Dukkha v Samsara

[Shujin]

Good morning. I've been listening to a series of talks on Shobogenzo Kuge over the past few weeks. There's a portion of the lecture where the analogy of this life as a burning house is presented. Specifically, the burning house is the three poisonous minds which we have to deal with. The burning house is also presented as samsara, which in my basic understanding is the cycle of life and death. I also understand that samsara can be suffering (?) How does the suffering of samsara differ from that of dukkha? It seems that there's a distinction somewhere, but I can't figure it out.

Gassho,
Shujin

[Jundo]

Hi Shujin,

Well, Dukkha is often translated as "suffering", but it is perhaps better described as the “dissatisfaction,” “anxiety,” “disappointment,” "friction" that results between the "me/self" and the "everything else not me"**. It is created by our view of division, combined with all the anger, excess desire, attachment, jealousy, fear, regrets and the like that go with it when our little self is not satisfied with how the "not the self" is.

And Samsara is the whole divided, messy world of "me" and "you", anger, desire, attachment, beautiful and ugly, peace and war, times of health and sickness, birth and death which is where Dukkha is encountered and played out.

Buddhist Practice, in all schools and all its flavors, is about getting past or seeing through this division, and the dissatisfaction, anxiety, disappointment, anger, desires, fear, etc. etc. of the little self.

When that is so, Dukkha vanishes ... Samsara becomes Nirvana.

Of course, a tricky part of this Practice is how to continue living in this messy world of "Samsara", and as this often craving and dissatisfied little "you", even after seeing through them. Samsara is Nirvana even while still messy Samsara.

That is an "in a nutshell" response.

Gassho, J

PS ** Worth mentioning that even the sense of "me" is really part of the "not me", because we treat ourself like an object, are often dissatisfied with ourself just as much as any other thing in the world.

[Hans]

Hello,

Samsara is the stadium, and the bumpy and painful football game experience (which can be a great or a horrible game...however you'll ultimately lose even if you've scored the most points) is dukkha. :)


Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

[Kyonin]

Thank you for this thread, guys.

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Mp]

Hi Shujin,

Well, Dukkha is often translated as "suffering", but it is perhaps better described as the “dissatisfaction,” “anxiety,” “disappointment,” "friction" that results between the "me/self" and the "everything else not me"**. It is created by our view of division, combined with all the anger, excess desire, attachment, jealousy, fear, regrets and the like that go with it when our little self is not satisfied with how the "not the self" is.

And Samsara is the whole divided, messy world of "me" and "you", anger, desire, attachment, beautiful and ugly, peace and war, times of health and sickness, birth and death which is where Dukkha is encountered and played out.

Buddhist Practice, in all schools and all its flavors, is about getting past or seeing through this division, and the dissatisfaction, anxiety, disappointment, anger, desires, fear, etc. etc. of the little self.

When that is so, Dukkha vanishes ... Samsara becomes Nirvana.

Of course, a tricky part of this Practice is how to continue living in this messy world of "Samsara", and as this often craving and dissatisfied little "you", even after seeing through them. Samsara is Nirvana even while still messy Samsara.

That is an "in a nutshell" response.

Gassho, J

PS ** Worth mentioning that even the sense of "me" is really part of the "not me", because we treat ourself like an object, are often dissatisfied with ourself just as much as any other thing in the world.

Thank you for this Jundo ... :)

Gassho
Michael

[Seimyo]

Samsara is the stadium, and the bumpy and painful football game experience (which can be a great or a horrible game...however you'll ultimately lose even if you've scored the most points) is dukkha. :)


Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen
Another great one Hans.

Thank you all for this.

Gassho,
Chris

[Shujin]

Hey guys, appreciate all the responses. Makes it much clearer.

Gassho,
Shujin