by Peter Carlson | Jan 29, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dhamma dialogue, the exploration of the Anapanasati Sutta was continued, with a focus on the stanzas: “…He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.’
Peter described an ongoing debate as to whether “the entire body” simply refers to the totality of the in- and out-breath cycle without interruption, or whether “the entire body” relates the calming effects of enduring breath awareness is coordinated with relaxing “the bodily fabrication”. The accompanying .mp3 recording of the training meditation that immediately preceded this dialogue orients towards the latter interpretation, emphasizing that the out-breath can coincide with briefly sweeping attention through the body to release and relax any tension that is noted. This strategy allows the body to become increasingly relaxed, the emotions to become increasingly calm, while the degree of internal investigation of the breath and body tensions actually increases internal alertness.
This explanation was followed by dialogues regarding how those participating in the training meditation experienced the practice of mindfulness of breathing. It was noted that suggesting that attention is a flow of energy that is simply nourishing either wholesome or unwholesome self-states, and that the breath is a wholesome factor in that process, as it interrupts the escalation of self-talk and fosters calming.
The next scheduled talk will focus on the effects of this mindful calming, the release of energy into awareness as joy and happiness.
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by Peter Carlson | Jan 22, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dhamma dialogue, Peter fostered discussion of the preceding guided “acquiring breath awareness” meditition practice, posted just prior to this posting. He explained the importance of the practice of vitakka and vicara, that is intentionally bring focus to the sensations of breathing, then to sustain that awareness. Peter described the maturing of the practice of “aiming and sustaining” into one of the seven factors of awakening, dhamma vicaya, the investigation of mental phenomena. The experience of those present for the preceding guided meditation was explored, particularly any benefits from the application of Mentholatum, a mentholated salve, at the rim of the nostrils. The practice was intended to enhance sensations at the rim of the nostrils to create a more vivid target for the practice of vitakka and vicara.
This was followed by suggestions from Peter about ways to integrate mindful awareness of the breath into daily routines in order to provide a stable routine for interrupting unnecessary inner chatter.
Next weeks dhamma dialogue will explore the stanzas in the Anapanasati Sutta that encourage training the mind to experience a buoyant interest in breath awareness.
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by Peter Carlson | Jan 22, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This is a guided meditation that supports the practice of mindfulness of breathing, particularly the “mindful of the long…and short…) stanzas at the beginning of the instructions for anapanasati practice. The recording of a guided 45 minute meditation on Wednesday nights is unusual; this particular meditation included the placing of small amounts of Mentholatum, a salve which includes menthol. The menthol aroma and the tactile sensation of either hot or cold (depending on the mind condition of the practitioner) serves as a strong and persistent sensation, facilitating developing longer periods of concentration on the breath. It’s not meant to be a permanent part of mindfulness of breathing practice, but rather a way to support developing stable focus on the breath.
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by Peter Carlson | Jan 15, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This is the second in a series of discussions regarding the Anapanasati Sutta, (mindfulness of breathing), a core teaching for Buddhist meditation practitioners. During this talk, Peter described several aspects of mindfulness of breathing that supports increasing the frequency and stability of focus, both in the practice of samatha (cultivating concentration) and vipassana (cultivating insight into the conditioned nature of reality). The terms vitakka (aiming awareness at the onset of the in- and out-breaths) and vicara (thorough awareness of the experience of in-and out-breaths) were described as the initial stages for developing dhamma vicaya bojjhanga, (the investigation of mental phenomena awakening factor). Peter pointed out that cultivating sambojjhanga, (the seven awakening factors) is a major orientation in both the Anapanasati Sutta and the Satipatthana Sutta, (The Four Foundations of Mindfulness).
The teaching points of the Anapanasati Sutta will be explored over the next few months, with emphasis on the actual practice of mindfulness of breathing. To further this process, there will be training meditations provided during the normal 45 minute meditation practice period at 7 PM Wednesday nights. It’s uncertain whether the training meditations will be recorded. During next week’s meeting, January 21, meditators will be provided with Mentholatumto apply on the rim of the nostrils with Q-tips, to facilitate ongoing awareness of the cycle of breathing in and out.
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by Peter Carlson | Jan 11, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This guided meditation was recorded on January 10, 2015 during a one day mindfulness retreat led by Peter. During the recording, two alternative walking meditations were described: walking with breath awareness and walking tracking the changing sensations noted in the soles of the feet. Both were described as ways to cultivate mindfulness of intentionality, that is, the ability to notice the emerging processes as sensation (touch, sound, sight, etc.) is transformed through feeling/perception into “self” organizations as a result of craving/clinging. This awareness is combined with the ability to cultivate the intention to disregard any emerging “selfing story” through the use of physical sensation as a strategy for interrupting the emerging process of craving/clinging.
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by Peter Carlson | Jan 8, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this first dhamma dialogue of the new year, Peter began a series of explorations of one of the core teachings of Buddhism, the Anapanasati Sutta, the discourse on mindfulness of breathing
(See notes.)
It was pointed out that this discourse is perhaps the only one in the Pali Canon to include an extensive “prelude” to the actual teaching, during which the dedication and attainments of those attending were expounded upon by the Buddha. Why such emphasis? Peter quoted an exchange between the Buddha and Ananda in which the Buddha said that the Sangha is crucial for spiritual development (the quote is in the accompanying notes posted before this one).
This was related to modern social science which emphasizes that humans are essentially social animals, with the advantage of language and the capacity for abstract conceptual processing. This was also related to the recent development of peer “accountability partners”, using the extensive development of the various 12-step communities dedicated to the overcoming of addictive and compulsive behaviors. It was also noted that modern business organizations are using accountability partnerships to further professional goals. Peter wondered how this could effectively be applied for the Orlando Insight Meditation community. This was followed by discussion.
Next week will begin the more extensive exploration of the teachings within the sutta, emphasizing more refined breath awareness and increasing ability to integrate breath awareness into daily life routines.
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