by Peter Carlson | Apr 6, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
It is customary for an evening’s discussion to be dedicated to a review of a significant recent retreat experience. Peter spent the month of March at the Forest Refuge, part of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts. The retreat’s theme involved what is called “The Gradual Training” in Theravada Buddhist terms, with a major focus on cultivating high levels of concentration. The leaders of the retreat were Shaila Catherine, a well-respected teacher and the author of “Wisdom Wide And Deep”, accompanied by Sayadaw U Jagara, a well-respected Buddhist monastic and teacher of French Canadian background. Peter described the retreat routines and provided a handout regarding the Gradual Training produced by the teachers. During the retreat, great emphasis was placed on cultivating persistently vivid mindful awareness of breathing, leading up to the highly concentrated states of jhana, or preparatory to the practice of vipassana, that is, insight into impermanence, the dissatisfaction resulting from craving and clinging and realization of the absence of an autonomous self. This was followed by a lively discussion of the topics by the participants in the meeting.
Here are the notes prepared by Catherine and the Sayadaw in .pdf format: 2017 Forest Refuge Samatha Retreat docs
Next week will begin a series of talks about what are called the Paramis (Paramitas in Sanskrit), the qualities of mind to be cultivated for perfecting the process of awakening.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 16, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this final talk about how to integrate the benefits of the retreat, Peter offered suggestions regarding various ways to transfer what was gained from rigorous meditation practice to daily life routines. This was followed by discussion of various ways more experienced meditators have been able to integrate the retreat experience from prior retreats.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: PRACTICING AWAKENING AT HOME
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 14, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter talked of the process of personality integration that occurs as the hindrances are less and less impactful in life, leading to deep insights into the fundamental conditions that create a misperception of reality as an enduring self that can or should control life. This talk builds upon and summarizes the previous meditation practices and talks earlier in the retreat. This was followed by discussion regarding the process of awakening.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: SELF STATE LIBERATION
A recording of a “Whole Body Sweep Meditation” is also posted here.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 12, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During This talk, Peter described the advances for insight fostered by the 7 awakening factors: mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena, energy/effort, joy/enthusiastic interest, tranquility, concentration/unification of mental functions and equanimity/balance of attention and energy. A graphic was provided to demonstrate how the awakening factors can be reflected in the traditional “5 Powers” concept, reworded, as the contradiction to the graphic discussed during the “Out Of Balance Mind” talk. This was followed by a discussion period.
Here are the notes prepared for this discussion: BOJJHANGA-7 AWAKENING FACTORS
Another guided meditation recording from earlier in the day with body sweep practice entitled “Head Trip Meditation” is also posted here.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 10, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This evening’s talk focused on the core teaching of Buddhism called “paticca samuppada” (pah-tee-chah sah-moo-pah-dah), traditionally interpreted as “dependent origination”. Peter offered an alternative translation, “contingent provisional emergence” with explanation regarding the increased usefulness of this understanding. It points out that the opportunity to “change your mind” occurs when the awakening factor of investigation of mental phenomena, combined with Right Effort, allows previously conditioned, reactive responses to be altered by inner awareness of feeling, that is, impulsive emotional or habitual reactions to not mature into internally conflicted self-state organizations. This was accompanied by a graphic illustrating the self-reinforcing links of mental conditioning functions, with mindfulness of feelings as a key point of focus.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Contingent Provisional Emergence
Also posted here is a recorded guided meditation to foster increased capacity to investigate the sensations of breathing more persistently in greater detail. It is entitled “Swimming In The Stream Of Dharma”.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 8, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk explored the ways to use the routine, repetitive practice of aiming attention at the beginning of the inbreath (vitakka [wee-tah-kah] in Pali), and maintaining investigative awareness of the sensations noted during the duration of the inbreath (vicara [wee-chah-rah] in Pali), then repeating this for the outbreath. This practice cultivates stability of focus (samadhi [sah-mah-dee] in Pali) and tranquility (passadhi [pah-sah-dee] in Pali). These qualities of stable, calm attention to the emergence of mental phenomena is core to the practice of insight into the nature of experience (vipassana [vee-pah-sah-nah] in Pali). This was followed by discussion of the night’s topic.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Cultivating Samadhi And Passadhi
During this talk, reference was made to a guided meditation recorded earlier that day entitled “Investigating The Breath”, which is also part of this post.
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