Today is Monday, December 8th, 2025, and I am getting started on my blog a little early. I have a busy week this week. I have my district chanting session on Tuesday night and then I have my district meeting the following night. Then there is the Parranda Navideña on Saturday, December 13th, 2025, at the Agustin Olivencia Community Center. I have never been to a Parranda before. It is a Puerto Rican tradition that started on the island and is also practiced in the United States. It is basically Puerto Rican Christmas caroling and a party. I am very excited to check it out.
I am Puerto Rican, but I don’t talk like one. I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish. And I understand why, my parents did their best. They had a very difficult time when they moved to the United States in the 1950s. Bilingual programs did not exist back then. They were tossed into English speaking classrooms and expected to learn how to swim. My parents didn’t want us to go through the same thing. When I was a small child, my language development was taking longer because my parents were speaking to me in English and Spanish. They took me to an American doctor and he said, “pick one.” And they chose English. I do have excellent English. I can communicate with everyone in English. From a five-year-old child to a person with graduate degrees or someone with limited education. I want to be able to do the same thing in Spanish. I also want to be able to easily communicate with Spanish speakers from every nation. I especially want to learn to understand Puerto Rican Spanish. I was doing outreach at a local grocery store, and I was speaking to an older Puerto Rican man. I probably understood about half of what he was saying. This pains me. I want to be able to understand everything.
I sort of feel like I am reclaiming my heritage. At the Buddhist Spanish Language Conference, I met a Latina woman from San Francisco. We have been talking to each other almost every week. It can be a little tricky sometimes with the three-hour time difference. We support each other in our Buddhist faith and in speaking Spanish. I do feel like my Spanish has improved a lot since last May and I believe that in large part that is due to our conversations together. I am determined to keep on improving until I feel like I am fully bilingual. I’m not there yet, but I will get there.
I am working on my human revolution too. I have been chanting to treasure myself so that I can treasure others. I must believe in my own Buddha nature. This is something that I continuously try to develop. If I can’t see my own Buddha nature, how could I possibly see the Buddha nature of others? I feel like unlocking this key is crucial for my evolution. I can’t help but feel that my lack of belief in my own Buddha nature is really holding me back. Right now, I am like a blindfolded person trying to drive now and somehow hoping to get there—when in reality I am putting myself and everyone else in danger. When I finally overcome this obstacle, it will be like a dam breaking through. It will propel me forward and empower me to excel in life. When I believe in my own Buddha nature and my unlimited potential, I will be unstoppable!
Today, is Wednesday, December 10, 2025. I just got back from our last district meeting of the year. It was amazing. We hung out after the meeting for a bit and had some snacks and chatted. The year for ended on a high note. We had a guest and a member who moved into our district. They both contributed a lot to the meeting. It was so encouraging. I am looking forward to supporting our district in 2026 and seeing how we will grow and develop.
I need to seriously think about what my goals are going to be for the new year. I know that I will continue to chant to treasure myself. I kind of feel like everything starts from there. I need to believe in my Budda nature. I can’t help but feel like when I am able to do so, everything else will begin to fall into place. I also know that it’s not like I will magically believe in my Buddha nature and everything will be nice. It will be a continual struggle for me. But I do know that when I am finally able to see my very own Buddha nature, I will feel so much joy!