Finding Liberation in Identifying with the Spaciousness of Our True Nature

"Look at how all things are changing. But the SPACE beyond them hasn't changed at all. That space is like your essential nature. It doesn't have a beginning or an end. Just as clouds pass through the sky, sometimes covering it completely, space is always there, in our hearts, in our minds, in all of our experience. The essence of the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness is to look beyond the clouds - beyond the judgments of right or wrong, good or bad - and attempt to bring attention to the open space in which judgment, desire, anger, fear, and hope arise as transitory experiences. That open space is where your true nature is revealed - open, loving, and understanding . . .

"The basic teaching here is simply to let yourself be aware of everything that passes through your awareness as it is. Don't focus on your thoughts, feelings, and sensations, but don't try to suppress them, either. Just observe them as they come and go. Anything can arise within space. Thoughts, feelings, and sensations are like birds flying in the sky, which don't leave any trace of their flight. Let them fly. Let them come and go without a trace. Let yourself become the space that welcomes any experience without judgment. That is who you are, after all."

Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Tibetan Buddhist
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Photo: Canada Geese and Watson Lake at sunset, Bellvue, CO

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