Rather than trying to overcome unwholesome mind states, Joseph Goldstein guides us to simply be mindful of the mind as it is being influenced.

The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism. This episode is the fourth part of an in-depth 48-part weekly lecture series from Joseph Goldstein that delves into every aspect of the Satipatthana Sutta. If you are just now jumping into the Satipatthana Sutta series, listen to Insight Hour Ep. 203 to follow along and get the full experience!

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In this episode, Joseph Goldstein mindfully explains:

• The three unwholesome roots (lustful mind, angry mind, diluted mind)
• Being aware of the absence of unwholesome mind-states
• How positive attributes are present within the absence of the defilements
• Not judging ourselves or being reactive to negative mind-states
• Focusing on which states should be cultivated and which should be let go of
• Measuring the moral worth of an action by the intention behind it
• Difficult mind-states as part of the path rather than an innate problem
• The distracted and contracted mind
• How mindfulness of our mind is the path to freedom
• Simply knowing each state for what it is (not-self, insubstantial, impermanent)
• Asking ourselves what is happening and taking the time to acknowledge it
• How sense pleasures and moods deceive the mind
• The process of liberation as short moments many times

Don’t forget to grab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE

This talk was originally published on Dharmaseed

“It’s not as if somehow we need to have our mind completely freed of all of these unwholesome states in order to proceed. The Buddha is saying that mindfulness of them when they arise is the path to freedom.” – Joseph Goldstein

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