Hi Fellow Travelers–Thanks to the causes and conditions provided by the Covid-19 virus there will no assemblies in our meditation cottage until the circumstances make it safe to assemble in groups. I hope this supports and maybe even expands the outreach of the Orlando Insight Meditation Group, the goal of which is to provide training in mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation and practical applications of the Wisdom found within these concepts that will support us as we go through these trying times. Last week’s recording was a first attempt at streaming and hopefully the recording of April 1 will be more effectively posted; the microphone will be muted until the Dharma talk so the meditation will not be interrupted by the sounds of folks entering into the group.
The meeting operates through the Zoom software (OIMG has subscribed for one year at a cost of $150). The URL for the meeting is: https://us04web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUuf-2srDMtnERzureO8f2K4iQeRCf-dQ and the meeting password is 620329. As I understand how it works, you must preregister at the site the URL in order to participate in the events and registering one time will provide access to all the upcoming meetings, as long as we continue streaming them (Which may become a problem when we resume meeting in the meditation building which has weak reception from the server in my home; hopefully sometime later in the Spring we can safely assemble again in the cottage). The meetings will be audio only and, once again as I understand the way it works, the meeting can be accessed by smartphone as well as any internet-connected computer system. The meetings will be recorded and posted on the website as usual. Please be patient with me as I find my way into the world of internet streaming and hopefully we can all benefit from this crisis.
The topic for the meeting on March 31 will combine a contemplation from the First Foundation of Mindfulness, The Four Elements, which involves using noting sensations of pressure, movement, temperature and liquidity to interrupt the narratives that accompany the hindrances; this interruption creates more stability, clarity and tranquility, which is of great benefit in these trying times. The talk will focus on how the pandemic relates to the Four Noble Truths and interdependence. i hope you will participate in the streaming meeting and I wish you well. Peter
This talk was preceded by the posted guided meditation “Overcoming Impulsive Reactivity”, which follows the training indicated in the Second Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of Feelings; the meditation can be found on the Audio Recording page of this site. Feelings are the “driver” of how the mind makes meaning from what we see, hear and feel in the body, and cultivating clarity and equanimity of feelings is an important skill for acquiring stress resiliency, particularly as we are dealing with the disruptions caused by the pandemic. Peter used the Four Noble Truths concepts in relating to Post Traumatic Growth, an area of contemporary research that focuses on how we can emerge from this difficult time with more gratitude, appreciation for the simpler things of life and more enriched relationships. The talk was followed by discussion among those attending the Zoom meeting about how mindfulness can be beneficial for not only coping with stress but also for reevaluating our goals and aspirations in ways that are more optimistic and positively adaptive.
Here are the notes prepared for the talk: Turning Poison Into Medicine Here is an additional document, an interview with Jack Kornfield from the New York Times about mindful and compassionate coping with the pandemic: Jack Kornfield NYT interview
In another of a series of dialogues during which Peter explores ways to transpose the wisdom of the Buddhist teaching called The Four Noble Truths, modern ways of validating the usefulness of virtue to support peace of mind and clarity regarding our daily lifestyle decisions. The significant differences of complexity in our era as compared to the time of the Buddha was emphasized, which requires diligent mental discipline to manage effectively. Next week’s dialogue will explore more modern understandings of Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood, which are the elements of virtue in the Noble Eightfold Path.
[s3mm type=”audio” files=”wp-content/uploads/2013/07/11130454/How We Know Virtue.mp3″ /]
Hi Fellow Travelers–Thanks to the causes and conditions provided by the Covid-19 virus there will no assemblies in our meditation cottage until the circumstances make it safe to assemble in groups. I hope this supports and maybe even expands the outreach of the Orlando Insight Meditation Group, the goal of which is to provide training in mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation and practical applications of the Wisdom found within these concepts that will support us as we go through these trying times. Last week’s recording was a first attempt at streaming and hopefully the recording of April 1 will be more effectively posted; the microphone will be muted until the Dharma talk so the meditation will not be interrupted by the sounds of folks entering into the group.
The meeting operates through the Zoom software (OIMG has subscribed for one year at a cost of $150). The URL for the meeting is: https://us04web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUuf-2srDMtnERzureO8f2K4iQeRCf-dQ and the meeting password is 620329. As I understand how it works, you must preregister at the site the URL in order to participate in the events and registering one time will provide access to all the upcoming meetings, as long as we continue streaming them (Which may become a problem when we resume meeting in the meditation building which has weak reception from the server in my home; hopefully sometime later in the Spring we can safely assemble again in the cottage). The meetings will be audio only and, once again as I understand the way it works, the meeting can be accessed by smartphone as well as any internet-connected computer system. The meetings will be recorded and posted on the website as usual. Please be patient with me as I find my way into the world of internet streaming and hopefully we can all benefit from this crisis.
The topic for the meeting on March 31 will combine a contemplation from the First Foundation of Mindfulness, The Four Elements, which involves using noting sensations of pressure, movement, temperature and liquidity to interrupt the narratives that accompany the hindrances; this interruption creates more stability, clarity and tranquility, which is of great benefit in these trying times. The talk will focus on how the pandemic relates to the Four Noble Truths and interdependence. i hope you will participate in the streaming meeting and I wish you well. Peter
This is the second of a series of talks reviewing the Anapanasati Sutta, the Mindfulness of Breathing Discourse. The first two of the 16 steps in the process of observing the breath involve the application of atapi, a Pali word translated as diligent, or often as ardent. This entails a persistent, committed application of vitakka and vicara, aiming attention at the beginning of the breath and sustaining attention for the duration of the breath. This basic function, when practiced diligently, matures into one of the Seven Awakening Factors, Dhamma Vicaya, Investigation of Mental Phenomena. During the talk Peter also made suggestions to support the level of practice called acquiring the breath, which is the ability to maintain consistent focus on the breath for extended undistracted periods of time while meditating and also integrating mindfulness of breathing into normal daily routines. These skills set the conditions that promote achieving the remaining 14 of the 16 stages of Awakening through the practice of anapanasati. This was followed by general discussion about the individual practices of mindfulness of breathing practiced by those at the meeting.
Next week’s discussion focuses on using acquired breath awareness to become increasingly mindful of sensations throughout the body, the third and fourth stanzas of the Anapanasati Sutta.
