61

twinkling flickering stars dance
on the wall of my little sanctuary

it’s easy to understand that they
aren’t ‘real’ stars, for one can also
see the brass candle-holder with its
tiny star-shaped perforations, and
one knows there’s a tea light
burning inside …

it’s less easy to understand
that the stars,
the candle container,
the candle and its flame
are all projections of perception
occurring in exactly the same manner

let’s look

what is actually experienced in this little scenario?
what is experienced before the naming, the describing?
what’s the truth of the now-this-here?

just this:
the eye sees color and it sees shape
the rest is inference and story

but since “eye” and “color” and “shape” are also stories
we need go deeper,
to the source of color and shape recognition:
perception
and then to the source of perception itself:
changeless awareness

and then we need to find out whether
the observed can be split from the observer

can changeless awareness exist aside from
its awareing of … anything?

can anything exist without
changeless awareness awareing it?

~