Paula currently volunteers as the Meditation Room Manager for our Oak Park center, a role that involves overseeing and assisting with much of what happens in the meditation room (or, “gompa”). Her deep love for Dharma and the meaning it gives her life are at the root of her volunteer spirit. When she went to her first meditation class 9 years ago, at Kadampa Meditation Center South Carolina, she immediately found the teachings very clear and accessible. With a little experience, she learned that by putting them into practice her mind naturally became more happy and peaceful. And she also came to appreciate that without the kindness of many volunteers, that first class she went to couldn’t have happened.
In her personal meditation practice, she’s inspired by a passage from How to Understand the Mind, written by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso: “With my mind empowered by my Guru's blessings I can accomplish anything.” She finds it empowering because, as she says, “it is telling us that we can gain deep experience of Buddha's teachings and gain deep realizations of compassion, bodhichitta, and the correct view of emptiness in this short life.”
If you'd like to volunteer, either in person or from home, there are many different ways. And most can be done by anyone who wants to help, no special skills needed. Learn more on our Volunteering page.
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