by Peter Carlson | Mar 28, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter read passages of the Anapanasati Sutta, the discourse on the practice of mindfulness of breathing. The passages referred to provide training for cultivating vitakka and vicara, aiming attention at the breath and sustaining that awareness. With practice, awareness of the sensation of breathing becomes more intimate and persistent, setting the circumstances that support the practice of vipassana, insight into the characteristics of impermanence, non-self and the consequences of craving and clinging.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 28, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter spoke of the Buddhist tradition of the three refuges, Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, from a contemporary setting. Taking refuge means to allow the structure of the retreat to support the cultivation of mindfulness from waking up until sleeping. The Buddha represents the capacity we all have for awakening to the reality of impermanence, the absence of an enduring self and the inevitability that dissatisfaction emerges from craving and clinging. The Dhamma represents the instructions and practices that support awakening, and the Sangha represents the communal effort shared during the course of the retreat.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 27, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This meeting involved a review by some of the participants in the nine day retreat from March 13 to the 22nd. First Peter reviewed the structure of the course, which blended practices found in the Anapanasati Sutta (mindfulness of breathing discourse) and the vedanupassana (body sweep) practice that Peter was trained in by his first teacher Ruth Denison and several retreats during which he was trained in the tradition taught by S. N. Goenka. The benefit of the body sweep was explained as a way to cultivate the seven awakening factors, especially mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena, effort/persistence and concentration. the remaining three factors, joy, tranquility and equanimity, emerge more effectively as practice deepens.
Following this post, the dhamma talks recorded during the retreat will be posted as .mp3 files, along with some of the notes Peter referred to.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 12, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dhamma dialogue, Peter completed the review of the 52 cetasikas (mind conditioners), in order to clarify the meaning of “calming the mind conditioners” in the Anapanasati Sutta (Mindfulness of Breathing Discourse). The focus was on the “six beautiful pairs” of mind conditioners, that is, the pairing of mind conditioners and the level of conscious awareness which is harmonious and integrated in functioning. These conditioners play a key role in the practice of vipassana and foster the process of awakening to direct realization of Wholesome Understanding, the first of the Wisdom characteristics of the Noble Eightfold Path.
The accompanying notes are attached just prior to this posting.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 5, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This is the first of two discussions about the wholesome cetasikas, the mind conditioners that foster the process of awakening. The seven factors are confidence, mindfulness, wholesome conscience, fear of consequences (respect for karma), non-attachment, non-aversion (lovingkindness), and equanimity. Peter described the process of identifying and cultivating these factors as “feeding the angels”.
During the discussion, Peter encouraged participants to develop the ability to quickly identify each mind conditioner as another way to see the impersonality of life experience, that is, that there are moments of awareness of the associated mind conditioners, not a separate, enduring self.
These conditioners are essential elements in the practice of vipassana, developing the process of awakening. Next week’s discussion will investigate the remaining wholesome conditioners, especially those 12 called “the beautiful pairs”.
The notes for this discussion are found in the next posting.
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by Peter Carlson | Feb 26, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk continues the exploration of the section of the Anapanasati Sutta that refers to “…sensitive to the mind conditioners…calming the mind conditioners”. The focus of tonight’s discussion are the 14 unwholesome mind conditioners. During the dialogues, Peter emphasized that the elaborate categorization of the various mind conditioners isn’t intended to be just a scholarly, intellectual analysis, but rather a way to notice that each moment of self-experience is composed from different elemental conditioners. The practice of vipassana trains the mind to be agile enough and insightful enough to “see with the mind’s eye” how the various conditioners can be noted, demonstrating that there is no solid, enduring self.
This recording is accompanied by the preceding post, containing notes for the presentation. Next week’s exploration will begin to focus on the wholesome mind conditioners, as they function to overcome the unwholesome conditioners and build momentum towards awakening.
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