Are you happy, sad, angry, witty…?? !! ??
…………….◊ Emotions = Feelings
Emotions describe physiological states generated unconsciously; They are autonomous bodily responses to certain circumstances.
Feelings are subjective experiences n external/internal eventsof emotions and are driven by conscious thoughts and reflections.
So, one can have emotions without having feelings, however, one cannot simply have feelings without having emotions.
“emotion” ; rasa refers to different sentiments invoked….
vedanā (feeling)
bhāva (feeling)
rāga (love, attraction),
dvesa (hatred, aversion),
harsa (joy),
bhaya (fear)
and śoka (sorrow).
It is the mental phenomenon of vijñāna or jñāna which is translated as “cognition”. There is no single brain region where all of our positive or negative emotions are processed; obviously it is involved in processing both positive and negative emotions. Emotions are generated by synchronization of neural networks throughout the human brain, involving visual and auditory areas in occipital and temporal regions that process incoming information.
-joyful stimuli, closely interact with the medial orbitofrontal cortex.
-The nucleus accumbens is active when feeling desire.
-Negative emotions such as stress, fear and disgust are generally associated with much deeper and older brain structures.
-Emotions are unconscious and do not automatically result in feelings but they definitely steer actions. It supports decision making, motivates appropriate action.
* Is it essential ?
Emotions helps take action, to survive, strike and avoid danger, to make decisions, to understand others. Moreover, they help other people to understand us.
…..
Philosophers regard emotions as an obstacle to rational thought as they can interfere with rational thought….
the attainment of liberation, is about freeing the mind from feelings and emotions as it creates an attachment to the world. .
* Individual emotions, attachment and aversion are result of ignorance (mithyājñāna) and they give rise to actions that lead to the feeling of pleasure or pain. Strictly speaking, a desire is not an emotion BUT has same negative effect because it results in attachment to the object of desire. Pain and pleasure are qualities of the soul but they need to be cognized by the self in order to be experienced. The opposite of the negatives are knowledge of truth (tattvajñāna), right knowledge (samyaṅmati), truthful cognition (āryaprajñā) and right apprehension (sambodha).
Ω Contemplate….
Both pleasure and pain are two factors that are responsible for the notion of “I” that prevents attaining final liberation. Therefore, the pursuit of pleasure is futile and ought to be abandoned in favour of final liberation.
…..The Vedānta states;
Brahma-sūtras, Śaṃkara that the self (ātman) exists because its existence is the only way to account for the idea of a subject of experience. The self has certain mental qualities, which are termed manas (mind), buddhi (intellect), vijñāna (cognition) or citta (consciousness), depending on what mental function is ascribed to them. Different mental functions are doubt, resolution, egoism or recollection [BSBh 2.4.6] that have several modifications – desire, imagination, doubt, faith, want of faith, memory, forgetfulness, shame, reflection and fear ;as well as love, aversion, pleasure and pain .
… “sensations are identical with certain brain processes” i. e. “awarenesses” gunas.
purusa is pure consciousness characterized by inaction (akartabhāva) and pure presence (sāksitva) with no relation to prakriti, which comprises the material world, including mental processes. Prakriti exists for purusa and the world exists!* All afflictions (kleśa) are due to false knowledge (avidyā), egoism (asmita), anger (raga), hatred (dvesha), and clinging to one’s own individually i.e fear of death which can be destroyed by right knowledge.
These exist in different states –
Prasupta(dormant state unaware of)
Udara(manifestation of klesha)
Vichchhina( consecutive emotion)
Tanu(exercising control on emotions)
Niruddha(complete control)
Dagdhabija(burnt seed, nothing can sprout). Thus by controlling desires, the CONTROLLING itself becomes a Samskara.
Pranaam Samskara is formed out of spiritual experience.
Vritti Nirodha achieved by Japa, Prayer, Spiritual practices (Abhyasa)
Samskara Nirodha, thus can be achieved only by discernment and dispassion.
* Read…. Interesting
‘Dushta bharya shatam mitram bhrityashchottaradayakah, sasarpe cha grihe vaso mrityureva na sanshaayah’
…The wife/husband is wicked, friends are cheats, servants are most disobedient and the house infested with serpents.
… What a comparison!
* SO TRUE *
-Wife/Husband, the MIND….we are wedded to, it’s wicked thoughts
-Emotions are Friends; desires providing temporary happiness.
-Sense Organs, the Servants; unruly.
And Lo! * the Serpent; The EGO…