Distraction and Dharma

On January 21, Michael offered a presentation on the Distraction and Dharma. His interest piqued by the effect of increasing, even compulsive use of digital devices on the part of the general population (himself included), he put together the observations of several respected teachers on the subject of the kinds of distractions that we actually seek out – rather than those which intrude despite our best efforts.

Here are links to his sources.

Gil Fronsdal’s talk “Distraction and Attention” examines the effects of a distracted versus a focused mind, as these are examined scientifically and approached dharmically. Find this talk on http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/?search=distraction dated 2015/11/1. The excerpts used this Sunday were minutes 8:0814:07 and 25:06- 33.27.

Martin Aylward’s talk “Defenses Against Spaciousness” proposes that distraction, a form of delusion, holds a place equal to grasping and rejecting, in keeping us from the dharma, and particularly from the experience of open space. The talk can be found at http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/200/talk/18936/ The excerpt used was minutes 34:31-38:45.

Finally, here is the article which Michael read at the end of our gathering. https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/cool-boredom/