« Reflections in the Lotus Pond »

Poem (by Charlene Balcom, Reflections/Shadows on the Shoji/Hokuseido Press, 1936):

As you reached into the lotus pond,

I saw the reflection

Of a young willow

Trailing slender branches

In the water.

Poetic Interpretation:

Lotus pond is post-Narcissism, it reflects no ego: when you look into the lotus pond of your consciousness, no Narcissus looks back; when you look into the lotus pond of your consciousness, you see no mind or any informational "self," for that matter,  just the "trailing slender branches" of Reality nearby.

Any reflections in the lotus pond are mind-projections…

Resources:

Lotus Effect: Shedding Suffering and Rediscovering Your Essential Self (release: Fall 2010)