Learn Pali Language

This post continues the translation of the Satipatthāna Sutta and expounds the sections on Vedanā & Citta . Much of the translation hinges on how these two terms are themselves interpreted. Vedanā is generally seen as the sensations/feelings aroused by perception and is understood as feelings of pleasant, unpleasant, or neither. This is the bare affective quality of an experience, or valence which is the subjective positive-negative evaluation. It is generally associated with one’s attachment (positive or negative) to people, objects, ideas, etc This in turn leads to motivation; the intensity or strength of urge to move toward or away from a particular stimulus. The Pali-English Dictionary suggests citta as heart / mind, emphasizing the more emotive side of mind, as opposed to the intellect. Motivation is what directs behaviour, or what causes a person to want to repeat a behaviour, a set of forces that acts behind our rational exterior. In this way Vedanā & Citta ca