This guided meditation provides an experiential review of the characteristic elements found in the section of the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness dedicated to contemplating what is regarded as a Buddhist theory of personality. it is intended to supplement the talk of October 18, 2022 titled “Reviewing the Five Aggregates of Clinging”.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:56 — 41.1MB)
This talk begins an extensive review of Dhammanupassana, the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness, first with an analysis of Mindfulness of Mental Phenomena, followed by a review of the Five Hindrances. Cultivating insight into the way these factors condition the mind is a core practice that fosters the process of Awakening. Future talks will review the other factors in the Fourth Foundation: The Five Aggregates of Clinging, the Six Sense Bases, the Seven Awakening Factors and the Four Noble Truths. This recording is longer than usual in order to adequately review the topics involved. The accompanying notes provide even more information regarding the hindrances.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Reviewing What Conditions The Mind-Five Hindrances
Next week’s focus will be a review of the Five Aggregates of Clinging, Buddhism’s form of what contemporary psychology would term a Theory of Personality.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:29 — 61.8MB)
The Third Foundation of Mindfulness, cittanupassana, is a contemplation of the various ways consciousness reflects subjective experience; the goal of this contemplation is to realize that the mind is impersonal, not a self. This review also includes discussion of contemporary scientific concepts such as complexity theory, which validate the concepts about how the mind operates that were developed millennia ago by Buddhist practitioners.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Mindfulness Of The Mind Review
The focus for next week’s talk will be a review of the first concepts of the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness, contemplation of the Five Hindrances.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:37 — 54.6MB)
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)
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)