Joseph Goldstein explores the Buddha’s teachings on renunciation from the Satipatthāna Sutta, showing how the practice of letting go of craving, ill will, and cruelty leads to deep inner freedom, clarity, and lasting peace.

The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism. This episode is the 41st part of an in-depth 48-part weekly lecture series from Joseph Goldstein that delves into every aspect of the Satipatthana Sutta. If you are just now jumping into the Satipatthana Sutta series, listen to Insight Hour Ep. 203 to follow along and get the full experience!

In this lecture from Buddhist teacher Joseph Goldstein:

• Consciously reflecting on if our thoughts are for harm or for good
• How desire is more difficult to uproot than ill will and aversion
• The dangerous disguise of sense-desires as pleasurable and seductive
• How to practice the “wisdom of no”
• Renunciation as mental freedom, not repression
• How right thought conditions right action
• The Buddha’s own practice as a model for ourselves
• Accepting that desire is addictive because it momentarily feels good
• Renunciation as freedom from addiction, not deprivation
• How the joy of letting go must be experienced, not just believed
• The power of both small and large acts of renunciation
• The mental habit of our addiction to wanting
• How mindfulness reveals freedom in transition moments
• The progressive act of letting go

This episode was originally published on Dharmaseed

Grab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE

“Renunciation is not about deprivation. It’s about non-addiction. It’s about freedom.” - Joseph Goldstein

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