If the mind is not contrived, it is spontaneously blissful, just as water, when not agitated, is by nature transparent and clear.
Interpretation
A calm and clear mind naturally leads to happiness and clarity, similar to still water.
This quote emphasizes the idea that when the mind is untroubled and free from agitation, it reveals its inherent blissful nature, akin to how water appears clear and transparent when undisturbed. It suggests that our true state of being is one of peace and joy, which can be obscured by the turbulence of thoughts and emotions.
In practice
In a motivational seminar, one can use this quote to highlight the importance of mental peace for achieving happiness.
Sit, then, as if you were a mountain, with all the unshakeable, steadfast majesty of a mountain. A mountain is completely natural and at ease with itself, however strong the winds that try to bother it, however thick the dark clouds that swirl around its peak. Sitting like a mountain, let your mind rise and fly and soar
Real devotion is an unbroken receptivity to the truth. Real devotion is rooted in an awed and reverent gratitude, but one that is lucid, grounded, and intelligent.
There would be no chance at all of getting to know death if it happened only once. But fortunately, life is nothing but a continuing dance of birth and death, a dance of change. Every time I hear the rush of a mountain stream, or the waves crashing on the shore, or my own heartbeat, I hear the sound of impermanence. These changes, these small deaths, are our living links with death. They are death's pulses, death's heartbeat, prompting us to let go of all the things we cling to.
{While meditating} I sit quietly and rest in the nature of mind; I don't question or doubt whether I am in the "correct" state or not. There is no effort, only rich understanding, wakefulness, and unshakable certainty. When I am in the nature of mind, the ordinary mind is no longer there. There is no need to sustain or confirm a sense of being: I simply am.
We may idealize freedom, but when it comes to our habits, we are completely enslaved.
Death is a vast mystery, but there are two things we can say about it: It is absolutely certain that we will die, and it is uncertain when or how we will die. The only surety we have, then, is this uncertainty about the hour of our death, which we seize on as the excuse to postpone facing death directly. We are like children who cover their eyes in a game of hide and seek and think that no one can see them.
Do not overlook tiny good actions, thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel. Do not overlook negative actions merely because they are small; however small a spark may be, it can burn down a haystack as big as a mountain.
Our best work can't possibly appeal to the average masses, only our average work can. Finding the humility to happily walk away from those that don't get it unlocks our ability to do great work.
You donβt question Providence. If you canβt have the reality, a dream is just as good.
there is only one unpardonable sin--deliberate cruelty. All else can be forgiven.
Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
An Enlightened Master is ideal only if your goal is to become a Benighted Slave.
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