When the Buddha was on his deathbed, he shared a final message with his loyal attendant Ananda and for future generations: “Be a light unto yourself, be your own refuge. Do not seek refuge outside yourself.”
In these last words, the Buddha highlighted an important truth: no matter where you search, your ultimate sanctuary is within you. There’s an inner light of awareness in each of us that guides us home, akin to how waves are never separate from the ocean. Even in moments of shame, loneliness, confusion, or reactivity, we are never truly apart from an awakened state of mind and heart.
This profound teaching emphasizes that this inner light isn’t exclusive to the Buddha—it exists in every ordinary person. This open, loving awareness is our truest nature. We don’t need to go anywhere or transform ourselves drastically; our true refuge is our very essence. Trusting in this nature opens us up to the freedom that comes with it.
Buddhist monk Sayadaw U. Pandita describes these blessings as having “a heart that is ready for anything.” When we trust in our inherent nature, we’re not afraid of life’s challenges. We gain the confidence to handle whatever comes our way. We no longer need to live in constant preparation or defense. Instead, we can fully engage with the present and respond wisely.
You might wonder: “How would it feel, right now, to have a heart that is ready for anything?”
With a heart ready for anything, we can embrace our inevitable losses and deep sorrows, mourning our lost loves, youth, health, and capabilities. This acknowledgment of loss is part of being human and symbolizes our love for life. By courageously facing loss, we remain open to the endless ways love manifests in our lives.
A heart ready for anything instinctively reaches out to others in pain. While ethical living attunes us to others’ pain and needs, an open and awake heart cares unconditionally, whether the suffering is external or internal.
With such a heart, we are free to be our true selves. There’s room for our primal, playful, and passionate sides, for human connection and creativity, and for spiritual awareness to enrich our moments. The Tibetans call this natural confidence “the lion’s roar.”
A heart ready for anything is also touched by the beauty, poetry, and mystery of our world. When Munindraji, a vipassana meditation teacher, was asked why he practiced, he replied, “So I will see the tiny purple flowers by the side of the road as I walk to town each day.”
With an undefended heart, we can fall in love with life repeatedly. We can see the world with wonder, grateful to walk the earth and belong to each other and all of creation. We can find our true refuge in every moment and every breath.