Were going to start a new series of Sit-a-Long with Jundo’s on some fundamental Buddhist teachings — those things every Buddhist needs to know — and maybe the most fundamental, insightful and elegant is the Buddha’s teaching of the Four Noble Truths, and Dukkha:
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So, what’s “Dukkha”? …and what does Dukkha do?
(Click through to watch today’s talk, and to “sit-a-long.”)
No one English word captures the full depth and range of the Pali term, Dukkha. It is sometimes rendered as “suffering,” as in “life is suffering.” But perhaps it’s better expressed as “dissatisfaction,” “anxiety,” “disappointment,” “unease at perfection,” or “frustration” — terms that wonderfully convey a subtlety of meaning.
In a nutshell, Your “self” wishes this world to be X, yet this world is not X. The mental state that may result to the “self” from this disparity is Dukkha.
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In ancient stories, Dukkha is often compared to a chariot’s or potter’s wheel that will not turn smoothly as it revolves. The opposite, Sukkha, is a wheel that spins smoothly and noiselessly, without resistance as it goes.
Fortunately, Shakyamuni Buddha also provided the Dukkha cure.
Today’s Sit-A-Long video follows. Remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells; a sitting time of 20 to 35 minutes is recommended.
To view all of Jundo and Taigu’s SunSpace posts, including earlier installments of Zazen for Beginners, click here.
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4 Comments
How fundamentally beautiful Jundo. Thank you Gassho
Thank you Jundo, for this much needed Buddhist fundamental teaching. Gassho Shogen
Wonderful lesson.
Thank you very much… I need to relisten to this often
Gassho,
Cyril