Talk + Meditation: Why We Suffer—and How to Stop Adding to the Pain

We can’t stop life from bringing pain—loss, disappointment, aging—but we can stop piling extra suffering on top of it. In this talk, I explore timeless Buddhist wisdom and practical psychology for meeting life’s “golden winds” without being blown away by them. Learn how to recognize the difference between pain and the suffering we create, work with craving and clinging, and rest in the natural state of peaceful, openhearted happiness that’s already within you.

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Talk: Why We Suffer—and How to Stop Adding to the Pain

Timecodes & main topics:

00:00 – Meditation recap & finding the natural state of mind
01:35 – Three phases of practice: receiving, deepening, including
07:10 – Life’s “golden winds” and the three characteristics of existence
12:45 – Pain vs. suffering: first dart and second dart dukkha
20:13 – How craving turns pain into suffering — and how to escape
24:41 – Two paths of practice: gradual development & uncovering innate goodness
31:13 – Two kinds of happiness (sukha) and resting in the undisturbed mind
42:04 – Qualities of the natural state & recognizing it in ourselves and others

A Meditation: Resting in Innate Wellbeing

So often we meditate to “get” somewhere — to reach a better state of mind. But in this guided meditation, you’ll simply rest in what’s already here: your natural, undisturbed well-being.