Martino Dibeltulo Concu

Cultural & Intellectual Historian of Buddhism

Read my collection of short stories: Enlightenment Legacies.

Martino Dibeltulo Concu, Ph.D., is an Italian historian, writer, and educator. His main area of expertise is the study of Buddhism in China & Tibet | For over 25 years, Dr. Dibeltulo Concu has explored the cultural and intellectual pathways through which Buddhism is received and understood in the modern world.

Keywords in Enlightenment Legacies

Keywords in Enlightenment Legacies

Keyword #2 Duḥkha

By Martino Dibeltulo Concu on
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  • Sanskrit: duḥkha दुःख
  • Pāli: dukkha
  • Chinese: ku 苦
  • Tibetan: sdug bsngal སྡུག་བསྔལ་

Definition:
Duḥkha, in Buddhism, refers to the intrinsic suffering or unsatisfactoriness permeating human existence. It encompasses not just physical and emotional pain, but a deeper, more subtle sense of dissatisfaction with life, extending to mental, emotional, and spiritual realms, underscoring life’s impermanence and the inevitability of change.

Significance:
The concept of duḥkha, foundational in Buddhism, arises in the first of the Four Noble Truths (catvāry āryasatyāni), emphasizing life’s inherent suffering. This suffering includes birth, aging, sickness, death, and the pain of not achieving desires. Beyond these, duḥkha encompasses broader existential dissatisfactions, recognizing life’s transient nature. It invites a critical reevaluation of worldly pursuits, highlighting the three marks of existence: impermanence (anitya), suffering (duḥkha), and nonself (anātman). This awareness encourages a shift from attachment to worldly pleasures to seeking liberation in nirvāṇa. Various Buddhist texts enumerate types of duḥkha, ranging from three to over a hundred categories, each dissecting suffering’s multifaceted nature and its role in the cycle of rebirth and liberation.

Keyword #1 Stūpa

By Martino Dibeltulo Concu on
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  • Sanskrit: stūpa स्तूप
  • Chinese: ta 塔
  • Tibetan: mchod rten མཆོད་རྟེན།

Definition:

In Sanskrit, “stūpa” refers to a reliquary or a sacred mound-like structure containing the relics or possessions of the Buddha or a saint. Often housed in a container, these relics are enshrined within stūpas, which serve as focal points for veneration, reflecting the Buddha’s presence in the landscape.

Significance:

The stūpa, originally a simple hemispherical mound, evolved into a complex and symbolically rich architectural form across the Buddhist world. Rooted in the Buddha’s instruction in the Mahāparinibbānasutta to enshrine his relics after his death at a crossroads, the stūpa embodies reverence and remembrance. Disputes over relic distribution after the Buddha’s passing led to the initial construction of stūpas in key locations, including Kapilavastu and Kuśinagarī. Emperor Aśoka’s significant role in the third century BCE expanded their reach, reputedly commissioning eighty-four thousand stūpas. Architectural variations emerged, notably the Sri Lankan dagoba and the East Asian pagoda. Stūpas evolved beyond relic containers to embodying the essence of the Buddha’s qualities and teachings and serving as centers for social, economic, and spiritual activities in Buddhist societies.

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