Dhamma Talks
The Nature Of Clinging
During this talk, Peter continues the discussion begun in the last meeting on the Second Noble Truth. Again it was emphasized that there are three levels of approach to the Four Noble Truths: to be understood conceptually, to be noted upon emerging into awareness,...
The Nature Of Craving
During this talk, Peter reviewed the classic Buddhist concepts of craving and clinging in the context of the Second Noble Truth. Special emphasis was placed on the insights of modern neuropsychological research that relates Buddhist notions of craving to the...
2013 Post Retreat Review
It is our custom to dedicate the Wednesday night meeting after a significant retreat to discussing the retreat experiences. This meeting is the first one after a one week retreat at the Deerhaven Retreat Center. It is hoped that finding the words to describe the...
Guided Body Sweep Meditation
Mindfulness of the body is a fundamental practice in the Buddhist tradition. Body awareness includes physical sensation as well as hearing, seeing, smelling and tasting. There's nothing imaginative about sensation-mindfulness is most important as the process of...
Final Night: Taking The Practice Home
During this final night discussion, after Tommy talked about gratitude and generosity, Peter talked about how to continue to develop the practices of cultivation concentration and insight after leaving the retreat. He referred to several areas of lifestyle...
Tommy’s Generosity Talk
During this talk Tommy gave some background information about the Buddhist concept of dana, translated as generosity. He related this as an outgrowth of gratitude for the clarity and relief brought about through intensive meditation practice. He emphasized the...
Sixth Night: Personality Integration, Then Transcendence
During another extensive Dhamma dialogue, Peter explained that the cultivation of concentration (samadhi) creates a platform of non-reactivity around the emergence of self-states that might otherwise cause strong craving and clinging tendencies. The unintegrated...
Fifth Night: Awakening Factors
During this second discussion of the seven awakening factors, more emphasis was placed on the integrative function of the factors and how this process transitions from personality integration to spiritual transcendence. As the "demons" of the hindrances are starved...
Fourth Night: Awakening Factors
During this extensive Dhamma talk, Peter described satibojjhanga, the seven awakening factors: mindfulness, investigation of phenomena, energy/effort, joy/enthusiastic engagement, tranquility, concentration and equanimity. Once the five hindrances have been set...
Third Night: How The Self Is Formed, Deformed And Reformed
During this rather extensive Dhamma talk, Peter reviewed the concept of paticca sammupada, usually translated as dependent origination. He explained why he prefers to name the process "contingent provisional emergence". This concept is key to the Buddhist...
