Leaders among us have created impressive buildings, conquered powerful enemies, made millions in the stock market, gained power over many thousands of people, or become known throughout the world.

But what do such accomplishments mean after we are no longer alive?

Our lives and all our resources may have been dedicated to such activities, as have the lives and resources of countless others, generation after generation repeating the same model, building on what came before.

But this way of living and acting has perpetuated the kinds of suffering that we have endured throughout human history.

It has also nourished the seeds of separation and disharmony, cultivated from the outset in our patterns of perception and expressed in nearly every aspect of our language and culture. 

Revelations of Mind

The casual discriminations we practice in our daily lives were not part of us as children.

We took our biases on gradually; you could say we were educated into our ignorance.

Caring

Trying hard is not effective in meditation.

Instead, be confident and don’t try to mold your practice into a perfect pattern.

We say “Oh, this is not concentration… this is not the right way… this must be something else.”

You don’t need to use your energy in this way, conceptually, giving names, always expressing yourself to yourself.

Forget about concepts.

Get away from trying to identify— “Is this wisdom? Or awareness? Or meditation? Or God-consciousness?

Is it this? Is it that?

Don’t try to make anything into anything.

Crystal Mirror I-III

The next serval decades may prove unsettled times for those who follow the Western way of life. We seem to have entered a period of cultural transition, when the old forms of knowledge seem increasingly irrelevant or inadequate.

The rapid growth of modern technology has helped promote an ever-increasing pace of change, setting us adrift in a sea of confusion. As creatures on the planet earth, we have little idea how our actions affect the balance of nature; as members of society, we have only a limited understanding of how our policies and conduct influence the intricate web of forces that binds together the fate of nations. We are faced with growing uncertainties about the course we are taking, and a sense of problems—environmental, economic, and political—multiplying daily.

In the midst of such uncertainties, we still share with previous generations basic goals such as happiness and well-being. Yet the path to their attainment, which once seemed clearly marked, has vanished. Though some goals, such as individual prosperity may be more readily and widely available than ever before, our sense of dissatisfaction is only partially relieved by the goods that we accumulate.

Something more fundamental seems to be missing in our lives 

Copper Mountain Mandala 1985

Sometimes accidentally, perhaps when touched by extraordinary beauty and grace, mind breaks free of its regimes and seeks to simply be.

Then we may glimpse the clarity that mind can convey in even the most humble surroundings, without the supports of wealth and power.

Although our habitual patterns soon return, having glimpsed this extraordinary new face of mind we may wish to explore more deeply what we may not have noticed before. 

Revelations of Mind

 During the day, you can bring positive intentions into every interaction: a casual conversation, a telephone call, a meeting, a simple encounter with a stranger.

Make it your intention to benefit everyone you come into contact with.

You can do a lot with a smile, a few kind words, a thoughtful gesture, or a helpful way of seeing some situation in a more positive light.

The next day, you can make more efforts in the same direction, vowing to improve.

Dimensions of Mind 

How it is” need not be “how it will be.

Lotus Language

Inner clarity develops once we stop trying to cover over, hide from, or escape dealing honestly with our daily experiences.

We begin to accept things as they are, without trying to reconstruct them to fit some idealized or conceptualized pattern, or force things and people to satisfy our self-image.

Suddenly, there is no ‘one’ to defend and no ‘thing’ to hide.

Crystal Mirror IV

But the same mind that can inflict great suffering can also manifest love, compassion, and great bliss—all that is positive can come forth from this mind.

It can be sophisticated and creative, a highly developed thinker, and a reliable intelligent leader.

It can even awaken the thought that it is possible to be completely free.

It can envision all our pain and negativity transformed into the quiet joy of loving kindness. 

Revelations of Mind 

We’re not separated from meditation.

Our mind is not separate from Buddha nature. But due to a lack of understanding, due to not-knowing, our thought-forms as they usually operate are clouded or deluded. We also have all kinds of conflicting emotions and negativity, which are characteristic of samsara.

Because of these obscurations we see enlightenment as small, something distant. It doesn’t even seem substantial— it’s like a soap bubble.

But we have this idea because we are not in it. If we become the inside of the bubble, we find infinity there.

But until then we feel this way or that way, always judging, because the nature of the mind is dual.

Crystal Mirror IV