Talk + Meditation: How to Face Challenges without Suffering

So often we struggle with life’s challenges—reacting with stress, craving, or grasping—only to find ourselves adding suffering on top of difficulty.

In this talk, I explore the Buddha’s essential teachings on dukkha (suffering), sukha (well-being), and tanha (craving)—and how to navigate them skillfully so we can live with greater resilience, peace, and joy.

We’ll look at how pain becomes suffering, how pleasure can sometimes backfire, and most importantly, how to find the kinds of happiness that don’t depend on craving or clinging.

Click here to join the free Wednesday Meditations – which are open to everyone!

Talk: How to Face Challenges without Suffering

Timecodes & main topics:

00:00 – Meditation recap: vastness, stillness, peacefulness

01:45 – Three layers of depth: psyche, universe, unconditioned ground

09:15 – Three key words in Buddhism: dukkha, sukha, tanha

10:22 – Pain vs. suffering: the “first dart” and “second dart”

13:01 – Our responsibility—and opportunity—for inner practice

15:13 – Sukha: moments of joy, sweetness, and well-being

16:38 – Tanha: craving as the root of suffering

18:38 – Meeting needs wisely: world, inner strengths, felt sense of enoughness

23:59 – Four categories: dukkha-dukkha, dukkha-sukha, sukha-dukkha, sukha-sukha

28:13 – Healthy dukkha that leads to growth and fulfillment

30:32 – Sukha that backfires when craving gets added

35:01 – Pleasure, craving, and the Buddha’s middle way

38:13 – Sukha-sukha: profound peace, love, and fulfillment not tied to craving

42:23 – Loving without clinging; grieving as part of loving

A Meditation: Relaxing the Body, Releasing the Mind

Find a calm center within. In this guided meditation, explore peace, vastness, and stillness—not as ideas, but as living qualities you can rest in.