by Peter Carlson | Jan 31, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Kitty explored how Buddhist practices help us relate to the inevitable uncertainty of life, sharing some of her experiences working with Hospice. She used material from Pema Chodron’s book “Comfortable With Uncertainty” as reference. She also included brief meditations on “open mind” and “bodhicitta mind”.
[s3mm type=”audio” files=”wp-content/uploads/2013/01/11130644/Living With Uncertainty.mp3″ titles=”Living With Uncertainty” /]
Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()
by Peter Carlson | Nov 26, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This guided meditation focuses on the benefits of a contemplative review of aspects of Buddhist principles and practices, reflecting gratitude for the teachings, and how these practices cultivate a mind open to appreciating daily life experiences.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:00 — 82.4MB)
by Peter Carlson | Aug 24, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
As is customary, this talk reviewed the weekend retreat at the Franciscan Center in Tampa. It is beneficial to “think out loud” about one’s retreat experience among folks who may have participated in a retreat or may contemplate going on retreat. The verbalizing process draws memories from the retreat experience to other parts of the brain’s function, integrating the insights and making them more accessible during daily life routines. During the talk, Peter reviewed extensively the benefits of combining and integrating mindfulness of breathing with intentional scanning through more and more subtle manifestations of sensations throughout the body. He reported how the intentionally increasing practice of sensory investigation stabilizes attention, deepens insights, and provides a more effective way to interrupt internal narratives.
There are guided meditations recorded by Peter on week-long retreats posted on the “audio” page of the OIMG website, labeled “Body Sweep” or “Body Scan”, for supporting this practice.
Next week’s talk will be an integrative review of the Paramis, those wholesome mental qualities that are perfected during the process of awakening.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()
by Peter Carlson | Apr 23, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk was preceded by the “Guided Mindfulness of the Mind Meditation”, which can be found in the Audio section of the website. The focus of this talk is a review of the Third Foundation of Mindfulness, Cittanupassana (chee-tah-noo-pah-suh-nah), Mindfulness of the Mind. Peter read a quote from the Satipatthana Sutta regarding the characteristics of this contemplation, which is to be mindful as to whether the mind is afflicted or not by desire, aversion or ignorance. The contemplation also investigates whether awareness is expansive and inclusive or contracted and exclusive, alert or dull, calm or restless, and the transient and impersonal nature of the mind. Peter related these characteristics and functions to contemporary psychological research investigates where the brain is activated as cognition occurs, noting that as the cognitive process develops, prior life experience overrides current stimulus input and fabricates a self. He reviewed what the teacher and author Culadasa calls “Introspective Metacognitive Awareness”, the ability to be mindful of the broad ranges of awareness that vipassana investigates without becoming identified with one aspect of the flow of experience as being an enduring and autonomous self. This was related to the value of being able to track personal reactivity in regards to the stressors present during the pandemic. The review was followed by discussion among those attending the Zoom meeting regarding the talk.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Cultivating A Wise Mind
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:31 — 105.3MB)
by Peter Carlson | May 16, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Mindfulness of Feelings is the Second Foundation of Mindfulness, and during this talk, Peter provides a review of the various categories of feelings, which are not emotions, but rather the impulsive reactivity we all experience that precedes craving and clinging. Managing feelings skillfully is key for developing the process of Awakening. Some of the current neuroscientific research findings that are found in different areas of the brain that identify how feelings arise, associated with thoughts and then regulated are reviewed that seem to validate aspects of human experience as described in Buddhist teachings.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk, which provide a more extensive review than from Peter’s verbal comments: Skillfully Managing Feelings
There is a recording posted in the Audio section of the website under Guided Meditations entitled “Guided Contemplating Feelings Meditation” that is intended to support this talk and to build ways to skillfully manage feelings.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:50 — 57.5MB)