February 10, 2010
The journey of a Buddhist to a Neothinker…
That is where Mark Hamilton came into my life, giving me a way of expanding my consciousness to a much greater degree.
A journey I started over 30 years ago, seeking something greater than myself when friends started dying from the AIDS virus. AIDS and the resulting deaths of friends and lovers made me search for a way to understand, and for some relief from the daily assault on myself and the rest of my tribe. Discovering Buddhism helped me manage that pain and separation, and gave me not only hope but a way out, a path toward liberation, or at the very least, transmuting the suffering going on inwardly and outwardly.
So I spent twenty years following Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. I had my daily practice and went to monthly classes, went to the Clearlake retreats yearly, and even traveled to France to attain further teachings, this time in the Ngondro practice.
However, there came a point recently where I felt I couldn’t go any deeper into the teachings. I suppose it had more to do with a lack of faith, maybe a lack of application. But I couldn’t integrate the teachings I received or the practices that were designed to elevate.
That is where Mark Hamilton came into my life, first with his three volumes, giving me a road map, a way of getting out of this sorry mess. Not only getting out of my existential dilemma, but achieving something greater, a way of expanding my consciousness to a much greater degree.
So thank you, Mark Hamilton, for your continued guidance and empowering mentoring.
Lightly edited for length and clarity.