Ep. 231 – Inner Investigation, Satipatthana Sutta Series Pt. 28
Jan 9, 2025
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Uncover the secrets to liberation through unremitting mindfulness and self-inquiry. Explore the distinction between fleeting pleasures and lasting happiness as outlined in Buddhist teachings. Learn how understanding emotions can untangle the Gordian knot of our feelings, fostering acceptance. Delve into self-awareness and the concept of non-self to transform negative traits into positive qualities. Discover the investigative quality of mind essential for awakening from ignorance, bridging Theravada and Zen insights into the nature of consciousness.
59:14
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Quick takeaways
Unremitting mindfulness serves as the foundational factor for awakening, enabling deeper investigation into our mental states and actions.
The practice of investigating our thoughts promotes discernment of motivations, aiding in the distinction between skillful and unskillful behavior.
Deep dives
Embracing Change Through Therapy
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The Foundations of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is identified as the first factor of awakening, serving as a foundational element that initiates all subsequent factors towards enlightenment. Engaging in the four foundations of mindfulness allows practitioners to cultivate a sustained awareness of their bodies, feelings, and thoughts, promoting a state of unremitting mindfulness. The establishment of this mindfulness enables deeper investigation and exploration of mental states, distinguishing skillful from unskillful actions. By maintaining this mindful awareness, practitioners can begin to arouse and develop the factor of mindfulness enlightenment effectively.
The Importance of Investigation and Discrimination
The second factor of awakening, known as dhamma-vijaya or investigation of states, emphasizes the active role of inquiry and wisdom in discernment. This process of investigation allows individuals to classify their thoughts and experiences, illuminating the truth behind desires and emotions by asking, 'What is actually occurring?' This truth-discerning wisdom enables practitioners to understand the nature of their motivations and actions, thereby controlling habitual patterns that may lead to suffering. Through such investigation, individuals can cut through delusion, distinguishing between skillful and unskillful thoughts, thus progressing along the path to enlightenment.
Integrating Wisdom into Daily Life
Practicing investigation of dhammas enriches the daily meditation experience by encouraging individuals to examine the motivations behind their actions actively. It prompts introspection into whether their responses stem from skillful intentions or from a place of greed, hatred, or delusion. By consciously investigating these aspects throughout daily activities, such as during meals or routine interactions, practitioners can cultivate a heightened awareness of their choices. This sustained inquiry, rooted in discernment and wisdom, ultimately guides individuals toward deeper understanding and liberation from unproductive patterns.
Joseph Goldstein shares how unremitting mindfulness and continuous investigation of our mental states will lead us to liberation.
The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism. This episode is the twenty-eighth 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 time on Insight Hour, Joseph pursues these topics:
Establishing unremitting mindfulness
Investigating and examining our mental states
How truth discerning wisdom liberates the mind
The three universal characteristics of experience
Cultivating wisdom through investigation of the dhamma
Looking at the motivation behind our actions of body, speech, or mind
The two kinds of happiness according to the Buddha
Investigating ourselves when we are in a storm of emotions
How clear recognition can be enough to help us let go
Discerning the difference between the knowing and the object
How a single moment of truth-discerning wisdom can change us
Grab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE
“By understanding that it is wisdom that illuminates what is true, and that we cultivate wisdom through investigation of the dhamma, we can begin to appreciate the very broad range of skillful means and methods that are in different Buddhist traditions for accomplishing this inquiry.“– Joseph Goldstein