Don't Trust What You See | 3 Tips for Right Contemplation

Even if you see a dog, the question remains: “But is it really a dog?” The fact that you see a dog doesn’t necessarily mean that the being is actually a dog.

As long as the mind is not purified, it perceives all beings as ordinary. Our perception of beings as pure or impure is entirely a matter of our own mind. It is a creation of our mind and depends completely on how pure or impure the mind itself is.

We can never say with certainty that the beings before us are truly ordinary, simply based on how we perceive them. They could be buddhas. Even a very ugly, frightening, or terrifying creature could be a buddha.

It’s necessary to cultivate as strong a sense of compassion as possible. The stronger the compassion you feel—even for a single being—the faster you attain enlightenment.

When attachment or anger arises in you, your feelings have nothing to do with the object that triggers them. You feel attachment or anger toward something that is purely a creation of your own mind—a mental image projected by your mind.

Your view of things is a product of your own mind, just as the perception of the same object by different beings depends on the varying qualities of their minds. There is nothing that is created by the object itself; there is nothing in the object that exists independently, without reliance on the mind. In other words, nothing exists independently. Everything is just a mental image. All the objects you see are also created by your mind. The way you perceive them depends on the qualities of your mind.

You cannot say for sure who is a buddha and who is not. When you see a beggar or an animal, you cannot confidently claim to know who they truly are based solely on your perception. Saying “I see a dog” or “I see an ordinary being” is not logical proof that what is in front of you is truly a dog or an ordinary being.

As long as our mind is not purified of karmic obscurations, even if all the buddhas appeared before us, we would still not be able to see them in their true form. Instead of buddhas, we would see nothing more than ordinary people with all their flaws—or perhaps even animals.
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