Lessons In Practical Buddhism - Sirimangalo.Org

“idha bhikkhu cakkhunā rūpaṃ disvā na nimittaggāhī hoti
nānubyañjanaggāhī.”
“Here, a bhikkhu, having seen a form with the eye, is
neither one who takes hold of the characteristics nor one
who takes hold of the details.”
Still, for someone who is used to grasping at characteristics
and details – those very things that give rise to likes and
dislikes, identification and possessiveness – it can be a
disturbing realization that reality admits of no such
particulars, that our attachments to these things are based
on that which does not even exist.
Truly, what one sees in the mirror is just light. It is only after
the light touches the eye that the mind processes the image
and discerns, “this is me,” or even, “this is a person.” For a
meditator, because of their ability to concentrate on the
seeing just as it is, such recognition may not occur at all.
Whereas for an ordinary person much extrapolation will
occur based on the experience of seeing – first they
recognize it, then they like it or dislike it, judging one’s
image as beautiful, ugly, good or bad. The ordinary mind
moves very quickly and without training will tend to move at
random like a person in a dark room, bumping into the
various objects that it meets with, and suffering accordingly.
Once one practices meditation and focuses the mind on the
reality of each experience, seeing becomes simply light
touching the eye, a reality that arises and ceases. The idea
that there is an external object, a person inside the mirror for
example, vanishes. When one looks in a mirror, one projects
the idea of a person inside the mirror, even though one is
clearly aware that there is no such person inside the glass.
There is thus no reason to feel concern towards this sort of
experience. When some meditators return home to their
families after meditation courses, their families become quite
upset when they see that their children are no longer
attached to them, no longer cling to them, and they will
become quite upset as a result. As a result, even the
meditator, if their practice has not progressed far enough,
may be convinced that the meditation has caused suffering
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