Lighting up the world.

The other day I was reflecting on one candle lighting another candle. A single candle can light dozens of other candles and nothing is lost in the process. The candle doesn't become weary and doesn't concern itself with the results of lighting other candles. It just lights up the world that it interacts with. That reminded me of this verse by Shantideva:

May I be a guard for those who are protectorless, 

A guide for those who journey on the road.

For those who wish to cross the water, 

May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.

May I be an isle for those who yearn for land, 

A lamp for those who long for light;

For all who need a resting place, a bed;

For those who need a servant, may I be their slave.

May I be the wishing jewel, the vase of wealth,

A word of power and supreme healing,

May I be the tree of miracles,

For every being the abundant cow.

Just like the earth and space itself,

And all the mighty elements,

For boundless multitudes of beings

May I always be the ground of life, the source of varied sustenance.

Thus for everything that lives,

As far as the limits of the sky,

May I be constantly their source of livelihood

Until they pass beyond all sorrow.

A bodhisattva is someone who has made a commitment to waking up in the world in order to better serve and benefit others. The bodhisattva relies on a set of principles that are focused on elevating our individual and collective dignity. Part of the bodhisattvas commitment is making a daily choice to be of benefit to others, not simply ourselves. That daily commitment can take many forms, both in intention and action. A simple way to set your intention for the day is to recite this verse of Shantideva's aspiration prayer for the bodhisattva vow.

The result of your practice is the consummation of your character, your willingness to be the reservoir of presence and dignity in a world that desperately needs more thoughtful, compassionate and caring people. Be the candle, the bridge, the guide. Dedicate the time and energy to learning how to do that so you don't wear yourself thin, but that you can commit to making it a daily practice for the rest of your life. 

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.

Lit up.

The living practice tradition of the Buddha's teachings survives to this day because of two types of transmission- transmission of scripture and transmission of realization.

Transmission of scripture is the living transmission of the repository of Dharma from generation to generation. It is teaching, discussing and practicing the root and practice texts. The transmission of scripture should be wide spread and joyfully given to those who seek it out. 

The transmission of realization occurs between teacher and student. It is the lighting of a torch. Once lit, it burns just as bright and luminous as its source. The source doesn't lose anything, and the newly lit torch has nothing further to gain. 

This transmission of realization is the essence of the practice lineage (sgrub rgyud). It is the transmission of the awakened mind, the direct recognition of our innate buddha heart. In Dzogchen it is the direct realization of our own nature, rigpa as the natural great perfection. 

This lighting of the torch is not easy. It takes time, dedication, effort. It depends on a genuine connection, commitment and karma.

The source torch burns bright and without discrimination, but few torches can really be lit because they don't come prepared.  They are too loose, unkept, or waver once they get close.  Some, being lit, lack the merit to sustain the blaze and burnout. 

You should seek out the transmission of scripture widely and with great enthusiasm.  But for the transmission of realization, you need to get to work.

I can't see the path.

If you can't see the path, you aren't going to be able to walk it.  

This path that we are on, this way of life and the intention that we carry day to day, its all really new to us.  We look around our family, our workplace and community and we don't see a lot of examples of how to walk the path. 

So you need to search out the path.  You need to find those that have gone before. 

Read the life stories of past masters.  Read the life story of present day practitioners.  Listen to the stories others share. 

There is a wealth of inspiration and wisdom in these stories.  Experience and wisdom that shed light on our own path so that we can forge ahead.  

Your path won't be like theirs, and it doesn't have to be.  But if you find yourself totally lost and without aim, maybe reach for a biography or two. 

Here are a few I have enjoyed:

Longchen Rabjam

Jamgon Kongtrul

Padmasambhava

A prism.

When a single ray of white light enters a prism it is refracted and dispersed creating a rainbow-like effect.

Is the source light different than the dispersed light? No.
Is the source light the same as the dispersed light? No.

They differ in frequency, function, appearance and activity.  The degree to which the light is refracted depends upon the prism.  The prism doesn't create colors, it is a lens through which the qualities of the original light can be fully understood.

If your practice is the prism, what is the source light?  What is the refractive index?  What colors and qualities are refracted upon the world?

Are they the same as the source?  Are they different? 

Craving Light.

We are all looking for more light in our life.

To bask in its warmth, to let its energy lift us.  To soothe our sorrows and dispel our doubts.

Most of us go looking for it outside.  In nature, in temples and books.

When we recognize it, it is because we recognize it in ourselves.  If we didn't already have it, we couldn't recognize it and all hope would be lost.

But you do have it.  So uncover the clouds and let it shine.

Recognize it.
Clear away confusion, doubt and obscurations.
Continue with confidence and clarity. 

Thank You.

I wanted to thank everyone who supported me over the past year in my effort to write this blog. 

This has been my first experience writing in a public circle and it has taught me a lot.  The main thing I have learned is that if you want to share your art- whether it be in words, creations or deeds- you need to just open your heart and let it go.  Don’t be an artist expecting acknowledgement, approval or applause.  Do it as an act of generosity with the intention of benefitting others, giving them strength  or brightening their day.  In generosity there is no failure, no inadequacy, no mistake.  It is when we hold back, when we turn away or avert our eyes that ourselves and others experience states of loss.  So in 2013 I can only encourage you to be fully present, find your ground, keep your eyes wide open, open your heart and share your gifts with the world. 

Thank you for your encouragement, inspiration and support. 

Illuminating Darkness

'May I be a lamp for those who long for light.'
Shantideva

Our world often appears to be shrouded in darkness-
the outer world of crime, social and political intolerance, warnings of apocalypse, and other malevolent forces at work; the inner world of our own fear, doubt, resentment and the proximity of our own death.   

We often run from darkness for fear of being engulfed, lost without a way.  When we see the ruins of darkness before us we avert our eyes, afraid that somehow we too might be its next victim.

A very strange thing happens though if we no longer need to hide from darkness.  If we open ourselves up to darkness it is very hard to find, even if we seek out that space of total darkness- a darkness so black we cannot tell if our eyes are open or closed, so dark you can't even see your own hands in front of you.  It is very hard to find total darkness because light always seems to find a way in.  There is always a tiny crack or pinhole which your eyes pick up on, casting rays of light into the space that you can't avoid even if you try to turn away from it. 

As a matter of fact, the darker it is the more sensitive we are to light.  

Light is all-pervading and surprisingly persistent.  It doesn't need to manipulate or prove itself to exert its influence on the world.  It just needs a tiny pinhole, a tiny crack of opportunity to spread its influence, illuminating the darkness.

Be a light for the world.  You don't need power, wealth or even approval.  You just need to be there, wherever you are.