Nona Olivia gave the sixth talk in a seven-week series on lesser known Buddhist teachings titled "Thus Have I Heard." This talk explores how to choose a trustworthy teacher.
The Pali Canon includes over 5,000 discourses that document conversations and encounters that occurred during forty years of the Buddha's ministry. Over the centuries, certain teachings have risen to the surface with popularity and come to characterize our impression of what the Buddha taught. However, the vast collection of source material reaches beyond these well known teachings. For this speaker series, IMSB has invited teachers to focus on teachings that have been largely neglected by contemporary Buddhist groups. Each talk will share a lesser-known teaching, event, or instruction that will enrich our comprehension of what the Buddha taught. We will discover whether broadening our source material reinforces the dominant view of Buddhist practice or paints a different picture of meditation and the path of liberation.
This talk was given as part of the series “Eight Great Thoughts” (Anguttara Nikaya 8:30). Wisdom is realized after following the Noble Eightfold Path. True wisdom is a penetrating vision of phenomena in their rising and passing away. Wisdom arises out of insight, and insight arises out of a still and luminous mind.
