by Peter Carlson | Jun 24, 2021 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk reviews the Second Foundation of Mindfulness, Vedanupassana, which focuses on various manifestations of feelings described in the Satipatthana Sutta. During the presentation, a thorough review of traditional understandings of the contemplations as described by Bhikkhu Analayo in his books, accompanied by contemporary neuroscientific research that supports the centuries-old views of Buddhist practitioners. The talk is followed by a brief question-and-answer exchange among those present.
There is a accompanying “Guided Mindfulness Of Breathing Meditation”, posted the same day and found in the Archives.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: MINDFULNESS OF FEELINGS
The focus for next week’s talk will be a review of the Third Foundation of Mindfulness, Cittanupassana, Mindfulness of the Mind.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:53 — 117.0MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jun 24, 2021 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This guided meditation provides suggestions for practicing the contemplations put forward in the Second Foundation of Mindfulness. It is meant to accompany the Dharma talk of the same evening entitled ” Mindfulness Of Feelings Review”.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:58 — 82.3MB)
by Peter Carlson | May 10, 2018 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk focuses on the Second of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, Vedanupassana, Mindfulness of Feelings. The Buddhist view of feelings isn’t just about emotions; more emphasis is placed on affect, the potency or impulsive urgency associated with any moment of experience. When unskillfully managed and conditioned by clinging, affect manifests as craving, that is, for pleasant experience to arise and continue or for unpleasant feeling to be avoided or gotten rid of. Peter described some of the important neural brain structures associated with affect and cognition, emphasizing that affect is the “driver” of cognition, as suggested by traditional Buddhist doctrine and current neuroscientific research. This makes mindfulness of feelings a crucial skill to develop, that is, to perceive feelings as just mental phenomena, not a self, not “my feelings”. Modern research demonstrates that mindfulness of breathing meditation develops areas of the brain that function to regulate the degree of reactivity to affect, thereby interrupting craving and clinging.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Understanding Feelings
Next week’s talk will focus on a review of paticca samuppada, dependent origination, a key concept of Buddhism describing how the selfing process operates and demonstrating the crucial role mindfulness of feelings plays in the process of Awakening. Peter will explain a different view of this concept that he calls contingent provisional emergence, which combines traditional Buddhist views with a contemporary complexity theory of personality organization.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:24 — 114.3MB)
