There’s a story behind every name, and “Blue Skies White Clouds” is no different. The inspiration for the title of our website was eye-opening and (for some) life-changing, and there’s no reason you can’t benefit from the revelation as well. Stick with me for a few paragraphs, and you may just come out of this post with a new and refreshing outlook on the day.
The Origin Of Blue Skies
The “Blue Sky Mind” concept is a crucial aspect of the Buddhist tradition. The calm, clear, and peaceful mind is always a part of you. However, mind noise, flailing emotions, and anxiety can sometimes mask or completely hide the serenity of the blue sky like the clouds of a strong storm. Think of the great reveal of the clear blue skies when you’re on a plane. It may be cloudy at the airport, but once you’re up in the air, above the clouds, it’s all blue skies.
“Even when our mind-state is cloudy and our emotions are raining, our
Jan Chozen Bays from How To Train A Wild Elephant
Original Nature is always there, shining brightly within us and all things”
“Blue Skies White Clouds” stems from a meditation concept introduced to the world by a well-known and beloved American Nun, Tibetan Buddhist teacher, and accomplished author, Pema Chödrön. Chödrön is a disciple of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a revered Tibetan Buddhist Master. She served as a teacher/spiritual leader in Nova Scotia until her recent retirement from the role in 2020.
Pema Chödrön’s teachings address stress and anxiety as it pertains to the mind and the undeniable negative or destructive thought patterns we all get stuck in from time to time. This concept is a major focus of her instruction. According to Chödrön, we get stuck in our negative thought patterns when something in the here and now triggers a response to something we’ve experienced in the past.
Blue Skies As Related To Meditation
Meditation is a huge part of Tibetan Buddhism, and the website’s title, “Blue Skies White Clouds”, comes from one of Pema Chödrön’s meditative tools.
The particular teaching being referenced asks that you see your “self” (the core of who you are as a being) as the blue skies, while considering any other thoughts or feelings that arise during meditation as the storms or clouds quickly and constantly passing and shifting. Above the clouds and storms we encounter, the sky is always a constant, calm blue, while the “weather” between the blue skies and the ground is unreliable and ever-changing.
“You are the sky, and everything else is the weather.”
– Pema Chödrön
Intrusive thoughts are a common challenge for anyone who practices meditation. However, at its core, meditation is meant to help the individual ground themselves to the present, while safely and calmly managing the things that might want to disrupt peace. This is harder to achieve when the mind is clouded by a bombardment of thoughts.
Mastering Meditation
Meditation can be a powerful tool for centering your mind and body, but mastering the true art of meditation is no simple feat. You likely won’t have a perfect session the first time you take a moment to meditate.
Learning to differentiate where your feelings and emotions end and your “self” begins is a process. It can take a while to truly understand that you are not your feelings. For now, I’ll leave you with this quote.
“We are what sits in the seat of consciousness. We are pure awareness and knowing.”
– Jenny Dsouza
