Trust your self.

Trust your self. Your hidden self, the self that knows how you can show up in the world. 

How we show up in the world is not one self, for each of us plays many roles in this single lifetime. How you show up for your child is different than how you show up for your partner or friend. How you show up at work changes depending on if you are interacting with your coworker, your client, or your boss. 

We would like to think that we can be the same person for all of these roles, that we can bring our authentic self to each of these interactions. But we can't. Each person is asking and expecting something different from us. 

So which of these is your true, authentic self? Which is these is the self that we should trust?

The simple answer is none of these, and all of these.

Chogyam Trungpa says: 

The bad news is you're falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute. 
The good news is, there's no ground.

We are constantly searching for an identity to hold onto to prevent that feeling of falling (and failing). We are searching for a form that suits us and the image in our heads of who we can be. There is comfort and reassurance in knowing we have a ground to stand on and a position to stand by. 

But there is no ground. Those titles that we have and those roles that we play are not truly who we are or what we do, because we are not one-thing. 

And yet, in the process of discovering who we are, we generously meet people where they are at, helping them in some way. In Seth Godin's new book The Practice, he says:

Generosity is the most direct way to find the practice.

That's the good news. In the process (practice) of discovering who we are and our place in the world, we can get comfortable with the fact that there is no ground, and no fatal crash at the end that is going to be the end of us. When you no longer need to worry about hitting the ground, falling starts to look like flying, and you can direct your attention to starting to learn how to navigate that new space. 

Learning how to navigate life with openness, responsiveness and availability is itself a worthwhile practice, regardless of the results of your endeavor. As Seth says: 

Do you trust yourself enough to commit to engaging with a [practice] regardless of the chances of success?

Upcoming Meditation Workshop: Heart of Awakening

Meditation Workshop:
Heart of Awakening

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:  Sunday, September 22, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PDT) Wise Orchid Taijiquan & Qigong 2002 East Union Street Seattle, WA 98122 View Map

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Join us for a weekend workshop on giving rise to the heart of awakening, or bodhicitta. Learn how to meditate, ask questions, engage in dialogue with other practitioners. Learn the foundational practices for the practice of compassion and how these practices shape how we move through the world, what inspires and guides us, and how to live a life well lived.   No prior meditation experience necessary, all students welcome. Understand the human predicament and our shared experience of suffering Learn how self-awareness leads to the practice of compassion and love Learn how to practice Tonglen and work with the art of compassion Understand how the practice of bodhicitta guides us on our journey of awakening

A true renaissance.

A renaissance is a time for renewal and rebirth. It is the kindling of an emergent potential.

If there is to be a true renaissance in our modern world, it must include everyone. The innate potential and value of all people will have to be recognized and called upon. The notion that we all have something to contribute and that we all have the capability of doing so will have to become known.

The grounds for this rediscovery lies in each of us. It appears to be missing, but it is always lying dormant just beyond the fray of our busy and distracted lives. It becomes readily apparent when we can learn to still the mind and embody genuine presence.

Genuine presence is the ground in which we can mine for gifts worth sharing. Each of us, in our own way, has something to contribute to the world. We can each share from a place of kindness and abundance. We can move through the world with unconditional compassion.

A true renaissance unfolds with the embodying of genuine presence in our lives. It is the subtle shift in our posture that has the potential to shape the world and to shift the culture.

This doesn't require that everyone is always fully present, that is not possible. But it does require that we fight to remain present, when it is often much easier to tune out, turn away and shut down. The commitment to being present is the work that must be done. That is the work worth talking about.

Letter to a friend (The Renaissance Letter).

Dear friend, 

It has been quite some time since our last conversation. Summer has revealed her bounty and now fall is just starting to take form. The lavender is dried out and has lost its fragrance, the witch hazel tree has turned a fiery red, and the maple has already begun shedding her leaves. The world that we find ourselves in today is undergoing seismic shifts. We all find ourselves troubled by the challenges of climate change, political theater, and a society utterly destitute of belonging and community. Don't get caught up in speculation and longing. Take the time you need to cultivate inner abundance and joy, and take pleasure in the simple things around you. Find ways to support and inspire other practitioners in your life, as we are all in this boat together!

Just as the outer world changes, there is dramatic change unfolding in you. You may not notice it, you may not see its form, but if you are still you can feel its presence. Take time to sit and listen to that which is inexpressible. Within that space of deep stillness, you will find something that moves in you. Don't fixate on it, don't become too elated. Just relax. Clarity reveals itself naturally without effort. Effort in this moment simply creates more confusion and a cycle of disappointment.

This inner work of revealing your own heart is not easy. Don't take it lightly. You need to do the work, which means putting in the time and effort into your practice. I suppose that is why they call it the path of meditation, because we need to traverse the inner landscape of our own heart and mind in order to find what it is we have to share with the world. Don't be afraid of getting lost on that journey. Just as when one is in a new city, getting lost can reveal more and create more of an impression than rushing straight to your chosen destination. You are always blazing the path of meditation in your own life, meaning the trail is always behind you.

This commitment and dedication that you have is quite uncommon in this world. I know at times you must be frustrated and feel at a loss. Be patient with yourself. Your work inspires us all, even though we often do not have the words to say it. Bit by bit, our intentions and actions shape the world. The work of compassion and generosity is rarely done with a hammer and chisel, often it very subtle and we do not get to appreciate the final form in our lifetime. Be confident that form does reveal itself even if you do not see it. Your work, your art, leaves an impression in the world and that impression is in the lives of the people you impact.

The renaissance was a time of reawakening to human values and the measure of man. This question of what is sacred and what it means to be human is ever more urgent in our world. Artists moved the renaissance. Artists were the creators of change and the drivers of what people came to value and appreciate. Their art created an impact, it changed the culture. Now is a time in which we need more artists.

Take a moment to look at your own work, this inner work that you are doing. Does it lend itself to refining your values and who we are in the world? Does it examine the nature of what it means to be fully human and the nature of the world in which we move? Does your work reveal insight into the human condition and our place in the world?

This work that you are doing is the work of an artist. You are the blank canvas and the block of marble. In order for art to make an impact, it must be shared. It must go out into the world where it can interact with others, influence their perception and shape their values. Art that isn't shared isn't art at all, it is just a painting or a piece of sculpture. Art creates change. The way that you create change is by being present and contributing. Compassion, kindness and generosity are the expressions of your art, and each of those has the power to shape a human life and to make an impact in the world.

We too find ourselves in a renaissance, only this time the art won't stand in galleries. Art is the gift of our humanity that changes and benefits the lives of others. A life dedicated to this work and practice has both purpose and meaning. It has the power to shift the culture, to create a culture of awakening. This is the work of the bodhisattva, the work of revealing our own heart for the benefit of others.

With fervent admiration and support for you and the work that you do.

Gregory Scott Patenaude

You are the work.

Farmers direct the stream;

archers straighten the arrow's shaft;

carpenters shape the wood; 

the spiritual work on themselves.

Buddha

from the Dhammapada 10:17

The farmer knows his fields, the condition of his crops and how the seasons affect his harvest. He knows when water is plentiful and when it needs to be used judiciously. The farmer understands his medium. 

The archer knows her bow and arrow. She knows when the arrow is true and when it is must be straightened. Her craft is mastered by knowing the subtle nuances and conditions of her medium so that she can reliably hit her mark. 

The carpenter knows wood. He knows how it will split, which wood is soft and which is hard. He knows how the grain will appear and how to use the inherent qualities of the wood to produce a work of art. 

To practice the dharma we need to understand our medium. We are the medium, our own body, speech and mind. We are the wood to be shaped and the arrow to be straightened. We must understand the human condition in order for our practice to take root. Mastering our practice means understanding the human condition, and that starts by understanding dukkha.

Setting the angel free.

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

Michelangelo

Michelangelo, perhaps the greatest sculptor of all time, saw the result at the very beginning. The final form may not have been readily apparent and certainly was not fully evident, but there was no doubt that the angel was present in the marble. Michelangelo's practice was simple to remove layer after layer of obscuration, to remove the rough edges and distortion until the angel was set free. 

We might think that this quote is simply referring to a hard chunk of marble, but it is quite profound as it applies to our own practice and awakening. The angel represents our own inner genius, our inherent buddha heart. Maitreya uses a similar analogy from the Uttaratantra:

Suppose an image filled with molten gold inside

but consisting of clay on the outside,

were seen by someone who knows about this gold,

who would then remove the outer covering to purify the inner gold?

After we are introduced to our own buddha heart, introduced to its presence and nature, what choice do we have to remain idle? Who would waste such a precious opportunity and resource?

Having recognized our naturally abiding buddha heart (Skt. tathagatagarbha), the practice is simply to remove layer after layer of negative emotions, perceptual bias and confusion. We refine the rough edges of our intentions and actions. We chisel and carve out habitual tendencies and neurosis. 

The result of our work is that our naturally present buddha heart is made fully evident. Just as when the clouds dissipate in the sky to reveal the qualities of the sun, so too, once we eliminate the obscuring factors of our own inner genius then we can enjoy the qualities and activity of the naturally present result. 

The artist's practice is the set the angel free, to reveal our naturally abiding buddha heart to the world.

But then what? 

That is not the end of the road. The story doesn't simply end there. 

The artist must share her art. 

Art interacts with the world. It is experienced, impacts others, shapes the time and place. Art shifts postures, influences what people value and affects what they choose to engage in. 

Art shapes culture. 

The artist who does their work and brings it out into the world shapes the community of values. It is possible to step out into the world and share generosity, kindness and compassion. Equanimity, insight and selflessness can gain a foothold in our communities. There can be recognized value in chipping away the rough edges. Our communities can recognize the potential of everyone, identifying their inner genius and capacity to refine and reveal their own inner angel. Most of all we can start respecting and appreciating the work and the process. 

We can value the practice of the artist. 

The artist is committed to the practice of revealing the naturally abiding inner genius within. Art not shared is not art at all, so the artist moves into the world where their art interacts with people and the environment. As that art interacts with the world, it shapes values and what we believe to be possible and true. 

Art shapes culture, and it is possible to shape a culture of awakening. A culture that is eager to do the work, eager to show up, ready to be present, and that knows this is what we do here.

The artist always knows, this is what we are here to do.

The Scientist, Philosopher and Artist.

The Scientist.
Scientists like to experiment. They like to figure out what is really going on, and then to look to discover solutions to problems. The scientist pursues knowledge, but she does so through experience, trial and error.

The Philosopher.
The philosopher likes to examine and question. They want to know what is true, what is deceptive, and how these views influence and shape our world. The philosopher examines the very nature of our being and what can be known about our world by relying on reason, logic and critical thinking.

The Artist.
The artist is concerned with connection, relationships and impact. The artist conveys the value aspect of her work, her work creates meaning. Meaning is created through connection, change and impact. If no connection is made, or if no one is impacted, then the artist's work is undone. The artist's medium is reality, people and the web in which we are all connected.

Each of these three archetypes play a role in our practice.

When we sit down to meditate, we should sit down as a scientist. Your mind is your lab, what are you trying to solve?

Once we gain stability in our meditation, we should become a philosopher. Look deeper into your experience. Examine the nature of your own mind and the nature of reality. What is the true nature of the mind? What can be known through your experience?

When we stand from meditation, we stand as an artist. Use your daily life and interactions as the medium to create art. Share kindness, generosity and compassion. Use your trade to impact your community, create change and shape the world.

Don't be attached to any one role. Don't get caught up in the result or effect of your work. Simply attend to the different roles as they arise. There is a time to be a experiment, a time to analyze, and yes, even a time to dance.

The virtue of presence.

Presence is compassionate. It is open, available and responsive.
Presence witnesses the world as it is, offering acknowledgement, understanding and respect.
Presence is generous. Generous with your time, attention and effort.
Presence is disciplined. It does not waver or get caught up in cycles of confusion.
Presence is patient, overcoming the tendency to shut down and turn away.
Presence is diligent, willing to resolve hardship as we journey on the path.
Presence embodies a natural meditative stability.
Presence gives rise to insight and wisdom.

All virtues are embodied in presence. Practice being present, and you give the world a great gift.

Complexity, simplified.

There are three aspects to a simple spiritual practice:

A spiritual friend.
A mind of faith, diligence and wisdom.
Art.

Your spiritual friend doesn't need to be a guru.  They should be someone who inspires you, someone you trust.  They are compassionate and kind, with a gentle heart and an open mind.  They don't need to have a fancy title, but they should be someone you admire and hold in esteem. 

A mind of faith is one that has an admiration for, longing towards, and trust in what is authentic and true.  With this as our compass, we diligently, day after day, month after month, devote ourselves to our practice.  The result of this pursuit what what is authentic and true is wisdom.  Seeing things as they are, we make connections, see implications.  We gain certainty and eliminate doubts. 

Our practice must be shared, so art completes the practice.  Generosity as art, sharing kind words and deeds.  We extend our love and respect to others.  We listen, hear their pain, understand their problems.  Dignity is a gift worth sharing for those who long for it. 

These three aspects form the bedrock for a strong spiritual practice.  They simplify the complexity of the path.  

The path from here to there.

There is a path between the present and where you envision yourself in the future.  It might look like this:

A-B

A is the present, our current condition, what is real.  B is the result, the future or ideal.  Most people focus on the B.  Your B might be happiness or success, fame or fortune, family or fitness, or maybe even (B)uddha. 

It's easy to focus on the B.  To strive for attainment, for the result.  Everything around us is telling us to set our goals and to hit our mark.

But take a close look at the path (it's the hyphen!).  A life is in there.

There are good days and bad days, victories and defeats, friends and obstacles.  There are opportunities to be focused, and opportunities to deal with resistance.  There are moments to be generous, and moments to be overwhelmed by negative emotions. 

The path is where all of the transformation occurs.  The path is the conversion process that draws out all of the qualities and characteristics we are hoping to be present at the time of the result. 

The path is the gift that we get to share through our life and energy. 

We tend to experience a lot of dissatisfaction and discontent on the path, but that dissatisfaction and discontentment are due to our own perception of the path and our fixation on our desired result.

What if we shifted our posture, and focused on the practice of the path instead of the attainment of some future state?  That hyphen holds a lot of potential, we should make the most of it and also take joy in the opportunity that is present for us.  We have a lot to share. 

Contrived paralysis.

What we are doing is important.  There is a seriousness to this work.  We are serious about it.  It is important to us. 

And so we are contrived in its seriousness.  Contrived in its importance.  It's 'big deal'-ness.

Magic never arises from contrivance.  Art never arises from overtly conceptualized effort. 

It manifests spontaneously.  Naturally. 

We need to relax. 

We need to take the practice seriously, but not ourselves so seriously.  We still need to show up, everyday.  We still need to put in the work, put in the time and effort.  We need to commit and be dedicated and have a sense of urgency. 

Just don't get too hung up on yourself and your practice.

Changing the story.

I am continually inspired by my brothers and sisters on the path who are dedicated to their practice and generous with their time and energy.

One of the people who has inspired me is Seth Godin who introduced me to a new definition of an artist.  An artist is someone who makes an impact, benefits someone and effects change.  In this sense we all have the opportunity to be artists, regardless of our profession.  We all have the opportunity to take a moment, lend a hand, to truly listen and share generously.

We all have an opportunity to care. 

The thing about being an artist is that you don't create art all the time.  Not everything you do in your day is about making an impact.  Most of your day will be spent doing your job, working on the tactics, getting things done.

The artist can be busy and still make great art.

For me, this relieved a great burden, something I actually struggled with for a long time.  I was carrying a lot of frustration and aversion to being busy and working hard because I wasn't able to devote myself fully to making an impact.  I felt that too much of my days, weeks and months were wasted because I could be doing something better.  I could be doing better work but my work itself was preventing me from actually doing that.  That resistance to the nuts and bolts, ground level experience of my job (and life) prevented me from seeing and seizing those moments when I could act, when I could be generous.    

The function of our work is to make an impact, but not all the time.  We struggle to find meaning in our work and in our life, but we need to create meaning.  If we could even spend 10% of our time seizing those opportunities to make an impact and to care, we would find great meaning in our life.  It would even allow us to be really good at the busy, mundane, daily responsibilities that we need to fulfill because they would further create opportunities to create art. 

I can tell you that even 10% is hard.  It is too easy to hide in the busy tactical aspect of your life, too easy to keep your head down and keep plugging away at what you are doing.  We hide in the busy and then complain when our work has no meaning.  We fight internally against the resistance, but the resistance often wins and prevents us from stepping away and actually caring.

That is the fight, the struggle.

If we can recognize and identify that resistance, then we can actually find ways to reduce it.  Once we know what it looks like and what it is trying to do, we can push through the resistance and strive to make an impact, strive to care.  Start to create art.  

Let's fix diffusion.

Diffusion is the natural and spontaneous movement of a substance from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

Perfume diffuses in a room to leave a pleasant fragrance.

A teabag diffuses in water to make an enjoyable tea.

Oxygen in your lungs diffuses into your red blood cells to reinvigorate you and your work.

A popular local coffee shop diffuses into a global chain.

Diffusion is a natural process but we don’t often use it to our advantage.  We tend to be the area of low concentration.  So we consume.  We are entertained.  We listen and watch.  Mainly we wait and passively enjoy the fruits of a world that blooms around us.

What if that changed?

What if we became a source of wealth and bounty?  What if we were a wellspring of kindness and generosity?  What if our practice yielded dividends in the form of love? 

If we became a source of patience, kindness and generosity, what would happen in our homes and in our workplace?

If our practice gave rise to insight, drew out implications and made connections, do you think we would make an impact in those around us?

It might seem like a long shot, but the ball is in your court. 

Maybe this won’t even work, but even if you fail, what happiness and joy.

The Art of Practice.

What does your day revolve around?

Our days are busy with projects at work and responsibilities at home.  We run into all sorts of problems and roadblocks.  We want to do work that matters, but often we simply don’t have the time.

What intention do your bring to your day?

Is it to be more generous, to give gifts that matter and to make an impact in people’s lives and in your community. 

How do you actually do that?  It’s not easy.  You need to stick to your practice.

Some of us think of our practice as safe, a place we can prepare and get ready.  We think it is a place where mistakes don’t count and going live can always happen another day.  That is not what we are talking about here.

We need a practice that opens us up, one that enables our intention.  We need a practice that gives us the tools and resources to look into the darkness, face our fears and push through the resistance.

That is your practice.  The art of your practice is to share it.

Use your insight and understanding to benefit others, to be kind and compassionate to others.  Use your practice as a platform for doing work that matters, making connections and making an impact.  Use your practice to stand up, roll with resistance and carry problems onto the path.

Set your intention and let your day revolve around your practice.  I can’t wait to see the magic that you create. 

Dancing Partners

It's tempting when you go dancing to only dance to the songs you like and the people who dance like you.  It feels safer to dance with those who have the same tempo and those who make you look good.

The problem with this sort of dancing is that you spend most of your time waiting.  Waiting for the right song to play, waiting for your partner to be free, waiting for the right time to start.  You want to dance, but you never actually get around to dancing.

Start dancing with those who are bad dancers.  Be patient.  Slow down your tempo and adjust your posture.  Cut them some slack and give them time to catch up.  Listen to what they need and guide them with tiny steps and repetition.  You actually learn a lot about your own dancing when you teach others to dance.

Start dancing when it is not your song.  Explore a new tempo, a new style.  Feel the music and the beat, listen closely and let it guide you.  Trust your instincts, your intuition.  Dance on the edge of unknowing and fear.  Dance on the edge of 'you might look stupid'.  Watch what others are doing, adapt and adjust.  Make it your own.  You're still dancing.

Start dancers with others who are so much better than you.  Be awed by their grace and poise.  Mimic their moves.  Embody their grooves.  You might not have that much style and definitely don't have their grace, but let them lift you.  Be inspired.  Want to leap higher and with some extra pizzazz.  Now you know it is possible, keep dancing.

When every song and every partner presents themselves as an opportunity to dance, your practice has reached its consummation.  Now you are practicing the art of dance, so just keep on dancing.

Then you just need to learn how to bring those skills off the dance floor.  Dance in the streets, dance at work.  Dance with anger, dance with love.  

The Pottery.

A potter-in-training enters a pottery seeking to develop skill and dexterity when working with the clay.  He wants to learn the techniques used to shape it, how to alter the texture and strives to produce a similar replica to the original.  He perseveres in his craft until mastery is gained and he can consistently make great works of art.

He is attached to the form.

The master potter, the one you want to learn from, enters the pottery and pays homage to the space itself.

She sees the myriad display of forms, colors, attributes and functions that arise from the endless play of thoughts, emotions, perceptions and creativity.
She witnesses the natural radiance of that space- the illusory dance of projects and hurdles, learning and testing, succeeding and failing, coming and going.
She appreciates its abundant fullness yet quiet, spacious emptiness simultaneously.
Standing amidst masterpieces, balls of clay and broken shards- she recognizes them all as ornaments of that space.
That space- not needing to arise as anything at all, can manifest as anything whatsoever; which is why she pays it homage.  

To recognize and abide in that space, is the meditation. 

Here's the thing-

When you get the opportunity,
the chance to share,
to be generous,
to love,
to be kind,
to lend a helping hand;

Don't be stingy.

Share generously.
Be fully present,
and listen.

Don't hold back. 

Liberation is not somewhere else.

We have the concept that our freedom is somewhere else.
We need to change that social conditioning.
Don't change the conditions, change your perception.
Your job is yoga, expressed through your trade.
Your work is your art.
Take your practice to human interactions.
Be open and responsive. 

Work as dance.

Work as dance,
opportunity to do art,
endless play of partners and songs,
some lead, others follow.
Meet them where they are at,
not enough to show them what to do,
need to recognize where they are,
and where they can go.

The Hermitage.

Turn the whole world into your hermitage,
and every being a benefactor of your art.