but a living practice. Whenever joy or sadness arises, listen to it objectively and see its impermanent nature. As Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang once said, "Studying the teachings and experiencing pleasant feelings is truly precious." Start with your breath, with the most gentle sensations of body and mind. It is in this very moment that we can find serenity and peace, embraced amidst all emotions.