A discussion of Sila, Samadhi and Panna in daily life. Magga Rocks!

We review the deep intention of both Buddhist practice and the life and work of Dr. King to bring wisdom, love, and skillful action to all parts and all moments of our lives. We then look at how this results in a life of integrity, of wholeness, in terms of the Noble Eightfold Path, on the one hand, and the extension of the "love ethic" to the social and political dimensions of life by Dr. King, on the other. We look at the challenges of Dr. King's stance on Vietnam, and listen to an excerpt from his "Beyond Vietnam" speech at the Riverside Church in New York on April 4, 1967.

Discover the riches of the Noble Eightfold Path again and again. See into the depths of the mind by rightly remembering and using the Buddha's guidance not only in formal meditation practice but in every waking hour of daily life. Begin, sustain, and deepen the practice of clear seeing and understanding the Path. This is how we step out of suffering into true blessing and joyous freedom.

Shaila Catherine gave the fourth talk in the five-week series "Four Noble Truths." This talk discusses the Fourth Noble Truth, the path leading to the cessation of suffering and known as the Noble Eightfold Path. We must know this path and actually travel it. This practice allows us to live a life that is noble and upright, and helps us distinguish between that which is wholesome (which leads to ending of suffering) and that which is unwholesome (which leads to more suffering).

To bring the mind to peace, we must learn about all that makes it unpeaceful, unquiet. We learn how to guide ourselves to abide in wholesome states of mind, how to prevent dark and unskilfull states from arising and how to deal with them if they do. Follow virtue. Stay close to spiritual friends, and take refuge in the wisdom of the Buddha and our own potential to cultivate and develop this Noble Eightfold path. Practise gratitude, generosity, and kindness. Wake up. Love wisdom more than life.

The jhana factors serve as antidotes to the five hindrances as well as supports in developing the Noble Eightfold Path. But they are not enough in and of themselves to establish wisdom. Studying the body and mind through samatha and vipassana, we come to understand the Four Noble Truths. As we transform consciousness, we transcend the world. A talk given at a 7 day Satipaññā Insight Meditation Toronto retreat in the Chapin Mill Zen Retreat Centre, Batavia, NY.

Practicing the three trainings of the Noble Eightfold path effects restraint of the kilesas, awareness of obsessive kilesas, and understanding the latent kilesas.