Billy

[Billy]

Hello Fellow Warriors!

My Buddhist/Meditation journey: I began practicing in 2014 in the Shambhala tradition, and received ordination as a Buddhist Minister there in 2024. My root teacher is Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, a teacher in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. I am also a student of Soto Zen and Roshi Joan Halifax through my formal Buddhist chaplaincy education with The Upaya Zen Center. So….I really love all the schools (and Halloween chocolate!)

For the past few years I have been undergoing my clinical training as a chaplain in Hospice hospitals, trauma centers, and residential living communities in Costa Rica, Oregon, Seattle, NYC and LA.

In August I arrived in East LA for a unit at the Children’s Hospital of LA, and I hit a wall. Like, total burnout from all of the moving, the education, the trauma work, and the 80 hours a week between my chaplaincy work and my full time remote paying gig in the financial markets. Apparently I am not Superman (I don’t know why the lack of a cape and a giant S on my chest were not evidence enough for me already…I guess I’m stubborn)!

In January of this year, when that unit ended, I limped over to Venice Beach planning to stop, take everything off of my plate except my financial work, and to create open ended space and time to reflect on and process all I had been through. To rest and let my soul catch up as they say. To rest in stillness, silence & simplicity.

Three weeks later my father died and I took over navigating life for my ailing mother back in NY. In August, my mother died.

Wowza! What a journey it has been.

I had committed to keeping my calendar empty during this time, but when this opportunity arose for this particular program, it felt like a very supportive and nourishing component to my current process.

So…here you find me!

Thanks for reading this.

Warmly,
Billy

[Billy]

Hello friends.

What a beautiful beginning to our 30 day journey together.

I loved the toe-dip we took into the realm of protection on Wednesday.

Openness-container
Relaxing-ritual
No spiritual bypassing-using protection.

Rich areas that can ‘sound’ mutually exclusive yet ironically feel inseparable.

Look forward to more exploration!

Warmly,
Billy

[Author]

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