Tahn Pamutto continues reflecting on the practice of cultivating Emptiness. In the early stages it’s just like any other method of cultivating mindfulness by continually bringing the mind back to its focus. What is different is the reflection that underpins it all – the five aggregates are all constructions and additions to what is actually […]
Emptiness is not Empty Read More »
Tahn Pamutto opens the daylong reflecting on Emptiness: where the idea comes from, what it has developed into, and how to begin working to understand it experientially. We seek Emptiness because we recognize we are full to the brim – with thoughts, emotions, habits and stories. It’s not that there isn’t space in-between these things,
Emptiness and Fullness Read More »
After discussions and lunch, Tahn Pamutto continues reflecting on Right Effort. In order to understand our goals in life we also have to understand how the Buddhist concept of happiness differs from that of the world. Rather than merely swapping pleasure for pain, we see that our happiness is actually proportional to the suffering we
Right Effort: The Opposite of Dukkha Read More »
Tahn Pamutto begins the daylong with two classic definitions of Right Effort as part of the Eightfold Path, explaining how the four parts of Right Effort are experienced in practice. By understanding how Right View informs our effort, we can see how this framework simplifies the work of spiritual cultivation by letting us take on
Right Effort: Finding Motivation Read More »
In the second talk of the ‘Only Suffering That Arises’ daylong, Tahn Pamutto continues the exploration of what it means to walk the path of meditation from ignorance to enlightenment. All that arises for us as sentient beings is within the realm of suffering – all our habits, perceptions, thoughts and feelings. They arise and
Talk: The Dhamma Is Outside Read More »
This phrase, “It’s Only Suffering That Arises, Only Suffering That Ceases”, encompasses the realization of the enlightened beings. But what does it mean, and how do we get there? How do we go from an unenlightened being spinning in the vicissitudes of life to a stable, calm, reflective presence that sees things clearly without suffering
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[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 »
On the Uposatha, Tahn Pamutto reflects on the core understanding of the Four Noble Truths – that we practice not because it is pleasant and healthy and wonderful but because we have to. Samsara is a mess, and when we really look at our lives we can sense the subtle (or not so subtle) dissatisfaction
Talk: Practice Because You Have To Read More »
On this Uposatha evening, Tahn Pamutto reflects on the Eighth Factor of the Eightfold Path – that of Samadhi. Samadhi is a composure, brightness, and control of the mind. It is a fulfillment of the aspiration of the rest of the eightfold path, namely, to generate mindstates free of craving and suffering. Samadhi itself is
Talk: The Jhana Factors Read More »
Tahn Pamutto reflects on the Fourth Noble Truth – the Truth of the Path to the End of Suffering. Drawing from the previous talk on the third truth, Cessation, he explains how development in Buddhist practice is not merely a matter of eliminating defilements but is just as much about setting the foundation for them
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