How a Lama and Google Helped Diamond Find His Way

This piece of art hangs on our living room wall over the sofa in Budapest

I’m usually less than excited to receive any kind of marketing email in my Inbox. But one day, the subject “Seeing through Confusion” grabbed my attention.

It might have had something to do with the fact that I actually was confused.

Should I move from the U.S. to Budapest, Hungary? That was the question at hand and my partner and I had been wrestling with it for a while. Logically, why would we want to leave our beautiful mountain home and our amazing community to hop across the pond? My top considerations were to gain a new perceptive on life, to open a European office for my PR company, and the possibility of being on a reality TV show that would follow our journey of purchasing a property in a foreign country and packing up our two dogs, Bailey and Brodee, to start our new lives as expats in Hungary. (The episode has not aired yet, so mum’s the word.)

Reality shows are like Lay’s potato chips for me. You can’t just have one. I love them all. So I was surprised that our opportunity to look behind how the “chips” were made wasn’t even enough to seal the deal with me.

I needed clarity – and I needed it quick, because we were leaving very soon to look at properties in Budapest.

So I combed through the details of the email, which promoted a local event with accomplished meditation and retreat master, Lama Norlha Rinpoche. It sounded like just the ticket! Not only would the Lama give me clarity, the event was the perfect way to hang out with my business partners before heading to Europe.

Before the talk began, a young man announced that Lama Norlha Ricpoche would be offering everyone in the room refuge, a ceremony that starts seekers down the Buddhist path. I’ve had a fascination with Buddhism for as long as I can remember, so I knew instantly that I was all in. I listened intently to Lama Norlha talk about confusion and the nature of reality. And while I was intrigued, all I could think about was the refuge ceremony. I was ready to start down that path.

The ceremony was quick, powerful, and inspiring. I was handed a medallion with a picture of Buddha on it (which I still treasure today), and we were each given a Dharma name.

I was so caught up in the magic of the evening, I didn’t think much about my Dharma name that night. But the next morning, curious, I Googled it and discovered that my name, Vajra, is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond.

Interesting, but I was still confused about packing up my life, torn between the thrill of the adventure and the security of home.

So I turned, again, to the most trusted source in the universe (Google) to see if moving to Budapest was written in the stars. I wanted to know if and where I could buy organic food. I wanted to know where I would do yoga. Was there an active expat community in the region? Did it have all the things that are important to me?

One search in particular made everything crystal clear, a sign from the universe that hit me right in the head. I had typed “Meditation Center Budapest” and this is what popped up: Diamond Way Buddhist and Meditation Center.

WOW!

Sometimes the universe makes things so clear. I was in awe as all the pieces of my puzzle fell into place – trusting my instincts to open that email, being ready for the teacher, having the courage to start down the path, hearing the message, and, of course, Googling.

Diamond had found his way.