Faith In Our Buddha Nature
I especially pointed out the demon of trauma. Everyone experiences trauma, but there are different degrees of it, and some traumas are more painful than others. It was interesting for me to invite everyone to open to that part of themselves at the very beginning of a weekend retreat, but I trusted that people had Buddha nature and that once they got in touch with it, they would be able to do it.
Sojong Reminder from Anam Thubten for the month of Nov 2019
Dear Dharma friend,
How nice it is to start the day by chanting the Refuge Prayer. Some of us may wake up in the early morning and the first thought in the house of our consciousness is taking refuge. It would be even more amazing if we sang it. Singing a song makes us very happy. Even without sacred content, singing makes our heart dance. The refuge vow reminds us that we are not alone on the spiritual path and that there is a whole sangha – a fellowship - which is continuously inspiring us.
In general, it is easy to fall off the track when we are not in the company of the people who are walking on the same path as ourselves. At the same time, while all of these external conditions may be helping us, the idea of a personal savior is to be transcended on the Buddhist path. This path that Buddha blessed can challenge our beliefs. Since one’s enlightenment is not dependent on the power of the external divine, Buddha encouraged all of us to remember that in the end, we are our own protector.
There are moments that may feel like such an idea is challenging. Our mind may be engulfed in confusion and we might lack faith in ourselves. Yet when our consciousness is open, there are many moments where we really see that we are capable of being our own protector. Buddha nature is present in each of us. This is not merely some optimistic concept. It is the true foundation of our being—it’s really who we are. The awakening of Buddha nature sometimes takes place when one is immersed in deep spiritual practice, like being on a meditation retreat for many days. We recently had a weekend meditation retreat with our Dharmata sangha in Austin, Texas. At the beginning of the retreat, I invited everybody to journey into the deepest and darkest recesses of their psyches to meet their inner demons. In this case, “demon” is a metaphor for our internal baggage.
I especially pointed out the demon of trauma. Everyone experiences trauma, but there are different degrees of it, and some traumas are more painful than others. It was interesting for me to invite everyone to open to that part of themselves at the very beginning of a weekend retreat, but I trusted that people had Buddha nature and that once they got in touch with it, they would be able to do it. In general, I believe that when we are in touch with our Buddha nature, the journey of healing naturally begins.
In some cases, we may even be able to heal ourselves right away. During one of the breaks on the second day, a gentle, kind-looking woman approached me and said, “I looked into my psyche yesterday and I dissolved my own trauma”. She also said, “Yesterday was my birthday.” I congratulated her and felt that it was the best gift she could give to herself.
Faith is sometimes a hot topic for people. Either they are all for it or they are not even sure how to define it. Faith is often tied up with religiosity in our collective imagination and as a result, it is challenging to many modern people. In Buddhism, faith is an indispensable aspect of the dharma. Faith has many dimensions and it’s meaning is different to every person. It doesn’t always have to be associated with the notion of trusting in a higher power.
In this context, faith means to trust in your Buddha nature. That is the most authentic and important faith or trust that we can have. Such faith will not blind us, but will help us to wake up. Deep down all of us know that we have Buddha nature, even though sometimes such trust can be veiled by all of our internal issues. When our heart is open, often Buddha nature becomes more obvious.
During this upcoming sojong, I invite everyone to set an intention to cultivate faith in your own Buddha nature and to work to overcome your hindrances to such realization. Let’s vow to see Buddha nature in all beings. It is easy to see Buddha nature in our noble friends because we are constantly acting with love and wisdom toward each other. To me, our fellowship is living evidence of such goodness in all of us.
With palms joined, Anam Thubten