When No Wind Blows
For today’s post: another text from the collection that was given to us at the Exploring the Nature of Awareness retreat, in support of our continuing exploration.
“About this mind… In truth, there is nothing really wrong with it. It is intrinsically pure. Within itself, it’s always peaceful. That the mind is not peaceful these days is because it follows moods. The real mind doesn’t have anything to it; it is simply [an aspect of] Nature. It becomes peaceful or agitated because moods deceive it.
“The untrained mind is stupid. Sense impressions come and trick it into happiness, suffering, gladness and sorrow, but the mind’s true nature is none of those things. This gladness or sadness is not the mind, but only a mood coming to deceive us. The untrained mind gets lost and follows these things; it forgets itself. Then we think that it is we who are upset or at ease or whatever.
“But really this mind of ours is already unmoving and peaceful…really peaceful! Just like a leaf, which is still as long as no wind blows. If a wind comes up, the leaf flutters. The fluttering is due to the wind — the ‘fluttering’ is due to those sense impressions; the mind follows them. If it doesn’t follow them, it doesn’t ‘flutter’. If we know fully the true nature of sense impressions, we will be unmoved.
“Our practice is simply to see the Original Mind. So we must train the mind to know those sense impressions, and not get lost in them. To make it peaceful.
“Just this is the aim of all this difficult practice we put ourselves through.”