Q. I have read that after you die you see only what you want to see, but that scares me because that would just be a lie. When I die, I want to see the truth not projections from my mind.

A. In Zen meditation enlightenment is more often than not compared to a big death, which means ‘the death of all illusions’. To say that a person has achieved a big death implies that he has attained enlightenment. So, ‘Only after you die can you see what you want to see’ implies that you can see what you want to see, or the truth, only after you stop being deluded by illusions.

Don’t be confused into believing that you can see the truth, or go to the Pure Land, only after your physical death. You cannot see the truth unless you see it whilst alive nor can you enter the Pure Land unless you enter it while you are alive. Remember what reaches your eyes and ears now is the truth itself and where you are standing at this moment is the Pure Land.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

#zen #meditation #zenmeditation #enlightened #enlightenment #zenfools #photography