This month (February 2007) we talk to Rose Thorn.

Rose lives in Ft. Myers, and teaches at Samudrabadra Center. Her class, which meets on Sunday mornings, includes prayer, meditation, and teachings dedicated to world peace through deeply experienced internal peace. Rose is a clinical psychologist and also teaches undergraduate psychology classes.

When were you first attracted to Buddhism?

How can I say it? The image that comes to mind is that of a moth compelled to the flame. From my earliest days I’ve been attracted in that way to developing wisdom and compassion. In childhood I took refuge in the peace I felt in the beauty of stained glass, incense, and stories of the sacred. In my adolescence I started to study comparative religions, philosophy, and psychology. I also began to meditate in different formal styles as well as in the process of creative pursuits with words and visual images.

What made you come to this Buddhist Center?

After moving to Florida I would periodically go on-line to search for a Buddhist center close enough for me to practice there regularly. The last time I looked, I found Samudrabadra Center in Fort Myers.

What were your first impressions?

That’s an easy question! When I arrived at the Montessori classroom which was the site of the center meetings at that time, my first sight was the brilliant and welcoming smile of our resident teacher JoAnn Lawrence. Quickly following the smile, JoAnn came across the room to me and gave me a hug. I know I had arrived at a spiritual home.

What do you like best about coming here?

Coming to the center feeds a deep hunger in me by creating a ground upon which to practice. It helps me to remember what is most important. It focuses me. And coming to the center gives me the opportunity to teach Dharma. In sharing the gift I’ve been given, the gift grows for me and for everyone.

How would you explain the benefits of Meditation to someone new?

The immediate benefits of meditation in themselves are quite wonderful: stress relief, inner contentment, better attention and concentration. But that is only the beginning. The continual unfolding and deepening of wisdom and compassion, which is not merely for oneself but is for everyone, is deeply life-changing and infinitely precious. At the deepest core of oneself, an ultimately private and unspeakable place, there is a finding of all beings, the holy and the sentient of all realms. This is such a gift!

How has what you have learnt here made a difference in your everyday work and home life?

In my work as psychologist and teacher, as well as in my personal relationships, the impact of Dharma is immeasurable. My compassion has been heightened. My realization of the preciousness of my own life and the lives of others is clearer. My wisdom and capacity for freedom and clarity is enhanced. I have more courage in expressing love when that expression involves tough issues. And I focus on what I am contributing to situations so that I can modify my perception and behavior with an eye toward the goal of enlightenment for myself and others.

What do you feel Buddhism can offer to the world today?

In our world suffering, doubt, and unrest both in individuals and nations is so apparent. The earth itself groans under the press of war, global warming, pollution, poverty. Technological advance and political maneuvers have exacerbated rather than ameliorated these problems. Buddhism can offer a path to internal peace. Through internal peace, peace can come to the world.

What is your favorite Kadampa Buddhism Saying?

“May I take on the sufferings of migrators and may my body transform into whatever they find beneficial.”

With which historical Kadampa Buddhist do you most identify?

Je Tsongkhapa has to be first. He embodies the wisdom of Manjushri, the compassion of Avalokiteshvara, the power of Vajrapani. He united the practice of Sutra and Tantra. An amazing person! Langri Tangpa, the Grim Face poet of compassion, is wonderful. I can imagine his legendary laughing at the mice who cannot make use of the little treasure they tried to steal from him. And Milarepa, the Buddhist bad boy, reminds me of the possibility of transforming every negative experience into enlightenment.

What aspect of the Bodhisattva’s way of life most inspires you?

For the Bodhisattva, the distinction between what is good for self and what is good for others collapses. There is one goal: enlightenment. And my reaching that goal is intimately bound to all reaching that goal. This simple yet profound realization is the compassionate heart of wisdom.

What is the first thing you’re going to do when you become a Buddha?

I would like to sit upon the lotus and moon seat at the heart of every sentient being, taking on the exact body, speech, and mind that each one needs in order to achieve enlightenment.