Open House

The application of mindfulness has to be precise. If we cling to our practice, we create stagnation. Therefore, in our application of the techniques of mindfulness, we must be aware of the fundamental tendency to cling, to survive. We experience the meditative state and it is momentarily tangible, but in that same moment it is also dissolving. Going along with this process means developing a sense of letting go of awareness as well as of contacting it. This could be described as touch-and-go: you are there—present, mindful—and then you let go.   — Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (from the book The Heart of the Buddha: Entering the Tibetan Buddhist Path)

Caroline DeMaio has been a student of Shambhala Buddhism for many years. She is a practitioner of Ikebana, Japanese flower arranging. She is a past chair of the Karme Choling Board of Directors and of the St. Johnsbury Shambhala Center Council. She taught elementary school, most recently as a school library media specialist. Ms. Demaio has lived in Vermont for over 45 years and resides in Barnet with her husband, Sal, and their black lab, Pepper. She is an enthusiastic hiker, biker and skiier, and always has several books on her nightstand.