In this episode I am once again joined by Delson Armstrong, spiritual teacher, meditation virtuoso, and author of ‘A Mind Without Craving’.

Delson draws on his scriptural knowledge and personal experience to take a deep dive into dependent origination, the doctrine believed by many Buddhists to be the key to enlightenment.

In practical and relatable terms, Delson explains how this doctrine works, why it is important yet so often misunderstood, and how to use meditation to move from an intellectual understanding to the experiential understanding that is Buddhist enlightenment.

Delson also compares the enlightened to the unenlightened experiences of time, memory, and decision making process, and gives a surprising answer to the question: can enlightened people make mistakes?

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/155-key-to-enlightenment-delson-armstrong-3

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

00:53 - How to obtain an experiential understanding

05:56 - Essence of Dependent Origination

07:37 - How choices create reality

11:09 - Delson explains the 12 links

21:38 - Common mistakes in understanding the 12 links

24:25 - 6R’s as a craving intervention

30:09 - Consequences of disrupting the 12 links via meditation

36:30 - Does the wisdom mind generate karma?

39:01 - Exhaustion of past life karma

41:09 - Enlightened vs unenlightened experience of life

45:14 - Enlightened vs unenlightened experience of time, memory, and future planning

48:38 - Enlightened vs unenlightened decision making processes

55:22 - Why do enlightened people make mistakes?

01:00:03 - Lifting the veil that filters reality

01:06:36 - Trauma how to recondition the mind

01:15:01 - Letting go of craving is wholesome

01:17:21 - Is cultivation of wholesome states necessary?

01:20:39 - How purification works

01:23:42 - Healing trauma and MDMA-assisted therapy

01:27:39 - Simply observing suffering is not enough

01:31:24 - Riding the 12 links to stream entry and beyond

01:41:46 - Practical advice for the practitioner

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Previous episodes with Delson Armstrong:

- https://www.guruviking.com/ep120-meditation-virtuoso-delson-armstrong/

- https://www.guruviking.com/ep127-siddha-tales-delson-armstrong-2/

- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep136-meeting-of-the-dharmas-daniel-ingram-delson-armstrong

To find out more about Delson Armstrong, visit:

- https://www.suttavada.foundation/our-teachers/

- https://www.dhammasukha.org/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James