*Tricycle's Daily Dharma*
Mindfulness in Plain English
Suffering is a big word in Buddhist thought. It is a key term and it
should be thoroughly understood. The Pali word is /dukkha,/ and it does
not just mean the agony of the body. It means that deep, subtle sense of
unsatisfactoriness which is a part of every mind moment and which
results directly from the mental treadmill.
The essence of life is suffering, said the Buddha. At first glance this
seems exceedingly morbid and pessimistic. It even seems untrue. After
all, there are plenty of times when we are happy. Aren't there? No,
there are not. It just seems that way. Take any moment when you feel
really fulfilled and examine it closely. Down under the joy, you will
find that subtle, all-pervasive undercurrent of tension, that no matter
how great this moment is, it is going to end. No matter how much you
just gained, you are either going to lose some of it or spend the rest
of your days guarding what you have got and scheming how to get more.
And in the end, you are going to die. In the end, you lose everything.
It is all transitory.
--Henepola Gunaratana
