Drop-in classes focusing on the practical benefits of the Kadampa Buddhist tradition of philosophy and meditation have begun at the American Society of Jalisco (Amsoc) in Guadalajara on Thursday mornings.
The 1 1/4-hour sessions in English start at 10:15 a.m. and are led by Eliza Osher, a 30-something Los Angeles native who has been involved in both Amsoc and the Centro de Meditación Kadampa de Guadalajara for several years.
The Kadampa facility, located in midtown Colonia Americana, is part of a massive worldwide movement of Tibetan Buddhism based in northern England that has numerous temples and centers in Latin America.
“The main goal of my Kadampa teachers in training me and having me come as a volunteer to Amsoc is to help cultivate permanent happiness and eliminate suffering,” says Osher.
But while she recognizes these goals sound lofty, she underscores that the process is fun.
“We sit in chairs on a pretty deck at Amsoc under a canopy. You don’t have to be an member to come or attend all the sessions. You don’t need special clothes or a mat. You only need to bring some mental delusions that need fixing. And if you don’t have any, I have a few extra I can share,” she laughs.
“It’s fun because it creates a space where we can easily look at these delusions. Usually when we’re dealing with them, it’s because something has just blown up. But in the sessions, we take time to look at the delusions when we’re not in a crisis. It’s not very often that we set aside time for ourselves and sort of disassociate ourselves from our delusions and look at them calmly. Usually when we take time for ourselves, we’re involved in something else, like watching a program or reading.”
Osher emphasizes that each session is self-contained and focuses on a theme. Session themes are usually something universal, such as anger or forgiveness. On a recent Thursday, the theme was the power of our intentions.
“What we call equalizing is a big theme – equalizing yourself with others. Pointing fingers doesn’t get us anywhere. Let’s take corruption. A corrupt official probably has the same goals as me – to be happy and not suffer – but are that person’s actions congruent with those goals? No. But are my own actions congruent with my goals? One of my goals is to avoid causing ecological damage. But I’m in a restaurant, I’m rushed, I decide to take my food home and end up with a mountain of styrofoam. So my decision wasn’t congruent with my goals either.”
While many argue that Buddhism is best classified as a philosophy or find conflicts between it and other religions, Osher says she believes there are no conflicts, guessing that many Mexicans who attend center events – 800 were expected at a recent evening course for 30 pesos given in Guadalajara by Mexican Buddhist monk Kelsang Lobon – sense compatibility between Kadampa and Catholicism.
“This is a Catholic country,” she noted, adding that Buddhist teachings are primarily methods for improving the quality of our lives and that as a general rule, “as long as people don’t harm others,” we can practice tolerance.
Osher notes that she grew up in a family that practiced Judaism and that Kadampa or “modern” Buddhism (so-called modern because it adapts examples to modern life) was what helped her heal from the traumatic suicide of her brother 15 years ago.
Amsoc offers courses in Buddhist philosophy and meditation, Thursdays, 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. Cost, 60 pesos. Amsoc is at Avenida San Francisco 3332. (33) 3121-2395. Class proceeds go to the Centro de Meditación de Guadalajara, Hidalgo 1212 at Ghilardi (near Chapultepec). Call (33) 3825-4401 or see meditarenguadalajara.org.