Dukkha and the Other Three Noble Truths

Relying on a story borrowed from Mingyur Rinpoche

Many From the Pure Land readers know what dukkha and the Four Noble Truths are, but I recently heard Mingyur Rinpoche explain them with a story I enjoyed, so I thought I’d share my version of it.

Dukkha, of course, is the Sanskrit word usually translated as "suffering," but as used in the Buddhist Four Noble Truths, it represents something closer to dissatisfaction with life—the disconnect between what we want and what the world offers us. Mingyur Rinpoche is a superb storyteller. In a previous life, he must have been a stand-up comic. I’ll do my best to do justice to his story.