Question: “What is implied by ‘seeing into the Real Nature’”?
“That Nature and your perception of it are one. Let me repeat that the perceived cannot perceive.”
-Huang Po
By “perceive,” he does not mean what we think we see with our eyes or hear with our ears. What he does mean: The body does not perceive anything, including itself.
If, as Huang Po advises, the body does not perceive, then perhaps everything appears simultaneously:
“The forests and flowers, the grasses and leaves, people and animals, great and small, long and short, square and round, all appear at once, without depending on the discriminations of your thoughts and attention.” -Ejo
If everything appears at once, then this rings true:
“…there is no connection between your senses and the outside world…” -Pai-chang
From its conditioning, the mind adds names to its endless interpretations of sensory impressions. What is originally pure awareness becomes self-awareness, then becomes seeing, becomes hearing. Then seeing becomes “I” see “this” and hearing becomes “I” heard “that.”
The human paradox: Without the mind we couldn’t do anything, but the mind itself creates all difficulty.
I know this topic is a stretch, but… If I knew that what I am is not just the physical body, how would that change how I live?
The most valuable thing gained from being attentive, is that when aware, there is not—indeed cannot be—any problems, worry, or fear.
Also appreciate… When aware, only helpful thoughts appear; when aware, every appropriate response is effortless.
Awareness of presence is peace itself.
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Thanks for coming in.
I’m out of weekly topics. When a random topic appears, I’ll post it.