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.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:42 — 107.5MB)
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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by Peter Carlson | Jun 17, 2021 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk completes the review of the First Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of the Body. These remaining categories of the discourse are reviewed: Foulness: The Body Parts, The Four Elements and The Nine Charnel Ground Contemplations. Each contemplation is reviewed, with critiques as to the relevance of the body parts and charnel ground contemplations in contemporary life experience. The Four Elements contemplation is more understandable and workable, and is intended to be supported by the posted “Guided Four Elements Contemplation” recording, found in the archive for June 16, 2021. The review is followed by questions and comments from those attending the Zoom meeting.
Here are the notes prepared for the talk: MINDFULNESS OF THE BODY ADAPTATIONS
The topic for next week will continue reviewing the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse, focusing on Mindfulness of Feelings, the Second Foundation of Mindfulness.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:03 — 128.3MB)
by Peter Carlson | Mar 28, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter read passages of the Anapanasati Sutta, the discourse on the practice of mindfulness of breathing. The passages referred to provide training for cultivating vitakka and vicara, aiming attention at the breath and sustaining that awareness. With practice, awareness of the sensation of breathing becomes more intimate and persistent, setting the circumstances that support the practice of vipassana, insight into the characteristics of impermanence, non-self and the consequences of craving and clinging.
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by Peter Carlson | Aug 7, 2025 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter responds to questions from those attending, focusing on the importance of establishing mindfulness of breathing as a stabilizing reference point, because the intention to remain aware of the sensations experienced while breathing as other mental phenomena occur provides a “distancing” effect, enabling us to be less affected as craving and clinging occur and thereby enabling us to understand the impermanent and impersonal nature of subjective experience. He also describes how he uses his body scanning practice to open to experiencing the absence of an enduring/autonomous self.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:14 — 56.1MB)
