by April Koester | Apr 27, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Lezlie Laws gives us background on the historical period that shaped the Buddha’s early life up to the point of his Enlightenment in 528 BCE. She reviews the predominant characteristics of what is now called the “Axial Age” and show how this unique time in history created a context for the Buddha to shun the political life that was planned for him and to take up the life of a “renouncer,” a spiritual seeker. By examining his early life, we see how his core teachings were taking form in his mind long before he became one of the most influential spiritual teachers of his age.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Buddha’s Early Life
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 27, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Lezlie Laws initially provides an overview of the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of Mental Phenomena. She then describes how the Five Hindrances are recognized and effectively set aside. This talk also includes a period of time for questions to be discussed.
The focus for the next talk will be the next category of the Fourth Foundation, the Five Aggregates.
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by Peter Carlson | Jan 11, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter provides a brief speculative review of Siddhartha Gautama’s life experience, before he became known as the Buddha. The intention here is to consider the sociocultural stresses of his time in comparison to the stresses of contemporary life. He lived in what were the most comfortable and hedonistic circumstances of the day, which pale in comparison to what conditions our self-identities and expectations currently. Despite all the lifestyle securities and comforts, he decided to dedicate his life to spiritual development rather than self-indulgence. How might this apply to our current life circumstances and motivations for spiritual development? This is followed by Peter’s description of what motivated his interest in Buddhist meditation when he began practicing and what continues to motivate him currently. Others present also contributed their motivations for meditating.
The topic for next week’s talk will be an overview of the Four Noble Truths, the core teaching within all the various Buddhist traditions. This will be an introduction to an extended exploration reviewing each of the Four Noble Truths over a series of talks throughout the year.
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by Peter Carlson | Aug 1, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Allie reviews the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path and then describes the transition of Right Understanding to Right Knowledge and Right Intention to Right Release, in effect changing the Eightfold Path to the Tenfold Path. Her comments are supplemented by Peter, who describes this direct subjective confirmation of the concepts within the Eightfold Path as the result of the perfection of the Seven Awakening Factors. Right Knowledge and Right Release can manifest ultimately as Nirvana, but each time the mind is momentarily freed from craving and clinging, the benefits of this Knowledge and Release bring momentary relief.
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by Peter Carlson | Nov 6, 2019 | Listen to Dharma Talks
The Five Aggregates of Clinging are an important Buddhist concept that is useful in “deconstructing” the notion of an enduring autonomous self. Peter reviewed a classic Buddhist simile, that of a chariot. The term “chariot” is a useful concept in the construction and use of the vehicle; when does it stop being a chariot–through eliminating the wheels, the yoke, etc.? Several times during the retreat Peter emphasized the importance of realizing what is called namarupa–nama referring to what is fabricated by the mind, rupa referring to the unprocessed sensory input that stimulates the mind’s fabrications. Progress along the Path to Awakening requires clear mindful awareness of namarupa in order to reveal the fabricated nature of the self, to deconstruct the process through investigation of the process of selfing, much the same way as one might understand the process of fabricating a chariot. This was followed by another question period to clarify understanding and the meditation practice of that day.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: THE FIVE AGGREGATES OF CLINGING
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