So a couple of days ago (Tuesday), I went to my first Buddhism class/secular meditation at Gadem Samten Ling, and it was wonderful. I first discovered Buddhism a couple of years ago after reading “Buddhism Plain & Simple” (highly recommended), which was one of those serendipitous impulse buys. Anyway, the book “called” to me, and I pretty much swallowed it whole right away. The book took the stance that Buddhism is a philosphy and not a religion. So that’s what I thought it was (not that I’m about to disprove that theory. It certainly can be a philosophy in and of itself, without any religious connotation). Anyway, so I started a very small and modest practice… unfortunately, very little time was spent meditating, but a lot of time was spent contemplating. It definitely changed my worldview, but that’s all it did at the time (re: little time spent really practicing/meditating).
The next book I bought after that was “Buddhism for Dummies”, which was very useful in terms of history, and learning about all the other sects and whatnot. But obviously, not exactly the greatest source for real spiritual development. It’s awesome for facts. Which everyone needs. ANYWAY, that was at least a couple of years ago, and I haven’t really done any studying on Buddhism since then, although I did read up on Taoism, and love that very much too.
Fast forward to… now. Ever since starting Yoga Teacher Training (last January), I’ve pretty much been funneled back into Buddhism. The Yogic teachings and philosophies, and especially those of Geshe Michael Roach (whose books I’ve been studying primarily, for both Yoga and Buddhism) are practically identical to those of Buddhism. There are many things that definitely resonate with me, and of course, there are a few things that do not. Not yet, anyway. So I decided to read more books on it, and happened upon “The Buddha Book” by Lillian Too (renowned Feng Shui author and expert, I’m sure you’ve heard of her). This book introduced me to the religious aspect of Buddhism, deities, prostrations, prayers and all. Which was a bit of a “Whaa?” moment for me, because I thought it was exclusively a philosophy. But at the same time, it made perfect sense, because a lot of my Chinese friends growing up would say that they were “Buddhist”, albeit non-practicing ones (the same way many Filipinos say that they are “Catholic” and Westerners say they are “Christian”, whether or not they actually go to church).
Anyway, what a wonderful pantheon! Having been raised Catholic (and still being Catholic-ish), I noticed a lot of parallels. Lillian Too wrote her book inspired by her lama (teacher/guru), and really insisted on everyone finding a guru if they were really serious. Now, I have been googling Buddhist temples/centers in Edmonton for MONTHS now, and knew that if I tried looking again, I was just going to get hit with the same slew of temples and whatnots, without any hint of whether or not classes or pujas or anything was being offered, least of all in what tradition, or even if they would be in English. But I looked again, and BINGO! It’s true - when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
Gaden Samten Ling always appeared on the list of Buddhist temples in Edmonton, but I never, ever noticed it until now. Which is strange because they’ve been around since 1986 (so, just as long as I’ve been around!), and they have a fabulously informative website with details on everything from dharma etiquette, to what to expect when you arrive, to a full calendar, etc. I love those kinds of websites. Also, it’s close to where I live! A fifteen minute drive at most, and that’s with traffic.
I’m so thrilled. And the place really was wonderful - it was an adorable little house turned into a meditation centre. The family room was converted into a shrine room (where the teachings take place), and they had an office and library downstairs with an awesome collection of books. They bought the house next door and are planning on building a huge temple with a large parking lot. I can’t wait!
Oh, and I forgot to mention - their “style” of Buddhism is Tibetan Buddhism, which is what I was looking for. Cool, cool, cool. I am definitely coming back next Tuesday, and am looking forward to this new chapter in my life. Lots of learning to be done, and I love learning, especially about spirituality!
