Continuing our contemplation of the Four Noble Truths, this talk will seek to relate the Buddha’s teachings on suffering to the world we have created and are facing today. Building on our exploration in Part I of this talk, we will further investigate the origins of key institutions both of our spiritual tradition and of our nation, taking notice of the ways that our current experience is rooted in events from centuries ago. As we make links between the past and present, we’ll draw on our own understanding of the Third Noble Truth - the cessation of suffering, and reflect together on the potential for liberation from individual and collective suffering.
Resources referenced in this talk Nobody Knows My Name - James Baldwin Mindful of Race - Ruth King The History of Vipassanna Meditation - Erik Braun The Way of Tenderness - Zenju Earthlyn Manuel Seeing White podcast - season 2, episode 3 & 10 The Land Speaks: The Monacan Nation and Politics of Memory + Resources for further study American Dharma - Ann Gleig White Birch, Red Hawthorn: A Memoir - Nora Murphy Love & Rage - Lama Rod Owens Cultivate Cville Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Mapping Cville blog (racial history of specific Charlottesville neighborhoods, etc)