August 20, 2008

Dukkha and Satisfaction

Dukkha is a Buddhist term that can be translated as suffering, stressful, unsatisfying, or frustrating. The Buddha said, "Sabbe sankhara dukkha." That translates as, "All compounded or conditioned [phenomena] is suffering, stressful, unsatisfying, frustrating."

It is sort of like the old Rolling Stones song, 'I can't get no satisfaction.' The Buddha explained why we can not get any lasting satisfaction. It is because we are "looking for love [satisfaction] in all the wrong places." The Buddha taught four reasons why we wind up frustrated. These are are know as cattaro vipallasa {viparyasa} or 四顚倒; the four afflictions or hallucinations:

  • Mistaking or seeking subha 浄 wholesomeness, fortune. purity, attractiveness, desirability}; for or in that which is asubha 不淨 or 惡露 {impure, spiritually ugly, unwholesome, unfortunate}.
  • Seeking sukha 樂 {bliss}; in that which is dukkha 苦 or 苦惱 {unsatisfying}.
  • Searching for or expecting nicca / niyta 常 {constancy, continuity, eternity}; in that which is anicca / anitya 無常 {inconstant, temporal}.
  • Identifying atta / atman 我 {an abiding self}; in that which is anatta / anatman 無我{fabricated ego}.
You might recognize that the last three are the three marks of existence. "Sabbe sankhara anicca. Sabbe sankhára dukkha. Sabbe dhamma anatta." All conditioned existence is inconstant. All conditioned existence is suffering. All phenomena have no abiding self. To these is added asubha {unwholesome, inner ugliness, unfortunate, inauspecious}; which is related to ashuddha {impurity}.

The Buddha also said,"Sabbe sankhara dukkha ti yada pannaya passati atha nibbindati dukkhe esa maggo vishuddhiya." That translates as something like, "All conditioned existence is unsatisfying. When one acquires the skills of discernment and insight, then one grows weary of frustration, and seeks the path of purification." Buddhism teaches that there is a cessation of dukkha. "You can't always get what you want; but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need." You might also notice that the reverse of the cattaro vipallasa are the four innate innate virtues; known as 四徳 Shitoku:

  • Subha 浄 (jo) {pure} or 清浄 (shojo) {purified} or 遍淨 (henjo) {pervasive purity}: Wholesome purity, inner beauty, innocence; actual desirability, appeal, attractiveness, good fortune. [note that shuddha 浄 pure, 遍淨 pervasive purity, and vishuddha 清浄 purification are conflated with subha or inner beauty].
  • Sukha 樂 (raku) {comfort}: Sublime Bliss, spontaneous or stable joy, independent of circumstances. Note that sukha, as one of three kinds of vedana {sensation or feeling}, is the opposite of dukkha. The third kind is neutral.
  • Nitya 常 (jo) or 常住 (joju) {constant} or 無辺 (muhen) {boundless, no end} or 無量 (muryo) {immeasurable}: Actual perception of constancy, continuity, permanence, timelessness, eternity, infinitude.
  • Atman 我 (?) {mine; self}: Authentic identity; which is a selfless, higher self.
Perhaps you also noticed that these relate to the Four Bodhisattvas 四菩蓮 (shi bosatsu) who attend the Eternal Shakyamuni; and also satipatthana or the four frameworks of sati. smrti, 憶念, or mindfulness.


count website hits
Dial Up Internet

Posted by rbeck at August 20, 2008 02:24 PM
Comments

Just wanted to share one of my favorite quotes about dukkha: someone asked a teacher why happiness was considered dukkha. The teacher replied, "Doesn't last."

Posted by: Brian at August 28, 2008 02:24 PM

Yes, but specifically the second mark of Conditioned Existence. I can not find the exact source of the ti-lakkhana

Sabbe sankhara anicca
Sabbe sankhara dukkha
Sabbe dhamma anatta

I think the 4NT are in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.

Posted by: robin at August 21, 2008 02:55 PM

The Buddha said, "Sabbe sankhara dukkha." That translates as, "All compounded or conditioned [phenomena] is suffering, stressful, unsatisfying, frustrating."

Robin: are you referring to the first of the Four Noble Truths?

Thanks

Frank


Posted by: Frank Walmsley at August 21, 2008 11:56 AM