The world truly is your monastery... even if you live the live of a traditional monk or nun, and call the physical building or set of buildings that comprise your domicile a "monastery", the fact remains that the entire world is your real monastery.
That abrupt and sometimes impatient person, who always seems to be harping on you for something? That's one of the senior monks -- responsible for your on-going formation. The person who pushes your buttons and makes you want to scream sometimes? That's your abbot or abbess.
Learning to live is learning to let go, and to do so with awareness. Every experience within and without the walls of the safe-space we call "home" is part of our monastic training.
_____________________________________________________________
Author of "The Dharma of Compassion - One Monk's Reflections on the Teachings of the Enlightened & Anointed Ones" -- a book that looks at the parallel teachings of the Buddha and the Christ, Lama Gurudas Sunyatananda is a Franciscan priest and Buddhist contemplative monk, who has shared these timeless teachings throughout the world, for more than 25 years.
Lama Gurudas shares the ways in which anyone can begin to recognise and understand the nature of suffering, unhappiness and restlessness in their lives, and employ a series of simple, uncomplicated meditation strategies, mindfulness exercises and personal decisions to improve the quality of their own lives, while doing their part to reduce the experience of suffering in the lives of others.
Focused on the interdependence of all beings, and the Common Ground of Compassion, his workshops bring the teachings of Buddha, Gandhi, Christ and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. into focus, and empower others to experience dramatic transformation in their lives. Lama Gurudas is the Spiritual Director of the Contemplative Order of Compassion -- a grassroots community of contemporary, Western Buddhists, vowed to living a non-religious, non-theistic, post-modern expression of the ancient Dharma, and
committed to bringing better health, healing and freedom from hunger, intolerance, violence and suffering to all sentient beings.
He resides at the Lojong Ladrang in historic Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with his life-partner and companion, Craig, and their imaginary dog, an imaginary scarlet macaw, and two imaginary pandas.
"My religion," he explains, inspired by the example of his spiritual father, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, "is compassion... my god is love... my path is service."
_____________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2008 The Office of Lama Gurudas Sunyatananda/Lojong Monastery. (Lojong Media Publications) All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment