Dear friends,

Spiritual life is not about possessing or finding security, but rather it’s discovering what Alan Watts called the Wisdom of Insecurity – the capacity to live from freedom and compassion of heart no matter the circumstances. In Buddhism, this is known as Wise Understanding, a willingness to dedicate oneself to awakening in every changing situation.

Wise Understanding tells us that we can dedicate our life to something beautiful.

Americans spend $70 billion a year on security devices, just trying to feel safe. How is that working out? Things are insecure. It’s the nature of this world. They are impermanent. Zen master Suzuki Roshi said, “All of Buddhism can be summed up in three words, not always so.” Whatever it is will be changing and not graspable. When we look at all the circumstances of our life, they arise a certain way due to conditions, and then they all change.

But change is not random. The law of karma is simply the recognition that things don’t happen by accident and that awakening isn’t coming by itself. It comes through the sowing of seeds in the heart, seeds of presence and mindfulness, of compassion and loving-kindness. It comes from an understanding that this is possible for you, for each of us. This possibility is really the gift of human life.

Buddha saw that the cause of happiness and the cause of suffering is not so much in life itself, but in the way that we relate to life.

Here’s a dharma experiment to try: The next time you are walking into your house, before you enter the door, bow as if it were a temple. You can do this at your software company, or clinic, or wherever you work. You don’t have to be weird about it. But before you enter, do a little bow and say to yourself, “This is my place of awakening.” You can play from this new perspective, “This is where the Buddha has assigned me. I’m going to become software Buddha!” or whatever your field is.

When you take this sacred pause at the gate of temple just as the Buddha did, just as countless other beings have, you discover a freedom of mind and vastness of heart. You recognize you can indeed see with the eyes of wisdom, you can hold the world in with the heart of compassion. This is your birthright, your timeless and loving Buddha Nature.

With metta,
Jack

*This article is from my podcast, Heart Wisdom – Ep. 263: Wise Understanding and the Wisdom of Insecurity. Watch/Listen on Apple, Spotify, Youtube, Be Here Now Network, or JackKornfield.com