noble eightfold path

Congratulations, after much work, you have reached the mountain top and are wise. Now, all you need to do is sit back, and relax. Enjoy the rest of your time in this life and revel in your wisdom.

You know better! Wisdom is challenging to obtain, and requires work to maintain. In our last episode, we gained a shamanic perspective on the four challenges we face as we seek wisdom.

Today, we will consider those challenges, and consider some Buddhist teachings on wisdom. Specifically on the Noble Eightfold Path and how sila, samadhi, and prajna support us and sustain us on the path.

While some may believe that Buddhism is devoid of planning, it is a path toward a specific goal: the end of suffering. The Buddha actively decided to teach the cessation of suffering and shared a whole system of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. However, he was not attached to the outcome of his teachings. He taught because some would understand and not convert a certain number of people.

 As practitioners, we also follow a path and seek to become free from suffering. We may plan for our spiritual growth through studying and meditating, but we must also be mindful of our attachment to expectations and outcomes. Non-attachment does not mean apathy but rather accepting the present moment without holding onto expectations of what should happen during meditation or in life.

 We can use the concept of clinging strategically, changing our diet of thoughts and developing inner qualities to make us stronger to face life's challenges. We should strive to follow the path intentionally, with the intention behind our plans being skillful and pure. Ultimately, it comes down to what should be done today, planting seeds without expectations but still taking action toward our goals.

Welcome everyone to interview #00030 of The 10,000 Heroes Show.

I’m Ankur Shah Delight and today’s guest is Leigh Brasington. Leigh is a well-known meditation teacher and expert on the “Jhanas” who I’ve known about for a while. I was reading one of his books earlier this year, and I had a number of “aha moments” while reading it, and a lot of questions. So I reached out to him and he was so good about answering my questions, I thought, this guy would be great for the show. And he was.

One thing that is coming up for me a lot these days is the incredible power we each have, as human beings, when we are aligned and using our energy and intention for things we really care about. There is really so much we can do when we’re working with – and not against our passion. That comes out in this interview for sure, and maybe is a common thread in my personal definition of what a hero is – somebody who has identified their passion and purpose, and has oriented their life around it.

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Guest References

Leigh Brasington’s website: http://leighb.com

Leigh’s (free) book on Dependent Origination and Emptiness: http://sodapi.leighb.com/download.htm

Thank you everyone for listening!