Matteo (Matthew) Pistono is a writer, teacher of meditation, and student of

engaged Buddhism Engaged Buddhism, also known as socially engaged Buddhism, refers to a Buddhist social movement that emerged in Asia in the 20th century, composed of Buddhists who are seeking ways to apply the Buddhist ethics, insights acquired from meditation ...

. He is the author of "''Roar:

Sulak Sivaraksa Sulak Sivaraksa ( th, สุลักษณ์ ศิวรักษ์; ; pronounced ; born 27 March 1933 in Siam) is a Thai social activist, professor, writer and the founder and director of the Thai NGO " Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation", ...

and the Path of Socially Engaged Buddhism''" (forthcoming 2018), ''Fearless in Tibet: The Life of the Mystic Tertön Sogyal'' (

Hay House Hay House is a publisher founded in 1984 by author Louise Hay, who is known for her books on New Thought. Hay House has its headquarters in Carlsbad, California, and is (as of 2018) run by Reid Tracy. Hay House descr ...

, 2014) and ''In the Shadow of the Buddha: Secret Journeys, Sacred Histories, and Spiritual Discovery in Tibet'' (Dutton-Penguin, 2011), and has written about Tibetan, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian cultural, political, and spiritual landscapes for a number of outlets including

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

Global Post ''GlobalPost'' is an online US digital journalism company that focuses on international news founded on January 12, 2009, by Philip S. Balboni and Charles M. Sennott. Its stated mission is "to redefine international news for the digital age." ...

, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Lion's Roar,

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

's In-Pictures,

Men's Journal ''Men's Journal'' is an American monthly men's lifestyle magazine focused on outdoor recreation and comprising editorials on the outdoors, environmental issues, health and fitness, style and fashion, and gear. It was founded in 1992 by Jann Wenne ...

, Kyoto Journal, and

Himal Southasian ''Himal Southasian'' (stylised as HIMĀL Southasian) is a news magazine, which covers politics and culture in South Asia. Having closed its publication from Kathmandu in November 2016, the magazine resumed publication in April 2018 from Colombo, S ...

Biography

Pistono was born to Italian–Irish parents and raised in

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

where he completed his undergraduate degree in

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

. In 1997, he gained a Master of Arts degree in

Indian philosophy Indian philosophy refers to philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A traditional Hindu classification divides āstika and nāstika schools of philosophy, depending on one of three alternate criteria: whether it believes the Veda ...

at the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...

in London. His teacher at SOAS was the famous Russian philosopher

Alexander Piatigorsky Alexander Moiseyevich Piatigorsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Моисе́евич Пятиго́рский; 30 January 192925 October 2009) was a Soviet dissident, Russian philosopher, scholar of Indian philosophy and culture, historian, phi ...

. After working with the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

in Washington, D.C., on Tibetan cultural programs, he lived and traveled throughout the Himalayas. During this time he documented evidence of

human rights abuse Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...

s in Tibet. Pistono has studied meditation extensively with Tibetan Buddhist teachers, and shares

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

and

pranayama Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, '' prana'' means "vital life force", and ''yama'' means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with ''prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the '' prana'' ''sha ...

techniques in Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Nekorpa, a foundation working to protect

pilgrimage sites A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

around the world, and he sits on the executive council of the

International Network of Engaged Buddhists The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) is an organization that connects engaged Buddhists from around the world with the aim of addressing with environmental concerns, human rights, and conflict resolution. It was established in Febr ...

Bibliography

Books

*''Roar: Sulak Sivaraksa and the Path of Socially Engaged Buddhism'', forthcoming 2018. *''Meditation: Coming To Know The Mind'', Hay House, October 2017. *''Fearless in Tibet: The Life of the Mystic Tertön Sogyal'', Hay House, May 2014. *''In the Shadow of the Buddha: Secret Journeys, Sacred Histories, and Spiritual Discovery in Tibet'', Dutton, 2011. *“Engaged Buddhism” in Michael Buckley, ''Tibet: Travel Guide''. Bradt Travel Guides. April, 2012. *“The Hidden Shrine and Empty Picture Frame” (pg. 29-34) in Incomparable Warriors: Non-violent Resistance in Contemporary Tibet. ICT. 2005. *“Tolerance and Totalization: Religion in Contemporary” in Travelers to Tibet: A Selection of Eyewitness Accounts by Tibetans and Others (From 1959 to 2004). The Department of Information and International Relations, DIIR Central Tibetan Administration. 2004. *(As editor) The Dalai Lama. ''Eight Verses for Training the Mind''. Boston: Wisdom Publications. 1999.

Magazines And Journals

Inquiring Mind *Issue 29. Spring 2013. Gomchen (Poetry) Kyoto Journal * Issue 76. Summer 2011. Restoring Dignity. Jungle Hermit in Sri Lanka. Page 97-100. * Issue 74. 2010. Silk Roads; Samarkand to Nara. “Alexander Csoma de Kőrösi – The Grandfather of Modern Day Tibetan Translation” * Issue 71. 2008. Tea – a glimpse, a journey. “Sri Lanka Pilgrimage” pages 60–63 and “Masala Chai” page 40. Kyoto Journal online * 2011 http://www.kyotojournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kj75_pilgrims-conservationists_pistono.pdft * March 2013 T https://web.archive.org/web/20170306211736/http://www.kyotojournal.org/the-journal/heart-work/the-engaged-buddhism-of-sulak-sivaraksa/ HIMAL South Asia * September 2002. “Tolerance and Totalisation; Religion in Contemporary Tibet.” Pg 21-25 * September 2002. “Satyagraha In Exile” (pg 28-29) (Pistono interviews Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche)

References

External links

Official websiteVideo interview for Wyoming Chronicle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pistono, Matteo 1970 births Living people Engaged Buddhists American Buddhists Tibetan Buddhists from the United States Casper College alumni Converts to Buddhism