Page 56 - Because I know, I can let go

1) The aggregates mixed with clinging are dukkha. The word ‘dukkha’ means ‘hard
to bear with,’ distressful, the true meaning is the pain which comes from clinging, which

arises from clinging, that is, mental pain, mental distress. Although there’s physical pain,
if it’s not clung to then it’s just natural pain, a natural feeling, still not dukkha of the mental
sort. In this case the pain arises from clinging so, because of that, there’s mental distress.
To make it easier to grasp think about the oft repeated story of the second arrow: one

arrow strikes and causes the sort of pain which is quite natural to life, and isn’t too much to
deal with, it’s only on taking that pain to be ‘mine’ that we get struck by the second arrow,
which brings the real pain, that of the noble truths, of the noble truth of dukkha, in case
some people have forgotten. The first arrow, not being coated with anything, is a small

affair, it just hurts, pull it out, wash the wound, the pain might disappear, and the blood
stop flowing. But the second arrow follows and is coated with poison, which, once it pierces
might well kill us. The dukkha which arises naturally simply comes with being alive. Even
ageing, sickness, and death, if they aren’t ignorantly clung to won’t create dukkha of the

full, the ‘noble,’ variety. If we cut our hand, or our foot, there’ll just be the pain natural to
life, but if the mind has been invaded by ‘me’ and ‘mine,’ then it’s ‘I’ hurt, or whatever, and
then it’s more than natural pain, it’s pain of the full sort. But we’re hardly aware of this, not
being able to distinguish between the two forms. When we’re hurt we immediately take

the pain to be ‘mine,’ we don’t discriminate, then one arrow immediately becomes two.
This second arrow is the most painful. ‘Me’ and ‘mine’ then, are the same as the poisoned
arrow which really hurts. Hence, dukkha has two levels.

2) The cause of dukkha(samudaya) is tanhā: Tanhā means desire, but it’s not normal
desire, it’s the desire arising from ignorance: when we see anything and there’s a feeling
of satisfaction there’s ignorant desire to get, to take possession of it, or, if there’s a feeling
of dissatisfaction there’s the desire to escape, the desire to destroy, such reactions involve

ignorance. In the Thai language desire isn’t differentiated into the wise or ignorant forms,
there’s just desire. Tanhā in the pali language has the particular meaning of ignorant
desire. Here, we’ll take the opportunity of pointing out that desire has another name:
‘lobha,’ which is a form of defilement. This lobha is also desire arising from ignorance. If

it’s ordinary, or normal, desire, then it’s not ignorant, nor is it defiled, hence it isn’t lobha
or tanhā. If it’s desire by way of wisdom, or knowledge, then it’s just desire based on what

56 Because I Know...