by Peter Carlson | Apr 19, 2018 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This is the second in an extensive series of talks investigating the Satipatthana Sutta, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse. Tonight’s focus is on the First Foundation, Mindfulness of the Body, specifically Mindfulness of Breathing meditation. Peter went through the stanzas focused on that core practice to illuminate the meaning and application of each part. The importance of the four applications of “diligence, clear awareness, mindfulness and setting aside covetousness and grief for the world” to realize the benefits of the practice was emphasized.
This was followed by discussion to clarify the terms and practice.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Understanding Mindfulness of Breathing
Next week’s talk will focus on the next two topics of the First Foundation regarding posture and of clear comprehension.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 11, 2021 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk reviews the meditation practices represented in the Visuddhimagga, the common reference source for Theravada Buddhists. This approach to meditation is intended to lead to the extraordinary levels of consciousness called jhana, and which are only found in Theravada Buddhism. During the talk, the progression of practicing meditation from using intensive investigation of breath sensations to overcome the five hindrances, through what is called access concentration and on to the four jhanas of form. These four progressions of concentrated attention are described, related to the teachings and the personal experience of the presenter, Peter. The description also includes comments that assess the relationship between the high levels of concentration required in this practice to other systems developed by Buddhist teachers termed dry vipassana; these practices were described in recent previous talks. This was followed by opportunities for those participating to add comments or ask questions.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Review of Classic Theravada Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation Additionally, here is a document downloaded in preparation for this talk and which is referred to at the end of the talk: VIPASSANA AND JHANA
There is a guided meditation entitled “Guided Exclusive Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation” recorded the same night at this talk, which can be found in the archives.
The topic for next week will be a review of the ways the structure and functioning of the brain are changed by dedicated mindfulness of breathing meditation as discovered by contemporary neuroscientific researchers.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 11, 2021 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This guided meditation provides training in the cultivation of highly persistent and detailed mindfulness of breathing meditation as recommended by the teachings of the Pa Auk Sayadaw, who is an acknowledged master of jhana practice. The goal of this practice is to cultivate unitary focused attention on the sensations noticed in the area around the rim of the nostrils in preparation for extraordinary states of mind called jhanas. This presentation is intended to accompany the Dharma talk of the same evening, March 10, 2021, entitled “Reviewing Exclusive Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation”, and which also reviews the characteristics of the Theravadan cultivation of the Four Jhanas.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 25, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This guided meditation was created to provide an introduction regarding basic mindfulness of breathing practice for a new meditation student during the meeting of July 24, 2024.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 31, 2016 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk concludes a series of explorations of the neuroscientific discoveries about how mindfulness of breathing meditation restructures important neural pathways during the process of awakening. The topic for this discussion reviews some of the progressive steps in mindful breath awareness as they are manifested in important neural pathways to promote samadhi/passadhi (stable attention/emotional balance), and how that supports vipassana (insight) during the process of awakening.
Next week’s discussion will begin a series of explorations of how various difficult mental processes such as depression, anxiety, addiction and substance abuse are beneficially addressed by mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation practices.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: NEUROPHYSIOLOGY AND MINDFULNESS OF BREATHING
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