Keyword #2 Duḥkha
Suffering
Dear Enlightenment Legacies Reader,
You are invited to join our digital vihāra. Today’s keyword is “Duḥkha.” We shall begin with an expansion of our keyword in four major Buddhist languages.
Sanskrit: duḥkha दुःख
Pāli: dukkha
Chinese: ku 苦
Tibetan: sdug bsngal སྡུག་བསྔལ་
Definition
Duḥkha, in Buddhism, refers to the intrinsic suffering or unsatisfactoriness permeating human existence. It encompasses not just physical and emotional pain, but a deeper, more subtle sense of dissatisfaction with life, extending to mental, emotional, and spiritual realms, underscoring life’s impermanence and the inevitability of change.
Significance
The concept of duḥkha, foundational in Buddhism, arises in the first of the Four Truths of the Nobles (catvāry āryasatyāni), emphasizing life’s inherent suffering. This suffering includes birth, aging, sickness, death, and the pain of not achieving desires. Beyond these, duḥkha encompasses broader existential dissatisfactions, recognizing life’s transient nature. It invites a critical reevaluation of worldly pursuits, highlighting the three marks of existence: impermanence (anitya), suffering (duḥkha), and nonself (anātman). This awareness encourages a shift from attachment to worldly pleasures to seeking liberation in nirvāṇa. Buddhist texts enumerate various types of duḥkha, ranging from three to over a hundred categories, each dissecting suffering’s multifaceted nature and its role in the cycle of rebirth and liberation.
With gratitude for your presence. I will see you next week.
All the best,
Martino