The gates of the peaceful rural granary stand open. Through them, one sees sun-drenched pastures, herds of cattle and horses grazing, mist drifting, and the horizon fading into the distance.
He slowly shaved in front of the mirror; the wind and sun of Tibet had left his skin dull and cracked, beyond repair. He looked up to shave his chin and saw the scar on his neck, gently touching and pressing it, feeling the imperfections of life. The pipe above might have leaked, wetting his eyelashes and his face.
A practitioner of the Way moves against heaven and is destined for a life of solitude.
During these past few years, I have been thinking that we are ultimately too far apart, and it is not just about distance. Every day I live in fear—fear of the daily "good mornings" and "good nights" and those unnecessary pleasantries. Until the day I no longer dare to look or confirm if you are all I see in life, because you are no longer in my future. I want someone who can walk beside me, not someone who chases after me from behind, keeping me always out of reach. Let us break up; let us not contact each other anymore.
Some things, once missed, are gone forever; some people, once turned away from, are gone for a lifetime.
Nothing can prevent the release at the final moment. Whatever a person wishes to do, if they achieve this, they will inevitably gain enlightenment; such is the essence of release.
Sometimes reason demands we do what is sober and right, yet emotion insists on going against the grain.
When you feel someone has a good impression of you, it is actually you who has a good impression of them. When you feel someone dislikes you, it is actually you who dislikes them. This kind of reflex often occurs.
In a lifetime, there are only two kinds of longing: longing for those who are not by your side, and longing for those who will never return. Those who are away should be missed; those who will never return should be remembered forever. Yet most people toss and turn for the former, while for the latter, they choose "forgetting" as their only option.
