Stress

Content/Authors/Shashank Rajesh/Drafts/Project Empyrean.md

The Phenomenon of Stress

Here the word stress is taken to reprent any experience of affective disquietude–the inherent quality of objection present in all emotional states of negative valence. In its most subtle form, this may manifest as the faintest boredom or slightest yearning of the mind, and more significantly, as extreme hunger and abject suffering.

Some examples of stress include:

• Unease
• Annoyance
• Dislike
• Longing
• Craving
• Hunger
• Sadness
• Resentment
• Disappointment
• Anger
• Hurt
• Worry
• Heartbreak
• Hatred
• Grief
• Suffering
• Despair
• Dread

Content/Authors/Shashank Rajesh/Drafts/Draft.md

Abstract

There exist problematic emotions characterized by stress. That is, the stress of dissatisfaction: the inclination of the mind rooted in craving, accompanied by unpleasant feelings. From the most abject of suffering, all the way down to the subtlest of boredom, all such emotions are characterized by some level of stressful inclination, however subtle it may be. In fact, even emotions which are conventionally considered to be free of affliction, such as peace, happiness, and security, are in actuality still afflicted to a very subtle degree, so much so that it can be considered negligible. These are fine as long as they last, but with the utter destruction of all states of rooted inclination of the mind comes the traceless freedom of emancipation resultant of extinguishment.

Unease is volitional. With all subjectivity being in relation to identity, be it gross or subtle, the subjective experience of unease ceases when there is no longer induvidual volitional activity.

Suffering is the festering of craving–volitional pressure. And in its absence, absolute ease.

This quality of stress can be measured by a single scalar value with zero as its lower bound, akin to the heat released by the process of combustion.

Two kinds of feeling can be observed, with positive and negative emotions arising in relation to these: pleasant, with concomiant ease, and unpleasant, with concomiant unease. It should be noted that feeling is not synnonymous with sensation, for its perception of pleasure is dependent on different conditions which determine its quality. For example, the feeling of heat can be percieved as pleaseant or unpleasant depending on the circumstances.

Five kinds of sensation can be observed: sight, sound, smell, taste, and bodily sensations, with mental sensations as a sixth. It is in relation to these that there is pleasure and displeasure. Thus, the interaction between the senses and their objects, along with the perceptive faculty which transform them into feeling, and finally with the latent craving in the mind, for pleasure and against displeasure, form the causal mechanism by which stressful emotions arise.

By altering and controlling any of these three factors, one can minimize the occurance of stress. By controlling the objects of the senses to be those seen as pleasurable according to the circumstances, one can remain satisfied. By controlling the perceptive faculties, the generation of pleasure can become more flexible and robust. And with the purification of the mind, the attenuation of the root cause of the issue.

Insofar as these are governed by causality, and volition holds the capacity to affect this system, with knowledge as a guiding factor, one can optimize their sequence of volitional actions such that there is a minimization of all states of distress indefinitely through the future. And, with the potential attainment of an unconditioned state beyond the limitations of causality, permanantly unbound freedom beyond reckoning.

graph TD;
a-->b;

Content/Authors/Shashank Rajesh/Drafts/Project Empyrean.md

Two Points of Leverage

With the preference for pleasure and against pain remaining stable, we can then see all stress is a scalar combination of desire and feeling. One not used to fasting is beset with strong aversion to the bodily feeling of hunger, and strong attraction to the idea of eating and satiating their apitite. But for one well aquinted with this practice, that feeling of hunger is not felt nearly as displeasurable, and for some, even slightly pleasurable.

In another example, the winner of a competition is flooded by the pleasure of the idea of victory, they are elated and their desires are fulfilled. Here we see that the desires of a person are quelled by the influx of pleasure as the mind holds on lightly to a stable stream of feeling.

Thus, stress can be minimized by reducing desire and attenuating it with pleasure.

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Stress as a Dynamic Causal Process

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Stress

It seems that all forms of mental stress are dependent on a sense of identity, and with its cessation so too all forms of stress. Emotions may still exist, but one would be deteched from them, for they would not be anywhere at all. This necessarily implies the impossibility of a subset of emotions like anger and relishing, for both of those are dependent on an induvidual approval or disapproval which no longer exists.

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..

The goal is to minimize distress. Distress is the acquisition of displeasure. Acquisition is reflexively distressing due to it being displeasurable. Thus, the only complete escape from distress is in the absence of acquisition.

Acquisition of pleasure is distressing from both sides, while acquisition of non-displeasure is distressing only from the inside. Pleasure and neutrality can only reduce internal distress, and it is not guaranteed. (A pleasing sensation is not always guaranteed to aleviate one’s thirst due to factors such as novelty)

Acquisition is an action, and actions may influence “feeling” in the future. Thus, the minimisation of distress comes about through the optimisation of action.

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Stress

Stress is a term that points to the root problem of existence, the sole motivation behind even volition itself.

Stress Over Time

$f(x)=T$ where: $T>=0$ $T=stress$ $x=time$

$U>=10$ where: U = unfathomable suffering

$7<A<10$ where: A = abject suffering

$F=0$ where F = Complete relief

$f(x)=0=R$ where: R = Release

$S<3$ where: S = Satisfactory stress (happiness)

$T=C-F$ where C = craving F = fulfillment of craving, consciousness of the desired object.

Stress is the difference between craving and fulfillment.

Accompanied with it is feeling. The same amount of stress is attainable with any amount of accompanied feeling. For example, relaxation and ecstasy can have the same amount of stress, yet with vastly different feelings.

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Mechanics {#mechanics-2}

There is a mental preference which clings to pleasant feelings, and rejects the unpleasant ones. Striving for or against things is itself a cause of displeasure. Thus, any and all striving is itself in some form stressful.

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The Subtle Truth

It is easy and common to equate these two kinds of experiences directly to the objects they correspond to, but in reality, the sensations themselves are not intrinsic to them. What I observe is that choices rooted in aversion and attraction result in some level of mental stress which itself is subejct to aversion. Thus, it is by volition that there is a proliferation of diagreeable feelings — reflexive agitation. When abiding in the agreeable, this volition is reduced and abated, while it flare up in the presense of the disagreeable. But with careful and ardent attention one is able to reduce and minimize these volitions which in turn decrease one’s vexation regardless of the circumstances. This observation lines up with the teachings of the Buddha, and he declares that he found a way to permanantly end these volitions, thus putting an end to all suffering for good.

So we have two components to this phenomenon of reflexive agitation: volition rooted in attraction and aversion , and the sensations of the five kinds plus mind. By purifying volition and curating agreeable sensations, one can minimize this suffering by way of those conditions. But to remove the conditions for volition entirely, suffering can be permanantly brought to an end.

Mentally generated unpleasant feeling combined with an active volition withstanding that feeling. Yearning for pleasant feeling, giving rise to unpleasant feeling, withstanding that feeling, grasping after the other.

Ordinary happiness: pleasant feeling with a suspense of effort, subtle grasping of the feeling. Not enough to explicity cognize. Ultimate happiness: the total cessation of all effort, the feeling no longer matters. The suspense of effort is the core component of happiness. Thus, nibbana is the ultimate happiness.

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Tension is an unpleasant mental phenomena proportionately desrived from frustrated desire created by mental fabrication. Tension is reduced by reducing desire and maximizing its fulfillment.

The fundamental problem of existence is tension, that subjective phenomenon typically underlying all states of mental distress ranging from subtlest of boredom through to the most abject of suffering. It arises due to craving---personal attraction and aversion to objects of experience---and is resolved by its attenuation assisted by the experience of the desired object. In other words, by letting go.

Insofar as the tendency to crave and the experience of the desired is governed by causality, there lies the potential to minimize and eliminate discontentment through volitional action.

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The Experience of Discontentment

Discontentment is is a dynamic process of craving: personal attraction and aversion to objects of experience. Unpleasant mental stress arises together with craving, which itself becomes subject to aversion. Thus, desire itself becomes undesired. Wanting itself becomes unwanted.

• Highlight and exhaustively prove with examples

Content/Scratch.md

What is Stress?

• Appropriated displeasure. That is, displeasure arising with a perception of “I-ness”. These are the fundamental components of affliction.
• The lesser the affliction, the better the state.
• Appropriated pleasure is not stressful, but its side effects are, as desire itself can only arise in the unresolved form, and that form is unpleasant.
• Stress is equivalent to dukkhadukkhata, but the latter forms of viparinama and sankhara are not. This definition only accounts for the phenomenal aspect, not the ontological.

Related topics (AI recommended)

Compare this account with discomfort, unhappiness, and the Buddhist concept of dukkha. Desire explores a proposed cause of stress.

The current resolution supersedes the claim that uptake is inherently stressful and replaces “stress” as the preferred quantitative description with happiness and unhappiness.

Garden map