Jack Kornfield on The Buddha's Lion's Roar: Finding Inner Royalty and Dignity

The Lion's Roar of Authority

• 🦁 The "lion's roar" symbolizes a quality of bravery and authority, representing the Buddha's response when challenged about his teachings.
• 💡 The Buddha claimed to have personally experienced and mastered the rigorous practices of his time, offering freedom to those who face themselves with awareness.
• 🗣️ This roar is not about duty but about resting in the center of one's being and speaking truth with honesty and blessing.

Inner Royalty and Dignity

• 👑 The Buddha viewed worldly positions and treasures as insignificant compared to the truth of Buddha nature, which he described as inner royalty or dignity.
• 🌌 He perceived the universe as small and worldly judgments as fleeting, finding wisdom in the midst of birth and death.
• ❓ The poem "A Story That Could Be True" by William Stafford explores the feeling of being lost and unknown, yet holding an inner truth of being a king or queen.

Discovering Your True Nature

• 🌟 This concept of inner royalty resonates with children, who sometimes expect to be revealed as royalty and taken back to their true home.
• 💖 It speaks to finding the sense of beauty and dignity inherent in every human being and heart.
• ✨ Nikki Giovanni's poem offers a powerful feminine perspective on this innate strength, divinity, and boundless capability, embodying the lion's roar.
• 🧘‍♀️ Ultimately, this is about discovering and embracing one's Buddha nature and finding pleasure in being alive and seeing this truth.