Sensation

Sensation (Skt. vedanā; Tib. ཚོར་བ་, tsorwa, Wyl. tshor ba) is the second of the five skandhas.

In Abhidharma literature, sensation also appears in the list of fifty-one mental states, in the subgroup of five ever-present mental states.

Sensation also appears seventh in the list of the twelve nidanas.

Definitions

In the Khenjuk, Mipham Rinpoche writes:

• Tib. ཚོར་བ་ནི་ཉམས་སུ་མྱོང་བའི་མཚན་ཉིད་ཅན་ནོ།
• Sensation has the characteristic of experience. (▷RIGPA)
• Sensations are defined as impressions (Erik Pema Kunsang)

Subdivisions

Sensations linked to the five sense faculties can be either pleasant, unpleasant or neutral, making a total of 15 types of sensations. When pleasant, unpleasant and neutral mental sensations are added, that makes a total of 18 types of sensations.

Alternative Translations

• feeling (▷PKT, David Karma Choepel, Gyurme Dorje, Berzin)
• feeling a level of happiness (Berzin)
• feeling-tone (▷HVG)