Eileen Dolan

Even though I was the fifth child in a family of seven, when I was with my Daddy I always felt special, and precious to him. The amazing thing was that was how he made all of us feel in our family.  My father died when I was eight. Yet inside my heart the seed of preciousness was planted, the memory and experience of my father’s love never diminished, it is my greatest inheritance.

When taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha at Xa Loi Temple, Master Bao Thanh gives the new disciple a Dharma name that begins with the word “Bao”, which means precious.  My Dharma name is Bao Hu Khong, Precious Emptiness.

Master Bao Thanh’s teaching mindful meditation has re-awakened my precious Buddha Nature and his friendship has rekindled that sense of being precious and special like I felt with my father. I believe all of his students feel special in his sight. That friendship is a teaching too, teaching me who the Buddhas are, they are our precious friends who awaken our preciousness.

The mantra Mu A Mu Sa is like the handshake introducing the love of all awakened beings. It is special, it is preciousness in the flesh, it is preciousness in the breath, transforming us back into who we are, our very special compassion and wisdom nature.

The mantra Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Da Ra Houng lightens up the mind to be able to see the preciousness within and outside. My mother, husband, children, sisters and brother, nieces and nephew, friends and neighbors…. All precious, all very special, all wonderful. 

Enveloped in this precious compassion energy the emptiness within is filled to overflowing, spilling out in my surrounding relationships.  The buoyance of my heart keeps me afloat above the things in life which might make me forget this preciousness.

This preciousness nurtures us into becoming beautiful loving kindness, which nurtures all beings around us to also grow into the beautiful loving kindness within them.  The precious light of wisdom brightens us all into lights for the world.