by Peter Carlson | Jun 8, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk, provided by Lili Fernandez, focuses on how virtue manifests as appropriate behavior, guided by the Five Precepts: Harmlessness, Not Speaking Falsely, Not Stealing, Avoiding Sexual Misconduct, and Avoiding Intoxication. Lili describes the characteristics of each of the precepts in depth.
The talk for next week will focus on Right Livelihood, another element of the Virtue Aggregate within the Noble Eightfold Path, Led by April Koester.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:12 — 57.9MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jun 2, 2022 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Right Action is a category of the Virtue Aggregate within the Noble Eightfold Path. This talk reviews the various traditional aspects of virtue–harmlessness, not stealing and not in ways that are sexually harmful–including commentaries that focus on contemporary social issues such as behavioral addictions, which has a large impact on current life.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Reviewing Right Action
The focus of the next talk will be a review of Right Livelihood, with additional commentary on contemporary cultural issues that affect the development of the Awakening process.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:27 — 54.4MB)
by Peter Carlson | Oct 30, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk reviews the Wholesome Cetasikas “Right Action” and “Right Livelihood” in their classical rendering and then conjoins them into “Right Lifestyle” to reflect ways to be resilient to current stresses in these trying times. Contemporary lifestyles are deeply conditioned by indoctrination regarding consumerism and identification with roles and entitlements that are significantly challenged by the pandemic conditions and the ensuing unemployment and social disruption. The Four Noble Truths conceptual structure is reviewed as an effective resource for coping with the distress and confusion created by the pandemic, storms and fires created by global warming, as well as the current divisiveness in U.S. politics (the 2020 election is next week). There is an additional review of “The Four Clear Comprehensions”, part of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness commentaries that can be beneficially applied to decision making within the complexity of current life circumstances. This talk is meant to be accompanied by the “Guided Mindful Intention Meditation” posted on 10/29/20, which is intended to provide support for identifying and successfully adapting to lifestyle choices that are more adaptive to the changes required by current cultural stresses.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Right Lifestyle In Trying Times
Next week’s talk will focus on the importance of compassion in trying times.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:19 — 121.4MB)
by Peter Carlson | Oct 29, 2020 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This guided mindfulness of breathing meditation suggests a variety of tactics for cultivating mindful awareness of intention, the mind conditioning factor that coordinates every moment of self-organization in preparation for action. Meditators are invited to notice quickly and as precisely as possible the beginning of the in-breath and out-breath to establish stability of attention. Further suggestions bring attention to noting the intention associated with noting changes in physical sensations, alternating with noting the intentions associated with various mental formations such as alertness vs. dullness, stability vs. distractions, etc. This meditation is intended to accompany the talk entitled “Right Lifestyle In Trying Times”, which covers the cetasikas of Right Action and Right Livelihood.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:58 — 82.3MB)
by Peter Carlson | Aug 1, 2013 | Listen to Dharma Talks
During this dialogue about the practice of Right Action, Peter again emphasizes the importance of combining a deepening understanding of our internal processes through mindfulness practice with a revisiting of the classic concepts and jargon of the Buddha. Peter offered some information from modern neuroscientific research that suggests how karma is formed through memory consolidation, citing various areas of the brain and their functions. This was combined with how the cultivation of samadhi (concentration/tranquility) and sati (mindfulness/insight) produce a “buffer zone” of non-reactive awareness that allows the application of benevolent intention to emerging behaviors. This was followed by a lively discussion of the implications that are presented through this new understanding of ancient wisdom.
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