White Sun - Sight & Mind

Author : Teow Aun Chew
The right understanding is very important, then the right thought and right action. By understanding the world and the truth, one will see the reality of the world and what he should do in order to live a better and more meaningful life. Everything we do must come from some thought in our mind first. If we happen to do something wrong, that, too, must come from some wrong thought in our mind.First we need to know we have a spiritual body. The spiritual body is the true self or the inner self which is our original nature and divine. There is also this physical self, which is this body that cannot last forever and only temporary. We are so used to this physical self that we take this physical self as our true self and this is not a correct understanding. But we need this body and our sense organs to contact this world, to perceive this world, to sense this world and also to understand this world. So this physical body which commits action is just a tool. It is the thought which instructs this body to go to do that thing which could be wrong or right. It's that thought from the mind and not from this physical body which will disappear one day.For example we go to the beach which we build sandcastles just for fun. Some may be very artistic and try to build beautiful life-like sandcastles. However, no matter how beautiful or how many sandcastles you can build on that beach, when you go again to that beach another day, will they still exist there? They will definitely be gone and likewise this physical body and the worldly things we try to obtain and possess them even to the point of sacrificing our lives. We have to open our mind to understand this world and do not confine our understanding to a short time span. We have to extend our understanding about this world to infinite time and we need the right understanding and the right thought in the mind to do the right thing.Everything in this world, either tangible or intangible, can only exist temporarily and our mind is no exception. Although we have been with our mind since the day we were born, we are still unable to control it. Sometimes we just can't control our mind especially when it comes to temptation or the simple thing like deciding what we would like to think in the next minute or the next hour. Can you decide what you will think in the next minute or hour or day?The ancient Saints and Sages describe this feature of our mind like a naughty monkey jumping here and there or a wild horse running here and there without a single minute of rest. Without proper cultivation, our mind may run wild easily and a good example is where a group of men will just turn their heads when suddenly a scantily and sexy woman walks pass. Very obvious is that the mind makes their heads turn to see the woman and focus on that particular part where they want to see. They may be in the midst of discussing their very important subject. This is natural for most men and for the cultivated one he may know how to control it by just taking a quick glance.If we can manage to have good control of our mind, we won't execute any bad actions. Therefore it is the mind that is truly important and not the action. The bad action comes from an uncontrolled mind. The mind is the source of all actions. But what comes before the mind? It is very often the sight just like the woman who makes heads turn. Most of us have probably experience this before. When our eyes are attracted to something, we cannot easily tear them away from it. Sometimes when our eyes are so intrigued by a particular person or thing, images of them will appear before us again and again. This is because we live in a colorful and materially seductive world full of temptation for our eyes.The ancient people say, "If you can't see; your heart will not be confused and if you can't hear; your heart will not worry. Those who act in accordance with their truthful inspiration are virtuous people. Those who act in accordance with their senses are unrighteous. The difference between a virtuous person and an unrighteous person lies in the source of their actions and words."This is the teaching of my Heavenly Teacher JiGong:"The mind must be firm and strong by itself then the life of wisdom can be attained. This sounds simple, but it is hard to put into practice. It contains a hidden and marvelous meaning. Cultivate truly and practise the good honestly. Be earnest and practical. You must put your own benefit at the back of your head. Don't always keep 'some rubbish' in the mind, but do remove the dirt and clear up the mess. The so-called 'clear the mind and behold the nature' means that there is not a trace of delusion and not a trace of material or sensuous desires in the mind. What is the hardest thing to control? The monkey-like mind and the horse-like desires (Xin Yuan Yi Ma) and if you want to cultivate Tao, you must control the 'Xin Yuan Yi Ma.' Even if you cannot, you still need to do it with your utmost effort."Author: T.A ChewT.A Chew realized that in practising Tao, it is to cleanse the mind and reduce the desires, and to stay clear and calm. To seek inwardly is the nature and to seek outwardly is emotion. Repairing the path is correcting the mind and a cultivator must correct the mind and preserve the nature. Website: http://www.white-sun.com
Keyword : White Sun - Life