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Dharmapunx NYC

simplifying life by separating wants from needs

Dharmapunx NYC

josh korda

Religion & Spirituality, Buddhism, Religion & Spirituality:buddhism

4.8886 Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2015

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

If you like this talk, please consider donating! In the 2,500 year old tradition I teach entirely by dana: in other words, I scrape by entirely on the generous donations of those who listen and get something from the teaching. The donation paypal button is in the right margin of this page. Please check out dharmapunxnyc.com for info about classes and one-on-one counseling, retreats, etc. While I cannot promise to reply to emails, I do read them: korda.josh@gmail.com

Transcript

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0:00.0

So next week I'll be talking about ways to emotionally process difficult life experiences.

0:07.0

Should be one of those heavy talks, so tonight I'm, what am I teaching about oh yes simplifying life

0:19.2

simplifying life the word in the Buddha's original language that is associated with Polly.

0:27.0

I'm nobody sure what language he actually spoke, but the early teachings are recorded in what's known as the

0:35.8

Palais Canon.

0:37.8

And the word for simplifying, letting go of things that are not absolutely necessary for

0:46.1

happiness is Nekama of endless benefits. It's very important in Buddhist practice whether or not we want to

0:57.9

simplify our lives simply to begin to be able to tell the difference between what our needs or

1:05.7

requisites for having any peace in our lives versus what are our wants and desires, the things that we like, the people the circumstances that we prefer that makes life more comfortable but are not absolutely necessary or

1:27.6

requisite for happiness, for peace of mind.

1:33.4

Now the Buddha said a very, I don't know if he would say low or high bar for what are the bare

1:41.9

minimums needed for peace of mind.

1:45.5

He set for the renunciates a very,

1:57.0

he said essentially each monk or nun should have three sets of robes, a bowl, sandals and a kuti where they could stay from the cold and then that they would support themselves by going out for alms, food, and that they would never handle money.

2:19.9

And I've been an attendant for many, many months over the years of my training and boy let me tell you what a pain in the ass that is.

2:29.0

When there's a visiting monk and you have to walk them around everywhere and they don't have a dime and say,

2:37.0

and you're constantly having to explain to strange people in the streets exactly who this person, you're with.

2:44.0

Yeah, so they, when they travel, they always need to have an Agarica or a lay practitioner

2:50.0

that goes around and essentially helps them be in the world.

2:57.0

Now for us householders and that's the term that in Buddhist practices used for people who are not renunciates,

3:04.6

people who pay rent or a mortgage I suppose or who have more positions than are absolutely necessary, who have romantic relationships.

3:20.0

The Buddha acknowledged that such people would have many more needs than the renunciate. And there are suitors that were the Buddha talked to

...

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