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Potential

While the idea of merger or unification with the divine is common to all spiritual traditions, the manner in which we most commonly speak of this concept today – as “enlightenment” –  is “Buddhist” in origin. We write “Buddhism” like this (in quotations), because prior to the 1800s, “Buddhists” simply referred to themselves as “insiders”. 


To be on the inside is to be in the know – to be hip – to be privy to something that few others are. To be inside, as opposed to outside, is to be sheltered, accepted, and safe. When we are most happy, it is a result of feeling a deep sense of connection and an acknowledgment that we exist “inside of” a relationship. It’s clear to us that we would rather be in wonderful relationships than be isolated from others. It is this sense of togetherness, this sense of sharing, that defines “insiderness”. Even “outsiders” who band together in camaraderie cannot escape the fact that in order to form friendships, a sense of “sharing in something” is required. 


Taken further, “inside” also refers to the fact that each of us exists “inside of”, as in “together with”, one another. Before we are born into the world, we live inside of our mothers. “Mother” is a potent analogy, which is why it’s so often used to point to insiderness. When we really think about it, actually, everything that we do and think is happening inside of and on account of other phenomena. When we speak, we do so inside of a language. When we buy groceries, we do so within a marketplace. Notice that even when we think thoughts, the thoughts themselves must occur within, that is, inside of, an even more fundamental set of substructures called time, form, concept, color, motive, and again language. 


The implications of “insiderness” are profound. When we put something inside of our bodies, we recognize the impact that something “inside” has on our entire system, on our entire being. And depending on the quality and integrity of what we have decided to put into our bodies (and our minds), our subsequent actions will be colored in a certain way, so to speak, and will influence everyone in our homes, our places of work, and our communities, for better or worse. 


By definition, anything that exists “inside of” something is an integral part of that something, and anything that is a part of something contributes directly to the overall state of whatever it resides within. Simply stated, the state of health of one component part directly influences the state of health of all other component parts.


When we discuss what these “insiders” were really up to, we begin to see how at odds they were with our current way of thinking and living. After all, the fundamental “insider premise” is that every single one of us without exception is endowed with the capacity to (and is optimally positioned to) realize consciously and viscerally that all phenomena in all directions in time and space are an integral part of ourselves – and without the use of psychedelics! This inherent potential to awaken fully to the magic of our actual nature is often referred to as “Buddha Nature”. According to the tradition of insiders, this “nature”, this capacity to awaken to wonder, is what’s really on the inside. It’s what we are really made of.


For buildings to endure time, weather, occupants, and so on, strong foundations are required. Furthermore, a building is only as beautiful as the time and skill invested. For us, our practice and our capacity to transform ourselves will only be as effective as the tools we use and our commitment to cultivating our technique. That said, a clear sense of the meaning of “Buddha Nature” as potential – both the potential to awaken and potential itself – is of primary importance. To have a firm grasp of “our nature as potential” accelerates our development by directly addressing our motivation to act.


To understand potential, notice that right now, we have the potential to find new jobs, to move to Arizona, to write an epic poem, to go play basketball, to drive to the ocean and walk on the sand, to buy plane tickets to London, and so on. Notice that our nature, our potential, is inherently free and is not one particular thing, playing out in one particular way. Potential means, by definition, that anything can happen, given the appropriate effort, causes, and conditions.


Therefore, to have an “inherently free nature” means that we have the potential to create ourselves into anything we wish. And taken a step further, to have an inherently free nature actually means that if something is manifest, it was created. None of us can locate, identify, or remember an experience that was not manifest. Experience, by definition, is experienceable, and therefore, always manifest. 


As we have stated many times, nothing whatsoever comes into existence or is experienceable without causes and the conditions that support those causes. This is the true definition of “creativity”. To create is to cause events to occur. Since our lives are “occurring”, it is clear to see that our lives are simply an ongoing creative exercise, moment by moment, action by action, thought by thought. Whether we know it or not, or want to accept it or not, if our nature is pure potential, then whatever has taken shape in our lives has been created through some process of our own, in concert with others and our environment. 


It can be very difficult for us to accept responsibility for who we have become. When we don’t like where we are in life, it is often easier to blame others than to begin creating new habits and experiences. The insiders of our lineage directly realized that our nature is like clay and that we are like sculptors. Therefore, how our lives take shape is determined by our skill as artists. True insiders know this through and through and are therefore totally free from fear and anxiety, because, as we all know, through discipline and commitment, any skill can be mastered. The message our teachers share is that we too can become masters. We simply need to learn the technique and, most importantly, cultivate the wish to do so. 


We have spoken much about how difficult it is today to find legitimate teachings and mentors. For example, some teachings say that when we discover the truth of ourselves, there’s no need to do anything anymore or to make any type of special effort, because everything is already perfect. Other teachings consider our bodies to be filthy “meatsuits” that weigh us down and distract us. By this logic, if our bodies are worthless, then so is everything that corresponds to the “physical world”. We have all been exposed to teachings like this that seem to imply we should either do nothing at all or get away from this world as soon as possible or as often as possible.


However, we like to use a silly metaphor to help clarify what an authentic discovery of our potential – of Buddha Nature – is actually like. Imagine that we were to be given an inheritance of $100 Trillion (or some wildly ridiculous, inconceivable amount). First, we would probably find ourselves at a loss, not even sure if the inheritance is actually real – whether or not the phone call we received with the news actually took place. But then we check our bank account – and poof!!!


Well, upon the discovery, here’s what we definitely wouldn’t do. We definitely wouldn’t say to ourselves and our loved ones, “Now that I’m the wealthiest person of all time, I’m just going to sit down right here, never eat again, never drink again, never think another thought – in fact, I might as well just end my life right now, since I’m the wealthiest person ever.” It’s obvious to us that were we to receive even a small inheritance, we would immediately put it to use – to play, to invest, to build, to get out of debt – to live more fully. Authentic discoveries initiate a paradigm shift in our understanding of ourselves, and therefore, spark a profound reorganization of our values and priorities.

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