by Peter Carlson | Sep 4, 2014 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dharma dialogue, the awakening factor of mindfulness was described. Peter referred to a Wikipedia definition of metacognition, a psychological term developed without reference to Buddhist psychology, that seems to be synonymous with mindfulness. The neurological research describing which parts of the brain activated in the process of mindful awareness was described as well. Following this, there was a brief guided meditation to emphasize recognition of the present function of mindfulness of the body as a stable point of reference supporting vipassana practice.
Here is the .doc file of the notes prepared for this week’s discussion: SATI As A Factor For Awakening
Next week’s discussion will explore dhamma vicaya bojjhanga, the awakening factor for the investigation of mental phenomena.
by Peter Carlson | Apr 23, 2014 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dialogue, Peter first described the classical way of understanding the hindrance of aversion and ill-will. He then provided a review of current neurobiological understanding of how various brain structures process incoming stimuli to assess for either threat or reward. During this phase, he explained the close association between the avoidance of unpleasant feeling and the onset of addictive behaviors. This was linked to the emphasis placed on serenity in the various 12-step organizations, particularly the 11th step regarding daily meditation and prayer. This was followed by a clarifying dialogue among the sangha members about this process. Next week’s talk will explore more directly how we can notice the arising of aversion , the nature of arisen aversion, how to dissolve aversion and how to avoid the future arising of aversion.
by Peter Carlson | Nov 10, 2011 | Listen to Dharma Talks
It is the custom of the Orlando Insight Meditation Group to dedicate a meeting after a significant retreat experience to the sharing of the insights gained by the yogis during the retreat. There were 21 people on the retreat, and several showed up to talk about it. The changes in the mind that occur during a retreat are deep and function outside of the aware verbalizing functions of the brain. Peter encourages yogis to talk in order to bring these deep changes more clearly into awareness, so they are more integrated and more accessible for future access. Also, those who were not at the retreat can benefit from hearing about the insights and benefits gained from the intense practice of meditation on retreat.
by Peter Carlson | Feb 14, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk concludes two focused on the elements of Dukkha, craving and clinging; the talk on tanha, craving,was posted on February 6. Peter described the term Upadana as basically meaning fuel or nutriment, that which feeds the selfing process. Upadana is the “maturing” of craving when the mind is insufficiently alert and balanced. Contemporary research into how the brain transforms stimulation into a sense of self through what is termed the binding process. Peter described how mindfulness of breathing meditation can provide the stability of attention and the level of insight into the process of becoming as described in the concept of dependent origination. These explanations were followed by general group discussion regarding the applications of mindfulness to reveal and overcome the various manifestations of clinging.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: WORKING WITH CLINGING
Next week’s talk will focus on working with karma.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 25, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter again emphasized how different 21st century culture is from the time of the Buddha. During that era, it was assumed that a person’s karma was determined by what clan he or she was born into, and karma was equivalent to fate. The Buddha’s radical change was claim that a person’s salvation from suffering, related to karma, depends upon his or her ethical behaviors, not birth status. Peter further emphasized that modern scientific research also suggests that relief from suffering is ethical, in that the different regions of the brain recruited in the process of developing a personal narrative work best when the results represent kindness rather than self-absorption. During next week’s talk, this topic will be revisited to explore how modern neuroscience takes the place of old Brahmanic philosophy, to make sense of the universe of human consciousness.
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