Doctor Visit

As you gain more confidence in your ability to notice open spaces in your mind stream, you might begin to see if the feeling of the light that shines forth from those spaces can take on a human form, a form like yours. After all, this light arises in the universe at large, but also comes from within. And if there is wisdom in the world, it is within each of us. That is how non-dual wisdom, the wisdom that is pervasive and universal, works. This is how the basic forces of health work.

It might be difficult to get a sense of how an abstract quality like wisdom might appear, but we all know what humans look like, especially the one we call our self. But try. Look to see if that great open, radiant space of health in the universe might actually function as a kind of mirror-like image of a human just like you. Wise health lies within as well as without, and radiates in all directions.

This vision of health is the personal form of Menla. Menla appears not only in the openness of sky, but as the natural blueness of that open sky glowing with light. He is human, just like us. Because he brings non-dual wisdom into the struggles of duality based, ordinary life, we can see him as trans-dual, or the bridge between suffering and ultimate wisdom. And because he is universal to all humans, he appears in the form of a Buddha. He is blue, like the autumn sky, as seen high in the mountains. That sky is the color of Lapis Lazuli.

As a Buddha, he honors and embodies the human form of openness, but he is also beyond all religious tradition. He is universal wakefulness. He appears as male, at least on the outside, but the bright, open space he holds has a feminine quality as well. Instead of being made of flesh and bones, his body provides a container for the healing space within. In the Buddhist tradition, space is considered to be a feminine principle, so he really represents both male and female, but also goes beyond any idea of gender. Historically he started his healing career as a monk, but now is beyond gender and for want of better term, can be called a they if we wish. And remember that we started out appreciating the space of the blue sky, the space between our thoughts, and the space between ourselves and our problem. So, like the blue sky, they shows us the universal health we all have and can invoke.

As a Buddha, every aspect of their being is kindness and courage, and at the same time a teaching, each of which shows us some aspect of the wisdom we all have within. Thus, he mirrors—in a symbolic way—the wisest, healthiest, most joyful parts of ourselves back to us so that we can see them more clearly and develop trust in the goodness within. This goodness ultimately powers all healing.

Menla sits steady, cross-legged, in what we call the Lotus Posture. Their uprightness is very cheerful and dignified. And they are smiling with a sense of genuine caring and love. They have gone beyond any fear or focus on his own needs. They are there now solely to care for us. If anyone in your life has ever been kind to you, that person has shown you a glimpse of the Menla she or he has within, and this ultimate Menla as well. Compassion is our human nature. In our heart, we are open, warm, and powerful. Compassion is the great healer. And here it is before and in you, the natural radiance of all health.

Ultimately, when we humans know our nature, we go beyond fear. Kindness is natural. Menla is completely healthy and their kindness pours out to you as healing light, washing away all fears and negative energies. They help us recover the confidence in our original heart.