by Peter Carlson | May 5, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk continues a review of the Four Noble Truths, perhaps the most fundamental and universally accepted Buddhist teaching. The characteristics of the Second Noble Truth, craving (tanha) and clinging (upadana) are reviewed regarding traditional understandings as well as more contemporary Buddhist scholarship and neuropsychological research which supports the traditional teaching.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk:Â Reviewing the Second Noble Truth
This talk is complemented with an .mp3 recording titled “Guided Second Noble Truth Contemplation”, that preceded this talk and is posted in the Guided Meditation page of this website’s archives.
The focus for the next talk will continue the review of the Four Noble Truths, addressing the Third Noble Truth, liberation from dukkha.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:33 — 58.2MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jun 24, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk is part of a series reviewing the Four Noble Truths. Right Effort is an important element of the Noble Eightfold Path and can be understood as a process of channeling the energy of attention away from unwholesome self-states towards wholesome self-states. The cooperation among the first three of the Seven Awakening Factors–Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena and Energy, as Right Effort–is essential for fulfilling one’s potential for Awakening, and this talk discusses their interactions. Various characteristics of Right Effort are also included in the review. There is a guided meditation posted in the Audio archives of this website entitled “Guided Channeling Right Effort Meditation”, which is intended to provide supplementary support for the contents of this talk.
Here are the notes prepared for the talk:Â Reviewing Right Effort
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:19 — 48.8MB)
by Peter Carlson | Aug 8, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter reviews the characteristics of lovingkindness, one of the Four Divine Abidings within Buddhist doctrine. When lovingkindness is not clearly understood, one’s experience becomes contaminated by what are called either the “near enemy” or “far enemy”, both of which are manifestations of ignorance. The fourth of the Divine Abidings is equanimity, which is produced through the cultivation of mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena and Right Effort, is explained during the talk. The review also includes a suggestion that the capacity for empathy, a fundamental characteristic of lovingkindness, is ‘hardwired” into our nervous systems, and that Benevolent Intention represents an evolutionary trend away from greed or hatred, emotionally potent instincts we all share, towards altruism and societal peace.
Previous to this talk, Peter provided a guided meditation titled “Integrating Lovingkindness With Equanimity”, which is intended to provide practical contemplative training that uses mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena and Right Effort to protect the flow of lovingkindness from becoming contaminated by the near enemy or far enemy states of mind. This has been posted and can be found in the archives of the website in the category of Guided Meditations
Here are the notes prepared for this talk:Â Balancing Lovingkindness With Equanimity
The topics for the next two weeks focus first on the integration of equanimity with compassion, then next the integration of equanimity with sympathetic joy, the remaining elements of the Four Divine Abidings.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:16 — 55.2MB)
by Peter Carlson | Aug 15, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk reviews the characteristics of compassion from a Buddhist perspective, including the “near enemy” and “far enemy” of this manifestation of lovingkindness which is focused on relieving the mind from distress and confusion. Compassion is described as the combined effects of cultivating the “hardwired” experience of empathy, supported by mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena, and Right Effort, and associated with equanimity, which provides a balanced manifestation of this wholesome state of mind. Preceding this talk of August 14, 2024, Peter provides a guided meditation titled “Guided Compassion With Equanimity Contemplation”, the recording of which is posted within the Guided Meditations page of the website.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk:Â Integrating Compassion with Equanimity
The topic for the next meeting will provide a review regarding the integration of Sympathetic Joy with equanimity. Sympathetic Joy describes the empathetic enjoyment of the happiness and success of another, balanced by equanimity.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:28 — 59.0MB)
by Peter Carlson | Aug 22, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Sympathetic Joy is one of the Four Divine Abidings, and this guided meditation provides instructions on how to integrate Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena, and Right Effort to cultivate Equanimity, another of the Divine Abidings, which functions to bring balance and clarity to the experience of appreciating another beings happiness and success in unselfish ways. This recording is intended to provide experiential support for the Dharma talk delivered the same night entitled “Cultivating Sympathetic Joy With Equanimity”. Both recordings are posted within the archives of this website.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:02 — 41.2MB)
