Hello, Friends,
It’s early in the morning—frosty and dark outside—and such a good time of year to turn inward. Off in the distance I hear jets at the airport warming their engines. I am aware of the good fortune of a safe and comfortable home.
Thank you for your efforts and your altruistic intentions in 2023—they are bearing such good fruit. In just a few short years so many of you have developed a steady shamatha practice and are now beginning to integrate insight mediation. Some have also connected to regular Green Tara or Medicine Buddha practice and inside that, have nurtured friendships and lively support for each other. Our Lojong study and practice is friendly and flourishing.
I see the dawning of an experiential understanding that practicing in the Vajrayana is a gradual process that will necessarily span years of more or less continuous effort and investment. Little by little I see you letting go of society’s demand that we should measure and judge practice and ourselves as we do our secular endeavors: let us not succumb to that. I delight in watching you act on the understanding that the challenges of our lives are not obstacles to practice but form the basis of the path itself. As you practice in that way, I see you responding more and more with patience, humor, and grace in all kinds of demanding situations. What a good sign!
Slowly, slowly, personal connections are forming among community members. To those of you who are such good shepherds of that, thank you for adding joy and stability to our community.
In 2023, many of you were able to take days or even weeks off to do retreat. I know it takes effort and determination to make this happen. Thank you, and your significant others, too. And thank you to our teachers and benefactors. In these challenging times, strong and compassionate hearts are medicine for the world. Thank you for your abiding presence as fellow travelers on the path
of wisdom and compassion.
With sincere gratitude for our continued connection, and for your goodness,
Lekshe