04-16-2011, 12:00 AM
Mirror Practice
The following mirror practice is an effective way of perceiving the
dreamlike nature of “reality”,
and especially of “self”. From time to time during the day, take a few
minutes to do it.
1 Stand in front of a mirror and look into your own eyes.
2. Hold up a hand mirror behind your right or left ear and look at its
reflection in the larger mirror. Keep angling the hand mirror so as to
fragment and multiply your image as much as possible. Let your mind
fragment along with the image.
3. After a few minutes,
angle the hand mirror back until you return to the original, single image
in the mirror in front of you.
The analogy of a mirror image is, like dreams, traditionally used to
describe the insubstantial nature of our everyday experience. The mirror
practice helps bring that teaching to life. The fragmented image is the
kind we might see in a dream; yet we are seeing it while we're fully awake
— or are we?
The following mirror practice is an effective way of perceiving the
dreamlike nature of “reality”,
and especially of “self”. From time to time during the day, take a few
minutes to do it.
1 Stand in front of a mirror and look into your own eyes.
2. Hold up a hand mirror behind your right or left ear and look at its
reflection in the larger mirror. Keep angling the hand mirror so as to
fragment and multiply your image as much as possible. Let your mind
fragment along with the image.
3. After a few minutes,
angle the hand mirror back until you return to the original, single image
in the mirror in front of you.
The analogy of a mirror image is, like dreams, traditionally used to
describe the insubstantial nature of our everyday experience. The mirror
practice helps bring that teaching to life. The fragmented image is the
kind we might see in a dream; yet we are seeing it while we're fully awake
— or are we?