What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

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Happiness
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What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by Happiness »

The first noble truth is life is duhhka, which is translated as unsatisfaction or unease. On one hand, this unease is good because it propels me to improve or to seek an improvement or something better than what I have now. Yet on the other hand, this constant seeking of something better and its accompanying unease is never ending and is therefore exhausting. My desires can never be satisfied. I can never be contented and happy. I can never be 100% relaxed and be truly at peace. Any relaxation is only temporary and come about because I suppress or deny my desire for the something better than what I presently experience.

So I am conflicted. It's either I choose to be contented with what I have or who I am, thereby not putting an effort to improve myself, or I strive to improve myself but have to live with the constant unease that will be inflicted upon me.

What solutions do you have to resolve this dilemma/conflict? What is the meaning of "life is duhhka"?
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

Happiness wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:18 pm The first noble truth is life is duhhka, which is translated as unsatisfaction or unease. On one hand, this unease is good because it propels me to improve or to seek an improvement or something better than what I have now. Yet on the other hand, this constant seeking of something better and its accompanying unease is never ending and is therefore exhausting. My desires can never be satisfied. I can never be contented and happy. I can never be 100% relaxed and be truly at peace. Any relaxation is only temporary and come about because I suppress or deny my desire for the something better than what I presently experience.

So I am conflicted. It's either I choose to be contented with what I have or who I am, thereby not putting an effort to improve myself, or I strive to improve myself but have to live with the constant unease that will be inflicted upon me.

What solutions do you have to resolve this dilemma/conflict? What is the meaning of "life is duhhka"?
You can't "choose" to be content, that's the whole point, no one actually reaches real contentment until they are liberated. It's really not about making a choice to self improve or not, improving of the relative life situation is not something opposed in Buddhism, usually. The things is how you view contentment, and tracing things back to root of ignorance that desires contentment in the first place.

in other words, it's more profitable to examine the deep motivation that prompts you to even ask this question, than it is to pick and choose some conceptual overlay to approach life with, "how should I live my life" is about as samsaric a question as you can get. beyond following Buddhist ethics and working for the good of others, that question itself could be classed as a tricky distraction. You need to deeply, uncritically know your relative condition, that's more important than having some "plan" for how to approach life.

My two cents of course.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by Wayfarer »

The 'first noble truth' is indeed that of dukkha. But the second, third and fourth show that dukkha has a cause, and also an ending. The cause is explained in terms of tṛ́ṣṇā, thirst or craving (for sensory pleasures, for continued existence, or for ceasing from existing). The ending of dukkha is explained in terms of cessation - nirodha.

There is, as you rightly say, kind of a paradox involved, as, on the one hand, the 'sense of want' is what is behind dukkha - but how can we free ourselves from dukkha if we simply stay as we are? Don't we have to want to change? In Zen Master Nishijima's Roshi's teaching on Soto Zen, it is taught in terms of being 'the will to truth' (see this lecture.) Even though we are conditioned beings, subject to craving and conditioning, we can still develop a conviction that there is a liberating truth which will set us free from that condition. That indeed is the basis of Buddhist practice and the path. Developing the elements of the Buddhist path, namely, sila, prajna and samadhi, and having confidence in the dharma, sangha and the Buddha, is the basis of the path.
'Only practice with no gaining idea' ~ Suzuki Roshi
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by adamthiel »

Very well explained but this is the truth of our life.
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by SunWuKong »

Happiness wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:15 pm The first noble truth is life is duhhka, which is translated as unsatisfaction or unease. On one hand, this unease is good because it propels me to improve or to seek an improvement or something better than what I have now. Yet on the other hand, this constant seeking of something better and its accompanying unease is never ending and is therefore exhausting. My desires can never be satisfied. I can never be contented and happy. I can never be 100% relaxed and be truly at peace. Any relaxation is only temporary and come about because I suppress or deny my desire for the something better than what I presently experience.

So I am conflicted. It's either I choose to be contented with what I have or who I am, thereby not putting an effort to improve myself, or I strive to improve myself but have to live with the constant unease that will be inflicted upon me.

What solutions do you have to resolve this dilemma/conflict? What is the meaning of "life is duhhka"?
Well, you should really want the best for yourself and your family. This is worth making sacrifices for. But life won't go as you have planned, it's uncooperative. Be flexible and adaptive. Ultimately this life will let you down, but it's full of opportunity to to help others, have compassion, and live fully if you know how to accept it for what it is. Compassion is the key. Devotion, even, if you understand it in the context of compassion.
"We are magical animals that roam" ~ Roam
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by muni »

SunWuKong wrote: Thu Jul 19, 2018 4:23 am Ultimately this life will let you down, but it's full of opportunity to to help others, have compassion, and live fully if you know how to accept it for what it is. Compassion is the key. Devotion, even, if you understand it in the context of compassion.
:buddha1: _/\_

ps My question in the accept, love, respect, gone topic seems to be as well answered.
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by Simon E. »

Dukkha is a broad concept. The origin of the word refers to sourness..its opposite is sukkha meaning sweet and the origin of our word 'sugar'.
Dukkha does not apply only to big things and heavy suffering. ( And incidentally 'suffering' is a poor translation. The real meaning needs to be internalised by studying it in different contexts.)

Dukkha is saying that life, as lived most of the time by most people, will eventually cause discomfort physical or psychological. That it is built in. It comes with the territory.
Observe yourself sitting still. Sooner rather than later you willl want to move. You will feel cramp or pins and needles You will shift slightly. That is dukkha in action.
You read or watch a movie. You become distracted or bored. That is dukkha. You get the job you want and then eventually want another change. That is dukkha.
You marry and your spouse eventually dies. That is dukkha.
You dont marry and instead become a nun/or monk and then find that some of the other nuns/monks have some obnoxious traits. That is dukkha.
Dukkha is the result of expecting lasting joy and satisfaction from that which is always changing and insubstantial.
It cant be cured. It can only be transcended by leaving the cycle of birth and death, and that cycle happens from moment to moment. Not just post mortem.
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by seeker242 »

I can never be contented and happy. I can never be 100% relaxed and be truly at peace.
That's only true if you look for satisfaction in things that are impermanent. "Life is dukka" could be said means "reliance on the impermanent is dukkha"
The five aggregates, monks, are anicca, impermanent; whatever is impermanent, that is dukkha
or I strive to improve myself but have to live with the constant unease that will be inflicted upon me.
Unease isn't really "inflicted upon you". We inflict it upon ourselves by grasping at impermanent things. But you can be truly at peace by attaining wisdom which naturally stops you from engaging in that grasping activity.
Impermanent are all component things, They arise and cease, that is their nature: They come into being and pass away, Release from them is bliss supreme.
Attaining wisdom does not result in "unease being inflicted upon you", it does the opposite! :meditate:
One should not kill any living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should one incite any other to kill. Do never injure any being, whether strong or weak, in this entire universe!
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by kausalya »

Happiness wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:15 pm The first noble truth is life is duhhka, which is translated as unsatisfaction or unease. On one hand, this unease is good because it propels me to improve or to seek an improvement or something better than what I have now. Yet on the other hand, this constant seeking of something better and its accompanying unease is never ending and is therefore exhausting. My desires can never be satisfied. I can never be contented and happy. I can never be 100% relaxed and be truly at peace. Any relaxation is only temporary and come about because I suppress or deny my desire for the something better than what I presently experience.

So I am conflicted. It's either I choose to be contented with what I have or who I am, thereby not putting an effort to improve myself, or I strive to improve myself but have to live with the constant unease that will be inflicted upon me.

What solutions do you have to resolve this dilemma/conflict? What is the meaning of "life is duhhka"?
Dukkha refers to the suffering that pervades the six realms of samsara.

In some cases, this may be severe (I'll leave you to imagine cases of that), but it may also be subtle. It comes from encountering what we don't want, not encountering what we want, etc. Even when we encounter what we believe we want, it may not turn out as we thought, or otherwise we experience the suffering of impermanence—losing that desirable condition when the karma for it runs out.

The general idea is that because we're focused on samsaric enjoyments, which arise from external conditions and are highly dependent on our very fickle mind, we're bound to experience this suffering over and over. On and on it goes, for at least as long as we don't investigate how our suffering relates to our afflictions & our corresponding behaviour and make changes to these.

When the teachings cease to be an intellectual exercise, and they actually influence your thoughts & actions for the better, you will experience a decrease in suffering and an increase in your ability to be of service to others, which is the actual cause to eliminate suffering. The desire to be of service, and efforts toward that, begin to develop when we experience compassion for sentient beings (who are caught in the same trap as we are, but may lack the awareness we do of our condition and the reasons behind it).

Thus, we make efforts to develop a mind that sees the happiness of others as key to our own happiness, and can perceive how to bring that about in a lasting way.

"Seeking improvement" is only beneficial if you know the nature of the actual improvement you want to make, and you know that it will bring you lasting happiness, which is the kind that comes from inside of you. This alone will make you impervious to the ups and downs of samsara, but it necessitates a change in perspective. This arises naturally when we engage with the teachings through reflection and practice.

The conflict is in your mind, and the solution is also in your mind; all it requires is that you're brave enough to look, apply the dharma, and keep doing that until you develop faith in the method.
Last edited by kausalya on Sat Jul 21, 2018 11:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by Malcolm »

Happiness wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:15 pm The first noble truth is life is duhhka,
No, the first truth of āryas is sarvadukkha, suffering is everywhere.
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by Virgo »

Happiness wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:15 pm The first noble truth is life is duhhka, which is translated as unsatisfaction or unease. On one hand, this unease is good because it propels me to improve or to seek an improvement or something better than what I have now. Yet on the other hand, this constant seeking of something better and its accompanying unease is never ending and is therefore exhausting. My desires can never be satisfied. I can never be contented and happy. I can never be 100% relaxed and be truly at peace. Any relaxation is only temporary and come about because I suppress or deny my desire for the something better than what I presently experience.

So I am conflicted. It's either I choose to be contented with what I have or who I am, thereby not putting an effort to improve myself, or I strive to improve myself but have to live with the constant unease that will be inflicted upon me.

What solutions do you have to resolve this dilemma/conflict? What is the meaning of "life is duhhka"?
As Buddhists we must understand dukkha clearly. I highly recommend you read A Treasury of Dharma by Geshe Rabten Rinpoche, particularly the section on the Three Types of Suffering. It's a great read.

Kevin...
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by Schrödinger’s Yidam »

The first noble truth is life is duhhka, which is translated as unsatisfaction or unease
Think “Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones.
1.The problem isn’t ‘ignorance’. The problem is the mind you have right now. (H.H. Karmapa XVII @NYC 2/4/18)
2. I support Mingyur R and HHDL in their positions against lama abuse.
3. Student: Lama, I thought I might die but then I realized that the 3 Jewels would protect me.
Lama: Even If you had died the 3 Jewels would still have protected you. (DW post by Fortyeightvows)
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by muni »

kausalya wrote: Sat Jul 21, 2018 11:14 pm
Happiness wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:15 pm The first noble truth is life is duhhka, which is translated as unsatisfaction or unease. On one hand, this unease is good because it propels me to improve or to seek an improvement or something better than what I have now. Yet on the other hand, this constant seeking of something better and its accompanying unease is never ending and is therefore exhausting. My desires can never be satisfied. I can never be contented and happy. I can never be 100% relaxed and be truly at peace. Any relaxation is only temporary and come about because I suppress or deny my desire for the something better than what I presently experience.

So I am conflicted. It's either I choose to be contented with what I have or who I am, thereby not putting an effort to improve myself, or I strive to improve myself but have to live with the constant unease that will be inflicted upon me.

What solutions do you have to resolve this dilemma/conflict? What is the meaning of "life is duhhka"?
Dukkha refers to the suffering that pervades the six realms of samsara.

In some cases, this may be severe (I'll leave you to imagine cases of that), but it may also be subtle. It comes from encountering what we don't want, not encountering what we want, etc. Even when we encounter what we believe we want, it may not turn out as we thought, or otherwise we experience the suffering of impermanence—losing that desirable condition when the karma for it runs out.

The general idea is that because we're focused on samsaric enjoyments, which arise from external conditions and are highly dependent on our very fickle mind, we're bound to experience this suffering over and over. On and on it goes, for at least as long as we don't investigate how our suffering relates to our afflictions & our corresponding behaviour and make changes to these.

When the teachings cease to be an intellectual exercise, and they actually influence your thoughts & actions for the better, you will experience a decrease in suffering and an increase in your ability to be of service to others, which is the actual cause to eliminate suffering. The desire to be of service, and efforts toward that, begin to develop when we experience compassion for sentient beings (who are caught in the same trap as we are, but may lack the awareness we do of our condition and the reasons behind it).

Thus, we make efforts to develop a mind that sees the happiness of others as key to our own happiness, and can perceive how to bring that about in a lasting way.

"Seeking improvement" is only beneficial if you know the nature of the actual improvement you want to make, and you know that it will bring you lasting happiness, which is the kind that comes from inside of you. This alone will make you impervious to the ups and downs of samsara, but it necessitates a change in perspective. This arises naturally when we engage with the teachings through reflection and practice.

The conflict is in your mind, and the solution is also in your mind; all it requires is that you're brave enough to look, apply the dharma, and keep doing that until you develop faith in the method.
:good:
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by takso »

Happiness wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:15 pm What is the meaning of "life is duhhka"?
The First Noble Truth says that the suffering of birth, old age, sickness and death is inescapable. The Buddha has revealed that suffering is part of life and that it cannot be evaded. He also taught that suffering does not only come from the body but also from the mental aspects. In the Buddhist context, the dependent nature is known as samsāra. Samsāra literally means continuous flow - referring to a repeating cycle of birth, life, death and re-birth. When there is samsāra arising, dukkha would arise concurrently. And the meaning of dukkha or suffering would be to bear with. Any circumstances that would involve one to continue with; to persevere with; to soldier on with; to carry on with; to undertake with; to go through with would mean dukkha or suffering.

Literally, it is not correct for one to put much attention onto the conditions of pain, anxiety, agony, dissatisfaction, joyfulness or happiness - for these conditions merely reflected as the consequences of dukkha arising. To bear with is to suffer and the antonym of it is to let go. By not submitting oneself to the conditional circumstances, one would be freed, be liberated and be neutralised. Wisely one could see it, know it and let go – no need to grasp it. At the end of the day, one should cure the cause, not the symptoms!
~ Ignorance triumphs when wise men do nothing ~
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Re: What's the meaning of "life is duhhka"?

Post by amanitamusc »

May you choose lasting Happiness.
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