As I write, it’s an evening of resplendent purity. A fresh breeze blows from the northwest, and the late summer sun bathes the tops of the trees in a heavenly splendour. Migrating birds begin to head south. Ripples form on the indigo waters of the bay, and there is an absolute serenity. I’m in Canada’s largest city, but this is a respite from all of its hurly-burly.

This seems so far from the world of ambition, incessant competition, and self-promotion that most of us are embroiled in. What are the roots of our modern predicament, and can there be any escape from its wearisome struggle?

Many centuries ago, the historical Buddha pointed out the origins of the fundamental dissatisfaction most of us experience as what he termed “Dukkha”. He penetrated even deeper to show with a scientific clarity that existence as we know it is characterized by change and insubstantiality. He made no claims to supernatural or divine inspiration, but claimed that anyone who was so inclined could share his perceptions. Moreover, he offered the possibility of transcending the dualism of earthly existence.

“Dukkha’s” forms are infinite. We endeavour to stave off the fact of the world’s and our own impermanence with a myriad of gambits. From fear, hate, jealousy, and anger, to greed, ambition, and lust for power in any of its forms, Dukkha ‘s reign seems unshakeable. Yet how many of us see that succumbing to anger, refusing to forgive, or using material accumulation as a substitute for authentic meaning are all forms of suffering? Refuge in drugs, sensationalistic sexuality and violence, and longing for recognition through media attention are still more manifestations. As we grow more numbed by the lurid, we crave ever-increased stimulation. Dukkha can be individual, but it can also be collective. A society’s insistence on success and its images excludes those who don’t fit the criteria. And for the select few who fit, there grows a disproportionately increasing shadow of those who do not. In the Daoist Chinese view, this can be seen as the play of Yin and Yang: for every light, there is a dark, and for every success there must be a failure.

To inquire into the nature of suffering is to begin to see the possibility of a different way of life, and this is the true meaning of meditation.

jeff w.