The Second Arrow: Working with Pain

Talk given by Arthaketu on 2026-04-18. 

In this talk, we explore the Sallatha Sutta, “The Arrow,” where the Buddha draws a sharp distinction between reactivity and practice. When pain arises, the untrained mind resists, adding a second arrow of suffering on top of the first. A practitioner, by contrast, learns to meet experience directly, without that extra layer.

What does this mean in practice? How do we actually work with painful feelings, in meditation and in daily life? Tune in to hear!

Sallatha Sutta: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.006.than.html

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