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When you experience the truth
you are without speculation.
You can see your reflection in a mirror;
but can you grasp the moon
reflected in the water?
We always walk alone;
yet those who have attained all tread
the same Way of liberation.
I have a lot of appreciation for this first line.
I am in the speculation stage still, I may be forever, I do not know.
However, in not knowing there is a bit of knowing. I know I do not know. The universe is infinite. How could anyone know?
I sit, and in sitting, I learn, little by little… I think
The next line here is something I have given quite a bit of speculation to. I almost wrote a whole post about it at one point.
I wrote in my notebook, light, mirror, and reflections. That was to be the basis of my whole post. I cannot go back to the thought process I was having then. But I can say that a mirror reflects what you put in front of it. And a little of the light from other angles too, only we cant see that clearly in the reflection. I think we are all mirrors. I think we all have the ability to reflect the truth. But, it is just reflection and not the real deal.
The last in this set of three is rather lonely sounding. Lonely because I know it is true. We all walk alone. It dose not matter if you are a laymen, hermit, or a monk in a crowded monastery. A Buddhist or anyone else trying to vector towards the truth, ultimately liberation is up to you. Even though everyone else has had to take basically the same path to it.
I welcome comments, but I may integrate them into the commentary.
I hope that my efforts are helpful in clearing my own delusion as well as that of others,
Jordan
Acknowledgments
7 comments:
Great stuff Jordan,
Your commentary about how we all walk alone really caught my attention. It reminds me of the last words attributed to the Buddha, "Be a lamp unto yourself, work hard for your own salvation"
thanks for the inspiration!
I love the picture and went to the web site. The site is impressive with the moving water.
We do all walk alone--in many ways, it is a very lonely life we lead. But we also have the opportunity to embellish our lives with good friends and family. True love, true friendship, these are gifts woven into the fabric of our lives that are beyond measure.
Iris, Hannah and Benjamin: when they look at me with complete innosence as though I'm infallible and they don't see my faults--that's a gift I can take into my heart and to my grave--and I don't have to share that with anyone.
Well done Jordan!
Love,
Mom
yes.. in sitting we not only learn some lessons, but we also unlearn others..
we are made up of countless things gathered up over time immemorial. some pointing towards the truth and some pointing away from it..
it ain't easy sorting it all out alone. that's what makes friends like you invaluable.
Greg,
Even though we are walking alone, I am right there with you!
Mom,
Your getting in to it now!
Love you.
Jeff,
yes.. in sitting we not only learn some lessons, but we also unlearn others..
Thank you for pointing that out!
And thank you so much for your kind words of friendship.
With gratitude to all,
Jordan
Jordan,
Thanks for walking with me
Gassho,
Greg
"You can see your reflection in a mirror;
but can you grasp the moon
reflected in the water?"
Hi Jordan,
Yes, we can see the reflection in the mirror, we can see anything that's put up to it, but, like the moon in the water, we can't really grasp the reflections; or rather we can, but its quite an unsatisfactory pastime if we think that we can gain something from it (and this is a wonderful analogy of how most people waste their lives running after things that don't really make them that happy or even satisfied!)
We own nothing, we can't grasp anything in reality. We can waste our time thinking, planning, fighting to the contrary, but ultimately we all own nothing... Why? Because we are everything already. We are the moon, and its reflection, and the water etc etc.
That which wants to own things is part of the inclusive reality too (imagining the 'it' to be an actual something for a moment), but it has convinced itself/ has been convinced otherwise: its a reflection in the mirror that thinks that it IS the mirror.
Do I own my hand that grasps? In a sense I do. But, in a broader sense, I'm not just the grasper as I sometimes think: I'm the hand, the thoughts that want to grasp, the thoughts that know its not correct or real to want to grasp, the clarity that allows the thoughts to occur and everything else...
The mirror just reflects what it reflects, nothing it reflects effects the mirror or makes it tainted in any way.
Mirrors are useful, you can see yourself in them as the verse says; grasping at reflections is silly when we don't realise the scam (actually, we can 'hold the moon in our hands' if we scoop up a little pool of water and let the light reflect... we must let it drain inevitably away of course ;-)
Just a few random thoughts on an interesting line.
Regards,
Harry.
Greg,
Likewise!
Harry,
Thank you so much for your wonderful and well written comments!
It makes me think of something I read a while ago from Yaunwu The present perception is the truth, but the truth is beyond this perception. If you are attached to perception--- it is not arriving at the Truth.
Thanks!
Jordan
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