True Nature

 

I’m currently in a phase of life that involves a bunch of change. I’ve got multiple lists, we’re packing and sorting, and we’re donating and selling. It feels like we’re drowning in details – selling our home, what to save, what to get rid of, do we get a storage unit and, if yes, how big? And not to mention the daily conversation of what’s for dinner? As my husband and I ready ourselves to become world nomads, before we can launch, we have to release. In addition to the “stuff”, friends and family are wanting to connect and have been reaching out to us in a myriad of ways. To say the least, it’s a lot. So when I came across the following quote, I felt as though it were a gentle nudge from the Universe to remember the important stuff.

“Our true nature is like the infinite sky, unmarked by whatever drama temporarily appears in its vast space.” ~ Kittisaro, “Tangled in Thought”

As I read those words it was as though I was being reminded to pull away from the minutia of life and remember the bigger essence of who I am.

At times we get sucked into the vortex of our own dramas that happen from day-to-day. Just take a moment from a certain chapter of your life and see if you can recall the details of what felt overwhelming and challenging. If you’re like me, you recall the sense of what it was like but the story we may have recounted numerous times has lost its juice. It’s just not as important or as urgent as it seemed at the time. When we give ourselves time to put on the wide-angle lens of our life, we pull away from the micro drama and get glimpses of the bigger picture and hence the bigger meaning of our lives.

Coming to our mats is one way to remember our true nature which is said to be that of infinite spirit. When we become consumed by the many vignettes that play out each day, it’s easy to forget that the essence of who we truly are is right there, sitting within us. It’s as though daily dramas cover up what’s truly important and if they go on long enough, we may not even remember the deeper meaning of our lives. As Dudjom Rinpoche beautifully wrote:

“Although hundreds or thousands of explanations are given,

There is only one thing to be understood-

Know the one thing that liberates everything-

Awareness itself, your true nature.”

A story I recently heard recounted by meditation teacher, Tara Brach, told of a revered large Buddha statue in Southeast Asia that seemed to be made out of a white stone and plaster. It came to the attention of the local monks who looked after the statue that it was beginning to crack. As they investigated and shone a light into one of the cracks, they saw a reflection of what looked to be gold. They removed the outer plaster covering the Buddha and found the largest solid gold Buddha in all of Southeast Asia. The layers covering the golden Buddha were meant to protect it and, over the years, locals had forgotten the beauty and original form laying below.

For me, this metaphor is about getting stuck on the outside so we either don’t investigate what’s laying below or don’t even think there could be something that’s more radiant than what we can actually see.

When we come to the mat, we practice dropping away from the shell that feels protective and open ourselves to a greater potential of exploring all possibility. We remember that we are connected to something larger, to a field of expansive consciousness, without limitation or boundary.

As I navigate these changing times, I’m grateful to sitting in silence, stepping into the void to listen to the greater message that the details drown out. And perhaps, I can rip up a page of my to-do list, place a hand on my heart, and whisper to myself…”It will all be okay. It will all work out”.