What Does It Mean To Cross The River of Suffering

The Historical Buddha used the image of our making our way across “the River of Suffering,” then leaving the boat we arrived in at the water’s edge, once we are safely on “the other shore.” What does it mean to “cross the river of suffering?” and to reach “the other shore?” Was the Buddha implying that it is our fate to continuously suffer until we have crossed the River?

This evening will examination the Buddha’s guidance for community level practitioners – non-monastics – about the pleasures of community life and practice in the context of the responsibilities and obligations of community life.
This guidance clearly points to the idea that the teachings are designed to support and create ease in our life, not to foster a sense of struggle, and an over-emphasis & self-indulgence, on suffering that may be present. This guidance, for those living full community lives, is a necessary and important element in creating a balanced practice, and a satisfying & happy life.

Craving and Clinging (Attachment) – Stepping Stones on The Path of Both Suffering and Awakening

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The historical Buddha taught that the primary cause of suffering is “Craving.” But a careful examination of his nuanced and interconnected teachings reveals that this basic, and apparently simple, teaching is really about a chain of reactions that lead to suffering. Why did the Buddha designate craving as the second Noble Truth, the origin of suffering? This seems like a surprising simple question, but isn’t?
This evening will involve an examination of the historical parameters defining “craving” and its role in the chain-reaction of suffering. We’ll explore the differences between craving and “clinging”? Should these two experiences be understood as separate and independent experiences? Are they related experiences on a continuum of experience that leads to suffering? Or does craving morph into clinging?
Why being able to feel the difference between craving and clinging – the moment of discernment that sets the conditions for everything that follows and what may be possible – is the key to both managing and being liberated from suffering.
Dennis discusses a new 2020 SIM course entitled “Living and Practicing on the Other Side of Suffering” that is directly related to these questions and their answers.

The Role of “Framing Experience” In Performance, Satisfaction and Happiness

NOTICE: the first eight seconds of this audio is poor quality and then improves.

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Every day we are presented with circumstances that can be opportunities, challenges or problems depending on how our mind frames the experience that is taking place. The way our mind frames an experience has enormous influence in determining how we relate to the experience, and how we feel about our capacity to deal with it skillfully and how we perform.
This event – how the mind frames what is it about to engage – is critical in guiding how, and whether, we can mobilize our inner resources to take on what life brings to us with determination, patience and satisfaction; or whether we struggle, suffer and are disappointed. This is the difference between feeling empowered and capable vs vulnerable and at risk.
This principle applies whether the circumstances, or life situation, involves our interior life, our relationship with others, or economic, cultural or political events taking place in our community, our country or the work.
Dennis’ talk Thursday night, and the related discussion, with focus on this critical, and frequently overlooked, element of practice. We will examine the what, why and how of framing events from a practice perspective using real life illustrations. How can we use our practice to improve the fundamental way we relate to our experience, improve our performance and feeling better about ourselves?

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This is the second talk, in a series of two, on working with difficult, problematic and obsessive thinking. A useful four page handout accompanied Dennis’ first talk on this topic on March 7th. The discussion this evening will look at the differences between working with thought during meditation and working with thought during daily lives. These are two different approaches.
For example, the traditional instruction is to “not go into the content of thought” during meditation. Is that the whole instruction? Doesn’t the Insight Meditation process involve some form of evaluation of thought while one is meditating? How does this basic meditation instruction apply to thought in daily life?
Among other thing, the evening will explore the five strategies the historical Buddha recommended for dealing with difficult, problematic and/or obsessive thoughts that distract us for seeing into their implications or true nature of being either harmful or unhealthy nature.

• Talk handout: Options For Working With Thought (.pdf)

(Note: This talk does not cover the same materials present in the talk on the “Two Types of Thinking” presented earlier this month on April 18 by Community Teacher Diane Wilde.)