Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein

Ep. 227 – The Six Sense Bases, Satipatthana Sutta Series Pt. 24

Dec 11, 2024

Delve into the fascinating exploration of the six sense bases and their selfless nature. Discover how mindfulness can help you recognize the transient qualities of your experiences. Joseph Goldstein discusses the mind as a sixth sense, fostering a non-preferential mindset that leads to liberation. Unpack the metaphor of a clenched fist representing mental barriers, and learn to observe defilements as they arise. Embrace an openness that allows experiences to flow naturally, freeing your mind from attachment.

57:10

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Quick takeaways

Understanding the six sense bases reveals how all experiences are interconnected and help clarify the nature of attachment and suffering.

Mindfulness of defilements enables practitioners to recognize and release habitual reactions, leading to a liberated state of mind.

Deep dives

Understanding the Four Foundations of Mindfulness

The four foundations of mindfulness are crucial for achieving purification and overcoming suffering, as outlined in the Satipatthana Sutta. These foundations—mindfulness of the body, feelings, mind, and dhammas—serve as essential guides for practitioners seeking enlightenment. Each foundation provides different avenues for exploration, offering multiple doors to understanding and liberation. The detailed teachings reveal various techniques that practitioners can apply to deepen their awareness and ultimately find freedom from suffering.

Intro

14min

Exploring the Selfless Nature of Sense Experience

16min

Understanding the Fetters of the Mind and the Path to Openness

25min

Joseph Goldstein explores the six internal and external sense bases of consciousness, explaining its selfless and contingent nature.

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-fourth 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 week, Joseph offers wisdom on:

Mindfulness of the patterns of experience
Internal and external sense spheres
The mind as a sixth sense
The way we attach the self to all we experience
Seeing objects as being conditioned and selfless
Our sense organs and paying attention to how we experience senses
The contingent nature of consciousness
Freeing the mind by becoming disenchanted
Recognizing defilements when they arise, and letting them go
How we often push the river of experience rather than allowing it to flow
Maintaining openness of the mind without preferences

“What’s difficult is to see all of these sense objects and the sense bases, to see and understand them as being conditioned, selfless, not I, not mine, not belonging to anyone. Not only seeing the sense object and sense base as selfless, but seeing the knowing of them as selfless.”– Joseph Goldstein

Grab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE

This talk was originally published on Dharmaseed

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