Reflections

On Sunday, Tahn Pamutto arrived in Massachusetts. It’s been two and a half years since he was last a wandering forest monk, traveling up and down the country roads sharing dhamma, friendship, and the occasional cup of coffee. For the first two days of his return, the unfailingly hospitable Indonesian community found their perfect ambassador […]

In the early years of the sangha, cloth was scarce and monks patched together whatever they could find to cover their bodies. But as the Buddha’s renown grew, there came to be enough cloth to choose a pattern for robes. One day Ananda, the Buddha’s attendant, offered to make him a new robe and asked,

Today, most monastics live in temples and monasteries. Some of these are grand, purpose-built institutions, while others are rented houses or apartments on average city streets. The monastery serves as a place to pool resources, gather for practice, and is easily accessible to the communities that support it. Recognizing that the mind easily acclimates to

We dust off the shrine, light a few candles, chant some words of veneration, bow in the direction of the altar … and then we sit and begin the practice of meditation. We might have the idea that our practice doesn’t begin until we reach the cushion, but would we do the rituals if they

On Sunday Bhante Pamutto gave the talk ‘Fear and Prudence’ for the Vipada Indonesian Buddhist Family. The recording is at: We live in a world of risks and statistics. If we watch the news it could seem like it’s too dangerous even to go outside sometimes. We probably don’t even realize that we’re being bombarded

On Sunday, Tahn Pamutto and Tan Santi joined fellow monastics with Wat Thai Thavorn in visiting their Albany branch temple – along with a large contingent of of the Indonesian Buddhist Family. The purpose of the trip was to inter the ashes of friend and family member Robby Mulyadi, as well as three others, at

On May 2nd, after over four months staying with the Indonesian Buddhist Family of NY, Tahn Pamutto will be departing and heading back to the woods of Massachusetts. Not enough can be said about the kindness and generosity of the community in NYC! This has been a wonderful experience and Tahn’s only regret is that

Last night, joined by dhamma friends observing the Uposatha and taking the Eight Precepts, Tahn Pamutto offered a dhamma reflection on the vastness of our reality and how to unleash the mind through the development of Equanimity in two phases – Equanimity based on Diversity, and Equanimity based on Unity.  

The Noble Eightfold Path can sometimes be summed up with three branches – “Sila, Samadhi, and Pañña”, or “Morality, Mental Composure, and Wisdom”. The positioning of Sila at the beginning of the list is not by chance – as many learn when they first experiment with Buddhist practice and try to meditate, they get only

Standing in the courtyard behind the Vihara here in Queens, with the sun on my face and birds chirping, the sense of spring is strong enough to overpower the perception of the city. Even surrounded by concrete and brick, I can close my eyes and feel the breeze against my skin, and it’s like being