[blockquote source=”The Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche”]”If you can really visualize this it will be there in the morning.” [/blockquote]

It was a fateful first visit for artist Jack Niland. He had been traveling for days when he finally arrived at the dilapidated old farmhouse. At first glance, he nearly turned away – but, something much deeper compelled him to stay.

“I’d been a hippie for a long time,” he once joked, “but, even by my standards this was unbearable.”

And, yet there he was…standing, as if by happenstance, at the very door that he would eventually be commissioned to paint. He had been in search of something real, something far greater than most could understand. The place was Karmê Chöling – an unassuming patch of land in northern Vermont. Purchased by the venerable Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, it would soon become the very first land-based Buddhist refuge in America.

A charming young woman greeted him at the door. “Tell me, what is it that you do?” she smiled.

“I do art stuff,” he replied.

“Oh, then,” she said. “Come with me!”

As the story is told, Jack was ‘commissioned’ to paint the entrance door to the new meditation center. In exchange, he was offered free room and board.

“It is very important what we’re doing,” urged the Buddhist Master. “so, take this very seriously.” There was something about him, a radiant sort of energy. As some might say, “his smile had the capacity to captivate.’

This chance meeting marked the beginning of a life-long friendship.

“See this structure here,” the master asked, pointing to the top of the entrance. “It means double joy.” He then went on to describe his vision for the door. “Joyful and light,” he smiled “Like a Buddhist temple.” The door was to capture the balance of the Universe, as well as – incorporate the three jewels of Buddhism.  Yellow for Buddha; red for sangha, and a crisp turquoise blue to represent the dharma.

The artist commenced work on the new project – at first, the background color, a vibrant red. Next, a golden yellow -which, was fairly easy. But, the work came to a stop with the search for this deeper blue. There was just nothing that could come close to this perfect shade of blue.

“No, not that,” the master frowned. Finally, the artist found a small tube of blue oil paint which he had hoped might be mixed to the correct hue. But, try as he might – with every effort, he failed.

It seemed an impossible task – and, in frustration, he walked away.

By this point, the front porch was strewn with half-emptied tubes of paint, and small bowls filled with every shade save for that ‘one perfect blue.’

When he returned, he noticed something curious. There, in the middle of all that mess was a tiny little farm girl just covered in paint. She had been drawn to the all those ‘pretty colors’ – and, had spent the rest of the afternoon mixing and stirring.

Revealing in her tiny little hands, a small bowl with…you guessed it, the perfect shade of blue.

You see, what they had spent so many hours ‘looking for’ – came quite effortlessly to this unencumbered soul.

How perfectly fitting an opportunity for the Venerable Chogyma Trungpa Rinpoche, who taught compassion by way of being human.

My darlings, we all have within us this most perfect shade of blue – but, sometimes it requires a little letting go, in order for it to come through.