Thursday, March 10, 7-9:00 pm. Sitting and Dharma Discussion with Diane Wilde, SIM Community Mentor
Suttas that speak to us…

King Pasenadi and his worldly challenges

King Pasenadi was a contemporary of the Buddha and apparently became a treasured acquaintance as well as a supporter of the early sangha. An entire section of the Samyutta Nikaya (one of the “books” in the Pali Cannon) is devoted exclusively to twenty-five conversations Pasenadi had with the Buddha. King Pasenadi spent a great deal of time thoughtfully dissecting his everyday life, relating to the Buddha his challenges and reflections. His issues certainly stand the test of time! Marriage difficulties, over-eating, corruption, tolerance of other faiths, dealing with grief, hypocrisy… Pasenadi lived fully in the world with all of its concerns. We will explore King Pasenadi’s world, and specifically the suttas where he raises questions about the “self” and how to hold our sense of self. Taking it one step further, how does an inherent sense of “me” coexist with the training of “anatta’” i.e. the absence of a permanent abiding self? It should be an interesting discussion.

This event will begin at 7:00 pm at Sacramento Friends Meetinghouse, 890 57th Street, Sacramento