'Being' with the Homeless

What does meditation do for you?

"In Tibetan, the word for meditation means, 'To become familiar.' We are trying to become familiar with how our minds work.
It all starts with being here, in the present moment. It can be very unsettling, when you realize just how frantic your mind really is.
Just try it. Stop, sit down, stay in the present moment, and think of nothing else but your own breathing. You may find, like the Buddhist Elders have said, 'the mind is like a 'crazy monkey' swinging from thought to thought' and from the past to the future!
Our brain does not know how to relax."

How are you able to reach the homeless?

"We had been doing a Meditation Group inside the Downtown Shelter for several months, but it was just an hour a week.
And to be honest, the Christian management didn't feel comfortable with us there. So we are going to the streets to the Chronically Homeless. It will provide more freedom to just be ourselves and make friends. Interestingly, this is what both Jesus and Buddha did. Although, they both held services and preached, they spent the majority of their lives simply 'being the message' of Love and Compassion. They lived 'with' the poor 'incarnationally.' Both Buddha and Jesus listened to, sat with, talked with, ate with, and shared in the grief of the people. Also, we would like to be invovled in Prospect's Courtyard at the new 'Haven For Hope' facility. HMP wants to be there for the Homeless that do not want to go inside or be a part of the program, and that will be quite a few."

Some people would think the homeless don’t have the frame of mind to meditate if they are in a critical emergency situation?

"Our main aim of working with the homeless, is just being with them. It is just about common everyday interactions. But those who ask for Meditation Instruction, will gladly get it. Like most of us, the Homeless have been listening to the same 'soundtrack' going on in their heads for years. "I'm so stupid." "I'm such a mess." "I can't do this anymore." "I wish I were dead." We have this subconscious 'Mind-Chatter' going on all the time, and don't even recognize it. But once it is exposed by meditation, you say, "Oh, I don't want to say those negative things to myself anymore." and "I'm not going to chase that 'old thought' down the rabbit hole again, that incident happened thirty years ago, why am I still worried about it?" So, once we start being present with our thoughts as 'The Observer' of them...old thought patterns get broken...and things begin to change in our lives."

What’s your experience?

"I've been through a lot in life. My story is a long one, way too much to tell here. But the short version is, I was raised in an alcoholic home and became one myself. I've dealt with clinical depression, divorce, death of loved ones, and jail. But, in 2006, I met a Tibetan Lama at the San Antonio Airport, of all places. This meeting would change the whole course of my life, bring me under the teachings of this Great Lama, and lead to something that I'd never known before, a 'peaceful mind."

Do you feel like this helps them deal with their situation?

"This helps them in at least two ways. They come to realize that people outside their peer group care about them. And secondly,
it is an influx of new ideas. None of us grow as people without positive, fresh ideas. A body of water that doesn't move, stagnates."

I assume this is all done for free?

"As you can imagine, hanging out with the Homeless, teaching meditation, and discussing Buddhist Philosophy doesn't pay a whole lot. People can contribute to this work by going to YTDR.org and making a donation: 'for the homeless.' We are acquiring the experience to go out and teach others about 'being' with the Homeless. Perhaps, we could travel to different cities and teach them how to start their own HMP Groups. So, It would be lovely if Meditation Centers around the world, would get behind and support this work, but as of right now, I believe, that if your intentions are pure, you will always have what you need."

Can you talk about what motivates you to give this service to the homeless?

"Neglect is something most children of Alcoholics feel, so I think my childhood made me 'super-sensitive' to the loneliness and suffering of others. Among other things, the Homeless also suffer from personal neglect. When you have lost everything, it is easy to lose yourself. As a Buddhist, my life should reflect my beliefs and practice. Our lives are usually wasted, driven by unfulfilling things and desires. Why not be completely motivated by generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom? What's the alternative?"

How did 'Homeless Meditation Practitioners(HMP)' get started?

"My Teacher is a Tibetan Master. His name is Lama Tulku Karma Rinpoche. He runs a Monastary for Tibetan Refugee children in Mainpat, India. It serves as an Orphanage, a Nursing Home, and a hospital. Daily, the aged and the young are dropped off on his doorstep. They would have no place to go, and would starve to death, if he was not there. He has been my guiding light and inspiration. When he asked me to start a Dharma Center in my hometown of Floresville, and provide an outreach to the Homeless of San Antonio..well, it just confirmed what I was already feeling, but hadn't spoken about."


Can Non-Buddhists be involved in this outreach?

If you would like to become a Homeless Outreach Worker, Buddhist or Not, feel free to contact us. We will be visiting with our Homeless friends every Tue. Weds. Friday. & Saturday on South Medina St. San Antonio, TX 78207 under The Buena Vista and Commerce Street Bridges. We will be Living, Learning, and Practicing Together. And if you would like to Support our efforts, please go to www.ytdr.org/home and make a donation for 'Homeless Meditation.' I don't know where the funding for this ministry will come from, but I know it is right and what our hearts are telling us to do."

"Better than bowing a thousand years to the Buddha, is one day lived as the BOW-
become a Buddhist Outreach Worker."

http://homelessmeditationpractitioners.blogspot.com/

Yours for Peace,
Jon Clark
Speakerjonclark@gmail.com
PO Box 71
Floresville, Texas 78114
830-484-7403
Donate to YTDR.org