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What do you do to support Shantideva Center?

I manage Shantideva’s Instagram account and I volunteer in person on special occasions.

What do you do professionally and/or as a hobby?

I am a coach and a content creator, with a focus on spiritual development. My great passions are spirituality and psychology; I am extremely interested in the human mind and its potential. I investigate, as well as create, tools to help myself and others tame our minds, shift our attitudes, and transmute problems into opportunities. I create psycho-spiritual content with hopes to educate and inspire anyone who comes to my social media channels. Tibetan Buddhism is my main foundation, but I love many spiritual traditions and philosophies and integrate into my work anything that is resonant and useful.

My previous career is interior and industrial design. I no longer work as a designer, but I am still driven by creativity and incorporate my sense of aesthetics in everything I do, whether it’s in my graphic and video work or by regularly redecorating and improving my NYC apartment.

Why do you offer service?

A meaningful life is one where we work for the benefit of others, not merely focusing on our own happiness. It is something that I felt deeply my whole life, and something that has been further strengthened in me by my teachers Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Venerable Robina Courtin. Offering service is something that starts with our attitude – it’s not just a simple action we do for others. As Lama Zopa taught, we can have the attitude of benefitting others even when brushing our teeth or doing just about anything. We can learn to embed this motivation into everything we do, and then our life itself becomes a type of service.

What do you find most rewarding about your role?

Posting beautiful images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and sharing Dharma content allows me to insert positive associations into people’s social media feed, which can be a welcome break from samsaric and confused content that dominates social channels. I myself have had the experience of being uplifted by a single social media post that popped up in the right moment, like when feeling overwhelmed, sad or upset for instance. I found this alone had the power to inspire a positive response and a renewed attitude in an instant. It’s kind of interesting how that works! This experience makes me feel like I can help someone by sharing meaningful content, while also giving back to Shantideva Center.

How has Shantideva Center benefited your life?

I have been a part of the Shantideva family on and off since 2005. The lamas that I have met in person by attending classes at Shantideva center, their teachings, and also the friendships that I have formed over the years have made an absolutely monumental difference in my life. I know I would have been a completely different person today, had I not had a personal relationship with Venerable Robina, whom I met through our center. Venerable Robina reoriented my mind in a powerful way at a crucial point in my life – and this set the stage for me to move in a certain direction from that point on. I am not always actively attending events at the center, I tend to be solitary in my practice, however I find it extremely helpful to be a part of the family. Whether we are solitary or not, it is important to have the community that we reconnect with occasionally – to stay motivated, to experience a sense of belonging, to keep learning and of course to give back in any way we can.

Is volunteering for Shantideva Center flexible to your needs?

I keep myself very busy and I travel often, so having an opportunity to volunteer remotely allows me to stay connected and offer service even when i’m not able to do so in person.