Dukkha, the moment of thinking about unpleasant situation

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(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sat 21st Oct 2023.)

[Jotika] It's like kind of hopeless.

[A. Sujin] May I ask what's your hope?

[Jotika] My hope that is that there is an opening for peace.

[A. Sujin] Can you do anything or can someone do anything?

[Jotika] I'm sort of sending metta. (sobs)

[A. Sujin] Is hope dukkha?

[Jotika] No hope.

[A. Sujin] No hope, no dukkha but when is hope is dukkha, isn't? Did the Buddha want anyone to have dukkha? [No.] So, he taught about what is dukkha and what is the very, very dangerous [dukkha] because some would like to have pleasant situations instead of unpleasant situations, but at moment of having unpleasant situation is it dukkha? [Dukkha, yes.] And what about the pleasant situation, is it dukkha as well, or is it not dukkha? At moment of having pleasant situation, is it dukkha or is it no dukkha?

[Jotika] Yes, in theory it is dukkha.

[A. Sujin] See, that's why what is more dangerous, what is more dukkha? It's time to consider the truth, no one wants to be in unpleasant situations, everyone wishes to have pleasant situations, but what is dukkha, what is more dukkha? At moment of being in the unpleasant situation, it seems so very very dukka, but one would like to be in pleasant situation without knowing that it's very very dukkha because one is stuck, one is bound with attachment, aversion, just wanting it again, to be such and such. Why did the Buddha taught about the truth? No one can do anything, no one can change the other, no matter he is so evil or so very good, but what is there now at the moment of thinking about unpleasant situation? It's there, not far away at all, without it there is [would be] no dukkha, thinking about such unpleasant situation. So, what is there? Not outside or at that point of the world or whatever, it's there at moment of thinking only. When you don't think about the unpleasant or the bad situation it's not dukkha, it seems like that and you enjoy moment of having pleasant situation, but at that moment, it's so dangerous because it's so poisonous because it's there like alcohol or whatever, just to get drunk.

03:17 - Only right understanding can change you and the others
So, what is there? No understanding of: no one can do anything, you cannot change the others, but right understanding only can change you and the others or anyone who understands the truth. The more you try to help them, but they don't understand the truth, no one can help them to be out of the dukkha at all. There must be dukkha, if not from this it has to be from that, if not now it has to be then, in the future and on and on, endlessly because no understanding of: what is conditions for dukkha? At moment of no thinking about such situation, no dukkha. So dukkha is moment of thinking about unpleasant situation, is that right? [Yes.] So, the hope is to have pleasant situation to get drunk, to have endless pleasant situation at all [time], from moment to moment. And what is there? Everyone wishes to have pleasant moment, but the unpleasant comes to be true by conditions. So, how to cure, how to treat, how to have less? Understanding that nothing can be done, only one's own understanding. As long as they fight with no understanding and when they don't fight, with no understanding there are conditions to fight again and again and again, like now there is condition to wish, to hope for something, without understanding of what hope is: it's gone each moment.

05:04 - No one can stop the moment of attachment to the self
This moment is not the previous moment, it's not the next moment and what is there? When it's right understanding it does not hurt, it does not harm at all, it understands the truth: actually no-one, only the kusala-kamma or akusala-kamma. And who can do kusala-kamma for the others? Each has do or to understand by oneself. That's why the best thing is, no matter in any situation, even when one is hurt, there can be the understanding, the best medicine, to understand what is there just in a moment, so short. No one can control, everyone doesn't like to have such situation, but it's there by conditions. So, the kusala-kamma does not bring the unpleasant situation, and the akusala-kamma cannot condition the pleasant situation. That's why when one knows the conditions for the pleasant situations and for the unpleasant situations, there can be moment of doing good, but the best thing is not just doing good, but to understand the truth because as long as there is ignorance no one can stop the moment of attachment to the self or people and situation at all, endlessly.

06:25 - If we don't know we still hope
Just hoping and trying to help, but the truth is that the best help is understanding the truth, so it can condition such a not unpleasant feeling as now, as now. Otherwise when it's there now, it stops and then it can arise again and then stop again and then arise again, endlessly. So, the best thing is that no one can have the other's understanding, they have to learn, to consider the truth, to understand more and more about the dukkha, the ultimate dukkha, the moment of what is now arising and falling away, no-one no-Israel no-situation at all. It's just the moment of seeing hearing smelling tasting touching and then thinking, no matter in what world, deva or human being in [this] world or whatever: only six doorways, by conditions. So, what is the hope? If we don't know, we still hope, but what is hope? The Buddha taught everything, in every situation, to understand the truth because the truth is only six doorways of experiencing an object.

07:53 - Not seeing the danger of getting drunk by having such object
If there's no thinking about Israel or Palestine or whatever, but thinking about understanding what is there, to know that it's just that which is conditioned to be seen, to be heard, to be thought about, that's all. So, understanding the truth in any situation is the best thing in life because it is the best medicine to cure all situations. And people just think about the unpleasant situations, but what about the pleasant ones? They don't see the danger of getting drunk by having such and such pleasant object on and on and on endlessly. Is this true? Just learn to understand the truth of what is there which is real as much as there can be conditions to understand it because it can be understood deeper and deeper and deeper, to understand just one reality, a little more and then understand another reality... many, many realities. So [that] there can be moments of directly understanding one characteristic of a reality, by anattaness, it's there by conditions: pops up or arises and then falls away, but it's not clear.

09:21 - Helping the others to have the words to think about the truth
Now we know that before seeing there's no see before thinking about Israel no thought about that at all and then there are conditions for such different moments, by conditions and then gone, never last at all, no one can do anything, understanding this. The best thing to help the others is to have the words for them to think about the truth, to understand what is there at moment of being hurt, it's there by conditions. Better than just crying or trying to help them to to get away from such situation without any understanding of the truth. And this is the great compassion of the Buddha for everyone, not just in such situation because whatever is there, not only that situation, is dangerous when there's no understanding, it harms.

10:25 - It can harm only at moments of thinking
So, we begin to understand at moment of thinking about Israel, it harms. Who? Right then, at moment of thinking only. So, there are many kinds of harmful reality to be known at any moment, so, the ultimate dukkha or harm or harmfulness is: whatever arises falls away, no matter in the battle or no matter in peace or no matter in the Pleasant Gardens and so on, the truth is the truth. Isn't it better to understand the truth than thinking more about that, without any understanding of what is there which is harmful, the thought about that is harmful, the thought about wanting the other thing to be or to come is harmful.

Even clinging to the situation or to what is there as some-thing or some-one is harmful too because in truth no one at all, only different greed or hate or whatever is there conditioned to be slight or strong by conditions, and no one can do anything but now what is taken for I is there to be known that actually is not I, when it's not I it's not Israel, it's not Palestine, it's not any-one or any-thing at all.