Heaven on Earth is a choice you must make, not a place you must find.
-Dr. Wayne Dyer
Imagine a very poor man living in a decrepit little shanty, the only thing he owns in the world. What he does not know is that just beneath his shanty, but hidden in the dirt, is an inexhaustible vein of gold. As long as he remains ignorant of his hidden wealth, this pauper remains in poverty; but when he attends more closely to his own dwelling, he is bound to discover his own fathomless wealth. Similarly, all we need to do is unveil our own nature, and we will find an inexhaustible source of wisdom, compassion, and power. It is nothing we need to acquire, from anywhere or anything. It has always been there. Seen in this light, the Buddha-nature requires no additions. One does not have to memorize sutras, recite prayers or accumulate virtues to create it. All one needs to do is unveil it.
--B. Alan Wallace, Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book ...............................................................
When I look at this picture with only the quote above it showing, the man appears to be quite happy in his surroundings. Heaven appears to be right where he is. The woods are enchanted, gold coins scattered everywhere on the ground and I anticipate an opulent interior once I set foot into his little shack.
When I scroll down to view the picture with only the excerpt below it to read, the man assumes the role of one who is ignorant of the wealth within and around him. I see the same picture, but it evokes different thoughts and feelings, depending on what I read into it.
I am learning to do the same with my own life: writing captions that make me feel happy. Curiously, happy scenes surround me.
Photo: Teun Hocks
