The Mirror and Its Reflection: On Life, Awareness, and Self-Identity
The Mirror of Life: A Play of Reflections
One day, I joked with my son: “You love ice cream cones so much, but the truth is, a cone of ice cream and a pile of dung are essentially the same—they’re just images. The quality of the image doesn’t depend on what it depicts but on who creates it.”
The reality is, what we see is always flat—it’s never truly three-dimensional. If that’s the case, why sculpt when a photograph suffices? Without changing our perspective, we only see the front of things, never the back.
In this sense, everyone possesses a flat-screen television, metaphorically speaking—even the blind. The difference lies in what is displayed on each person’s screen. For the blind, the screen shows only darkness (and as the Śūraṅgama Sūtra notes, even the blind can “see” darkness). They may wish to see the bright sky again, yet light and darkness, yin and yang, good and bad—these distinctions are all relative. They are defined by personal preferences. Faced with certain disturbing images, some of us might even choose to shut our eyes, preferring the comfort of blindness.
Life Is Awareness: Equality in the Mirror
Life is awareness, and awareness is life.
Every life, every awareness (every mirror), is equal.
Imagine two televisions. One plays Interstellar or The Sword of the Mountain, while the other plays Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants or Rural Love Stories. Does the content make one TV larger, more advanced, or more valuable than the other? Would a store charge more for a TV showing a drama about palace intrigues and less for one airing an agricultural documentary?
Life, awareness—these are beyond size, rank, or value.
Victory and defeat, joy and sorrow, exist only in the dramas played on the screen. They have nothing to do with the television itself.
Life is inherently equal. Even without awareness, life loses nothing. With awareness, life gains nothing. Yet human hearts are seldom at peace with this equality. People crave inequality, believing that meaning lies in distinction.
As the Śūraṅgama Sūtra teaches, life’s essence is awareness—a mirror. Compared to the infinite ocean of the Dharma body, the physical body is but a bubble in the sea.
The Self: A Bubble in the Sea
The Buddha explained this to Ānanda and his disciples in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra:
“At that time, Ānanda and the assembly, enlightened by the subtle teaching of the Tathāgata, felt liberated and unburdened. They each realized that their minds extended throughout the ten directions and saw the vastness of space as clearly as holding a leaf in one’s palm. All things in the world were revealed as the original, wondrous, enlightened mind, which pervades and encompasses all directions. Reflecting on their physical forms, they saw them as mere specks of dust within the vastness of space—transient, like a bubble rising and bursting in the great ocean.”
Still, Ānanda was unsatisfied. He asked why the Buddha’s mirror revealed infinite universes, while his own showed only forests and monastic halls. This question reflects humanity’s obsession with the reflection rather than the mirror itself. Despite the Buddha’s repeated teachings—urging them to unite with awareness rather than clinging to objects of perception—Ānanda remained attached to the images within the mirror.
The Buddha, however, did not rebuke him. Instead, he taught methods to develop supernatural powers, but not without cautioning him about the Fifty Skandha Mara, warning that any extraordinary abilities attained should never become a source of arrogance or a sense of superiority, lest one fall into delusion.
Attachment to the Reflection: The Trap of Self-Awareness
The essence of self-awareness is often overshadowed by dualities. We cling either to material appearances (attachment to self) or to imagined explanations for what lies beyond (attachment to doctrines). This is akin to focusing on the plot of a television drama while ignoring the operating principles of the TV itself.
Attachment to Self:
This arises from illusions of continuity and an independent body or soul. It reflects ignorance of the emptiness of self-nature. As Zhuangzi said, “Life arises from death; death arises from life.” Clinging to this illusion leads to a futile quest for isolated liberation.
Attachment to Doctrines:
This stems from belief in “simultaneity” and “shared locality,” the idea that we share the same sky, truth, or divine essence. Yet the present is simply an aggregation of the past—a temporal illusion. Meetings between people are like networked connections, spanning different temporal and spatial universes.
These attachments lead to futile pursuits: striving for the perfect reflection or an idealized concept of the mirror. As the Buddha warned, chasing after reflections—big or small, pleasing or repelling—is like cooking sand and expecting it to become rice.
Living with Awareness: Overcoming Illusion
To overcome these attachments, we must first recognize that all perceptions—joys, sorrows, victories, and defeats—are merely dramas on the screen of awareness. The mirror, like a television, does not change regardless of what is played upon it.
A practical exercise: Imagine the world before you as a flat screen. Your face is pressed against it, and all the three-dimensionality you perceive is an illusion. By maintaining this perspective, everything you see becomes a performance—a play, not reality. Whether it’s a tragedy or a comedy, as an audience member, you need not become too emotionally entangled.
True awareness lies not in erasing emotion but in understanding its nature. The mirror remains constant, even as its reflections change.
The Ultimate Equality: Life and Reflection
The essence of life is energy, illuminated as awareness—like a lamp inevitably producing light, or a mirror naturally reflecting images. Yet, some lives mistake themselves for their reflections. Humans, for instance, often believe their sense of self is rooted in their physical body or tactile sensations. This leads to the trap of self-awareness: having a “self” yet being unable to locate it.
This confusion drives humanity to cling to either material forms or imagined ideals. We grasp at reflections, only to forget the mirror. In doing so, we lose touch with the awareness that lies at the core of existence.
Yet awareness—like life itself—is inherently free. To rediscover it, we must “let go of attachments to the not-self and relinquish delusions about the true self.”
As Zhuangzi said:
“The mind of the sage is like a mirror—it does not cling to or reject anything. It responds without storing, allowing it to overcome all things without harm.”
Embracing the Eternal Present
Awareness exists only in the present moment. The past is but a memory; the future is only imagined. What we experience in this instant is eternal and unalterable. To dwell on what lies beyond the present is to chase an illusion, a reflection that distracts from the reality of the mirror.

As Laozi remarked:
“My greatest trouble comes from having a body. If I had no body, what trouble could I have?”
When we realize that the body and all its experiences are fleeting reflections, we transcend their hold. The universe, time, and space may all be illusions—mere images projected onto the infinite, unchanging screen of awareness.
By recognizing this, we can live freely, not as prisoners of the screen but as observers of its ever-changing play. True freedom lies in understanding that we are the mirror, not the reflection.
镜与像：关于生命、觉知与自我意识的思考
生命之镜：映像的游戏
有一天，我和儿子开玩笑说：“你这么喜欢甜筒冰淇淋，其实你眼前的甜筒和一坨屎没什么区别，它们都只是画面。画面好坏并不取决于画的是什么，而在于是谁画的。”
实际上，我们所见到的一切都是平面的，从来不是立体的。如果是这样，为什么要雕塑，拍一张照片就足够了？不改变视角，我们只能看到眼前事物的正面，看不到背面。
从这个意义上说，每个人都拥有一台平面电视——甚至包括盲人。区别只在于这台电视播放的内容是什么。对于盲人来说，这台电视屏幕上只有一片黑暗（正如《楞严经》所说，盲人并非看不见，而是能“见到”黑暗）。盲人可能渴望重见光明的天空，但黑与白、阴与阳、好与坏，实际上并无本质区别。这些都是个人好恶的反映。面对某些令人不适或残忍的画面，我们甚至可能选择闭上眼睛，宁愿做一个“盲人”。
生命即觉知：平等之镜
生命即觉知，觉知即生命。
每一个生命，每一种觉知（每一面镜子），都是平等的。
想象两台电视机。一台播放《星际穿越》或《蜀山剑侠传》，另一台播放《昆虫总动员》或《乡村爱情故事》。内容的不同是否让某一台电视更大、更高级？商场会因为一台电视播放宫斗剧而要价更高，或因为另一台电视播放农业科教片而降价吗？
生命与觉知——无大小、无高低、无贵贱、无输赢。
悲喜、胜败都只是电视剧里的事，与播放这些剧集的电视机无关。
生命本身是平等的。即使没有觉知，生命也不会减少什么；有了觉知，生命也不会增加什么。但人心却常常不平。人们口口声声喊着“平等”，实际上渴求的正是不平等，因为他们相信意义源于差异。
正如《楞严经》所教导的，生命的本质是觉，是镜。与法身觉海相比，肉体不过是海洋中的一个泡沫。
自我：海中的泡沫
《楞严经》中，佛陀这样向阿难和弟子们讲述：
“那时，阿难及大众在如来的微妙开示中，身心豁然开朗，得以无挂无碍。众人各自体会到，心遍布十方，看十方虚空如手中掌物。世间一切，皆为菩提妙明本心。心精圆满，包容十方。反观父母所生之身，如同十方虚空中的一粒微尘，若有若无。又如湛然大海中的一个泡沫，起灭无踪。豁然明白，获得妙心，本性常住不灭。于是合掌礼佛，感叹未曾有的妙境，并赞佛偈。”
然而，阿难并不满足。他问佛陀：“为什么您的镜中显现万千宇宙，而我的镜中却只有丛林精舍？”这一问题揭示了人类对镜中映像的执着，而非对镜本身的关注。尽管佛陀再三教导他们要“背尘合觉”而非“背觉合尘”，阿难依然执迷于镜中像的大小、高低。
佛陀并未责怪阿难，而是教导他如何修习神通，并特别提醒五十种阴魔，意在告诫他：无论修得何种成就，都不应自以为圣，与众不同，以免堕入魔道。
执着于映像：自我意识的陷阱
自我意识的本质常被二元对立所遮蔽。我们或执着于物质表象（我执），或沉迷于对本源的猜想（法执）。这就像只关注电视剧的情节，却忽略了电视机的原理。
我执：
我执来自对身体或灵魂独立性的幻觉。这是一种对“寿者相”和“相续相”的迷惑，源于对自性空的无知。正如庄子所言：“方生方死，方死方生。”这种执念使人追求个体的单独解脱，但这条路注定是徒劳的。
法执：
法执则是对“同时”“同地”的执念，认为人们分享同一个天空、同一种真理或唯一的神。实际上，“现在”只是“过去”的集合，是一种时间上的因缘性空。人与人之间的交互，犹如网络连接，跨越了不同的时间和空间。
执着于映像的大小高低，或对镜子的想象，最终都只是一种攀缘心。如佛陀所说，这就像试图用沙煮饭，永远无法成功。
觉知的生活：如何超越幻象
要超越这些执念，首先要认识到：悲喜、胜败、得失，都是镜中映像的戏码，与镜子本身无关。
一个小练习：想象你眼前的世界是一个平面屏幕。你的脸紧贴着屏幕，所有的三维感知其实是幻象。保持这种视角，一切都会变成一场戏——悲剧也好，喜剧也罢，你都只是观众，无需过度入戏。
真正的觉知不在于消除情感，而在于明白情感的本质。镜子始终不变，无论映像如何变化。
终极平等：生命与映像
生命的本质是能量，能量必然点亮觉知，就如灯必有光，镜必有像。然而，一些生命误以为自己就是镜中像。人类尤其如此，常常认为自我意识来源于身体的存在或触觉的感受。
这便是自我意识的陷阱：我们有一个“自我”，却找不到它。于是，人们执着于映像或迷失于想象。在追逐这些幻象的过程中，我们忘记了镜子的存在，也忘记了觉知才是生命的本质。
然而，觉知是自由的。要重新发现它，就必须“放下对非我的执着，放下对真我的妄想。”
庄子说：
“至人之用心若镜，不将不迎，应而不藏，故能胜物而不伤。”
拥抱永恒的当下
觉知只存在于当下。过去只是记忆，未来是想象。此刻所体验的是真实的、永恒的。追逐超越当下的事物，只会陷入幻象。
正如老子所言：
“吾所以有大患者，为吾有身；及吾无身，吾有何患？”
当我们认识到身体及其经验不过是暂时的映像时，就能超越这些束缚。宇宙、时间、空间，或许都是投射在觉知这块不变屏幕上的幻象。
明白这一点，我们便能自由地生活，不再是屏幕的囚徒，而是戏剧的观察者。真正的自由在于认识到：我们是镜子，而非映像。
请将下文翻译成英文。记得有一次。我跟我儿子开玩笑。我说，你这么喜欢甜筒冰淇淋。其实眼前有个甜筒和眼前有坨屎是一样的，都是一幅画（或照片），画的好坏不取决于画的是什么，而是谁画的……
我们眼中所见一直都是平面的，不是立体的。所以我们只要拍照留念就够了，不用雕塑。不改变角度，我们只能看见眼前之物的前面，看不到背面。……
也就是说，人人有一台平面电视，包括瞎子，同样充满平直（圆满之圆是多加了个限制，可以不要这个圆），不同的只是这台电视在放什么连续剧。瞎子的这台电视上只有黑屏。（楞严经早就说过，瞎子不瞎，能见黑暗。）他可能希望重见青天白日。然而黑与白，顺与逆，阴与阳，其实是一样的，哪有什么得失输赢。全在个人好恶而已，看到有些事物，其恶心，或残忍，我们宁可闭上眼，做个瞎子。
再贴几段我在别处的发言如下：
生命即觉，觉即生命。
生命与生命，觉与觉，（镜与镜，）是平等的。
好比同样的电视机，不会因为播放《星际穿越》《蜀山神侠》而大或高级，
也不会因为播放《昆虫总动员》《乡村爱情记》而小或低级。
商场会因为一部电视机在放宫斗剧而要价更高？或因为另一架电视机在放农业科教片而要价更低？
生命，觉，无大无小，无高无低，无贵无贱，无输无赢，无悲无喜……
悲喜输赢都是电视剧里角色的事，
与放此剧的电视无关。
生命本是平等的，即便未觉也没有少一点，觉了也没有多一点。
但是人心不平。（“平等”只是句口号，人们真正渴求的正是不平等。）
以《楞严经》为例，
经中佛祖已经说得很清楚：生命的本来面目是觉，是镜。与法身觉海相比，肉身只是海中泡沫。
原文如下：尔时阿难，及诸大众，蒙佛如来，微妙开示，身心荡然，得无挂碍。是诸大众，各各自知，心遍十方。见十方空，如观手中所持叶物。一切世间诸所有物，皆即菩提妙明元心。心精遍圆，含里十方。反观父母，所生之身，犹彼十方，虚空之中，吹一微尘，若存若亡。如湛巨海，流一浮沤，起灭无从。了然自知，获本妙心，常住不灭。礼佛合掌，得未曾有。于如来前，说偈赞佛。
妙湛总持不动尊。        首楞严王世希有。
销我亿劫颠倒想。        不历僧祇获法身。
但是，阿难还不满足，还要问佛为什么你的镜中有万千宇宙，而我的镜中只有丛林精舍。
也就是说他还是要求神通，追求镜中像。
如来前面关于不要背觉合尘，要背尘合觉。以攀缘心修道，如同煮沙欲要成饭，等等等等，都白说了。
空性起缘，缘（像）起性（镜）空，所谓攀缘，就是追求镜中像，或以镜中像为标准，观大观小，厌低慕高……
不过佛祖没有责怪他，而是满足他，说了如何修神通。
说完了，还特意说了五十种阴魔。
其用意（在我主观看来）是为了提醒他无论修出了什么，都不要自居神圣，自以为与众不同，以免入魔。
常有人以为笔者只知口头禅，文字禅，不懂实修。
其实我并不反对所谓的实修。
只是我们到底该修的是什么？
僧璨《信心铭》：至道无难，唯嫌拣择。但莫憎爱，洞然明白。
这种无喜无嗔的境界才是我们真正应该修养的。
其他的对镜中像的追求，所谓的实修，其实与买彩票求中奖没什么两样。
这并不意味着他们是错的。我从不阻止我老婆买彩票。能中奖有什么不好吗？
有人胡了副好牌，兴奋过度，突发心脏病，甚至病故，这是牌的错吗？还是他们自己的问题？
可见，不是实修不好，追求所谓实际利益或物质的胜利也没什么错。
只是没有超脱的心态，恐怕消受不起。
古人说：悟后才能真修，不然的话，都是盲修瞎练，遇到魔障，很难通过。
而且，诸如追求身体健康，家庭和睦，社会和谐，世界和平……，也是求镜中像，更是无可厚非。
甚至应该提倡。只是笔者（主观地）更重视心理健康而已。这与我的经历有关。
根据我的经验，如果真的有天魔或魔王的话，那么他最厉害的一招是先把你捧上天，再打入地。
（如果你非常受用上天的感觉，就已经入魔了，也不用再打入地了。）
所谓由奢入俭难。最难过时，似乎老天爷也在跟我作对，雪上加霜。
明明南方已经很少下雪了，那一年的冬天却突然大雪成灾。
正在心情冰凉，极低落时，还要顶着寒风，在天没亮时就起床……。
我甚至产生了轻生的念头，一时冲动，几乎付之行动。
最难熬的不是肉体上的痛苦，而是心灵上的。
而当PANIC来袭时，心理上的冲击会反映在生理上，
对此，我深有体会。……
好在某人的蔑视刺激了我，我下决心设法自我调整心态。
在半夜惊醒，或不知何故失眠时，我就躺在床上想象庄子逍遥游的境界，
想象动画片《海贼王》里一群小伙伴无忧无虑自由自在躺在甲板上是怎样的情景……
就这样，笔者挺了过来，渐渐平复了。
这一天，我得闲在办公室看书。
书名好像是圣经东方解，是董子竹写的。
当我看到书中提到老子的名言：吾所以有大患者，为吾有身；及吾无身，吾有何患！
我突然意识到，谁说一定有身，未必有身。
只是我们以为有而已。
我们的身体，乃至这办公室，这时空宇宙，都未必实有，
完全可以是没有的。（例如，可以是外宇宙或未来的科技虚拟出来的）
只有心镜这个平直（平等）的屏幕上显示的像而已。
（如果随着像的变化而或悲或喜，都是攀缘心在作祟。）
…………
A Reflection on Life, Awareness, and Practice
I remember once joking with my son. I said, “You love ice cream cones so much, but you know, having a cone of ice cream in front of you is no different from having a pile of dung—they’re both just images (or pictures). The quality of a picture doesn’t depend on what it depicts but on who painted it.”
What we see is always flat, never truly three-dimensional. So why sculpt when we can take photographs? Without changing our perspective, we can only see the front of an object, never its back.
In this sense, everyone owns a flat-screen TV, metaphorically speaking, including the blind. The difference lies in what each person’s TV screen is playing. For the blind, their TV only shows a black screen (and as the Śūraṅgama Sūtra notes, the blind do not lack sight; they see darkness). A blind person might wish to see the bright blue sky again, but in truth, black and white, positive and negative, yin and yang are all the same. Gains and losses, wins and defeats—these are all subjective preferences. Faced with certain nauseating or cruel things, some of us might prefer to close our eyes and become “blind.”
Life as Awareness: Equality in the Mirror
Life is awareness; awareness is life.
Every life, every awareness, every mirror, is fundamentally equal.
Consider two televisions. One is playing Interstellar or The Sword of the Mountain, while the other is playing Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants or Rural Love Stories. Does the content make one TV bigger, more advanced, or more valuable than the other? Would a store charge more for a TV showing a palace drama and less for one playing an agricultural documentary?
Life and awareness are beyond distinctions of size, rank, or value.
Joy and sorrow, victory and defeat—these exist only within the dramas playing on the screen. They have nothing to do with the television itself.
Life, in its essence, is equal. Awareness does not add to life, nor does its absence diminish it. Yet human hearts are rarely content with this equality. “Equality” is just a slogan—what people truly desire is inequality, for they believe that meaning arises from difference.
The Śūraṅgama Sūtra: Life as a Bubble in the Sea
As the Śūraṅgama Sūtra teaches, the essence of life is awareness—it is the mirror. Compared to the vast ocean of the Dharma Body, the physical body is nothing more than a bubble in the sea.
The text states:
“At that time, Ānanda and the assembly, enlightened by the subtle teachings of the Tathāgata, felt liberated and unburdened. They realized that their minds extended across the ten directions and saw the vastness of space as clearly as holding a leaf in their palms. All things in the world were revealed to be manifestations of the original, wondrous, enlightened mind, which pervades all directions. Reflecting on their physical forms, they saw them as mere specks of dust within the vastness of space—transient, like a bubble rising and bursting in the great ocean. In this realization, they attained their original, wondrous mind, eternal and indestructible.”
Yet, Ānanda was not satisfied. He asked, “Why does your mirror reflect countless universes while mine shows only forests and monasteries?” This question reveals humanity’s tendency to fixate on the reflection rather than the mirror itself. Despite the Buddha’s teachings to "unite with awareness rather than clinging to objects of perception," Ānanda remained attached to the images within the mirror.
The Buddha, rather than rebuking him, explained how to develop supernatural powers but also cautioned him about the Fifty Skandha Mara—reminding him that no matter what abilities he attained, he should not become arrogant or see himself as different from others, lest he fall into delusion.
The Trap of Chasing Reflections
Many believe that theoretical contemplation is meaningless without practical cultivation. In truth, I do not oppose cultivation. But what exactly should we cultivate?
The Faith in Mind by Sengcan states:
“The Way is not difficult; it only requires avoiding preferences. Without love or hate, it is perfectly clear.”
This state of being free from joy and anger is the true goal of cultivation.
All other pursuits—whether of external objects or inner experiences—are akin to buying lottery tickets, hoping for a win. This does not mean such pursuits are wrong. I never stop my wife from buying lottery tickets. After all, what’s wrong with winning? Yet there are people who, overwhelmed by excitement after drawing a good hand, suffer heart attacks, or worse. Is it the hand’s fault? Or is it their own inability to handle the excitement?
The problem is not with practice itself or the pursuit of material or spiritual victories. But without a mindset of detachment, the rewards of these pursuits may be too heavy to bear.
As the ancients said: “True cultivation begins after enlightenment. Without it, all practice is blind and futile.”
Seeking Mental Health Over Perfection
Pursuits such as physical health, family harmony, social stability, and world peace are all valid desires. They are reflections within the mirror, and there is nothing wrong with seeking them. In fact, these pursuits should be encouraged. However, my personal experience has led me to prioritize mental health above all else.
From my perspective, the most insidious tactic of the "inner demon" is to elevate you to great heights before casting you down into despair. When life is at its worst, it feels as though even the heavens conspire against you, piling snow upon frost.
A Personal Journey Through Struggles
There was a time when I was at my lowest. A particularly harsh winter brought unexpected heavy snowfall, and I had to wake up before dawn, enduring the biting cold. I was overwhelmed by depression and even contemplated ending my life.
The most difficult pain was not physical but emotional. During moments of panic, the psychological strain manifested in physical symptoms—something I experienced profoundly.
Fortunately, the disdain of another person motivated me to change my mindset. During sleepless nights, I imagined Zhuangzi’s carefree wandering or scenes from the anime One Piece, where a group of carefree friends lay on the deck without a worry in the world. Gradually, I overcame my struggles and found peace.
The Realization of Illusion
One day, I found myself reading a book, Eastern Interpretations of the Bible by Dong Zizhu. It mentioned Laozi’s famous words:
“My greatest trouble comes from having a body. If I had no body, what trouble could I have?”
Suddenly, I realized: who says we must have a body? Perhaps we don’t.
Our bodies, this office, this space-time universe—none of these may truly exist. They might simply be illusions created by external forces or future technologies.
What exists is the mirror of the mind—a flat, equal screen displaying reflections.
If joy or sorrow arises with the changing reflections, it is because our clinging mind is at work. Recognizing this, we may begin to transcend the drama of life and understand that we are the mirror, not the reflection.
镜与像：看清烦恼与生命的本质
布袋和尚的智慧：正视烦恼，超越执念
传说，有人问布袋和尚：“如果我有烦恼，该怎么办？如何对待烦恼？”和尚拿起他的布袋，举到眼前。来人感到奇怪：“不是都说要放下烦恼吗？为什么您反而拿起来了？”和尚淡然回答：“正视它，看穿它。”
如何才能看穿烦恼呢？一个有效的小技巧是将眼前的三维世界看作平面的——如同一个显示屏，距离为零。当你这样观察时，眼前的一切似乎变成了一场戏，而你成了观众。无论是悲剧还是喜剧，作为观众，你自然不会太过入戏。有人可能会说，这很难做到，但其实并非如此。事实上，我们所见的画面本来就是平面的，所谓三维只是我们想象中的产物。
试想一下，如果我们将眼前所见的一切逐秒记录，得到的是什么？不是雕塑，而是画面或照片。若我们真能看到三维的物体，就不该只见前面却见不到背面，或只能见部分侧面却不见整体。因此，所谓三维感只是我们的错觉。
庄子之镜：万法归一的境界
庄子在《应帝王》中曰：“至人之用心若镜，不将不迎，应而不藏，故能胜物而不伤。”镜子的本质是不选择、不拒绝，不对影像存留偏好或执念。因此，它能够胜任一切外物的变化，而自身毫不受损。
“用心若镜”，能使“万法归一”。然而，这“归一”要归向何处？正如古人所言，“荆棘丛中下足易，明月帘下转身难。”难点在于，我们被自我意识束缚，始终无法摆脱“我在哪里”这一终极困惑。所谓的“镜与像”之辩，归根结底，是“我与非我”对立的体现。
如何看清世界：一屏一窗一觉知
试想，我们眼前的一切就像一个巨大的屏幕。保持姿势不变，将屏幕外的事物，包括你的身体，也看作屏幕的一部分。这个“屏幕”可以上演昆虫世界，也可以播放《阿波罗13》，并不存在大小高低之别。这种认知，便是所谓的“平直”或“平等”。
进一步，将屏幕想象成车窗，你的脸贴在车窗上。无论车窗外景色如何变化，车窗本身是不变且圆满的。即使闭上眼睛，好比车驶入了隧道，车窗依然平直如初。若我们不断地眨眼，每一次睁眼便如看到电影胶片上的一帧，悲喜无常，不过一格而已。
整个时空如同视觉暂留，是一种错觉。我们并非生活在宇宙中的一粒尘埃上。相反，整个宇宙或许只是我们手中一颗水晶球上暂时的幻象。我们的身体不过是看这场“3D电影”时所需的工具——正如老子所言：“吾所以有大患者，为吾有身；及吾无身，吾有何患！”我们误把播放器当作了自己，但若找到了真正的“自性”，也就是佛法所说的开悟。
从《楞严经》到生活：觉知与镜像
《楞严经》中，佛陀指出，生命的本质是觉知，是镜，与法身觉海相比，肉身如海中泡沫。经文写道：
“反观父母所生之身，犹如虚空中的一粒微尘，若存若亡；如湛巨海中的一个浮沤，起灭无踪。”
然而，即便如此，阿难仍然执着于镜中之像，问佛为何他的镜中仅有丛林精舍，而佛的镜中却有万千宇宙。佛虽解释道，不要“背觉合尘”，应“背尘合觉”，但最终仍耐心传授修行神通的方法，同时提醒他，无论修得什么境界，切勿自以为圣，以免堕入魔障。
这种对镜中像的执着，其实与现实中对名利、成就的追逐如出一辙。正如僧璨在《信心铭》中所言：“至道无难，唯嫌拣择。但莫憎爱，洞然明白。”只有不以喜嗔憎爱为心，才能达到真正的平静。
执念与解脱：超越输赢之心
人生的悲喜输赢，不过是电视剧里的情节，与电视机无关。生命即觉，无高低，无贵贱。你是否执着于镜中像，决定了你能否超脱。正如有人追求“实修”，却如同买彩票一般，希望赢得“人生大奖”。中奖本身并没有错，但若没有超脱的心态，这份“好运”可能难以承受。
人们追求健康、和睦、和平，这些无可厚非，但本质上仍是对镜中像的追求。真正重要的是心理健康，是面对天魔挑战时的内心稳定。当天魔让人“上天”后再“入地”，如果你太过沉迷于飞升的喜悦，坠落便已注定。
面对苦难：如观众般旁观
人生最大的痛苦并非肉体的折磨，而是心理的崩溃。当恐惧、惊恐发作时，心理冲击甚至会转化为生理症状。我对此深有体会。然而，正如布袋和尚所言，正视烦恼，才能超越烦恼。在低谷中，我通过想象庄子的“逍遥游”，以及动画片《海贼王》中伙伴们的无忧无虑，逐渐调整心态，走出困境。
结语：觉知即永恒
老子教导：“吾所以有大患者，为吾有身。”但这一切——身体、世界、时空——未必真实存在。它们可能只是心镜上的映像，而喜怒哀乐也不过是攀缘心的幻象。只要我们能够看清自己的“心镜”，认知所有映像的本质，便能在瞬息的当下领悟永恒。
所谓开悟，就是将生命当作一场戏，你是观众，不必过于入戏。无论屏幕上播放的是悲剧还是喜剧，都不过是镜中一帧。唯有放下执念，我们才能如庄子所言，“不将不迎，应而不藏”，在生命的风雨中保持平静无碍。
The Mirror and Its Reflection: Understanding Troubles and the Essence of Life
The Wisdom of Budai: Face Your Troubles, Transcend Attachment
It is said that one day, someone asked Budai, “What should I do if I am troubled? How should I deal with my worries?” Budai lifted his cloth bag and held it in front of him. The person was puzzled, “Aren’t we supposed to put down our troubles? Why are you lifting them instead?” Budai calmly replied, “Face them, see through them.”
But how can one see through their troubles? One effective technique is to imagine the three-dimensional world before you as flat, like a screen with zero distance from your face. When viewed this way, everything becomes like a play, and you become an audience member. Whether it is a tragedy or a comedy, as an audience member, you are less likely to become overly immersed.
Some might say this is difficult, but it’s not. The truth is, the images we see are inherently flat; three-dimensionality is merely a construct of our perception.
Think about it—if you were to record everything you see frame by frame, what would you get? Not sculptures, but images or photographs. If we could truly see three-dimensional objects, we wouldn’t only see their fronts but also their backs, or all sides at once. Thus, the idea of depth is just an illusion.
Zhuangzi’s Mirror: The State of Unity
In The Way of the Sovereign, Zhuangzi wrote:
“The sage’s mind is like a mirror: it does not seek, it does not reject, it responds but does not hold on. Thus, it overcomes all things without being harmed.”
The essence of the mirror is its neutrality—it does not cling to or resist anything, nor does it store preferences. This is why it can reflect everything without being affected by the images it displays.
“To use the mind like a mirror” allows “all phenomena to converge into one.” But where does this “unity” lead? As the saying goes, “It is easier to tread through thorns than to turn gracefully under the moonlight.” The difficulty lies in our self-awareness and the ultimate question of “Where am I?” The debate over “mirror and reflection” is, at its core, the struggle of “self versus non-self.”
Understanding the World: One Screen, One Window, One Awareness
Imagine that everything before you is like a giant screen. Without moving, imagine that everything beyond the screen—including your body—is also part of that screen. This “screen” can display a world of insects or the film Apollo 13, and neither is greater nor lesser. This is the idea of “equality” and “balance.”
Now, imagine the screen as a car window, with your face pressed against it. No matter how the scenery outside changes, the window itself remains constant and complete. Even when you close your eyes, like a car entering a tunnel, the window remains unbroken and unchanged.
If we continuously blink, each time we open our eyes is like seeing a single frame of film—whether tragic or comedic, it’s just one frame.
Time and space, like the illusion of persistence in vision, are tricks of perception. We are not insignificant microbes on a speck of dust in the universe. On the contrary, the universe might be nothing more than a fleeting projection on the crystal ball of our minds. Our bodies are merely tools—like the glasses we wear to watch a 3D movie. As Laozi said:
“My greatest trouble comes from having a body. If I had no body, what trouble could I have?”
We mistake the player for ourselves, but if we rediscover the “self-nature,” this realization is what Buddhists call enlightenment.
From the Śūraṅgama Sūtra to Daily Life: Awareness and Reflection
In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the Buddha teaches that the essence of life is awareness—a mirror. Compared to the vast ocean of the Dharma Body, the physical body is like a bubble in the sea.
“Reflecting on the body born of parents, it is like a speck of dust in the vast void—fleeting, barely existent. It is like a bubble rising and bursting in the great ocean, leaving no trace.”
Despite this teaching, Ānanda remained attached to the images in the mirror, asking why his mirror reflected only forests and monasteries while the Buddha’s reflected countless universes. Though the Buddha had explained the importance of “turning away from the dust to align with awareness,” Ānanda continued to focus on the reflections.
The Buddha, ever patient, taught him methods to develop supernatural powers but cautioned against the Fifty Skandha Mara, warning that no matter what abilities one attains, arrogance and a sense of superiority lead only to delusion.
Attachment and Liberation: The Illusion of Winning and Losing
The joys and sorrows of life are nothing more than stories in the drama of existence, entirely separate from the television playing them. Life and awareness are inherently without distinctions of size, rank, or value. Whether you cling to the reflection in the mirror determines your ability to transcend.
Some may pursue “practical cultivation,” akin to buying a lottery ticket in hopes of winning the “jackpot of life.” Winning isn’t inherently wrong, but without detachment, such victories may prove overwhelming.
The pursuit of health, harmony, and peace is natural and commendable. However, these pursuits often remain fixated on the reflection in the mirror. What truly matters is mental well-being, the stability of the mind when faced with life’s challenges. The greatest trick of the “inner demon” is to lift you to great heights only to cast you down. If you become too attached to the heights, your fall is inevitable.
Facing Suffering: Becoming an Observer
The greatest suffering in life is not physical pain but the collapse of the mind. During moments of panic, psychological shock often manifests as physical symptoms. I have personally experienced this. However, as Budai advised, by facing and seeing through our troubles, we can transcend them.
At my lowest point, I imagined Zhuangzi’s “carefree wandering” or the carefree camaraderie of the characters in the anime One Piece. These mental exercises helped me adjust my mindset and gradually regain peace.
Conclusion: Awareness as Eternity
As Laozi observed, “My greatest trouble comes from having a body.” Yet everything—our bodies, this world, even space and time—might not truly exist. They may be mere reflections on the mirror of the mind, and all our emotions—joy and sorrow—are but illusions of attachment.
By recognizing the mind as a mirror, we can understand the nature of its reflections and, in doing so, begin to transcend the drama of life. Enlightenment is like viewing life as a play: as an audience member, you can appreciate the performance without being consumed by it.
Whether tragedy or comedy, the screen displays only fleeting frames. By letting go of attachment, we can achieve Zhuangzi’s ideal of “responding without holding on,” finding tranquility and freedom amidst the ever-changing images of life.
请将下文翻译成英文。庄子曰：“至人之用心若镜，不将不迎，应而不藏，故能胜物而不伤。”《庄子·应帝王》）
传说，听说，如是我闻，一日，有人问布袋和尚：有烦恼怎么办？如何对待烦恼？
布袋和尚拿起了他的口袋，举到眼前。
来人感到奇怪：不是都说要放下烦恼吗？这师父怎么反而拿起来了？
和尚道：正视它，看穿它。
那么，如何才能看穿烦恼呢？
有个小技巧。
那就是把眼前三维的世界看成平面的。
好比一个显示屏，（你与这个屏幕的距离=0）
于是，在一定的程度上，一切似乎成了一场戏，你似乎成了一位观众。
无论是悲剧还是喜剧，作为观众，总不至于入戏太深。
有人说这很难，我以为不然。
因为其实我们眼前的画面本来就是平面的，
不是立体的。立体是我们推想出来的。
试想一下，如果你要把眼前所见的一切，一秒秒一格格地记录下来，
得到的是什么？塑像吗？不是。而是画面或照片。
如果我们真的能看见三维的物体，我们就不该只见前面不见背面，或只见部分侧面，不见全部的侧面。
“用心若镜”，可使“万法归一”。
然而一归何处呢？
所谓“荆棘丛中下足易，明月帘下转身难”，
难在何处呢？
以我的愚见，还是自我意识（或者说“我在哪里”这个魔王）在作祟。
关于这一点，请看我的上一篇文章《镜中的陌生人》
附：如何开悟（立地成佛）。（节选自我以前的一篇文章，略作修改，补充）
诸位眼前肯定是一屏幕，现在请保持你的姿势不变，（最好能提起精神，坐正了）把屏幕外的东西也看成是在一个屏幕上。包括你的身体。
这是一个大屏幕。它可以上演昆虫世界，也可以上演阿波罗13，并不存在谁大谁小的问题。这就是所谓“平直”“平等”了。
接下来，把这个大屏幕想象成一个车窗，你的脸正贴在车窗上，不论你的身体动还是不动，不论“车窗”外（或者更像“车窗”里）
的景色如何变化，这个“车窗”是不变的，是“圆满”的。
（可试着用“窗框”稍“用力”向前包，以矫枉过正）
如果我们闭上眼睛，就好比车开入了山洞，“车窗”仍旧是圆满平直的。
假设我们正在不停地快速眨眼，每睁开一次眼，都好比看到电影胶卷上的一格。
我们不知道，也没有必要知道下一格是什么。
因为无论它是悲剧还是喜剧，无论是精彩还是乏味，都只是一格而已。
你的潜意识拥有整个电影院，为什么要计较一部电影，甚至只是一格胶片呢？
整个时空都如同视觉暂留，是一种错觉。
我们并不是生活在宇宙中的一粒灰尘上的一种微生物。
相反，整个宇宙只是我们手里这颗水晶球上暂时的幻象。
我们的身体就好比我们去看3D电影时要戴的眼镜，只是一个工具。
老子曰：及吾无身，吾有何患？
我们何曾有身？
我们误把播放器当成我们自己了。
找到了真正的自己，“自性”，也就是成佛了。
必须注意的是，不可贵目而贱耳，这部电影是立体声的，是360度环绕立体声，这就是上文所说的水晶球，
同样是每个人都本来具备的。
而所谓的电影院，更确切地说是电影资料库就隐藏在我们的潜意识，乃至集体潜意识，集体无意识之内。
Zhuangzi and the Wisdom of Mirrors: Facing Troubles and Understanding Reality
Zhuangzi once said:
"The mind of the sage is like a mirror: it does not seek, does not reject, responds without clinging. Thus, it overcomes all things without harm." (Zhuangzi, The Way of the Sovereign)
It is said that one day, someone asked the monk Budai: “What should I do when I have troubles? How do I deal with them?”
Budai lifted his cloth bag and held it up before the questioner. Surprised, the person asked, “Aren’t we supposed to let go of our troubles? Why are you lifting them instead?”
Budai replied calmly, “Face them and see through them.”
How to See Through Troubles
One practical technique is to imagine the three-dimensional world before you as flat—like a screen, with zero distance between it and your face. When viewed this way, everything seems like a play, and you are merely a spectator. Whether it’s a tragedy or a comedy, as a viewer, you are less likely to become too deeply immersed.
Some might say this is difficult, but it’s not. After all, the images we see are inherently flat; the sense of three-dimensionality is merely something we infer.
Think about it—if you were to record everything you see, frame by frame, second by second, what would you get? Sculptures? No, you’d get pictures or photographs. If we could truly see three-dimensional objects, we wouldn’t just see their fronts without their backs or only partial sides without their entirety.
“A Mirror-Like Mind” and the Unity of All Things
Zhuangzi’s idea of using the mind like a mirror allows “all phenomena to converge into one.” But where does this unity lead?
As the saying goes, “It is easy to place your feet in a thorny thicket, but hard to turn gracefully under the moonlit curtain.” The difficulty lies not in the challenges of life but in the workings of self-awareness—what might be called the "ultimate boss" of existential dilemmas, the question of “Where am I?”
This struggle, I believe, is driven by our self-awareness. For more on this, refer to my previous article, The Stranger in the Mirror.
A Meditation Exercise: The Great Screen and Window of Awareness
Imagine everything before you as a giant screen. Without moving your posture, include everything beyond the screen—including your body—as part of this screen. This “screen” can play scenes of an insect’s world or the movie Apollo 13, and there is no distinction of size or importance. This is the idea of “flatness” and “equality.”
Now, imagine this screen as a car window, with your face pressed against it. No matter how the scenery outside changes, the window itself remains constant and complete. Even when you close your eyes, as if the car has entered a tunnel, the window remains flat and unbroken.
Suppose we blink repeatedly; each time we open our eyes, it’s like viewing a single frame of film. Whether the frame shows tragedy or comedy, brilliance or dullness, it’s just one frame.
Time and space are illusions, much like the persistence of vision. We are not insignificant microbes on a speck of cosmic dust. On the contrary, the entire universe might be nothing more than a fleeting projection on the crystal ball of our minds.
The Body as a Tool and the Nature of Awareness
Our bodies are like the glasses we wear to watch a 3D movie—tools, nothing more. As Laozi said:
“My greatest trouble comes from having a body. If I had no body, what trouble could I have?”
Have we ever truly possessed a body? We mistake the player for ourselves. But once we find our true nature—what Buddhists call self-nature—we achieve enlightenment.
We must remember, however, not to value sight above hearing. This “movie” is not just visual but also fully immersive, complete with 360-degree surround sound. This is the crystal ball I mentioned earlier, something inherent to every individual.
The “cinema,” or more precisely, the film archive, resides in our subconscious, and even in the collective subconscious or unconscious.
By recognizing this, we can begin to transcend the illusions of life and see the essence of both our troubles and our awareness. The mind, like Zhuangzi’s mirror, becomes a tool for understanding and freedom.
贴主:湖叶于2024_12_12 19:56:13编辑

贴主:湖叶于2024_12_12 20:04:05编辑