Potential

In his book an open heart, the Dalai Lama says that nobody is special. He says that we all have the same potential for enlightenment. He does not exclude himself from this statement. He describes his life as a series of opportunities, nothing more. In another of his books he says that beginning meditation early is best, but that beginning was the thing. Whenever you start the process of meditation and seeking to save the many beings, you are beginning to build good karma.

We often think that if someone is more attractive than we are, or has a talent that we do not, that they have a leg up on us in life. This is not so. It is not our skills that matter; it is our commitment to the process of learning. In life when we look at other people we see the “finished product”. We go to a concert and say “wow, what talent, she is so gifted.” We do not see the hours of rehearsal that went into the performance. The amount of effort a person has to expend in any given task may differ from person to person, but effort is needed. When you practice your meditation, you are the only one that matters. This is your walk down the middle path, it has to be done your way.

Yesterday I went to a sangha for the first time, while there I found that my meditation was purely relaxed. After the meditation there was sharing, where people could talk about whatever they were experiencing. I shared the idea of nobody being special. Someone across the room shared a story about a dream he had, in the dream the Dalai Lama told him not to put himself above anyone, and not to put himself below anyone either. I found this insight very inspiring, and I hope you do as well.