Ep. 226 - The Deathless with Buddhist Teacher, Gil Fronsdal

Buddhist teacher Gil Fronsdal explores the concept of the deathless and examines ways to experience life without clinging to impermanent things.

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In this episode of the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil discusses:

• What the Buddha said about attaining the deathless
• Seeking after things that are eternal rather than prone to aging and impermanence 
• Three forms of clinging/craving that lead us to suffering: beliefs, becoming, and sensual pleasure
• Considering if there is a ‘you’ beyond thought
• Letting go of our attachments to concepts
• How a fixation on ‘becoming somebody’ prevents us from being 
• Avoidance of the reality of suffering due to personal discomfort  
• Developing mindfulness over time and having compassion for ourselves when we notice grasping
• The timeless present and the end of separation
• Attentiveness as the path to the deathless 
• The American notion of freedom versus the Eastern notion of liberation
• The ultimate goal of Buddhism: to be open-handed, to have a mind without grasping

About Gil Fronsdal:

Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma.

This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.org

“The deathless is a synonym for Nirvana, for enlightenment, the great peace, the great happiness, for that which is unconditioned, the unborn, the ultimate security, the ultimate safety.” – Gil Fronsdal 

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