The Upavana working retreat, themed around Mettā practice, has wrapped up. It’s always wonderful to dedicate time to sincere Mettā! It was not a time without challenges or work to be done, but everything is so much easier to hold when the mind is full of goodwill. The recordings of the hour-long morning and evening
This coming week, we’ll be experimenting with a new program: a “soft” or “working” retreat. Basically, this means we’ll be practicing together in the morning and evening, and developing a theme through the week. Morning session is at 6am-7am, and evening session is at 7-8pm. We’ll go Monday to Friday, with the extra session on
Mettā Program starts tomorrow Read More »
On the Uposatha, Tahn Pamutto discusses attachment to views, what that looks like and how we might try to chart a course through the world without relying on them. While Taṇha or Craving gets a lot of press in the Buddha’s teachings, it’s actually the outflow of Views, or Diṭṭhāsava, that was the major stumbling
Talk: Seeing Views Read More »
“Oh, the one who first taught you the Buddha’s dhamma and his ways – like brahmins keep a sacred fire lit Ever give them thanks and praise!” Dhammapada v.392 Winter is both here and not quite here yet. Evening temperatures dip below freezing and the first snow of the season threatens with every storm, but
Keeping the Fire Lit Read More »
The website and online front of Upavana have been pretty quiet and dusty the last two weeks. As when this has happened in the past, it’s usually a pretty safe bet it’s because Tahn Pamutto has been spending his time in the rustic mobile temple where local community is strong and loving, but cell and
In this Uposatha evening reflection, Tahn Pamutto draws from a Dhammapada reference to the path of practice as a ‘Path of Peace’. Though we begin by charting a course to particular goals and discriminating between different philosophies and types of practice, it is ultimately less about our destination than about the path we take to
Talk: Path of Peace Read More »
The vassa is now fully over, and monastics are back to traveling freely and seeking the most suitable places to practice. Bhante Sumano and Tahn Tānakāro, who have been in Western Mass since July, have departed to spend time in NYC, visit other monasteries and traditions, and plan to connect with fellow monastics on the
Feel free to join us tonight at 7 pm EDT for an informal tea-time dhamma chat followed by group meditation at 8pm. Tomorrow night is the New Moon, with the biweekly Uposatha program starting at 8pm EDT with meditation, Refuges and Precepts at 8:45, a dhamma reflection from Tahn Pamutto at 9pm, and informal sitting/walking
Tea with Tahn tonight, Uposatha Tomorrow Read More »
We have just finished our daylong retreat, “Recollection of Death”. The recordings are available on the ‘Innovative Dhamma’ YouTube channel. We appreciate the great turnout and participation both online and in-person!
The other day we were getting a ride from a friend when the topic of tomorrow’s online retreat came up, “Recollection of Death”. It starts at 6am EDT on Zoom and will run through the day. It’s easy for monastics to forget the sturdy taboo around this subject, as this is something that’s the bread
