Was ist etwas unangehmes? Warum ist es unangenehm? Ist das Leid oder erwartetes Leid? Ist es um ertwartetes Leid zu vermeiden? Ist es Angst?

In Buddhism one calls such a “feeling” Vedana. This is a direct, therefore automatic reaction to a sensor contact.

In other words, everything we can see, hear smell, taste, feel and also think (thinking is one of the senses in Buddhism), triggers a quick response in us.

This reaction is then either negative (nearly), positive (nearly) or neutral (“I don’t care” or “I don’t notice”).

These reactions happen – as I said – automatically, and run very quickly so that we can hardly control them.

Fear but the Emotionsthat follow the feeling. And so fast.

Something you perceive as unpleasant can become afraid, to disgust, or to rejection or anger…

Basically, this is completely natural and also meaningful (originally ). Before View To bring back a snake can save us life if it is a poison snake. The Flavour of “bitter” can warn us of poisonous food ( poisonous plants are never sweet in nature! A painful one Contact can protect us from injuries…

The whole thing can also be separated. One can be afraid of things that are completely harmless (such as spiders), disgusting of something that is not toxic or harmful to health. Or even disgust something that neither harms us or others.

“Leiden” is still much more complex. It results from many components that differ from human to human and situation to situation. For example, the one “satisfied” in winter already at Plus 5 degrees. While another does not even freeze at minus 10 degrees. A person screams out loud when he is stabbed by a wasp. Another only perceives him as “Pieks”…

So: First comes Vedana ( pleasant, unpleasant or neutral), then emotion, or thoughts (e.g. fears or hopes). And, suffering arises when we think/feel/believe that a situation is so unbearable that we can barely hold it or overcome it at all.