by Peter Carlson | Jul 10, 2025 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this first of several Dharma talks about important female teachers, April reviews the life and teachings of Upasika Lee Nanayon, a lay teacher in Thailand. First she describes the determination of a person whose teaching comes from a simple lifestyle and deep meditation practice dedicated to providing women with unbiased access to the Dharma. The presentation includes several quotes from Nanayon’s teaching. Here description is followed by comments from a very large attendance, in person and online.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk, including the URL that accesses a free .pdf translation download of Nanayon’s teaching: Final Upāsikā Kee Nanayon notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:55 — 57.6MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jul 3, 2025 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter responds to questions about the concepts described in “Seeing That Frees”, by Rob Burbea. The concepts of “the fading of perception”, “awareness”, and “emptiness” were discussed, derived from these questions.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:43 — 56.5MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jun 26, 2025 | Listen to Dharma Talks
The Paramis are categories of intentionally cultivated virtuous mind-states that promote the process of Awakening. With this talk, Lezlie describes the Parami of Generosity, both materially and interpersonally being unselfish regarding others. She intends to periodically provide commentaries about the various Paramis, using “Creating a Life of Integrity–A Conversation With Joseph Goldstein”, by Gail Anderson Stark and Joseph Goldstein as her reference. The book describes a systematic, ongoing review and practice of the Paramis over nearly a year, and she is following that format, without actually talking with Goldstein, as Stark did.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:13 — 57.9MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jun 19, 2025 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Once a month, Peter provides an opportunity during the meeting for those participating to ask questions regarding Buddhist concepts and practices. The questions posed during this meeting focus on the “Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse”, for example the “noting” method for cultivating insight, compared to practices that first emphasize the cultivation of high levels of concentration called jhana (jah-nah), before developing insight. He reviews the development and integration of the Seven Awakening Factors, facilitated through whole-body meditation practice. He also describes different approaches to cultivating and making use of concentration and the characteristics of what has been termed “big sky mind” and his way of using relaxed curiosity–letting go with every out-breath with a concentrated mind–to have a deeper understanding of sunnata (soon-yah-tah), translated as emptiness–the absence of a separate, enduring self.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:34 — 54.5MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jun 12, 2025 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Our community finds value in providing opportunities for those among us who have recently experienced a significant retreat to “think out loud” about the experience. The benefits of these reviews are associated with the support of informed listeners, along with information about retreat sites and teachers. The descriptions of the experience might inspire those listening to commit to a retreat. During this talk, Mike spoke about the teachers, Guy and Sally Armstrong and their suggestions and training to foster clear knowledge of awareness, a very subtle quality of the mind usefully developed on the path to Awakening.
the unfortunate humming sound during parts of the talk come from a neighbor mowing their yard.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Mike Maldonado 2025
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:03 — 63.2MB)