Deep Commentary

Living within the cycle of delusion and karmic consciousness, people often view things through their subjective lenses. Because of this, the world seems to revolve around their skewed perspectives. In contrast, enlightened beings possess an objective view, one that does not distort reality. As the Lotus Sutra states, "All phenomena abide in their own dharma-state; their worldly forms are eternally present." Everything exists exactly as it is. The Lotus Sutra further clarifies this through the "Ten Suchnesses" (appearance, nature, entity, power, activity, primary cause, environmental cause, effect, reward/retribution, and their fundamental consistency). This is the direct, intuitive perception of reality. "Mistaking the unessential for the essential, and the essential for the unessential" is an inverted view—like a person running under the moon, thinking the moon is chasing them. Deluded views stem from fundamental ignorance. Because of such distorted projections, humanity suffers from ideological conflicts, acting much like the blind men feeling the elephant. Only those who live in constant mindfulness and deep meditation can see things correctly. In verse 12, the Buddha teaches us to see reality as it is. By discerning "the essential as essential, and the unessential as unessential" with the eye of wisdom, we cannot be deceived by anything in this world. Where else should we seek true happiness? It is right within our grasp. If we boldly change our perspective to align with reality, we will experience boundless joy. What could be better? Why do we refuse to change how we see things? We must stop making excuses. Let us light the torch of mindfulness to observe the world. Mindfulness is synonymous with happiness; where there is true happiness, mindfulness is undoubtedly present.