Joseph Goldstein explores the 10 unwholesome activities and actions of the body, speech, and mind that the Buddha advises us all to refrain from for our own happiness and well-being.

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This dharma talk from October 29, 1995, at the Insight Meditation Society, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

“The whole path of practice of understanding is realizing that we actually have choices all along the way. We don’t simply need to be acting out the patterns of our conditioning. And this is the great gift of awareness, it gives us the possibility of choice.” – Joseph Goldstein

In this episode, Joseph explores:

How the Buddha’s motivation was compassion for all beings, and how this led to him explicitly spelling out the 10 unskilled and unwholesome actions to refrain from

The four unwholesome actions of the body: killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct

The four unwholesome elements of speech: lying, harsh speech, gossiping, and frivolous and useless talking

The three unwholesome activities of the mind: covetousness, ill will, and wrong view

How the great power of awareness is the way to work with all of these actions and activities as they arise

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