‘Coming to Rest in the Sheer Aliveness of Being’

An Excerpt from Spontaneous Creativity by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Being introduced to the inner refuge of the natural mind sets in motion a powerful journey of transformation. Ignorance of the inner refuge—our true nature—is the root cause of suffering. We are not trying to get ignorance to change. But ignorance needs a good rest, because it has been working too hard. It is inefficient and unproductive and drains our energy with no positive outcome.

When we are not aware of the openness of being, we suffer, and we try to do anything to relieve our discomfort. We look for things to be different from what is here. Misguidedly, we often seek refuge—some semblance of stillness, silence, and spaciousness—by changing our circumstances, our mood, even our thoughts. But these actions are driven by the three poisons—aversion, desire, and ignorance—and cannot free us from suffering. We need to connect with the openness of our being, not disconnect from it. We need to be conscious, not unconscious. We need to allow our experiences, not run away from them. We need to know rather than wander in the unknown. The direct root to the awareness of openness that is the source of creativity is to allow the restless moving mind to rest. As always, the instruction is: Leave it as it is.

Spontaneous creativity arises from being fully conscious and living connected to the source, the inner refuge. When we are connected, the three attributes of the inner refuge—unbounded spaciousness, pure awareness, the warmth of positive qualities—become available to us. Each attribute has a distinct function in clearing the obstacles to the full expression of our positive qualities.

Resting in the space of being clears obstacles. Often, however, we don't trust that. You may worry, If I allow my fear to fully emerge, if I don't try to control it, won't it take me over? But as great as your fear is, it is nowhere near as vast as the spaciousness of being. When you experience fear, instead of shutting down or constricting in any way, open to it. If you keep fear at a distance, it will have power over you. But if you stop pushing it away—ignoring it or trying to suppress it—the power of openness becomes available to you. The fear dissolves because there is no inherent power in it. It is a construct of your mind; therefore it can deconstruct. That's all there is to fear.

If you are connected to the space of being, everything you experience is workable. The space of being is always unbounded, but whatever moves within it has a bounded sense of itself. Therefore, when you are connected to the space of being, obstacles will dissolve, simply because an obstacle cannot remain unless it is being maintained. If you are secretly maintaining something—feeding an obstacle—that effort will be exposed, allowing you to release your effort and rest in the openness itself. What appears is not permanent. If you are resting in openness, you are not feeding your fear so it exhausts itself. Connecting with the space of being clears obstacles. They self-arise and self-liberate. This is why the openness of your being is a true refuge from suffering.

When what you are focusing on, such as your fear, is met with open awareness, it dissolves. But what happens then to the self, the I who was experiencing the fear? If you bring naked attention to the self, it too releases. What is left is awareness that directly experiences the space of being. Then what happens? Your energy starts to move. Thoughts and ideas are not solid and fixed, and they rearrange themselves in fresh and inspired ways. So much freedom becomes available to you! As you rest in the openness of being, old habits dissolve, allowing for the emergence of new possibilities. Pure awareness is a true refuge that liberates suffering.

Awareness that is not wedded to thoughts and opinions but directly perceives the openness of being ignites the warmth of genuine presence. Qualities like joy and love emerge. The warmth of these positive qualities is the third attribute of the inner refuge. Warmth expands and moves us to express creatively. A fresh thought arises and guides us in a new direction. Something is happening! Windows are opening! Appreciate this aliveness. You might feel inspired to write, to paint, to cook, to reach out to people. Acknowledge and celebrate your creative expression. The warmth of positive qualities is a true refuge that heals your suffering and benefits others.

Spontaneous Creativity: Meditations for Manifesting Your Positive Qualities by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is available at Ligmincha's online bookstore here.