Maybe you are not a fully enlightened Buddha yet, but that is okay. Do you know how cute baby Buddhas are? That's how cute you are. So enjoy your baby Buddha. While you are still a baby Buddha, your monkey mind is very active, very wild. But you do not need to be reactive to it. You don't need to be annoyed with it. It is your companion. And as you mature, that monkey matures with you, and then one day, you realize when you are enlightened or at least close, your monkey mind becomes the best friend ever. It allows you to be creative and skillful and inquiring and questioning and always looking deeper for the fuller truth.

Can you see that? There is a purpose for everything in existence. It may look like poop in its present form, but through process of composting, it can turn into fertilizer, which can nourish a beautiful garden of flowers, trees, whatever you want to cultivate. So currently, maybe your monkey mind is manifesting as someone in your life who is a pain in the butt or just creating more suffering or fear or uncertainty. But don't hate it. It is your companion for now, and through the process of mindfulness and enlightenment, it will mature into its intended form, which will be so beautiful.

Just be patient, keep practicing, love yourself, love your monkey mind, and love the practice of mindfulness individually and as a sangha. Because poop does not just become a garden of flowers by itself. It needs mindful cultivation, right? Our suffering doesn't just automatically become a gift in our life. We need mindful cultivation. So on the one hand, you already are Buddha nature. On the other hand, you need to practice mindful cultivation also. It is true.

So I guess I gave my talk a little early. I'll give part two later…