Buddha's journey to awakening. Entry into Buddha's insight through core teaching of the four Noble Truths

Awakening is the profound aim of the spiritual life. Awakening is not described as a mystical goal, we wake up to the four noble truths. We look squarely at the world and recognize that we cannot fix it, and through this clarity we realize the end of suffering. Enlightenment does not imply a separation from life, instead, it brings us to face the reality of lived experiences without resistance. Profound realization brings a deep equanimity and peace into every encounter; it is defined as the ending of greed, hatred, and delusion. Awakening is known through the result—the end of defilements, craving, and ignorance. This talk teases out the meaning of several difficult "D" words: disenchantment, dispassion, detachment. These terms do not imply an aversive response to experience, instead they play a vital role in the process of awakening. The talk explores profound spiritual experiences. It considers the danger of arrogance and conceit arising, clinging to, and corrupting enlightenment experiences. It discusses how to express, describe, and speak about our spiritual awakenings without identification.

This talk explores the term "dukkha" (suffering), and the different ways it is used in the Buddha's teachings. The main way that "dukkha" is used is in context of the Four Noble Truths, and in that context, we begin to understand that dukkha is created by processes at work in our own minds. Seeing that, we realize that when we meet suffering, we are simply meeting our own minds, and that dukkha has something to teach us. As we understand dukkha with mindfulness and wisdom, that understanding helps to release us from dukkha and its cause.

We continue to explore the Fourth Foundation, particularly through the frameworks of the Five Hindrances and The Four Noble Truths.

The Four Noble Truths are usually presented as the truth of suffering, its cause, its end, and the path that leads to the end. This talk presents these truths with an emphasis on well-being: 1) There is happiness, 2) There is a cause of happiness, 3) Happiness is possible, and 4) There is a path that leads to the highest happiness.

November 2012 Sangha News interview

This talk explores an ancient Tibetan method to confront your fear and turn it into an ally. She reviews the method from Lama Tsultrim book "Feeding your demons" in the context of the first three of the four noble truths. search words: four noble truths, feeding your demons, fear, anxiety, gratitude, change your brain

Real time four noble truths.