by Peter Carlson | Jun 3, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Pancupadanakkhandha (pahnch-ooh-puh-dah-nah-kahn-dah), is translated as the Five Aggregates With Clinging, with these characteristic elements: form (physical sensations), feeling, perception, mind conditioners and consciousness. Contemplating these concepts persistently and deeply fosters the process of deconstructing the misconception of an enduring and autonomous self, a major goal in the process of Awakening. Peter reviewed each of the aggregates to provide a deeper understanding of how they operate as singular as well as cooperative elements of personality. An Awakened being such as the Buddha still experiences the aggregating process, but this is termed Pancakkhandha (pahn-chah-kahn-dah), the Five Aggregates, meaning that the personality dynamic is not afflicted with craving and clinging. Realization of this concept is facilitated by a guided meditation “Focused Attention And Peripheral Awareness”, which can be found in the audio archive.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: UNDERSTANDING THE FIVE AGGREGATES
Next week’s talk will focus on an overview of the Seven Awakening Factors.
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 3, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
When beginning any mindfulness of breathing meditation, the recommendation is to focus with persistence and curiosity on the sensation of breathing in and out exclusively. As attention becomes stabilized and disciplined, an additional recommendation involves maintaining primary attention on the breathing process while expanding attention to also include peripheral sensational awareness, such as body sensations or sounds in the room. This becomes the basis for vipassana (vee-pah-suh-nah), insight meditation. This guided meditation is intended to facilitate this process. Peter suggests considering self-experience as the hull of a boat in the midst of the currents in a river and the breath sensations are like an anchor embedded in the bed of the river and persistent attention focused on the breath as the “rope” that connects the anchor with the bow of the hull. Other sensory stimuli are like objects floating past on the current, “bumping” into awareness; when simply noted as peripheral without attachment, the stimuli come and go and there is no craving and clinging, no dukkha (doo-kah). When attachment occurs, simply note the experience and “reset” the anchor of breath awareness into the bed of the stream of consciousness.
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 3, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk focuses on reviewing Salayatana (sah-lah-yah-tuh-nah), the Six Sense Bases, a concept for contemplation found in the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness: the eyes and seeing, ears and hearing, nose and smelling, tongue and tasting, reflected in the mind with cognition. All sensory stimulation is processed through the functions of the mind, referring incoming stimulation with categories relating to prior experience. This process manifests as the subjective experience of being a self relating to the world, and this whole process is to be understood and deconstructed, discovering the absence of an enduring and autonomous self. Skillful attention is cultivated to investigate the distinction between the sensory stimuli and the transient and insubstantial fabricating function of the mind, a concept called namarupa, with nama representing the meaning-making process and rupa the sensory stimuli. The This talk is meant to be supplemented by the recorded “Guarding The Sense Doors” meditation found in the audio archive.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Salayatana, The Six Sense Bases
During the talk Peter referred to another important concept for contemplation, paticca samuppada, (pah-tee-chah sahm-ooh-pah-dah), translated as dependent origination; the title here reflects a different approach to understanding the concept: Contingent Provisional Emergence
Next week’s talk will focus on the next conceptual topic in the Fourth Foundation, the Five Aggregates With Clinging.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:37 — 125.6MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jun 3, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This meditation focused attention on how to contemplate Salayatana, the Six Sense Bases, a category within the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness. The primary sense bases are the eyes and seeing, ears and hearing, tongue and tasting, body sensations and the mind with cognition. The first five bases are always processed by the sixth base, the mind, which functions to impose meaning on the raw data of sensory stimulation. The meditation student is encouraged to focus attention on the subjective difference between the sensory experience and the transitory and ephemeral nature of the mind’s operation in fabricating a self. This distinction is called namarupa in Pali, with nama representing the meaning-making function and rupa the unprocessed sensory stimulation. The goal of the contemplation is to nurture a mind that is not “enchanted” through craving and clinging to consider the conditioned nature of the mind with being an enduring and autonomous self.
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by Peter Carlson | May 14, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter described the nature of one of the Five Hindrances, vicikiccha, translated as skeptical doubt. This hindrance interferes with the ability to cultivate confidence in the principles and practices of Buddhism, either by doubting the concepts or one’s ability to master the practices involved. During the talk various tactics for understanding, investigating and setting aside skeptical doubt were reviewed. The review was followed by discussion among those participating in the Zoom meeting about the topic.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Setting Aside Skeptical Doubt
Next week’s practice will review another category of concepts and practices found in the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness, the Six Sense Bases.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:30 — 121.8MB)