The Gold Beneath the Clay

The Gold Beneath the Clay

    The Gold Beneath the Clay

     

    “Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin or desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in the eyes of the Divine.  If only they could all see themselves as they really are.  If only we could see each other that way all the time… I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other.”

    Thomas Merton

     

    In a temple in Thailand, there was a clay statue of the Buddha that had been there for 500 years. At one point, however, the monks who tended the templed noticed that the statue had begun to crack.  One of the cracks became so wide that one of the monks was able to look inside.  He was surprised to see a flash of brilliant gold reflecting back at  him! Inside the plain statue, the monks discovered one of the largest and most beautiful gold statues ever made.

     

    The monks believe that the golden Buddha had been covered in clay to protect it during times of conflict.  In much the same way, each of us has encountered painful situations that lead us to cover our innate shining nature.  Just as the people of that area had forgotten the golden Buddha, we too have forgotten our essential nature.  Much of the time, we operate from the protective layer.

     

    In its essence, each hypnotherapy session is about uncovering what lies beneath the protective layer- what’s been forgotten about who we are.  As hypnotherapists, an important part of what we do is to remember and seek out the ‘secret beauty of their hearts’, and reflect it back to our clients.  As much as any technique or skill, the basic capacity to recognize our own and another’s goodness opens our own hearts, and enables us to provide the kind of care and healing that is most needed.

     

    One way of doing that is to practice recognizing your own inherent shining nature- the gold beneath the clay. It can be difficult to hold yourself in that way, so here is a brief  audio induction that will help you to see yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you.

     

    Enjoy.

     

     

     

    Author Info

    Rochelle Jaffe