The Three Basic Facts of Existence II: Suffering (Dukkha) - Buddhist ...

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and woe are never right (as they are nearer the concept soka [grief, sorrow] than dukkha). In thisconnection reference may be made to Mrs. Rhys Davids: Buddhist Psychology, pp. 83, ff.”Some idea of this concept may be formed by referring to the Buddha’s first discourse, theDhammacakkappavattana Sutta. After mentioning that the Noble Eightfold Path is the MiddlePath—majjhimâ paṭipadâ—leading to knowledge and insight, tranquillity, wisdom,enlightenment and Nibbāna, which the Tathāgata has realised having avoided the two extremesof self-indulgence and self-mortification, he proceeds to explain the Four Noble Truths ofdukkha, samudaya, nirodha and magga. The explanation given there covers a wide field ofconditions resulting in dukkha. Birth, old-age, disease, death, union with those who are dislikedby one, separation from those who are liked by one, inability to fulfil one’s wishes, and in brief,the five aggregates of grasping, are dukkha. The five aggregates (body, feeling, perception,mental formations and consciousness), which make up an individual entity are accompanied bydukkha, as those groups are found in conjunction with âsava (taints) and upādāna (grasping). Itis when we come to the second Noble Truth, the origin of dukkha, that we are given a clearerpicture of the concept of dukkha. Taṇhā, the thirst or fever of unsatisfied longing, a state of mindthat leads to rebirth, involving attachment to lustful enjoyment is mentioned as the cause ofdukkha. In other words, this thirst or yearning for sensual enjoyment, generally unfulfilled, isthe cause for the prevalence of dukkha. If dukkha was mere pain or misery, the enjoyment ofworldly pleasures, not all of which are spiritually harmful, would certainly not give rise to itunless, of course, the enjoyment itself is carried to excesses. Elsewhere, the Buddha mentionsfour truisms (dhammuddesâ) the fourth of which is ûno loko atitto taṇhâdâso—“The world isdeficient, never contended and a slave to thirst.” 43 This statement sheds much light on themeaning of the term dukkha. The deficiency and discontent are the direct results of thesubjection to taṇhā, they are impelled by taṇhā, the root cause of all dukkha. Hence dukkha isthe general discomfort (or dis-ease) or the unsatisfactory nature of the world. And this has beenbrought about by the instability of the world. The world is in a state of flux and is unstable:upanīyati loko addhuvo. This is the first of the four dhammuddesā just referred to. Taṇhā, which isthe cause of dukkha, is threefold: kāmataṇhā, bhavataṇhā, vibhavataṇhā, the thirst for sensualenjoyment, for existence and for annihilation, respectively. Any one or more of these three canbring about dukkha. The elimination or the complete abandonment of taṇhā is the cessation ofdukkha. Hence there is no dukkha in the absence of taṇhā, and the path leading to the cessationof dukkha is the Noble Eightfold Path.Thus dukkha is not mere pain or misery but a concept of widest range, and it is of the highestsignificance in the Buddhist Teachings. It is the recognition of dukkha that makes Nibbānapossible. Ignorance of the prevalence of dukkha is the ignorance of the most fundamentalnature of the world. Ignorance (avijjā) is the starting point as it were of the continuity in saṃsāra.Dukkha may be compared to a disease. The ignorance of the prevalence of the disease makes nocure possible let alone its diagnosis and method of treatment. This simple analogy from medicalscience holds good as regards the formulation of the Four Noble Truths. It requires the uniquephysician in the person of the Tathāgata to discover the prevalence of this disease. The firsttruth has been discovered by the Buddha, but this alone serves no purpose, just as theknowledge of the prevalence of a disease is of no great help unless and until the administrationof the cure is effected. To effect a cure the symptoms have to be studied and the cause of thedisease has to be found out. From the known symptoms such as “birth is suffering” etc. thecause of the disease is diagnosed as taṇhā, craving. In the so-called “chain” of paṭiccasamuppāda,vedanā, (sensations) give rise to taṇhā (craving). The next step is upādāna, (grasping) resulting inbhava, (becoming) and its concomitant, dukkha. Once the causes are known a cure has to be43Raþþhapála Sutta of the Majjhima Nikáya (M II 68).20
found and the administration of the medicine to bring about the cure is the final step. The Pathleading to the cessation of dukkha, i.e. the Noble Eightfold Path is the cure to this disease.Besides of being assigned the position of the first Noble Truth, dukkha also stands as one ofthe three characteristics (tilakkhaṇa) the basic premises as it were, of the Buddhist Teachings.Unlike most propositions in outside systems of philosophy, the three characteristics areformulated by inductive reasoning based on observable facts. The five aggregates are seen to beimpermanent (anicca) and that which is impermanent is dukkha and subject to change. Thatwhich is dukkha and subject to change cannot be identified as one’s own and is lacking in apermanent entity. This is discussed fully in the Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta, 44 that followed theBuddha’s First Sermon.The foregoing remarks, though discursive and somewhat superficial when the whole subjectis taken into account, are meant to serve as an introduction to our study of this all-importantconcept. As pointed out earlier, the aim of the true Buddhist is to overcome dukkha andsurmount the ills that flesh is heir to. The problem before the disciple of the Buddha is to makean end of dukkha. The destruction of dukkha, i.e. dukkhakkhaya, consists of nirodha or Nibbâna.All the efforts of the disciple are to be directed to this end. The Noble Eightfold Path divided intomorality, concentration and wisdom, and the complex system of training (sikkhā) are designed for thispurpose. It is of the person who has achieved this end that one is able to say: “Birth isexhausted, the Holy Life has been lived out, what was to be done is done, there is no more ofthis to come.”—Prof. N. A Jayawickrama44See Wheel No. 17.21
Page 1 and 2: The Three Basic Facts of Existence
Page 4 and 5: Dukkha is:II. DukkhaDisturbance, ir
Page 6 and 7: that there are people who kill for
Page 8 and 9: dukkha can be looked at in three wa
Page 10 and 11: The five subjects for frequent reco
Page 12 and 13: component parts of the personality
Page 14 and 15: death. But as all the Arahants, inc
Page 16 and 17: cold sorrow of its fading; or if th
Page 18 and 19: Man tries in many ways to escape fr
Page 22 and 23: VI. Dukkha of ChildhoodA FragmentWh
Page 24 and 25: mother to his father, simply becaus
Page 26 and 27: Angels are bright still, though the
Page 28 and 29: Come, let us face it, just as hones
Page 30 and 31: crucifixion, a sense of agonising a
Page 32 and 33: through change evolution takes plac
Page 34 and 35: IX. The Growth of Dukkha in the Wor
Page 36 and 37: distress, the reaction of the indiv
Page 38 and 39: oth political systems there are min
Page 40 and 41: X. Dukkha According to the Theravā
Page 42 and 43: Âcariya Buddhaghosa distinguishes
Page 44 and 45: Noble Truth of Suffering? It can be
Page 46 and 47: of pleasure wherever it is found.
Page 48 and 49: gladness; without gladness he has n
Page 50: The Buddhist Publication SocietyThe

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