72 The Origins of Suffering

This afternoon, Alan first gives a Dharma talk relating to the deepest type of suffering to which we are vulnerable: the pervasive suffering of composite, or conditioned, existence. He asks the question, "Why do we suffer?" and explores it from a theistic, materialistic, and then, in depth, a Buddhist perspective. Finally, he posits that in order to develop compassion for this type of deep suffering, we must believe in the possibility of freedom, and use skillful means to draw in this possibility. The skillful means he describes is the powerful of stage of generation practices from the Vajrayana. Unguided meditation begins at 43:20 in the recording, and the discussion and following Q&A picks back up at 1:10:57. 1. The substrate consciousness is individual, yes? Are the substrate and Buddhanature also individual? 2. When we imagine the Buddha as light, is that symbolic or real?