One Thought Creates Confusion, and One Teaching Opens the Path
When a tiny speck enters the eye, flowers that are not really there may seem to flutter wildly in empty space. The object has not become that way; the seeing eye has become clouded.
The mind is the same. When one speck of deluded thought arises, countless thoughts and emotions, fears and attachments follow from that one thought. At first it was only a small movement of mind, but if we grasp it and follow it, it grows like the wheel of samsara.
For this reason, practice does not treat even one thought lightly. We must recognize the first moment when anger arises, the first moment when fear grows, and the first moment when the mind that says I am right appears. At that moment, we can turn the path.
Seon masters have said that when the mad mind rests, awakening is immediate. This does not mean we must run away to some special place. It means that when the mind now rolling in confusion comes to a stop, its original clarity is revealed.
Today, observe the first moment when a speck enters the mind. When you notice and release one thought, the illusions that fluttered in empty space disappear, and the mirror of the mind becomes clear again.
Just as a speck in the eye can make flowers that are not there appear, one speck of deluded thought in the mind can create countless confusions. When we notice that one thought and let it rest, the mind's original clarity is revealed.
