The Buddha outlined the '3 Characteristics of Existence' as Impermanence, Unsatisfactoriness, and Non-Self (or anatta). In this talk, Wes shares how these are foundational to the path of meditation. Highlights include: The concept of “Radical impermanence”The Tibetan appreciation for our precious existence as human beings.How non-self stems from the interdependence with everything, That our consciousness is the consciousness of the Universe.That human beings are the only creatures that can see ourselves in context.Mindfulness is a non-interfering awareness, a clear knowing.Freud's view that our personality can be viewed as a pet. ______________ Wes Nisker, the co-founder and editor of the international Buddhist journal Inquiring Minds, has practiced Vipassana meditation for 30 years. He is the author of "Buddha's Nature: Evolution as a Guide to Enlightenment," "Crazy Wisdom: A Romp Through the Philosophies of East and West," and "The Buddha, the Big Bang, and the Baby Boom: The Spiritual Experiments of My Generation." In addition to leading a regular sitting group in Berkeley, he teaches classes in meditation and philosophy at Spirit Rock and at other locations around the country.Learn more at https://wesnisker.com/  Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: * Donate * Learn how to participate live * Find our schedule of upcoming speakers * Join our mailing list or discussion forum * Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter