by Peter Carlson | Jul 30, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter introduced one of the lojong aphorisms, classically stated “When evil fills the world and its inhabitants, change adverse conditions into the path of awakening.” He suggested an alternative: “Be mindful whenever possible so everything provides an opportunity for practice.” The talk provided an opportunity to review the progression of the training: First, establish a regular meditation practice to cultivate stability of focus and relief from the influence of the five hindrances, then to realize during meditation that all thoughts are transient “fantasies”. During regular daily routines, cultivate an attitude of perceiving life’s roles as a “game”, rather than as having certainty. Practice transforming unwholesome self-states into compassionate awareness (the tonglen practice). The current topic involves integrating the training mentioned above sufficiently so that every difficulty encountered becomes an opportunity for liberation from confusion and distress.
Those present during the evening were provided with a copy of the aphorism and invited to write opportunities that come to mind for turning “poison into medicine” in their lives. This provided opportunities to relate the progression described at the outset of the discussion to the incidents reported.
Here are the notes prepared for the presentation: TRANSFORMING ADVERSITY INTO OPPORTUNITY
Next week’s discussion will involve the aphorism “Focus on your responsibility for alleviating suffering; don’t displace it to outside sources.”
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 23, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks, Study Resources
During the second talk about the Tibetan Buddhist training called Lojong, the first 8 training aphorisms were described. Peter reported the classical rendering of the aphorism, then his contemporary understanding of the practice. The core of Lojong training involves the ability to recognize the origination of dissatisfaction and transform the experience into compassionate awareness through the application of Tonglen, another Tibetan word translated as “Sending and Taking”. The ultimate goal of the practice is to bring compassionate intentions to bear during every experience.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk. Due to an oversight, the notes reflect 9 training points; number 8, regarding integrating the slogans into daily life routines, has been added: Training For Realizing Relative Bodhicitta
Next week’s talk will continue exploring the Lojong teachings and will emphasize opportunities to turn obstacles into opportunities for awakening compassion.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 16, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk introduces a new topic, the Tibetan Buddhist Lojong trainings. These trainings were developed around the year 1,000 C.E. to support integrating Buddhist principles and practices into daily life routines. The core of Buddhist teaching is compassion, that is, the path leading to liberation from distress. This core practice is integrated into Lojong through Tonglen, which is a Tibetan compassion meditation. The most famous contemporary representative of the benefits of Lojong is Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama.
The talk provides an overview of the training; over the next several weeks, different training points will be explored. Peter’s approach to this training is an attempt to make the archaic nature of the training aphorisms more understandable for contemporary American meditation students.
The notes prepared for this talk will be posted after this posting.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 9, 2015 | Intro to Buddhism & Meditation
Here are the notes prepared by Peter for the just posted .mp3 recording of the dhamma dialogue: A BUDDHIST VIEW OF SHAME
by Peter Carlson | Jul 9, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk is a continuation of a series of explorations of the psychological value of healthy relationships, from the perspective of psychotherapy and Buddhist mindfulness and lovingkindness practices. When a parent’s interactions with a young child are lacking sufficient clarity, consistency and kindness, the child’s personality development is adversely affected, leading to what has been called a “shame based personality”–defensive, reactive and emotionally isolated. The principles and practices of the Noble Eightfold Path were reviewed as ways and means for resolving internalized shame, providing forgiveness for oneself and promoting compassion for others.
The notes prepared for this presentation and discussion will be posted immediately after this posting.
Next week will begin discussion of Peter’s revisitation of lojong, the Tibetan Buddhist “Seven Point Mind Training”, with the intention to present the medieval Buddhist teachings in ways that are understandable and useful for modern American Buddhist practices.
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