Audio Dharma
Following are MP3s of dharma talks recorded at Dharma Punx NYC.
Right-click (Windows) or control-click (Macintosh) the "Play" link to download MP3 audio files to your hard disk.
Speaker |
Topic |
Date |
Time |
|
|
"This/That Conditionality" (Talk from daylong meditation retreat) Craig gives a brief description of "This/That Conditionality." |
7/23/06 |
Right Intention (Talk from daylong meditation retreat) The buddha defined right intention--the second factor on the eightfold path--as a grouped threesome: the intention of renunciation, good will, and of harmlessness. Each stripe of right intention counteracts against wrong intentions: renunciation answers craving (the cause of dukkha), good will negates hatred (a defilement), and harmlessness obviously counters harmfulness (note the first precept). In his talk Josh explains a causal chain between one's secret motivations and suffering, which can arise both immediately or over time. |
7/23/06 |
1:24:54 |
|
The Fifth Factor of Enlightenement: Serenity and Stillness ("Passaddhi") It is often explained that the theravada contains two interrelated and equally necessary paths to enlightenment; serenity and wisdom. Serenity is the experience of inner peace which allows the mind to observe the arising and cessation of all phenomena with dispassion and release. |
6/27/06 |
0:34:52 |
||
|
The Fourth Factor of Enlightenment: Rapture Happiness is a precursor, a strong support, for deepening concentration and therefore to awakening. Learn how physical happiness during meditation (bliss),and interest in the meditation object can be developed. |
6/21/06 |
1:39:33 |
||
|
The Five Faculties (Indriya) One of the lists of factors given by the Buddha that describe the requisites of enlightenment is the five spiritual faculties: conviction, persistence, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. Josh elaborates on each factor and how the group as a whole fits within the path to awakening. |
5/2/06 |
0:39:56 |
||
|
Working with Fear and Anger. Josh gives an overview to the origination of fear and anger, otherwise known as aversion, and outlines spiritual approaches to these difficult emotional states, including mindfulness and purification through sila and panna. |
3/28/06 |
0:48:54 |
||
|
Working with Depression. Part 1:
Vipassana practices, such as mindfulness based meditations, can help us
deal with depression. In part 1 of this talk, Josh gives an overview of
what depression is, how it differs from other forms of suffering, and
how western therapists (such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) are
integrating mindfulness techniques into treatment plans. |
3/21/06 |
0:31:06 |
||
|
Working with Anxiety. Suffering can take on many forms, none more challenging than such difficult emotional states as anxiety, depression, anager and fear. Our path entails confronting unpleasant feelings and acknowledging them in their entirety. This is done while letting go of the egotistical goal for "self-improvement." This class will introduce approaches to working with anxiety. Led by: Craig Swogger |
3/14/06 |
0:49:36 |
||
|
Anatta Talk: Josh and Craig introduce "Not Self" or "No Self", perhaps the deepest of the "Three Characteristics" or "The Three Marks of Existence": suffering, impermanence, and not self. Generally, an increase in true happiness is a direct result of dropping the labels we have about who we are. Find out how the unnecessary "me-making" we do in life is the cause for stress and how undoing it can bring about happiness through the crucial insights of mindfulness meditation. |
2/28/06 |
0:31:58 |
||
|
Anatta Meditation: Craig guides the sangha through a meditation based on the Anatta-Lakkhana sutta. This meditation preceded the anatta talk. |
2/28/06 |
0:23:01 |
||
|
Anapanasati: Translated as "Mindfulness of Breathing" Anapanasati is the technique the Buddha himself used to attain awakening. The Anapanasati Sutta contains 16 how-to instructions for meditating on the breath (the Buddha's only instructions on breath meditation) that lead to the perfection of the path to happiness. |
1/31/06 |
1:05:31 |
||
|
Dhamma Overview Part 1: Here Josh reviews some of the core teachings of the Pali Canon. Emphasis is placed on the four noble truths and eightfold path. |
1/10/06 |
0:33:28 |
||
|
Dhamma Overview Part 2: Here Josh reviews some of the core teachings of the Pali Canon. Emphasis is placed on the four noble truths and eightfold path. |
1/10/06 |
0:35:03 |
||
|
Why We Practice: Meditation is a challenging and often uncomfortable practice. Why bother? There are many ways to tackle this question. In this talk we focus on how meditation changes our relationship with difficult sensations. |
12/20/05 |
0:23:02 |
||
|
Death, Cut Short: Buddhism looks unflinchingly at old age, disease & death, regarding these heavenly messengers as great teachers. Here we review ways we can transform our fear of death into dhamma, putting our present life into perspective. |
2005 |
0:56:28 |
||
|
The Buddha was a Punk Rocker: Josh considers some the parallels between the Buddha, and his renunciation of the generic societal aspirations to material wealth, unquestioned beliefs and social aspirations, and the original Punk movement's rejection of the same. |
2005 |
1:10:16 |
||
|
Brahma Viharas: The four Brahma Viharas are the "divine realms of the mind" where we can rest our awareness. These boundless, limitless, unconditional states are the goal of our practice. Here we review all four: lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. |
2005 |
1:08:23 |
||
|
Metta Meditation: The metta, or lovingkindness, is a concentrative meditation that cultivates a sense of caring for "self" and "others," reminding us of our connectedness to other beings. |
2005 |
0:26:46 |
||
|
Anapanasati Meditation: A guided meditation based on one of the basic forms of concentration taught by the buddha. Calm, one pointed focus on breathing can lead to the removal of the hinderances and defilements. |
2005 |
0:21:25 |
||
|
Relaxing the Body Guided Meditation: Guided meditation using the breath to relax different parts of the body. |
2005 |
0:27:15 |