On July 28, 2024, Geshe Michael Roach marked the 49th anniversary of one of the most significant moments of his life — the direct perception of emptiness and the experience of bodhichitta at the age of 22.
This profound spiritual realization inspired his unconventional path into the diamond industry. Not for profit, but because the diamond was the closest thing in our world to the experience of seeing emptiness. Touching them daily helped him remember that rare and powerful moment.
Initially, he faced rejection from 30 jewelry stores in New Jersey. Eventually, he was hired by a new company in New York, where he worked for 19 years — simply to stay connected with that deep spiritual vision through the symbolism of diamonds.
Today, through the Diamond Cutter Institute (DCI), he serves over 140,000 students annually, writing hundreds of pages for each new DCI level. The theme for the current level is the “Goodnight Book Club” — an encouragement to disconnect from digital distractions before bed and return to silence, reflection, and paper books.
“Put away your cell phone for eight hours each night. It’s better than meditation.” (05:34)
To support this level, Geshe Michael is preparing a “chocolate sampler” of excerpts from 120 of his books to include in the DCI manual. While working on this, he revisited “The Garden” — a fiction-based-but-true book — and decided to share a chapter from it.
- The Garden and the Experience of Emptiness
- A Personal Meeting with Every Living Being
- The Irreversible Shift of Direct Perception
- The Light of Compassion
- A Personal Meeting with Every Living Being
- The Irreversible Shift of Direct Perception
- The Light of Compassion
- The Return from Emptiness
- The Unseen Struggle
- A Final Wish and Meditation
The Garden and the Experience of Emptiness
In “The Garden,” a young man studies with Buddhist saints. Though shy and bookish, he becomes a bodhisattva — a spiritual warrior. His world transforms. What once felt like life in a shopping mall becomes a noble quest. Every person becomes his child. He greets them with kindness, and when possible, he shares teachings on emptiness.
One day, in a desert garden in Arizona, he meets the final visitor — the Buddha himself. The encounter is quiet, humble, and filled with grace. The Buddha hands him a rose and invites him into a meditation so deep that it dismantles ordinary perception.
“Do not think rose.” (24:30)
Guided by the Buddha, he manages — for a few seconds — to see only the pieces of the rose: the red color, the green stem, disconnected shapes and colors, without the mental projection of a “rose.” This experience reveals how perception arises from mental seeds.
The eye cannot see a rose — only color and shape. The brain interprets and overlays the concept “rose” based on prior imprints. And those imprints were planted by past acts — like sharing a rose with someone.
“You can only see what your seeds force you to see.” (39:38)
The ant that walks on the rose sees a mountain. The Buddha sees the minds of all beings in the universe — and loves them. All three views are valid, arising from different seeds. There is no rose “in the hand.”
Then, the pillar of light emerges from his chest. In what follows, Geshe Michael describes an overwhelming experience of speaking to every living being in the universe, one by one — humans, animals, beings on other planets — offering them comfort, love, and assurance.
A Personal Meeting with Every Living Being
In that timeless moment, Geshe Michael recounts meeting his mother, who had already passed. She appeared beautiful, yet worried. He comforted her, assuring her of his return in seven lifetimes. Then his father came. Then his brothers. Then all his relatives, school teachers — even the worst ones.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.” (51:01)
He then met everyone in his city, then his country, then the world. One by one. Then came the animals — his childhood dog George, cats, birds, fish. Every single chicken, not just one representative. He reassured them all.
And then, something unimaginable: he began meeting all the beings on other planets. He couldn’t locate the planet, but the experience continued — all beings in the universe, in personal interview, in 20 minutes.
“I don’t know — either I’m a big liar, or this is something unbelievable. But it’s true.” (54:45)
He emphasizes that this experience defines a true bodhisattva — it’s not just about being kind or helpful. It’s about directly seeing death, understanding its reality, and still loving all beings without fear or exception.
The Irreversible Shift of Direct Perception
Seeing emptiness changes a person irreversibly. You lose the ordinary sense of self. You realize that the future lives are real. You know — not just believe — that you will become a Buddha, that your path is correct, and that your teachers and parents will be with you again.
Though the experience ends after about 20 minutes, its effects are permanent. The certainty of what was seen can never be shaken. No one can convince you it was false. You know it was true.
“You don’t just see the truth — you know you saw the truth.” (46:16)
Another result is the understanding that all Buddhist scriptures — over 300,000 of them — are true and accurate. He compares it to discovering the cure for AIDS written on a piece of paper. You would do everything to preserve and share that document.
This is how Aryas — those who’ve seen emptiness directly — feel about sacred texts. They become obsessed with preserving and distributing them because they now know every word is true.
The Light of Compassion
He also describes a physical sensation — a beam of light emerging from his chest, called prana. It touched every being in the universe. With each one, he spoke, reassured, and promised support.
“It doesn’t look like a Coca-Cola straw. It looks like a rocket ship.” (49:37)
He describes this moment as the embodiment of bodhichitta — the mind of enlightenment motivated by universal compassion. It’s not just emotional kindness — it’s a precise, active understanding of how to truly benefit others.
A Personal Meeting with Every Living Being
In that timeless moment, Geshe Michael recounts meeting his mother, who had already passed. She appeared beautiful, yet worried. He comforted her, assuring her of his return in seven lifetimes. Then his father came. Then his brothers. Then all his relatives, school teachers — even the worst ones.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.” (51:01)
He then met everyone in his city, then his country, then the world. One by one. Then came the animals — his childhood dog George, cats, birds, fish. Every single chicken, not just one representative. He reassured them all.
And then, something unimaginable: he began meeting all the beings on other planets. He couldn’t locate the planet, but the experience continued — all beings in the universe, in personal interview, in 20 minutes.
“I don’t know — either I’m a big liar, or this is something unbelievable. But it’s true.” (54:45)
He emphasizes that this experience defines a true bodhisattva — it’s not just about being kind or helpful. It’s about directly seeing death, understanding its reality, and still loving all beings without fear or exception.
The Irreversible Shift of Direct Perception
Seeing emptiness changes a person irreversibly. You lose the ordinary sense of self. You realize that the future lives are real. You know — not just believe — that you will become a Buddha, that your path is correct, and that your teachers and parents will be with you again.
Though the experience ends after about 20 minutes, its effects are permanent. The certainty of what was seen can never be shaken. No one can convince you it was false. You know it was true.
“You don’t just see the truth — you know you saw the truth.” (46:16)
Another result is the understanding that all Buddhist scriptures — over 300,000 of them — are true and accurate. He compares it to discovering the cure for AIDS written on a piece of paper. You would do everything to preserve and share that document.
This is how Aryas — those who’ve seen emptiness directly — feel about sacred texts. They become obsessed with preserving and distributing them because they now know every word is true.
The Light of Compassion
He also describes a physical sensation — a beam of light emerging from his chest, called prana. It touched every being in the universe. With each one, he spoke, reassured, and promised support.
“It doesn’t look like a Coca-Cola straw. It looks like a rocket ship.” (49:37)
He describes this moment as the embodiment of bodhichitta — the mind of enlightenment motivated by universal compassion. It’s not just emotional kindness — it’s a precise, active understanding of how to truly benefit others.
The Return from Emptiness
After this extraordinary experience, Geshe Michael began to come back. Slowly, he regained the sensations of the garden — its smell, sound, the feeling of sitting there. Finally, he could feel himself again. Only then did he fully realize: he had seen emptiness.
During the hour of seeing emptiness, he also saw many other things. These realizations included certainty that Buddhas are real, that he had met one, and that he himself would become a Buddha — within seven lifetimes.
He saw, not just conceptually but directly, that future lives exist. It was no longer something he heard from teachers — he knew it now with unshakable certainty.
Because of that, he says, there is no need to fear illness, aging, or even death. One knows exactly where one is going, and who will take care of them along the way.
“If you see emptiness, you don’t ever have to worry again — even about death.” (43:51)
Interestingly, he notes that even your name will change. You understand how your future teachers and parents will guide you again from day one. The path becomes absolutely clear.
And something else happens — your doubt is gone. Forever. Even if a thousand people tell you you’re wrong, or that you imagined it, it doesn’t matter. The truth you saw is immovable.
He also reflects on how, after seeing emptiness, you realize that all the Buddhist scriptures are accurate. You become almost obsessed with preserving them — because they contain the cure to suffering, much like a cure for AIDS would be guarded and shared urgently.
Then, he describes another layer of the experience: a full embodiment of universal love. The light — the prana — from his chest touched each being individually, one after another, and communicated directly with them.
He emphasizes that this wasn’t symbolic — it was real, detailed, and unforgettable. It included every species, even those unknown to us. And the whole process took just 20 minutes.
“That’s a real bodhisattva — it’s not just that you’re nice to people.” (55:04)
The Unseen Struggle
He explains that deep down, every human secretly believes that others may die, but they won’t. This delusion is broken through the perception of emptiness. One sees death clearly — and embraces it as part of reality.
He makes an observation about gravity: it always wins. As children, we learn to walk — to fight gravity. But eventually, gravity pulls us back to the earth, where we lie down and die. Even that is seen with clarity through emptiness.
And yet, once someone sees emptiness directly — an Arya — they cannot simply return to it at will. The karma used to access it is so immense, it’s like maxing out your karmic credit card. You cannot just “go back” again casually.
“You burn your karma credit card for your whole life in 20 minutes.” (57:07)
Even Aryas continue to see things incorrectly — for example, they too will see a pen as an object, not as emptiness. But the difference is, they know they’re wrong. They cannot unsee the truth.
That includes teachers — even those guiding others in deep philosophical truths. While they teach the concept of emptiness, they too are often not perceiving it directly in the moment.
A Final Wish and Meditation
As the talk comes to a close, Geshe Michael invites everyone to sit for a one-minute meditation. He asks listeners to make a simple prayer: that one day, this same experience might happen to them.
“Make a prayer that someday this will happen to you — if it hasn’t already.” (59:21)
With that, the session ends in silence, reflection, and gratitude. The rose in the Buddha’s hand — once a symbol of beauty — has become a gateway to eternity, perception, and pure compassion.
