by Peter Carlson | Aug 1, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dialogue about the practice of Right Action, Peter again emphasizes the importance of combining a deepening understanding of our internal processes through mindfulness practice with a revisiting of the classic concepts and jargon of the Buddha. Peter offered some information from modern neuroscientific research that suggests how karma is formed through memory consolidation, citing various areas of the brain and their functions. This was combined with how the cultivation of samadhi (concentration/tranquility) and sati (mindfulness/insight) produce a “buffer zone” of non-reactive awareness that allows the application of benevolent intention to emerging behaviors. This was followed by a lively discussion of the implications that are presented through this new understanding of ancient wisdom.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 25, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter again emphasized how different 21st century culture is from the time of the Buddha. During that era, it was assumed that a person’s karma was determined by what clan he or she was born into, and karma was equivalent to fate. The Buddha’s radical change was claim that a person’s salvation from suffering, related to karma, depends upon his or her ethical behaviors, not birth status. Peter further emphasized that modern scientific research also suggests that relief from suffering is ethical, in that the different regions of the brain recruited in the process of developing a personal narrative work best when the results represent kindness rather than self-absorption. During next week’s talk, this topic will be revisited to explore how modern neuroscience takes the place of old Brahmanic philosophy, to make sense of the universe of human consciousness.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 18, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This dhamma dialogue continues on the theme introduced last week on the contemporary meaning of the teachings of the Buddha found in the discourse on the Four Noble Truths. In particular, the topic reviews the classical characteristics of Samma Vaca, Right Speech, then explores the modern view that the sense of self is largely realized through internal narrative, before emerging into the spoken word. Peter emphasized that the impulse that generates the internal narrative is a feeling, which is the urgent impulse to either become enmeshed in a pleasant feeling, or to avoid an unpleasant feeling. Therefore the focus of mindful investigation is most skilfully applied at the level of feeling in the body, to prevent being “enchanted” by the emerging narrative, through craving and clinging. This focus is in agreement with the Buddha’s teachings on how to modify karma through wise attention to feeling, found in the doctrine of dependent origination. In next week’s dhamma dialogue, the focus will be on contemporary approaches to Samma Kammanta, Right Action.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 12, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
In another of a series of dialogues during which Peter explores ways to transpose the wisdom of the Buddhist teaching called The Four Noble Truths, modern ways of validating the usefulness of virtue to support peace of mind and clarity regarding our daily lifestyle decisions. The significant differences of complexity in our era as compared to the time of the Buddha was emphasized, which requires diligent mental discipline to manage effectively. Next week’s dialogue will explore more modern understandings of Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood, which are the elements of virtue in the Noble Eightfold Path.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 4, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Kitty explored the complexity of relationships that are inherent to reality and to human experience. Since this talk occurred on the eve of American Independence Day, Kitty commented upon how dependent the colonists in rebellion were to the influence of France, Spain and the Netherlands during the American Revolution. She pointed out how complex our food chain is, and how interrelated the transportation systems are, including the raw materials, manufacture and distribution of cars, highways and so on. This complexity was related to the Buddhist concept of dependent origination in terms of how we experience life, and how our notion of isolation is a misperception, because we require human interactions from birth through life. This was followed by discussion and dialogue.
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