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)
by Peter Carlson | Jan 27, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This guided meditation is intended to accompany the Dharma talk entitled “Cultivating Lovingkindness” recorded on January 26, 2022 and posted on the website. During the meditation, a series of suggestions are offered that cultivate focusing benevolent intention towards one’s own self-experience, followed by focusing lovingkindness towards a traditional hierarchy of persons, and then contemplating radiating lovingkindness towards all creatures that we share life with on the planet.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:56 — 41.1MB)
by Peter Carlson | Feb 10, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk reviews the concepts and practices associated with cultivating Mudita, translated as Sympathetic Joy, one of the four Divine Abidings. Mudita is the empathetic cognitive and emotional response shaped by lovingkindness which celebrates the success and happiness of others in an unselfish way. The description also clarifies the characteristics of the far enemy and near enemy of sympathetic joy, along with suggestions for reflecting on the value of gratitude and generosity in the cultivation of Mudita. There is a recorded meditation posted in the archives of this website entitled “Guided Contemplation Of Sympathetic Joy”, which is intended to supplement the concepts and practices reviewed in this recording.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: CELEBRATING HAPPINESS FOR OTHERS
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:30 — 54.5MB)
