This is intended to be a resource for cultivating mindfulness of breathing meditation, providing several suggestions during the experience to support developing more skill and confidence in the practice of a fundamental Buddhist training for self-awareness and self-discipline.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:56 — 41.1MB)
During this talk, Allie Vaknin provides insights regarding the four stages of Nirvana experience: Stream Entry, Once-Returner, Non-returner, and Arahant. The recording includes comments from various participants in the meeting.
Next week’s talk will provide an overview of the Fourth Noble Truth, The Noble Eightfold Path; subsequent talks will address each element of the Noble Eightfold Path in more depth.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:49 — 52.0MB)
This is the second presentation regarding the processes that create dukkha. The talk recorded on February 14, 2024 reviewed the characteristics of craving and clinging. This talk provides a review of a key concept of Buddhist psychology, paticca samuppada, translated as dependent origination. Peter explains how ignorance and unwholesome karmic influences generate craving and clinging with an extensive description of the 12 links of what he calls contingent provisional emergence, a more contemporary understanding of paticca samuppada. The talk includes ways to investigate the dependent origination link called “feeling” in ways that produce wholesome karmic results. The review is followed by several follow-up questions from those participating in the talk.
It is recommended that those listening to the talk read the extensive notes and graphic illustration that accompanies the talk: HOW TO CHANGE YOUR KARMA
This talk was preceded by this recording: “Guided Dependent Origination Contemplation”, which is posted in the archives for this site.
The next scheduled Dharma talk will provide a review of the Third Noble Truth, liberation from dukkha.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:46 — 63.0MB)
This guided meditation is intended to accompany the Dharma talk of February 14, 2024 that focuses on the important Buddhist concept of paticca samuppada, dependent origination. During the meditation, it is suggested the meditator investigate how the mind is drawn away from the neutral feeling tone associated with breath sensations by craving and clinging, creating the unwholesome karmic experience of dukkha. When a person can accept a feeling, either pleasant or unpleasant, as just an impersonal condition of the mind, new karma is formed that furthers the process of Awakening.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:53 — 41.1MB)
This talk focuses on the factors that produce dukkha–craving and clinging. Peter describes the traditional Buddhist terms for craving and clinging, along with how contemporary neurological research supports the validity of this understanding of the human condition. After his descriptions, participants in the group asked questions and shared observations about the topic.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: The Second Noble Truth
Next week’s talk will continue to review the Second Noble Truth, emphasizing the core Buddhist concept of paticca samuppada, translated as dependent origination, as a way to understand how the self is formed and how to change karmic influences in ways that support the realization of the Third Noble Truth, liberation from dukkha.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:38 — 58.3MB)