Buddhist Meditation Class - Vajrapani Kadampa Buddhist Center
About a decade ago I was introduced to yoga, and through its regular practice I saw physical changes not only my my body but in my mental health. There wasn’t as much “noise” in my head. I was able to remain calmer in high stress situations. Yoga intertwines certain elements of meditation throughout its practice, but this is the closest I’ve come to doing any formal meditating. Meditation is helpful for the body, it stills anxiety, and is generally beneficial. This is scientifically proven and this information comes at us from so many directions, how can you not believe it? So there are many reasons to meditate. I get that. There is no doubt that it can help stress, depression, and anxiety. It is helpful for the emotional problems of daily life, when things go wrong It opens the heart and makes you more aware. And when awareness rises, so does wisdom, and the wisdom that rises from meditation is very powerful. But here is the catch. I have to sit still for a period of time for meditation to work. That’s the hard part. I talk fast, I move fast, I live hard and play harder. Slowing down doesn’t feel natural to me. So out of curiosity, and recent need for more peace in my life, I signed up to attend a meditation class offered by the Vajrapani Kadampa Buddhist Center here in Orlando. There they teach time tested instructions for reducing stress, increasing happiness, and developing tools and techniques to achieve real and lasting inner peace. At least this is what they advertise. I decided to check it out for myself.
A friend and I decided to check out tonight’s class which focused on “Offering the Victory” which was the seventh installment of the series based on Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s book Eight Steps to Happiness. The focus was to experience training the mind in loving-kindness. The more capable we are of opening our hearts to others, the more natural happiness will arise inside. We learned Buddhist methods for bringing about such a blissful transformation of the heart and mind.
Overall the experience was slightly different than what I expected, but then again I didn’t really have a preconceived idea of what to expect. I kept an open mind going into the class, so I was very pleased by the experience. Everyone was very kind and generous carrying such a calm energy about themselves that it naturally projected towards everyone who entered the center. We slipped out of our shoes and slid into seats just before the class started. In general I would describe it as a very peaceful learning opportunity where everything was very open and encouraging, where patience and acceptance naturally found a conjoined home. I was slightly anxious about meditating for such long periods of time (15 minutes may not seem long in a beer pong contest but when everything is silent and you are focused inward on inner light it can feel like an eternity), but I was again pleasantly surprised. It naturally slipped by with modest effort and I felt an internal alignment happen with little notice. Afterwards, the energy around me just felt good. I don’t know how else to illustrate it. It was positive and good.
Exploring Buddhism is fascinating to me, as is any religion or spiritual belief that I’m unfamiliar with in this juncture of my journey. My beliefs are what they are, but I embrace the willingness to learn about what is important to others, and through that knowledge there is always a personal gain and growth. Tonight’s class wasn’t just focused on Buddist teachings, but primarily on meditation and how by applying meditation for mere minutes a day we can see visible and lasting changes in our relationships at work and at home. Buddhist meditation is method for creating a permanent place of peace and sunshine right inside your mind. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the center and plan to visit again soon. If you live in Orlando, I’d love for you to join me. Just let me know!
Here is the center - not far from Track Shack off Mills Ave.
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