The Rainbow Terraces Meditation – a Path of Revelation

The Rainbow Terraces Meditation is a dynamic transformative process, an inner Path which when applied regularly takes us deeper, and even closer to revelation, understanding and fulfilment.

We all have a deep longing for something more. Perhaps we are unaware of what is unsatisfactory, or maybe we cannot put a name to that which we long for. For many, a kind of fatigue sets in. A sense of being on a treadmill and an inkling that life has more to offer if only one could find their way to it. For example, in Buddhism, there is the practice of taking Refuge, it is a vow of spiritual commitment which goes like this.

“From now until I and all sentient beings are fully awake and enlightened, I take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.”

In the Buddhist tradition, it is a starting point, a recognition that one needs the spiritual support of a spiritual guide, a reliable spiritual tradition or source of wisdom and like-minded friends.

What is the Path?

So, although we may not be Buddhists this gives some insight into how the regular practice of the Rainbow Terraces Meditation can support one’s search and help a person progress upon their Path. So, what is “the Path?”

Everyone who lives wants to be happy, everyone who loves wants their loved ones to be happy, in this we are all the same. The Dalai Lama says this about happiness:

“I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy.  From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering.  Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this.  From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment.  I don’t know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves.  Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.”

Our Desire for Happiness

What is the source of this desire for contentment and happiness? What is it about suffering that that causes us to move forward, be open to change and to try new approaches to life? The Dalai Lama says that the search for contentment drives us through life. The search for happiness is therefore also a search for peace, inner wisdom and a desire to know love.

Happiness requires more than the thinking, intellectual mind. It is a process of discovering a deepening Truth of who we are as human beings and how we are related and part of the whole of the One Life. The revelation of this occurs within as we increasingly turn inward and become imbued with Presence.

The Presence

You may call the Presence, God, the Buddha Nature, Universal Mind or simply the All-in-All. Any references are simply pointers to that which we cannot fully describe but none-the-less we can know as Presence. To approach an experience of it we know we must make a change, a commitment to ourselves. The Path requires us to make an effort.

The Rainbow Terraces Meditation

The Rainbow Terraces meditation is a Path of Revelation, each step through the Terraced Gardens requires a commitment to change. As we journey through the visualization of each of the terraced gardens, there is an associated revelation and commitment at each of the seven stages.

An example of the revelations and commitments at each level are:

1. The Red Terrace Garden: Change is an essential part of consciously developing and evolving, eventually to become enlightened.

2. The Orange Terrace Garden: The importance of not identifying as our past – of letting go of the past to be fully, mindfully present.

3. The Yellow Terrace Garden: Committing to and embracing new awareness and understanding – new Truth and Wisdom.

4. The Green Terrace Garden: To increasingly experience and identify with the Divine Presence within - our Source of deepening awareness of Love and Truth (our own inner Wisdom).

5. The Blue Terrace Garden: The next step is to recognize the power of and making a commitment to the Will of the Inner Guiding Divine Principle.

6. The Violet Terrace Garden: Taking responsibility for making change work.

7. The White Garden is the mountain top experience. Here the Truth of your Being is revealed as you meditate in Silence and Spaciousness…

After the Mountain Top experience, you journey back down the Mountain in full waking consciousness, integrating the changes and insights gained through the Rainbow Terraces Meditation.

You are invited to experience the Rainbow Terraces Meditation with Gay Vickers each week on Zoom