Remember the gold ✨
"Perfection is not a prerequisite for anything but pain." - Danna Faulds
There's a 10 feet tall Buddha statue at a monastery in Thailand. It was made from plaster and not particularly beautiful. A number of years ago, cracks appeared in the statue during a long dry period. The monks brought their pen flashlights to look inside the crack to maybe find out something about how the statue was built. When they shined the light into every crack, a flash of gold was reflected back. So, they chipped away at the plaster, which was just a covering, and rediscovered the largest pure solid gold statue of the Buddha in all of Southeast Asia. (Thai monks had covered the statue several hundred years earlier to protect it from an attack by the Burmese army.)
Much in the same way, our layers of conditioning form our protective covering to try to shield ourselves from hurt. We are all products of our conditioning through our childhood experiences, our biology, and our culture. In the process, we can forget the gold underneath - who we really are. We start believing we're the covering, the ego-driven self. We believe the judgments of our inner critic and might feel shame, unworthiness, a sense of being deeply flawed, ...
I've been examining and chipping away at the plaster for years. It's been a continuous practice to build my self-compassion muscles and free myself from the grip of my scathing inner critic.
Who would I be if I didn't believe anything was wrong with me?
I've been holding that question, which I first learned from Tara Brach. It's been a powerful inquiry.
Recognizing that it's our conditioning, we can honestly see and work with our biases and counterproductive behaviors. We can treat ourselves with self-compassion and kindness as we work towards realizing our full potential.
Who would you be if you didn't believe anything was wrong with you?
Remember the gold.
Below are a few resources to support you.
With love,
Sarah-Marie
Resources
Poem
Excerpt from “Awakening Now” by Danna Faulds
““I’m not worthy, I’m afraid, and my motives aren’t pure.
I’m not perfect, and surely I haven’t practiced nearly enough.
My meditation isn’t deep, and my prayers are sometimes insincere.
I still chew my fingernails, and the refrigerator isn’t clean.”
Do you value your reasons for staying small more than the light shining through the open door?
Forgive yourself.
Now is the only time you have to be whole.
Now is the sole moment that exists to live in the light of your true Self.
Perfection is not a prerequisite for anything but pain.
Please, oh please, don’t continue to believe in your disbelief.
This is the day of your awakening.”
Thanking Your Inner Critic
When you notice your inner critic as you go about your day, you can stop, take a conscious breath, and say "Thank you for trying to protect me. I've got this. I am OK for now." You can focus your attention on your breath, sound, or the sensations in your body to not get hijacked by the inner critic/judge and come back to the present moment.
Guided Meditations
RAIN of Self-Compassion [16:34] to work with difficult emotions and cultivate self-compassion
Self-Compassion Break [10:42] to work with a difficulty in your life
Coming Home to Presence [16:59]
Lovingkindness for Self & Others [19:51] to cultivate kindness toward yourself and others.
Cultivating Compassion for Others [10:56] to practice cultivating compassion for others who are struggling.