This talk focuses on cultivating a deeper and more useful understanding of two important Buddhist concepts: Non-self and Emptiness.  The concepts don’t translate well into English from the original Pali teachings, so Peter uses various contemporary scientific and psychological research results to clarify the terms.  Non-self is a way to understand what contemporary neuroscience calls neuroplasticity, while Emptiness is better understood as the quality of attention that is not dominated by the urgent demands of craving and clinging–a maturation of the quietness and stability that can be associated with the development of neutral feeling towards equanimity.

Here are the notes prepared for this talk:  Fullness or Emptiness

The focus of next week’s talk will be on the Second Foundation of Mindfulness, which focuses on understanding and working with pleasant, unpleasant and neutral feeling tones more skillfully.