Lama Jinpa

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The quest is bodhicitta, says Stephen B. Walker, now knowns as Lama Jinpa. It means the wish to attain full enlightenment. It is part of one's reaching the core of Buddhism, he points out, signifying a spiritual transformation manifested by a feeling of energy and prosperity. And the 54-year-old wants you to know you don't have to take the same route as he in order to achieve it.

In the 1980s, he had been part owner of a magazine, and then took a job selling advertising for a newspaper in Grass Valley. "I know how tough the publishing world is," he says. "I wasn't happy doing it."

Walker had been studying Buddhism for several years when his teacher in the religion suggested the then-married father of two take up psychotherapy because his supportive and caring personality seemed a good fit. He graduated from Sacramento's Professional School of Psychology in 1989. He has had specialized training in Buddhist Psychology, Gestalt and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, among others.

"It was difficult," he admits, "to go from making some money and then go to school full time, and then you make no money as a psych intern. Practicing a spiritual life doesn't immediately make your life better on the outside. It did lead to divorce, and it was very difficult balancing those things."

His two children are in their 20s, but they seemed taken back when Walker in 2005 became a Tibetan Buddhist monk. He took the name Lama Yeshe Jinpa.

Monks live an ascetic life with few material possessions. They dress in maroon robes and shave their head. The inner peace came, but his psychotherapy practice suffered. He estimates half his patients dropped.

"It was difficult for my work as a psychotherapist, and it was also difficult being the only monk in Sacramento," he says. "They generally live in a group of four or five." Even though he had been scheduled to meet with the Dalai Lama in 2009, Marshall decided last winter to renounce his status as a monk. His hair has come back, and his wardrobe is growing. He has no regrets.

"The inner peace fills you up. You become a delivery system of mindfulness and kindness," Walker adds. "You know you have it when you don't want to harm yourself or others anymore. You delight in them being happy. In a very grassroots way you are willing to be kind and enjoy people. You develop patience with people you don't like, such as an enemy. You have empathy and compassion for them.

"There is a sense of richness in your life," Walker continues. "But it's not necessary to become a monk. I had a special opportunity. Can (anyone) develop bodhicitta? Yes. You don't have to change your life or leave your kids."

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