Fight or Fall Away? Two Views on Habit Change.
Comparing Charles Duhigg’s and Judson Brewer’s positions on the Habit Loop and Habit Change.
Life Is a Bridge
Life is a bridge. Cross over it, but build no house on it. ~ Jennifer Louden
Stephen Batchelor’s Upcoming Series: After Buddhism and Beyond
I’ll be attending Stephen Batchelor’s upcoming seminar series, hosted by Bodhi College, “After Buddhism and Beyond”. It is a twelve-part series, run in two semesters from February through the end of June. My understanding is that the series will consist of 3-hour course blocks of seminar, provided via Zoom. According to the series website, “Each […]
Dharma PhD (the podcast) Episode 5
Dharma PhD podcast Episode 5, hit the airwaves this morning. Yay! Come and have a listen while Co-host and I talk about John Peacock’s “Buddhism Before the Theravada, Part 4”. We talk about how, in Buddhist traditions (and maybe our own psychological traditions?) human experience is playing out on a backdrop of misunderstanding how our […]
John Peacock, Buddhism Before the Theravada Part 4, 2011-09-03
This talk was made available by Audio Dharma; the talk is available here: Buddhism Before the Theravada Part 4. If you’d like to explore further, we’ve produced a podcast episode about this talk (Episode 5, if you’re already subscribed). I’d love to hear what you think! Okay, okay. Just one more thing. A friend of […]
Dharma PhD Update, 2020 Q4
Greetings, Friendlies! Welcome to 2021! The 2020 Q4 summary is: experimenting. There were lots _and lots_ of experiments, big and small. The podcasting workshop closed down and I found myself without a dedicated Akimbo workshop for the first time since February. It was a little bit lonely, but there was much more space, less tending […]
Dharma PhD (the podcast) Episode 4
Dharma PhD podcast Episode 4, hit the airwaves this morning. Yay! Come and have a listen while Co-host and I talk about John Peacock’s “Buddhism Before the Theravada, Part 3”. We talk about the Tilakkhana, the Three Marks of Existence, I offer a new translation of Dukkha (22:24), and we discuss the application of ancient […]
John Peacock, Buddhism Before the Theravada Part 3, 2011–09–03
This talk was made available by Audio Dharma; the talk is available here: Buddhism Before the Theravada Part 3. If you’d like to explore further, we’ve produced a podcast episode about this talk (Episode 4, if you’re already subscribed). I’d love to hear what you think! One more thing… a friend of mine said that […]
The 5Rs for Buddha Bites
Bhante Vimalaramsi at Dhamma Sukha teaches a technique he calls “The 6Rs” for focusing attention during meditation. I’ve found it super useful for meditation, but also for daily life. I made a little modification, now it’s only 5Rs, and I talked about it in Episode 38 of Buddha Bites: When I first started working with […]
Dharma PhD Update, 2020 Q3
In preparation for this blog post, I reviewed the 2020 Q2 update and laughed outloud. The first sentence, “What a crazy busy quarter.” 2020 Q3. What a crazy busy quarter! :D The Akimbo Podcasting workshop was (as the Story Skills workshop was) transformational. I hate using language like that, but there it is. How so, […]
Talking about Vedanā (aka Hedonic Tone)
I’m in the midst of producing several Buddha Bites podcast episodes on Vedanā (aka Hedonic Tone). It’s been challenging; following are some deets about the process. As I wrote back in March, a 2019 retreat led by Akincano Weber and Dr. Judson Brewer hooked me on the implications of Vedanā. When I talk about Dharma […]
Buddha Bites has a YouTube Channel!
We’re very much in experimentation phase here at DharmaPhD. To produce EP3 of Dharma PhDthe podcast, I used an audio editing program designed for podcasters called Descript. If you have three minutes and would like to smile, I cannot help but recommend their ad video. It’s delightful. But. The real thing to announce is that, […]
Dharma PhD (the podcast) Episode 3!
Dharma PhD podcast Episode 3, hit the airwaves this morning. Yay! Come and have a listen while Co-host and I talk about John Peacock’s “Buddhism Before the Theravada, Part 2”. We riff on various definitions of ethics, talk about how how I started to become disenchanted with pop-mindfulness, and explore translations of the precepts. If […]
Commentary on John Peacock’s Buddhism Before the Theravada Part 1
This post accompanies a podcast episode and a transcript of Peacock’s talk. I’d love to hear what you think. Happy reading! It is a lovely July morning. BooBear kisses me farewell and I, grinagog, board the Greyhound bus which is to spend the day ferrying me from Baltimore, MD to New York State. I trot […]
Dharma PhD (the podcast) Episode 2!
Dharma PhD podcast Episode 2, hit the airwaves this morning. Yay! Come and have a listen while Co-host and I figure out this podcasting thing over chats about John Peacock’s dharma talk, “Buddhism Before the Theravada, Part 1”. If you’d like to explore further, I’ve transcribed Peacock’s talk here, and I wrote an in-depth commentary […]
Over on Insight Timer
I thought it might be useful to mention that I have guided meditations over on the Insight Timer app. Search “Cultivate“, which is the pseudonym I’m using to corral my teaching activities. (Ahem, cultivate.gg, ahem.) See you there!
John Peacock, Buddhism Before the Theravada Part 2, 2011–09–03
This talk was made available by Audio Dharma; the talk is available here: Buddhism Before the Theravada Part 2. If you’d like to explore further, we’ve produced a podcast episode about this talk (Episode 3, if you’re already subscribed). I’d love to hear what you think! Okay, okay. One more thing… I made a very […]
Quit Your Cliticizing
No, ladies and gentlemen et. al. That is not a typo. Today my dharma-vocab was upgraded. Thanks to the inimitable Anu Garg at A.Word.A.Day, I now know the verb “cliticize”, which means “To attach or become attached”. From one practitioner to another I beg you: Quit Your Cliticizing.
John Peacock, Buddhism Before the Theravada Part 1, 2011–09–03
This talk was made available by Audio Dharma; the talk is available here: Buddhism Before the Theravada Part 1. If you’d like to explore further, I’ve also written a commentarial blog post about this talk and we’ve produced a podcast episode on it (Episode 2, if you’re already subscribed). I’d love to hear what you […]
The Independent PhD, and Why You Should Start One
I am writing this post in July, 2020, amidst a confusion of half-arsed quarantining efforts in the US. The edifice of US formal education is showing its cracks. For many, self-directed education is not only a viable option, it is the best possible option. Particularly for adult learners, and particularly for those adult learners for […]
Dharma PhD Update, 2020 Q2
What a crazy busy quarter. on 12MAY I got an email from Seth Godin’s Akimbo program saying that the Story Skills Workshop was opening on 18MAY. My entire life got squeezed into 8-hour writing/workshopping/critiquing/responding. It was crazy. But. That workshop was one of the most important I’ve taken. It transformed my ability to communicate. As […]
Four Paths to MBSR Teacher-hood (in English)
Several folks have asked me about becoming an MBSR teacher. Thought I’d share this last draft of my response; it may be helpful to others. :) *******Dear Rachida, greetings! As promised, here is a brain-dump of my knowledge re: becoming an MBSR teacher (in English): Background: As you probably know, MBSR was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn […]
Third Time’s The Charm
I am currently enrolled in one of Seth Godin’s Akimbo projects, “The Story Skills Workshop”. The first piece is a look at my transition from military aviator to philosopher of mindfulness. It’s been fascinating to go through the process of writing, editing, revising. Learning what the moral was along the way. I hope you enjoy […]
Dharma PhD Update, 2020 Q1
As I divulge more about this little project o’mine, I’m amused and surprised by the interest. To answer questions and track my progress, I’ll make quarterly reports on how the project is taking shape. 2020 Q1 It seems that breaking things into quarters is more intelligible than academic semesters. Though I began thinking about this […]
Dharma Practice, Transmogrified
Last year my dharma practice transmogrified. Let’s call this Part 1: What Happened. I had been practicing in a general way for some years. Omnivorous, secular, hot on cognitive science and evolutionary psychology while grazing here and there the texts and contemplative practices of various religious traditions. Rummaging around in the dharma bin, but unable […]
Marc Akincano Weber, Re-contextualising Mindfulness, 2017–01–09
This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. Re-contextualising Mindfulness. Sati in Buddhist Psychology, sati in Mind-development, Images of sati. Establishing the Fourfold Mindfulness: (satipaṭṭhāna) as map and as four channels of experience. Insight Meditation Society — Retreat Center : Mindfulness, Insight, Liberation: The Foundations of Mindfulness-Based Modalities and Research. This is the time when one of us […]
¿What about “Nikayan Philosophy”?
Frequently Akincano refers to what he calls “Buddhist Psychology”. I’m curious if this is a phrase used across the Bodhi College team? For myself, as I explore these disciplines of Mind and Human Flourishing (that is: Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Psychology, Neuroscience, and Contemplative Practice), I find it increasingly important to select the most appropriate (dare […]
Marc Akincano Weber, The meeting of Dukkha and Sati — a transformative encounter, 2014–08–22
This is one of a series of transcripts of contemporary talks which I have found particularly instructive. This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. The meeting of Dukkha and Sati — a transformative encounter. Insight Meditation Society — Forest Refuge : August 2014 at IMS — Forest Refuge. Good. Tonight I’d like to say something about Dukkha. And about Sati, Mindfulness. […]
Pressing Ideas Up Against the World
The deeper I delve into Buddhist psychology, the more I feel at risk of going tharn in the face of its immensity. The work here at CogScifulness is 100% an attempt to deal with that threat of overwhelm. I worry, somewhat, about exposing my under-construction understanding… but I do not believe that wisdom can develop […]
Bhikkhu Jayasara Mindmaps
I have long been a proponent of MindMapping as a brainstorming and categorization technique. Today I discovered that Bhikkhu Jayasara (of Bhavana Society) digs them too. Back in 2017 he posted several MindMaps of Buddhist concepts. Do take a look. They are well done. To wet your appetite, here’s his MindMap for “All the Defilements”:
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Older Posts
Majjhima Nikāya 2 — All the Effluents
As I begin to explore the Tipiṭaka (the Pāli Canon, the Buddhist scriptures that began to be written maybe about 400 years after Gotama’s death), I find […]
Marc Akincano Weber, Vedanā, Practice on Attention and Sati, 2011–03–13
This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. Vedanā, Practice on Attention and Sati. Gaia House : Stillness and Insight Good. I’d like to ask for your attention. […]
Marc Akincano Weber, Vedanā — Feeling tone and attention: Practice instruction, 2017–07–04
This is one of a series of transcripts of contemporary talks which I have found particularly instructive. This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. Vedanā — Feeling tone […]
Marc Akincano Weber, Citta — The Knowing Heart, 2019–01–04
This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. Citta — The Knowing Heart. Citta [as] the seat of experience. References to citta in the discourses. Upadana — four forms of grasping. […]
Marc Akincano Weber, Review of Tools — Orientation, 2019-01-03
This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. Review of Tools — Orientation. Four satipatthana paradigm as a map. Instruction on meditative skills resourcing — orienting — attuning — forming intentions. Insight Meditation Society — Retreat Center : […]
Marc Akincano Weber, Citta the Knowing Mind, 2018-07-20
This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. Citta the Knowing Mind. Insight Meditation Society — Retreat Center : Mindfulness, Insight, Liberation: Insight Meditation Retreat for Experienced Students 01:11 Once […]
Marc Akincano Weber, Cittānupassanā: Contemplation of Mind States, 2018-07-19
This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. Cittānupassanā: Contemplation of Mind States. Insight Meditation Society — Retreat Center : Mindfulness, Insight, Liberation: Insight Meditation Retreat for Experienced Students I’d […]
Marc Akincano Weber, Flavors of Not Knowing, 2018–07–17
This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. Flavors of Not Knowing. Insight Meditation Society — Retreat Center : Mindfulness, Insight, Liberation: Insight Meditation Retreat for Experienced Students I’d like […]
Marc Akincano Weber, A Psychological Take on Bhavana, 2018–07–12
This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. A Psychological Take on Bhavana: Four Dimensions of Meditation Practice. Insight Meditation Society — Retreat Center : Mindfulness, Insight, Liberation: Insight Meditation […]
Marc Akincano Weber, Satipaṭṭhāna — Four Establishments Of Mindfulness, 2018–07–09
This talk was made available by Dharma Seed. Satipatthana — Four Establishments Of Mindfulness Satipaṭṭhāna (Satipatthana) as a map of experience and practical orientation. Insight Meditation Society — Retreat Center : Mindfulness, […]
Transcripts of Contemporary Oral Teachings
I am about to begin a rather involved project of transcribing and posting hour-plus long talks to this blog. Following is my rationale. It’s a dusty read […]
Bodhi College — What is Mindfulness?
Bodhi College, in conjunction with Tricycle Online Courses, is offering a course entitled “Mindfulness: Its Origins, Purpose, and Transformational Power”. Course instructors are Akincano Weber, Christina Feldman, […]
