Golden Buddha Within

“The universe and the light of the stars comes through me.”  RUMI

In 1955 one of the largest plaster statues of the Buddha near Bangkok, which is known as ‘The Golden Buddha’ or ‘Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon’ was accidentally dropped while being relocated to another part of South East Asia. 

The artisans from the 13^th or 14^th century during the Sukhothai period, disguised the Golden Buddha in plaster and stucco to protect it from invaders, but nobody remembered to remove the cover after the invaders were gone.

That night as a monk went to investigate the damage of the crack with his flashlight, he was shocked to discover the luminosity of solid gold shining back at him underneath the plaster.

As he began to peel back the plaster, bit by bit, another part of the luminous gold appeared in all its beauty.

This is a wonderful analogy of our own life.  Where do we place defensive coverings over ourselves after being hurt? or where do we create ego structures to protect our fears and vulnerabilities?

Over time, these coverings start to feel comfortable and we forget they are there and the luminous gold that lays beneath.

Often it takes a sudden crack, change or tragedy in life, before we realize there is more to us than the story or covering we have created, but even then, we still have a choice to cover this up with plaster again.

Dig a little deeper next time you see a crack in your Armour, and as you peel back the layers of ego, fear and vulnerability, you will discover more strength, power, love and the infinite abundance of solid gold.

(Before and after the plaster was removed 1955)