Below are some thoughts about quieting the mind from an interview of Kutenla by Goldie Hawn taken from her book Goldie, a lotus grows in the mud. (p 435-439). Kutenla is the Buddhist Nechung Oracle chosen by the Dalai Lama to be his spiritual protector.
” I believe that we are born with the seed of joy. Every human being comes into this world wanting happiness and not wishing to suffer.”
” You see, we believe that through the quieting of the mind we are able to separate what is real and what isn’t, what is ego and what is truth. It is like making butter; you keep churning and churning until the cream begins to separate. You must really work at churning a chaotic mind, learn to separate your thoughts from your true nature, and become a witness rather than a party to your destructive emotions. What you are left with is a natural state of joy.”
” We have a saying: ‘The lotus grows in the mud.'”
“The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. but it will only grow in mud. In order to grow and gain wisdom, first you must have the mud — the obstacles of life and its suffering.”
“The mud speaks of the common ground that we humans share, no matter what our stations in life. Whether we have it all or we have nothing, we are all faced with the same obstacles: sadness, loss, illness, dying and death. If we are to strive as human beings to gain more wisdom, more kindness and more compassion, we must have the intention to grow as a lotus and open each petal one by one.”
“All you need is the intention and the wish to be happy, and it will be .”
It strikes me that meditation practice strengthens your abilities to quiet your mind and to be here now. These abilities makes it easier to recognize the truths in your own life … especially the truth about what is real and what is important. This improved recognition of truth naturally helps guide one to happiness.
