Dhamma Talks
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...
From Demons To Angels (Audio)
Following on last week's dialogue, Peter described how the mind "transforms energy into information", and that the hindrances are "energy dumps" that distort perceptions and create distress. The setting aside of the hindrances through mindfulness of breathing creates...
Resolving Skeptical Doubt
During this talk, the hindrance of skeptical doubt was discussed, using the Buddhist concept of panca bala, the five powers or five faculties to describe the dynamic balancing of energy/tranquility and faith/discernment through ongoing mindfulness practice. This was...
Calming Restlessness And Setting Aside Worry
During this dialogue, Peter and the sangha explored the characteristics of restlessness as an overactivated sympathetic nervous system process combined with rumination about a particular topic related to regret, remorse or possible negative consequences. Peter...
Peter’s Strange Retreat Adventure
It is our custom to dedicate a night's dialogue to reviewing a significant retreat experience by a member of the Sangha. This report is exceptional, as Peter's 2 week self-retreat was significantly altered by disease. During this talk, Peter described the onset of...
Setting Aside Sloth And Torpor
This is the third of five talks about the hindrances. In this week's dialogue, Peter talked of sloth and torpor as a dysregulation of energy in the mind and body. If the system is too tranquil, dullness, drowsiness and lethargy arise; if the system is too activated,...
Setting Aside Aversion And Ill-Will
This dialogue follows on the previous one, which focused on the nature and function of aversion and ill-will. This week the focus is on how to recognize and interrupt the development of this hindrance. During the discussion, the experience of aversion was explored...
Understanding Aversion And Ill-Will
During this dialogue, Peter first described the classical way of understanding the hindrance of aversion and ill-will. He then provided a review of current neurobiological understanding of how various brain structures process incoming stimuli to assess for either...
Three Month Retreat Report By Robert
It is customary in our sangha to provide the opportunity for a person who just completed a significant retreat to "think out loud" about the retreat experience, as this supports integrating the deep changes retreats foster into regular life routines more effectively. ...
Breaking The Spell Of Sense Desire
This dialogue follows upon the previous week's exploration of the hindrances, particularly sense desire. Peter described how MRI research shows that the more times a particular neural pathway is activated, the more enduring and "self-defining" it becomes. This was...
