This month (June 2007) we talk to Jorge.

Jorge has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida. For sixteen years he worked for the Telecommunications Industry. He currently works for the Orlando Public Library System as a Technical Customer Service Support Representative. Jorge teaches regularly at Vajrapani Buddhist Center. He also studies on the Teacher Training Program.

When were you first attracted to Buddhism?

I always admired Buddhism from afar, but never thought of it as a possible spiritual path for myself. I admired and understood the concepts of great control over the mind and kindness toward all living beings, but for me it was out of reach in this lifetime. I thought (stereotypically) that you had to be a monk, live in isolation, etc. to be able to develop the beautiful qualities that a Buddhist had. Me a Buddhist? Not in this lifetime (I thought).

However in the mid 1990s my wife became interested in Buddhism and started reading various Buddhist books. I could not understand them, but she could. She would talk to me about them and I could appreciate them but I was not quite convinced, since frankly I was more interested in an agnostic path. I did see a positive change in her, but I was very involved in my career and reputation so these wonderful sounding wisdom teachings were just that. One day she had read to me that for each problem that you solve another would take its place. This teaching really resonated with me. After a lifetime of trying to achieve perfect work and living conditions, it was becoming obvious that I was chasing a mirage. I was becoming suspicious that the path I was following and my way of living were going in circles. A seed had been planted in me.

What made you come to this Buddhist Center?

By late 2004 I became more serious about finding and exploring ways to feel better inside. I read different “new age” authors and became fond of wisdom teachings in books and DVDs. However, I noticed that the effects (good inner feelings) from these were not lasting. More research and exploration (and conversations with my wife) lead to one conclusion: if we wanted to make inner changes from these teachings we needed to learn to meditate. So we began searching for a place where we could learn to meditate. This led me to www.meditationinflorida.org.

Were you apprehensive about coming? What did you expect?

Based on my religious upbringing I was very apprehensive about confronting another evangelizing group of people and being “converted” to a Buddhist. So I decided to go to a class just to see what it was all about and learn how to meditate. Before going I did prepare an escape plan and located the closest exit so my wife and I could leave in case of “evangelization” or any strangeness.

What were your first impressions when you arrived?

Once the class started the Resident Teacher Ricc Bishop made clear that Buddhism is non-evangelizing. Everyone seemed to be looking forward to the teaching and meditation. During the break the students that were there introduced themselves and shared (upon my asking) how much better their lives were since they were meditating. It was an incredible experience. We decide to go back for more.

What do you like best about coming here?

I leave deeply relaxed with a sense of inner peace. Also, the Buddhist wisdom teachings we use to meditate on leave me with something to contemplate and use all week long.

How would you explain the benefits of meditation to someone new?

You will be less prone to feelings of anger and paranoia when dealing with difficult people and situations. Also, you will become more appreciative of things that are truly important. You learn to distinguish between virtuous and non-virtuous states of mind: things that make your mind truly peaceful. You also take ownership of your own “inner spiritual path” which to me is a very liberating and empowering concept. So not only do you begin to gain control of your mind, but with this control you can begin to develop happiness from within. What a powerful concept!

How has what you have learned here made a difference in your everyday work and home life?

Once you become familiar with your mind and begin to control it. You become less susceptible to be manipulated or controlled by others. There is a sense of inner peace associated with this. It is liberating and at the same time interesting when for the first time in your life you watch people trying to “push your buttons” and you decide not to jump and remain at peace.

You also begin to see in other people your “old self” with buttons and everything. It is very sad, especially if they are friends and relatives. You feel deep compassion and want to do something. Now that you know there is a better way you feel tempted to teach them what you have learned. But just like it would have been inappropriate and damaging to try to teach me ten years ago, it could be harmful to force these teachings on somebody else. It is an inner path and not an outer path. The person has to be ready.

What do you feel that Buddhism can offer to the world today?

We are becoming increasingly angry and violent. Advanced technology and good living conditions are not making our lives truly better, and we are basically where we started. It is a source of great frustration to all.

Buddhism teaches each of us how not to depend on outside sources for our happiness, it also teaches us where the anger and dissatisfaction are coming from. Buddha figured it out 2,500 years ago. It may be worth our time to listen and give it a try. What do we have to loose? Anger, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness?

What is your favorite Kadampa Buddhist quotation?

Contempt, harsh words,
And unpleasant speech
Do not harm the body;
So why, mind, do you become so angry?

My life began to change when I understood this verse and the others that followed in this Buddhist poem by Shantideva.

What is your favorite Dharma movie?

The Matrix. The action and adventure take place in the mind. The hero is the one that can ultimately see things as they truly are, and not the way they seem to be. He becomes the conqueror, and it has nothing to do with his physical abilities, but his mind. It is so similar to the way we Buddhist view the so called “harsh reality” and our mind’s limitless potential. Back in the 1990s before I met Buddhism, the movie made me wonder about the so called reality and planted the seed of suspicion that things may not be inherently existent, but dependent of the way my mind interacts with them. When you start studying Buddhism you find it funny how people throughout history have been borrowing 2,500 year-old teachings from Buddha and sell them as new and exciting movies, books, and concepts.

What is you favorite book by Geshe Kelsang?

Eight Steps to Happiness is the book that was being studied when I first started coming to what was then Parbawatiya Orlando. So it will always have a very special place in my heart. I loved reciting the poem, receiving teachings on it, and the meditation that followed.

With which historical Buddhist practitioner do you most identify, and why?

The woman that had great faith in her Spiritual Guide.

During a famine her Spiritual Guide gave her a mantra to recite while cooking stones to make them edible. After some time her son who was a monk began to worry and came visit her. He was surprised to find that she was plump and well despite the famine. She explained that she had been eating stones by cooking them while reciting the mantra and she told the mantra to her son. He explained to her that the mantra had a mistake in it, and told her the “correct” version. When she heard this she developed doubt. She tried to cook stones but from that point on neither version of the mantra worked at all.

Despite incredible experiences that should reinforce our faith, we develop doubt, like the old woman did. Without knowing we take beautiful realizations and experiences and try to “explain” them. Find out “what really happened”. This is not good. Faith is a very important component of any spiritual practice. Without it we run into the danger of our practice becoming an intellectual exercise. Any action with faith has unlimited potential.

What aspect of the Bodhisattva's way of life most inspires you?

Until Buddhism and the Bodhisattva's way of life I never realized that compassion was such a powerful force. Through compassion we come to understand delusions in others and ourselves. When we first learn to replace anger with compassion over the delusions of ourselves and others, something inside begins to change. It is wonderful!

What's the first thing you're going to do when you become a Buddha?

Rejoice in my good fortune and proceed to help all sentient beings without exception.