by Peter Carlson | Mar 7, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this talk, April continues the ongoing review of the Noble Eightfold Path by sharing her research about the Wisdom Aggregate, specifically Samma Ditthi, translated as Right View or Right Understanding. This part of the Path provides the conceptual basis for understanding the law of Karma–cause and effect. Her presentation includes several questions and comments from others participating in the meeting.
Next week’s talk will review the other half of the Wisdom Aggregate. Right Intention.
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by Peter Carlson | May 18, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk continues reviewing the Four Noble Truths, beginning a series of talks focusing on the Fourth Noble Truth, emphasizing the first element of the Noble Eightfold Path, Right Understanding. The talk begins with an overview of the conceptual benefits of the Dharma Wheel icon, emphasizing the dynamic interactions between the elements. The 8 elements of the Path are studied conceptually, but can only be realized through careful introspective investigation, discovering the impermanent and impersonal nature of subjective experience. Further discussion reviews how full realization of the integrated actions of the Noble Eightfold Path transforms Right Understanding into Right Knowledge, and Right Intention into Right Liberation, transforming the Eightfold Path into the Noble Tenfold Path. The recorded talk is longer than usual, as there were interesting questions to be explored during the discussion.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Right Understanding and the Noble Eightfold Path
The next talk will review Right Intention, the other element of the Wisdom aggregate within the Noble Eightfold Path.
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by Peter Carlson | May 19, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk continues a series of reviews of the Four Noble Truths and specifically addresses the first two elements of the Fourth Noble Truth, known as the Noble Eightfold Path–Right Understanding and Right Intention. Each of these elements are reviewed, emphasizing how they are coordinated as “two sides of the same coin”. In their functioning, they reveal the transitory and impersonal nature of experience, and how dukkha (distress and confusion) arise when craving and clinging dominates one’s immediate experience. Right Understanding reduces the potency of clinging, and Right Intention diminishes the potency of craving, the two conditions in the mind that produce dukkha. Suggestions are provided to foster the contemplative skills that will lead to Wisdom and Awakening, first on a mundane level and ultimately, the realization of Nirvana. Future talks will review the remaining elements of the Noble Eightfold Path, found in the Virtue and Mental Discipline aggregates.
There is a guided contemplation found in this site’s Audio archive entitled “Guided Cultivating Wisdom Contemplation”, recorded prior to this talk, which is intended to complement the topics discussed during the talk.
Here are the notes prepared for the talk: Reviewing Wisdom on the Noble Eightfold Path
The next talk will focus on the first element of the Virtue Aggregate, Right Speech.
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by Peter Carlson | Feb 15, 2018 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk explores the crucial Buddhist concept of Wisdom. In the Noble Eightfold Path, Wisdom represents two qualities: Right Understanding and Right Intention. Mastering these two qualities is the goal of the fundamental path towards Awakening. Peter emphasized how Right Understanding manifests as awareness free from the five hindrances and Right Intention manifests as lovingkindness, compassion and joyful appreciation of others. When Wisdom is fully realized, there is direct experiential knowledge of the three characteristics of reality: impermanence, the absence of an enduring and autonomous self, and the distress and confusion that results from the process of craving and clinging. This awareness leads to the fulfillment of the Noble Eightfold Path, which is full realization of Samma Nanna (pronounced ny-nah), direct knowledge of reality, and Samma Sankappa, liberation/Nirvana.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Understanding Wisdom
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by Peter Carlson | Jun 20, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Continuing with the theme of relating the teachings that can be understood and applied in our current era, Peter noted that current psychological research on characteristics of wisdom relate easily to the classical Buddhist doctrines of Wholesome Understanding and Wholesome Intentions (which he terms Clear Awareness and Benevolent Intention).
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