Wiley Saichek
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What do you do to support Shantideva Center?
I help Shantideva Center with social media promotion, focusing on Facebook, and occasionally serve as a host for Zoom courses on an as-needed basis.
What do you do professionally and/or as a hobby?
I began working in the book industry as a student in the mid-1990s and then full-time beginning in 2002, primarily in marketing and publicity roles. Since 2013, I have been an independent book publicist/marketer.
For hobbies I enjoy reading, dining out, listening to music, and watching TV dramas.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
As both a book publicist/marketer by profession and a volunteer at Shantideva Center, I love promoting and connecting people to resources and programming that can help enrich their lives.
How has Shantideva Center benefited your life?
I was introduced to the dharma by a Unitarian Universalist and Tibetan Buddhist pastor who works at the Unitarian Universalist congregation I have long attended. As a UU who has believed in cyclic existence since my teen years, I had never considered studying Buddhism or meditation until we were having a pastoral care conversation after my mother died in 2018. Because of the topics I brought up, she asked if I was a Buddhist too, and a light bulb went on. I answered “no,” and at her invitation began attending all of the Buddhism programming offered at this UU congregation. Things just started clicking into place.
After I learned my pastor also volunteered and studied at Shantideva Center, I started attending as well, immediately finding another spiritual home. I have so much love and gratitude for Shantideva Center because it provides a wide variety of stimulating, fascinating, and often challenging courses, as well as inspirational meditation opportunities and a nourishing community.