The best way to find yourself is to lose youself in the service of others.
—Mahatma Gandhi

The Treasure Within

January 17, 2011

I recently rediscovered this story and thought I'd share it with you.
In-joy! - Sandra

In 1957 in Thailand, a group of monks at a Buddhist monastery were in the process of relocating a giant clay statue of the Buddha. As they began pushing it, they soon noticed a crack down one side. They stopped moving it and decided to wait until the next morning to decide how to move the precious cargo.

That evening, a curious monk returned to examine the clay Buddha more closely. He shined a light close to the crack. To his astonishment, he saw something glitter!

Quickly, the monk grabbed a hammer and chisel and chipped away at the clay. Hours later, he finished from his chipping and stood back in awe. He could hardly believe his eyes. Standing before him was a huge, solid gold Buddha!

It was later discovered that several centuries before, while the Burmese army was invading the area, Thai monks had concealed the Buddha in clay to keep it from being stolen. During the attack, however, all the monks were killed, so the true nature of the treasure lay in secret until 1957.

We all resemble this clay Buddha. We often conceal our true nature, our gifts, talents and natural wisdom by masking it within a protective shell. We have many masks that we wear to disguise our feelings of inadequacy, our insecurities and our fears. These masks shield us from the "dangers" we perceive in the outside world.

Once we become aware of the protective shell we hide ourselves in, we can begin to allow the shining beauty of our authentic self to emerge. By chipping away at the excess baggage we carry, we can reveal who we really are: shining, beautiful, strong, loving and positive beings who brighten the very world we live in.

Many Blessings,

Sandra Hurlbut

If you feel inspired to share this message or any part of it with others, please feel free to do so. If you do, please remember to include the original hyperlink to this website and credit the Source of the material. Thank you for your continuing support!

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May the abundance of Divine Love flow with all of us at all times.

Sandra Hurlbut is the owner of Spirit Earth Healing in Prescott Arizona. She is a gifted intuitive reader, powerful healer, and engaging teacher who incorporates several modalities in her work. For more information on Sandra or her workshops and their locations, visit our pages on workshops, or calendar events.

The miracle of self-healing occurs when the inner patient yields to the inner physician. —Vernon Howard