After several years of teaching a meditation technique, I finally had the opportunity to travel to Bangkok in 2010 to visit the temple that houses the Buddha that I spoke about in every course.
For hundreds of years, a quite seemingly ordinary clay statue was in constant transition, going from the countryside to the capital, being moved from one ruined temple to the next, until one day, in the mid 1900s, the ropes used to lift and move the statue broke. The statue crashed into the ground! At first, everyone was horrified, but out of the corner of an eye, the head monk noticed a glimmer. Could it really be that this plain, rather simple looking statue, could be more than met the eye? Slowly but surely, day in and day out, the monks chipped away, removing one small piece of clay at a time, only to reveal that underneath all those layers of protection, was a statue made of the purest and most sought after of metals: pure gold!
For over 200 years the true essence of the Golden Buddha had been hidden from the world and its value depreciated to such an extent that only a tin roof protected it from the rain before being reborn into its original truth.
The metaphor symbolizes the essence of the work that we do in any modality of personal awareness program. What many don’t realize is that the Buddha was at risk of being taken away from the Ayutthuya kingdom when the Burmese invaded the land. So, with the intention of protecting this precious statue, the monks of that time covered the Golden Buddha with layers of clay and shards of colored glass much like children learn values, beliefs and behaviors to protect them from danger growing up. Over time, we forget what the purpose of the layers of conditioning were for and we overapply them, not realizing that deep inside us, there is a pure being that was born trusting, fearless, full of confidence, loving, capable of expressing every want and need without inhibitions.
My work is to help you get up from a fall and to take you on a journey of self-exploration to reveal your golden buddha that lies latent underneath layers of conditioning that no longer serve you so that you can be the truest, most authentic version of yourself consistently.
My own story linked to this metaphor
I had been on a personal quest to discover my true essence since the turn of the century. I had come to Singapore, alone, with a single suitcase and my life had already transformed massively. I was married and had a beautiful daughter, but still something was missing… I sat at Wat Traimit in front of The Golden Buddha for hours going in and out of reflection, meditation and prayer in search of something new, something that could transform me further. Just before leaving, I walked up to the head monk. The thought dropped into my mind “I want new life”. With a silent smile, he tied a white cotton thread around my wrist and blessed the many miniature statues I had bought to give away as a reminder of our journey of self-discovery. Time passed. We moved from Singapore to Geneva, Switzerland. And there I was one afternoon, reflecting on the Golden Buddha. I created a Facebook page with the intention of inspiring people to reflect, to be curious of one’s thoughts, beliefs, values and behaviours. The Golden Buddha Within on social media was born. On that same day, my bracelet fell off. Tradition has it that when this happens, your wish has been fulfilled. I felt grounded and content. A few hours later, I found out that I was pregnant with my second daughter!
And my journey continues every day: one small layer at a time….
Where the Coaching Journey Leads