Part One THIS COMES FROM THE WORLD 1. On the Path Together 3 2. The Emergence of a Practice 8 3. An Awake Human Being 14 Part Two FOUR INTERPERSONAL TRUTHS 4. The First Noble Truth: Interpersonal Suffering 21 The Fact of Suffering 21 A Bare Assessment of Suffering 24 Interpersonal Suffering 26 A Realistic First Step 29 5. The Second Noble Truth: Interpersonal Hunger 31 Clinging to Hunger Causes Suffering 31 Three Basic Hungers 33 Forming the Relational Self 35 The Hunger for Pleasure and the Urge to Avoid Pain 38 The Hunger to Be and the Fear of Non-Being 41 The Hunger to Avoid Being, and the Fear of Being Seen 45 The Hungers Intermingled 48 The Energy That Drives Greed, Hatred, and Delusion 50 6. The Third Noble Truth: Cessation 54 Gradual Cessation 54 Three Hungers Fading 56 Diminishing Greed, Hatred, and Delusion 60 Ignorance and Freedom 64 Cessation and the Happiness of the Unintoxicated Life 70 7. The Fourth Noble Truth: The Full-Spectrum Path 76 The Nature of the Eightfold Path 76 One Path: Personal and Interpersonal 78 Ordinary and Extraordinary Manifestations of the Path 83 Transformation and Integration 89 A Full Spectrum Path 91 Part Three PRACTICE 8. Elements of an Effective Path 99 9. Insight Dialogue Meditation Instructions 107 10. Pause 109 11. Relax 119 12. Open 129 13. Trust Emergence 139 14. Listen Deeply 150 15. Speak the Truth 163 16. The Guidelines Working Together 181 17. The Contemplations 186 Contemplation in Insight Dialogue 186 Contemplation Examples 194 The Thematic Retreat Sankhara Constructions 200 18. Forms of Practice 203 Four Forms of Practice, One Set of Instructions 203 The Insight Dialogue Retreat 203 Weekly Groups 211 Online Insight Dialogue 215 Practice in Life 219 19. Diversions in Practice 231 Identifying with Emotions the Sharing Circle 232 Hyper-sweet: Mired in Superficial Niceties 235 Identifying with Thought the Discussion Group 237 Caught in the Teaching Stance 241 Silent Meditation Retreating from the Interpersonal 244 Trance, Gazing, and Greed for Experience 247 Part Four LIVING THE TRADITION 20. Touching the World 253 Work 253 Couples and Families 258 Society 260 21. Insight Dialogue and Traditional Buddhist Teachings 263 The Guidelines and Contemplations 263 The Path and Teachings in General 264 Integration from the Bottom Up 264 Mutual Benefits of Personal and Interpersonal Meditation 266 Insight Dialogue Compared to Traditional Retreat 266 The Noble Eightfold Path Becomes Real 267 Foundations of Mindfulness 269 Dependent Origination 270 22. Simply Human 272 Acknowledgments 277 Notes 279 Index 285 About the Metta Foundation 293