In 1957, a group of Tibetan monks were informed that a highway was being built and the highway would have to go through the location where the shrine for which they were responsible was currently located. The shrine, a huge clay Buddha, would have to be moved.
Arrangements were made and the day of shrine moving arrived. A crane began lifting the clay Buddha, but as it rose off of its block resting place it began to crack. It was far heavier than all the engineers had estimated. The monks and the engineers examined the Buddha and found several large cracks. A larger crane would be needed and that crane would not be brought in until the next day. The Buddha would have to spend the night in its current location. To make matters worse, there was a storm building and the night would be a stormy one.
The monks covered the Buddha with waterproof tarps on poles to keep it dry overnight. All seemed to be well. During the night, the head monk awoke and decided to check on the Buddha. With a flashlight, the monk carefully checked the condition of the Buddha. As he walked around the huge clay figure shining his light on the cracks, something caught his eye. He returned to the spot on which he had just shined his light. He peered into the crack. What he saw he did not understand. He needed to see more. He went back to his quarters, found a chisel and a hammer and returned to the Buddha. He began carefully chipping at the clay around the crack. As the crack widened, he could not believe his eyes. He ran to wake the other monks and instructed each to bring a hammer and chisel. By lantern light the monks carefully chipped all the clay from the Buddha. After hours of chiseling, the monks stepped back and stared in awe at the sight before them. There, in front of the monks, stood a solid gold Buddha.
After much research, the pieces of the story were put together. The Golden Buddha was the cherished responsibility of a group of monks several centuries earlier. These monks received word that the Burmese army was headed their way. Concerned that the invading army would loot the shrine for its Golden Buddha, the monks covered their Buddha with 8 to 12 inches of clay. When they were finished the Golden Buddha appeared to be a Buddha of clay. The invading army would surely have no interest. The monks were correct. The invading army had no interest in the Buddha. They did, however, kill all the monks before they moved on. The Golden Buddha was lost in history until 1957.
I think there is a Golden Buddha inside each of us. As a child we’re all shiny with possibilities but as time goes on, and we become programmed to believe our abilities and potential are limited, our golden selves become tarnished and dirty, and our exterior becomes hard.
Imagine what would happen if we cracked open and exposed our true selves! Just think what life would be like if our talents and gifts came pouring out! What if your greatest discovery didn’t lie within your future or within the outside world, but rather was within your very soul?
Yes, within each of us lies a golden treasure just waiting to be uncovered and there’s no better time to discover yours.
Kim,
Sister of Soul
Soulspiration of the Week:
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” ~Marcel Proust quotes
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