by Peter Carlson | Oct 23, 2016 | Compassionate Action
The Orlando Insight Meditation Group is a non-profit corporation founded in the early 1990s with the intention to provide introductory and advanced meditation training for Central Florida. We have produced one-day, weekend, and one-week retreats since then, and we are diligent in keeping the costs as low as possible and providing partial and full scholarships for whomever committed to the retreat experience. The subsidy for keeping the costs low comes almost entirely from the income from introductory meditation courses, with the fee being $50 per 4 week course (scholarships offered there as well).
Our biggest expense is for one week-retreats. The fee for the retreat barely pays for our expenses at the retreat center for room and board. It costs approximately $500 to go to a retreat, and the OIMG expenses are around $450. The weekend retreats cost approximately $230, and OIMG expenses are around $200. We are committed to providing opportunities to benefit from the life-changing intensive training experienced and subsidies so that people who have limited financial resources can attend.
The teacher charges no fee for the teaching. Participants are given the opportunity to make voluntary contributions at the end of the retreat, as is the Buddhist custom.
If you are fortunate enough financially to be able to provide tax-deductible charitable contributions, this is the time of year to be contemplating that generosity. Should you choose to practice dana, the Buddhist word for generosity, you will be contributing to the well-being of others. Practicing mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation has a ripple effect, that is, those who commit to the Buddhist path of awakening aren’t the only ones benefitting; the social benefits extend the benefits of kindness, compassion, generosity and patience to all they encounter.
We hope you will find a way to contribute to our organization.
You can contribute online using your credit card or PayPal account here.
Checks or money orders should be made out to the Orlando Insight Meditation Group and sent to Tommy Harrison, 245 Stevenage Dr., Longwood, Florida, 32779.
In response to your generosity, you will receive a letter suitable for tax deduction purposes.
We wish you well,
Peter Carlson
by Peter Carlson | Oct 20, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk summarizes the interactions of the unwholesome cetasikas, the categories whose function manifests as confusion and distress (dukkha). The five hindrances were described in terms of the cetasikas involved, including the “ethically malleable” conditioners mentioned in earlier talks. These descriptions were followed by discussion among those attending regarding how to recognize the dysfunctional manifestations of the unwholesome cetasikas while meditating or during daily life routines.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: unwholesome-mind-conditioners-and-the-hindrances
Next week’s talk will focus on the Universal Wholesome Cetasikas, which cooperate and coordinate self-state organizing processes that are not burdened by the five hindrances.
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by Peter Carlson | Oct 13, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This week’s talk describes the first 8 unwholesome cetasikas. The first 4, ignorance/delusion, shamelessness/absence of conscience, recklessness/heedlessness and restlessness/mental agitation. They function cooperatively to shape every self-state organization. the second 4, desire/attachment, wrong view, conceit/self-absorption and aversion/ill-will, may or may not cooperate with the universal unwholesome cetasikas. The 8 cetasikas were discussed in depth, followed by questions and comments from others present at the meeting.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: the-unwholesome-mind-conditioners
Next week’s talk will describe the remaining unwholesome cetasikas, envy, stinginesss, sloth, torpor and skeptical doubt
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by Peter Carlson | Oct 6, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, several people who participated in the annual weekend residential retreat at the Franciscan Center in Tampa reviewed their experience during and after the retreat. It is hoped that the opportunity to “think out loud” about the experience, perhaps supported by comments from the teacher and other participant, will enhance the integration of the subtle but significant changes from the retreat into daily life experience. It is also hope the comments will inspire others in their practice and increase a commitment to participate in a residential retreat, an important supportive experience for cultivating the awakening process.
Next week’s discussion will continue the explanations of the cetasikas, that is, the categories of conditioning functions in the mind. The focus will be on the universal unwholesome cetasikas which appear in every self-state organization the manifests dukkha, that is confusion about the true nature of reality and the distress that arises from that confusion.
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by Peter Carlson | Sep 30, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, the exploration of the 52 cetasikas, categories that condition how the mind creates a self continues. The focus is the Universal Cetasikas, that is mind conditioning categories that occasionally coordinate with the Universal Cetasikas. These occasional cetasikas are vitakka, (aiming attention at a mind object), vicara, (sustained attention regarding a mind object), adhimokkha, (conviction or determination regarding a mind object’s formation), viriya (energy or persistence regarding the emerging mind object formation), piti, (enthusiasm regarding the emerging mind object formation) and chanda, (will to do, that is, the activating of the emerging mind object formation).
These mind conditioners co-operate with the Universal Cetasikas; these combinations are then aligned either with unwholesome cetasikas (producing dukkha, that is, confusion and distress) or wholesome cetasikas (producing liberation from dukkha).
Peter talked about how the simple practice of mindfulness of breathing supports liberation because mindfulness (a wholesome mind conditioner), when combined with vitakka, vicara and viriya supports deeper insights into how self-state organization is manifested, in the moment of becoming a self.
This was followed by discussion by the other meditators regarding how this understanding of self-organization processes is of benefit for dedicated meditators.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: the-occasional-cetasikas
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