Dhamma Talks
Retreat Review By Andy Quinn
It is customary for our Sangha meetings to provide an opportunity for someone who has participated in a recent residential retreat to "think out loud" about their experience. Much of the benefit of a retreat occurs outside of awareness, and an opportunity to talk...
Reviewing The Five Aggregates of Clinging
During this talk, Allie Vaknin describes the characteristics of the Five Aggregates of Clinging: Form, Feelings, Perceptions, Mind Conditioning Factors, all reflected in Consciousness. This review is supplemented by a posted recording titled "Guided Five Aggregates...
Reviewing the Five Hindrances
During this talk, Lezlie Laws initially provides an overview of the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of Mental Phenomena. She then describes how the Five Hindrances are recognized and effectively set aside. This talk also includes a period of time for...
Reviewing Mindfulness of the Mind
This review, provided by April Koester, focuses on the Third Foundation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, which is intended to describe how the characteristics of various states of consciousness can affect our self-experiences. The mind operates like a filter,...
Reviewing Mindfulness of Feelings and Dependent Origination
This talk first focuses on reviewing the Second Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of Feelings; the second focus is on a core concept of Buddhist psychology, Dependent Origination, within which mindfulness of feelings plays a key role. Peter Carlson provides a...
Clear Comprehension of Body Postures
In the First Foundation of Mindfulness there is a section focusing on postural awareness and mindful movement, which is the focus of this talk. In addition to reviewing these contemplations, the concept of the Four Clear Comprehensions is reviewed, comparing the...
Reviewing Right Mindfulness and Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation
This talk provides an overview of the conceptual structure of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness--Right Mindfulness, within the Noble Eightfold Path. The overview is accompanied by a review of the practice of anapanasati, mindfulness of breathing meditation,...
Guided Satipatthana Contemplation
This guided meditation provides a "menu" involving sections of the Satipatthana Sutta, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse, which can be contemplated through the practice of mindfulness of breathing meditation. Examples include contemplating the Four...
Reviewing Right Effort
Continuing a review of the Noble Eightfold Path, this talk focuses on Right Effort, emphasizing the importance of avoiding or letting go of unwholesome mind states and supporting the arising and fulfillment of wholesome mind states. The teacher for this talk is...
Reviewing Right Livelihood
This talk, provided by April Koester, focuses on how virtue manifests as Right Livelihood. April discusses how Right Livelihood can guide us not only in our personal choice of vocation but how we interact with other businesses as a consumer, in addition to how we...
