Volunteers series: Ricky’s comeback – It still feels like home here

Ricky was a precious facility manager and an IT master of Dorje Denma Ling in the past. He left in July 2012 and still remembers circumstances: “It was in the middle of the Scorpion Seal program. A coffee machine got just broken, but I had to go, to get back to school”. (Broken machine during the big program = a nightmare of all facility managers.)

Since then, Ricky came to DDL just once for a weekend program a couple of years ago. Till last week when he came back to stay with us a bit and to help out with IT system maintenance.

How did it feel to be back?

“Every time I come back I feel like a facility manager again – this needs to be painted, this needs to be done – it’s a bit hard. On the other side, there is a feeling of a different quality on the land – some new buildings were built, some cabins have been moved – it seems like it turns out the energy. Things are growing and getting finished, and still need to be finished, too, but I see a lot of opportunities.

What is important to me is, that the practice situation feels pretty solid now. Upper Vajrayana shrine room smells like deep practice. I did all my big programs there – Sutrayana seminary, Vajrayana seminary, Rigden Abisheka… And not just me, of course. All those people meditating there, doing prostrations for Ngondro and other practices – the space have those experiences in it. It’s very interesting dynamic that makes me wanna come back to deeper practice. It’s hard to do that being back busy in the city but it’s important to remember that it’s accessible and to be in touch with it.”