Jomo Gudrun
Jomo Gudrun has been a pupil of H.H. Chimed Rigdzin Rinpoche since 1989. She is a teacher by profession, and has been instated as Rinpoche's representative in Germany. Jomo Gudrun has accompanied Rinpoche on many of his journeys, on which many of the presently available ritual texts were published and translated. Since 1997, when Rinpoche made this request of her, she has been teaching, and she is empowered to give certain initiations. Because of her open and accessible nature, she gives conveys Dharma directly, and free of cultural and language barriers.
The following contribution was written by her upon the request of a few Sangha members.
Meditating With The Heart
The teaching of the Buddha is basically, that there is suffering, but that there's also a way to end that suffering. The aim of our practise is therefore primarily to find happiness, joy, contentment... for ourselves and for others.
Most of the instructions for meditation and everyday life that we practise today rest on the experience that Buddha and other yogis made, who later became realized. Through the aid of these methods they were able to free themselves of suffering, discontentment, frustration and they came to experience joyful states. By adopting their methods, we too can have joyful experiences.
But inspiration does not come solely from Buddha or similarly realized beings. In our immediate surroundings we can observe which actions lead to happiness. When we observe two lovers, we see, that where boundaries dissolve and love is admitted, joy arises. We can also see this when a mother regards her baby... we all know such moments.
We can use these observations in our meditation. When we begin our meditation we recollect such an experience ? either one we witnessed somewhere, or one we ourself experienced. We allow the memory to become so powerful that a feeling of joy overtakes us. To intensify the experience further, we smile with our eyes. We lovingly regard ourselves and enjoy the relaxation that sets in as a result. We feel the love that manifests in our heart. Everything that troubles or preoccupies is dissolved by this love.
We understand that we have the potential to become a loving, helpful human being. For this reason I have respect for myself. The potential is there, I just need to cultivate and practice it, in order to perfect it. Everything I need is already contained in myself. I am pleased with the small things that I have already mastered, I appreciate my good qualities, and I will improve from today on.
I understand, that the person next to me wants to experience happiness and joy as I do, and that he or she also has excellent Qualities and potential. I genuinely wish that he or she is happy.
In this way I can increasingly develop compassion for myself and for others. Love, compassion, respect, joy and equanimity are the basis for our meditation. And we can experience them through very simple practices, like the one described above. I begin with myself and more and more I learn to integrate others in them.
Conversely, I can observe how others experience sadness, discontent, frustration, and I can try to learn something from that. To cut off communication, withdraw and concentrate completely on one's own misery is surely a way that leads to suffering rather than happiness.
At times when I wasn't feeling too well, Rinpoche always encouraged me to approach others and to bring them something. When I felt someone didn't like me, he sent me to that very person to ask them something.
To come out of one's isolation requires a lot of courage and strength. But you will be rewarded for it! Communicating with others, instead of embittered silence, sharing and openness, instead of hiding reservedly, accepting all situations just as they are, instead of resisting them.
Listening to others, helping them instead of drowning in self-pity, forgiveness instead of revenge ? you know what else to add to this list.
These aren't moral obligations. Rather they're effective methods that lead to happiness for one oneself. Don't wait for someone else to take care of you. Take up the initiative yourself!
None of the things written here are new to us. We know all of this ourselves. Perhaps becoming conscious of it and bringing it into awareness will inspire us to apply it.
tranlated into english by Anna Aly-Labana
***taken from the German Newsletter No. 2 / 1999