A few years ago, I was in Aspen, Colorado and decided to see the Maroon Bells Peaks in the White River National Forest. This is one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. As I walked into the park I paused. The Maroon Bells rose in the background and I saw their clear reflection on the lake below. The reflection seemed to quiver every time the wind would gently move across the lake, creating subtle ripples on its surface. The Aspen groves were scattered at the base of the peaks and yellow flowers were peppered here and there among them. It was breathtaking.

As we start the summer, the Sanskrit word śrī kept coming up in my mind. This is a very nuanced short word. I usually translate it as auspiciousness but like a diamond it has many more  facets of meaning. 

"Everything is already contained within us." This statement rubbed me the wrong way because that was not my experience. If this was true, why was it not  accessible to me. Observing that friction closely helped me realize that I was expecting things to appear out of thin air. But nothing actually happens in this way. There are many things that have to occur to bring something into being. 

When I started teaching I noticed that it was difficult to remember the names of people to the point that it was becoming a problem. This recognition started a process of letting go of the belief that I could not remember names and observing what was happening internally around this tendency. After years of practice, I was able to unravel this tendency to the point that it is no longer a problem. 

I remember reading a story about a yogi who came to the West. Wanting to understand what was happening spiritually here, he attended a sermon. At some point, the preacher asked all sinners to sit down. Everyone sat down except the yogi.

One of my teachers used to tell us:

"Change the prescription of your glasses"

Initially I thought it was just a matter of having positive thoughts. This sent me on a positive thinking journey which left me feeling I was missing something. At some point, I stumbled into this question "why do I think the way I do?" This question changed the direction of the journey—it turned awareness back toward its source.