Dukkha. It’s the word Buddhists use to describe the suffering inherent to life and comes from the ancient Pali word that describes a potter’s wheel that isn’t... quite... spinning... right. The axle’s a little off and it screeches as it turns. Eek.

That’s basically what happens to us way too often— we get stuck on a thought or in a certain perspective and can’t... quite... let it... go.

Dukkha. It’s that “stuckness” that creates our suffering. The essence of the Buddha’s teachings is how we can get unstuck and experience the freedom of a mind that moves freely.

How about a couple Buddhist stories to help bring the point home?

First, Zen Master Genpo Roshi tells us to imagine we’re driving a sweet Maserati. And it’s stuck in first gear. D’oh.

We may be stuck in first and not able to get out of bed in the morning or stuck in reverse and unable to drop something from the past or maybe we’re stuck in fifth and can’t slow down. In any case, if we can’t easily shift gears, we’re going to suffer. Dukkha.

Next: Load up six blind doods in that Maserati and drive ’em to a zoo where they can all experience an elephant for the first time.

The first guy touches the tail and is certain that an elephant is like a rope. The second guy touches the leg and is sure the elephant is like a pillar while the third guy goes for the tusk and says the elephant is like a spear. The other three go for different parts and have different perspectives (the back is like a throne; the trunk is like a tree branch; the ear is like a hand fan).

Now, what’s fascinating is that they’re all 100% certain *their* perspective is the only possible reality. Dukkha. (Anything like that ever happen to you?)

The lesson: We need to slide into sukkha by noticing when we think our perspective is the only one possible as we train ourselves to see multiple perspectives.

In short, next time you’re stuck, remember to shift gears and to see the whole elephant. (How? Try to see the other person’s perspective!)

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