In the Vajrayana, we see that our difficulties with relative reality stem from our attitudes and beliefs, rather than from relativity itself. We are called to see each arising of our day not as a threat, but as an opportunity—a chance to open our arms, lay down our weapons, and surrender to this exact moment of our life.

You could ask, Why are we called to become so intimate with our relative situations—with every personal encounter, every job, every relationship, every emotion? It is because, from the viewpoint of Vajrayana, “ultimate truth” is found in the relative, and nowhere else. Relative truth—our lives experienced nakedly, with no overlay—always arrives as a fissure in the fabric of our conceptual world.

Reginald A. Ray, from “The Vajrayana Journey is an experience of love, power, and freedom.” (Winter 2010)

Click here to watch “Touching Enlightenment, Part 1”, the first talk of Reggie Ray’s Tricycle retreat.

Photograph by Corey Kohn