by Peter Carlson | Jan 2, 2025 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter follows a tradition in this community to provide opportunities for those who have recently completed a significant retreat experience to “think out loud” about the retreat. Much of what is experienced during a retreat is not fully integrated without the opportunity to describe the retreat’s routine and any important insights that occurred during the experience. This process supports integrating the practice insights into one’s lifestyle perceptions and meditative skills, as well as informing and inspiring others regarding the benefits of the immersive experience of participating in a residential retreat. This retreat follows on the Dharma talk entitled “Anapanasati 16 Steps Review” that Peter presented on December 11, 2024, just prior to the retreat. Peter quoted excerpts from Analayo’s translation of the Anapanasati Sutta and his book “Mindfulness of Breathing”, taking opportunities to describe how he realized some of the insights described during the retreat. He also described how his extensive self-retreat experience was challenged by recurring back problems, forcing the end of a planned 2 week retreat after 8 days.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 13, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk first focuses on reviewing the Second Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of Feelings; the second focus is on a core concept of Buddhist psychology, Dependent Origination, within which mindfulness of feelings plays a key role. Peter Carlson provides a contemporary rendition of dependent origination, Contingent Provisional Emergence, which describes the ancient concept using more contemporary psychological terminology.
There are two sets of notes accompanying this talk: MINDFULNESS OF FEELINGS and Understanding Contingent Provisional Emergence
There is a guided meditation posted on this site intended to complement the contents of this talk: Guided Mindfulness of Feelings Contemplation
Next week’s talk will review the Third Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of the Mind
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 5, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk is part of the review of part of the First Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of the Body, specifically sati sampajanna, mindful clear comprehension. Peter read quotes from the Satipatthana Sutta regarding how a meditator is to apply mindfulness in all postures and activities and then reviewed the Four Clear Comprehensions from the commentaries: (1) Worthy goal (2) Suitable means (3) Minding the domain (4) Inclining towards Awakening. This was presented as a useful protocol for mundane decision making as well as spiritual development (for more information on mundane decisions search “decision-making” on Wikipedia). This topic seems timely as we are confronted with several challenges currently such as the covid-19 (coronavirus) disease, the political choices of this year, as well as choices regarding lifestyle as current weather anomalies such as unusual heat, rain, or severe storms challenge our customary lifestyle routines. How can this decision making process be coordinated with mindfulness of breathing training to benefit how we live our daily life routines? This explanation was followed by discussion among those attending regarding how this might affect their lives.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Mindful Clear Comprehension
Next week Peter and a number of the members of our group will be on retreat, so there will be no dharma talk on Wednesday evening; folks are welcome to come to the site and meditate between 7-9 PM that day (please be sure to turn off the lights and close the fence gate upon leaving–we don’t want our puppy to roam about the neighborhood!). The dharma talks from the retreat will be recorded and posted through the Audio page on the website after the retreat. The topic for the next talk on March 18 will be a review of the retreat experience by those attending the retreat, a custom of our community.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 12, 2018 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This is the last of a series of talks focusing on how to identify and overcome the five hindrances. Skeptical doubt is the quality of indecisiveness regarding whether one’s understanding and practice of Buddhism is accurate or actually working. The antidote for skeptical doubt is confidence tempered by investigation of how the mind is creating subjective reality. This confidence is fostered by study of Buddhist teachings and commentaries, but must be confirmed by one’s own direct experience, otherwise the confidence may be due to craving and clinging to erroneous perceptions and beliefs. Rigorous daily practice of mindfulness of breathing meditation provides the necessary elements of internal inquiry to overcome doubt.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: OVERCOMING SKEPTICAL DOUBT
Next week’s talk will focus on what the teachings of the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness provide for understanding the Five Aggregates that provide a functional selfing process.
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 18, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Continuing to explore how Buddhist mindfulness and lovingkindness practices can help address mental health issues that are epidemic in our culture, this week’s topic is about the nature of depression from both a modern and Buddhist perspective. Peter described the general symptoms of depression, and the Buddhist concept of the cause of distress being craving and clinging. It was suggested that a major element of depression is a preoccupation with distorted views of self and of life that are negative in their impact. This preoccupation is driven by the misperception that a sad or despairing feeling is a true and permanent rendering of someone’s personality. Mindfulness meditation enables a person to view their troubling emotions and distorted perceptions objectively and channel attention to accepting the emotion without negative self-talk, and substituting more beneficial thoughts and behaviors. The Buddhist concepts of impermanence and non-self emphasize that self organization is dynamically changing, and that clinging to a particular view is disabling.
Peter and other shared their depressive experiences in the past and how mindfulness and lovingkindness practices benefited their recoveries and resilience to current stressful events. Peter described various contemporary psychotherapies that combine mindfulness with standard clinical techniques.
The recording is longer than usual, due to the enthusiastic participation of those attending the meeting. Immediately after this post, the notes prepared for this talk will be posted, including several self-help books involving using mindfulness approaches for alleviating depression.
Next week’s topic will focus on Buddhist understanding of addictive processes, which go beyond the normal descriptions of addictions as being drug related, and how mindfulness practices can be of benefit for preventing addictive relapse
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