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REALIZE WHAT YOU ARE:
and dies. The musk deer has a life of tragedy. It does not die naturally, but dies in this fruitless search. The poor creature never finds peace because it never realizes that he himself is the source of the thing he desires most.
We all have this quest, but luckily we are human beings. Our lives need not be tragic. We can discover that the beauty we seek lies within ourselves.
To have this desire, this quest to know ourselves, shows we have the real quality inside. A chair or brick does not feel this desire or quest; it has no divine animating quality. But this special quality in us has been covered by many layers of opinions and conditioning. Meditation helps us remove the layers which have covered our nature. In meditation we are not doing anything or going anywhere. We are only removing the layers so our true nature can unfold and blossom.
The life of happiness is so strong and powerful that we must prepare ourselves to be ready to receive it. Our body, our mind, our soul must all be made ready. If you don't have money in the bank and you try to write a check for $1,000, you may wear a smile and pretend you are not bothered, but inside you know you are lying and cheating someone. It is not what is on the outside that really matters, it is what is inside.
In meditation we sit and watch ourselves and see how many times we have to pretend, we have to feel big and important, or we have to act holy. It may be painful to watch if you want people to show respect and admiration or you want people to say, "Oh, you are a very special person, you are very spiritual and high." Then you will smile a little and say, “Yes, I am practicing spirituality."
