With mindfulness we become aware of the activities of our minds and learn to relax our mind and senses; gaining reprieve from a busy mind that drives our thoughts and feelings, sometimes relentlessly. In meditation we can delve deeper into all the operations of the mind, contacting directly to how our minds work and how our experiences arise.

There is a great opportunity here. It’s not just knowing our minds but coming to know the multitude of treasures available to us in our human embodiment. When the mind is still, we can notice many levels of our own experience that we have been unaware of. In fact, we find we know much more than we ever realized. In Buddhist teaching, a human birth is the desired incarnation as it is here that we have the opportunity to follow the path to enlightenment. This is no small thing! As we progress along the road, we find gems of happiness and joy we might have thought were reserved for others, not for us. But everyone reading this has a human birth and the potential for happiness and discovery. Everyone.

At Ratna Ling, as well as with our sister organizations, you will always find beauty, no matter the season. This is very much intentional. In beauty we are uplifted. In beauty we are nourished and cared for. Our environment and the caring of our staff are here to offer not just a reprieve, but a glimpse into the beauty and peace of our nature.  Meditation and study guide us through the many layers of patterning and habits that stay at the forefront if our awareness until the helping hands of a tradition and teachers kindly show us the way to our precious selves.

Take the time to explore, find the gems in your nature.  They may be closer than you think!