Dhamma Talks
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...
2018 Deerhaven Sixth Night Talk: Self-State Liberation
During this talk, Peter described how the Seven Awakening Factors foster increasingly quick and accurate insights into how selfing operates. This process has two benefits: The first is psychological integration of the personality functions of the mind, and the...
2018 Deerhaven Fifth Night Talk: The Seven Awakening Factors
During this talk, the focus is on the Sambojjhanga, the Seven Awakening Factors: Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena, Energy/Right Effort/Persistence, Joy, Tranquility, Concentration and Equanimity/Balance. These qualities are operating in every moment of...
2018 Deerhaven Second Night Talk:Understanding And Overcoming Dukkha
During this talk, Peter described dukkha as distress and confusion rather than the traditional term suffering, as he believes the alternate terms are more specifically targeted on craving (distress) and clinging (confusion), the causes of dukkha. The development of...
2018 Deerhaven Fourth Night Talk: The Selfing Process
During this talk, Peter described the self as a process, selfing, a verb rather than a noun. During the talk, the Mind System Model developed by Culadasa in his book "The Mind Illuminated", was drawn on to help understand how different functions in the brain operate...
2018 Deerhaven Third Night
This talk focused on a more in-depth exploration of Samma Samadhi, Right Concentration. Peter modified the understanding by including passadhi, tranquility, as characteristic of an effective balance of stable attention and internal calmness and non-reactivity. ...
2018 Deerhaven First Night: Taking Refuge
During this talk, Peter described the traditional Three Refuges: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha from a contemporary perspective, as a commitment to cultivating the Path to Awakening. This included a contemporary view of the Five Precepts as well. These commitments are...
2018 Deerhaven Retreat Report
Following the custom of the Orlando Insight Meditation Group, those members who attended the one-week retreat at the Deerhaven Retreat Center were provided the opportunity to "think out loud" about their experience and their adaptation to returning to normal life...
