Duhkha = suffering, frustration, stress or dissatisfaction (dis-ease)
= cornerstone of Buddhist teachings
People seek out Buddhism because they suffer - temples don't recruit.
Suffering not a conclusion. It is the start, a realistic experience.
Early Accounts: Prince Siddhartha's life in the palace, exposure to sick man, old man, corpse.
No one escapes these conditions.
Samsara
Endless cycle of rebirths all with suffering
Mahayana = 6 planes of existence
Theravada = 31 planes of existence
Heat is natural to fire; suffering is the natural to samsara.
Mahayana - 3 categories
1. suffering of suffering = lower realms; suffering due to suffering in hell, etc.
2. suffering of change = higher realms; human and gods.
3. suffering of conditioned existence = samsara; countless lives in various realms. Like a traveler who never arrives.
Causes of suffering = kelsas (afflictions) and karma
3 main kelsas = ignorance, attachment, aversion. Extensions = jealousy, greed, hatred, etc.
Delusion = object-subject duality (Mahayana) "I" and "other"
Ignorance = illusory reality (object subject duality) - present due to lack of wisdom gained with enlightenment.
Attachment = clinging
Aversion = not clinging, avoiding (clinging to avoiding)
Karmic reality = present state based on previous acts in previous lives. Current life is fruit of past karmic seeds.
Karma = action + intention
Determines weight and length of karmic outcome
4 Types:
reproductive = general nature of current life
supportive = supports general nature
counteractive = can change direction of life
destructive = can end life
Short, Medium, Long Karma
Planting a walnut tree.
The three subjective factors = persistence, repetition and great intention.
Objective factors = good and bad objects
Results of Karma:
Realm of rebirth
Environment
General state of intelligence
Rebirth
Deja Vu
Buddha had no reason to lie - was not convincing/recruiting followers.
Nāgārjuna said, “A little amount of salt change the taste of a glass of water, but a little amount of salt
will not change the taste of the water of the River Ganges. So try always to do a lot of wholesome
actions. In that way, even if you sometimes happen to do few unwholesome actions, it won’t change
the wholesome character of your karma”.