This dhamma talk, guided meditation, comments, questions and responses was offered on the 16th of May, 2026 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!”
0:00:14 - GUIDED MEDITATION
00:23:08 - DHAMMA TALK
0:44:45 - COMMENTS, QUESTIONS & RESPONSES
What happens when I'm *not* mindful?
(i) Loss of fluency in our attention —
(ii) Loss of the here & now
(iii) Loss of the space: collapsing into things.
(iv) Loss of embodiment
(vI) Loss of the other
Hindrances – a glance at the list of troubles and how they manifest .
The different starting points of Buddhist and Western psychology. The Buddhas vision of freedom
Different types of troubles: soteriological hindrances (samyojana), afflictions (kilesa), inflations (āsava).
A detailed look at the 5 nivāraṇa, the five psychological obstacles to the cultivation of stillness as the basis for insight and understanding. The phenomenology of their manifestation.
We begin with a review of the nature of samadhi and of samatha practice, in which we develop greater samadhi. Samadhi is understood as a natural quality (including with other species) that we may know through times in which we are deeply immersed and absorbed in an activity, such as being with another, art, music, or sports. Samatha is one of the two main forms of meditation taught by the Buddha, along with insight practice.
We also give an overview of how samatha practice deepens, going into some depth on the model of the five jhanic factors, and pointing to the experiences of the first two jhanas (as taught by the Buddha).
The talk is followed by discussion.
