眾生無邊誓願度
煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成

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Dharma Teachings

22 Aug 2019    Thursday     1st Teach Total 1854

What is the relationship between the reflection in the mirror and the mirror?

When looking into a mirror, what is the relationship between the reflection in the mirror and the mirror itself? What is the relationship between the image in the mirror and the forms outside the mirror? The reflections in the mirror include: the appearances seen by the eye consciousness, one's own voice heard by the ear consciousness, one's own odors smelled by the nose consciousness, the taste-objects in the mouth tasted by the tongue consciousness, the tactile objects within the body felt by the body consciousness, and the five aggregates of grasping that the mind consciousness discerns. This also includes the decision-making nature of the seventh consciousness (manas), and all the activities of the seventh consciousness. The seeing-nature of the five consciousnesses that the sixth consciousness can observe, the seeing-nature of the seventh consciousness, as well as the seeing-nature of the mind consciousness itself, and the five aggregates of grasping and the six sense-object realms observed by the mind consciousness — all of these are reflections. The reflections are born and manifested by the mirror; they are images transmitted forth by the mirror. The mirror truly exists forever without perishing, while the reflections arise and cease moment by moment; even while they exist, they are not truly real — they are empty and illusory. The image and the form correspond one-to-one; they resemble each other. The image is transformed from the form, comes from the form, and exists in dependence on the form; the two are neither identical nor different — apart from the form, there is no image.

——Master Sheng-Ru's Teachings
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