During this talk, Peter answered questions from the sangha members attending the meeting, with an emphasis on practical applications of mindfulness meditation to daily life routines, particularly the benefits of slow walking meditation.
Next week’s talk is on Thanksgiving Eve, so the dialogue will focus on gratitude, from the perspective of both receiving and giving.
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During this talk, Peter explained upekkha bojjhanga, the equanimity awakening factor. In the process, equanimity was described as the result of effective, dynamic interactions between the other six factors of awakening, which produces the most appropriate balance between joy and tranquility, concentration and investigation of mental phenomena, monitored by mindfulness and effected by energy as right effort. The function of equanimity to bring balance to lovingkindness, compassion and sympathetic joy was explained. Additionally, the dominance of equanimity in the third and fourth jhanas was described, and how this relates to the seven factors of awakening.
Here are the notes prepared for the presentation: THE EQUANIMITY AWAKENING FACTOR
Next weeks discussion will begin to explore the culmination of the Noble Eightfold Path, a “revisiting” of Right Understanding and Right Intention.
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During this talk, Peter explained how these seven factors, led by mindfulness, function. Initially, in their undeveloped, weakest form, they apply a counter to the action of the five hindrances. As the hindrances are set aside and the function of the mind becomes clarified, coherent and energized, the seven factors are matured in their function: “During the first stages of practice, they function to ward of the demons; as that is accomplished, they function to feed the angels!” The angels are mental clarity, compassion, generosity, kindness, etc.
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During this talk, Peter described Paticca Samupadda, usually translated as the principle of Dependent Origination. This is one of the core concepts of Buddhism, as it explains how the dynamics of self formation and dissolution operate. Emphasis was placed on understanding that being able to directly experience feeling as feeling (the second of the four foundations of mindfulness) interrupts the formation and operation of craving and clinging, and that these functions are core to the problem of suffering. Feeling brings resolution to this problem, and is why so much emphasis is placed on body awareness, particularly on strongly pleasant or unpleasant feelings in a non-reactive way.
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During this dialogue, Tommy reviewed the last two presentations Peter provided on craving and clinging. Tommy’s frequent use of facilitating questions opened up a lively dialogue among the folks attending. Wendy asked for comments from others about how they approach cultivating mindfulness at the start of the day, and received an abundance of reports from various Sangha members that were quite helpful.
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