by Peter Carlson | May 16, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
Mindfulness of Feelings is the Second Foundation of Mindfulness, and during this talk, Peter provides a review of the various categories of feelings, which are not emotions, but rather the impulsive reactivity we all experience that precedes craving and clinging. Managing feelings skillfully is key for developing the process of Awakening. Some of the current neuroscientific research findings that are found in different areas of the brain that identify how feelings arise, associated with thoughts and then regulated are reviewed that seem to validate aspects of human experience as described in Buddhist teachings.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk, which provide a more extensive review than from Peter’s verbal comments: Skillfully Managing Feelings
There is a recording posted in the Audio section of the website under Guided Meditations entitled “Guided Contemplating Feelings Meditation” that is intended to support this talk and to build ways to skillfully manage feelings.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:50 — 57.5MB)
by Peter Carlson | May 16, 2024 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This recording provides supportive suggestions for recognizing the various manifestations of feelings–pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, both worldly and unworldly. The goal of this meditation is to learn how to let go of unwholesome feeling tones–impulsive reactivity in the mind–to skillfully develop insight into the transitory and impersonal nature of subjective experience.
This meditation is intended to supplement the conceptual knowledge contained in the Dharma talk that followed it, and which is posted in the Archives as “Skillfully Managing Feelings”.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:57 — 41.1MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jul 13, 2023 | Listen to Dharma Talks
This talk first focuses on reviewing the Second Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of Feelings; the second focus is on a core concept of Buddhist psychology, Dependent Origination, within which mindfulness of feelings plays a key role. Peter Carlson provides a contemporary rendition of dependent origination, Contingent Provisional Emergence, which describes the ancient concept using more contemporary psychological terminology.
There are two sets of notes accompanying this talk: MINDFULNESS OF FEELINGS and Understanding Contingent Provisional Emergence
There is a guided meditation posted on this site intended to complement the contents of this talk: Guided Mindfulness of Feelings Contemplation
Next week’s talk will review the Third Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of the Mind
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:42 — 60.1MB)
by Peter Carlson | Jul 28, 2022 | News
Mindfulness of Feelings is the second area of focus within the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse. During this review, the importance of understanding the way pleasant or unpleasant feelings drive thoughts and behaviors through direct observation is emphasized. Contemporary psychological research uses the terms affect approach to describe pleasant feeling and affect avoidance in describing unpleasant feeling. Being able to mindfully investigate the experiential urgency of affect with detachment and a wholesome non-reactive response is essential for cultivating the skills required in the process of Awakening. The neurological processes involved in the experience of affects and the effective regulation of them are also reviewed. Peter describes how he practiced mindfulness of feelings regarding his current experience of Covid-19 and the process of recovery.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: MINDFULNESS OF FEELINGS
The topic for the next talk will be the Third Foundation of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of the Mind.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:12 — 59.7MB)
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)
