Topics Include: 1) Review of the four teachings on focussing on the breath. 2) Confronting the ultimate obstacle of thought. Why is it that thought does not represent reality? How thoughts embody our patterns of conditioning. 3) What happens when our thoughts lead to beliefs and their consequences in the world. 4) The reality of self and other, polarization, division and conflict in society. 5) The illusion of form. Why we do not see the world as it truly is. How we see forms, identify them with words and create language that becomes our thoughts, and ultimately of sense of self. All of which are abstract, conceptual representations of reality, but not reality itself. 6) How thoughts then become the basis of our sense of self. The one who thinks the thoughts. The illusory nature of self. 7) The default mode network and how it reinforces the illusory sense of self. The Buddha’s definition of non-self. 8) So, how do we come to terms of our thoughts? Understanding the basic neutrality of thoughts and impact of how we react to our thoughts. The concept of the first and second darts. 9) Understanding thoughts within the context of Conventional and Absolute Reality. The dual nature of existence.
Honolulu, Hawaii
April 20, 2019
59 minutes