The Five Aggregates and the Story we Call the Self – Bart B.

About This Speaker Tape

12 Steps and Buddhism Retreat - 2013

Bart B. maps out the intersection of Buddhist philosophy and recovery focusing on the concept of 'upright view' as a tool for alignment with reality. He dismantles the illusion of the permanent self through the lens of the five aggregates arguing that our habituated patterns and the stories we tell ourselves are as fleeting as dew on the grass. Using the 'Charlemagne sermon' to put modern complaints in perspective Bart B. traces the path from the diagnosis of suffering to the cessation of craving. He frames recovery not as a destination but as a present-moment realization that the boundaries between self and other are artificial ultimately advocating for a life lived as a conduit of love and service to others.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Bart B. defines 'upright view' as alignment with reality rather than a binary of right vs. wrong.
• 2:15 Laughter: The 'Charlemagne sermon' and the reality of suffering in the ancient world.
• 4:10 Bart B. walks through the Four Noble Truths and the nature of craving.
• 6:30 Discussion on the diagnosis of suffering and the hope that it has already been abandoned by others.
• 8:45 Bart B. explains the five aggregates (skandhas) and the illusion of a permanent self.
• 10:15 The metaphor of the 'storyline' and how we pack our formations into a novel we call our story.
• 12:00 Bart B. discusses the Mahayana approach to breaking down boundaries between self and others.
• 14:30 Closing prayer: The Metta Karuna prayer on becoming a conduit of love and medicine for the sick.