The Ground of Being: Basic Goodness
“Our ‘original mind’ includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient within itself.”
-Suzuki Roshi
Imagine you are rushing out the door for work, and suddenly you can’t find your keys.
After the subtle panic, you kick into thrash mode. You look under the couch, in the bathroom, and in the junk drawer in the kitchen, all to no avail.
You go back and forth, searching and searching, the chaos energy building with each missed attempt before you put your hand into your coat pocket and discover that the keys were with you all along.
When we zoom out on this example, we can see a larger narrative.
Why have we grown further and further away from health and happiness despite our increasing search for them?
It’s because the search itself is the obstacle.
What we are looking for, we already have.
But original sin has influenced us to believe that in order to make things right, we must go out and look for the Divine.
We have substituted our basic goodness and inherent worth with a search.
This search is what fuels the discontent.
It’s tricky to discern because this search is why we produce so much talent in the West. We have so many people who are masters at what they do but have no idea about what they are.
We put mastery of craft over mastery of self.
The result of this model?
We have millions of people who never confront their unconscious pain, habits, and energies and carry them into their future.
When the tools of mastery of craft fall short and the inevitable winds of life come raging through, things collapse because self-awareness, psychological flexibility, and emotional maturity haven’t been developed.
You were born good. Your task is to remember that. You’ll forget along the path, but returning to that timeless memory is the art of the practice.
By constantly returning to this ground of being, you will naturally begin to see where you’ve over-invested in the wrong things and wrong ideas.
This illumination will create space to direct your attention to cultivating the qualities missing along your path. It is your second chance at growing up.
