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“The concepts of Dukkha and Anicca can only be understood through experience”. How far do you agree? (15 marks)

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“The concepts of Dukkha and Anicca can only be understood through experience”. How far do you agree? (15 marks)
Dukkha means unsatisfactoriness or suffering as an inescapable aspect of life. Anicca means impermanence and everything is always changing. All Buddhist teachings are to be understood and experienced before their truth can be verified. Buddha’s began teaching all what he had learnt once he became enlightened and taught people the concepts of Dukkha and Anicca. For example, Kisigotami understood Dukkha and Anicca after experiencing the death of her baby suggesting that you only understand the concepts once you experience it and are through things occurring in your life.
But there are also other ways in which people could understand Dukkha and Anicca. Another way of understanding them is through meditation, because without meditation, no Buddhist could truly understand there concepts of Dukkha and Anicca. Through meditation you would more likely receive a clearer image of them just like Buddha did.
“The truth of dukkha is simply common sense”. How far do you agree? (15 marks)
Dukkha is visible in our everyday lives as Dukkha is in many forms, e.g. physical pain and emotional pain. The Buddha’s teaching is only known through experience rather than acceptance of dogma which means a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true. Buddha said to investigate before you accept his teachings suggesting it was easy for everyone to understand what he taught and is simply common sense. Dukkha is experienced by everyone, every experience’s and see’s death daily even those with fortunate and happy lives will experience loss and grief at some point, death is inevitable for everyone
But the problem with Dukkha is that is have more than one meaning and cannot be simply understood through common sense and requires an understanding of the nature of existence and the three characteristics of dukkha, Anicca and Anatta. Dukkha is beyond common sense as it took Buddha a long time

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