by Peter Carlson | Dec 24, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
The core mental conditions to foster liberation through the practice of vipassana are called the “Seven Factors For Awakening”: mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena, energy/effort, joy/enthusiastic interest, tranquility, concentration and equanimity. This talk describes their functions in the process of awakening and how to cultivate them.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: BOJJHANGA-7 AWAKENING FACTORS
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by Peter Carlson | Dec 20, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk focuses on cultivating samadhi/passadhi more consistently, with the intention of manifesting access concentration, the flow of internal experience that is unburdened by the Five Hindrances. Access concentration is an optimal self-state organization for developing vipassana, that is, insight into the conditioned nature of subjective experience.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: CULTIVATING SAMADHI-PASSADHI
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by Peter Carlson | Dec 19, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk focused on recognizing and overcoming the Five Hindrances: sense desire, aversion/ill-will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry and skeptical doubt. The main strategy for this is persistently aiming attention at the onset of breathing in, sustaining attention to the sensations associated with that process, and repeating the same practice with exhalations. When the mind wanders, simply noting this and immediately returning attention to the breath sensations. This approach will, with enough practice, set aside the intrusive effects of the hindrances, setting the stage for the next level of practice, cultivating samadhi/passadhi, that is, stability of attention/internal serenity.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: FREEING THE MIND FROM HINDRANCES
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by Peter Carlson | Dec 18, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This was the introductory talk for the annual one week retreat. Traditionally, Buddhist retreats begin with “Taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha” and “The Five Precepts”. Peter described the intention of “taking refuge” and “the precepts” through a document provided for all the retreatants: COMMITMENTS FOR AWAKENING These commitments restate the intentions from a more contemporary perspective: commitments to persistently cultivate mindful awareness from waking to sleeping; to be mindful of the emergence of desire, the emergence of aversion, the emergence of speech (including internal narratives), the emergence of interpersonal dynamics, and the emergence of interactions with the environment.
These commitments are intended to foster the process of awakening, which was described as a dynamic awareness, not a state of being.
by Peter Carlson | Dec 15, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk summarizes the series of of explorations of Buddhist psychology with discussion about what are called “The Progressions of Insight”, which describe observable mental experiences that show progress in the the process of liberation from distress and confusion, known as dukkha. The process culminates with the experience of nirvana, the unconditioned flow of experience. This talk was followed by discussion about how these progressive insights can be realized through meditation practice integrated into daily life routines.
Here are the notes prepared for this discussion: THE AWAKENING PROCESS
Peter will be on retreat for the rest of December, so the next meeting will be January 4, 2017, at which time he will review what was beneficial for the awakening process. During the time he on retreat, the recorded Dharma talks from the weeklong retreat in February of 2016 will be posted in sequential order.
May everyone enjoy a safe and peaceful holiday season.
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by Peter Carlson | Dec 8, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This is the last talk that focuses on the mind conditioners called the cetasikas. The Topic is the last of the cetasikas, Right Understanding, frequently termed Wisdom. The previous wholesome cetasikas were briefly reviewed to provide a conceptual context for understanding how wisdom matures as the wholesome mind conditioners are diligently practiced. During the talk, Peter described a commentarial consideration, that the Noble Eightfold Path begins with conceptual understanding, then, through diligent meditation practice and integration into daily life routines, matures into what is termed the Noble Tenfold Path, adding Right Insight and Right Liberation. This increased ability to cultivate wholesome self-state organizations makes the concepts real, that is, there is direct experiential awareness of the validity of the concepts. This is the process of Awakening. The explanation was followed by discussion during which the ways the people in the meeting realized “small “a” awakening, a gradual liberation from dukkha, that is, distress and confusion.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: the-realization-of-the-wisdom-cetasika
Next week’s discussion will explore the process of Awakening, referring to what are called “The contemplations of insight”. That meeting will be the last of the calendar year, as Peter will begin his annual year-end 2 week self-retreat on December 16.
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