We are all on some kind of a treasure hunt. Most often we think about and search for something specific and tangible. That's not the Mother Lode.

You can't think about this treasure because thought can neither capsulize nor capture it. Thought can only covet.

The most that thought can deliver is a wisp of the whole. It's much like awakening from a vivid dream where the details scatter away in a few blinks of the eye.

We know there's something there but we just can't put our finger on it. That's your treasure.

The more you think about it, the more elusive it becomes.

You can think your way to an earthy treasure, but don't think for a minute that this process will deliver that which will truly enrich you.

Your treasure is always present, within reach. But reaching for it pushes it further away. It's like attempting to squeeze water in your hand - it dissipates.

What is this treasure that thought cannot capture? I can only define it by what it isn't, never by what it is. It's much like the experience of thinking about infinity. It takes you a circuitous route to nowhere.

Your treasure is beyond thought. We attempt to become like the ancient Hindu Pandits who were highly skilled in philosophy but light in enlightenment. It's easier to talk about treasure than it is to find it.

If the beauty of something has ever taken your breath away, you have experienced your treasure. What you may not have noticed in that moment of bliss is that you were absent of thought.

The transcendental highway to your treasure is being thought-less. The moment we attempt to put our treasure into a thought balloon, it bursts!

Lao Tzu referred to this treasure in the opening words of the Tao Te Ching - "Tao can be talked about, but not the eternal Tao."

So why talk about something that can't be talked about? To remind us it's there.

When we catch ourselves getting caught up in our daily quest for our cache of collectibles, we get a brief respite from thought and experience our treasure.

The way to elongate these moments is to shorten our mental storms.

Whatever quiets, not dulls, your mind is a worthwhile practice. When your thoughts quiet down, you experience the treasure that cannot be talked about.

You can think about your treasure or you can own it. The choice comes down to this: Are you willing to possess something of enormous value that you can't explain, or not?

The trick is not to think about the answer.

All the best,

John