Spontaneous Creativity [1]

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

An Excerpt from Spontaneous Creativity

Creativity is the food of joy. When we are creative, we express the joy of being alive. We are all creative at the core. But what is creativity, exactly? Is it an artist toiling in her loft, a composer hunched over his piano, your grandmother icing a cake, your neighbor planting a garden? 

Without doubt, these are all creative endeavors. But in the Bön Buddhist tradition creativity is far more than a display of specific skills or talents or behavior. It is an expression of our state of being—who we truly are.

Creativity is often linked to flow—energized focus, effortless expression, total immersion in what we are doing. Both creativity and flow arise from the same source—the fundamental spaciousness of being. The essence of creativity is the spontaneous outpouring of positive qualities from that open source.

The dzogchen tradition in which I practice refers to the space of being as the mother (ma), to the awareness that recognizes that space as the child (bu), and to the union of space and awareness, mother and child, as dynamic energy (tsal). We are not meant to understand this relationship conceptually but to experience it personally. 

Every moment can be spontaneous, effortless, beautiful, helpful, and life-changing if we are fully connected to the spaciousness of being. When we are living from that connection to the source, qualities we associate with creative activity—joy, playfulness, humor, love, generosity—just naturally arise.

Being creative is intrinsically human. Whether it is an artwork you make, a dinner you cook, or the skillful way you talk your daughter out of doing something risky, it may be creatively informed. 

When we are aware of and connected to the spaciousness of being that is our true nature, our actions and our expression have the potential to bring good to the world. Artistic expression—indeed, any human activity, no matter what form it takes—that arises from the source is considered sacred. In my tradition this is referred to as trinlé, or enlightened action. When what we express is enlightened action, it will have meaning and purpose and be of benefit to ourselves and others.

Traditionally, the fundamental source of being is described as an inexhaustible spring of pure water for the thirsty; the keys to the treasury of the kingdom for the impoverished; medicine for those who are ill; a home for those who wander; a best friend for the lonely; an inner refuge for those caught in samsara, the wheel of cyclic existence that binds us to suffering. This source is creative potential waiting for us to find some way to express it.  

Source: Voice of Clear Light. 2018 / June