Dhamma Talks
Reviewing The Stages Of Insight
This talk reviews a system developed over several centuries after the life of the Buddha that describes various levels of conscious awareness that can be experienced during the process of Awakening. The Progressions of Insight, as they are often called, begin with...
Reviewing The Seven Awakening Factors, Part 3
This talk reviews the remaining two of the Seven Awakening Factors, Concentration/Unification and Equanimity/Balance. The first three factors, Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena and Energy/Effort/Persistence (In the form of Right Effort), monitor and...
Reviewing The Seven Awakening Factors, Part 2
This talk reviews the Awakening Factors Joy and Tranquility. The understanding of the review is that the first three Awakening Factors, Mindfulness, Investigation Of Mental Phenomena and Energy/Effort/Persistence, which were reviewed during the talk of October 5,...
Reviewing The Seven Awakening Factors, Part 1
Once the mind has settled because the Five Hindrances have been conditionally disabled, the full realization of Awakening becomes possible because of the effect of the Seven Awakening Factors: Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena, Energy/Effort/ Persistence,...
Six Beautiful Pairs of Wholesome Mind Conditioners
The Six Beautiful Pairs of Wholesome Cetasikas represent the fulfillment of wholesomeness in the mind. The integrated and unified functions of the Universal, Particular and seven Wholesome mind conditioning factors manifests as 12 integrated characteristics--six...
Reviewing The Wholesome Mind Conditioners, Part 1
There are 25 wholesome mind conditioners described in Buddhist psychology; this talk reviews the first 7 of these functions. They are present in each moment of consciousness, operating to free the mind from distress and confusion. The value in reviewing them comes...
Reviewing The Mind Conditioners–Part 2
This talk reviews the 14 Unwholesome Cetasikas, categories of mind conditioning functions that create dukkha, the distress and confusion that constitute the "default mode" of one's personality. The core functions are ignorance regarding karma, desire for pleasurable...
Reviewing The Mind Conditioners–Part 1
This is a first of a series of talks that review the cetasikas, "Those factors that condition the mind". There are 52 mind conditioners in Theravada Buddhist doctrine, and this review focuses on the first two subsections, the Universal and Particular cetasikas. The...
Reviewing Dependent Origination
This talk provides a view of a core Buddhist concept that describes how karma is formed that differs from the traditional Theravaden understanding--instead of the terminology of Dependent Origination, a case is made for an alternative rendering, Contingent Provisional...
Guided Five Aggregates Contemplation
This guided meditation provides an experiential review of the characteristic elements found in the section of the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness dedicated to contemplating what is regarded as a Buddhist theory of personality. it is intended to supplement the talk...