logo
episode-header-image
Aug 1
50m 6s

Ep. 218 - Anicca: Seeing The Inconstancy...

BE HERE NOW NETWORK
About this episode

Gil Fronsdal reflects on Anicca, the Buddhist teaching often translated as impermanence, and offers a more precise lens for Western minds to understand its meaning.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

In this episode, Gil offers wisdom on:

  • How to create inner conditions that support the natural arising of wisdom
  • Understanding inconstancy as a flow of coming and going, not a fixed state of change
  • A powerful fable: The Emperor of China’s quest for a painting that embodies peace and wisdom
  • Calming the agitated, restless mind through meditation and mindful awareness
  • Discovering true peace and safety within ourselves, rather than chasing it in the external world
  • The value of noticing the flow of change and where our minds are caught
  • Knowing that it is not just the world that constantly changes, but also our perception of the world
  • Floating in the river of change rather than trying to swim against it
  • Seeing Anicca through the lens of insight meditation 

About Gil Fronsdal:

Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma.

This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.org

"The mind is like a waterfall, furious and violent. There's not much peace in it. In that state, there's not much wisdom, not much clarity. This is one of the functions of meditation: to help us quiet the mind, settle it, and show the mind that there is an alternative to being restless and agitated. Teach the mind that the safety that it's looking for is found within.” – Gil Fronsdal

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Oct 2
Ep. 227 - Simplicity on the Soto Zen Path with Rev. Chimyo Atkinson & Vincent Moore
Exploring the Soto Zen path, Rev. Chimyo Atkinson and Vincent Moore reflect on inclusivity, feminine wisdom, and the beauty of simplicity.This episode is from the series Paths of Practice. Click here to subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts! Today’s podcast is brought ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 25
Ep. 226 - The Deathless with Buddhist Teacher, Gil Fronsdal
Buddhist teacher Gil Fronsdal explores the concept of the deathless and examines ways to experience life without clinging to impermanent things.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your ... Show More
1 h
Sep 18
Ep. 225 - Ram Dass Fellowship: Teachings for Turbulent Times with Amy Buetens & Julie Weinstein, Hosted by Jackie Dobrinska
Highlighting the fact that we can define our own reality, Amy Buetens & Julie Weinstein pull from the wisdom of Ram Dass to discuss navigating turbulent times.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your wa ... Show More
1h 15m
Recommended Episodes
May 2022
Ep. 122 - Essential Buddhism Part 1: Developing Our Field of Awareness
In this talk from 1974 at Naropa University, Joseph Goldstein gets into the essentials of Buddhism. He lectures about dharma, insight meditation, and developing our field of awareness.This podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with you ... Show More
37m 47s
Apr 2023
The Buddha’s Eight Part Recipe for Happiness | DaRa Williams
New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- This episode kicks off our series on the Eightfold Path which will continue on Wednesdays for the next two weeks with Eugene Cash and Joseph Goldstein. DaRa ... Show More
50m 13s
Sep 2023
Ep. 235 – The Process of Awakening
In this recording from 1976, Ram Dass explores the process of awakening and becoming enlightened. Featuring a musical interlude from Krishna Das and an introduction from Raghu Markus.This episode is a continuation of the dharma talk from Here and Now Ep. 234 – The Awakening of th ... Show More
44m 58s
Jul 2023
Ep. 230 – The Truth of Your Deepest Being
Ram Dass explores how to find the balance between emptiness and compassion in the face of immense suffering and tap into the truth of your deepest being to hear your unique dharma.This episode is a continuation of the talk from Here and Now Ep. 229 – The Sword of DiscriminationTo ... Show More
55m 8s
Jan 2023
The Enlightened Mind | Part 5 of The Dalai Lama's Guide to Happiness
What is the Dalai Lama’s own meditation practice like? In this final episode, the Dalai Lama goes into great detail about the whys and wherefores of meditation, taking us way into the deep end. We cover single-pointed versus analytical meditation, gross and subtle levels of the m ... Show More
44m 49s
Apr 2021
Eiman Al Zaabi on Finding Grace
Eiman Al Zaabi is a Muslim spiritual teacher who integrates the principles of harmony, beauty and unity into her teachings. Eiman is a facilitator and transformational coach who helps individuals transform their relationships and careers, heal from past trauma, and live authentic ... Show More
43m 33s
Nov 2021
Beth Jacobs on Original Buddhist Psychology
Beth Jacobs is a clinical psychologist in private practice and a former faculty member of the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University. She is also a teacher in the Soto Zen tradition and incorporates Buddhist studies and meditation into her work as both a psycholog ... Show More
47m 39s
Nov 2021
Ep. 135 – The Forgiving Heart
Jack Kornfield explores the forgiving heart, offering us the basic ingredients for wise forgiveness, and leads a powerful guided meditation practice called the three directions of forgiveness.This dharma talk was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock on 9/20/21This podcast is b ... Show More
53m 36s
Nov 2021
How to Get Out of Your Head | Willa Blythe Baker
It is a common desire to get out of our heads, to escape the internal noise, the chatter, the Sturm und Drang, the sound and fury, etc. You hear about it in pop songs and poetry, this urge to be blown away, to transcend. But how do you actually do it? Willa Blythe Baker can help ... Show More
49m 47s