“The assertion about individual marks that really have no existence, concerns the distinctive marks as perceived by the eye, ear, nose, etc., as indicating individuality and generality in the elements that make up personality and its external world; and then, taking these marks for reality and getting attached to them, to get into the habit or affirming that things are just so and not otherwise.
Gautama, Buddha. THE LANKAVATARA SUTRA (pp. 11-12). Independent. Kindle Edition.
The outdoor park meditation was beautiful tonight. When I was meditating, I felt a sense of oneness with the sounds and was able to connect with them all equally--the rumbling of underground trains, the sound of children laughing, a violin playing classical music, and so on. What a vibrant and living community I am living in. I soaked in the sounds with a kind of innocence that brought me back to summer.
We never step on the same path twice, and the park already seems to be a dream to me. Interacting in any situation, it's best to take things in a relaxed way that always brings us back to the present. Fashi recommended a method of taking one part of the body and focusing 80% of the body and 20% on the environment.
It takes a lot of practice to steady the mind and focus on the moment. But when I reflect on it, all the sentient beings are there to support us on this journey. Even when I feel that it might be otherwise, I know that everything around us is a reminder of the three seals: impermanence, no self and emptiness. If we are able to see this aspect in all things, then joy will naturally arise in our minds. On the other hand, to affirm that things are "just so" and "only just so" is to buy into the mistake that there are fixed identities and realities.
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