How did you find the Diamond Approach?
I was seeing an acupuncturist, Karen Dega who I had met at a Tai Chi class. She had been encouraging me to explore the Diamond Approach but I was not interested until she mentioned that Hameed Ali (founder of the Diamond Approach) was starting a group for therapists because he was curious to see how the work impacted a group that already had an understanding of psychology. I had been a therapist for almost twenty years by then and was feeling its limitations. I knew there was more to understand about human nature and had been attending Jack Kornfield’s Monday night Vipassana group. It answered some of my longing for more depth but I was still restless and skeptical about getting involved in a path I knew nothing about. Karen gave me Diamond Heart Book One: Elements of the Real in Man by A. H. Almaas (Hameed Ali's pen name) and suggested I read the chapter on The Theory of Holes. I was blown away and immediately applied to become part of the therapists group.
When you first started, what was your greatest challenge?
My greatest challenge was a fear of dissolving and not being able to function. I had read The Great Swan about the same time I started the work and was struck by how Ramakrishna needed aides to take care of him, to keep his sari from falling off because he was so unself-conscious. As the structure of the self began to dissolve, I had to work with that fear.
What has kept you engaged with the Diamond Approach teachings?
Teaching students keeps me quite engaged. Preparing retreat teachings offers an opportunity to continuously deepen my understanding and embodiment of the work. I’m always thrilled when I read Hameed’s transcripts and learn something new, or understand it from a different angle. The work is infinitely mysterious, regardless if it is a beginning teaching on the lataif or a later teaching on the Freedom Vehicle.
What aspect of the teaching is most alive in you right now?
Inquiry. It happens spontaneously, more than I sometimes realize, and I do formal inquiry as well on a regular basis. I am always amazed at what arises from open-ended inquiry. It is a profound practice for which I am infinitely grateful.
What has been the most surprising discovery for you in the past week, month, or year?
I was curious to see how my relationship with the path would change when I moved to Massachusetts from the San Francisco Bay Area, where I have long-time friends in the Diamond Approach and had been involved in teaching many students and groups. The externals have changed but the perspective of the Diamond Approach is embedded in the very fabric of my consciousness. It informs my perception of the birds who visit my feeder, the relationships new and old I engage in, my writing, and all aspects of my life. I am continuously grateful and appreciative of the wonder of reality as it shows up in everyday life.
What advice/encouragement would you give to someone “on the fence” about attending an intro talk or weekend?
I was very reluctant to get involved and reading the Theory of Holes helped me to take the next step. But my real commitment happened when I showed up for an introductory weekend and heard Hameed and the other teachers speak. I knew, not thought, that this was the right teaching for me. You can’t know in your imagination, or based on what you’ve heard or read. You need to sit in the presence of the teaching, with an open mind and heart, and find out for yourself how you are impacted.
If you could have one wish for humankind, what would it be?
That all beings could awaken to their True Nature. Life is painful and challenging at times. It’s not easy being human. But when we perceive reality from the perspective of Being, with an open and kind heart, we don’t have to suffer.
Rosanne Annoni has been a student of the Diamond Approach since 1990 and became a teacher in 2000. She has taught students in Boston, Germany, and the UK, as well as in Berkeley and San Francisco. In March 2016, Rosanne, her husband and dog Zoey moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Cape Cod where they now live full time. Rosanne writes part time and continues to supervise teachers of the Diamond Approach. She is co-leader of Diamond Heart Retreat Group 5, a retreat group based in Connecticut.
