This dharma talk begins in the middle of a discussion about how the Sutras can be confusing, and just how important it is to understand the context of a specific teaching in order to understand exactly what the Buddha was trying to get across.
The talk then moves on to categorizing “Buddhist” doctrines into views commonly believed by society before (and well after) the Buddha (e.g. reincarnation), and teachings that were original and unique to the Buddha or based on these novel teachings (e.g. no-self). In particular there is an exploration of the origins, value of, and challenges of the Mahayana Sutras.
Flowing from this is talk about the value of Buddhism for the world and different cultural manifestations of Buddhism that still manage to preserve the essential core of the teachings—a major part of this core being what the Buddha taught about suffering. The next big area of discussion was the tests by which one can judge the validity of a teaching or practice—e.g. the teachings needing to agree with one’s experience, and the practices needing to make one’s life (and the lives of those around one) better.
Finally the talk closed with a response to a comment about criminality, justice, no self, and compassion.
| Added at | Sept. 26, 2020 |
| Original file name | 110929b_TCMC_Thursday.mp3 |