Patti, you ARE a Buddha. I remember the teaching of Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, a great teacher, who said during a Tara practice; "remember that you are not Mary Smith pretending to be Tara, you ARE Tara thinking that you are Mary Smith" One of my teachers said that we have to realize that all of our emotions are a perfect manifestation of being. In the West we are conditioned to seek and rejoice in those emotions that are pleasurable and reject what we consider uncomfortable or painful, But we must strive to accept whatever arises, without indulging or rejecting what appears in us. Accepting the suchness, the isness of what arises brings the "wisdom of equality", the realisation that all phenomena have always been of ‘equal taste’ within great rigpa-awareness. Rejoice that you are alive and capable of feeling all the range of human emotions, for all of them are a play, a movement of our true Buddha nature. 😀❤️

I always rejoice in the preciousness of human life and have learned to embrace the uncertainty of it all. Life is a wonder, and being aware that I am life manifest is marvelous! 😀

Get well soon and enjoy beautiful Barcelona, and I wish Daniel a wonderful birthday, full of health, joy and blessings. I send you both my best wishes! 😀

And that is why one of your countrymen, William Blake, said “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.” We perceive through our biocomputer, which is different from the biocomputer of other beings, and to complicate things more, the software of our mind is molded by our culture, by the time we are living, by our very own DNA! That is why it is so important to go back, and back and back till the source of all perception recognizes itself. Since you mentioned the Vedanta parallels and Ramana Maharshi, let me recommend to all this extraordinary Advaita Vedanta teacher, which during this meditation mentions an analogy similar to the one of the banana, but using a flower. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3vddQwxA48 Please take the time to watch it, it is worth it. I send my best to all.

Thank you Dameon, and see you there in July!

Thank you for this reminder of all the unconditional love that we have received and continue to receive every single moment. I thank existence that gave me loving parents, sadly gone now, loving siblings and friends and loving teachers in all walks of life, you being one of them. Your open heart is always giving, and I am thankful for that.