A single thread over a lifetime.

There’s a thread you follow.
It goes among things that change.
But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die;
and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.
~William Stafford, The Way It Is

There is a thread in life that moves through you and in you. We notice it most when we are fully present and embodied, in moments of fullness and joy. This thread is to be the person we are called to be in the world, the person we see in ourselves inwardly, but don't manifest outwardly. 

There is an ancient notion that each of us has an innate genius that is waiting to be recognized and expressed. The Buddha called this innate genius, which is the nature of our own mind, the tathagatagarbha, or buddha heart. 

When we are introduced to this idea of innate genius or our buddha heart, it comes with exalted images and big ideas. We'll be buddhas after all, then we can really do something meaningful and important. Our buddha heart encased in the shroud of self is forever held back and limited. We sense this notion of opening up to something greater, but get caught up in our own self-limiting talk and fear. Hold on to what we know, or open up. That is the tension that we always carry. 

Sensing this innate genius present in us, we have feelings of uniqueness and yearn for authentic ways to express ourselves and to be in the world. This thread of insight into our true nature runs through our whole life, but it takes a lifetime to work through. This thread is always unfolding, and yet we always feel tied up.

In the moments where we recognize our innate buddha heart, we experience freedom and complete openness to the world around us. In that space, we recognize the tremendous responsibility we have and know that the hardest work to accomplish is not outside ourselves, but working through the practice of trying to carry that presence and responsiveness into every area of our life.

In the beginning, we struggle because we can't seem to grab this thread that is our own innate genius or buddha heart. Once we do grab it, we struggle with how to carry that into our life.

Siddhearta's Essence of 2018.

Despite the incredible challenge of our times, I have felt incredibly fortunate and blessed this year. The kindness and support all of you have given me is hard to put into words. A simple thank you does not due justice, and yet gratitude is what my heart feels.

I wish you all a wonderful new year, a year of health and a peaceful mind! May you focus on your practice, find the time and space needed to share generously, and may you fulfill your own aims and the aims of others. Thank you for your kindness and support!

Here's an old poem for the road ahead:

I sit, stand and walk,
catching fleeting reminders
of where we have been
and where we want to go.
Moments of clarity and insight,
of fear and anger and exaltation, 
strewn across a lifetime of moments,
captured in bottles left to drift at sea.

May you stumble upon what you need,
a worn wood inscription,
a chance encounter,
a guidepost on your journey,
a cairn on a forgotten path,
a note in a book you've always had.

Wherever you are,
this battle is not your own.
Those paths you walk,
those lonely and precarious paths,
you are not alone. 
We are out there,
we are all over,
and we walk with you.

Here's some of the top posts of 2018, in no particular order:

An important life lesson.
"Adversity reveals genius."
Working with darkness.
Embarking on the path of meditation.
Letter to a young practitioner.
Letter to a friend (The Renaissance Letter)
You are the work.
Dukkha is more than suffering.
Right livelihood.
Don't worry about the result.
Shantideva on How to Live a Good Life.
Reclaiming liberty.
Mechanics of karma.
Setting the angel free.
Culture of awakening.
FOMO.
Self-loathing.
Compassion, redefined.
Contributor.

"Adversity reveals genius."

Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it.

Horace

The question is not whether you have this potential. The question is whether or not at this moment, at this time and in this place, you will do the emotionally heavy labor of being present, understanding and generous. 

Each of us participates and contributes to the world around us in some way. We can choose how we want to contribute. We can choose to be patient, kind and generous.  We can choose empathy and compassion over anger and disrespect. 

Following through on that choice is not always easy.

When we come face to face with adversity- the resistance of shutting down, tuning out, hesitating- we have an opportunity to recognize that moment and rely on the crucial instructions of the practice.

The genius that is revealed is not related to our innate abilities or talents. It is not the result of our actions or work. This genius refers to a deeper presence in the world. It is a way of being in the world and contributing to the world.

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.