Each year, when the Orlando Insight Meditation Group meets on Thanksgiving Eve, the topic for review and discussion is gratitude. After a brief review of how Buddhism regards the issue of gratitude, the psychologically beneficial cultivation of a daily gratitude inventory is also described. Following this, Peter describes his gratitude for how dedication to Buddhist principles and processes have benefited his life for over 3 decades, along with his discovery of how intricately beautiful and wondrous life can be when enhanced by the cultivation of mindfulness. This was followed by the shared experience of gratitude expressed by all of those attending the meeting.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Contemplating Gratitude
Next week’s talk will focus on a review of a core concept of Buddhism, Dependent Origination, which explains how each moment of self-creation is formed and then dissolved into the next moment of self-creation. This provides a way to understand the concept of karma, that is, the way that we can create a future self that is less afflicted with distress and confusion.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:23 — 106.9MB)