by Peter Carlson | Feb 12, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dhamma dialogue, Peter explored the transition from cultivating a calm and stable focus of attention to the practice of vipassana, insight into the conditioned nature of subjective reality. He described the meanings of kamma (karma in Sanskrit), sankhara, cetasikas and cetana. Kamma and sankhara are almost synonymous and the cetasikas are categories of the different functions of the personality that are organized into kamma by cetana, intention.
This was followed by discussion of how kamma functions in action and how breath awareness interrupts the formation of self-states, allowing opportunities to modify the mind conditioners toward more wholesome and adaptive functions.
Next week’s discussion will focus in on the cetasikas, to foster a deepening insight into how self-states are formed, deconstructing the misperception of a separate, enduring self.
by Peter Carlson | Feb 5, 2015 | Study Resources
Here are the relevant passages from the Anapanasati Sutta for this week’s consideration:
“He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to rapture.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to rapture.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to pleasure.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to pleasure.’ Translated by Thanissaro, downloaded from Access To Insight.
As the result of applied (vitakka) and sustained (vicara) attention to the breath sensations, a great deal of the available energy in the body/mind process is freed up because the energy isn’t channeled through the obsessive thinking and impulsive feelings represented by the hindrances. These thoughts and emotions generate metabolic stresses such as high blood pressure, muscle tension (headaches, backaches, stomach cramps, etc.). Prolonged focus on breath sensations reorganize the energy flows, reducing the physical stress, promoting mental tranquility and clarity. The resulting increases in energy flow manifest as piti, translated as rapture or bliss, accompanied by sukha, translated as happiness or pleasure.
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by Peter Carlson | Feb 5, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This week’s discussion focused on the stanzas in the Anapanasati Sutta related to the cultivation of piti and sukha, Pali words often translated as rapture and pleasure. During the talk, Peter related the commentaries that describe piti dramatically, associated with so-called “Visuddhimagga jhanas”, then suggesting an alternative view regarding “sutta jhanas”, which are more accessible and workable in regards to the process of awakening. Peter then reinforced the passage in the Anapanasati Sutta that describes the culmination of practice as being the maturing of the seven awakening factors, and that piti is one of those factors, generated by the skillful and persistent focus on the mind/body process set forth in previous stanzas of the sutta.
This talk is accompanied by Peter’s notes, posted after this posting.
Next week’s discussion will focus on the next stanza of the sutta, regarding the calming of mental fabrications.
by Peter Carlson | Jan 29, 2015 | Study Resources
This is a guided 45 minute training meditation to facilitate using breath body processes to enhance physical relaxation and emotional calmness, while also increasing mental alertness. It is accompanied by a recorded dhamma dialog describing the parts of the Anapanasati Sutta that promote calming the body: “…He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.'” In addition, the essay Peter prepared before the dhamma dialogue is posted prior to the posting of the .mp3 recording of the dhamma dialogue
by Peter Carlson | Jan 29, 2015 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dhamma dialogue, the exploration of the Anapanasati Sutta was continued, with a focus on the stanzas: “…He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.’
Peter described an ongoing debate as to whether “the entire body” simply refers to the totality of the in- and out-breath cycle without interruption, or whether “the entire body” relates the calming effects of enduring breath awareness is coordinated with relaxing “the bodily fabrication”. The accompanying .mp3 recording of the training meditation that immediately preceded this dialogue orients towards the latter interpretation, emphasizing that the out-breath can coincide with briefly sweeping attention through the body to release and relax any tension that is noted. This strategy allows the body to become increasingly relaxed, the emotions to become increasingly calm, while the degree of internal investigation of the breath and body tensions actually increases internal alertness.
This explanation was followed by dialogues regarding how those participating in the training meditation experienced the practice of mindfulness of breathing. It was noted that suggesting that attention is a flow of energy that is simply nourishing either wholesome or unwholesome self-states, and that the breath is a wholesome factor in that process, as it interrupts the escalation of self-talk and fosters calming.
The next scheduled talk will focus on the effects of this mindful calming, the release of energy into awareness as joy and happiness.