By Ruth Fishel
Many people have asked me why I became a Buddhist. To be honest, if you told me I would do this ten or twenty years ago, I would have laughed! Not I, I would say. Although I read everything I could get my hands on about the Buddhist philosophy, I had no plans at all to become a Buddhist.
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By Ruth Fishel
Many people have asked me why I became a Buddhist. To be honest, if you told me I would do this ten or twenty years ago, I would have laughed! Not I, I would say. Although I read everything I could get my hands on about the Buddhist philosophy, I had no plans at all to become a Buddhist.
I was born into the Jewish faith but haven’t practiced this religion since I was a kid. Over the years I became an agnostic. Finally, disaster hit. After a great deal of pain and suffering from the disease of alcoholism, I found a self-help program and was able to find sobriety. Because the main purpose was to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety, with gratitude for a new purpose, I became deeply committed to helping other people recover as well.
My spiritual search led to meditating daily and reading countless books. I found myself strongly attracted to the writings and teachings of Buddhism and to author and meditation teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. While attending a retreat, I heard him say the simple words: “Our purpose is to stop our own suffering and to help stop the suffering of everyone.” His words resonated in my heart. An indescribable feeling of peace poured over me. Everything around me disappeared and I was only aware of these words and the meaning they had in my life. I knew I was on a new, yet parallel path. While I would continue to help people suffering from the disease of alcoholism, I now would reach out to help anyone I could through the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Buddhism.
After four years of studying, I had the privilege of being ordained into Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing in August 2009. It has been a perfect fit.
Ruth Fishel, True Land of Virtue, is a retreat leader and meditation teacher. She is the author of Peace In Our Hearts, Peace In the World and Wrinkles Don’t Hurt: The Joy of Aging Mindfully. For more information, go to: www.ruthfishel.com.
