Minowani's Writings

on what the Buddha taught

'Is Dukkha not unsatisfactoriness rather than suffering?'

A treatment for an accidental early discovered severe sickness is not for the not yet manifested symptoms. It doesn’t matter if we don’t feel sick right now. Thinking a treatment would be just for that would be a misunderstanding.

Unsatisfactoriness and suffering (bearing of pain) are as scales of the same metric system and when entertained, untreated, symptoms like birth, ageing, dying, separated from loved ones, captivity, slaughter, torture are guaranteed; which is why birth shouldn’t be even approved of (SN5.6).

And a translation should do just to all this. Since the noble eightfold path is the antidote, suffering is a proper and more beneficial translation. In other words, the divine life could be seen as an overkill for unsatisfactoriness. Yet suffering, while giving more a sense of urgency, should not be misunderstood as being exclusive; as if there would be only suffering (SN22.60).

Dukkha (adj. --- n.) suffering.