Expand and Reflect

Yutang Lin

Tidal thoughts waving, deeply engulfed in swamp;
Delusive fog blanketing, unable to see clear sky.
Expanding in time and space to observe suffering of beings,
Only then awaken to self-imposed limitation and resume clarity.

Comments:

Right when self-centered thoughts are knitting and one could not pull oneself out from the continuous recycling of entanglements it is indeed incommunicable suffering. What a pity that few could be spared of such experiences. At such junctures, if one could first chant "Amitabha" to purify the mind, and then, in accordance with Buddha's wisdom and compassion, observe the suffering of all sentient beings everywhere in the past, present and future, then, reflecting on the labyrinth that one was trapped into, it would become easier to realize that the confinement was self-imposed, and thereby escape from it to resume the peace and clarity of open sky and broad ocean.

Written in Chinese: May 5, 1999
Translated: September 26, 1999
El Cerrito, California

---

[Home][Back to list][Back to Chinese versions]