Dhamma Talks
Overcoming Sense Desire June 6 2018
The talk explored the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness, with specific emphasis on being mindful of what triggers sense desire, how it operates in the brain and what can be done to overcome this hindrance to mental clarity and tranquility. Here are the notes prepared...
Understanding The Five Hindrances May 30 2018
This is the first of a series of talks about panca nivarana, the five hindrances described in the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness. In this talk, Peter described how an initial stimulus is transformed into a hindrance through craving and clinging. A "seed moment" of...
The Nature Of The Mind April 23 2018
The Third Foundation Of Mindfuilness is Cittanupassana, Mindfulness Of The Mind. During this talk, Peter explained how the traditional understandings of cittanupassana foster the process of Awakening. The mind is the receptive characteristic of human experience, and...
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...
