Use code SUMMERPRACTICE for a 25% discount on all On Demand Courses through August 31.

Citta and Right Speech: Cultivating the Voice of Kindness and Wisdom

With Dave Smith recorded on July 31, 2022.

Found our teachings useful? Help us continue our work and support your teachers with a donation. Here’s how.

Dharma practice encourages us to transform our thoughts, words and actions. The primary mechanism for how this is accomplished is vague. What often goes unnoticed is that the use of the term mind has undergone a radical psychologization from the time of the Buddha into present day. During this session we will explore the many nuances of the pali term citta and how it can be utilized as a voice for personal and global transformation.

Listen to the audio version below, or click here to download the mp3.

Discussion

One thought on “Citta and Right Speech: Cultivating the Voice of Kindness and Wisdom”

  1. Excellent and inspiring, as expected. Just want to add; the Buddha experienced monkeys first hand. I think the term “monkey mind” may be misunderstood by current westerners. Monkeys don’t “jump from one thing to the next” pointlessly. They are searching for food, looking for stimulation, etc., and when satisfied they lay around, sleep, or groom each other and socialize. All done without mindful purpose, but purposefully nonetheless, from the position of monkey culture. I think a better term would be “bored monkey mind” and we should recognize that the best way to settle down a monkey’s mind is to provide it with “right activity”. A little food for thought.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from the Dharma Library

  • photo of Martin Aylward smiling

    The colouring of awareness.

    Meditation practice trains our capacity to be aware, in real time, of what is happening. But what is colouring your awareness? We can pay very clear and steady attention in a way that is also demanding, defensive or deluded. Or we can give attention in a way that conduces to wisdom, spaciousness, equanimity and kindness.

    Read More

  • From Dukkha to Freedom: Dharma in Times of War and Crisis

    Intense times of war and crisis can and does often lead to intense Dukkha. But a crisis can also serve as a bedrock to spiritual breakthrough, deepening of liberating insights and openness of the heart. The Upanisa Sutta talks about the possibility of stepping out of Samsara: that Dukkha can lead to Sadha, i.e faith and trust,…

    Read More

  • Zohar Lavie

    Daily Meditation Recordings, with Zohar Lavie – Week of December 13, 2021

    This week’s theme is: A Bright Presence.

    Making an effort isn’t always easy; yet, how we show up really matters. Dharma teachings can help to enliven our sense of enthusiasm and energy on the path of practice. This week we’ll dive into different ways of engaging with our life, on the meditation seat and off. From soft delight to sustained dedication, let’s wake up fully with life — in life, and for life.

    Read More

  • Living the Dharma

    The Dharma is meant to weave through our whole life. We give something of ourselves to it, and that creates our path. We’ll explore the Dharma of personal integrity, dedication, and caring deeply for something valuable. In today’s world, this is a radical act.

    Read More

  • The Surgeon’s Probe: Healing with Mindfulness

    Vince writes: “I am continuously inspired by some of the images that the Buddha offers us of ‘Sati’ or ‘Mindfulness’. This talk for Worldwide Insight is an exploration of some the many aspects of mindfulness – or in my case a lack of mindfulness – that continue to play themselves out in my life. In…

    Read More