Four Applications Of Mindfulness Retreat 2013 with B. Alan Wallace (part 4)

0:03 So today we turn to the more traditional practice that has been followed for a couple of millennia by now. But it is at the same time very important to provide context within the Buddhist framework for the specific types of meditation we'll be exploring over these six days. Report an error in the passage at 0:03 Highlight the passage at 0:03

0:22 As I mentioned yesterday, yesterday evening, the framework that runs through all Buddhist schools, so it's nice to find some generalizations that you can say, okay, this is really Buddhism. Wherever Buddha is manifesting. In Sanskrit, sīla, samādhi, prajna. So it starts with ethics, sīla, an ethical way of life. Report an error in the passage at 0:22 Highlight the passage at 0:22

0:40 And that is the foundation for all spiritual practice. And my professional training is as a comparative scholar of religion. And this really is quite universal. In the Hindu tradition, in the yoga tradition of Patanjali, it starts with yama, niyama. It starts with ethics. And then it goes to asana. And then pranayama. And on. Report an error in the passage at 0:40 Highlight the passage at 0:40

1:01 It's the same thing as true in the Christian tradition. It starts with ethics, purification and then goes into meditation. So it's really quite a universal principle. So now turning here to Buddhism in this particular context, ethics all important. The very simple principles are that we lead a life as much as possible that is one of non-violence, that is not unnecessarily inflicting injury on anyone, any sentient being, and where possible being of service. Report an error in the passage at 1:01 Highlight the passage at 1:01

1:30 Leading a benevolent way of life. So it's really quite simple. But when it comes down to specifics, because ethics of course is a very nuanced, very rich and sometimes very challenging topic to simply determine what is wholesome, what is unwholesome, ethical or unethical. There are of course throughout history, throughout multiple traditions, many ways of trying to come to terms with that, including some in evolutionary biology that say really there is no such thing as ethics. Report an error in the passage at 1:30 Highlight the passage at 1:30

1:55 It's either biologically adaptive or not. So we'll skip that. That's really, how do you say, self-destructive. But within the Buddhist tradition here, a very traditional approach adopted by many, many Buddhists over the whole course, the whole history of Buddhism, is in determining what is virtuous and non-virtuous. Report an error in the passage at 1:55 Highlight the passage at 1:55

2:14 Simply looking with faith to the teachings of the Buddha and asking, well, in terms of the full maturation of our deeds by way of placing karmic imprints on the stream of consciousness that carries on from lifetime to lifetime, Which deeds, when they come to full maturation, that is the karma fully matures, which deeds give rise to felicity, to good fortune, to happiness, to well-being, and which give rise to the opposite? Report an error in the passage at 2:14 Highlight the passage at 2:14

2:39 And then whether a particular action, by way of body, speech or mind, is determined to be ethical or unethical, virtuous or non-virtuous, is simply made on that basis. So not intrinsically by the nature of the action itself, but in terms of the full maturation. of that action when it comes to karmic fruition. Report an error in the passage at 2:39 Highlight the passage at 2:39

2:57 But, of course, this is a faith-based approach to ethics, and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as one is placing one's faith in a suitable object. Report an error in the passage at 2:57 Highlight the passage at 2:57

3:07 And it is the commonplace within the Buddhist tradition as a whole, by devout traditional Buddhists. So there's one approach, and I have no criticism of that. To a large extent, I embrace that myself. In the Christian tradition, of course, it's the will of God. What does God say, whether in the Jewish Bible, whether in the New Testament? Report an error in the passage at 3:07 Highlight the passage at 3:07

3:25 The teachings of Jesus, what is to be done, what is not to be done, what is in accordance with God's will, what is not, what will you be rewarded for, what will you be punished for. And that runs through theistic traditions all over the world. But now, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama has pointed out, there are many, many hundreds of millions of people nowadays who really have no, how do you say, no religious belief at all. Report an error in the passage at 3:25 Highlight the passage at 3:25

3:46 So where does that leave them ethically? Make it up as you go. And in fact, that is the conclusion of quite a number of people, that ethics is whatever you say it is. Or ethics is whatever you can get away with. But coming back to the Buddhist tradition, I'm not going to stray very far. Now from now on we'll kind of keep close to what we actually came here for. Report an error in the passage at 3:46 Highlight the passage at 3:46

4:07 Having acknowledged there is a very traditional way of approaching this, listening to teachings of the Buddha, he's taught extensively about ethics, extensively about karma, and what kind of actions give rise to what results. There is that. And if one has faith, confidence in the Buddha, trust in the Buddha, takes refuge. Report an error in the passage at 4:07 Highlight the passage at 4:07

4:24 That can be very, very helpful, enormously helpful. But what if one is like many Westerners who are kind of getting to know Buddhism, don't come in with a lot of faith, they're coming with discernment, intelligent, trying to make sense of it, see whether this is a path for them. You can't, the Buddhist tradition is not, well, okay, you can come in if and only if you believe in karma and reincarnation. That's a dogmatic approach. Report an error in the passage at 4:24 Highlight the passage at 4:24

4:47 Come in with it. And in fact, it's not a Buddhist approach. You read the traditional scriptures, for example, a citation from Aryadeva, 2,000 years old, great master in the Buddhist tradition. And he states, he points out what are the qualities that are necessary to really venture onto the Buddhist path. Report an error in the passage at 4:47 Highlight the passage at 4:47

5:05 And he recites only three qualities, only three. That one should be open-minded, that's reasonable, as free as possible from bias. Secondly, that one should be discerning, intelligent. Not that you have to have a certain IQ up there, and if you're too stupid you can't be a Buddhist, but as you're trying to understand Buddhism you really must be perceptive, discerning, use all of your intelligence. Report an error in the passage at 5:05 Highlight the passage at 5:05

5:27 It doesn't invite us to have blind faith. You can if you want, but that's really not invited. And the third quality is simply having a great yearning to put teachings into practice, teachings that make sense to you, that you find beneficial, that you're not here simply as an intellectual exercise or coming out of mere curiosity, but really coming to practice to derive benefit for yourself. Report an error in the passage at 5:27 Highlight the passage at 5:27

5:46 And just those three qualities, that's sufficient. Open-mindedness, discerning and wishing to practice. Nothing more. Oh, by the way, you have to believe in this or this or this. It's not entry by belief, it's entry by inquiry. So, in that context then, as one is becoming familiar with this tradition, the theories, the values, the way of life, the meditation, the practices and so forth, then if we... Report an error in the passage at 5:46 Highlight the passage at 5:46

6:18 Try to understand, as the Dalai Lama so strongly emphasized, we need another approach to ethics, a secular approach to ethics. He's written now two books on that topic, Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion. He obviously cares very deeply about this, and in my drive here with Tony Steele just yesterday, he commented that when the Dalai Lama was with him just a few months ago here in Sydney, he said, I'd like the next conference to be on secular ethics. Report an error in the passage at 6:18 Highlight the passage at 6:18

6:43 So he's really coming back to this. And so, how might we... Understand ethics in a way that is not merely subjective, but isn't relying upon beliefs that we cannot, at least for the time being, test with our own experience. It's a tough deal. It's tough to try to test the theories of karma. That's raising the bar very high. So, I will address that question here. Report an error in the passage at 6:43 Highlight the passage at 6:43

7:07 And that is, there's ethics of the foundation, but on that foundation, the very next major phase of Buddhist practice is called Samādhi. But that means not only single-pointed attention, which it does mean that, but that's the narrower definition. Highly focused, single-pointed attention, that's samādhi. Report an error in the passage at 7:07 Highlight the passage at 7:07

7:25 But when we speak of the higher training in samādhi, this whole bracket, this whole bandwidth of training, of meditative training, it's really referring much more broadly to cultivating mental balance, exceptional mental health, opening the heart by way of the four immeasurables, for example, of loving-kindness, compassion. Report an error in the passage at 7:25 Highlight the passage at 7:25

7:44 Empathetic joy, equanimity, that all fits within the category of Samādhi. In Samādhi fits also, meditation is designed to arouse more and more authentic motivation, reality-based motivation. Report an error in the passage at 7:44 Highlight the passage at 7:44

7:57 And so it's really honing the mind. One could say that mid-range there, that's contemplative technology. That is technology, it's methods for refining the mind, balancing the mind, making the mind more and more sane. So, equipoise, it's really what it's about. Report an error in the passage at 7:57 Highlight the passage at 7:57

8:15 And on the basis of that, and I cited the Buddha yesterday, saying the mind that is established in equipoise comes to know reality as it is. On the basis of that equipoise, that clarity, that balance of samādhi with authentic motivation, benevolent motivation, then one's ready for the culminating phase of Buddhist practice, which is wisdom, of insight. Report an error in the passage at 8:15 Highlight the passage at 8:15

8:38 Because it's only insight that actually liberates us, frees us forever and completely. From the afflictions and obscurations of the mind. So within that context, something I found very, very practical is, because I'm taking this very personally, of course, I want to lead an ethical way of life. And so as I attend to my own behavior, body, speech and mind, and I attend to the consequences, that is visible consequences, not future life. Report an error in the passage at 8:38 Highlight the passage at 8:38

9:07 I can't see those. I can't judge. Right now I'm talking, what are the effects of my future life? I don't know. I don't have that degree of clairvoyance. But there's things that we can attend to. So whether it's by way of our speaking, by way of our intending, mental activity of intending this, planning that, or of course our physical behavior, we can watch, observe closely, what are the consequences of our behavior within this lifetime? Report an error in the passage at 9:07 Highlight the passage at 9:07

9:35 But then more specifically, what are the consequences of my behavior by way of body, speech and mind on my own mental balance? Now, this comes with practice. It's recognizing, introspectively honing the skills of mindfulness and introspection so you can see from your own perspective with growing confidence, right now my mind is relatively balanced, unperturbed, relatively unafflicted by craving, hostility, envy, pride and so on. Report an error in the passage at 9:35 Highlight the passage at 9:35

10:07 Right now I'm pretty sane. Right now, pretty okay. I'm not always though. Things can upset me. Something can arouse craving, anxiety, hostility, envy. I'm not invulnerable to any mental affliction. I wish I were, but not yet. And so, by way of behavior, we can attend closely and see how is my own behavior affecting my own mental balance. Report an error in the passage at 10:07 Highlight the passage at 10:07

10:31 But of course, I'm not the only person here. As I'm engaging with other people, other sentient beings, but for the time being, let's say especially human beings, how is my behavior influencing other people's mental balance? Am I disrupting the equilibrium of your mind? Creating agitation, creating hostility, not creating but arousing, catalyzing. Report an error in the passage at 10:31 Highlight the passage at 10:31

10:54 Am I disturbing other people's minds in unhelpful ways? Sometimes I think it's very useful to provoke, to arouse, to challenge, to disturb people a little bit, to get the juices flowing. So we're willing to start challenging our own assumptions, willing to challenge our own assumptions. Priorities and values, we're willing to challenge, to assess our own way of life. We don't need to be namby-pamby, you know, always just kind of sweet and pleasant and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 10:54 Highlight the passage at 10:54

11:20 Sometimes be a bit strong, challenge, provoke, but not out of hostility, out of benevolence, out of really a wish to be of benefit. But speaking, acting in such a way that we are disrupting the equilibrium of other people's minds in a way that we would not want our own minds to be disrupted. Activating or catalyzing other people's mental afflictions. Perhaps activating other people so that they behave in ways that are really harmful. And they're acting in response to my behavior. Report an error in the passage at 11:20 Highlight the passage at 11:20

11:49 Then I would say, aha, that's probably unwholesome. That's unethical. Disturbing my mind, disrupting the equilibrium of my own mind, aggravating, catalyzing my own mental afflictions, that can't be good. And then likewise, catalyzing, aggravating other people's mental affections, arousing them to behave in harmful ways. That can't be good. That has to be unethical. Report an error in the passage at 11:49 Highlight the passage at 11:49

12:12 So we can see those types of behavior, body, speech and mind behavior, that are conducive, nurturing, supportive of mental balance for ourselves and others. Report an error in the passage at 12:12 Highlight the passage at 12:12

12:26 On the whole, that's going to probably be virtuous. And those types that are disruptive... To our own mental balance. Most likely that's going to be unethical, harmful. Report an error in the passage at 12:26 Highlight the passage at 12:26

12:40 So now we see that ethics here is not simply an add-on. Like, oh well, be good, and now let's get down to what we really want to do. But without leading an ethical way of life, you'll never develop robust, sustainable mental balance. Sorry, it's just the way it is. It's just the way it is. It's a system. But it's kind of obvious. I'll give a strong analogy. Report an error in the passage at 12:40 Highlight the passage at 12:40

13:04 I've had a lot of exposure to traditional Tibetan medicine. I won't give the details, but it goes back more than 40 years. So I'm not trained in it, but I've had a lot of exposure, translated two books on it. Lived in the home of the Dalai Lama's personal physician for more than a year, translated for him on many occasions. And so as his translator, when he's addressing his patients, after he's given a complete diagnosis, checked them out, then he will commonly say, Okay, I'm prescribing these types of pills, these herbal compounds. You'll take one in the morning, afternoon, evening, standard format. They're very small, the size of a small marble. Report an error in the passage at 13:04 Highlight the passage at 13:04

13:42 So in terms of sheer quantity, not much. He said, take these, take these, and he'll tell you exactly how to take them. They're just herbal compounds. They kind of taste like dirt. But he'll say, now, in your case, I want you to stop drinking coffee. Coffee is really harmful for you. Other people can have it, not too bad. But you stop coughing. Report an error in the passage at 13:42 Highlight the passage at 13:42

14:01 No alcohol. And in terms of behavior, kind of like exercise, this would be good, but this not good. So he'll give very specific guidance on foods to be eaten and not to be eaten, sometimes on behavior as well. But food, especially. So what do we eat? Half kilo? A kilo of food? I don't know. People eat different amounts. Half kilo is probably kind of normal. So half kilo of food versus little tiny pills like that. Report an error in the passage at 14:01 Highlight the passage at 14:01

14:27 So in other words, if the food you're taking in, If you're not following his instruction, you're eating just what he told you not to, you like fried foods, you like fatty foods, you like to smoke, you like to drink, and you say, oh never mind, just give me the medicine, you know, just give me the medicine. Report an error in the passage at 14:27 Highlight the passage at 14:27

14:44 Because I don't want to change my lifestyle, my diet, I like the food, you know, good old hamburgers, give me more hamburgers. And so you continue with your diet, then you may as well throw away the pills. If you're not willing to follow the guidance in terms of diet. There's no reason to waste his pills and give them to somebody else who will actually follow the instructions. Because the damage you're doing by eating an improper diet is going to completely overwhelm the efficacy of these little pills. Report an error in the passage at 14:44 Highlight the passage at 14:44

15:09 These are not powerful pharmaceutical drugs. They'll come in like an atom bomb and blast things apart. They're really powerful, a lot of them, with a lot of side effects. Traditions of medicine has virtually no side effects, but it works gradually and gently. But it has to work in tandem with the diet. And if the diet's improper, Then the doctor will not waste his time on you. He said, oh, and I've seen this. He said, oh, I see you have not followed the instructions I've given. I'm wasting my time with you. Either follow the diet or I stop. Report an error in the passage at 15:09 Highlight the passage at 15:09

15:38 So it's a similar thing. It's a strong parallel. If one has a way of life where one is sarcastic, abusive, violent, maybe drinking, get addicted to this or that or the other thing, leading a really unwholesome, unethical way of life. And he said, you know, I kind of like my life as it is. Don't bug me on this. I just want to meditate so I can be happier. Report an error in the passage at 15:38 Highlight the passage at 15:38

15:58 Or have less anxiety. I wouldn't waste my time. As a Dharma teacher, I wouldn't waste my time. Oh, you don't want to change your lifestyle? You want to continue with all your same old patterns, but you want meditation? Good, find somebody else. I'm busy. My life is too precious for that. Everybody's life is too precious for that. And so, the ethics here is integral to the system. Report an error in the passage at 15:58 Highlight the passage at 15:58

16:19 And the finer your ethics is, the better you're prepared for finally refining, balancing your mind. And it's only with this mind. This can't be over-emphasized. It's only with a mind that is really finely tuned, like a fine engine, finely tuned, Report an error in the passage at 16:19 Highlight the passage at 16:19

16:40 that is suitable to take that mind and apply it to the investigation of reality and to gain insights that actually liberate. So in this way, I will call this whole system contemplative science, because it's all geared from the ethics, doing this and not doing that, not speaking harshly and do speak benevolently. Report an error in the passage at 16:40 Highlight the passage at 16:40

17:00 Not engaging in sexual misconduct. Treat everyone with respect. Simple guidelines like that. These are necessary for the whole endeavor. They're not just be good and now let's get on with it. They're necessary for that. It's integral. No ethics, no meditation. No meditation, no wisdom. No liberating insight. There's a sequence there and one is built upon the other. This cannot be overemphasized. Report an error in the passage at 17:00 Highlight the passage at 17:00

17:30 And this is something that is a fundamental difference between contemplative inquiry, contemplative science, contemplative discovery, transformation and liberation. Fundamental difference between this whole approach to understanding reality in contrast to that of modern science. And I have tremendous respect for modern science. I've been trained in it fairly extensively, engaged in a lot of research projects, top-notch scientists. But ethics plays a very, very modest role in science. Report an error in the passage at 17:30 Highlight the passage at 17:30

17:59 Really modest. Don't fudge your data. Don't lie about your data. That's kind of your prime directive. That's a big no-no. You do that, you're disqualified. But we know throughout the last century or so especially, scientists working for Hitler, for Stalin, for Mao Zedong, for developing in the United States weapons of mass destruction and so forth, long after the Second World War, just pay them enough, oh sure, how many diseases do you want me to make? Report an error in the passage at 17:59 Highlight the passage at 17:59

18:28 I'll get some new mutations here, sure, you want them? You know, we find scientists have prostituted themselves for decades now, for big bucks, and they can do good science. There were German scientists who were very happy to give Adolf Hitler an atom bomb. Report an error in the passage at 18:28 Highlight the passage at 18:28

18:45 So it doesn't make you a worse scientist. It makes you a corrupt scientist, but having improper motivation, harmful motivation, doesn't necessarily impair your ability to do your research. That's very sobering, and scientists know this. Of course, and I work with a lot of scientists, and many, in fact I say most, are ethical, some are exceptionally ethical, and a tiny minority are not. Report an error in the passage at 18:45 Highlight the passage at 18:45

19:10 The tiny minority can do a lot of damage, as we've seen over history. But you can do good science with a bad motivation, with an unethical motivation, and it's been done many, many times. Well, you can't do contemplative, you can't practice contemplative science with a rotten motivation and an unwholesome way of life. Report an error in the passage at 19:10 Highlight the passage at 19:10

19:29 Because it self-destructs. It's a beautiful thing. It has these safety elements built into it. And this is historical fact. This is an evidence-based statement here. This is not just some kind of nice talking pie in the sky. It actually turns out to be true. So there's an elegance here, a beauty about this. Report an error in the passage at 19:29 Highlight the passage at 19:29

19:47 And once again, I'm emphasizing that Buddhist contemplative science cannot replace, would never even try to replace. The strength, the majesty, the power of Western science. They just are very, very different. Things can be discovered with Western science that you will have a hard time discovering by way of meditation. Report an error in the passage at 19:47 Highlight the passage at 19:47

20:06 But then likewise, there are many things that can be discovered by way of contemplative inquiry that you may never get by studying only the objective, physical and quantifiable. And that's all that modern science is really good at. And that's a lot. But contrary to the belief of the materialists, It's a lot, but it's not everything. And so, there's kind of the broad context to what we're doing here. And these four applications of mindfulness, I just cannot overemphasize this as well, they're utterly foundational. Report an error in the passage at 20:06 Highlight the passage at 20:06

20:37 They're not equally taught in all schools of Buddhism, but they're equally important for all schools of Buddhism. And they're very practical. And one of the beauties of it, why I'm so happy to teach it and practice it, is that You can simply come right in. If you have an open mind, if you're intelligent and you really wish to practice, come right in. The water's fine. You don't have to first believe in incarnation or take refuge in the Buddha or take precepts or anything else. Report an error in the passage at 20:37 Highlight the passage at 20:37

21:03 Just come right in and explore it for yourself and see whether through your own experience, your own practice, your insights, that out of that there comes a growing sense of confidence in the practice. And therefore in the teachers, the lineage and the origin of the practice, going back to Buddha Shakyamuni, and perhaps some faith and trust will arise in a very organic, inward way, where you're not making any leap, you're taking step by step, your eyes wide open. Report an error in the passage at 21:03 Highlight the passage at 21:03

21:33 And if it does not give rise to confidence, that's fine, you probably should find another path. If it does, then of course. Faith arises just as in a friendship. Faith, confidence, trust arises through getting to know the other person better and better. In a wide variety of contexts. So there is a brief overview of the context for these four applications of mindfulness. Report an error in the passage at 21:33 Highlight the passage at 21:33

21:57 And now I'd like to go back to the major notes and jump into our topic per se. Report an error in the passage at 21:57 Highlight the passage at 21:57

22:13 So clearly the practice of the four close applications of mindfulness, a very literal translation, this is considered to be Dharma practice, the practice of Dharma, and specifically Buddhadharma. Report an error in the passage at 22:13 Highlight the passage at 22:13

22:30 It is helpful to have a crystal clear understanding of what's meant by that. That is, we're kind of taking the wide-angle view. First, what's the big perspective? And then we'll narrow down more with a telephoto and look at specific practices step by step in the close application of mindfulness to the body, feelings and so on. Report an error in the passage at 22:30 Highlight the passage at 22:30

22:48 But context is enormously important. So let's just pause here. What does it mean to practice Dharma? And of course, as a Sanskrit term, I would translate it into English if I had a really good translation for it, and I don't. Report an error in the passage at 22:48 Highlight the passage at 22:48

23:00 But I remember asking one of my teachers, with whom I trained quite intensively in the early 70s, Geshingon Taigi in Dharamsala, India, after I studied with him, trained with him six days a week, it was quite intensive, wonderful. But after quite a few months, I'd heard a lot of Dharma. I just kind of wanted to hear from his lips, what's Dharma? I've heard a lot about it now, practices, many, many practices, theories and so forth and so on. Report an error in the passage at 23:00 Highlight the passage at 23:00

23:24 But what distinguishes Dharma from non-Dharma? Just like we have the issue of... Ethics versus non-ethics or ethical versus unethical. And so what's Dharma? What makes something Dharma? And he took that right in stride. I never asked him a question for which I didn't get a very satisfying answer. Not once. And I asked a lot of questions. And he said, well, Dharma is a way of viewing reality and practicing that leads to an enduring state of well-being. Report an error in the passage at 23:24 Highlight the passage at 23:24

23:51 He stopped. Just that. And so I've held that in mind, obviously, ever since. That was more than 40 years ago. And based upon my readings, reflections, practice and so forth, I find that it's very helpful, in accord with the Buddhist tradition, to draw a distinction between genuine happiness, one can say yang drape deo in Tibetan, in contrast to mundane happiness or hedonic well-being. Report an error in the passage at 23:51 Highlight the passage at 23:51

24:21 And I'd like to share a very simple definition here of these two, because this provides a framework and it addresses some of the questions that came up last night. And that is, from Lynn, the question about bringing mindfulness into the school system without stupefying it or dumbing it down. Of course it will have to lose some depth, but I know from so many of my teachers, brilliant teachers, they can simplify without dumbing down. So you can simplify by dumbing down, or you can simplify without dumbing down. Report an error in the passage at 24:21 Highlight the passage at 24:21

24:53 And that just means you take the essence of it, and it's straight, it's authentic, but it's not elaborate. And then if people are still interested, Tell me more, then you make it somewhat more elaborate. But it can be incredibly smart from the core and never dumbed down. And I think that's probably what you're getting at. Report an error in the passage at 24:53 Highlight the passage at 24:53

25:09 And that is definitely possible. And Buddhism, Buddhist teachings as a whole really lend themselves to this. They're immensely elaborate, complicated, when you look at the whole picture. But time and again, whether it's a Four Noble Truths or whatever it may be, as I just did with ethics, it's non-violence and acting with benevolence. Next. That's not dumbing down. Report an error in the passage at 25:09 Highlight the passage at 25:09

25:28 We just took the essence of it. And now we can unpack that as much as you might possibly wish for. So likewise drawing a distinction between, let's call it genuine happiness or genuine well-being and hedonic pleasure. I find this very useful. What I'm about to say, I've never seen written down per se in any Buddhist text, but I find it congruent with, harmonious with everything I've read in Buddhism and all the teachings I've received. Report an error in the passage at 25:28 Highlight the passage at 25:28

25:53 And that is hedonic well-being or mundane well-being is a type of happiness, pleasure, joy, That arises in response to a pleasant stimulation. And that can be utterly mundane, just like enjoying sensual pleasures or intellectual pleasures, aesthetic pleasures. But also the hedonic or mundane can be meaningful. So let's say hedonic or mundane does not mean trivial. Report an error in the passage at 25:53 Highlight the passage at 25:53

26:21 It certainly doesn't mean negative. It's a broad bandwidth. And so enjoying a pleasant conversation. A very interesting partner. And telling you very interesting things, it's very pleasant. It's stimulus driven. It doesn't mean it's bad, it's stimulus driven. And stimulus driven means when it terminates, the pleasure arising in response to that stimulation stops. Report an error in the passage at 26:21 Highlight the passage at 26:21

26:47 So there it is. So the pleasure of enjoying the beauties of nature. There is nowhere in any Buddhist text that says, oh, don't do that. Absolutely not. There's a lot of appreciation of the beauties of nature throughout the Buddhist tradition, all Buddhist traditions. But it's hedonic. Of pleasant conversation, of food, of just having a nice, you know, whatever, all kinds of sensual pleasures and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 26:47 Highlight the passage at 26:47

27:10 There are hedonic pleasures that are by nature unethical, such as schadenfreude, taking delight in somebody else's misfortune. So hedonic pleasure can be unethical, it can be neutral, it can also be ethical. Report an error in the passage at 27:10 Highlight the passage at 27:10

27:22 And so that's hedonic. And for many people, the very pursuit of happiness, the good life, is equivalent to the pursuit of finding happiness. Good fortune, finding a nice place to live, finding a good spouse, having healthy children, getting a good job, pleasant vacations, enjoying good health and so forth and so on. Report an error in the passage at 27:22 Highlight the passage at 27:22

27:41 And that is for many people equivalent to the pursuit of the good life and happiness, the pursuit of hedonic pleasure, of just trying to surround yourself as much as possible with pleasant circumstances and avoid all unpleasant ones, all unpleasant stimuli. That's a tough, tough road to hoe in this world. It takes a lot of luck. Report an error in the passage at 27:41 Highlight the passage at 27:41

28:01 Good karma or what have you. But there it is, hedonic. Whereas genuine happiness, and the Buddha did explicitly address this on three levels. So I don't have to be imaginative or come up with my own theory here. The Buddha himself referred to genuine happiness on three levels, and now they're very familiar, even from this short talk. Report an error in the passage at 28:01 Highlight the passage at 28:01

28:22 A sense of genuine happiness of well-being. Number one, it's not stimulus-driven. Genuine happiness does not arise in response to something pleasant happening to you. Report an error in the passage at 28:22 Highlight the passage at 28:22

28:32 Genuine happiness arises, it is a sense of well-being, something good, but it's arising from what we bring to the world rather than what we get from it. So if you don't have a good conversation partner, you'll not have a pleasant conversation. If the person is abrasive and whatever, just opinionated, well okay, that's no fun. Report an error in the passage at 28:32 Highlight the passage at 28:32

28:51 I was hoping you'd be really fun to talk with, but you're not. So I'm not getting the stimulation I was looking for. And so the hedonic pleasure comes from derives from what we get from the world. it can be from the world, there's also internal stimulation, going down memory lane, recalling happy memories and happy fantasies and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 28:51 Highlight the passage at 28:51

29:12 That's more stimulation. It's not bad, but it is stimulation. Stop that positive thinking, that optimistic thinking and so forth, and the pleasure that arises in response to it will subside. Whereas genuine happiness, this is raising the bar rather high, as you can see, Genuine happiness arises not from what we get from the world, Not in response to pleasant stimuli, but what we're bringing to the world by way of our minds, our speech, our body. And the Buddha spoke of three levels of this genuine happiness, or the happiness of practicing Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 29:12 Highlight the passage at 29:12

29:47 And that is, first of all, the sense of well-being, of contentment, happiness, that arises from having a clear conscience. It arises from ethics, knowing that on occasion we may be tempted to engage in something we know is unethical. Or harmful to ourselves or others. And we obscene. We don't do it. I kind of wanted to do that, but I knew it wasn't right. And I didn't. Report an error in the passage at 29:47 Highlight the passage at 29:47

30:15 You can come up with your own examples. We can all come up with examples. But having that sense of restraint. Or also by way of our physical behavior. Engaging in benevolent activity. And looking back on it. And we're not looking back on how much praise or appreciation or gratitude we receive from others. It's independent of that. Report an error in the passage at 30:15 Highlight the passage at 30:15

30:35 Maybe we receive it, maybe we don't. If it's done anonymously, we don't expect to get anything back. But just the satisfaction of knowing, today I did something really good, that was meaningful, that was helpful, and I'm glad I did it. It's not stimulus-driven, it's not something that happened to you, but a sense of satisfaction, of well-being, a sense of meaning, that it's not stimulus-driven, but it comes by way of the way we are engaging with the world and looking back with satisfaction. Report an error in the passage at 30:35 Highlight the passage at 30:35

31:01 So it's avoiding the unwholesome, engaging in the wholesome. And then taking satisfaction in that. And no one can take that away from you. It's not stimulus driven. It's not given to you by somebody else so nobody else can take it away. Report an error in the passage at 31:01 Highlight the passage at 31:01

31:14 And so the Buddha said this is far more satisfying than the pleasures you get from just wealth and other things from the outside. That's more satisfying. So there's the first level. And in the contemporary writings and positive psychology, they're beginning to emphasize this a lot. And that is positive psychology. Report an error in the passage at 31:14 Highlight the passage at 31:14

31:34 A sense of genuine happiness, authentic happiness, in the words of Martin Seligman, arises by meaningful activity, taking into account the greater, the big picture, the attending to something a whole greater than your own part, taking that into account and engaging in meaningful activity that is beneficial to the broader context and deriving a sense of authentic happiness from that. Report an error in the passage at 31:34 Highlight the passage at 31:34

31:59 That's exactly in that groove. Very similar point. And it does bring in ethics, which was a bit slow in coming in positive psychology, but is now making its inroads into this important branch of modern psychology. So there's that. But the Buddhist tradition doesn't stop there. The Buddha himself didn't stop there. And a lot of Western thinking does, because we're so action-oriented, we're so extrospective, so much looking outwards for everything, even to the point that I read one journalist years ago who said, it's not possible to be, that is, we human beings are social animals. Report an error in the passage at 31:59 Highlight the passage at 31:59

32:30 Therefore, it's not possible to be happy in solitude. We can be happy only by way of our social engagements. And I just thought, oh, you should get out more. Or no, you actually should get in more. And you'll find that what you said is completely false. Completely false. Empirically evidence-based false. Report an error in the passage at 32:30 Highlight the passage at 32:30

32:49 I have spent a lot of time in solitude and I've known yogis who spent much more time in solitude. I know the Dalai Lama who spends a lot of solitude, like six hours in meditation every morning, starting at 3.30. But he was asked, do you ever feel lonely? And his response was, no, I always feel connected with everyone. So there he is on his own, doing his own private meditation, but always that sense of connectedness. Report an error in the passage at 32:49 Highlight the passage at 32:49

33:14 And so, no, it is certainly possible to have a sense of fulfillment, of meaning, of joy, in solitude. But that's an area that's rather unexplored in the modern world, because we're so, both in terms of science, in terms of a lot of religion, service-oriented, activism-oriented, and so forth. Where really that Protestant ethic really has gotten to us, into the framework, even in China and other non-Christian nations. So, to move to the second dimension of well-being, this is the, as you probably anticipate, the Buddha said there's a deeper, more durable, Report an error in the passage at 33:14 Highlight the passage at 33:14

33:51 more transformative sense of well-being that arises from samādhi, that second higher training, of cultivating exceptional mental balance, developing your attention skills. Developing authentic motivation, overall cultivating greater mental balance, greater health, and finding that through cultivating the mind, Report an error in the passage at 33:51 Highlight the passage at 33:51

34:12 that a symptom of a mind that is well-balanced, that is truly healthy, resilient, wholesome, that a symptom of such a mind is a sense of well-being that is not dependent on any stimulation coming in, not even internally generated stimulation. Thinking positive thoughts, thinking happy memories and so forth and so on. No, when you're just resting, the mind feels well. And that's a symptom of a mind that's healthy. Report an error in the passage at 34:12 Highlight the passage at 34:12

34:38 And likewise, this is very important, that insofar as our minds are afflicted, dominated by resentment, low self-esteem, anger, craving, anxiety and so forth, insofar as the mind is really afflicted, out of balance, you can be sitting quietly in your room. With no stimulation coming in and not even thinking about anything. And you can be quite miserable. I call that genuine unhappiness. Because it's not arising in response to some unpleasant stimulation. Report an error in the passage at 34:38 Highlight the passage at 34:38

35:12 You just feel rotten. And it's a good thing you do. Because if you felt really happy and glad and contented when your mind is heavily afflicted, you'll not take any step towards alleviating the afflictions. Just as it's a good thing if you break your leg that it hurts. Otherwise you might continue trying to walk on it. Report an error in the passage at 35:12 Highlight the passage at 35:12

35:32 And then damage yourself irreparably. And so another whole dimension here of well-being that arises from the higher training of samādhi. And this can persist as you're in solitude, even for years on end. And it can also persist as you're engaging socially with the world around you. Something deeper. It's a symptom of a mind that is well-balanced. Report an error in the passage at 35:32 Highlight the passage at 35:32

35:59 And then finally, as the Buddha continued, There is a sense of well-being that arises from wisdom, from knowing reality as it is. And that's deeper and all the more transformative. Report an error in the passage at 35:59 Highlight the passage at 35:59

36:13 So genuine happiness, multiple dimensions of that. And so any way of viewing reality, any type of specific practices such as meditation, and a way of life that is conducive to, that nurtures, that cultivates, develops genuine happiness on any of those three levels, that's Dharma. Then we speak of Christian Dharma and Taoist Dharma, Hindu Dharma, Humanist Dharma, you don't have to be religious to practice Dharma. We say, aha, we have a lot of common ground here to explore. Report an error in the passage at 36:13 Highlight the passage at 36:13

36:51 And having said that, of course there are ways of viewing reality that are delusional. There are types of practices such as corruption and fraud and so forth and so on. There are ways of life that are manipulative, exploitative, insensitive and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 36:51 Highlight the passage at 36:51

37:07 Completely undermine one's own and others' well-being. Genuine happiness. So those are unethical. Those are not Dharma. Undharma. Anti-Dharma. So I think it's quite clear. There was nothing dumbed down there, but I've just finished. That's it. And now we can see that in a very meaningful way, we can speak of ethics that is eudaimonia-based ethics. Report an error in the passage at 37:07 Highlight the passage at 37:07

37:28 Eudaimonia being the Greek term for genuine happiness. That is, it's ethical if our behavior is conducive to our own and others' well-being. Report an error in the passage at 37:28 Highlight the passage at 37:28

37:37 That we can observe. This is a scientific hypothesis. This can be checked. This can be researched. Hey, it's in evidence. That kind of behavior by body, speech and mind that is conducive to our own and others' genuine happiness, we're going to call that ethical. That which is neutral, doesn't have any impact one way or another, okay, that's ethically neutral. And those types of behavior that undermine, that erode, that destroy our own and others' genuine happiness, that's unethical. Report an error in the passage at 37:37 Highlight the passage at 37:37

38:02 I find that very meaningful. And it's completely empirical. And also, it's not just a formula. Like, do these ten things and don't do that ten things. Or do this and don't that. Okay, 23 of this and 253 of that. Those lists have value. But it's also very easy to get quite rigid. Buy the book, buy the book. And not see, well, might there be some times when this would be wholesome, even though buy the book. Report an error in the passage at 38:02 Highlight the passage at 38:02

38:27 And so this one is an ongoing challenge. It's kind of an adventure in ethics. I mean that quite seriously. An adventure in ethics. As we become more sensitive, more aware, what is genuine happiness? What does it feel like? How is it experienced? How do I recognize it in others? Can I recognize it in others? Report an error in the passage at 38:27 Highlight the passage at 38:27

38:45 Or is this totally metaphysical? And as we hone our senses, become more and more perceptive, more attentive, more discerning, subtler and subtler, we may recognize dimensions upon dimensions of genuine happiness in ourself and then detect that in others and then say, aha! I'm getting a clearer sense now of what is ethical. So it's an adventure. It's an ongoing quest. Deepening of understanding. So we're maturing ethically. Report an error in the passage at 38:45 Highlight the passage at 38:45

39:15 We're maturing in terms of genuine happiness. Maturing in terms of wisdom. Maturing in terms of mental balance. All together. It's a packet deal. Report an error in the passage at 39:15 Highlight the passage at 39:15

39:26 So, that is context. Report an error in the passage at 39:26 Highlight the passage at 39:26

39:31 We're going to take a break quite quickly. Let's take a break right now. That's a nice pause. So from now on we'll be doing this. I'm going to be good. I was very bad yesterday. Two and a half hours. Wore you out. But I'm going to be good now. And so in the mornings again, we'll have, let's try to make it really 15 and not 20, 25. So if you think 10 and it's 15, then think 10. Report an error in the passage at 39:31 Highlight the passage at 39:31

39:51 Let's take a 10 minute break now, which I mean 15. I need to go to the bathroom, whatever, stretch and so forth. So it's right now 10.20 by this clock. Let's imagine that one's correct. And so let's come back at 10.35 and we'll continue and we'll go right to meditation. So please, I'll take a break and I'll see you in 15 minutes. Report an error in the passage at 39:51 Highlight the passage at 39:51