This guided meditation focuses on the benefits of a contemplative review of aspects of Buddhist principles and practices, reflecting gratitude for the teachings, and how these practices cultivate a mind open to appreciating daily life experiences.
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This talk reviews the final item on the list of the 52 cetasikas, the categories of factors that condition the process of self-organization in the mind, focusing on Panna (pahn-yah), the Wisdom cetasika. Wisdom is the manifestation of the holistic coordination and integration of a large number of other cetasikas, which are enumerated in the attached notes as well as being verbally reviewed during the talk. The review is intended to describe how the various mind conditioning factors interact to structure the sense of self and the important role highly developed insightful awareness plays in creating the conditions that mature from conceptual understanding of Wisdom to actual realization of the three characteristics: Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta. The fundamental importance of Panna is reviewed as an element of the Noble Eightfold Path, a key element of the Buddhist way to spiritual Awakening. An accompanying recording “Guided Cultivating Wisdom Meditation”, presented earlier in the evening, is intended to supplement this talk.
Here are the notes prepared for this review: Realizing Wisdom
It is customary for our group to dedicate Thanksgiving Eve, which this year is November 25, to a review of the nature of gratitude as an important realization on the path to Awakening, and which is appropriate as the theme for Thanksgiving.
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This training meditation provides support for realizing the potential of the Wisdom Cetasika–direct understanding of the experience of impermanence, non-self and dukkha. During the practice, you are encouraged to persistently focus on the changing nature of breath sensation awareness as a foundational practice, through which the ability to notice how all subjective experience changes, in both the sensory and cognitive processes. Additional suggestions invite investigating the transient and impersonal nature of how the mind fabricates self awareness. This contemplation is intended to accompany the Dharma talk of the evening, “Cultivating The Wisdom Cetasika”.
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This talk reviews mudita, typically translated as sympathetic joy, and represents the ability to emotionally resonate with the happiness of other beings. Sympathetic joy is a manifestation of lovingkindness and is similar to compassion, as both are ways that the mind can respond skillfully and beneficially to the innate emotional resonance all humans share. Compassion resonates to the distress and confusion of others, while sympathetic joy resonates to the success and happiness of others. Peter reviews what are called the “far enemy” and “near enemy” of mudita, emphasizing the importance of persistent cultivation of mindfulness to monitor and balance the empathic attunement process that is manifested. The review is followed by discussion of the application of mudita among the participants. This discussion is intended to be accompanied by “Guided Enjoying the Happiness of Others Meditation”, recorded the same night.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Enjoying the Happiness of Others
Next week’s talk will focus on the mind conditioning factor of Wisdom, that is, a correct understanding of how the wholesome mind conditioning factors cooperate and integrate into daily life experience.
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This meditation combines mindfulness of breathing meditation with focused attention on the area around the heart for contemplating the joyful feelings that can be realized in witnessing the happiness of others. Breath awareness stabilizes attention and sets aside the hindrances, while focused attention on the heart invites emotional awareness in the context of celebrating the joy and happiness of others. During the meditation you can recall experiences when you benefited from the generosity of others and then use that as a model for realizing the benefits of empathically resonating with the success and happiness of people or other beings such as pets. This meditation is intended to complement the talk entitled “Enjoying the Happiness of Others” recorded on November 11, 2020.
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This talk reviews the Wholesome Mind Conditioning function of karuna (kah-roo-nah), compassion, which is a manifestation of Right Intention from the Noble Eightfold Path. Peter reviews the universal human capacity for empathy, “hard-wired” into our nervous system, perhaps expressed through the function of the vagal nerve process, which connects the brain with the heart, lungs and intestines, suggesting the the experience of compassion is a process involving the entire torso as well as the brain. This innate empathy creates the group cohesion necessary for civilization to function effectively, which is greatly challenged during these trying times that involve the pandemic, political conflict and the disruptive societal impact of global warming. Different approaches to cultivating compassion are described involving the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana views. The review is followed by discussion among those participating regarding the cultivation of compassion. This talk is accompanied by a separately recorded “Guided Mindful Compassion Meditation” from the same night.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Mindful Compassion In Trying Times
The focus for next week’s talk will be the cultivating of Sympathetic Joy, another of the Wholesome Cetasikas.
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