by Peter Carlson | Jun 27, 2019 | Listen to Dharma Talks
The topic for this talk is Samadhi Bojjhanga, the Concentration Awakening Factor. During the talk, the progressive stages of developing mindfulness of breathing to high levels of concentration were reviewed. Peter described current debates about the difference between “Sutta Jhanas” and “Visuddhimagga Jhanas”, suggesting that the goal in cultivating jhana states is to heighten the coherence and potency of the Seven Awakening Factors towards Awakening, and that it is not necessary to master jhana practice to perfect the functioning of the Seven Awakening Factors. The compound word samadhi/passadhi (concentration/tranquility) was presented as a workable parallel to the traditional access concentration as the platform for cultivating vipassana. The developmental stages of samadhi are illustrated graphically in the accompanying notes prepared for the talk:
SAMADHI AWAKENING FACTOR
Here is another document downloaded from Leigh Brasington’s website providing an overview of the different approaches and understandings of jhana experience: Interpretations of the Jhanas
Next week’s discussion will address the Equanimity Awakening Factor.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:18 — 115.9MB)
by Peter Carlson | Feb 9, 2017 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This evening’s meeting focused on the crucial role cetana, the Pali word translated as intention or volition, plays in the ongoing process of self-state organization. Cetana is a “universal mind conditioner”, functioning in each moment of self-state organization to coordinate the various conditioning factors involved in the process. Intention operates through the each of the “six sense bases”, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, body sensations and cognitive processes. Using the concept developed in the book “The Mind Illuminated”, Peter described how intention shapes the perceptual processes in each of the sense bases; the most potent of the products of the various sense bases will be further processed by emotionally charged memory associations and will emerge into consciousness. The benefit of cultivating the intention to mindfully and persistently investigate the sensation of breathing is the manifestation of samadhi/passadhi, a flow of conscious awareness that is stable and tranquil. This unifies the sense bases and produces the conditions most effective for the practice of vipassana, that is, insight into the conditioned nature of personal experience, liberating the mind from distress and confusion.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: THE IMPORTANCE OF INTENTION
There will not be a posted dharma dialogue next week because of the one week residential meditation retreat. On February 22, participants in the retreat will review their retreat experiences for posting on the website.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:40 — 107.4MB)
by Peter Carlson | Oct 16, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk reviews the benefits of coordinating the previously reviewed Universal Wholesome Cetasikas, resulting in the manifestation of the Six Beautiful Pairs: tranquility of mind and mental factors, lightness of mind and mental factors, pliancy of mind and mental factors, wieldiness of mind and mental factors, proficiency of mind and mental factors and uprightness of mind and mental factors. The “mind” reflects the reflective capacity of consciousness and “mental factors” represent those categories of mind conditioning factors called cetasikas; when these are skillfully coordinated, one’s consciousness operates at a higher level of clarity, discipline and accuracy in the process of Awakening. Each of these cetasikas is reviewed individually, with Peter describing the classical Buddhist rendering as well as his personal experience of them, typically fully realized during a residential retreat. This talk is meant to be accompanied by the recording of the guided meditation presented before this meeting entitled “Guided Alerting The Mind Meditation”, which can be found in the website archives.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: SIX PAIRS OF WHOLESOME CETASIKAS
Next week’s talk will focus on the Wholesome Cetasikas of Right Speech, Right Action and Right Mindfulness as they can be understood and applied in the context of current cultural distress and confusion resulting from the pandemic, political turmoil and environmental dysfunction.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:06 — 122.9MB)
by Peter Carlson | Sep 23, 2021 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk reviews those qualities of awareness that are the highest development of consciousness attained through mindfulness meditation. They represent the harmonious integration of mind conditioning functions with the flow of conscious awareness. Each of the 12 cetasikas are reviewed with the intention to foster meditative awareness of these states of mind as they are occurring–this pairing produces a remarkable level of mental stability, lucidity and flexibility, for directly observing how the mind liberated from craving and clinging operates. There is a recording entitled “Guided Contemplation of the Six Beautiful Pairs of Cetasikas” posted in the website archives, which is intended to integrate the concepts of this talk into meditative awareness.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: SIX-BEAUTIFUL-PAIRS-OF-WHOLESOME-CETASIKAS.docx
Here is a chart listing all 52 of the cetasikas: CETASIKAS POSTER
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:20 — 114.1MB)
by Peter Carlson | Nov 4, 2021 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk is part of an extensive investigation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse, and provides a review of how undeveloped characteristics of the Seven Awakening Factors within the Fourth Foundation can be identified while meditating, accompanied by a more thorough description of the mature manifestations of the individual factors. Emphasis is placed on the role of the first four of the factors–Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena, Energy/Right Effort and Joy/Enthusiastic Interest–in the manifestation and increasing power of the remaining three factors, Tranquility, Concentration and Equanimity. Ultimately, all seven factors are integrated, with high levels of functioning in the practice of vipassana, insight into the impermanent manifestation of self-states that are interdependent with one’s environment.
This talk is intended to be complemented by “Contemplating the Seven Awakening Factors”, found in the Audio archives of this website.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: THE SEVEN AWAKENING FACTORS
The focus of the next talk will be on the final stanzas of the Satipatthana Sutta, the realization of the Four Noble Truths.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:55 — 59.4MB)
