by Peter Carlson | Mar 28, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter described the Five Hindrances, the primary afflictions that distort our perceptions about reality. They are sense desire, aversion and ill-will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and skeptical doubt. Peter described how, in the Satipatthana Sutta, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness discourse, there are instructions to notice the presence, absence, causes and solutions for the hindrances. He mentioned the Seven Awakening Factors as antidotes for the hindrances. He emphasized that experience is a process, and energy flow that can be free and adaptive, while the hindrances operate as “energy dumps”.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 28, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter spoke of the Buddhist tradition of the three refuges, Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, from a contemporary setting. Taking refuge means to allow the structure of the retreat to support the cultivation of mindfulness from waking up until sleeping. The Buddha represents the capacity we all have for awakening to the reality of impermanence, the absence of an enduring self and the inevitability that dissatisfaction emerges from craving and clinging. The Dhamma represents the instructions and practices that support awakening, and the Sangha represents the communal effort shared during the course of the retreat.
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by Peter Carlson | Nov 27, 2014 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Since we meet on Wednesday evenings, the night before Thanksgiving has been focused on a Buddhist perspective on gratitude and the increasing spirit of generosity that emerges from dedicated mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation practices. The participants in the group each talked of their experiences related to their practice and this time of year.
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by Peter Carlson | Oct 23, 2014 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter reviewed the Four Noble Truths, emphasizing the ultimate development of the Noble Eightfold Path, Right Knowledge and Right Release, the transformation of Right Understanding and Right Intention from concept to direct realization. This practice moves from “self state conflict” (the five hindrances) through “self state integration” toward awakening as the seven awakening factors mature through mindfulness practices. He emphasized that awakening is a process, not an identifiable “state” of being. He quoted extensively from an article posted by Gil Fronsdal on the “Tenfold Path” to illustrate the process.
Here are the notes from the evening’s discussion: SELF STATE TRANSCENDENCE
Next week’s discussion will focus on the process of awakening, reviewing various traditional descriptions of awakening, with an emphasis on what are called “the progressions of insight”.
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 26, 2014 | Listen to Dharma Talks
As is our custom, after a significant retreat event, there’s a dialogue about the retreat experience amongst the participants. Since much of what occurs is deeper than conscious awareness, having the opportunity to talk about the experience among other knowledgeable meditation students can consolidate the learning and make it more accessible in daily life routines. The group discussion this evening was among experienced practitioners, so the dialogue was at a more advanced level. Next week’s dialogue will begin to explore the next stanzas of the Satipatthana Sutta, mindfulness of mental objects, involving the Buddhist concept of self-structure, the Five Aggregates of Clinging. This series of explorations will include a core principle of Buddhist psychology, paticca sammupada, usually translated as dependent origination.
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