So What

The following teaching on the Four Noble Truths is taken from a talk given by Venerable Viradhammo during a ten-day retreat conducted in Bangkok for Thai lay people, in June 1988.

This teaching is not aimed at just getting another kind of experience. It is about complete freedom within any experience. This evening we might begin by considering the legend of the life of the Lord Buddha. Now we could consider this story as factual history. Or we could also look at it as a sort of myth – a story that reflects back on our own development as beings seeking truth.
In the story we are told that before his enlightenment, the Bodhisatta (Buddha-to-be) lived in a royal family with a lot of power and influence. He was a very gifted person, and had all that any human being could wish for: wealth, intelligence, charm, good looks, friendship, respect, and many skills. He lived the princely life of luxury and ease.
The legend has it that when the Bodhisatta was first born, his father the king received a prediction from the wise men. They said there were two possibilities: Either this son would become[…]

Excerpt From: Viradhammo Bhikkhu. “The Stillness of Being.”