We All Have Everything We Need

In this video, Pema Chodron tells Oprah that we all have everything we need. This is reminiscent of what Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says,

We are already blessed with everything we need to be happy there is no need to run, strive or struggle.

Pema says,

We already have everything we need. There is no need for self-improvement. All these trips that we lay on ourselves, the heavy-duty fearing that we’re bad and hoping that we’re good, the identities that we so dearly cling to, the rage, the jealousy and the addictions of all kinds – never touch our basic wealth. They are like clouds that temporarily block the sun. But all the time our warmth and brilliance are right here. This is who we really are. We are one blink of an eye away from being fully awake.

Watch the video and then try the meditation instructions, below.

Find a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Take a minimum of three deep breaths.

Withdraw yourself into yourself and become aware of your body. Experience just where your body is in relation to the rest of the room you are in. Now see if you can mentally locate the four corners of the floor of the room you are in. Use your memory, imagination, or any other device that will allow you to accomplish this.

Once you have located the four corners of the floor, keep them in mind and locate the four corners of the ceiling in the same way.

Now that you have the eight corners of the room you are in, notice that you occupy the very same space that the corners do. This is the only space there is for you right now and you are part of the vast emptiness of space in the whole cosmos. There are no other spaces but this space.

Allow this feeling to set in for a few moments.

Now experience yourself in this space at this moment of time. There is no other moment of time. The whole cosmos experiences only this moment of time. You have everything you need to be happy in the present moment.

Allow these feelings to settle in, and when you are ready, open your eyes.

Did you have everything you need to be happy in the present moment? What did you experience? Write down what you experienced and share it with other readers below.

This is the book that Pema Chodron and Oprah Winfre were talking about.

Books by Pema Chodron

Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living (Shambhala Classics) by Pema Chodron Start Where You Are is an indispensable handbook for cultivating fearlessness and awakening a compassionate heart. With insight and humor, Pema Chödrön presents down-to-earth guidance on how we can “start where we are”—embracing rather than denying the painful aspects of our lives. Pema … [Read More…]