Ep. 244 – Freedom in Letting Go: Satipatthana Sutta Series Pt. 41
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Apr 24, 2025
Discover the transformative power of letting go as personal growth takes center stage. Explore how cravings and ill will can disguise themselves, complicating our search for inner peace. Learn about the art of renunciation—not as deprivation but as freedom from addiction. Reflect on right thoughts shaping our actions, and how mindfulness unveils clarity during transitions. Joseph Goldstein emphasizes that the joy of letting go must be felt, not just understood, leading to a simpler, more fulfilling experience of life.
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insights INSIGHT
Power of Habitual Thoughts
Thoughts condition actions, shaping our life's unfolding through habitual tendencies.
Right thought cultivates mind inclinations towards happiness and ultimate freedom.
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Nature of Right Thought
Right thought includes renunciation, goodwill, and compassion, free from desire, ill will, and cruelty.
Consciously recognize and abandon harmful thoughts while strengthening good ones.
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Difficulty of Uprooting Desire
Ill will causes great harm but is easier to uproot than desire, which is harder due to its pleasure.
Sense desires disguise themselves as pleasurable and seductive, making renunciation challenging.
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In this book, Joseph Campbell explores his theory of the 'monomyth', a universal pattern found in the mythological narratives of various cultures. He details the stages of the 'hero's journey', which include departure from the ordinary world, initiation into a supernatural world, and return with a boon. Campbell draws on a wide range of mythological sources and integrates insights from psychology, particularly from Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, to illustrate the common elements of heroic myths across different cultures.
Parables and Portraits
Stephen Mitchell
Joseph Goldstein explores the Buddha’s teachings on renunciation from the Satipatthāna Sutta, showing how the practice of letting go of craving, ill will, and cruelty leads to deep inner freedom, clarity, and lasting peace.
The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism. This episode is the 41st 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!
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 lecture from Buddhist teacher Joseph Goldstein:
Consciously reflecting on if our thoughts are for harm or for good
How desire is more difficult to uproot than ill will and aversion
The dangerous disguise of sense-desires as pleasurable and seductive
How to practice the “wisdom of no”
Renunciation as mental freedom, not repression
How right thought conditions right action
The Buddha’s own practice as a model for ourselves
Accepting that desire is addictive because it momentarily feels good
Renunciation as freedom from addiction, not deprivation
How the joy of letting go must be experienced, not just believed
The power of both small and large acts of renunciation
The mental habit of our addiction to wanting
How mindfulness reveals freedom in transition moments
The progressive act of letting go
This episode was originally published on Dharmaseed
Grab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE
Join Buddhist Teacher David Nichtern and Duncan Trussell for a conversation about finding our own voice, our own expression, and our own way of connecting with people. Learn more about this FREE online gathering - AUTHENTIC PRESENCE: FINDING YOUR OWN VOICE
“Renunciation is not about deprivation. It’s about non-addiction. It’s about freedom.” - Joseph Goldstein
Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein 
