by Peter Carlson | Jan 2, 2025 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, Peter follows a tradition in this community to provide opportunities for those who have recently completed a significant retreat experience to “think out loud” about the retreat. Much of what is experienced during a retreat is not fully integrated without the opportunity to describe the retreat’s routine and any important insights that occurred during the experience. This process supports integrating the practice insights into one’s lifestyle perceptions and meditative skills, as well as informing and inspiring others regarding the benefits of the immersive experience of participating in a residential retreat. This retreat follows on the Dharma talk entitled “Anapanasati 16 Steps Review” that Peter presented on December 11, 2024, just prior to the retreat. Peter quoted excerpts from Analayo’s translation of the Anapanasati Sutta and his book “Mindfulness of Breathing”, taking opportunities to describe how he realized some of the insights described during the retreat. He also described how his extensive self-retreat experience was challenged by recurring back problems, forcing the end of a planned 2 week retreat after 8 days.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 9, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk focuses on reviewing the 16 stanzas of the Anapanasati Sutta, one of the core teachings of Buddhism. The stanzas are typically organized into four tetrads, which mirror the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, another key Buddhist discourse. The talk of March 1, 2023 reviewed how the practice of anapanasati, mindfulness of breathing meditation, restructures important neural pathways in the brain, supporting the process of Awakening, and this presentation is intended to complement that talk. There are several references within this talk from an important book on the subject: “Mindfulness of Breathing–a practice guide and translations” by Bhikkhu Analayo, a contemporary authority on this topic.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Anapanasati 16 Steps Review
Here is a translation of the Anapanasati Sutta by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, another respected scholar/monk: Anapanasati-Thanissaru Bhikkhu
The talk planned for next week will provide an opportunity for another of our teachers, Lezlie Laws, to review a residential retreat she attended that integrated intensive hatha yoga practice with mindfulness of breathing meditation.
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by Peter Carlson | Mar 2, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk provides a review of how the practice of mindfulness with breathing meditation changes the structure of those areas of the brain that beneficially affect consciousness for better mental health and to promote the process of Awakening. There is an accompanying “Guided Mindfulness With Breathing Meditation”, recorded prior to this meeting and posted in the Audio archives.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Breathing With Mindfulness
The focus of next week’s talk will provide a review of the 16 stages found in the Anapanasati Sutta, the Mindfulness With Breathing Discourse. The stages provide experiential “markers” that can help meditation practitioners confirm their progress during the process of Awakening.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:28 — 58.1MB)
by Peter Carlson | Mar 2, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This meditation provides training for cultivating persistent attention to breath sensations, ending with a contemplation of spaciousness.
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 3, 2021 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk continues an extensive review of the Satipatthana Sutta, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse. The focus for this review is on how anapanasati, mindfulness of breathing meditation, can be developed in two ways to foster insight into the conditioned nature of the mind: Through exclusive focus on breath sensations leading to jhana (a highly developed state of awareness that is hard to achieve) followed by insight practices, and through what is called “dry vipassana”, which uses mindfulness of breathing for concentrating the mind for a more inclusive cultivation of insight. There is an accompanying guided meditation, “Guided Anapanasati Meditation” which was recorded the same evening, June 2, 2021, and which can be found in the Archives.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Breath Awareness for Quieting the Mind
Next week’s topic will focus on Mindfulness in the Four Postures and Clear Knowledge In Regards To Activities, sections of the First Foundation of Mindfulness.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:12 — 115.7MB)