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New on April 14, 2004: "Compassion for Enemies", an article by Kevin L. McDonald.

Back in March of 2000, while on a business trip to Dallas, I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about Buddhism. I had heard only that it is one of the most-followed religions in the world, and that some follow it as a philosophy in addition to their own belief system.  With my curiosity sufficiently piqued, I decided I should check it out. I was tooling around in the Galleria and wandered into a bookstore where I purchased my first book on Buddhism. There in the Galleria, I sat on a bench and read a good chunk of the book. I found myself wanting to nod a lot. What I was reading agreed with something inside of me in a very profound way.

Amarillo, Texas isn't what you might call a "Buddhism SuperCenter." I tracked down a few people who practice Zen sitting meditation once a week. I later discovered another group that meets once a month to discuss a Buddhist book of their choosing. Neither of these groups have a local teacher, really. I needed someone in the flesh to really talk to. Luckily for me, I stumbled across the Vajradakini Buddhist Center for Meditation in Irving, Texas. Their resident teacher, Gen Kelsang Sangye, travels to several places doing teachings. I caught up with him in Lubbock, Texas, which is about a two-hour drive from Amarillo. He was an incredibly kind monk who freely gave of his resources to help me learn more about his tradition.

The VBC is rooted in the New Kadampa Tradition of Buddhism, founded by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a Tibetan monk. The NKT is a very engaged form of Buddhism that focuses on meditation and study of Buddhist texts. In January of 2004, almost a year after meeting him and corresponding via email, Gen Sangye came to Amarillo to do a public talk. It was very well received. Shortly thereafter we formed a local group that met weekly to discuss one of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's books. Gen Sangye joined us once a month. It was wonderful to absorb the teachings. It's an exciting thing to study! Unfortunately we've disbanded the group for now until we can find a better way to schedule it so that more people can participate. There is hope for the future, though!

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