by Peter Carlson | Jun 5, 2014 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dialogue, Peter and the sangha explored the characteristics of restlessness as an overactivated sympathetic nervous system process combined with rumination about a particular topic related to regret, remorse or possible negative consequences. Peter described the classical description of this hindrance and the antidotes. Cultivating samadhi reduces the activation of the nervous system and vipassana investigates the conditional characteristics of an ongoing worry narrative, seeing it as impersonal and transient. Next week’s talk will focus on the remaining hindrance, skeptical doubt.
by Peter Carlson | Feb 26, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Pursuing the development of a more integrated personality prior to spiritual transcendence, Peter described sentient beings as “energy transformation” beings, emphasizing that the five hindrances (sense desire, aversion and ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and skeptical doubt) are “energy dumps”. The first steps on the path involve developing the ability to focus attention on breath awareness to concentrate and calm the mind, combined with the ability to be mindful of distractions away from breath awareness and to turn attention away from the distractions and back to the breath. Each hindrance was described as to characteristics and impact on the body/mind processes. Classical antidotes for the hindrances were also described. The freed up energy from ongoing breath awareness can then be available for cultivating vipassana, which is the ability to note the emergence, fulfillment, and dissolution of self states, in order to further personality integration.
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by Peter Carlson | Nov 2, 2011 | Listen to Dharma Talks
On this second night of the retreat, pancanivarana, the five hindrances, were described; their causes and their antidotes.
by Peter Carlson | Aug 23, 2011 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This recording describes the 4th of the 5 Hindrances, Restlessness and Worry. The discussion describes the results of too much energy in the mind and how this interferes with clearly knowing the true nature of the mind.