Nir Feinberg

This dissertation project focuses on the Buddhist treatment of a primal affective state called samvega - a Sanskrit and Pali term that covers a wide variety of feelings and moods, such as distress, fear, melancholy, agitation, disgust, and urgency. I intend to explore samvega and the matrix of terms surrounding it in the early sutra literature available in Indic languages and in early Chinese translations. I will also consult the relevant exegetical materials found in the Pali commentaries on the nikayas. My goal is to map what I call the "affective ground of the Buddhist path," that is, the terrain of emotions, moods, and feelings that Buddhists have considered to be preconditions for a transformative engagement with Buddhist philosophical ideals.