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, and despair frank k wrote:Did the term dukkhā have common usage among regular folks before the Buddha adopted it as a noble truth?
Sargeant, et. al. (2009: p. 303) provides the etymology of the Sanskrit words sukha and duḥkha:
It is perhaps amusing to note the etymology of the words sukha (pleasure, comfort, bliss) and duḥkha (misery, unhappiness, pain). The ancient Aryans who brought the Sanskrit language to India were a nomadic, horse- and cattle-breeding people who travelled in horse- or ox-drawn vehicles. Su and dus are prefixes indicating good or bad. The word kha, in later Sanskrit meaning "sky," "ether," or "space," was originally the word for "hole," particularly an axle hole of one of the Aryan's vehicles. Thus sukha … meant, originally, "having a good axle hole," while duhkha meant "having a poor axle hole," leading to discomfort.[2]
David N. Snyder wrote:frank k wrote:Did the term dukkhā have common usage among regular folks before the Buddha adopted it as a noble truth?
Apparently so:Sargeant, et. al. (2009: p. 303) provides the etymology of the Sanskrit words sukha and duḥkha:
It is perhaps amusing to note the etymology of the words sukha (pleasure, comfort, bliss) and duḥkha (misery, unhappiness, pain). The ancient Aryans who brought the Sanskrit language to India were a nomadic, horse- and cattle-breeding people who travelled in horse- or ox-drawn vehicles. Su and dus are prefixes indicating good or bad. The word kha, in later Sanskrit meaning "sky," "ether," or "space," was originally the word for "hole," particularly an axle hole of one of the Aryan's vehicles. Thus sukha … meant, originally, "having a good axle hole," while duhkha meant "having a poor axle hole," leading to discomfort.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukkha#Etymology
David N. Snyder wrote:Sargeant, et. al. (2009: p. 303) provides the etymology of the Sanskrit words sukha and duḥkha:
It is perhaps amusing to note the etymology of the words sukha (pleasure, comfort, bliss) and duḥkha (misery, unhappiness, pain). The ancient Aryans who brought the Sanskrit language to India were a nomadic, horse- and cattle-breeding people who travelled in horse- or ox-drawn vehicles. Su and dus are prefixes indicating good or bad. The word kha, in later Sanskrit meaning "sky," "ether," or "space," was originally the word for "hole," particularly an axle hole of one of the Aryan's vehicles. Thus sukha … meant, originally, "having a good axle hole," while duhkha meant "having a poor axle hole," leading to discomfort.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukkha#Etymology
Huifeng wrote:So, despite the claims of this definition of the ill-fitting wheel, still no credible Buddhist source for it at this point in the thread.
A few pointers at dictionaries, however, and a reference to an annotated translation of the Bhagavad Gita here which is still uncited and unreferenced. (None of the classic commentaries on this verse of the Gita make any mention of such an etymology.)
Huifeng wrote:I have only seen this definition online. I've never encountered it in any Buddhist written material, be it classical or modern.
As for the number of hits, there is a very standard notion in scholarship that says "sources are weighed, not counted". This is especially important in the internet age. I'm not a fan of "consensus reality", or "democratic epistemology", in the sense of "lots of people say it, so it must be true".
In Sanskrit, the word duḥkham is derived from a prefix duḥ plus ka meaning wheel with an ill-sorted hub and spokes[13], thus duḥkha (adj) means unharmonious or conflicting, ill-functioning or distressful.
[13] [13] Prof. Kalupahana: “A History of Buddhist Philosophy”, University of Hawaii Press 1992; Delhi 1994. P. 95
Merriam-Webster wrote:Frsutration: a deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frustration
Buckwheat wrote:Anything wrong with translating dukkha as "frustration"?
mikenz66 wrote:In Sanskrit, the word duḥkham is derived from a prefix duḥ plus ka meaning wheel with an ill-sorted hub and spokes[13], thus duḥkha (adj) means unharmonious or conflicting, ill-functioning or distressful.
[13] [13] Prof. Kalupahana: “A History of Buddhist Philosophy”, University of Hawaii Press 1992; Delhi 1994. P. 95
Unfortunately, the Google Books preview doesn't include that page: http://books.google.nl/books?id=SlDArya ... &q&f=false
piotr wrote:[list]The term for happiness is sukha (etymologically explained as su-kha, meaning “having a good axle-hole,” that is, a vehicle moving smoothly without constraints).
LinLin64 wrote:I was listening to The Enlightened Brain' by Rick Hanson (a series of CDs) in which he says that the pali word dukkha is composed of
Du - meaning not good
Kha - meaning where the hub of a wheel meets an axle.
He offers an understanding of dukkha that is a wobbliness, an unsatisfactory-ness.
Is that the correct translation of the roots of the word? I find it an interesting and helpful translation, but would like to know if it is indeed correct.
Thanks in advance.
Dmytro wrote:Hello Pali friends,
To interpret this key term, it's worthwhile to investigate the context where another word is used in place of 'dukkha', Bhara sutta:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This parallel with 'bhāra' (burdern, load) helps to understand "dukkha" as something diffucult to bear, a hardship. This is also an etymological origin of this word, where "du" refers to "difficult, hard", and "kha" to "bear, endure".
Kumara wrote:Thanks. I've been wondering about this of late. If kha is "bear, endure" (which we can relate with khamati), how would sukha fit in? Easy to bear?
binocular wrote:Ven. Thanissaro mentioned once that explaining "dukkha" with the axle of a wheel analogy can give rise to the idea that the key to happiness is to have a well-fitting and greased axle; that the key to happiness is to make sure that the wheel runs smoothly on the axle. As opposed to doing away with the cycling altogether.
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