Creativity

Whether you are trying to compose a symphony, write an essay, find a job, cook a meal, or express an opinion, you cannot achieve your goal if you are not creative. But the fruits of your efforts will depend, in good part, on how you define creativity. According to the Dzogchen (Great Perfection) teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism, true creativity has to do with more than just ability or skill, or even actions or behaviors. While those play an important role, creativity ultimately has to do with our state of being.

    Creativity can be seen as a state of natural flow, one that spontaneously and effortlessly gives birth not only to manifest form, but to all experiences of body, energy and mind. This flow, which has its roots in openness, occurs only in the absence and fear. It is naturally joyful, peaceful, compassionate, expansive, and powerful.

Shambala Sun (Nov. 2012)

The Great Perfection of Creativity, p. 33

Geshe Tenzin Wangyai

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One of the best things I can do when I feel stymied by writer’s block, a painting gets stuck, or any other creative adventure hits a dead-end, is to give up hope for the outcome. This idea sounds absurd to those of us who have been told all our lives that hope is a good thing. However, when a Buddhist thinks of hope it is more about dropping expectations and entering into the realm of play… like a child in a sandbox. Like a child in a sand-box there is no career or goal to attain, I can take advantage of the tools and toys at hand but I go there to play. This includes the practice of meditation. If I am trying to achieve anything at all in meditation… like peace of mind or healing, I am thwarting the free-flow and movement of spirit that connects me with peace of mind or healing. In this sense this slogan says it best; “Dance like no one is watching.”
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