Dukkha
I’ve recently come across the word Dukkha in my search for something and it’s left me feeling a bit scattered lately. They say the well know Buddhist quote “Life is suffering.” Is actually a poor translation of what should be “Life is Dukkha.” And like many of my favorite French expressions there is no direct translation for this word. I’ve been sitting here trying to think of a way to explain this concept that hit me so hard. Dukkha is suffering, Dukkha is pleasure, Dukkha is the transient nature of all things. That’s just a start. Dukkha is what Mugison would refer to as “The Great Unrest”, it is everything and anything we become attached too (Asantosha) or grasp for (Parigraha). Dukkha is the person who has everything but still wants. The child who can’t wait to grow up and the adult who wishes they were young again. It is everything. And that is why Buddha said “Life is Dukkha.”
The part that really rocked me is trying to conceive all things as transient, my desk, the ground, my thoughts, my beliefs. All of them can come and go and the true cause of suffering for all humans is not that everything moves in and out of existence, only that we perceive these things as ours and try to hold them and push them into ourselves as part of who we are.
I read at one point that humans are mistaken to picture all humans as bricks held together with mortar. With spaces between us and the ability to pull out just one brick and hold it. The truth is human and all things in existence are waves of a greater ocean. Waves come into existence and then recede back into the ocean that they never ceased to be of. And no one can ever hold a wave, no matter how hard they try.
(What a comical image that is too- to picture humans running around the ocean trying to catch waves in their arms, only to come up with a mouth full of salt water. No wonder we’re sputtering all over the place.)
And still all this does not perfectly describe what I’m trying to get my brain to conceive and maybe it’s not something for my brain to hold, and it is only grasping when it tries.
Links to what I read…
Dukkha- This one messed me up...
Dukkha- This one is friendlier...
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Comments: 3Views: 461
Comments
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reweis, 3 years ago | FlagGreat post, jayna_mohr
. I have always been a little uneasy with the term "suffering
" in this context. Your explanatio n that there is no equivalent word for Dukkha is quite enlighteni ng. I once read that a better choice than "suffering " is "disconten t" which is far more general, like your vivid explanatio n above. Thanks for this important insight.
Bob W.
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satyam, 3 years ago | FlagNamaskar,
The buddhist religion says life is dukha or suffering.
.. ...many great yogic sages say life is a'nandam or blissful.
In life we have the opportunit
y to goad the mind toward cosmic consciousn ess, where all is bliss. For the yogi then, the whole process of life is joyful and blissful and the more we are involved in our practices - sadhana, kiirtan, asanas - the more we will find this to be true.
This is one basic fundamenta
l difference in the world view between Buddhism (a religion) and yoga (a practical philosophy ). Satyam
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shamandagaji, 3 years ago | FlagThat''s how they invented surfing!
As a Shaman, I've learned to ignore other religions, and their world view. I mentioned in an earlier blog that Buddhist and Hindu thought seems to be anti-life. That we need to release all our grasping, our attachments, and that perfection or enlightenment is elsewhere, or not in this time.
It is only our consciousness that limits us to whatever perception we hold. Therefore, Shamanism seeks to expand our consciousness. I sat down to blog about the difference between the Vedic chakra system and the Shamanic chakra system. There are only seven chakras in the Vedic system, while Shamans work with twelve. These extra chakras open us up to a very different world.
From a Shamanic perspective, the Yamas and Niyamas are mostly irrelevant. I've thought a lot about this over the years, but very intensely since I've joined this site. I see people stuck in their development, and hung up on things that don't exist in my world.
As far as Dukkha goes, yes, that, as you have described it, is one view of life. But every problem is also a challenge! Life is to be played with. Playing is the best form of learning. I've noticed that lots of yogi/nis seem to work waaaaay too hard! Working hard limits your perception. Tapas is great, but maybe if you ask Taohead, she'd tell you that letting the surf lift you when you are ready is a better way.
I just wish all the yogi/nis would relax!
Love Dagaji
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