Our mind is a mirror. A mirror shows not reality, but a reflection of reality.
Just as a misshapen mirror will offer us a grotesque or distorted image of ourselves, so a mind contorted by dogma, fear, pride or prejudice, will show us a bizarre caricature of the real. Whoever harbours strong beliefs and opinions, perceives and projects a confronting world, as though walking through a hall of weirdly distorting mirrors.
Only when a mirror is perfectly clear, with no cracks, chips, smudges or stains; and perfectly flat, with no surface convolutions, does it offer a faithful and reliable reflection of whatever stands before it. Even so, only a perfectly clear and still mind can offer a fair apprehension of what it perceives as the world.
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Water is essential to life. Indeed, it may be said that water is the essence of life. Water cleanses, cools, sustains, revives, refreshes, nourishes and energises us. Yet impure water can drain our energy, make us sick and even kill us.
Our mind is like water, which we are constantly drinking and bathing in. A pure mind, absent of thoughts, desires and distractions, is a life-energising drink for our fastest progress, deepest self-discovery, furthest expansion and surest illumination.
Yet a mind carrying the impurities of false, limiting, binding, destructive thoughts and ideas, is as enervating, debilitating, stifling, crippling, cloying and ultimately fatal to our inner health and happiness, as impure water is to our physical wellbeing.
We know the value of pure water to our outer health, and take great care to avoid impure water, well aware of its potential destructive power. Even more so, for our spiritual health and happiness, must we be super-cautious and vigilant to protect and safeguard the purity of our mind.