Trusting The Gold

Trusting the Gold- Coming back to our true nature through yoga and meditation.

Global meditation teacher Tara Brach often speaks to a story about an ancient clay Buddha statue discovered on the outskirts of Bangkok. In 1957, some monks noticed a crack in the statue. Peering closer, they made an astounding discovery. When shining a flashlight into a crack, a reflection of light shone right back at them- underneath the external layer of clay resided a Buddha made of solid gold- the largest solid gold statue of Buddha in all of Southeast Asia. 

The monks eventually concluded that the Golden Buddha had been covered in plaster and clay to protect it through difficult years of war. Buddhism suggests that suffering is a universal part of the human experience. In an attempt to shelter ourselves from this suffering we too create “protective” layers- a “spacesuit” of sorts. While this is in an effort to shield our deepest sense of self from injury and hurt, in reality it creates a disconnect. We begin to identify with the rocky, rough surface we have built. We forget the gold.

There are different ways to reveal and feel the gold that exists at the center of us all. Yoga and meditation are two of the most powerful practices to do so. Tara Brach elaborates on the power of meditation to remind us of the gold.

“The practice of meditation, or coming into presence, is described as having two wings. The wing of mindfulness allows us to see what is actually happening in the present moment without judgement. The other wing is heartfulness or love — holding what we see with tenderness and compassion. You might think of it as two questions: What is happening right now? and Can I be with this and regard it with kindness? These are the two wings that we cultivate to be able to wake up out of the trance of unworthiness — out of the spacesuit self — and sense that gold that’s shining through.” (Tara Brach, 2017)