I remember another retreat in which a nun from southern Taiwan participated. Blossoms from many different trees had fallen on the ground. When I told her to practice pure gazing, the nun saw that the trees and fallen blossoms were the same. She picked up the blossoms and placed them on the branches like hats. She felt happy doing this, because for her, the flowers and trees were identical. Other people who watched her had no idea what she was doing.

From the layman's point of view, people would be considered abnormal if they thought they were trees, or if they saw people in stones, or if they thought blossoms and trees were one and the same. However, in the examples I have described, this is not the case. Because most of us make discriminations based on our preconceptions, our eye consciousness is static, dull and rigid. Our vision is selective, because of our memories, likes and dislikes. Since our minds are impure, our vision is also impure. If our minds were to become pure, then we could say that our vision would also be pure. What is seen by pure eyes is quite different from what is seen by impure eyes.

In the beginning of a retreat, when you look at other participants, you may think that this person looks weird, that one unfriendly, this one ugly and annoying. These thoughts do not lead to good feelings. But at the end of the retreat, people seem kind and lovable, and you feel close to them. The people have not changed; it is your mind and therefore your eye consciousness that have changed.

On retreat, and even in daily life, you should try not to rely on your eyes too much. If you must, then use them without discriminating. For example, when you sit down to eat, see the food as fuel for the body, and nothing more. Do not discriminate, wondering which foods are delicious, or which foods you prefer. When you work, do not think about whether you like your job or not. Just do it. Only with such a mind will your eyes be pure. With such discipline, the other senses can be purified as well, and you will not be swayed by the influences of the world around you.