When We See Things As They Are

When we encounter something, we tend to add judgment right away rather than first seeing it as it is. If we find it beautiful, we want to possess it; if it doesn't suit us, we want to push it away. At the center of that judgment is usually 'I.' A mind that needs things to benefit me, satisfy me, and match my own wishes takes hold of the object.

Feeling that a flower is beautiful is not itself a problem. But the moment the thought 'I must have it' follows, the mind begins to move toward the object. Wanting and aversion, comparison and discrimination follow one after another, and that movement in turn creates new worry and attachment.

Practice is not about refusing to look at the world or doing nothing. It is about setting down, for a moment, the discriminating thought we have added around ourselves, and seeing what is before us exactly as it is. When we notice a flower as a flower, wind as wind, and our own mind as the mind that is simply arising, we stop adding unnecessary stories on top.

Seeing things as they are does not mean becoming numb. It lets us see more clearly and act more rightly. Even when we see someone's difficulty, we can look at what help is actually needed instead of putting our own feelings first. When we are not caught by the thought that we are right, we can also hear the other person's words a little more fully.

When the mind rushes to divide things into liking and disliking, first look at where that mind begins. Quietly notice whether the thought 'I must have it' or 'it must go my way' is there. A single moment of awareness does not remove attachment right away, but it can stop us from being pulled along by that attachment into creating new suffering.