Dear So-and-so,

Dukkha Is Almost Universal

Begin by reading my post on the near-ubiquity of dukkha.

It’s especially important that you “click with” the First Noble Truth.

Like: “Oh, this isn’t just fear. And that over there isn’t just anger. They’re all instantiations of dukkha! Whoa, the Buddha was right!”

Once this really clicks into place, then there will be an easing of involvement when it comes to issue X or problem Y. You’ll take your blinkers off, and begin to see X or Y in a totally new, panned-out light.

Indeed, there will be a great openness to “going back” to find out whence the dukkha arose. I’ll say more about that below.

Dukkha As Error Message

Here’s how not to understand dukkha:

1. It’s something to be gotten rid of.
2. It’s something to suppress.
3. It’s something to “think your way out of” (a version, really, of 1).

Instead, regard dukkha as an error message. It’s like a yellow, orange, or red light appearing on your dashboard. What’s it saying? You’ll have to inquire to find this out.

But, again, it’s not telling you to do 1 (get rid of), 2 (suppress), or 3 (think through) above. Instead, it’s inviting you–as if it were a helpful riddle–to go back and discover the apparent, or relative or believed-in, source of the dukkha.

Where Dukkha Shows Up Specifically

1. In recurrent thoughts (or recurrent feelings).

2. In stuck energy (on this, see, e.g., qigong, Tai Chi, acupuncture, Reiki–in short “energetics” or “energy work”).

3. In chronic physical tension

I suggest setting aside 2 for now, and only looking at the “error messages” when and as they appear in 1 (thoughts or feelings) and 3 (physical tensions). 

How?

Regarding recurrent thoughts, gently see each, note that recurrence signals an error message, and find out the samskaric source.

Regarding chronic physical tensions (like the strong ones in your chest and solar plexus), gently see and–without expectation or end-gaining–invite release.