Dominic Young
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Hey Karen, I love your response to this question of what you are devoted to! It is so raw and deeply personal, I appreciate your openness and self-awareness of your emotions. I am glad you were able to free yourself of that anxiety and took care of yourself. We have a similar devotion to learning, studying, and curiosity. I too have a number of modalities. I am glad to be on this journey with you!
Donna this is such a deep and beautiful poem! Thank you for sharing it with us. And it is a unique way for you to respond to the question! I love it.
Thank you Ann for your kind words! Seems we are kindred spirits on this journey. We learn and study in a similar fashion. I appreciate you. The Dharma is so vast that even if you hear it a hundred times, you learn something new.
What a challenging and thought-provoking question. How and where can we develop devotion? Even if we do not have a lama or guru. While it is important, and as Dudjom Rinpoche says it is the “best method for eliminating obstacles during meditation”, there are other ways and places to develop devotion. One way is to take on a teacher from the past who is no longer physically with us and connect with their energy through their teachings and writings. This could be a teacher from ancient times such as Padmasambhava or a Rinpoche of more recent times that is no longer in this physical realm. One develops devotion by reading and studying their teachings ( books and articles they wrote or video and audio teachings they gave ). One may also develop devotion by reading and studying the teachings of present-day teachers and connecting with their energy. In all of this one must do their best to take the teachings and bring them inside of oneself to see how they resonate with within their own life and lived experience. A final way to develop devotion is to “find your own inner guru” and cultivate an inner trust in yourself and your basic goodness. Knowing and devotion to your true self beyond all the layers that are piled upon us from childhood until now as an adult. This is a devotion to your true nature.
I have had a few teachers on my path. I have one teacher in particular that I am devoted to and at times I would consider him my guru in a sense, but as brilliant as he is he is not a Rinpoche and would not consider himself a guru by any means. So we are in a spiritual friend/guide sort of relationship. We basically help and advise each other and learn from each other.
I am also devoted to my practice and being of service and benefit to all other sentient beings. This mostly manifests in my being a coach but in other ways as well. I am devoted to showing up in the world as love and compassion.
I am grateful to be on the path and on this journey with all of you!
-Dominic Young
