Stories and the Buddha’s Search for Enlightenment
Vaddhaka opens this series by talking about the importance of stories in his life. He then looks at different stories of the Buddha’s life, before discussing different perspectives on what enlightenment might be. He finishes on Talk 06 with his personal vision of enlightenment.
For each of the six talks there is a transcript and a recording.
In addition, there is a set of background notes on debates about the nature of the Buddha that you might find useful (07), followed by additional notes on The Wheel and the Spiral (08) with three diagrams, and three sets of notes on the Four Noble Truths (09), the five skandhas (10), and tanha or thirst / craving (11).
01 Stories and the Search for Meaning in Life
This is very much a personal talk; about episodes in Vaddhaka’s life, and about stories and story tellers that have influenced him and his search for meaning.
02 The Story of Why the Buddha Left Home
Here Vaddhaka gives us different stories of why the Buddha left home. Vaddhaka argues that stories have meaning, and that meaning can teach us something vital, even if the stories contradict each other, and even if the stories may not be literally true.
03 Key Events in The Story of The Buddha’s Search for Enlightenment
In this talk Vaddhaka, following Sangharakshita, looks at seven key events during the Buddha’s life, starting with his decision to leave home to begin his search for enlightenment, up until the time when he sat down under the Bodhi Tree to meditate and gain enlightenment.
04 What Might Enlightenment Be? Different Perspectives
Although it is said that Enlightenment is beyond words and concepts, the Buddha and others have had to use words and concepts to guide us towards some sense of what Enlightenment might be. Vaddhaka very briefly reviews different teachings on Enlightenment given by the Buddha that have stayed at the forefront of his mind during his search for meaning in life. He concludes with the Buddha’s advice on how to tell whether someone is enlightened or not.
05 What Might Enlightenment Be? A Core Teaching
It can be argued that the central realisation of the Buddha when he gained enlightenment is represented by his teaching of pratitya samutpada, conditionality or dependent arising. Vaddhaka gives his understanding of pratitya samutpada, and discusses in detail Sangharakshita’s extension of the teaching with his presentation of the five niyamas, or levels, or types, of conditionality.
06 What Might Enlightenment Be? A Personal View
Vaddhaka explains how Sangharakshita communicated to him a vision of the Buddha’s awakening and of a path to awakening. It was, says Vaddhaka, a vision of the process of awakening expressed in completely non-traditional terms. He identifies three elements in this vision of the Buddha’s awakening that still inspire and guide him.
07 Background Notes on the Story of the Buddha
Who was the Buddha? Was he a human being? Was he omniscient? Can we explain Enlightenment in purely rational terms? These and other issues are covered in these background notes.
08 The Wheel and the Spiral
In this set of notes Vaddhaka describes two different versions of the Spiral Path to Enlightenment, with the help of three diagrams drawn by Saddharaja.
09 The Four Noble Truths
In this short set of notes Vaddhaka sets the scene for a discussion in the next notes on the five skandhas, and the following notes on tanha or thirst / craving.
10. Four Noble Truths and Five Skandhas
Here Vaddhaka explores the link between suffering and the five skandhas, with a discussion of the meaning of ‘skandha’, and shows the connection between the Buddha’s first teaching of the Four Noble Truths and the Heart Sutra.
11. On Tanha
In this set of notes Vaddhaka is concerned to show that tanha or thirst / craving has its positive side in the path to Enlightenment.