Iñigo Ayala

Born in Mexico, I’ve had a strong spiritual interest since I was a child and first learned to meditate through books. My pursuits led me to meet my two primary spiritual teachers at a young age; Lama Tony Karam when I was 13 and Dr. Alan Wallace soon afterwards on my first meditation retreat. The topic was Dudjom Rinpoche’s Advice for Mountain Retreat, and it ignited a passion in me that has just grown to this day. I knew I wanted to devote my life to discovering and experiencing first-hand the enormous potential of the mind and heart and felt especially attracted to the path of the fully dedicated contemplative.

I think we are in urgent need of learning how to be in harmony with our environment, other species, the people around us and ourselves. However, we cannot work for external harmony without first embodying it or giving something we do not have. I take to heart Gandhi’s quote, “be the change you want to see in the world” because that is the only way sustainable transformation is possible. With the many hardships we’re facing, it’s crucial to know how to rest in wellbeing that comes from within and is not dependent on circumstance. I’m confident that achieving this is possible, and that we have the tools to take us there. Our mind has an infinite potential waiting to be discovered!

My aspiration is to discover for myself the enormous potential of the mind, based on ethics and compassion, to thus enable me to help others recognize it for themselves. To bring positive changes widely, there needs to be collaboration with people of different backgrounds and skills. That’s why I’m enthusiastic about a collaboration between scientists and contemplatives. Although I’m a slow learner and still a beginner on this inner journey, my wish is to follow the path as laid out by Dr. Alan Wallace until its culmination, and to help preserve these techniques authentically for future generations.