Episode 26 – Sculpting a Buddha

The buddhist tradition and training is not about adding anything; it’s about removing, or taking away • removing confusion, selfishness, conflicting emotions, ego fixation, ego absorption • when we remove obstacles what we find is that a quality of goodness or awakening already exists, like the sun behind the clouds • it’s like a sculptor approaching a solid rock: the sculptor simply removes whatever is not the point • the view is that what we are seeking is in us already; it just needs to be discovered • there is no turning away from suffering; at the same time, underneath it all is the possibility of freedom, ease, liberation, and sanity • the buddhist approach is that you just have to stop doing harmful things • each time you sit and meditate or do a little bit of study, you’re carving away what is not the point • like a sculptor, you are getting to the you that is hidden behind seemingly invincible challenges