Thanks for mentioning the truths, Tommy.

I am writing what I understand currently as I have been meaning to explore Buddhism.

Dukkha is suffering, sadness, problems.

Anicca is Anityam – not daily, so in this case, not to be expected daily – it is not forever. So it’s not going to be around forever – hence, impermanence.

Annata is anatman in sanskrit, which would mean without an atma- so this would mean “not a soul” or “does not have a soul”?  You are not a soul? This I am not sure how to interpret. Searched the internet but it is not clear yet.

Dukkha is suffering, sadness, problems.

Dukkha is suffering. It is created thru the attachments and clinging of desires. However, I do not believe it to be sadness or problems. To be sad of feel sadness is human. To have problems is human. If you feel love or pain then that is human.

Anicca is Anityam – it is not forever. So it’s not going to be around forever – hence, impermanence.

Yes, change. Things come together to form something new. Later, it will fall apart and become something else.

Annata is anatman in sanskrit, which would mean without an atma- so this would mean “not a soul” or “does not have a soul”?  You are not a soul? This I am not sure how to interpret. Searched the internet but it is not clear yet.

This was taught to me as part of impermanence and suffering. People are an aggregate of things. All together, they create this person, sentient being. The senses and thoughts, all are in a feedback loop of some kind. Thus creating a person who we think we are. That created person has no soul as when the body dies then it too will die. This person we think we are is not independent of the body. When this person thinks it is real and permanent, it will cling to desires and wants as if those were also real. And change will bring the suffering. Cause, as one achieves one’s desires, change will take it away. Clinging to desires, causes the suffering. When one sits and sees the truth of one’s nature, one knows one is not this or that but the whole. Well, that was what I had learned about Buddhism. I could be wrong about the whole thing.

Hello Samy,

I do not know if I can give you the answers you are looking for. “Isn’t wishing something was one way and not another the root of sadness.” It is not the wishing for something to be one way and not another way. It is more the clinging or attachment to wishing for something to be one way and not the other. My mother passed away recently. And, I was filled with sadness. This is normal. I have feelings and so I felt sadness. The suffering comes if I dwell in the sadness or cling to the hope she would not be dead. If one has a toothache then that is pain. Suffering is having a mindset of only wanting the pain to go away or stop. Of course, we wish for the pain to stop. To live only in that moment, that is suffering.

There is a story of a woman who came to the monk saying her baby had died and wanted the monk to help her. She wanted her baby alive. There was no consoling her. The monk said he could help. But, she would have to go get three grains of rice from three houses that had no deaths. After she had gone thru every house in town, she went back to the monk. She learned that every house has had a death. She wept and buried her baby. Later, she became a follower of this monk. His name was Dogen.

From my perspective, I live in my thoughts. They give me meaning to who I am. Man, husband, father, worker. They give me interests and desires. I sense and feel and think. All linked to this body. When the body dies, there will be no thoughts, no hunger, no pain, no feelings. No me as I think of myself. Like to think of it as a child who splashes water, each drop has its own trajectory and path. Some blend with others and some pass thru. Each has it own time in space. But, it all returns to where it came. To realize one’s true nature is to break the bonds of the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Sorry, rambling.

Hi Sammy

How to reconcile existence (life) with the fact that to experience existence (life) is to experience suffering?

Life a continues cycle of birth and death. Spring dies to Summer which dies to Fall which dies to Winter with gives birth to Spring which gives birth to Summer which gives birth to Fall which gives birth to Winter….

Life feeds off of Life = inevitable suffering.

The duality (ego) consciousness experiences life as suffering and joy. We tend to pay more attention to pain, fear and measure accordingly. (So Life is suffering) Note how in a day of 10 memorable moments were one of them is negative how most people when asked about their day will think only of the negative one. In general duality consciousness is not very skilled at measuring = more suffering)

All things in thier time and a time for all things.

For a Non-dual consciousness Birth and death are not opposites as they cannot be separated, they occur together in every moment no mater how big or small.  Every creation is also a destruction, every destruction also a creation. To a unitive mind they are one ‘thing’.

Joseph Campbell suggested each of our stories is a story of the hero’s journey. THE Question that is behind each quest being ‘How to Respond to the Realty that Life devours life for Life. How to respond to ‘Life As It Is’ is wonder and horror?

Every Wisdom tradition attempts to help us answer that question for ourselves. (Not just answer but to be that answer) Oddly each wisdom tradition answer can be interpreted as both a Yes OR No by those engaged in the teaching. For Example many might say that Buddhist answer the question with a NO get me off this cycle of life that is suffering. Yet the teachings of the Buddha Gautama points to a answer of YES now go and engage ‘Life As It Is’ . (the paradox being that this YES to ‘Life As It Is’ , fully integrated in ones being, ends the cycle.) Through the practice of Detachment (not indifference) one can be Still while fully engaged. You have experiences and emotions verses you are your experiences and your emotions…

Likewise I think Christianity. The dogmas and theology tend to point to a answer of No we can fix Life if we follow the rules while Jesus teaching point to a answer with a YES, follow me engage with LIFE AS IT IS – Birth Death Reresection the reality of every breathe we take (as well as all phycological growth)

Perhaps a answer of YES requires a higher level of non-duality consciousness… if higher and lower were opposites and meant something 🙂 I would also note that every wisdom teaching  I have come across that express the concept of levels of consciousness the ‘highest level’ is always one involving non-duality. (In Jungian path to Individuation coming to terms with the problem of opposites) 

And so we work for that which no work is required. (How’s that for a paradox) 🙂

Hi Tommy

I will look into this Buddha’s four noble truths 

Is it not enough to be given the chance to live. Experience joy, love? A chance to escape suffering and the cycle of life, death and rebirth?  I suppose I hadn’t yet learnt to look at this as a chance. You’ve taught me that, thank you.

Hi Peter

The duality (ego) consciousness experiences life as suffering and joy. We tend to pay more attention to pain, fear and measure accordingly. I think the ego is there to protect us from other “egos”?. So pain is more intense than joy. It is more common to experience pain than joy because of that?

Life feeds off of Life = inevitable suffering. – I did not understand this.

I don’t understand what you mean by duality. Could it be similar to dvaitam – advaitam? You believe you and “god” or a higher power are the same vs you believe you can elevate yourself to “god”.?

I will go over your post again to respond to other parts. I am confused for now 🙂

The meaning of the story for me (now) is one where one’s thoughts about a situation make it so. Broken leg can be a blessing. So, I choose to look at life as not about detachment to release suffering. But, to live life to the fullest as a way to be here, now. Not to dwell in failures or sadness. Meditation or study of Buddhism may not extends one’s life. But, it can help one to enjoy every moment of it. Being mindful all the time doesn’t create a better life. Rather, it lets us live the life that we have.

I am a simple person. So when I learn new stuff, I like to break it down to something easy to remember and can be useful. Like the idea of Karma, I made it simple for me to understand. What one plants, one shall reap. If I plant an apple seed then an apple tree will grow. If I am good then good will come from me. Surround yourself with good people and you will be good people. I do not know about this life or the next. Or, what affect my actions now will have on the future. Sorry for rambling again.