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.

Living truly.

Most of us wander in and out of states of despair, trying to discover who we are and our place in the world. We search for meaning and purpose, we yearn for a sense of connection and we hope for a day when we will figure it all out.

To live fully, we must awaken to who we are in an authentic way. We must learn to recognize and live with genuine presence.

The issue isn't that we have lost our sense of purpose in the world. The issue is that we have forgotten the connection between our presence and the world around us. When we have lost our center, no amount of work and effort will rebuild that connection. When we are grounded in that center, everything that we do moves from a place of presence and intention.

Presence is the missing link. When we learn to embody genuine presence, we learn what it means to live truly.

Being present is greater than being wise.

A genuine mentor knows that being authentically present is more important than appearing to be wise or all knowing. A mentor truly understands, listens, and pays witness to her student and their challenges.

The mentor is naturally incline to teach, but they are equally inclined to wait, guide and nurture. The greatest gift a mentor can give is to uncover and reveal the naturally present genius within. Helping the student to recognize and awaken that presence fulfills an ancient exchange between mentor and student to reclaim the nobility of what it means to be human.

Mentoring bridges a gap between the elders and those newly set out on the path. It is a timeless conversation that involves learning how to be present in the world and discovering how our communities are meant to grow and flourish. These relationships become the glue that hold communities together, the ground for their renewal, and the foundation for finding meaning and purpose for young and experienced alike.

Wisdom lies just beyond the reach of fixation.

One of the fascinating aspects of understanding the Buddha's presentation of the mind is that confusion and wisdom are so closely connected, and often what separates us from experiencing one or the other is but a subtle shift in perspective. The Buddha taught that the primary negative emotions that we experience, called the five poisons, are all experienced as wisdom when we are free from grasping and fixation, otherwise called the five wisdoms.

Take jealousy for example. All of us experience jealousy, or the feeling that what we do isn't good enough or that others are somehow more talented or have better opportunities that we have. When we no longer fixate on our own inadequacy or ability, we can open ourselves up to experience the wisdom of innate fulfillment.

Arrogance is another common negative emotion. Arrogance holds tightly to our position, our view, our ideas or beliefs. Arrogance doesn't listen to what others have to say. When we relinquish these self-focused perspectives, we can give rise to the wisdom of equality, that all beings are equal and that all phenomena are equal in their nature.

Anger is experienced as a being averse to what is happening. When things aren't going our way, aren't meeting our expectations or are turning our the way we intended, we get angry. Anger is an attempt to maintain control or maintain power over a situation. When we let go of fixation, we can experience what is called mirror-like wisdom, where we respond and reflect what is happening. There is no distortion in a mirror, whatever you place in front of it is what it reflects back.

Desire or craving is a fixation on the particular qualities of characteristics of an object. We may be attached to a certain type of fashion, or brand, or person. The craving mind imputes so many characteristics onto the object that we cannot discern what is real from what is projected. When we are free from fixation, we experience the wisdom of discernment, which allows us to appreciate and acknowledge diverse qualities and characteristics but without the attendant forces of craving distorting our vision.

Lastly we come to confusion or ignorance. Ignorance fundamentally misconceives of who we are and the nature of the world around us. We think we are stuck as we are. We think the world around us is never going to improve. Everything seems rather inflexible and concrete. We we can break free from this type of fixation, we can experience with wisdom of the true nature, where we realize that everything is connected and interwoven.

We experience the five poisons regularly throughout our day. Wisdom lies just beyond, and the only thing holding us back is our own grasping and fixation. The Buddha's second noble truth is to let go of the origin, meaning to let go of these five poisons so that we can actualize and realize the state of cessation, our own true nature.

We are always off course.

Ask any sailor worth his salt and he will tell you that the direction that we are going is never the direction that we seek to go. You must always correct and adjust the course to make it to your chosen destination. With the vehicle that you have chosen, there is no direct course from here to there.

In the same way, our practice does not have a true alignment. There isn't one right way. The practice moves through you as you navigate your life. You must correct and make adjustments, that is the practice.

Know the direction that you seek to go. Know that the journey is long and follows many wayward paths. Also know that the quickest route is right into the headwind.

Shared values.

It is difficult and challenging to navigate our world today. Our country is divided, our communities are plagued by inequality and addiction, and even in our own families we may find it difficult to find common ground.

Where do we start to rebuild trust and respect?

We all share core values, values like honesty, integrity, generosity and compassion. As a culture, we value hard work, persistence, and dedication to a cause. Our religious traditions ask us to love our neighbor, help those less fortunate and be of service to others.

These are all points of contact that we share. While we may disagree on many issues, we can agree that values in our life and in our world are important. Start the conversation around shared values, and then listen to each other. Conversations may reveal how much we have in common, and maybe even break down the great divide that seems to keep us apart.

Imagine if we could even take this small step within our own family. If we could each unite the great divide within our family, maybe our communities could start to shift and change as well.

Talk to family and friends. What values do you share and why are they important to you?

Easier to carry the familiar.

Form is much easier to carry.

Many of us, most of us perhaps, find that our situation is not quite what we would hope it to be. Maybe we have a few pounds to lose, or maybe our relationships are not quite as good as we would like them. Maybe we could get a better job, or a nicer house in a better neighborhood.

But we already know all of this. We think about it every day, or whenever it's a slow weekend, or maybe whenever we get a chance to get out of the city. We think about what our life could be.

But it isn't what it could be, it is what it is.

There is a gap between the life we imagine and the life that we are living. In that gap lies uncertainty.

Uncertainty is formless. It is by nature unknown. The unknown is rather scary, certainly much scarier than our current situation however miserable it might be.

You see, our current situation has a form that we recognize. We know it and even if we don't like it, we develop various ways to cope and more often than not to dream.

But uncertainty has no form. We don't know how to carry it. We don't know how to leverage the possibility or to leap into the darkness. Surely we must land somewhere, for we must all be somewhere right? But alas, it is perhaps more in our nature to grit our teeth and keep on working harder. We are good at working harder.