1. Welcome to the Joseph Goldstein Insight Hour.

This podcast is an expression of our shared interest in self-discovery.

Join Joseph as he shares his deep knowledge of the path of mindfulness.

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please go to be here now network.com slash Joseph. Tonight I'd like to continue the discussion of the Buddha's first discourse, setting the wheel of the darma in motion.

And began this first teaching, as we spoke about last week, by laying out the broad framework of the middle way, that is avoiding the extremes

of self-indulgence on the one hand, sense indulgence, and self-mortification on the other.

Then as the discourse goes on, the Buddha provides an amazing conceptual structure for understanding all that is necessary for liberation.

It's quite amazing because he does it like in a page or two of teachings, everything that we need to

understand for awakening.

He said, just as the footprints of all animals can fit within the footprint of an elephant,

so to whatever wholesome states there are, all of them are embraced in the four noble truths.

And despite the many differences among the different Buddhist traditions all are in agreement

that these four truths are the foundation of understanding and the foundation

of realization.

So we'll begin by exploring the meaning and relevance of the first of these truths.

And I'll read from the discourse.

This obikus is the noble truth of Duka.

Birth is Duka, aging is Duka,

sickness is Duka, sickness is Duka, death is Duka, sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief, and despair

a Duka. Association with the unloved or unpleasant condition is dukah.

Separation from the beloved or pleasant condition is dukah.

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