Dhamma Talks
Cultivating The Awakening Factors
This is the first of several dialogues exploring the bojjhangas, the seven factors of awakening. During this talk, Peter describes the relationship between the awakening factors and the five powers. He also described the evolution of the factors through the process...
Cultivating Jhana
Peter described the characteristics of jhana from both the "sutta jhana" and "Visuddhimagga jhana" models. The benefits of jhana practice were reviewed, suggesting the real benefit of jhana practice is the cultivation of the seven Awakening Factors, which will be...
Cultivating Samadhi and Passadhi
This dialogue is the first of two explorations of samma samadhi, right concentration. Peter explained the terms samadhi and passadhi, and why he groups them together. Six considerations were illustrated to support the cultivation of samadhi-passadhi. The value of...
The Creation Of Selfing
During this talk, Peter described the core concept of paticcasamuppada, traditionally translated as "dependent origination". He has changed the translation to "contingent provisional emergence", and this talk explains his rationale for this innovation. The talk...
Sankhara the Self Maker
During this dhamma dialogue, Peter completed the exploration of the Five Aggregates, describing the function of sankhara, translated as the mind fabricator, the process of fabricating, and that which is fabricated. This concept is related to the paticcasamuppada,...
Domestic Vipassana Practice
While Peter's wife is away for a week, he decided to practice integrating mindfulness more thoroughly into daily life routines. The primary changes included more meditation periods and more reading about Buddhist practices; otherwise, the routines were the same as...
How Feeling And Perception Become Craving And Clinging
During this talk, Peter explained how feeling and perception function, transitional between raw sense data and higher cognitive processes. When the mind isn't well trained, feeling become craving and perception becomes clinging. There was a guided meditation to...
Grounding The Five Aggregates
This dialogue is a continuation of the previous week's discussion. During the discussion, Peter led a guided meditation on how to use the four elements contemplations to provide a consistent focus for interrupting the elaboration the mind creates in the "selfing...
Five Aggregates Affected By Clinging
Continuing the ongoing exploration of the Four Noble Truths, Peter described the concept of the Five Aggregates affected by clinging, which is referred to in the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness teaching. Using a graphic illustration, he showed how the factors of...
Franciscan Center Retreat Report
As is our custom, after a significant retreat event, there's a dialogue about the retreat experience amongst the participants. Since much of what occurs is deeper than conscious awareness, having the opportunity to talk about the experience among other knowledgeable...
