It is Your Destiny to Become the Buddha

When you are enmeshed in your worldly life, you constantly suffer. This is the teaching of the Buddha. Yet, you also have the capacity to free yourself of suffering. You have the Buddha nature within you already, though it may lie sleeping for a time.

You don't have to climb to a mountain top to find yourself, or spend years meditating under the Bodhi tree. You have the capacity for Buddhahood within you already. As you walk life's path, and shed everything that isn't your true Self, you find the truth of this in your daily life.

When I was married to my ex-husband, I told him that I wanted to go to India to study with Sai Baba, so that I could find enlightenment in this lifetime.

He asked me, why can't you find it here?

The answer, which I didn't know at the time was, I didn't find stillness where I was. There was too much noise in my life drowning out the still, small voice of my heart. I couldn't listen to myself. I forgot who I was, and was out of touch with my true nature.

We all need moments of stillness to thrive. As we go within through practices like mindfulness, meditation, yoga, journaling and gratitude, we come in contact with our hearts. We are able to see the light that is within ourselves, a piece of the light of the divine. We glimpse the oneness that is available to all.

We come to know that we are all pieces of life's heart. We all contain the Buddha nature. We simply need to silence all the noise in our lives in order to see ourselves clearly. Once we are able to do this, we begin to live in a state of oneness and peace.

Sometimes, we get caught up in what is happening around us, and we forget who we truly are. When this happens, it isn't a fault or failing. It just means we need to go within again, remember our true nature, and live from a place of true compassion.

According to The Mindfulness Bell,

In Chapter Twenty of the Lotus Sutra we are introduced to a beautiful bodhisattva called Sadaparibhuta, “Never Disparaging.” The name of this bodhisattva can also be translated as “Never Despising.” This bodhisattva never disparages living beings, never underestimates them or doubts their capacity for Buddhahood. His message is, “I know you possess Buddha nature and you have the capacity to become a Buddha,” and this is exactly the message of the Lotus Sutra—you are already a Buddha in the ultimate dimension, and you can become a Buddha in the historical dimension. Buddha nature, the nature of enlightenment and love, is already within you; all you need do is get in touch with it and manifest it. If you know this, if you are able to see your true nature in the ultimate dimension, then you will be able to realize Buddhahood in the historical dimension. Never Disparaging Bodhisattva is there to remind us of the essence of our true nature.

This sutra tells us that all of us will become a Buddha with time. There is a boundless nature within each of our hearts. As we come to connect more and more to our own boundless nature, we become what we were always meant to be. We become the Buddha.

In life, often we hold on too tightly to things that are holding us back from our becoming. We have ideas based in material society that teach us we have to chase money, success and stability in the outer world. But the truth is, stability can only be found within ourselves.

It is by connecting back to your own true nature that you build the foundation for a beautiful life. By becoming the truest version of yourself, you start to live the life that you were always meant to live. You become a bringer of peace and love. You become a beacon of hope for those who are suffering.

This road isn't easy, and it takes many lifetimes to become who you are truly meant to be. The Buddha nature is reached through true understanding of the interconnectedness of all things. It comes through releasing attachment to every thing that holds you back from being your truest self.

Walk the 8-fold path that the Buddha Shakyamuni laid out for us, and you will begin to find your way. Meditate, seek the silence, and find the truth of your soul. Then, you will truly be on your way.

I wish you peace as you walk your way, my lovelies. May the light of love ever illuminate your path.