Bến mê

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The shore of delusion: A Buddhist term describing the state of human existence as being trapped in ignorance, suffering, and worldly attachment, from which one has not yet awakened or achieved enlightenment. It metaphorically portrays life as a sorrowful, transient harbor.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nghĩ thân phù thế mà đau, bọt trong bể khổ, bọt trong bể khổ, vào đầu bến mê. (Thinking of this fleeting life brings pain; a bubble in the sea of suffering, drifting into the shore of delusion.)
  • Con người còn vô minh là còn đang lênh đênh nơi bến mê. (As long as humans remain ignorant, they are still adrift on the shore of delusion.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily used in poetic, philosophical, or religious contexts to evoke the Buddhist concept of (the cycle of rebirth and suffering) and the need for spiritual awakening to cross to the "other shore" of enlightenment.

Variants and Related Words

• Bể khổ (n): sea of suffering; a common Buddhist phrase often paired with "bến mê" to describe the pervasive pain of earthly existence.
• Giác ngộ (v/n): to awaken; enlightenment; the state opposite to being lost in "bến mê".

Synonyms

• Realm of ignorance
• Shore of illusion
• State of delusion

Related Idioms

• While "bến mê" itself is a metaphorical term, it is frequently part of the poetic couplet: "bể khổ, bến mê" (the sea of suffering, the shore of delusion), which encapsulates the Buddhist view of unenlightened life.