This week the conversation both online and on the street has been around Impermanence. The ‘idea’ of impermanence is one that every person has at some point – realistically many times in their life. And yet the Buddha highlights it and returns to it again and again in his teachings. Clearly not a mere idea […]
The Path to Impermanence Read More »
Tomorrow, our weekend retreat “The Gradual Training” will begin with an extension of the normal Friday meditation session on Zoom, at 8pm EDT. After the meditation there will be the opportunity for participants to take the Refuges and Precepts, and then at 9pm Tahn Pamutto will offer a talk outlining the theme for the weekend.
Retreat starting Friday Read More »
Last Friday night, for the Full Moon, the monastics were able to host their Uposatha gathering in the town of Wendell, where they will be spending the three month Vassa season. This is a time of stability, where wandering is reduced and monastics commit to staying in a particular community for the duration. Whether at
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Read More »
From Tahn Pamutto: “One of my root teachers, Luang Por Pasanno, once famously exclaimed, “It’s illegal to live simply in this country!” That became something of a running joke at Abhayagiri Monastery in northern California, where ever stricter building codes have made it incredibly expensive to build even the tiniest structure. You can’t just nail
Speedbumps and the Vassa Read More »
Last night during the tea time another perennial question came up – how are we supposed to relate to the differences between the Buddhist traditions, and which practices should we take up or avoid? The first part of the question is mostly historical. The three main branches of Buddhism – Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana –
Finding Our Center Read More »
Leader: Yam ahaṃ vadāmi taṃ vadetha. Community: Āma Bhante.* Leader: Namo tassa Bhagavato arahato sammā‧sambuddhassa. Community: Namo tassa Bhagavato arahato sammā‧sambuddhassa. Namo tassa Bhagavato arahato sammā‧sambuddhassa. Namo tassa Bhagavato arahato sammā‧sambuddhassa. Leader, followed by Community, line by line: Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dutiyam pi Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dutiyam pi Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ
Refuges and Precepts Read More »
At times it feels like there are two different narratives going on around spiritual practice – the clear, direct, meditative path of becoming peaceful and serene like a Buddha statue; and then what practice is actually like day to day. One is an ideal that we get to strive for whenever we have time to
Practice with Family Read More »
Recently I was traveling with a friend when I was asked a perennial Theravada Buddhist question – “Can laypeople become arahants?” It’s a fairly sophisticated question, requiring a knowledge of Buddhist doctrine and a familiarity with the monastic order, at least enough to recognize the esteem monastics are usually held in. Like most teachers asked
Can Laypeople Become Enlightened? Read More »
Lots of news! News, like the rain, is rarely purely good or purely bad, but a mix of both. For instance, in the materialistic West, the approach to rain is often as the destroyer of vacations and the ruiner of fun. Hench the children’s rhyme – “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day!” Yet
When It Rains It Pours Read More »
Upavana’s first in-person/online retreat was a big success! Many thanks to everyone who helped out, especially our retreat coordinator Alex, our hosts Donna, Sandy, and Issa, Lusiana and family who provided delicious food for everybody, and for everyone who joined and helped spread the word. By the final talk, when Zoom had had enough and
