Significance of Pleasure and pain
The concept of pleasure and pain is explored across various philosophical and spiritual traditions, emphasizing the dual experiences of enjoyment and suffering that impact human existence. Notably, these experiences are often seen as subjective, arising from individual karma and actions. Pleasure and pain are transient states that shape emotions and influence decision-making, reflecting the interconnectedness of human experiences. Ultimately, understanding these dualities helps individuals navigate their spiritual journeys and realize their true essence beyond these transient feelings.
Synonyms: Enjoyment, Gratification, Joy, Delight, Discomfort, Suffering, Anguish, Distress, Agony, Happiness, Torment
In Dutch: Plezier en pijn; In Finnish: Iloa ja kipua; In Spanish: Placer y dolor; In German: Freude und Schmerz; In Swedish: Njutning och sm盲rta; In Malay: Keseronokan dan kesakitan; In French: Plaisir et douleur; In Finnish: Ilo ja tuska
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
Buddhist concept of 'Pleasure and pain'
In Buddhism, pleasure and pain are transient subjective experiences influencing emotion and cognition, seen within a dualistic framework. They are essential to understanding sentience, impacting human behavior and meditation, ultimately leading to equanimity.
From: Tattvasangraha [with commentary]
(1) Emotional experiences discussed as part of the fivefold group of Thought-phases in the context of Buddha's teachings.[1] (2) Experiences that can induce joy and sorrow, leading to a modification of the soul鈥檚 state.[2] (3) Pleasure and pain are the feelings experienced by people, which arise from the interaction with the manifested world when it is governed by an intelligent cause.[3] (4) Subjective experiences that are regarded as psychical concepts; they are transient and produced successively, hence cannot subsist in the soul.[4] (5) These terms represent the internal experiences of satisfaction and dissatisfaction that stem from consciousness, opposing the insentience of external objects.[5]
From: Dhammapada (Illustrated)
(1) Describes the two fundamental experiences that greatly influence human emotion and behavior.[6] (2) Emotions that the monk has put aside for a state of equanimity.[7]
From: Visuddhimagga (the pah of purification)
(1) Pleasure and pain refer to the bodily experiences that are abandoned in the process of entering the fourth jhana.[8]
Hindu concept of 'Pleasure and pain'
In Hinduism, pleasure and pain are transient emotional experiences tied to the embodied self, shaped by karman. These dual states influence spiritual journeys and highlight the importance of detachment for true realization of the immortal self.
From: Mahabharata (English)
(1) The contrasting experiences that are inherent to life, both significant to human existence.[9] (2) The dual experiences resulting from actions that form the basis of earthly existence.[10] (3) The dual experiences that all beings are subject to, shaping their existence and actions.[11] (4) Contrasting experiences of life where individuals align themselves with either the pursuit of pleasure or acceptance of pain.[12] (5) Emotional experiences that people encounter throughout life, which come and go with time.[13]
From: Yoga Vasistha [English], Volume 1-4
(1) The recurring experiences of joy and suffering that beings must endure throughout their existence.[14] (2) Concepts that the holy man experiences in a reversed manner; he finds pleasure in his pains and pain in his pleasures.[15] (3) Concepts referenced in the context of creating for joy rather than specific need or desire.[16] (4) The experiences situated within the mind, influenced by external circumstances and internal thoughts.[17] (5) The dual experiences that people regularly encounter, often intertwined and leading to suffering.[18]
From: Anugita (English translation)
(1) The dualities that define human experience within the wheel of life.[19] (2) The opposing emotional states that are perceived as transitory within the cycle of existence.[20] (3) The dual experiences resulting from actions taken under the influence of passionate qualities.[21]
From: Devi Bhagavata Purana
(1) The duality of experiences related to sensuality, where pleasure arises from sensual activities and contrasts with ascetic control.[22] (2) The dual experiences that arise from one's Karmas, where one should not become overly attached or subject to excessive emotions.[23]
From: Vishnu Purana
(1) States of mind that result from actions; pleasure is associated with virtue, while pain correlates with vice and are subjective experiences.[24]
From: Garuda Purana
(1) The dual experiences of happiness and suffering that define the human condition and are interconnected.[25]
From: Markandeya Purana
(1) Concepts Alarka reflects upon in a metaphysical context, exploring their relationship with the body and the mind.[26]
From: Brahma Sutras (Ramanuja)
(1) The experiences that the embodied soul must endure while it is connected to a physical body due to karman, which the individual Soul moves beyond when freed.[27] (2) Emotional or physical states that are caused by actions associated with Karman and the body.[28] (3) The experiences that arise from physical existence and interaction within the material world.[29] (4) Modifications of Prakriti that the soul may be conscious of due to its nearness to Prakriti, impacting its state of emancipation.[30] (5) The experiences associated with having a body, which affect both individual souls and, by implication, embodied Brahman.[31]
From: Brahma Sutras (Shankaracharya)
(1) If it be maintained that from our doctrine previously expounded, according to which this world springs from the Lord and constitutes his body, it follows that the Lord, as an embodied being, is not essentially different from other souls, and subject to fruition as they are; we reply that the Lord's having a body does not involve his being subject to fruition, not any more than in ordinary life a king, although himself an embodied being, is affected by the experiences of these things.[32] (2) If one Self is connected with these, all Selfs will be so connected, due to the lack of difference, as described by the text.[33] (3) Sensations or experiences that can result from the works of souls, but are argued to not be experienced in plant life according to the text.[34]
From: Brahma Sutras (Shankara Bhashya)
(1) Phenomena discussed in the text, symbolizing human experiences that are related to the concepts of eating and being.[35] (2) Feelings that arise from actions deemed good or bad, experienced by individual souls but not applicable to Brahman.[36] (3) The contrasting experiences that the soul encounters while residing in the human body.[37]
From: Chandogya Upanishad (Shankara Bhashya)
(1) These are experiences associated with the embodied state of being, which do not affect the unbodied Self.[38] (2) The experiences that affect the bodied Being, arising from external connections and internal desires.[39]
From: Kathopanishad (Madhva commentary)
(1) The dual experiences of existence that the wise person recognizes as transient and not the essence of self.[40]
From: Kaivalya Upanishad
(1) The dual sensations experienced by jiva in the dream-state, reflecting the results of his delusions.[41]
From: Vivekachudamani
(1) Emotional states that are neither experienced by the knower of Brahman.[42]
From: Ashtavakra Gita
(1) Experiences that come from one's attachments and desires, which are ultimately tied to fate.[43]
From: Padarthadharmasamgraha and Nyayakandali
(1) Emotional states related to the experience of joy or suffering, arising from the Conjunction of the Self with the Mind.[44] (2) Pleasure and Pain are mentioned to illustrate that they are part of the interactions governed by the Immaterial cause, with Pleasure associated with the Self and not producing Vice.[45] (3) Emotions that can act as efficient causes influencing human actions and decisions.[46] (4) Emotional responses that are often used as indicators of experiences, where pleasure denotes a positive experience and pain denotes a negative one.[47] (5) Experiences produced in the Self as a result of the actions elicited by Virtue and Vice.[48]
From: Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi
(1) The dual experiences that often distract individuals from their spiritual journey.[49] (2) Emotional experiences that are recognized not only among humans but also among all beings, indicating the shared consciousness across different forms of life.[50] (3) The emotional experiences felt by the Self, which require the Body's existence to be realized.[51] (4) The dual experiences that beings undergo, influenced by their inherent qualities and actions, allowing for enjoyment of some measures of pleasure despite predominant states of suffering.[52] (5) Emotional and physical experiences that influence the mind, often leading to attachments or aversions based on past actions.[53]
From: Yoga-sutras (with Vyasa and Vachaspati Mishra)
(1) Sensations experienced as a result of interactions with the knowable, relevant to the ongoing mental habits of the Purusha.[54] (2) The two opposite fruits that result from actions; pleasure is associated with virtue, while pain is associated with vice.[55] (3) The dual experiences resulting from attachment and aversion in the context of actions and their manifestations in life.[56]
From: Yoga-sutras (Vedanta Commentaries)
(1) The dual experiences that souls go through as part of their journey towards realization.[57]
From: Tiruvaymoli (Thiruvaimozhi): English translation
(1) Indicates the dual nature of existence, where the Lord embodies both contrasts.[58] (2) Contrasting states of experience that creatures undergo, highlighting the dual nature of existence.[59] (3) Highlights the dual experiences that result from one's actions, which are administered by the divine.[60]
From: Charaka Samhita (English translation)
(1) Sensory experiences that arise from the interactions of the mind and spirit during the course of development as part of the human condition.[61]
Jain concept of 'Pleasure and pain'
In Jainism, pleasure and pain are subjective emotional experiences resulting from karma. They are transient, influencing individual souls, and encompass both positive and negative aspects of life, ultimately shaping human existence and fostering worry about external enjoyment.
From: Acaranga-sutra
(1) Experiences regarded as individual and potentially subjective.[62] (2) The dual experiences of enjoyment and suffering that affect human existence.[63] (3) The positive and negative experiences that living beings encounter throughout life.[64] (4) The dual experiences that individuals know separately, which cause them to worry about external enjoyment.[65]
From: Sutrakritanga (English translation)
(1) The emotional experiences that individual souls go through; they are not caused by the souls themselves or others.[66]
From: Bhagavati-sutra (Viyaha-pannatti)
(1) The states of experience that arise from karma, implying that worldly pleasure is transient and ultimately leads to pain.[67]
From: Uttaradhyayana Sutra
(1) The twofold aspect of Vedaniya referring to the experiences that Karman can lead to.[68]
The concept of Pleasure and pain in local and regional sources
Pleasure and pain represent fundamental human experiences influenced by desire, attachment, and emotions. They drive responses, reveal duality, and highlight the journey towards transcending these feelings to achieve a deeper understanding of unity and self beyond physical existence.
From: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
(1) The sage gives up both of these and becomes a witness of the universe without attaching himself to anything.[69] (2) These are experiences that can agitate a person, but a discriminating individual recognizes their temporary nature.[70] (3) Only by telling ourselves this until we make it a part of our very being, can we rise beyond all duality, beyond both good and evil, pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, and know ourselves as the One, eternal, unchanging, infinite 鈥� the "One without a second".[71] (4) These are experiences, along with disease, birth, and death, that arise and reside within the ocean of desire, representing the varied experiences of all beings.[72] (5) As long as there is a body, there must be 'pleasure and pain', and only when one has gotten rid of the body can one escape them, revealing their connection.[73]
From: Triveni Journal
(1) The fundamental human experiences that drive responses and reactions, impacting how lessons and teachings are received.[74] (2) Emotional experiences that are recalled by the speaker, highlighting contrasting feelings.[75] (3) Emotions that individuals experience as rewards or retribution for their actions, significant to the theory of Karma.[76] (4) Basic sensory experiences that are easier to define and often compared to happiness in discussions of human experience.[77]