This Zen phrase describes the reflection of the beautiful autumn moon on the surface of a quiet lake.
This reminds me of my night-time zazen practice at the monastery after the lights go out.
One night, I was doing my usual night zazen on the porch. It was a full moon with no wind, and I was sitting facing the garden. The surface of the pond in the garden was as still as a mirror, and the full moon shone beautifully on the surface of the water.
Just like the full moon in the sky, the moon remained motionless on the water, reflecting the moonlit world as it was. As I sat there, a slight breeze blew. When I looked at the pond, the shimmering, full moon on the surface of the water had collapsed and become a shimmering light.
When I am doing zazen, I often try to feel the reality of the present moment as it is, but I cannot do so because my mind is distracted. As I was looking at the shimmering light, I realized, “Oh, yes, that's right. The moon is reality as it is. The surface of the water is my mind.” My thoughts, feelings, and impulses were shaking my mind, and I was not even able to see reality as it was.
However, the blowing wind and thoughts, sensations, and impulses are also a part of reality. So what should I do? In order to accept reality as it is, to let go of all distractions, first of all, let's observe the distractions themselves until I am satisfied with their reality; what distracts me, how do I react, what do I think about, and why? Let's observe all this until I am satisfied.
With this thought in mind, I continued to sit quietly again. And after that, I gradually experienced firsthand that I could let go of what I observed until I was satisfied.
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