Treasure Chest

When you read the words treasure chest does your mind’s eye instantly transport you to a vision of a large wooden chest overflowing with gold and jewels? Do you see yourself standing above a wooden box with an ancient map crumpled in your hands and a rusty key hanging on a chain around your neck. Or do you see the treasure within your own chest, a chest containing the treasures of compassion, love and strength?

Spiritual practitioners are aware of the treasures of the material world and are not averse to their manifestation, but they know that the real riches lay in the heart. Not the physical heart, not the emotional heart, but in the spiritual heart. Treasures that have no monetary value, no instrument to measure them, no stock market valuation, but leave the owner/operator richer than any billionaire.

No secret map is needed to find this treasure, no antique keys need to be acquired to unlock this chest. Our own treasure chest has been waiting for us to open it and give away its contents since we left our mother’s womb. When we open the treasure chest of our heart we find that gold of compassion love and strength are endless, bottomless. The treasure in our chest increases the more we give to others. Love that is free from conditions, strength that surpasses understanding and compassion that deeply understands another beings suffering and does its utmost to alleviate said suffering.

As our inner quest evolves the treasures of the world begin to lose their lustre. The map the world offered us to wealth, to happiness, to constant gratification of our desires, to peace, appears to be bogus.  Conversely, the treasures in our  chest are revealing peace that was already there, wealth that is not dependant on external trappings and senses that aren’t screaming for gratification.

Plunder and fight as you may, the enjoyment that you seek can be found only in peace;

and peace is only in the renunciation of sensual pleasures.

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda’s words are building momentum with each day. Simplicity is trumping complexity, grasping is being replaced by stillness, and peace is moving in. The senses unquenchable thirst is receding, the coming and going of happiness is being superseded by a more ever present calm joyfulness, the treasure in the chest is its own reward. The map we were kindly offered is being returned in the post, with the stamp of thanks, but no thanks.

How could I have been looking in the wrong place for treasure for so long. Birth after birth, death after death and still the treasure that was right within me lie undiscovered. The map that now appears fraudulent served its purpose showing me it s gold was fool’s gold and I could gather this treasure for lifetimes and remain unfulfilled.

Opening the treasure in our chest is an event to celebrate. Rejoice in the spoils, freely give, free from boundaries, set no limits to sharing the treasure in your chest. The spiritual heart is limitless, unbounded by time and place, unobstructed by karma and drama overflowing with pure gold. Reflect on the impressions left by your previous compassionate actions, witness the marks on your heart left by unconditional love and feel the strength of truth and non-harming. Experience the treasures of the world and there constant  nagging more, more, more. Can we satisfy this feeling of separateness with more separateness? Can we ever unite while we continue to divide ourselves? Will we ever look inside and touch beauty of oneness, smell the fragrance of harmony? Can we ignore what lay throbbing inside of ourselves any loner?

Today may just be the day for us all to reveal the treasure of our heart. Today we might discard the map of material excess and opt out of the dance of me and mine, replacing it with a life filled with peace.

Open the treasure in your chest today!

Love & Strength

Hanuman Das/Greg