Based on Illusion...

When I was ordained a monk,

my teacher told me that the robes would make me invisible.

Only when I awakened years later did I discover what he meant.

When the walls of separation come tumbling down, we become transparent,

like space—inside and outside are one.

Any energy or interest in hiding or defending reveal traces of ego to be recognized and seen through.

Because once we really know who we are,

we realize that the impulse to protect is an old vestigial habit based on an illusion.


Stephan Bodian