May all of us here,
practitioners at this temple,
as well as those in other places,
understand the meaning of “one mind,”
and so get along harmoniously with each other,
and so keep brightening the light of our inherent nature,
and without delay,
attain true and upright enlightenment.
When it comes to practice, there are a lot of nuances and implications of “one mind.” Even when someone tells us about them, they usually don’t sink in too far, because we are still unconsciously viewing everything we see and experience through the lens of “separate from me.”
Where did this idea of “separate from me” start? No idea, but it’s probably an element of evolution, where when circumstances were so desperate, we had to focus on ourselves in order to survive. We almost certainly had to do terrible things, and “not me” was probably the only way to get through that. And if all the beings around us were behaving the same way, then absorbing the idea of “one mind” from others would have been off the table.
But, now we know better, and most of us are in circumstances where eating and surviving don’t require terrible decisions. Now we can live without causing too much suffering. Now we can open ourselves to the idea of “one mind.” Now we have the virtue and good fortune to re-orient our lives in tune with this.
Wake Up and Laugh! 