JoAnna Hardy, a mindfulness and meditation teacher, delves into holding life's complexity, suffering, dominant paradigms, and discovering ultimate reality through Buddhist teachings. She discusses the struggle with control, Anatta, the Eightfold Path, and the importance of mindful speech, actions, and thoughts. JoAnna emphasizes the invitation to be free via the Four Noble Truths and the significance of surrounding oneself with wise individuals. The podcast explores the evolution of social dynamics in a Buddhist retreat, understanding dukkha, fluid identity, and the importance of stillness and self-trust.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Past Fighting
JoAnna Hardy discusses her past enjoyment of physical fighting, even breaking noses.
She reflects on how her approach to conflict has evolved with her Buddhist practice.
insights INSIGHT
Invitation to Freedom
The Buddhist concept of ultimate reality emphasizes that everyone is invited to be free, regardless of identity.
This invitation transcends social categories like caste, creed, race, or gender.
insights INSIGHT
Paradox of Identity
Hardy explores the paradox of Buddhist teachings on non-self (anatta) and the reality of lived experience.
She questions how to reconcile letting go of identity while still acknowledging the impact of social realities like racial injustice.
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In this episode, JoAnna Hardy offers a talk on:
How and why we keep returning to our suffering
Dominant paradigms and what is out of our control
The way that the Buddhist experience introduces us to ultimate reality
Relative reality and what is happening on the ground
How we are all invited to be free via the Four Noble Truths
The ways we struggle with trying to control other people
Anatta, identity, and the way we hold onto our self-hood
How we show up in the world through our speech, actions, and thoughts
The Eightfold Path as the things we can control
Paying attention to who we spend our time with
About JoAnna Hardy:
JoAnna Hardy is an insight meditation (Vipassanā) practitioner and teacher; she is on faculty at the University of Southern California, a meditation trainer at Apple Fitness+, a founding member of the Meditation Coalition, a teacher’s council member at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a visiting retreat teacher at Insight Meditation Society, and a collaborator on many online meditation Apps and programs. Her greatest passion is to teach meditation in communities that are dedicated to seeing the truth of how racism, gender inequality and oppression go hand in hand with the compassionate action teachings in Buddhism and related perspectives to social and racial justice.
“I’ve really worked on this practice of looking at a person; I’m not only looking at them. I’m looking at probably thousands of people who stand behind them, who have created them, who have created their way of thinking, their way of being. Every teacher, every friend, every person they come into contact with creates this being that is in front of us.” – JoAnna Hardy
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