Buddha Nature
The world is weary.
Put your ear to the earth and listen.
You can hear her softly sighing.
Sometimes she groans with the weight of us
And shrugs her shoulders to make us move.
She is restless.
She tires of our petty raging and selfish angst.
Her soil soaks up our tears
And her sky absorbs our screams.
She is engorged with our suffering
And wants to purge.
But instead
Her soil sprouts green grass and tall trees
Through our weeping.
Her winds sweep our screams away
And the sun shines through the clouds.
She rolls beneath our anger and sorrows
To show us a new day.
She carries our weight
Holding the burden of humanity
And ever gives.
Today, I felt like the world. The fog has been persistently rolling in lately, and I've been fighting it off again. But a deluge of "stuff" weighed me down today. Frustration, loneliness, heartache, mourning. I needed some cry time. So I took it. Then I found an article online with a beautiful perspective shift:
"...the Buddhist view the feeling of loneliness...as the feeling of Buddha Nature. In other words, loneliness is not a lacking of something, but rather the aching fulfillment of our open, raw, caring nature."
I felt a distinct truth in this idea and it changed the way I approach my loneliness. It is not a lack, not something to be fixed or escaped; it is a connection. Loneliness is not something to be combated, but something to be cultivated. I'm not saying one should always strive to be lonely, but when that feeling comes, I want to remember that it is a friend, a reminder that I feel, that I am alive, that I have a connection to things bigger than myself.
We all feel lonely at times, even when we have a loving spouse or significant other, even when we are surrounded by people and experiences and life. I believe part of the reason for this is because the loneliness is the ache we feel to be reunited to our truest selves, the yearning our spirit has to be free of this finite mortal sphere and become united with its infinite potential. Loneliness is simply an awareness. Using this reasoning, one could even argue that the loneliest people are those most in tune with who they truly are.
The power behind perspective is astounding. One idea, one adjustment in thought, and an emotion I used to run from is now one that I embrace. This simple shift allows me to be content in my own space, to be present and peaceful in my right now. It allows me to be open to feeling and being and learning, rather than desperately escaping.
So empowering.
So peaceful.
Time to breathe and write and feel and learn
and fly.
Put your ear to the earth and listen.
You can hear her softly sighing.
Sometimes she groans with the weight of us
And shrugs her shoulders to make us move.
She is restless.
She tires of our petty raging and selfish angst.
Her soil soaks up our tears
And her sky absorbs our screams.
She is engorged with our suffering
And wants to purge.
But instead
Her soil sprouts green grass and tall trees
Through our weeping.
Her winds sweep our screams away
And the sun shines through the clouds.
She rolls beneath our anger and sorrows
To show us a new day.
She carries our weight
Holding the burden of humanity
And ever gives.
Today, I felt like the world. The fog has been persistently rolling in lately, and I've been fighting it off again. But a deluge of "stuff" weighed me down today. Frustration, loneliness, heartache, mourning. I needed some cry time. So I took it. Then I found an article online with a beautiful perspective shift:
"...the Buddhist view the feeling of loneliness...as the feeling of Buddha Nature. In other words, loneliness is not a lacking of something, but rather the aching fulfillment of our open, raw, caring nature."
I felt a distinct truth in this idea and it changed the way I approach my loneliness. It is not a lack, not something to be fixed or escaped; it is a connection. Loneliness is not something to be combated, but something to be cultivated. I'm not saying one should always strive to be lonely, but when that feeling comes, I want to remember that it is a friend, a reminder that I feel, that I am alive, that I have a connection to things bigger than myself.
We all feel lonely at times, even when we have a loving spouse or significant other, even when we are surrounded by people and experiences and life. I believe part of the reason for this is because the loneliness is the ache we feel to be reunited to our truest selves, the yearning our spirit has to be free of this finite mortal sphere and become united with its infinite potential. Loneliness is simply an awareness. Using this reasoning, one could even argue that the loneliest people are those most in tune with who they truly are.
The power behind perspective is astounding. One idea, one adjustment in thought, and an emotion I used to run from is now one that I embrace. This simple shift allows me to be content in my own space, to be present and peaceful in my right now. It allows me to be open to feeling and being and learning, rather than desperately escaping.
So empowering.
So peaceful.
Time to breathe and write and feel and learn
and fly.
Comments
Post a Comment