Joseph Goldstein, a prominent meditation teacher, dives deep into the Satipatthana Sutta, illuminating the dangers of seeking happiness through worldly pleasures. He differentiates between worldly and unworldly feelings, emphasizing the peace found in renunciation. Goldstein argues for the reliability of unworldly joy rooted in compassion and mindfulness. He also discusses how understanding our emotions can lead to clearer awareness and personal growth, highlighting the importance of joy in the spiritual path.
55:06
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Renunciation as Non-Addiction
Unworldly feelings arise from renunciation, understood as non-addiction, not deprivation.
Non-addiction brings ease and simplicity by reducing mental commotion caused by wanting.
insights INSIGHT
Hidden Dangers of Worldly Happiness
Worldly happiness, derived from sense pleasures, carries hidden dangers.
These include harmful pleasures, impermanence leading to suffering, and strengthened desires.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Cigarette Ad Irony
A cigarette ad depicted a couple enjoying cigarettes with the caption, "I don't let anything stand in the way of my pleasure."
Joseph highlighted the irony, suggesting it should read, "...in the way of my illness."
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Describing the hidden danger in seeking happiness through sense pleasure, Joseph Goldstein outlines worldy versus unworldly feelings.
The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism. This episode is the twelfth part of an in-depth 48-part weekly lecture series from Joseph Goldstein that delves into every aspect of the Satipatthana Sutta. If you are just now jumping into the Satipatthana Sutta series, listen to Insight Hour Ep. 203 to follow along and get the full experience!
Don’t forget to grab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/insighthour and get on your way to being your best self.
In this episode of Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein mindfully explains:
The feelings that arise during renunciation
Non-addictedness versus deprivation
The hidden dangers in happiness from worldly feelings
The unreliability of pleasant emotions
Beneficial pleasures versus un-beneficial pleasures
Worldy and unworldly neutral feelings
Genorosity as easy access to an unworldly pleasant feeling
Non-sensual joy when we practice compassion and metta
Exploring feelings as they become predominant
Noticing our conditioned responses to our emotions
“There’s a hidden danger in this addiction to sense pleasure, of relying for pleasant worldly feelings for our happiness to the degree that we become very attached to them and then suffer when they change, as we know they do. The impermanence of them becomes a source of unreliability.” – Joseph Goldstein
Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein 