Dhamma Talks
How Selfing Comes To Be May 16 2018
This talk is meant to follow up on the post of May 9 entitled Understanding Feelings, which explained the function of feelings, particularly affect, the potency of whatever draws one's attention to a particular focus. A core teaching of Buddhism is paticca samuppada,...
Understanding Feelings
This talk focuses on the Second of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, Vedanupassana, Mindfulness of Feelings. The Buddhist view of feelings isn't just about emotions; more emphasis is placed on affect, the potency or impulsive urgency associated with any moment of...
Understanding The Four Elements
This talk is the last focused on the First Foundation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse (Satipatthana Sutta), Mindfulness of the Body (Kayanupassana). The Four Elements and the Nine Charnel Grounds Contemplations were read and discussed. Peter...
Understanding Clear Comprehension
The focus of this talk continues to explore the Satipatthana Sutta, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse, more specifically the First Foundation, Mindfulness of the Body. Sati Sampajanna (sah-tee sahm-pah-jahn-yah) is typically translated as Mindful Clear...
Understanding Mindfulness Of Breathing
This is the second in an extensive series of talks investigating the Satipatthana Sutta, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse. Tonight's focus is on the First Foundation, Mindfulness of the Body, specifically Mindfulness of Breathing meditation. Peter went...
The Four Foundations Of Mindfulness Introduction
This is the first of an extensive series of in-depth explorations of one of the core teachings of Buddhism-the Satipatthana Sutta. Tonight's discussion covers the basic structure of the discourse, referring to Bhikkhu Analayo's "Satipatthana-The Direct Path To...
Mindfulness And Overcoming Prejudice
During this talk, reference was made to the April 2018 National Geographic Magazine dedicated to addressing racial bias. The talk occurred on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Two contemporary social science concepts were...
From Precepts To Commitments
This posting focuses on the benefits of revising the wording of the traditional Five Precepts of Buddhism to more contemporary wording, with adaptations to emphasize the importance of a commitment to daily meditation practice and benevolent intention regarding the...
Taking Refuge In The 21st Century
This talk revisits the traditional "Three Refuges" of Buddhism:Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, from a more contemporary perspective, as the context of today's culture is radically different than what was present during the preceding centuries in an Asian social setting. ...
2018 Deerhaven Seventh Night Talk: Integrating Mindfulness Into Daily Life
This talk on the last night of the retreat discussed how to integrate what was gained from the retreat into daily life routines, emphasizing daily meditation practice, participation in a sitting group when possible, and finding cues during the day to remind oneself to...
