David Schmidt

Life has possessed many lessons for me, all of which have combined to create the person I am today. And while I am sure that not all of these lessons have made positive changes in my character, one that certainly has are the teachings on mindfulness that I have learned from Bhante Sujatha.
Even though I had studied the Buddha’s teachings for over ten years prior to meeting Bhante, most of what I learned had not penetrated very deeply. Perceptually and intellectually I understood, but it didn’t seem to inspire a lot of profound change. But then I met Bhante Sujatha and attended my first workshop that he was offering on loving kindness. His words resonated like a bell in my heart and mind, that loving kindness must begin with ourselves. A simple yet critical practice that I had never actually spent time doing.
The continued teachings from Bhante have always focused on loving the self and mindfulness practice. And while mindfulness may be one of the most oversold terms, Bhante teaches it in a fundamental way that has practical application in every facet of my daily life. This has had an enormous impact on my interpersonal relations with my family, friends, and certainly with my business. As President of a small business, mindfulness has a ripple effect that has shown to promote a friendly and compassionate relationship with customers and vendors alike. Being far more powerful than just “do unto others”, mindfulness is what reminds me to be fully present in all situations. And time has proven that this is always the kindest and most compassionate thing for myself, and everyone I encounter.
While I am far from perfect at the practice, it is a rock solid foundation that I can always rely on in daily life. It’s what always brings me back during difficult or stressful moments. And because of the practice, those moments are fortunately much fewer and farther between!