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?