So all of us sentient beings here on the planet are not quite as solid as we normally perceive ourselves to be.
We all have different dimensions to our being.
In our daily life we have our normal daily reality that's quite bound up in duality where we are mostly aware of our physical body and the physical world around us.
Then you have the energetic dimension of our reality,
All the energy processes constantly moving and transforming within us.
These are most easily felt as their physical manifestations in the form of emotions.
But our energy can also be felt as a kind of life force,
A sense of aliveness or an inner vitality.
Now the physical body and the energetic dimension are not separate.
There are different depths of our being,
Like you would get depths of the ocean.
In the ocean there's the obvious waves and ripples that we see.
But if you drop beneath that you might find rips and currents still quite alive and moving.
As you drop even lower it might start to get more quiet and still.
Even though there might be different experiences within the different depths of the ocean they are not separate.
They are different layers of the same thing.
So we have our normal physical body and the physical world around us and then beneath that we have the energetic realm and then beneath that is our true nature and this is intrinsic to all of us.
It is always there as the ground of our being and our true nature is ultimately spacious and blissful.
So the more we can move towards our true nature or get in touch with it the more joy we find radiating out.
It's important to know that this natural joy is not only there when we get closer to it or in touch with our true nature.
This joy is always there.
Somehow we get caught up in the dualistic entanglements of life leading us to live very much in our heads and with tension in the body.
When we're in this kind of awareness this natural joy and our inner spaciousness is covered over.
When we are children we are much more in touch with our true nature and this natural inner joy.
You know like when you see small kids if they have joy coming through their body they might just suddenly run and scream for what to us seems like no reason.
But they seem to be much more in touch with the natural expression of their nature and the energy processes and they can more easily let this energy come through into the physical dimension removing the body,
Liberating the energy.
So how do we begin to access this natural inner joy?
Of course things like spending time in nature can connect us to this inner spaciousness and joy but from a meditation perspective we need to go on an inward journey.
So slowly beginning to let go,
Connecting to our inner spaciousness and drop into or open out into our true nature.
So that natural joy is always there as an aspect of your true nature that is concealed up by all the stuff going on in our lives and how entangled we get with it.
Meditation is a wonderful way to begin to discover and explore these deeper dimensions of your reality and slowly step by step begin to connect to your true nature and natural joy.
It's like the sun coming out from behind the clouds and touching your skin.
Even though the day might seem cloudy the sun is always there shining bright and warm.
If the clouds dissipate away or part for a moment we can feel that warm radiance of the sun shine through and touch the skin.
In the same way as you gradually get to know the deeper dimensions of your being and slowly begin to clear the fog that conceals your true nature,
This intrinsic natural joy will begin to shine through.
