The Six Dusts and Conditioned Reflections: Like Images in a Mirror

The reflections of the six dusts are like images in a mirror. All that we see, hear, smell, taste, touch, think, and do—all these are reflections in a mirror. When we observe the reflections in the mirror, no matter what feelings or thoughts we have about them, no matter how we wish to manipulate them, they remain, in the end, mere reflections—not real things. We discriminate among these reflections in the mirror, labeling one as good and another as evil, and we continuously grasp and cling to them. Yet no matter how we grasp, we never truly seize anything substantial, for they are all reflections, devoid of real function—all is emptiness. It is like the reflection of a tree in a river: no matter how much we admire it, it ultimately has no true existence. It is like the moon reflected in a river: no matter how desperately a monkey tries to grasp it, it never catches even a trace, for there is no real moon to grasp.

Similarly, all the realms we encounter are like this. It may seem as though we are enjoying something, but in truth, we enjoy nothing at all. We are merely interacting with reflections. The mental faculty directs the six consciousnesses to continuously engage in mental formations, contacts, sensations, perceptions, and grasping. In reality, nothing substantial is grasped; we are merely interacting with reflections, and even oneself is one such reflection. Illusory phenomena interacting with illusory phenomena—what reality can be spoken of? Yet we are unable to break free, unable to realize these truths, due to our meager merit and ignorance. The Buddha, the World-Honored One, out of compassion for sentient beings, employs various teachings and parables to instruct them. By cultivating precepts, meditation, and wisdom, removing obscurations, and recognizing reality, we come to understand that there is truly nothing to be attained in this world. By calming the mind and eliminating deluded thoughts, the true nature is revealed. Only by relying on the Buddha’s words and genuinely practicing can sentient beings clearly perceive the reflections, return to their inherent nature, and attain liberation.