by Peter Carlson | Jul 26, 2012 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Beginning with a long excerpt from the Kalama Sutta, Peter emphasized the Buddha’s teaching on personal validation of the concepts within Buddhism. The Kalamas were a tribe of critical thinkers who enjoyed challenging priests and philosophers regarding their presentations to the tribe. The Buddha exhorted them to not take anything on face value, but instead to validate or invalidate a particular self-state through mindfulness, organized around the ethics described in the Five Precepts: not to kill, steal, misbehave sexually, speak deceptively or hurtfully, and to not intoxicate the body/mind. The group was challenged to examine carefully how they can assess in their own experience how, for example, hostility toward an insect might be acceptable–but then, where does one draw the line? What is it about your direct, immediate experience that forms your response? The dialogue was so engaging and lively that it was agreed to continue the discussion at the next meeting.
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 21, 2012 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dialogue, Tim explored the importance of paticca sammupada, typically translated as dependent origination. This core concept of the Buddha’s teachings describes how karma (past experience) shapes our perceptions and responses in current events, followed by our behavioral responses. After the karmic influence is enacted, the result (called vipakka) goes back into our memory banks until new circumstances occur that have enough potency to re-enact the karma. During the dialogue, Peter commented on how the process changed toward alleviating suffering when mindfulness monitors the emergence of the karmic influence, determines whether it’s wholesome or unwholesome, and responds accordingly to discard the unwholesome and enact wholesome actions.
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by Peter Carlson | Feb 23, 2012 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Continuing the exploration of how to increase the relevance of Buddhist wisdom in our era, this discussion explored the relationship between the concept of kamma (karma) and action. Emphasis was placed on using mindfulness to restrain impulsive action in order to promote behavior that cultivates kindness and compassion. This was related to current personal, cultural and spiritual conditions. This sets a foundation for thorough exploration of Right Livelihood in the next few talks.
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by Peter Carlson | Nov 6, 2011 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, the cumulative benefits of cultivating satta sambojjhanga, the seven wholesome mind states that are to be cultivated to move the mind toward awakening (Nibbana). Mindfulness, investigation of phenomena, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration and equanimity were described and their mutual influence explored.
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by Peter Carlson | Apr 3, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
In the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse, one suggestion for practice focuses on contemplating the Four Elements: Earth (feelings of hardness, softness, pressure, density, etc.), Air (movement in or of the body), Fire (variations in temperature sensations) and Water (awareness of liquidity or cohesion). When the discourse was being formed, that worldview suggested that all of reality was composed of these elements; current understanding can find the contemplation to be valuable subjectively as focusing on body sensations interrupts the intrusive and urgent demands of internal narrative processes. Successful contemplation of this sort cultivates stability of attention and internal tranquility. The recording below is a training meditation led by Peter inviting meditators to investigate the variety of Elements that can be perceived and felt during the meditation. This posting will be followed by the recording and notes prepared and delivered focused on “Mindful Coping And Cultivating An Adaptive Lifestyle”
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