by Peter Carlson | Oct 13, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk reviews the Awakening Factors Joy and Tranquility. The understanding of the review is that the first three Awakening Factors, Mindfulness, Investigation Of Mental Phenomena and Energy/Effort/Persistence, which were reviewed during the talk of October 5, 2022, support the development of the remaining Awakening Factors. The traditional understanding of these two factors is reviewed, along with some of the contemporary research on the nervous system that validates Buddhist concepts. Their development creates the conditions in the mind that bring clarity and a quality of regulation to the actions of the sympathetic nervous system, which energizes the mind and body, expressed as the Awakening Factor of Joy. The parasympathetic nervous system calms the mind and body, and is the Awakening Factor of Tranquility. As the Awakening Factors mature, these two systems are dynamically integrated and balanced.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: The Seven Awakening Factors—Part 2
The focus of the next talk will be a review of the remaining Awakening Factors, Concentration/Unification and Equanimity/Balance, which function to coordinate and balance the other five Awakening Factors.
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by Peter Carlson | Oct 20, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk reviews the remaining two of the Seven Awakening Factors, Concentration/Unification and Equanimity/Balance. The first three factors, Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena and Energy/Effort/Persistence (In the form of Right Effort), monitor and regulate the other factors. The next two factors, Joy/Enthusiastic Engagement and Tranquility, provide appropriate interactions between emotions–the manifestation of mental energy without emotional turbulence. Concentration/Unification is reviewed to reflect the traditional cultivation of jhana states, along with more contemporary practices involving developing enough stability of attention to coordinate the Awakening Factors functions. Equanimity/Balance is reviewed to clarify how the coordinated actions of the factors are balanced and not subject to either desire, aversion or ignorance.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: The Seven Awakening Factors, Part 3
The next talk will review the Progressions of Insight, a conceptual structured description of what can be recognized subjectively as the mind becomes more Awakened, leading ultimately to the experience of Nirvana.
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by Peter Carlson | Oct 27, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk reviews a system developed over several centuries after the life of the Buddha that describes various levels of conscious awareness that can be experienced during the process of Awakening. The Progressions of Insight, as they are often called, begin with developing an ethically integrated lifestyle and the cultivation of the basic skills of mindfulness, investigation and Right Effort. As the development of the process matures, insights of an increasingly subtle and profound nature are experienced that validate the Buddhist foundational concepts of impermanence (anicca), the distress and confusion that results from craving and clinging (dukkha), and the absence of an enduring and autonomous self (anatta). The final goal of this progression is direct experience of Nirvana (the ultimately unconditioned state of mind).
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: STAGES OF AWAKENING
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by Peter Carlson | Jan 5, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Typically, the meeting after Peter’s annual year-end retreat is dedicated to his recounting of the retreat experience, with the hope his review will help him integrate the experience as well as provide others more insights about what can happen on retreat. This retreat was significantly disrupted by the unusually 3-day freeze that occurred over Christmas, as the plants in the yard where the retreat cottage is needed to be covered, and then uncovered after the freeze. This created the opportunity for Peter to contemplate the nature of dukkha, the First Nobel Truth, a fundamental concept within Buddhism. There are three aspects of dukkha that are reviewed during the talk: The dukkha of inhabiting a body, the dukkha of experiencing unexpected changes, and the dukkha of how the mind fabricates a self. The third aspect is the primary focus of mindfulness meditation.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Understanding Dukkha
The topic for next week’s talk will focus on reviewing what is called Secular Buddhism.
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by Peter Carlson | Jan 12, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk provides a review of a contemporary non-religious practice of Buddhism called Secular Buddhism, which represents an attempt to understand the original teachings of Buddhism without the cultural religious add-ons that have accumulated over the centuries that are not appreciated as relevant for these transitional times. It is well-known that the percentage of the population who identifies with current religious traditions is diminishing significantly, especially among younger people, while this population largely identifies with spiritual inclinations. An important aspect of this practice that is being reviewed includes the close association between contemporary concepts and practices involving mindfulness and lovingkindness that are being taught and current neuroscientific and psychological research that largely validates the beneficial effects of regular meditation practice for physical, mental and social well-being. Also reviewed is the impact of the internet on the world-wide dispersal of this information.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: What Is Secular Buddhism
The topic for next week’s talk will be a review of how Buddhism understands and practices cultivating compassion, including contemporary research that demonstrates the benefits derived from this training.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:23 — 52.5MB)
