Tahn Pamutto has returned to Western Mass, and after a month of relative quiet Upavana is now back to having both in-person and online activities. The period away was a rich and fruitful time of visiting friends, encouraging communities, and reconnecting with traditional buddhism. It has allowed for a few transitions – namely, the offering of an apartment space for Tahn and for the hosting of modestly-sized sittings, sutta studies, and other activities.
Fellow Upavana board member Alex has helped greatly in getting together a rotation of friends in the area for a Dana calendar (Sangha – Upavana.org). Many locals are or have been affiliated with the Dhammadhara Vipassana Meditation Center, which is quite close. Tahn’s almsrounds will be to these local families, with enough gaps in the schedule for friends from further afield to grab a slot when interested.
The space is not only a very comfortable living space for a monastic but is also a great place to host the regular online offerings. Hopefully, it will also be welcoming venue for friends who would like to gather for meditation, chanting, and dhamma. The space was warmed up with an hour-long block of devotional chanting until midnight on New Year’s. From here, morning meditation and chanting will be a regular event open to friends, and perhaps more on the schedule in the coming weeks.
Many blessings to our friends who are graciously offering the space!