“Learning to let Life guide us”-- what does that mean? Cheri, the Guide, has the patience, willingness, experience and wisdom to teach us here at the Monastery the art of listening to Life so that we can discern the difference between it and conditioning. In every encounter, whether in a guidance appointment, a group discussion, or in the pointers she offers as she works with us on Monastery construction projects (unique practice opportunities for monks and visitors), Cheri shows us our conditioning in ways tailored to break through each individual’s karma. She models what being present looks like, feels like, talks like; we are shown how to live from the heart instead of the thinking head, and are inspired to practice ever more diligently, to focus with a broader vision. She models what is possible, and reflects what in each of us is blocking that possibility.
The Guide's teachings, in all their forms, are born of compassion. “Ferocious Compassion” is the phrase which, since my earliest days at the Monastery, has captured my experience of practice. Compassion is the consistent communication from the Guide's heart to mine; it may not always feel warm and fuzzy (by conditioning's standards), but it is always, without exception, what is most compassionate for my authentic self and what Life wants me to hear.
Gasshō,
Melinda