Live Session Summary, Sunday, September 21, 2025: It was good to be with you for our live session today. The focus of the session was on the three levels of understanding, or insights, with which we can engage with the four noble truths—the Buddha’s central teaching on suffering and ending suffering.
Here are some of the main themes, poems, and quotes from today's session:
I began by reviewing last week’s live session where we explored the way turning our attention inward can become a direct path to the deepest freedom. Turning our attention inward in an honest, open, and accepting way allows us to see our suffering directly—where we are hooked or clinging to the way we want things to be or how we want things to be different.
This ‘turning inward’ opens us to our suffering (first noble truth), to where/how we are clinging (second noble truth), to how we can experience greater freedom by letting go of clinging (third noble truth), and to the path of practice that leads to the end of suffering (fourth noble truth).
I then highlighted how for each of the four noble truths there are three deepening levels of understanding that can be very helpful to us in our practice. The first level involves a cognitive of conceptual level of understanding. We might get this from reading a book or listening to an inspiring talk on the four noble truths. This level of understanding is important and necessary, but not sufficient—there is more work to be done. We have not yet engaged directly and experientially with our suffering.
The second level of understanding involves seeing clearly what needs to be done—or the task involved for each of the four noble truths (see below). At this second level we apply the teachings to our direct experience—for example, in relation to the second noble truth we might ask ‘What is my role in creating this suffering? What is the ‘second arrow’ (e.g., blaming, complaining, or worrying) that I am adding to my direct experience?
This level moves us to an understanding of the specific action required for each noble truth and to direct engagement with our experience in the light of the teachings. We might say that this is where the rubber really meets the road.
The third level of understanding of each noble truth involves the complete accomplishment of the task that needs to be done. With each of the four noble truths there is a task that needs to be accomplished (I didn’t have time to talk about this today, so I’ll note it briefly here.)
• The task for the first noble truth (the truth of suffering) is to recognize and acknowledge our suffering.
• The task for the second noble truth (the truth of the origin of suffering lying in craving/clinging) is to abandon or let go of clinging.
• The task for the third noble truth (the truth of the end of suffering, i.e., Nirvana, or complete freedom) is to realize complete freedom.
• The task for the fourth noble truth (the truth of the path to the end of suffering, i.e., the noble eightfold path) is to follow the path.
With the third level of understanding, we have done the work completely to end suffering in our life. As the Buddha said after his awakening, ‘Done is what needed to be done.’ The complete end of suffering means the inability of suffering to arise again, complete freedom from all forms of suffering (not of pain, which is an inevitable part of life).
Quotes and poems I shared include:
• ‘Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed unless it is faced.’ (James Baldwin)
• ‘Peace of Wild Things’ (Wendell Berry)
• ‘Eternity’ (William Blake)
• ‘Warmth’ (Thich Nhat Hanh)
• Excerpt from ‘Peace is this moment without judgment’ (Dorothy Hunt)
I will be sending out a separate message to see if there is interest in me offering a ‘special session’ next Sunday on, something like, ‘Cultivating compassion, resilience, and courage in these difficult times.’ This comes out of a request from Susan that a number of folks seemed to resonate with. Have a lovely week ahead. Warmly, Hugh 🙏🏻 💜 🌻
