Imagine a lake. A tree stands at the edge, so perfectly mirrored in the still surface of the water that reality and reflection are indistinguishable. Sometimes, when a bird lands on the lake, or a leaf falls onto it, the reflection is shattered into myriad pieces. Sometimes the wind blows across the lake, rippling the surface and breaking the mirror of reflection. At other times, a bubble of gas rises from whatever is rotting in the depths. The crisp mirror breaks as the bubble bursts the surface.

Left untroubled by bubbles from below, wind or visiting creatures, the lake remains flat as a mirror and calmly reflective of all that is around it.

Such is the nature of the mind. In itself, the mind is deep and still, reflecting the world as it is. Thoughts are like ripples or currents, momentarily moving across our mental awareness and passing away. Unprocessed material may bubble up from the depths, disturbing the mind as it rises and bursts into awareness. Everyday experiences arrive in mind; things heard or seen, a chance meeting or moment. How much or how long each of these will disturb the mind depends on the individual, but ideally no more nor less than each is due. As we let each interaction pass, reflective calm returns.

Deep water is the essence of the lake. The deep body, sometimes called The Witness, is your essence. The narrative ‘small self’ is no more than a passing process, an illusion created by temporary disturbances of that quiet essence. Distorted reflections on the surface of the lake are not reality and neither are the endless mental disturbances that ripple across the mind.

Be the lake.