by Peter Carlson | Apr 20, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
One of the Sangha members, Mike Maldonado, recently completed a one week retreat at the Insight Meditation Society Retreat Center in Massachusetts. It is customary for a person who has completed a significant retreat to describe his experience in order for him to consolidate what he learned from the retreat and to inform and inspire others who may wish to go to a retreat, perhaps at the Insight Meditation Society, which is a premier facility. Mike described the daily routine and talked of what he had learned fro the experience.
Next week’s talk will begin to explore the Paramis, the qualities of mental functions that are to be perfected on the path to complete awakening.
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by Peter Carlson | Apr 13, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk focused on a commentarial addition to the Mindful Comprehension stanzas of the Satipatthana Sutta, (sati sampajanna), which emphasize integrating mindfulness into all activities, walking, eating, dressing, and other behavioral routines of daily life. The commentary further divides the practice into four functions for effective decision making: determining a worthy goal, cultivating the suitable means for realizing that goal, mindfully monitoring the suitable means, and maintaining focus on understanding the reality of impermanence (anicca), the distress and confusion that is the result of craving and clinging (dukkha), and the absence of an enduring, autonomous and in-control self (anatta). This explanation was followed by group discussion related to how to apply these decision making functions in daily life.
Here are the notes prepared for this discussion: Four Applications Of Clear Comprehension
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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.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:24:58 — 155.6MB)
