Have you ever had a problem with your computer at work or at home and you couldn’t get it to work? Switching it off and on didn’t work shouting at it didn’t work, crying and begging didn’t work - you’re all out of ideas. And then you give the tech support person a call, they ask you what's going on and you say “well its a bit glitchy and jittery, not unlike me!” The tech person, as if by magic, takes control remotely of your computer, and for some reason it always makes me laugh when I see them controlling the cursor on the screen, its like the computer has a mind of its own. With a few clicks they get it sorted out and your computer is at peace again. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a spiritual technical support we could ask to take over when we get a bit glitchy or jittery?
Well there is! The Buddha was famous for developing his meditation practice to the point where he became enlightened, a state of transformed, awakened consciousness that brings deep peace, joy, and wisdom. Inside of you, there is also the capacity for peace, happiness and freedom - it doesn’t always feel like it, especially if you’re struggling at the moment. But the buddha was a person just like you and so the capacity to become a buddha, to be calm, free and happy exists within everyone, including you my friend. It's a seed that you just have to nurture and cultivate. To paraphrase the Smashing Pumpkins - the Buddha in me is the Buddha in you.
And we don’t have to sit underneath a Bodhi tree for seven years to touch that part of ourselves. All we have to do to access help at any time is to turn ourselves over to our Buddha nature, just like we do with technical support for our computer. We can let go and allow our Buddha nature to sit for us, to breathe for us. The seed within you will grow with regular practice.
In any guided meditation, anytime we sit, we can trust that seed, trust in our innate goodness and let our enlightened self do the sitting, do the breathing. We can set the intention to surrender control to the flow of the present moment and watch it unfold with playful curiosity as Jon Kabat Zinn would describe it. You can have faith that the ocean of serenity is there deep down in you.
You might say, “Shaun I can’t become enlightened, I need to get caught up on House of the Dragon!” Well don’t worry, we’re not going on a mystical journey - for now at least. We’re simply giving ourselves a chance to let go for a few moments and fully experience the peace of sitting, the joy of breathing. Because, as crazy as it sounds, it's enough. It's more than enough. All you need is to be. And there’s a part of you that's ready and willing to help you get there.
Comments
Post a Comment