by Peter Carlson | May 8, 2014 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This is the third of five talks about the hindrances. In this week’s dialogue, Peter talked of sloth and torpor as a dysregulation of energy in the mind and body. If the system is too tranquil, dullness, drowsiness and lethargy arise; if the system is too activated, the hindrance of restlessness and worry arise.
At this point, he described 3 strategies for setting aside sloth and torpor: mindful noting of the first signs of dullness, ways to intervene in the development of sloth and torpor, and ways to minimize the likelihood that sloth and torpor will recur. After explaining the concepts, Peter talked of his own recent experience of lethargy related to being ill with shingles. Following this there was more dialogue involving others who were present. Peter will be in a two week self-retreat from May 9 to May 23. There will be no more dhamma dialogue postings until May 28, when he will report on his retreat experience.
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 16, 2011 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This continues discussion of the five hindrances, focused particularly on the sluggish, drowsy and inert mind-state called sloth and torpor. In the discussion, we explored the balancing of energies involved in overcoming this hindrance.