Petaluma Profile: Kelsang Chogyop lives a life of meditation and service

The Mahakaruna Kadampa Meditation Center occupies a substantial wooden building on Penngrove’s Main Street, but it is only one facet of a Modern Buddhist tradition with branches all over the planet.

Northern Irish-born Buddhist nun Kelsang Chogyop is the Center’s Principal Resident Teacher. “Following the ancient tradition of studying with a lineage of meditation Masters,” she tells us, “becoming a Buddhist nun was my personal decision. I requested ordination, went through a ceremony, took my vows and was given my ordained name, in front of all the other ordained from around the world. After ordination, we live amongst the community and support ourselves. When I’m not at the Center, I work for a health insurance company.”

The Penngrove Center was founded 15 years ago when a local follower requested teachings.

“We offer classes for the general public,” Chogyop says, “by taking some of the ancient wisdom and giving them modern presentations. The underlying basis [of the New Kadampa tradition] is that every living thing wants to be happy and free. As a teacher, I offer a certain set of meditation practices. Participation in these lessons is up to the individual.”

Bill Kane, the Center’s administrator, introduces himself as “the money manager,” and provides information about people who come to the center.

“The numbers increase when people are looking for refuge,” he says. “Great loss causes us to become humble-seeking answers and help with the pain and emptiness. This typically leads someone to spiritual places [and practices]. Usually it is people looking for something deeper … peace of mind … or for a wide variety of reasons.”

Some even come to the Center to learn to meditate because they want to sleep better, Kane adds.

“But what drew me to Buddhism,” he says, “is the concept that we create a world we project from our own mind - amplifying our virtuous intention. Buddhism isn’t a dogma tradition. You take what makes sense to gain benefit in your life.”

The group of 10 people who gather for the center’s Wednesday evening meetings have been doing so for about four years.

“It’s not self-study,’ Chogyop says. “We use a Foundations Program book as a study guide, and they join into the program wherever they are in the book. Their commitment is showing up and being part of the Sangha (Community).”

Her personal commitment is much more dedicated.

“I practice at least an hour in meditation everyday,” she says. “When teaching, I prepare [by meditating] for an additional half-hour before the class.”

The Center offers evening, afternoon and Sunday morning meditation classes, weekend courses, meditation retreats, study programs and regular chanted meditations.

Chogyop tells us, “The benefits of meditation are improved health, happiness and peace of mind.”

Kane adds, “Meditaton is a means to reveal ‘virtuous thought’ [thought centered in the heart rather than the head]. The other part is to take virtuous thought into your day-to-day life. I use what I know from my meditations and teachings and apply it to keep my mind focused on having every thought and deed planting seeds of potentiality that will ripen into fruit. And I want those fruits to grow into positive results.”

Elaborating further, Kane says, “In Buddhism, everything - thoughts, words, and deeds - everything is cause and effect. By keeping this in the forefront of your mind, you are creating how you relate to all of your thoughts and actions. You are the one … the only one … creating how you relate to this. In fact, you can’t blame anyone else, because this is the you [the complete and entire world] that you have created for yourself.

“It is amazingly simple in its complexity,” he goes on. “Everyone is on the same path. We all want to be happy and are looking for happiness. But, as Buddha said, you must find happiness in your own mind rather than getting temporary pleasure by looking outside yourself.”

As an example, Kane allows that many people use meditation to empty their minds, a practice that serves a purpose, but does little to change one’s perspective.

“We have a precious human mind - a positive place in our mind,” he says. “What we at the Center are working to do is to help everyone who is interested learn how to create a happy, peaceful mind. We are working to actually change the world - one mind at a time.”

(Contact Gil at gilmansergh@concast.net)