We spend much of our lives preoccupied rather than present. Worries and anxieties, plans, regrets, memories happy or sad, distractions, escapes, or the theatrics of melodrama pull us out of peace. But then we learn to meditate, and as we deepen our meditation practice, we begin to see these things as entanglements and burdens. They […]
Setting Down The Burden Read More »
Tea time chat transcript – Comments on Refuge Tahn Pamutto: “Well, I mean, “refuge” is really, in some ways, it is an awkward word to use for the concept, because it’s very multifaceted. So as far as we can pin it down, refuge is about the sasana, the “religious” part of Buddhism. So as long
Transcript : Refuges Read More »
“Seeing Views” Transcript (edited), November 2021 Uposatha Tonight I’d like to offer a reflection about something which is actually very useful in our practice and useful to contemplate in life in general. …….When we go through the oldest strata of teachings, what we see again and again is the Buddha encouraging his disciples to
Seeing Views (Talk Transcript) Read More »
The first of four stages of enlightenment outlined by the Buddha is usually called “stream entry”, as when one reaches it, one has entered a metaphorical stream that will inevtiably carry one to full enlightenment within at most seven more rebirths. Stream entry should not be understood as gaining something, or adding something to what
Attachment to Views and the First Three Fetters Read More »
So today we’re looking at something that’s so obvious, people don’t usually look at it. It’s usually one of the early parts of the curriculum in kindergarten or first grade, or your first experience of school. They say you have five senses and that’s it. They don’t tell you how to use ’em. They don’t
Transcript: Exploring the Sense Bases Read More »
Gratitude and reverence… culturally, they may sound like different ideas… but it’s all mettā right? It’s friendliness. The Buddha spent the last year of his life touring India and all the communities that he had taught and visited throughout his 45 years. And he reiterated the 37 Bodhipakkhiya and said, “Now carry these on into
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Transcribed by LR from a guided meditation given June 5, 2023 All meditation is based on developing mindfulness. It’s a recognition that the mind and the objects of mind (which we call thoughts) are two different things. Our mind is like an empty field. All of the thoughts are like plants and weeds. They
Guided “Hallway Meditation” Read More »
There is a condition for the arising of the Noble Eightfold path, namely: ‘The voice of another.’ A normal, uninstructed, worldly person is completely dependent on others to point the way to truth. ‘The voice of another’ refers to encountering the True Dhamma – whether spoken, written, or in some other form. Without encountering truth,
Drinking from a Fire Hose Read More »
Today is a special day, a day that has been celebrated by all Buddhists every year for twenty-six hundred years. This is the Full Moon of the month of May, the day we call Visakha Puja or Vesak. This is the most special and universal of Buddhist holidays. It is the day on which Gotama,
Vesak – Remembering the Buddha Read More »
[This talk was also given as a dhamma talk at the Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center. The video recording can be found on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/bhante.libmc/videos/550225320657471 ] My dhamma name, Pamutto, comes from the root of a very common word: Mutti. Mutti means freedom. Since freedom is so essential to the Buddhist path it’s a
Degrees of Freedom Read More »
