Ep. 259 – Selflessness, Dukkha, and Freedom

Unpacking the Buddha’s notions of self and nonself, transience and suffering, Joseph Goldstein leads listeners into the heart of liberation. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/insighthour and get on your way to being your best self. This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein illuminates: Why the Buddha paid so much attention to the concept of self How a felt sense of self traps us in desire and attachment Seeing the term ‘self’ as a designation rather than something that exists in and of itself Slight adjustments to our language during practice: ‘the body breathes’ rather than ‘my breath’ Using the template of The Five Aggregates to describe experience Genuine experiences of momentary peace as a peak into Nirvana Taking an interest into the landscapes of our own minds Transience and the way that things are always becoming otherwise The ungovernability of the mind, the body, and all aspects of reality How selflessness can lead to both Dukkha and freedom This episode was recorded at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and originally published on Dharmaseed "As long as we are caught up, identified, and entangled in the view of self, then we spend our lives defending it, gratifying it, grandiosing it, judging it; we have all these responses that come out of this felt sense of the self." –Joseph Goldstein See Privacy Policy at and California Privacy Notice at .

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Ep. 259 – Selflessness, Dukkha, and Freedom is an episode from Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein by Be Here Now Network.

This episode is 00:47:48 long.

This episode was published on Mar 13, 2026.

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