Ratna Wisdom (Balance & Equality)
The Earth element association means that Ratna energy is about strength, Wealth, and Support.
This means that Ratna Wisdom is about recognizing where our strength, wealth, and support are, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
We need to recognize where we have wisdom and intelligence.
We need to acknowledge our skills and positive qualities.
We need to feel gratitude for all of the wealth of resources that we have at our command.
Ratna Wisdom is also about recognizing where our weaknesses are or where we need support.
In order for us to work with our weaknesses, we have to be able to first admit that they exist.
The practice of confession in most religions is all about acknowledging our weaknesses and bringing them out of hiding.
Once we admit our weaknesses and admit that we need help and support in these areas, then we have the possibility of getting the support and nourishment that we need.
If we don't tell our doctor what our symptoms are, then they won't be able to cure us or properly diagnose our illness.
Through Ratna Wisdom however, this does not become hunger and neediness.
Because we understand that everything depends on causes and conditions, then we don't react out of desperation and its underlying impatience, attachment, and longing.
We also don't assume that our need must be fulfillled in a certain way.
We merely recognize our need, expose it, and take the appropriate steps or look for those situations that will allow us to get the support that we need. Another aspect of this wisdom is to recognize exactly what our needs are, and what types of things will satisfy those needs.
This aspect of Ratna Wisdom recognizes the degree of our interdependence and recognizes that we need to look to the whole rest of the world for support.
Out of this recognition comes a sense of gratitude for the benefits that we receive from others.
It also requires a sense of humility to admit that we have a weakness, expose it to others, and leave ourselves open to their help.
Confession, many types of prayers and the practice of doing Prostrations are all expressions, in many institutional religions, of that humility, exposing of ourselves to others, and opening ourselves up to receiving help.
In terms of Ratna Wisdomf we feel a sense of abundance, then we can automatically recognize situations and circumstances where this abundance is missing. We express this recognition through the practice of Generosity.
Sharing this abundance with others instead of focussing on how this abundance is a reflection of ourselves will prevent us from becoming proud and ostentatious.
This pride is often how we tend to compensate for a sense of weakness by showing off our strengths and trying to raise ourselves above others because of these strengths.
This is actually grasping and being attached to those strengths and being afraid of our weaknesses.
We need to change our viewpoint and approach from one of competition to see who's the strongest, to one of sharing our strengths with others in order to raise the strengths of everyone.
Our strengths and abundance really only increase by using them.
Our strengths and abundance are used when we share them.
If we have strong arms, then we keep them strong by constantly lifting things. In the same way, by using our wealth, we gain more wealth.
The best way to use wealth is through generosity.
In terms of the sense of poverty or need, we can focus on how others are our teachers or benefactors and reflect on the kindness of others rather than focus on our hunger, neediness or clinging to our possessions out of a fear for loss of support.
The result of this reflection is a feeling of gratitude towards others.
When we recognize that this energy is always there and that there is always a Balance and exchange of Support and Nourishment going on, then we will tend not to fear and resist or be overwhelmed by this energy.
The passive energy of Ratna is Balance, keeping everything in equilibrium.
Sharing our abundance is how we participate and express that equilibrium.
This also includes Justice, and Fairness.
This means that Ratna Wisdom also refers to Equality. Ratna wisdom notices how everything is kept in Balance by one side supporting the other side and later how the other side will support the first side.
It recognizes the continual exchange of support, nourishment, and wealth.
This recognition that all of our basic needs are similar helps to instill the notion of the sameness of all things.
This aspect of Ratna energy connects it to the idea of Universal Justice.
The result of this recognition is gratitude, devotion and surrender.
First, we recognize that much of our qualities and wealth has come about because of the past help, support, teaching, and work of others.
That gratitude and recognition of others' lack prompts us to share.
As we work on sharing our abundance and strengths, we begin to see that our sharing increases the gratitude of others and gives us a sense of well-being.
The result is that situations and people around us become more supportive.
When we combine that with a humble attitude from admitting our needs and weaknesses and the gratitude that WE feel towards the support that we get from others, then we develop a sense of devotion to the whole process of nourishing.
This devotion to the process of nourishing becomes devotion to the whole process of connecting to and experiencing (feeling) the rest of reality.
Guru devotion, which can, and has been, corrupted, misused and misunderstood, is supposed to be a re-enactment of this process.
Our Guru, the person who provides us spiritual instruction and spiritual support, starts out as our spiritual teacher, who we develop devotion to because of this nourishing process. The Guru's job is to gradually get us to the point where all of reality becomes our guru and our devotion and spiritual support comes from the whole of reality.
The more we are involved in this process of nourishment, the more we understand the balance that results from working on this process.
As we see the nourishment, interchange, and balance increase, we develop surrender to the process, allowing ourselves to completely fulfill and experience our role within the entire overall process of nourishing and being nourished, enriching and being enriched.
