Inspiration From the Buddha in Sedona

Last year I had the fortunate experience to go to Sedona, Arizona for the first time. After going to the many vortexes, including the Amitabha Stupa, I wrote a post called "What The Buddha Told me in Sedona."

Well, I returned to Sedona about two weeks ago and returned to the Amitabha Stupa. This time I went up to the Buddha Statue and said, "Okay, what have you got for me this time?"

This is what I heard:

"Silence. I'm meditating and you should be too. Go inside yourself to find the answer. I don't have any wisdom for you. You have it for you. Everything you need is inside of you."

As people started to come around to where I was, I wandered off on the path, but felt a magnetic pull to return because I felt like there was more to hear. I wandered close by until the area emptied a little more and returned to where the Buddha statue was. I continued to listen:

"I have messages for you, but you need to be silent first. And even the silence you seek is inside of you. Everything you've ever wanted exists inside of you. I don't have anything for you that you don't have."

Again, as a crew of people started wandering over to where I was I left and walked about some trails, but I felt that magnetic pull to return. I did a few circles about the area, and then I returned when the coast was clear. I went back up to where the Buddha was to listen:

"I want you to listen to your inner voice. I want you to trust yourself. I want you to know who you are... You can go now. There's nothing more I have for you because you already have it all."

And then a final word:

"Also, stop looking at me -- turn around -- look at the mountains!" I smiled and laughed when I heard that!

You see, there I was looking at the Buddha, but turning around to the view that the Buddha was looking at were the majestic mountains of Sedona. As a final message I was reminded to embrace the beauty around me, and not get distracted by some Buddha statue -- a work of art created by another human. Rather all around me was the magical mysterious creations of nature.

All of these messages were the perfect messages. And likely messages I would have accessed in any meditation, but being back at The Stupa and hearing these precise messages at the moment I went up close to the Buddha carried potency.

So often we look to others for answers. We want other people to reassure us, tell us what to do, let us know that we're OK.

Self-doubt is heavy, common, yet often goes unacknowledged. Instead we search all over the place looking for answers. And most of the time the places we search are outside ourselves.

Yet the best answers are always within. As the Buddha said, you need to get quiet first, meditate -- get quiet enough to be able to hear the wisdom waiting for you.

If all you ever do is ask, panic, and pray for answers, you'll never have the space to feel and hear an answer.

This is why meditation is the medicine to clarity.

Create space for the answers to be heard, and remember to be present to the moment, and to be awake for the magic around you.

Meditation helps us hear the voice within which is connected to the universal voice of clarity. This is our intuition and connection with the universe.

Through consciously taking time to be quiet -- we can hear more, feel more, intuit more, and make better decisions.

This is also how we squash self-doubt, and trust ourselves deeper. This is the seed to confidence.

With confidence and self-trust you'll be more attuned to the synchronicities, opportunities, and beauty that's right in front of you.

All we need to do is be silent, listen, and dare to turn around and see the magic that's right in front of us.

Tova Payne is a writer and consultant based out of Vancouver. She teaches people how to access their intuition, creativity, and amplify their productivity through personal development techniques including meditation. For more about Tova and to receive a free copy of The 5 Keys to Start and Finish Your Projects and a Meditation Audio for Clarity, please visit www.tovapayne.com