Visitors Learn About Dhamma Pakasa at 2013 Open House

The 2013 Open house was held on May 11 from 12-4 pm and was a great success. Twelve dhamma servers prepared a delicious meal for over ninety visitors and hosted hourly tours of the Dhamma Pakasa grounds.  New this year, tours ended with a short video in the dhamma hall followed by a question and answer period with an assistant teacher.  The grounds were cleaned and groomed during a work period held the week before and guests had the opportunity to meet four goslings that were born the week before. 

One visitor wrote:  �Thanks for a wonderful Open House session. Right from the start, as soon as we parked our car, we got a warm welcome�Your volunteers were super nice. Goenkaji's video was very inspiring�[and] the food was so delicious.  My son and my wife also enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and your warm hospitality.
Thanks for this great facility and service you provide.�

This spring, IVC held two Work Periods - one prior to the Open House in May and the other just a few weeks later. The first work period was aimed at deep cleaning and on the beautification of the grounds. With spring having arrived, there was much weeding and planting that took place on the property. The second work period included more land manicuring and taking down the chimney from the Dhamma Hall building. The chimney removal marked the beginning of a larger future project where the male break room will undergo an expansion.

Reflections on Service

My expectations for serving and the reality were about as far apart as one could possibly imagine. I entered into my service assuming I�d get a bit of meditation in but not a whole lot of time would be available for reflection or effort given to the kinds of issues that arise when sitting a course. Nothing could have been further from the truth. In fact, every issue I struggle with in my daily life and with those in my sphere of reference arose at a heightened pitch due to a solid structure of rules and guidelines (that one might think a bit militant) for conduct as a female student manager, necessary but restrained interaction with students and fellow servers in the kitchen and the lack of environmental distractions, i.e. talking, eye contact, physical contact, technology, etc. This all allowed for gentle and at times, not so gentle, informing of oneself about oneself to occur.
The Buddha taught and Goenka mentioned repeatedly that meditation is a means by which to �know thy self� and knowing oneself thoroughly is essential on the path to enlightenment. Well, serving introduced me to my self in a way that nothing else ever has. The things that I struggle with most in my daily life with others such as noble speech, negative thoughts, judgment, ego, hubris, boundaries, self-care, honest communication, gentle truth and flexibility presented themselves to me throughout the course. It was natural given the circumstances but completely and totally unexpected.
Not until midway through the course did I realize how completely necessary it was to have a certain structure and rules to abide by while serving. These rules went against the way I usually carried on in my daily life. I�m a take charge, let no grass grow under my feet, controlling, talkative kind of person normally and the method of operation the TA wanted and needed from me for the female students was one of restraint, discretion, sensitivity, humility, attentiveness, compassion, and confidence in the process. All characteristics and behaviors that are not only not my strengths but things I usually resist consciously or unconsciously.
Participation in a meditation course in silence without distractions for ten days requires discipline and perseverance that people don�t normally need or exercise in their daily lives, so people become vulnerable, emotionally raw and sometimes highly agitated during a course. This presents many personalities, behaviors and challenges that have to be understood and dealt with by a student manager under the guidance and instruction of a TA. Watching students struggle with emotions, agitation, resistance, having been there myself helped me to exercise and understand the true meaning of compassion and empathy. Having to direct students to the TA with their questions, concerns and behaviors caused me to have to step back, restrain myself from giving/offering advice or guidance, and pay careful attention to my words. To be mindful of every word spoken to a student or fellow server in an effort not to cause confusion or pollute mine, or another�s heart with unkind, negative feelings was beyond challenging. In fact I can�t think of a word to describe what an effort it required but it was not impossible and that was all I needed to know. It could be done and I did it to the best of my ability and the practice has stayed with me. The awareness it brought to my life is such that I can no longer carry on as I did before because I know a better way. What is that saying, �with awareness comes responsibility�?

So many times I had to step completely out of my comfort zone by enforcing a rule, possibly angering or upsetting a student by having to get them out of bed to attend a group sit, remind students not to talk or make eye contact with other students. I tend to want to keep peace, never upset anyone, fix peoples problems, alleviate suffering and so much of student managing is stepping back and not fixing things for students, allowing them to feel feelings and deal with them, watching their discomfort and not rushing to make things comfortable for them because it�s all part of the process that they need to experience for their good. I had to completely rethink and completely alter my usual way of dealing with things. But it was all so very worth it because it allowed me to see how I have not only handicapped others and denied them the experience of dealing with their own pain by constantly making their world work, I have denied myself my true feelings and potential for growth by putting others needs before my own. I learned a healthy form of selfishness by realizing the harm I do to myself by constantly concerning myself with others needs and wants while totally denying my own, in an effort to be loved, accepted, wanted and needed.
I had the privilege of going through a checklist of questions with each female student when they arrived to the course. This allowed me to get a sense of them and to witness the state in which they arrived versus the state in which they left. The differences were mind-blowing and oh so, powerful. Perhaps watching the transformations that occurred in the students was the greatest perk of the serving assignment. There was one student that will forever stick in my mind. She came in looking very tough, almost mean and like she was mad at the world. I thought to myself when I met her that she was the last person I would want angry with me. I wondered why she was even at the course because she looked and acted like she was almost forced against her will to be there and not at all happy about it. Every time I caught a glimpse of this woman she had her arms crossed and what one could call a scowl on her face. I was certain she wouldn�t last three days. I was wrong. Very wrong.
Around the 6th or 7th day I caught sight of her walking the grounds during the lunch rest period and I had to do a double take. The woman I saw looked nothing like the woman I met that first day. She looked confident, soft, full of light and smiling from ear to ear. She had an air and energy of peace, contentment, beauty and light. The tears began to pour down my cheeks as I was totally overcome with emotion and gratitude for the practice and what it brings to ones life. Sitting a course you don�t have the opportunity to observe other participants the way you do when you serve and so to see and witness such remarkable and apparent transformation was a gift beyond measure. That is a moment not soon forgotten and one that motivates to me continue my practice with diligence and to give more time and energy to service. The power of the practice can change the world. I believe that with all my heart.
Meditation changed my life but serving a course changed it to a greater degree than meditation alone would. Taking the practice into real life seemed almost impossible before my serving experience but since, I have learned that it is not only possible it�s the whole point as to why I began meditating in the first place. Serving acts as a reflector or magnifying glass of/into the areas in our life that need work and attention in order to meet our full potential and Buddha nature. Each task and challenge causes you to know yourself better. I don�t do meditation, it does me.