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Man is born with great treasures, but he is also born with the whole animal heritage.

This quote encapsulates the duality of human existence, the immense potential that we are born with, and the primal heritage that we carry within our very DNA. When a child comes into this world, they bring with them a purity, an untapped reservoir of consciousness that holds the possibility for enlightenment and great treasures, which can be understood as creativity, love, intelligence, and the capacity for self-awareness.

However, as humans, we are the heirs to millions of years of animal evolution. Within us lies instinctual behaviour, primal fears, and desires that are remnants of our survival-centric ancestors. This animal heritage speaks to the more basic, instinctive parts of our being – the urge for territory, the flight-or-fight response, the desire to procreate, and the hierarchy of dominance.

Our journey, then, is to become aware of this animal heritage, to understand it, but not to be ruled by it. The challenge we face is to integrate this ancient heritage with our more refined human capacities of reason, compassion, and consciousness. The mastery of oneself involves creating a balance – not rejecting our instincts, but rising above them to access the higher treasures of which we are capable.

The treasures that lie within us – the potential for love, creativity, and enlightenment – are there to be discovered and realised. The path to uncovering these treasures is often about peeling away the layers of social conditioning, fear, and egoistic desires that shroud them.

Remember, the blossoming of the human being, the ultimate flowering of those great treasures amidst our animal heritage, is the essence of the spiritual path. It is not a journey away from nature but a deeper communion with it, acknowledging the totality of our existence and embracing it with awareness. The enlightened person is not at odds with their animal nature, but rather in a harmonious dance with it, fully awake and alive to the full spectrum of their being.