In this episode I am once again joined by Delson Armstrong, spiritual teacher, meditation virtuoso, and author of ‘A Mind Without Craving’.
Delson draws on his scriptural knowledge and personal experience to take a deep dive into dependent origination, the doctrine believed by many Buddhists to be the key to enlightenment.
In practical and relatable terms, Delson explains how this doctrine works, why it is important yet so often misunderstood, and how to use meditation to move from an intellectual understanding to the experiential understanding that is Buddhist enlightenment.
Delson also compares the enlightened to the unenlightened experiences of time, memory, and decision making process, and gives a surprising answer to the question: can enlightened people make mistakes?
…
Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/155-key-to-enlightenment-delson-armstrong-3
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
…
Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
00:53 - How to obtain an experiential understanding
05:56 - Essence of Dependent Origination
07:37 - How choices create reality
11:09 - Delson explains the 12 links
21:38 - Common mistakes in understanding the 12 links
24:25 - 6R’s as a craving intervention
30:09 - Consequences of disrupting the 12 links via meditation
36:30 - Does the wisdom mind generate karma?
39:01 - Exhaustion of past life karma
41:09 - Enlightened vs unenlightened experience of life
45:14 - Enlightened vs unenlightened experience of time, memory, and future planning
48:38 - Enlightened vs unenlightened decision making processes
55:22 - Why do enlightened people make mistakes?
01:00:03 - Lifting the veil that filters reality
01:06:36 - Trauma how to recondition the mind
01:15:01 - Letting go of craving is wholesome
01:17:21 - Is cultivation of wholesome states necessary?
01:20:39 - How purification works
01:23:42 - Healing trauma and MDMA-assisted therapy
01:27:39 - Simply observing suffering is not enough
01:31:24 - Riding the 12 links to stream entry and beyond
01:41:46 - Practical advice for the practitioner
...
Previous episodes with Delson Armstrong:
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep120-meditation-virtuoso-delson-armstrong/
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep127-siddha-tales-delson-armstrong-2/
- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep136-meeting-of-the-dharmas-daniel-ingram-delson-armstrong
To find out more about Delson Armstrong, visit:
- https://www.suttavada.foundation/our-teachers/
- https://www.dhammasukha.org/
For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James