Talks

Opening talk for a daylong retreat focused on one task – reaching a state of comfortable, steady, unbroken mindfulness. Success is less a matter of technique and focus and more about what our intention is and how we balance relaxation and awareness.

Tahn Pamutto describes the Theravādā definition of enlightenment – how one becomes an ‘ariyā’ or Noble Being, the fetters that need to be cut at each stage, and what visible effects cutting these fetters might have.

On the Uposatha, Tahn Pamutto discusses the important first stage of meditation – even before beginning the development of mindfulness. The Buddha describes this two ways – ‘Abandoning the Five Hindrances’, or ‘Abandoning Covetousness and Grief for the World’. They describe the same process – removing the obstacles of the mind keeping unwholesome mental states

For the morning of the ‘Balance’ daylong retreat, Tahn Pamutto talks on the importance of finding the sweet spot in our meditative and contemplative practices. We’re not just striking a balance between restless, overactive energies and dull, listless mindstates, but between our desire for samādhi and stability vs. our interest and enthusiasm for the dhamma.

The ‘Ratana Sutta’ or ‘Jewel Discourse’ is one of the most popular and widely recited Buddhist scriptures. Less than two dozen paragraphs and lacking the structure and depth of discourses on meditation or wisdom subjects, it still inspires the faith and devotion of those who invoke it. Traditionally used to ward off disaster, disease, and

Tahn Pamutto explores the concept of Right View in Buddhism, walking through the sutta MN 9 devoted to the topic. In this sutta the Ven. Sariputta describes many different examples and approaches to achieving Right View while at the same time showing how they are linked by common principles of Suffering and the End of

Tahn Pamutto reflects on our relationship to the deva’s and other celestial beings that are mentioned throughout the pāli canon. Why does the Buddha continue to mention them and what benefits do we get from integrating the possibility of other realms into our approach to daily life?

Tahn Pamutto finishes his series of talks discussing the Six Recollections given for laypeople – the Recollection of Generosity, of Morality, and of the Deva’s. Unlike the recollections of Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, these three recollections are not specifically Buddhist but deal with focusing on the wholesome and uplifting aspects of human society and the

Tahn Pamutto reflects on the practice of Recollecting the Buddha – his morality, composure, and wisdom and the long path he traveled to cultivate his final existence as the foremost teacher of trainable people.

Tahn Pamutto reflects on the practice of Anussati for the ‘Recollection of the Sangha’. The Sangha, both in terms of the Four-Fold Sangha of men and women practitioners as well as the Ariya-Sangha made of the eight kinds of enlightened beings, is our ultimate support and a great field of merit in the world. From