by Peter Carlson | Oct 5, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk explores the current understanding of anxiety and how regular mindfulness meditation practices can foster relief. As a mental health professional, Peter included in the notes the various clinical diagnostic criteria and an overview of the various anxiety disorders. The cultivation of samadhi/passadhi (stable focus of attention/tranquility) was emphasized as a way to reduce heightened levels of anxiety generated by current cultural conditions. This quality of serene awareness provides a stable point of reference from which the cognitive distortions associated with anxiety can be investigated and successfully challenged. Increasing tranquility addresses the Buddhist craving aspect of anxiety, while mindful investigation disrupts the dysfunctional thought processes and addresses the element of the Buddhist perspective on clinging.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: ANXIETY AND THE DHARMA
The anticipated talk next week will involve a report from Mike Maldonado on the lovingkindness meditation retreat he is currently experiencing at the Southern Dharma Center in North Carolina. The anticipated talk the following week will focus on a specific anxiety disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and what mindfulness meditation can offer in providing relief from that highly disruptive condition.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:53 — 107.8MB)
by Peter Carlson | Sep 29, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This week’s talk focused on how Buddhist concepts and practices can be beneficially applied to contemporary distress. Peter cited recent research that reports the frequency of stress-related physical and psychological disorders. Peter’s many years as a psychotherapist as well as a practicing Buddhist provide important insights regarding these issues. Unfortunately, technical problems with the recording process distorted the recording, so it is hard to discern the words. I hope it is beneficial despite the defects.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: STRESS AND THE DHAMMA
Next week’s talk will focus on how Buddhist principles and practices can help overcome the various clinical anxiety disorders.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:05 — 106.3MB)
by Peter Carlson | Sep 22, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This guided meditation accompanies the posted talk on September 20 entitled “Emptiness And Fullness September 20 2017”. The meditation proceeds from mindfulness of breathing to a systematic sweeping of investigative attention through the body. As this is practice, the dominating attentional energy normally dedicated to internal narrative is significantly reduced, instead dedicating investigative attention persistently to present-moment sensational awareness. Towards the end of the meditation, the opportunity is provided to contemplate a whole-body awareness process, wherein the perceived and conditioned routine of defining boundaries between self and other (dualistic experiential processing) is disregarded, opening awareness that experiences each moment as unlimited, that is, boundarylessness. This sort of awareness sets the conditions suitable to realize non-dual reality, approaching the experience of nirvana, the unconditioned.
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by Peter Carlson | Sep 22, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk is a continuation from the posting of September 6 entitled “The Five Aggregates And Emptiness”. This discussion elaborates on a guided meditation, posted separately, that facilitates how to use body sweep meditation to cultivate a primary, holistic awareness of body sensations to “starve” the selfing process of attention and opening to the awareness of sunnata (shoon-yah-tah) during meditation practice. The intention of this practice is to reveal the essential “emptiness” of the internal narrative that constitutes the primary misperception of an enduring and autonomous “self” and realize the fullness of whole body awareness. As this awareness is perfected, all subjectively derived boundaries are diminished between embodied experience and the all-encompassing nature of sensory reality, including sounds, odors, flavors as well as body sensations, leaving and all-inclusive, universal experience that is stable and serene. This awareness, when sufficiently cultivated, creates the circumstances the facilitate realizing nirvana, unconditioned reality.
Here are the notes prepared for this discussion: Emptiness And Fullness
The guided meditation entitled “Emptiness And Fullness Meditation” will be posted separately.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:07 — 108.2MB)
by Peter Carlson | Sep 7, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
The concept of emptiness (sunnata in Pali) is a core aspect of the Buddhist Awakening process. This is the first of two discussions of emptiness, with the focus on how the operation of the Five Aggregates, Form, Feeling, Perception, Mental Formations and Consciousness creates the false belief in a separate, enduring and autonomous self. Each of the aggregates is described, with the emphasis on how craving and clinging affect mental formations and consciousness, creating what the Buddha called “The tyranny of I, Me and Mine”. The ability to use mindful investigation with the underpinning of understanding the operation of the Five Aggregates to see through the illusory self was explained. Emptiness is the creativity that is available when a person deconstructs the process of craving and clinging.
This was followed by a lengthy and lively discussion of the evening’s topic.
Here are the notes prepared for this discussion: Emptiness And The Five Aggregates
Next week’s discussion will be organized around exploring how deepening one’s meditation practice provides a different way to recognize the reality of emptiness and benefits that can be realized from consistent daily meditation.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:44 — 124.0MB)
by Peter Carlson | Aug 31, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk summarizes the process of perfecting those qualities of mind called Paramis. During the talk, Peter reviewed the sambojjhanga, the seven awakening factors to describe how their increasing effectiveness overcomes any deficits in the functioning of the Paramis.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: COORDINATING THE PARAMIS
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