Have you ever met someone who exudes such a sense of inner peacefulness that you get a contact high just being in their presence? They emanate waves of calm and serentity and those waves seem to vibrate right through you. Fortune smiled on me twice in my life and allowed me to meet two extraordinary people who had this quality. Both instances left me feeling almost euphoric in a very centered, mellow way. It felt like a low volume hum for hours afterwards consisting of pure conentment and joy for the world around me. I so totally want to be that way, but I don't know if I'll ever achieve that level of what I called "oneness". I think it is a rare state in which to live one's life.
One of the people that I met with this "oneness" happened to be a teacher from Santa Fe. An ordinary middle-aged woman who from the moment I met her at a workshop, made me feel tremendously inspired, comfortable, and energized. The elements of the workshop are lost to me now, but the memory of that terrific feeling still lingers today in an incredibly potent manner. I can still feel peacefulness when I think of it...it's a powerful memory. The one thing I remember she told me when I commented on her aura of peace, struck me as a profound truth. She said she lived in the moment each day and went forward in life with a deep gratitude for everything life allowed her to experience. That advice stays with me and I reflect on it frequently.
The other person I met that shared this same quality of "oneness" happened to be a Tibetan Lama named Bhaka Tulku Rinpoche who visited my world history classes. His mere presence felt extraordinary, as if he were not just sitting on a chair in front of us, but actually touching us in such a calm yet joyful way. Transmitting those feelings to us without ever saying a word, the usually inattentive class quieted immediately and gave him their full attention. He shared information on Buddhism and the ideas behind this particular religion with thirty-five students and me. He also shared some meditation practices and encouraged the students to meditate and clear their minds so that they may be better able to cope with the world. Almost to a child, everyone left the class feeling renewed, energized, and peaceful. To see my students, many of whom come from intensely troubled situations and who battle depression, angst, and anxiety, leave the room with smiles, hope, and a sense of wonder made an enormous impact upon me. This one man, in the span of less than sixty minutes, did for these young people what I had been trying for a decade to achieve. He gave them a sense of connectedness to the world, to its inhabitants, and to their own inner-selves. Again, reflecting upon that occasion, I still feel overwhelming joy and an abiding sense of peace. His presence had an amazing aspect to it that affected me deeply, so much so, that I identify this singular point in my life as where my beliefs about how the world works began to change.
It's been an interesting journey since then, and I don't pretend to even come close to owning that quality of "oneness" these two individuals exude. I do try though, every day, to reach for it, to contemplate it, to live my life with a sense of deep wonderment, gratitude, and joy. I am getting there...I can feel myself changing, I can feel the peacefulness building, and someday, I can truly claim it as my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment