by Peter Carlson | Dec 3, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, the lojong commitment “Don’t Put A Horse’s Load On A Donkey” was reviewed. The emphasis of the commitment is to avoid idealizing expectations of self or others, that is, to avoid perfectionism. One of the benefits of being relieved of the stress and confusion of the five hindrances is the release of energy into the process of awareness. This can manifest as overreaching one’s capabilities, or displacing responsibility on others, thereby expecting too much of their capabilities. This leads to contempt and a feeling of disconnection from self and others. A goal of this practice is to become clearly aware of how self-organization either leads to clarity or to confusion, and eventually understanding how to release the “hardened” expectations that result from craving and clinging.
Here are the notes for the discussion: MANAGING THE BURDEN OF RESPONSIBILITY
Here is the worksheet provided for those attending the meeting: Relationship Responsibility Worksheet
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by Peter Carlson | May 28, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter reviewed his self-retreat from May 9-22. The experience was related to the previous discussions about the Anapanasati Sutta (the discourse on mindfulness of breathing), and to the sorts of experiences that might arise during an intensive retreat. He specifically associated the cultivation of the the seven awakening factors–mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena, energy/effort, joy/interest, tranquility, concentration and equanimity–to the experiences during the retreat. This was followed by discussion among those present to clarify some of what was described.
Next week, the topical theme will change significantly. Since Peter has been a psychotherapist nearly as long as he’s practiced and taught mindfulness, there will be discussions about stress in this culture, producing anxiety, depression, addictive behaviors, relationship discord from a Buddhist perspective, with suggestions about how Buddhism may be useful in providing relief from the stress.
by Peter Carlson | Apr 9, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk was recorded on April 8, 2015, and is the follow-up on the talk entitled “Anapanasati And Anicca April 1 2015. During this talk, Peter described how mindfulness of the arising and passing away of mental fabrications leads naturally to a sense of decreased “energy” or “thirst” regarding craving and clinging. Peter also emphasized how important samadhi/passadhi (concentration/tranquility) are to “draining away:” the potency of craving. This was followed by a lively discussion of how to cultivate dispassion. During next week’s talk, the topic of cessation will be explored as part of the Fourth Tetrad of the Anapanasati Sutta.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 28, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter explains the “fulfilling of the seven factors of awakening”, as described by the Anapanasati Sutta, quoting the translation by Gil Fronsdal. During the explanations, Peter used a graphic illustration of what are called the “panca bala”, the five powers, to describe the dynamic balancing of energy-tranquility, combined with the balancing of concentration-investigation. This process is ongoing due to the reality of impermanence, and the resulting dynamic equilibrium is equanimity.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 28, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This recording is associated with the previously posted .mp3 file, “Deerhaven Sixth Night Dhamma Talk”. It was recorded during a guided body sweep meditation, and included the parts of the body mentioned in the title. As mentioned previously, the purpose of this meditation is to support the cultivation of the seven awakening factors: mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena, energy/ persistent Right Effort, joy, tranquility, concentration and equanimity.
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