Let It Flow, But Do Not Be Fooled
In the deeper teaching of practice, the principle of nirvana is described as unborn and undying: the place that originally neither arises nor disappears. In our minds, many thoughts, feelings, afflictions, and delusions keep arising and passing away, but the presence of that movement does not mean the original mind itself is shaken.
It is like the sea. Countless waves rise and vanish, but the sea is not newly born because waves appear, and it does not disappear because the waves subside. In the same way, even if a waterfall keeps pouring without rest, we should not be fooled by the movement itself and forget its true nature.
Our lives are the same. Thoughts come and go, feelings arise and fade, and worldly affairs are always changing. But we do not need to be caught by each one and shaken. What matters is not forcing what arises to disappear, but simply knowing that it is flowing and seeing it correctly.
Many phenomena do not make us lose our nature, and the arising of affliction does not erase the originally clear place of the mind. Therefore, practice is not about suppressing everything. It is letting what arises arise without being fooled by it, and letting what passes pass without being dragged along.
Today, may we let thoughts flow, let feelings pass, and not be swept away by that movement, so that we may recognize the originally clear mind.
Thoughts and feelings continually arise and disappear, but the original mind is not born and erased by that flow. Practice is not forcing things to stay or pushing them away; it is letting them flow without being fooled. Today, may we quietly recognize everything that arises.
