Sally Clough Armstrong began practicing vipassana meditation in India in 1981. She moved to the Bay Area in 1988, and worked at Spirit Rock until 1994 in a number of roles, including executive director. She began teaching in 1996, and is one of the guiding teachers of Spirit Rock's Dedicated Practitioner Program.
Sally has always been inspired by the depth and the breadth of the Buddha’s teaching, as presented in the suttas of the Pali Canon, because the truth and power of the Buddha’s words still speak to us today. Her intention in teaching is to make these ancient texts and practices accessible and relevant to all levels of practitioner, from the very new to the dedicated meditator.
In the fourths Noble Truth, The Buddha outlines the path that leads to the end of suffering. This path is not just about meditation practice, but includes every aspect of our lives. In this journey we naturally, out of our own experiences and wisdom, align our perspective of the world with the Dharma.
The 2nd Noble Truth tells us that the cause for our suffering is craving - the desire that holds on to or pushes away experience. Letting go brings ease and freedom.
The First Noble Truth tells us how it really is - there is and there will be suffering in any and every life. But this is not just gloomy news, but rather an invitation to turn towards suffering so we begin to understand it, its nature and its causes, so we need no longer to cause our own suffering, or to feel a vicitm of suffering - that we have done something wrong because we are suffering. Opening to suffering also tenderizes the heart, as we open to the depth and the breadth of our own suffering, and the suffering of the world. This is the path to compassion and to freedom.
