by Peter Carlson | Jul 10, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This Meditation trains the mind to move investigating attention mindfully and systematically throughout the body, sensitive to subtle body vibrations similar to the experience of one’s leg “going to sleep”, but much milder in sensation. The goal of this training is to cultivate a whole body “vibrational” awareness that supports stabilizing attention and the process of vipassana, insight into the transitory and non-self characteristics of experience.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 6, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This meditation focuses on the fourth of the seven Awakening Factors, Piti, often translated as joy or rapture; I prefer to use the term enthusiastic interest. Joy becomes more apparent and useful with the support of the first three factors, mindfulness, investigation and energy/Right Effort, so these factors are encouraged for practicing mindfulness of breathing meditation. It is suggested to be alert for differences in consciousness between the heaviness of sloth and torpor and the buoyancy of simple breath awareness; this buoyancy is piti, and it becomes more recognizable as the hindrances are set aside. Several supportive suggestions for contemplation are mentioned during the meditation. The intention of this guided meditation is to enhance the understanding and application of the Joy Awakening Factor in the accompanying talk, Awakening With Joy.
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 26, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk Peter reviews Viriya, the Energy Awakening Factor, which, when combined with the Mindfulness and Investigation of Mental Phenomena Awakening Factors, coordinates and empowers the remaining 4 Awakening Factors. Peter talked of the manifestation of Viriya as Right Effort in the Noble Eightfold Path, with four attributes: to deny unwholesome states, support the arising of wholesome states, enabling wholesome states to reach fulfillment and prevent the future arising of unwholesome states. His review was followed by discussion of how participants can further understand and contemplate this quality of attention.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: The Energy Awakening Factor
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 26, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This contemplation focuses attention on how the energy of attention is managed in the mind’s creation of a self. During the meditation, Peter suggests how mindfulness and investigation are associated with the energy awakening factor to reduce the likelihood that attention will be captured by any of the five hindrances, then applied to activate the remaining Awakening Factors, Joy, Tranquility, Concentration and Equanimity.
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 18, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk Peter discusses the characteristics of the second of the Seven Awakening Factors, Dhamma Vicaya (dah-mah vih-chah-yah), which he interprets as Investigation of Mental Phenomena. This awakening factor works in close coordination with the Mindfulness and Energy Awakening Factors (the energy factor will be the focus for next week’s talk). A careful reading of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse reveals that dhamma vicaya is repeatedly mentioned in regards to mindfulness of the body, of feeling, of the mind and of mental factors, so it is an essential aspect of how the process of Awakening is developed. The cultivation of this factor begins with mindfulness of breathing and involves the suggestion of directing attention to the beginning of the in-breath and sustaining this attention for the duration of the in-breath, then repeating this for the out-breath. This intentional process uses the sensation of breathing to increase the mind’s agility and insight into how the mind makes meaning from what primary sensations stimulate, and this skill becomes more and more important as it matures into the ability to notice the arising and passing away of self-state organizations, revealing the transient and essentially unstable delusion of an enduring and autonomous self. This explanation is followed by a general discussion to clarify the ways to cultivate dhamma vicaya.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Mindful Investigation for Awakening
Next week’s talk will focus on the Energy Awakening Factor
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 18, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Dhamma Vicaya (dah-mah vih-chah-yah) is the second of the Seven Awakening Factors, and I prefer to interpret the Pali to mean Investigation of Mental Phenomena. It functions closely with the Mindfulness and Energy Awakening Factors. During the training meditation, I suggest that intentionally aiming attention to evident sensations at the beginning of the in-breath and sustaining attention for the duration of the in-breath, then repeating this for the out-breath begins the process of maturing attention towards dhamma vicaya. Once attention to the breathing cycle becomes more routine, it is suggested that one “look closer” at an aspect of breath sensation that was more evident to increase the power of insight. It is also emphasized that dhamma vicaya isn’t really about the breath sensations specifically, but rather noticing with clarity and detachment how the mind creates a meaningful self in relationship to the sensations.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:00 — 82.4MB)
