by Peter Carlson | Jan 10, 2014 | Listen to Dharma Talks
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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by Peter Carlson | Dec 13, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
It is our custom to dedicate the meeting after sangha members have participated in a significant retreat experience to talking about each person’s insights and experience. Peter briefly described the format of the retreat, which was progressively more intimate investigation of the breath process. After this, a lively discussion ensued, with opportunities to explore further the experiences and implications for ongoing practice. Since Peter will be on a 2 week self-retreat until the end of the month, there will be no further dhamma talk recordings until the first weekend of January, and that will focus on Peter’s experience during his retreat. We hope that all who listen to these talks will enjoy a safe and happy holiday season.
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by Peter Carlson | Nov 22, 2013 | Intro to Buddhism & Meditation, Listen to Dharma Talks
During this meeting, Peter provided a guided meditation regarding breath awareness that tracks the progression of focus on the sensations of breathing from the simple awareness “this is the in-breath…this is the out-breath” to cultivate continuity of breath awareness, then “looking closer” to note carefully the textural quality of each breath cycle to increase interest and investigation in awareness. Finally, the meditation students are invited to hone in on one specific touch sensation exclusively in order to cultivate the quality of awareness preparatory to practicing jhana, or alternatively, to maximize the practice of vipassana. A separate file is associated with this notation that reflects the question and answer period following the guided meditation, during which particular points of meditation practice were explored.
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by Peter Carlson | Nov 2, 2011 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This the first of a series of nightly talks given by Peter at Deerhaven, during the yearly one week retreat. This talk describes the Three Refuges of Buddhism: the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Basic instruction for mindfulness of breathing is provided with a guided meditation.
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