A Simple Shift in Perspective Yet It Is Not Easy
Isn't it intriguing how our perception shapes everything around us? We believe that what we see, hear, feel, taste, touch, and think are real and personal. It's both true and not quite true at the same time. But why is this the case?
Without embarking on this enlightening journey guided by the wise, our minds would remain clueless about what another wise mind is speaking of. Remember Wayne Dyer's famous quote, "When you change the way you see things, the things you see change?” Yes, we get it, but why can't we apply it consistently? Is there a way to make it a constant practice?
Well, here's the folly of ignorance: it assumes that the egoic mind can make this shift. It believes that as long as it has enough willpower and determination, it can shape the world to its liking. Revisiting that statement, it's almost as if it's saying, "I just need to work on myself to change everything outside.” Is there a difference with this statement, "What am I not seeing correctly that is misperceiving the reality of the happening?"
Even a simple statement like this can trigger different meanings in our minds, depending on whether we're operating from a place of ignorance or understanding.
The concept is simple, but it's our defilements, desires, and aversions that slow down the process. If everything unfolds due to causes, conditions, and the impartial workings of nature, why do we feel so ensnared in this world?
It's clear that when the mind lacks understanding of nature’s laws, everything it perceives goes against this reality – this is wrong, that is right, I want it my way, I don't want it that way, this is bad, this is good. Once we grasp that this is the essence of duality and conditioning, we can observe life with a detached mind. No longer bound by the constraints of duality, we can adopt the middle way, where things just are. There's no need to change the world or alter what unfolds in our personal sphere; it's about acknowledging the reality as it unfolds.
The desire for things to be different is just another layer of deception that attempts to reshape the mind's miscreations. Consistently recognizing this truth with right awareness might seem straightforward, but it demands prolonged mental cultivation for the natural state to emerge.
Owing to ignorance, this profound state has become obscured, necessitating a significant process of relearning and undoing in order for it to reemerge. An apt analogy for this situation is akin to a pristine white screen, eternally present but concealed by the vivid scenes that play upon it, deceiving us with their apparent reality until the movie finally concludes.
For this, we owe much gratitude to the wise souls who continue the legacy of the Enlightened One. They help those with less dust in their eyes grasp the teachings to the best of their evolving understanding.
Transformation doesn't come easily, but with wisdom growing within us through confidence, effort, and awareness, mental stability will birth wisdom that transcends the conditioned world of suffering.
The journey has been long, and who knows how much longer it will take to cross over? It's not for us to decide; it unfolds when the causes and conditions align at the right moment, once our part is done. Until then, we return to the practice, a path each one must undertake. It's not about achieving or accumulating more knowledge but shedding the layers of misperception collected through countless lifetimes of distorted views. May all perspectives be corrected, paving the way for Right View to finally emerge.
In grace,
Chee Guit Yeng
10 Oct 2023