Seminar with Alan Wallace
The Inner Causes of Distress and Well-being
Buddhist Psychological, Philosophical, and Contemplative Insights for the Modern World
Live Online, via Zoom
In cooperation with Paramita, Centro Budista Sakya and Santa Bárbara Institute for Consciousness Studies
A major cause of the crisis we are facing is the ignorance and confusion about the true causes of psychological distress and happiness. Under the domination of a consumerist and hedonic paradigm, and while we seek to be free of suffering, we actually perpetuate it in the long term, destroying our natural environment and hiding important and necessary aspects for the well-being of all in the long run.
In this seminar Alan Wallace will offer teachings and guide practices oriented to elucidate the causes of affliction and genuine well-being according to the perspectives of the different developments of Buddhist philosophy, known as "the three turnings of the Dharma wheel":
- The first, based on the Four Noble Truths
- The second, based on the "Perfection of Wisdom", and the "Bodhisattva ideal"
- The third, based on the "Buddha-nature", or primordial consciousness
Talks on these topics will be complemented by guided meditations and periods for open discussion.
Structure
3 live online modules, via Zoom
The sessions will be recorded and available to the participant on
e.nirakara.org
Dates:
- First module, Psychological Insights, September 1-4
- Second module, Philosophical Insights, September 29 to October 2
- Third module, Contemplative Insights, October 20-23
Timetable: from 5 to 9 pm
Program
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Buddhist Psychological Insights into the Inner Causes of Distress and Well-being
In this opening seminar we will begin by distinguishing between worldly pleasure and genuine well-being and exploring the inner causes of both. We will then turn to the evident causes of distress, including mental agitation, distraction, rumination, and mind- wandering, and engage in meditative practices to overcome them.
Going deeper, we will examine the subtle causes of distress, including craving and attachment, hostility and hatred, and ignorance and delusion, taking care to define each of these mental afflictions. Finally, we will seek to understand the ground-state of consciousness, known as the substrate consciousness, which is naturally pure and luminous, as well as our capacity of loving-kindness, and how to cultivate it.
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Buddhist Philosophical Insights into the Inner Causes of Distress and Well-being
A fundamental cause of distress is grasping to the inherent existence not only of oneself but of all other phenomena, resulting in dualistic grasping. This involves viewing oneself and other, subject and object, as being radically separate.
The remedy for this mental affliction is experientially exploring the interrelatedness of all phenomena, and recognizing how our own perceptions and conceptions structure how we view ourselves and the rest of the world. As for the fundamental causes of well-being, we must fathom the nature of the mind, recognizing whether it exists as an autonomous entity or is empty of inherent existence and thus interwoven with the world that we perceive.
Secondly, self-centeredness—regarding one’s own well-being as more important than anyone else’s—is identified as a root cause of distress. The remedy for this is to cultivate great compassion, loving-kindness, empathetic joy, and impartiality, and to aspire to realize perfect spiritual awakening for the benefit of all beings.
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Buddhist Contemplative Insights into the Inner Causes of Distress and Well-being
The existential cause of distress is failing to know who we actually are, and the existential cause of genuine well-being is recognizing our own buddha-nature. Rather than identifying with the body or mind, we seek to understand the nature of awareness itself, penetrating even beyond the substrate consciousness to the timeless dimension of primordial consciousness, which is said to be the root of all distress and well-being.
This unborn mind is “the mind of the Buddha”, and it is without birth or destruction. Finally, we will relate this view of the ultimate nature of the mind with recent advances in modern physics, which highlight the nature of consciousness as a fundamental element of reality as a whole.
