Written by Noel Coakley

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche once said, “Unbounded space is a great gift. Infinite awareness is a great gift. Natural spontaneous warmth is a great gift. These gifts are already in us in the moment.”

This is the view of buddha nature: that every single one of us already has a natural state of heart and mind that is spacious, wise, loving, and free.

I know — it can sound like a Hallmark card. The skeptical voice might jump in: “Sure, maybe other people are naturally good, but you haven’t met my dark little corners.” Believe me, I get it. My mind says the same thing sometimes.

But the teaching here isn’t about ignoring the difficult parts of our experience. It’s about seeing that, no matter what stories or emotions are swirling, there is something deeper that has never been stained or broken. Like the sun hidden behind clouds — always shining, even if we can’t see it.

Meditation, in this perspective, isn’t self-improvement. It’s not about building a better version of yourself. It’s about becoming more familiar with what’s already here. Practices help us notice the habits, stories, and defenses that obscure this natural state. They also help us glimpse directly what lies beyond them: openness, clarity, warmth, and awareness.

So “progress” on the path isn’t about adding qualities we don’t have. It’s about removing the clouds. You don’t have to become good enough. You already are.

The fruition of the path isn’t some new identity you’ll earn. It’s the simple, radical recognition that you are already what you’ve been looking for.

The Tibetan word for buddha is sang gye. Sang means “purified,” the obscurations wiped off the mirror. Gye means “flourishing,” the natural qualities of mind shining through once the smudges are gone.

Yes, you too.

You are a sneaky little undercover buddha.

And the alarm bell is ringing to wake up.