2/22/2024 “Three Truths and One Path” with Rich Howard

In his latest book, “Noble Truths, Noble Path” (Wisdom Publications, 2023), American monk and translator Bhikkhu Bodhi describes the four noble truths as “the matrix of the teachings” and “not merely as one Buddhist doctrine among others, but more broadly as the implicit framework of the whole teaching.” The Thursday talk and discussion will address the first three Truths: 1) Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness/vulnerability/suffering), 2) the Cause of Dukkha (tanha, or craving/leaning in/turning away), and 3) the Cessation of Dukkha (nirodha, extinction, liberation). We will look at each Truth in detail, discuss how they are “ennobling,” and see how understanding them can be found in formal practice and daily life. This evening will lead us into the February 24 daylong retreat, where we will explore the fourth truth, the noble eightfold path, in both theory and practice.