Daily Dharma

Imagine
a very poor man living in a decrepit little shanty, the only thing he
owns in the world. What he does not know is that just beneath his
shanty, but hidden in the dirt is an inexhaustible vein of gold. As
long as he remains ignorant of his hidden wealth, this pauper remains
in poverty; but when he attends more closely to his own dwelling, he is
bound to discover his own fathomless wealth. Similarly, all we need to
do is unveil our own nature, and we will find an inexhaustible source
of wisdom, compassion, and power. It is nothing we need to acquire,
from anywhere or anything. It has always been there.

Seen
in this light, the Buddha-nature requires no additions. One does not
have to memorize sutras, recite prayers or accumulate virtues to create
it. All one needs to do is unveil it.

--B. Alan Wallace, Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up

from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book