David Minarro
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On my altars I usually have photos of people from my family and close friends, symbols of Christian, Buddhist and Hindu traditions, beautiful objects from nature, some precious items that I collected on my trips, and some of my drawings.
Thinking about the circles that Jenn described in her answer, all of those elements would be part of the mandala that makes up my sense of lineage, and at the beginning of my practice, I make offerings to them, and ask for their blessing and protection.
Last week I shared my feeling that this heritage feels a bit scattered though, and Susan encouraged me to incorporate a song that particularly resonated with me. So now, as I light my candle and my incense towards my altar, I also sing this chorus: “So I took the road less traveled by, and I barely made it out alive, through the darkness somehow I survived; tough love, I knew it from the start, deep down in the depths..of my rebel heart”.
This song connects me to the lineage of travelers, backpackers, searchers for meaning, of people who have challenged conventions and the have travelled the path marked by uncertainty and bravery. Also, I have discovered that it lifts me up to sing a song before I sit down, and it adds a touch of energy and bliss to my practice. So, at least for a while, it will continue to be part of my practice.
Thanks for reading!
DavidJenn,
I find it very curious that you were unknowingly attracted to sources from the same branch of Buddhism, when we are discovering that there are so many different traditions. Something similar happened also to me, and I find it interesting to be aware of it. I appreciate your observation about cultural appropriation, since it is something that we should not lose sight of at any time to develop our path with the greatest possible vehemence and respect for this ancestral wisdom.
Best regards,
DavidAllison,
I can relate to turning to the Christian interpretation of God, even though there is so much to disagree with, especially for me in the establishment around that tradition, or all stablished religions we could say. But turning to God in that sense continues to bring me a sense of help and protection that really helps me. However, I also like to know that we are spiritually curious and critical people who look for answers in many other directions, especially within ourselves, as you point out at the end of your answer.
Kindly, DavidI feel that I am now positioning myself on the Third Truth, Cessation of Suffering.
Lately I am directing my gaze towards my share of responsibility in my afflictive emotions, as Tulku Thondup Rinpoche mentions in the article: “Grasping at self is as harmful as an evil monster and we are responsible for maintaining it.” I am trying to focus on the parts of my life that provide me with nourishment, belonging, growth, root and vitality, instead of the opposite. And just as perhaps I am not fully immersed in a fourth truth that gives exact guidelines on how to follow an unequivocal path that leads towards an everafter solid, stable and reliable hopefulness and purpose, I have the determination to position myself in a third truth that opens paths , that is expansive and that is not foolish or deluded, but rather has the maturity and temperance to know that it is supported and conditioned by the first and the second truth of insatisfaction and grasping, having lived and gone through them with sufficient experience.
And, as a matter of fact, this training, with its community, study, homework and intellectual and spiritual nourishment, is an extraordinary example that help me position myself in that direction.
Thanks for reading!
DavidKaren, I find it fascinating how you describe your experiences of loss and growth, which seem to have been sides of the same coin, as chellenging as it is to view it like that. I value and contemplate in awe your ability to find wisdom, awareness, and even gratitude, through shifting perspective and taking responsibility for your own suffering.
Warm regards,
DavidDonna, I found it very admirable that you have such a big and brave heart, capable of finding liberation in forgiveness, despite the harshness of the experiences you have related. I find hope, strength and inspiration in your attitude.
With kindness,
DavidKate, I have found your determination to stay committed and devoted to love, kindness and learning, very inspiring. Regarding the latter, I identify with the fact that there comes a time when you become very selective with the information you want to get involved with, since you want to use the available time in the most valuable way possible, and I am glad that you found this course as the next step in your learning journey.
Helen, I really value your growth process in which you could let go of old family beliefs that perhaps did not benefit you or did not represent your most honest way of being in the world and on your path. I hope your heart is singing joyfully with this shared path of formation.
Looking at those aspects of my life to which I give devotion, my main sources would be: my practice, which I try to take care of in the best possible way within the recipient of making offerings, asking for blessings and dedicating merit; the dharma we contemplate within the Open Heart Project Sangha through Susan and the other teachers we have access to; Baruc and Neliah Kandisha, two yoga teachers who have helped me delve into this discipline and live its philosophy; my work as an educator, which I live from a deep sense of service, dedication and care; and my closest family and social relationships, which give me meaning, roots, belonging and stability.
I really appreciate having the opportunity to ponder and reflect on these aspects of our lives.
Kindest wishes to all of you.Hello, my name is David, I am 36 years old and I live in Spain. I am here because since I joined the OHP, six years ago, I knew that this was a training that sooner or later I wanted to experience. Susan’s teachings helped me improve my life, stabilize my meditation practice, and refocus my very existence. I work as a primary school teacher in a school with students from families in social exclusion, which really fulfills me, although I find myself receptive and open to expand my professional horizons. I have received training as a psychopedagogue, gestal therapist and yoga teacher, and I think that this training will provide me with very useful tools when working both with other people and with myself. Currently, I find myself in a situation of indecision in which I don’t know whether to go live abroad, start a family, buy a house, or go backpacking around the world, or all at once. Maybe this training also gives me answers on this matter through insight and personal investigation. Nice to meet you and to live this journey together.
Nice to meet you Rachel!! I felt the same way when I found Susan´s work! Glad to be join you in this adventure!
DavidIrena, I admired how your arrangement is so connected to your lineage, and I love the term “spiritual team”!
Thereza, I find it so cool that you have the taste and talent to put together those mandalas, and I sense they are kind offerings to nature for her beauty and richness. I am going to borrow your idea and see what if feels like. 😊🌻Maureen, I felt really touched about how you turn to Right Effort to find strength to take care of your loved ones and forgiveness and loving kindness for you. Thanks for sharing that.
Caitlin, I am happy you found serenity in your final resolution of choosing life coexisting with suffering, over no life at all, and I have no doubt you are going to be an excellent mother.
Regarding this week’s essay, I felt a particular personal connection with the first truth when I first heard of it, as one should. I think I have always kind of felt that underlying sense of pervasive suffering buddhism talks about, and when I listened to Susan say, around 8 years ago, “the first noble truth is: Life is suffering/unsatisfying”, something really clicked, and it became my entry gate to this journey, which has offered and keeps offering me lots of tools to navegate through both its bliss and difficulty.
As for the Eight Fold Path, at this point I am really fuelling on Right Effort. Though I am not quite sure of where my life is heading or what I want it to be in the next future, that inclination of not giving up on myself, my path and my environment is the currency of the land right now. And that feels hopeful.I am doing some summer holidays Cours e catching up of things I didn’t do at that time!
Michelle, I really liked what you said about the Gratitude Hut. Visiting Spirit Rock would be a dream come true, so it was very exciting to read about your experience there.
Melissa, I felt a click when you said Nature was part of your lineage, a true source of protection, beauty and blessings. I think I’ll borrow that!
My altar is comprised mainly of little very meaningful ítems I have collected overtime, with christian, buddhist and hinduist
symbology mainly. I also have some flowers, drawings and pictures of family. I feel settled and proud when I am next to it.
Although I still haven’t arrived to a definitive answer about who my lineage is, lately I am connecting specially with the lineage of lonely hunters, of spiritual seekers, of worldbackpackers, of people searching for connection and meaning sometimes following the road less travelled by. I gives me a sense of guard and community.
DavidHi everyone.
Brenda, I really felt transported to that dawn momment though your description, so happy you can enjoy that everyday; Joell, I truly wish you a steady recovery, and I send lots of patience and best wishes to you; Penelope, I absolutely feel the same way about your house, it transmits me a lot of armony, simplicity and elegance, very much in connection with the topic of this month in the OHP. So wonderful to read and contemplate all your musings and little or big pieces of your life.Continuing the description of our houses, I got a lot of padma energy when I thought about mine. I usually place along the rooms drawings of photogrphs that illulstrate my inner world, candles and inciense that create an inviting atmosphere, or gitfs and objects that are very significant and relevant to me. Though I heartfully adore all of these items, and seeing them in a daily basis works as a reminder of things and values that are important to me, I also realize that I like to create a “seductive” environment so when someone walks in feels attracted, intrigued and magnetized towards these pieces of decaration, and hence also to me. That tendency of instrospecting but also looking outward longing for connection felt really padm to me.
Hey Matt I feel very inspired by your use of the third Karma, and how it allows for some settlement in a creative proccess that can be very beneficial for the final product.
Irena, reading your thoughts, I really got a lot of Destroy Karma energy in your need of dissolving your work partnership! Wishing you a lot of courage and patience to go through that process.