This meditation is meant to accompany the August 5, 2020 talk that reviews the Universal Mind Conditioners. Suggestions are provided during the meditation to support increasing and direct awareness of the mind conditioners that participate in the fabrication in every moment of self-consciousness.
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This talk reviews the first 7 of the 52 categories of mind conditioners called the cetasikas, part of Buddhist Abhidhamma (higher teachings). They are feeling, perception, contact, volition, concentration, vitality and attention. These factors in the self-formation process are considered to be ethically neutral and malleable in that they operate in every moment of self-consciousness and can be affected by either wholesome or unwholesome cetasikas in that process. Each of the mind conditioners are reviewed during the talk and their relation to each other is clarified. After the descriptions there is a general discussion among those participating about how they are experienced.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk:Universal Conditioning Factors
Here is the poster that lists all 52 of the cetasikas: CETASIKAS POSTER
Next week’s talk will review the cetasikas that can be termed as the occasional or particular cetasikas.
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This talk reviews the section of the cetasikas (categories of mind conditioning factors) that are termed “occasional” or “particular”, in that they may or may not accompany other mind conditioning factors in the transient formation of a self. As with the preceding talk on August 5 on the Universal Cetasikas, these mind conditioning factors are ethically malleable, that is, they can accompany either wholesome or unwholesome cetasikas in the process of self-formation. The factors are moving attention to an object, sustaining that attention (The topic of the guided meditation that immediately preceded this talk and which can be found in the archives as “Guided Aiming And Sustaining Attention Meditation), determination, energy, enthusiasm and will-to-do. Each of these factors were reviewed as to their characteristics and how they interact with other cetasikas. The talk was followed by a question and answer discussion.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: THE OCCASIONAL CETASIKAS
As an added resource, here is the chart that includes the entire 2 cetasikas: CETASIKAS POSTER
Next week the topic will begin a review of the unwholesome cetasikas.
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This training meditation reviews the fundamental application of attention called vitakka and its accompanying mind conditioning factor vicara, which maintains focused attention. The practice involves intentionally aiming attention at the beginning of the in-breath and then sustaining that attention for the duration of the in-breath, then repeating this routine for the out-breath. The persistence of a determined intention to maintain this routine is encouraged periodically during the meditation. When attention is inevitably drawn away, the practice involves repeating the vitakka/vicara in order to interrupt the potential for the distraction to become a hindrance, returning attention to the breathing process again. As practice matures, vitakka/vicara become “blended”, manifesting as one of the 7 Awakening Factors, Investigation of Mental Phenomena.
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This is the first of a series of talks that explore the 52 cetasikas (cheh-tah-see-kahs), categories of factors that condition the self-formation process. The talk reviews the several sub-categories of these factors: Universal, Particular, Unwholesome and Wholesome. Peter states an intention to review the cetasikas more thoroughly over the course of the next several meetings, with an emphasis on how the concepts of mind conditioners can be more clearly observed and, in the case of the Wholesome mind conditioning factors, be applied practically and skillfully, rather than becoming intellectual points of interest. In this regard, it may be helpful to consider these factors as ways to understand the operation of karma. This talk was followed by discussion between Peter and one of the participants regarding how these issues apply to life experience.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: OVERVIEW OF CETASIKAS
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