“Freedom Amidst Desire” with Jane this Sunday at Minneapolis Insight

Dear Community,

Sunday 10am Community Practice & Discussion

In Phillip Moffitt’s book Dancing With Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering, he offers an approach to the Four Noble Truths that he learned from Ajahn Sumedho, in which there are three insights for each of the Four Noble Truths. 

This Sunday we will delve into the Fourth Insight, which is the First Insight related to the Second Noble Truth. Phillip describes this Fourth Insight like this (p. 79):  

The Buddha states that when the mind starts craving, suffering will inevitably arise. In other words, it is how you relate to desire that is the cause of your suffering. Therefore you are not helpless or cursed or destined to be forever tormented with anxiety, stress, and dissatisfaction. You can do something about it. You can move toward freeing your mind.

… While pain is an unavoidable part of the human experience, the subjective suffering that usually comes with it is not… You have the power to transform your life experience from suffering to joy.

In Phillip’s exploration of this insight, I have found the way that he understands the relationship between desire and craving, and our response to each one, to be very helpful. Phillip does not suggest that we can or should abandon desire, but rather, he encourages us to develop a healthy relationship to desire, a relationship in which we are able to discern wholesome from unwholesome. He encourages us to be mindful when desire arises and offers us strategies to work with how we create our own suffering by clinging to any number of preferred outcomes.  

Please join us this Sunday as we practice together and explore ways in which we can integrate this Insight and support one another on our path. All are welcome! Registration and Zoom information available here.

With mettā,
Minneapolis Insight

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