Abandon any hope of fruition.

Sunprint photo by Emily Longbrake

  Sunny days when nature’s growth is at its height make me think of a creative craft I enjoyed with my daughter – Sunprints. Based on the cyanotype process, it uses sun-sensitive paper that undergoes a chemical change when exposed to ultra-violet light. Lovely prints can be made by laying fern fronds, flowers, feathers or other objects on the paper and then placing it outdoors in the sunlight. After several minutes a reaction takes place; the print is then soaked in water to stop the chemical process. The result is a precise pattern of the objects on a beautiful, blue background. Unlike Sunprints, life rarely produces such an exact blueprint of what we anticipate. We lay out our plans, apply energy behind them, then fully expect to see what we desire to unfold. But what happens when we attach our joy and peace of mind to an outcome that never materializes? This slogan teaches us to abandon such clinging, otherwise we will only perpetuate our cycle of suffering.

Everything we need is present inside us, not somewhere ahead of us.
~ Ringu Tulku

For more information on the twenty-eighth slogan, go here.