by Peter Carlson | Jun 4, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This recording introduces a new topic for ongoing discussion and application. The typical translation of dukkha has been “suffering”; many modern students of Buddhism prefer the term “stress” as being more appropriate for our culture. During the talk, Peter described the psychological and biological aspects of stress, the cultural values that produce stress and the prevalence of current stress and stress-related physical, interpersonal and psychological problems recently discovered by researchers.
Following this post the notes prepared for the presentation will be posted.
Over the next several meetings the various manifestations of stress will be explored from psychological and Buddhist perspectives. Next week’s discussion will describe anxiety in the culture, reviewing the characteristics of anxiety, what happens to a person suffering from anxiety, and what Buddhism has to offer as a factor for alleviating anxiety.
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by Peter Carlson | May 28, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter reviewed his self-retreat from May 9-22. The experience was related to the previous discussions about the Anapanasati Sutta (the discourse on mindfulness of breathing), and to the sorts of experiences that might arise during an intensive retreat. He specifically associated the cultivation of the the seven awakening factors–mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena, energy/effort, joy/interest, tranquility, concentration and equanimity–to the experiences during the retreat. This was followed by discussion among those present to clarify some of what was described.
Next week, the topical theme will change significantly. Since Peter has been a psychotherapist nearly as long as he’s practiced and taught mindfulness, there will be discussions about stress in this culture, producing anxiety, depression, addictive behaviors, relationship discord from a Buddhist perspective, with suggestions about how Buddhism may be useful in providing relief from the stress.
by Peter Carlson | May 7, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks, Study Resources
This is the second of two training meditations, presented with the intention to nurture the integration of the 16 stanzas of the Anapanasati Sutta (mindfulness of breathing discourse) with the Satipatthana Sutta (four foundations of mindfulness discourse. The first recording associated the first two tetrads of the four with the first two foundations of mindfulness, and this completes the covering of the process.
This post will be followed with the talk that occurred after the meditation.
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by Peter Carlson | Apr 30, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This posting is a recording of the dhamma dialogue following a guided meditation associated with coordinating the first two tetrads of the Anapanasati Sutta with mindfulness of the body and mindfulness of feelings. This integrative process increases physical relaxation and diminishes the normal chatter of the mind, preparing for the practice of vipassana, insight into the impermanence of subjective experience. The practice of vipassana will be a major focus of the guided meditation and discussion next Wednesday night: the third and fourth tetrads of the Anapanasati Sutta and the third and fourth foundations of mindfulness, of the mind and mental phenomena.
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by Peter Carlson | Apr 30, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This guided meditation is intended to provide practical support for integrating mindfulness of breathing practice with mindfulness of the body and mindfulness of feelings. The first two tetrads of the Anapanasati Sutta are directily related to cultivating mindfulness of the body and of feelings. Part of the practice of mindfulness of the body is the contemplation of the “four elements”: earth, air, fire and water (subjective sensations of hardness, movement, temperature and cohesion). Contemplating these clear sensational qualities provides a non-commentarial focus that fosters “calming the breath body” and “calming the mental formations”, important developments related to fulfilling the four foundations of mindfulness.
This recording is accompanied by another .mp3 posting of the talk following the meditation, which supports processing how mindfulness of breathing was experienced during the meditation.
Next Wednesday’s meeting will also involve a guided meditation which is intended to provide support for integrating the third and fourth tetrads of the Anapanasati Sutta with the cultivation of the third and fourth foundations of mindfulness.
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by Peter Carlson | Apr 23, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter reviewed the four groups of four stanzas in the Anapanasati Sutta as they relate to the four foundations of mindfulness. The four groups of stanzas are called the four tetrads. The intention in this presentation is to foster an integration of mindfulness of breathing with the four foundations as they appear in the sutta.
Next week’s discussion will explore practical applications of mindfulness of breathing to the cultivation of the four foundations.
The next post will contain the notes prepared relative to this talk
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