by Peter Carlson | Oct 31, 2019 | Listen to Dharma Talks
It is our custom to offer opportunities for Sangha members who have just completed a significant meditation retreat to “think out loud” about their experience as it is believed that this helps clarify and integrate what they gained from the retreat; it may also inspire those who listen to the talk to attend a retreat. This one-week retreat was themed around the “craft” of mindfulness meditation, using a sequence of talks during the seven nights to cultivate the skills for applying the concepts of Buddhism to their lives. There were 7 of the 17 folks who participated in the retreat who were able to show up for this talk and each shared what they learned and how they are applying the skills and insights at home. Here is the sequence presented during the retreat:
First night–Taking Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in contemporary terms.
Second night–Setting aside the Five Hindrances
Third night– Understanding the Five Aggregates
Fourth night–Developing the Seven Awakening Factors
Fifth night–Understanding Dependent Origination
Sixth night–The process of Awakening
Seventh night–Taking the practice home
Each night of the retreat was recorded and will be posted for review, with a few days between each posting to provide time for listening to the recording and reviewing the notes Peter prepared for most of the talks.
Next week’s Dharma talk will begin a series on the Four Noble Abidings: Lovingkindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity. The Emphasis for each talk will be on how the practices affect the mind and bring benefit to those who mindfully cultivate them.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:19 — 112.3MB)
by Peter Carlson | Oct 17, 2019 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This is the last of a series of talks about how current cultural stress affects us and what the principles and practices of Buddhism have to offer in reducing the dukkha of a particular topic. In this case it is the distress and confusion around how the environment is being affected by current population growth, which is producing global warming and degradation of the environment. Peter cited current observations about the unprecedented growth of human population since the onset of the industrial revolution early in the 19th century. The population of the world is predicted to grow exponentially (nearly a vertical track on a growth chart graphic) to 9 billion people by 2050! The earth’s environment is already strained by current pressures for resource extraction and utilization and is bound to be significantly more stressed over the next few decades. There are political stances about whether global warming is attributable to human CO2 production, but whether or not this is true, the impact of increasing population will continue to degrade the atmosphere, the earth and the water, and this has and will continue to create political and social stresses for the rest of our lifetimes on the planet. Many people respond either with denial about what’s happening or despair regarding whether humanity can survive what is coming. Peter suggested these views represent either aversion or skeptical doubt, and that we as individuals can commit two what we can do with our limited resources as gifts to the next generation, establishing role models of effective action in the face of adversity.
Peter talked about his decisions regarding the environment stemming from reading “Diet For A Small Planet” several decades ago and how the impact of this created a commitment to living a more environmentally responsible life as demonstrated by his current home life (You have to listen to the talk for more details) and how Buddhist principles and practices strongly supported whatever success he has realized. He then invited the participants in the talk to comment on what they might consider to be a commitment to “reduce the environmental dukkha” by their individual lifestyle choices–a form of Right Livelihood. Peter further invites those who are reading this and listening to the talk to consider what lifestyle choices they can commit to that can make an individual difference to the environment with the support of regular mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation practice.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: The Dharma And The Environment
Since Peter and others will be on retreat at Deerhaven next week there will not be a posted dharma talk for Wednesday the 23rd; Daniel Logan will provide a talk entitled “My Favorite Hindrance” at that meeting. Here is the description Daniel provides:
My Favorite Hindrance
Everyone experiences the hindrances, both on and off the cushion. In this week’s dharma discussion we’ll explore our own personal history with a hindrance of our choice through the lens of currere. Currere is an autobiographical method of reflecting upon one’s experience through a subjective and narrative framework. Participants will be guided through the process of reflecting upon past, present, and future experiences related to their experiences with a single hindrance (aversion, doubt, sensual desire, sloth & torpor, restlessness & worry / agitation & remorse) and they will be encouraged to frame these experiences in a manner that serves to strengthen their practice. So come prepared to share your story with a fellow meditator and perhaps with the group at large.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:19 — 97.6MB)
by Peter Carlson | Dec 13, 2018 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This is the second of two consecutive talks exploring how the Buddhist concept of rebirth can be applied to the necessity for individuals and cultures to “reinvent” personal and societal identities while adapting to the radically transformative and stressful conditions of the current era. Peter reviewed the various interlocking conditions of the environment, politics/governance, workplace transformation and other circumstances that humanity will be confronted with over the next several generations. The cultivation of mindfulness, kindness and compassion will support the personal adaptations necessary to grow past a consumerist value system and to overcome the increasing sociocultural divisiveness that are evident in current worldwide greed, hatred and ignorance. As history demonstrates, the changes that individuals experience will also affect larger sociocultural norms that are more suitable for future generations.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: A Different View Of Rebirth Part 2
Peter will be on his annual two-week end of year retreat self-retreat in the cottage where the Sangha meets to meditate, so there will be no postings until after the first Wednesday of 2019, January 2nd. The topic for that talk will be a review of the retreat experience. Whenever there has been a significant retreat for members of the Sangha, they are offered the opportunity to “think out loud” about the experience, as this recounting tends to clarify and integrate whatever learning may have occurred during the retreat. It is also hoped that others will be inspired to go to a residential retreat through this sort of event.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:15 — 103.0MB)
by Peter Carlson | Nov 29, 2018 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter described two applications of generosity: material and relational. Different ascending levels of generosity were also explored: miserly, giving-to-get and selfless, along with how the development of mindfulness and lovingkindness naturally advances the level of generosity. The following discussion used a worksheet to list valued possessions and then to investigate how contemplating giving them away would reveal the level of craving and clinging that could be discovered and released through the practice of generosity.
This was followed by a discussion of the worksheet with particular focus on how attached the self can be to objects that have little material value, but the memories associated with them become self-defining and therefore hard to relinquish. Please consider using the worksheet to explore how attachment inflates the sense of self and diminishes the ability to be generous.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: The Benefits Of Generosity Generosity Worksheet
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:33 — 107.2MB)
by Peter Carlson | Nov 1, 2018 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk explored the addictive aspects of contemporary consumer culture and what the principles and practices of the Four Noble Truths has to offer in addressing these problems, personally and socially. As a Certified Addictions Professional, Peter discussed addictive processes as manifestations of craving and clinging, the essential characteristic of the First and Second Noble Truths. During the discussion, Peter described the strongly irritating nervous energy that permeated his body for much of the prior 45 minute meditation as an example of being directly aware of dukkha, the urgent aversion to the experience and the practice of mindful discarding of any clinging to ending the sitting practice as a way to overcome distress and confusion, creating serenity and minimizing the likelihood of any maladaptive addictive avoidance. He also related mindfulness meditation as supporting the intention of the 11th Step of AA and other recovery movements.
This was followed by discussion of the issues of an addictive culture and appropriate self care. One participant quoted an excerpt from Refuge Recovery (a contemporary Buddhist alternative to 12 step groups) views about addiction that is similar to what the current discussion addressed.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: BUDDHISM AND ADDICTION NOTES
Next week’s talk will focus on how contemporary eating habits affect one’s personal well-being as well as how the increasingly destructive agribusiness practices are harming the environment. The emphasis of the talk will be on how the Four Noble Truths principles and practices can be applied to “wise eating”, having compassion for oneself as well as the environment.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:26 — 123.5MB)
