Joseph Goldstein investigates the links between suffering, compassion, and the concept of the self.
This dharma talk, recorded on July 2, 1994, was originally published on Dharma Seed.
“When we’re associated with what we don’t want, it’s suffering. And when we are separated from what we do want, it’s suffering. And this is the push-pull happening throughout our lives.” – Joseph Goldstein
In this talk, Joseph:
- Breaks down the three kinds of suffering according to the Buddha
- Advises us to remain open to suffering, reminding us that avoiding or resisting pain and unpleasant mind states only serves to feed them
- Posits that compassion grows from letting suffering in
- Proposes that we drop into the flow of existence
- Asserts that the root cause of suffering is our deeply conditioned senses of self
About Joseph Goldstein:
Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and loving-kindness meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where he is one of the organization’s guiding teachers. In 1989, together with several other teachers and students of insight meditation, he helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.