Setting Aside Restlessness and Worry

by Peter Carlson | Jul 29, 2021 | Listen to Dharma Talks

This talk continues a review of the Five Hindrances, focusing on the way the instinctual nature of restlessness and agitation can be associated with an internal narrative that reinforces and amplifies this restlessness to the state clinically described as anxiety, which is often experienced during these trying times of pandemic and extreme global weather events.  The characteristic of restlessness can also be investigated mindfully as a component of the other four hindrances.  Various antidotes for restlessness and anxiety are described, with an emphasis on the benefits of simply dedicating attention persistently to investigating the neutral feeling tones while practicing mindfulness of breathing meditation, both formally and, during the day, informally.  There is a guided meditation posted in the archives of this site entitled “Guided Restlessness and Worry Contemplation” that is intended to supplement the information heard during this talk.

Here are the notes prepared for this talk:  Setting Aside Restlessness and Worry

The topic for next week’s talk is a review of the fifth hindrance, Skeptical Doubt.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:34 — 118.2MB)

Guided Restlessness and Worry Contemplation

by Peter Carlson | Jul 29, 2021 | Listen to Dharma Talks

This training meditation focuses on the hindrance of Restlessness and Worry, with suggestions regarding how to discern the difference between restlessness as a feeling and worry as a narrative.  Being able to disregard the narrative and use mindfulness of breathing practices to reduce the restlessness in order to set aside the hindrance is an important goal in the practice of liberating the mind from dukkha.  it is also suggested to investigate the role restlessness as a feeling has in the experience of the other hindrances.  This guided meditation is intended to accompany the Dharma talk of the same meeting: “Setting Aside Restlessness and Worry”, which is also posted on this site.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:06 — 82.6MB)