by Peter Carlson | Mar 24, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk continues the series entitled “How Do You Want to Live?”, which began February 17, 2022. “Right Relationship” is not a true Buddhist conceptual category, but is applicable to our lived experience. At the beginning of the talk, a quote from the Suttas states that Sangha, meaning spiritual relationship, “is the whole of the of the holy life”, in the context of the Noble Eightfold Path’s conceptual understanding of how to live. A similar concept from contemporary psychological research called Attachment Theory, is described as supportive of the Buddhist concept of Interdependence. Peter describes some of the exercises he provided for clients as a psychotherapist regarding effective interpersonal communications that includes references to Mindfulness and emotional self-regulation to negotiate relationships successfully.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: MINDFULNESS AND RIGHT RELATIONSHIP
The topic for next week’s talk will be the benefits of mindfulness regarding good physical health. We must be more proactive in regards to our physical health–otherwise, our health care system, already stressed, will be overwhelmed with patients whose conditions could be addressed to reduce the likelihood of illness.
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 11, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, April provides her research and insights regarding the Seven Awakening Factors, emphasizing the importance of the factors of Mindfulness, Investigation of Dhammas, Energy and Joy. Investigation, Energy and Joy activate the Wholesome Mind Conditioning Factors, monitored by Mindfulness. Next week’s talk will provide Part 2 of the review, focusing on the moderating Awakening Factors, Tranquility, Concentration, and Equanimity, once again monitored by mindfulness.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Orlando Insight The Seven Factors of Awakening
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by Peter Carlson | Jul 19, 2018 | Listen to Dharma Talks
As exploring the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness continues, the importance of understanding how the Five Aggregates functions in organizing an experience of “selfing” conceptually integrates with the ability to mindfully investigate the experience of form, feelings, perceptions, mind conditioners and consciousness as mental phenomena without identifying with their interactive functioning as a self that is autonomous and enduring. During the talk, the 52 mental conditioners called cetasikas were described categorically as Universal, Occasional, Unwholesome and Wholesome (with the addition of feelings and perceptions on the list). Peter used the example of jealousy (listed as envy among the cetasikas) as a category that all people experience, then talking about the jealousy experienced as a memory of a favored sibling getting the “best” piece of cake as an explicit and personalized manifestation of craving and clinging to clarify how to investigate mind conditioners through vipassana practice.
This was followed by discussion of how mindful and non-attached investigation of the presence or absence of awareness of one of the five aggregates affects one’s lived experience in the process of Awakening.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: UNDERSTANDING THE FIVE AGGREGATES
Here is the cetasikas poster that is posted in the meditation room that was referred to in the talk: CETASIKAS POSTER
Next week’s talk will explore how mindfulness of the “six sense bases” furthers the process of Awakening.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 14, 2014 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This is the second of two talks about the importance of the practice of mindfulness of feelings. During this talk, Peter reviewed paticca samuppada, usually translated as dependent origination. A new rendering of the term was explained, that is, contingent provisional emergence, with clarification of the non-linear, mutually influential functions that affect how the mind overlays a provisional interpretation of raw sense data input, thereby creating a “selfing moment”. In this creative process, attention becomes fixated on a particular feeling and perception, creating the craving and clinging dynamic that is the driving force of our distresses about life. Mindfulness of feelings as feelings allows the skilled meditator to avoid “personalizing” the emerging self-organization, providing relief from craving and clinging.
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by Peter Carlson | Feb 22, 2014 | Listen to Dharma Talks
The subtitle of this talk could be “The Four Elements Meditation”. Several years ago, Peter found the title quote in a book by Jack Kornfield. In the book, he talked of visiting Las Vegas in his monastic robes and seeing “You Must Be Present To Win” signage above the door into a casino, presumably announcing rules regarding a lottery. Peter appreciates the irony, so painted a sign with those words that’s posted above the room where our Sangha meets to meditate. During the talk, he described the nature of the four elements, earth, air, fire and water as subjective awarenesses, that is, earth is density or pressure, air is movement, fire is temperature, and water is cohesiveness. These focus points for meditation practice are for developing mindfulness of the body, and are mentioned in the Satipatthana Sutta. Mindfulness of the body is useful as being several ways to interrupt the internal chatter in order to cultivate concentration and tranquility. After this, Peter led a brief guided meditation to familiarize participants regarding the practice. This was followed by discussion about the experience and utility of the practice.
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