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| Mandala inside of an outdoor room |
Sitting on slightly over 100 acres of densely wooded area is the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center. Bloomington is known for its Buddhist culture and frequent visits by the Dalai Lama himself, but it wasn't until recently that I took the time to see what it was all about. I had just finished my second book on Buddhism and I found myself being so intrigued by the ideology and positive messages behind the principles. I'm not one to rush into a new religion but I was eager to learn more about such a peaceful culture. More about how this man (Buddha) who attained full enlightenment. Life is challenging me more than ever and it surely wouldn't hurt to feel a positive light.
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| Mantras, or prayers, on rotating wheels |
My first visit to the temple was a more intimate one. A good friend of mine joined me as we explored the place together. To pass time before the lesson I flipped through a picture book of events and turned to a page with a photo of the Dalai Lama on a recent visit but was immediately drawn to an out of focus but familiar face in the background. I flipped to the next page it was surely him, my good friend Max (minus his current afro), guitar in hand and sporting the biggest grin you could imagine. How awesome it was that he could be apart of the experience all the way from Israel. The lesson that day was focused on the path to enlightenment and in a conference (Buddha style) room a group of people gathered around a monk to say a few prayers and take turns reading from a book. I almost passed up my turn to prevent myself from sounding like a dummy but figured if I was going to do this I wasn't going to hold back. Fortunately, I didn't have to read any words like bodhisattva or satipaṭṭhāna. Phew.
This week I returned to the temple with my friend where the teaching was held in the shrine with rows of pillows along the floor. I must have missed the memo with the proper fast motion bows to the large Buddha statue at the front when entering the room. With an overwhelming color pallet of yellows, oranges, and blues my ADD quickly kicked in. The monk only spoke Tibetan but his messages were translated. It was easy to daze off to the sound of a beautiful foreign language mixed with the most interesting art everywhere you looked. You could hear rain beat down on the sky lights as it lightly stormed setting the perfect ambiance. What a beautiful place of love and generosity. We stayed around for a traditional Tibetan lunch and once again I left with peace of mind.
I can only imagine what my life would be like right now without the positive forces I have all around me. I get asked a lot how I deal with all the pressures of my responsibilities, long work days and my mom's recent hospitalization but my answer is simple. It's a mixture of spirituality, passion and a handful of solid friends.
This week I returned to the temple with my friend where the teaching was held in the shrine with rows of pillows along the floor. I must have missed the memo with the proper fast motion bows to the large Buddha statue at the front when entering the room. With an overwhelming color pallet of yellows, oranges, and blues my ADD quickly kicked in. The monk only spoke Tibetan but his messages were translated. It was easy to daze off to the sound of a beautiful foreign language mixed with the most interesting art everywhere you looked. You could hear rain beat down on the sky lights as it lightly stormed setting the perfect ambiance. What a beautiful place of love and generosity. We stayed around for a traditional Tibetan lunch and once again I left with peace of mind.
I can only imagine what my life would be like right now without the positive forces I have all around me. I get asked a lot how I deal with all the pressures of my responsibilities, long work days and my mom's recent hospitalization but my answer is simple. It's a mixture of spirituality, passion and a handful of solid friends.
