Have a buddhaful day! :-)

I converted to Buddhism by accident really. For several years I had been studying and exploring various aspects of the religion, so when I received an email stating that the Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center (which I had been attending regularly) was holding a retreat I decided to go. The agenda specified that those who wished to become Buddhist should arrive at 9:00 AM for refuge with the lama. Well, I certainly was on the path to becoming a Buddhist given all the time I had spent studying and the sound of “refuge” with the lama sounded nice (I was sure tea would be served) so, as requested, I arrived at 9:00 AM.

There were about twelve people in the small meditation room in front of the magnificent gilded statue of Jowo Rinpoche. The lama sat in front of us and lead the usual meditation and chanting. He was assisted by a female translator and an assistant lama. The translator spoke: “All those wishing to become Buddhists please rise.” I stood up along with about eight others. It was then that the first rays of light dawned on my slow brain. “Ah, I think he means right now — convert to Buddhism now!” I worried — was I ready? I decided I was ready as I ever would be.

The Refuge Ceremony consists of prostrating oneself before the Buddha three times. I am handicapped so this was no easy task for me. I akwardly managed one prostration, kneeling and stretching forward so that my forhead touched the floor. I struggled to stand up and began my second prostration. The assistant lama stopped me — I thought I had failed! But he spoke to the lama in Tibetan than looked to the translator. She said to me “You are excused from physical prostration — you may visualize the rest.” With great relief I closed my eyes and pictured a balletic and perfect prostration.

After the prostrations each person had to repeat three times the words “I seek refuge in the Buddha, I seek refuge in the dharma,  I seek refuge in the sangha” (Buddha, teachings, community). And then, for each person, the lama thought carefully and bestowed a Buddhist name. Mine was Konchok Jowo Dolma (Precious Noble Tara) — I was thrilled because Tara is my favorite of the deities. I was quite pumped up, my joy only slightly moderated by my knowledge that while in Tibetan Dolma meant Tara, in Greek it means stuffed grape leaf… I thanked the lama for my name, was given a certificate  with my name inscribed and a couple of cards elaborately decorated with pictures of the deities.

We ended the ceremony with tea (ah yes I knew there would be tea) and candies and cookies (I have never been to a Tibetan gathering that did not have sweets). The new Buddhists gathered together to talk about their new names (it was very anti-Buddhist of me to be thankful I was not given the name “Karma Dharma”  or “noble fruit tree”). For awhile I stood apart from the gathering looking into the shrine room at the statue of the Buddha. When I started my quest I would never have dreamed that I would end up here — in a branch and lineage of Buddhism that goes back unbroken to the eleventh century. The words “for the benefit of all sentient beings” kept going through my mind. It felt right.