Working with darkness.

What if your ordinary life were to become extraordinary?

What if it were possible to live your everyday life, just as it is, such that it displays great purpose and meaning. It is possible? Could you do it?

The great practitioners of the past found that the key was to work with light and darkness. Light- in the form of our values, aspirations and ideals. Darkness- in the form of our pain, sorrow, challenges and obstacles.

The essence of a good practitioner and a doorway to discovering purpose and meaning is to get the shadows right. This is why it is so important to spend time and attention studying and contemplating dukkha and the human condition. Dukkha is extremely important because it gives our life perspective, without which our life would be ill defined and lifeless. Dukkha is the way in which life takes its form. To contemplate dukkha is to fully understand who we are, our place in the world, and to recognize the troubles that we all face as we learn to make our way forward.

Life cannot be understood in its details without understanding dukkha.

We often look to the light to find purpose and meaning. We look to the heavens as if hope is the way. Yet time and again, it is those who have wrestled with their own being who give rise to true freedom of expression. We must look into our own flesh, our own open sores and wounds to find what is true.

As our awareness of our own condition deepens, we naturally begin to empathize with others. As we are able to develop more equanimity towards our own condition, we start to recognize the equality of all beings in this world.

Perhaps the proof is that we can mimic the practice of others and yet still remain unchanged. Their practice doesn't reflect our lived experience. The infinite varieties of which life can take shape do not allow for a one-size-fits-all solution. You must look within. The key lies in you.

Praise the light. Rejoice in its presence and proclaim its virtue. But tend to the darkness, sit with it, acknowledge it. As you learn to be more accommodating with the pain and discontentment of your own condition, you will be able to carry that openness and ease into the world and bring benefit to others.

Working with the light reveals the possibility before you. Working with darkness enables you to step into and occupy that space. When you can do that, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

Attention follows intention.

When we direct the mind in meditation, it is important that we start out with a clear instruction. Notice the way that our intention shapes and directs our practice.

Let's use the example of meditating on the breath.

If our intention is, "I'm going to meditate on the breath." First, we start noticing the breath at the nostrils. Then our attention slowly drifts to noticing the breath at the belly. Again the attention drifts to noticing the breath as the rib cage expands and contracts.

In this instance, the mind is focusing on the breath, but it is wandering as it becomes bored with the breath at a certain area. The lack of clarity and specificity means we have given our attention permission to wander. Uncertainty leads to restlessness.

Let's try this again, this time we are going to meditate on the breath at the belly. First, we start noticing the belly rise and fall. Then we start noticing the rib cage expand and contract. Wait! We recall our intention to focus on the belly and with mindfulness, bring our attention back to the belly.

Then we resume our practice.

Gradually, with a clear intention, our attention becomes more stable and our practice progresses. Attention follows intention.

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

Spiritual connections are important.

Spiritual connection and engagement is the product of love, belonging, and vulnerability. 

Brene Brown

When we enter into authentic spiritual communities we should feel awkward. Awkward, because we can lower our guard, get rid of the facade, drop the pretense. Awkward, because we can come as we are. Awkward, because we can be vulnerable and honest. 

Your brothers and sisters around you support you in your practice and in your pursuit of happiness. They understand your challenges and failures. They respect your effort and your persistence. 

We all need this kind of connection in our life. Connection with those who travel the path and live a life devoted to practice. Seeking out and building these connections enriches our own practice and it enriches our world. 

Embarking on the path of meditation.

In the Buddha's first sermon, the Buddha stated the following:

Fully understand dukkha.

Let go of arising.

Actualize cessation.

Cultivate the path. 

What gives rise to dukkha is the three poisons of ignorance, craving and aversion, that is the truth of the origin. Craving and aversion reinforce a cycle of reactivity. Ignorance creates an underlying confusion about who we are, the nature of the world around us and our place in it. In meditation, we can train our mind to let go of craving, aversion and ignorance. The result is the actualization of the state of cessation, the third noble truth. 

Actualizing cessation can be interpreted according to different practice traditions. The common Buddhist tradition used the metaphor of a doctor to understand the relationship between the four noble truths and how we actualize cessation. 

The doctor metaphor goes like this: you are sick, I know why you are sick and I know what is best for you. Listen to what I say and follow my advice, and you will get better. 

That might work in many cases. A lot of times we know that we are not happy, that we have a deep dissatisfaction with our life and we simply don't know the way out. We don't know how to get better. We look for a good doctor, and faithfully follow his advice by practicing his prescription. And we get better.

The common tradition approaches the four noble truths like this: 1) truth of dukkha (you're sick), 2) truth of origin (I know the cause), 4) truth of path (I know how to make you better), 3) truth of cessation (you are better). One, two, four, three. 

 

The uncommon traditions of Mahamudra and Dzogchen approach the four noble truths differently. From the very beginning, we recognize your innate buddha nature, your innate potential and disposition for flourishing. These practice traditions recognize that you have something to contribute and they recognize your own innate wisdom, which is the wisdom of your own dukkha and life (the truth of dukkha). With this opportunity available to you comes tremendous responsibility, but we need to learn how to get out of our own way. We are the storm, the shit show is our own thoughts, feelings and actions. We need to learn to relax and self-regulate (let go of arising), in order to actualize our nature, which is the state of cessation. Then we are able to continue to walk and practice the path. 

 

The uncommon tradition starts by empowering you and approaches the four noble truths accordingly: 1) truth of dukkha (your innate wisdom of situation and life), 2) truth of origin (you learn to let go of arising craving, aversion and ignorance), 3) truth of cessation (you recognize and actualize the resultant state), 4) truth of path (you continue to practice the path).  One, two, three, four. 

You don't need to practice the path in order to attain some said result. The result is the path, each and every step. Actualizing the state of cessation doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It doesn't mean your a Buddha and that you never fall back into worldly existence. Not at all! Don't confuse yourself!

Actualizing cessation means that we recognize and abide in our true nature, or buddha heart. We are introduced to our nature through the teachings of the resultant vehicles and the grace of our teacher. When we recognize that nature, we embark on the long journey of the path of meditation. We carry that recognition into all of our activities, learning how to carry it in the form of the six perfections for the benefit of others. The practice of the path reveals the middle way between indulgence and beating ourselves up. We can enjoy life, and our practice makes everything workable. 

The uncommon traditions of Mahamudra and Dzogchen only bring final attainment if you live a life dedicated to practice. If you practice for a little while, have some kind of experience, then set the teachings aside and go about your normal existence then it will be no different than drinking a fine wine or going on some grand trip. Sure, you'll have some kind of memory of that experience, something you can hold onto and tell your friends about, but you won't be changed. 

A life of practice is a life of doing. To be, you have to do. You have to keep doing the inner work of being. Practicing the path in this way will give your life meaning and purpose. Your practice will present you with the opportunity to do art, to make a difference in others lives, to make an impact. You will always have the opportunity to be present, understanding and kind.