by Peter Carlson | Jul 28, 2022 | News
Mindfulness of Feelings is the second area of focus within the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse. During this review, the importance of understanding the way pleasant or unpleasant feelings drive thoughts and behaviors through direct observation is emphasized. Contemporary psychological research uses the terms affect approach to describe pleasant feeling and affect avoidance in describing unpleasant feeling. Being able to mindfully investigate the experiential urgency of affect with detachment and a wholesome non-reactive response is essential for cultivating the skills required in the process of Awakening. The neurological processes involved in the experience of affects and the effective regulation of them are also reviewed. Peter describes how he practiced mindfulness of feelings regarding his current experience of Covid-19 and the process of recovery.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: MINDFULNESS OF FEELINGS
The topic for the next talk will be the Third Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of the Mind.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:12 — 59.7MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jul 21, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
In the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse, Mindfulness of the Body is the first of the four foundations. This talk reviews important elements of this teaching, including mindfulness of breathing meditation, mindfulness while involved in everyday activities and mindfulness of breathing integrated with whole body awareness. The fundamental value of cultivating mindfulness of the body is that embodied sensory experience is much easier to be persistently and actively aware of than the other three foundations, and this is emphasized during the talk. There were several references to the guided contemplation focusing on mindfulness of the body that preceded the talk, but the frequent disturbance caused by a significant thunderstorm during the meditation severely disrupted the recording, so it was not posted.
Here are the notes prepared for this course: Reviewing Mindfulness of the Body
The topic for the next talk is the second foundation of mindfulness, mindfulness of feelings.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:39 — 59.2MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jul 14, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk provides an overview of what most Buddhist practitioners consider to be the most comprehensive teaching, the Satipatthana Sutta, typically translated as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse. During the talk, the history of this discourse is reviewed, along with various key conceptual elements that are embedded within the context of the sutta. It is intended to provide an introduction to a series of talks that reviews each of the four foundations in more depth, including contemporary psychological and neuroscientific discoveries that validate the characteristics of the teaching.
There is a recording posted in the archives of this site entitled “Guided Satipatthana Contemplation” that is intended to complement this review.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Overview of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse
The topic for next week’s review will begin to address the First Foundation, Mindfulness of the Body, with particular emphasis on mindfulness of breathing.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:04 — 56.8MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jul 14, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
The Satipatthana Sutta, often translated as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse, is a key teaching in the various forms of Buddhism around the world. This guided meditation is intended to provide a contemplative review of the four categories: mindfulness of the body, of feelings, of the mind and of mind conditioning factors. It is intended to supplement the Dharma talk that occurred just after this recording, entitled “What Is Satipatthana?” and found in the archives.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:55 — 41.1MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jul 7, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Sati, the Pali word we translate as mindfulness, functions as a composite–present moment awareness combined with investigation and Right Effort. This interactive process is reviewed during this talk. Additionally, there is an interesting quote included in the talk that was downloaded from Wikipedia describing the contemporary term metacognition in ways that are strikingly similar in form and function to sati, without making any reference to Buddhist psychology. This talk is intended to be a prelude to a relatively thorough series of talks reviewing the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse, which many consider to be the most important teaching in Buddhism.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk, including the extensive quote from Wikipedia: The Four Foundations of Right Mindfulness
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:12 — 40.5MB)
