The Nibbedhika Sutta: Penetrative (translated by Ven. Thanissaro) states the following:
"And what is the result of feeling? One who feels a feeling produces a corresponding state of existence, on the side of merit or demerit. This is called the result of feeling.
What does this mean? If a feeling is either pleasant, unpleasant, or neither pleasant nor unpleasant, then isn't additional input required to determine merit or demerit?
Piya Tan's translation of Nibbedhika Sutta feels more intuitive here:
And what, bhikshus, is the result of feelings. Bhikshus, one who feels is reborn as an individual into this or that existence depending on one’s merit or on one’s demerit — This, bhikshus, is called the result of feelings.
Nibbedhika Sutta (translated by Piya Tan)
This statement talks about dependent origination - how feelings lead to craving, clinging, becoming (or existence), then the birth of the mental idea of the self (or the birth of individual identity).
Feelings refer to sight, sound, smell, tactile sensation, taste and thoughts.
The exact birth, depends on the merit or demerit of a person, which then depends on the mental influxes (defilements, taints, effluents - asava).
Piya Tan continues:
And what, bhikshus, is the diversity of mental influxes? There are mental influxes that lead one on to the hells. There are mental influxes that lead one on to the animal kingdom. There are mental influxes that lead one on to the ghost realm. There are mental influxes that lead one on to the human world. There are mental influxes that lead one on to the heavenly world. —This, bhikshus, is called the diversity of mental influxes.
And what, bhikshus, is the result of mental influxes? Bhikshus, one guided by ignorance (avijjā) is reborn as an individual into this or that existence depending on one’s merit or on one’s demerit. —This, bhikshus, is called the result of mental influxes.
Feeling causes grasping, grasping craving, craving becoming, becoming birth and with it aging, sickness, death, and the whole mass of suffering, good householder. So feeling keeps one in the circle of merits and demerits, gain and loos, personal intended actions (kamma) has not end.
As for relation of what feeling determines which course it's lesser about what kind of feeling as to what kind of feeling in regard of what. Pleased with skilful, not harming, not struggling, renouncing (deeds by oneself or others) causes an upwardly path, unpleasant feeling with harmful, sensuallity, as well. While being pleased and delight in unskilful or dspleased with good, agati, way down.
To get ones feelings right adjusted, right view needs to be developed gradually, starting to go after merits, till maybe the point where feelings at all are seen just as feeling, and by gain of knowledge, even abound (being) touch(ed) at all, as touch (at ignorance) is the cause of feeling to arise.
It's possible good to mention that a commons person "neutral feeling" isn't the same as 'out of touch' but merely sign of grave not-knowing, ignorance.
more on it maybe here: Viel der Gefühle - Many of those Feelings
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