Dhamma Talks
How Death Can Help Us Live More Fully
During this dialogue, Peter read the part of the Satipatthana Sutta called "the charnal ground contemplation". He then commented on how our culture is shielded from the experience of death and what happens to the body as it disintegrates, which was a common...
You Must Be Present To Win
The subtitle of this talk could be "The Four Elements Meditation". Several years ago, Peter found the title quote in a book by Jack Kornfield. In the book, he talked of visiting Las Vegas in his monastic robes and seeing "You Must Be Present To Win" signage above...
Staying Mindful In Regular Life
During this dialogue, Peter described the core Buddhist concept of sati-sampajanna, usually translated as mindful, clear comprehension. He quoted from the Satipatthana Sutta the stanzas associated with mindfulness of breathing, mindfulness of posture and mindfulness...
What Makes Something Or Some Place Sacred
After briefly setting the tone for the dialogue, Peter opened the group to discuss what sort of process is involved that makes something or some place sacred. Sangha members were also invited to contemplate how creating sacredness supports deepening one's spiritual...
Concentration And Insight
During this first of a series of talks exploring the Satipatthana Sutta, Peter talked of the mutually supportive functions of samadhi (concentration) and vipassana (insight). This was followed by a lively discussion regarding how different meditators cultivate these...
2014 One Week Retreat Review
Much of the transformation in the brain during a retreat occurs outside of conscious awareness. We've realized over the years of retreat experience that talking about it, "thinking out loud", with a group of well-informed people helps integrate the learning and...
Practicing Awakening At Home
This talk, on the last evening of the 2014 Deerhaven retreat, reviewed Buddhist concepts of a virtuous home life, from a contemporary perspective. Peter also reviewed which skillful means were practiced on the retreat and how important it is to maintain a regular...
Guided Gratitude Meditation
This recording contains a guided contemplation on the complexity and richness of life that is often overlooked, especially the day-to-day conveniences we take for granted, as well as the blessing of having found the Buddhist Path of Awakening.
Insights On The Path Of Awakening
In this talk, the progression from self-state integration is described, beginning with combining the Virtue aggregate and the Mental Training aggregate of the Noble Eightfold Path. As the self-states no longer function with less internal and interpersonal conflict,...
Seven Awakening Factors 2014
During this talk, Peter explained how these seven factors, led by mindfulness, function. Initially, in their undeveloped, weakest form, they apply a counter to the action of the five hindrances. As the hindrances are set aside and the function of the mind becomes...
