Self State Integration

During this talk, Peter summarized the effect of overcoming the five hindrances through the cultivation of the seven factors of awakening.  The interaction between the mind’s idealized expected outcome and the self organization that emerges, producing stress, was described as “self state conflicts”.  The example used was “I’ll do this perfectly and everyone will be grateful and admire me” to illustrate that this expectation will not show up as predicted, producing stress and confusion.  Peter described how activating and perfecting the cooperative functioning of the seven awakening factors produces “self state integration”, the clarity and stability of which provides support for using vipassana for “self state transcendence”, the process of awakening, which will be explored at the next meeting.

Here are the notes that were prepared for the talk:

SELF STATE INTEGRATION

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Cultivating Jhana

Peter described the characteristics of jhana from both the “sutta jhana” and “Visuddhimagga jhana” models.  The benefits of jhana practice were reviewed, suggesting the real benefit of jhana practice is the cultivation of the seven Awakening Factors, which will be discussed in depth during next week’s discussion.  Peter’s notes for this talk are posted above this posting, including URL addresses for downloading an ebook relevant to jhana practice, and a page from Leigh Brasington’s site with various articles about the jhanas.

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Mindful Breathing And Insight

This Dhamma dialogue reviews three levels of awareness related to mindfulness of breathing and how they interact with the practice of vipassana, that is, insight into the impermanent and selfless nature of personal experience.  The first level is simply being aware “This is the in-breath, this is the out-breath”.  The second level is a cultivated interest in the “textural” quality of the breath sensation, while the third level narrows the focuses the concentrated awareness around a discrete, singular sensation “like noticing the sensation of one nasal hair vibrating”.  How each level relates to the practice of vipassana was described and then there was a general discussion of these practices.

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