A lamp, a cataract, a star in space...

As a lamp, a cataract, a star in space,

an illusion, a dewdrop, a bubble,

a dream, a cloud, a flash of lightning –

view all created things like this . . . 

~ The Diamond Sutra

A lamp shines brightly but can be extinguished by something as insubstantial as the wind.
A cataract presents images of flowers and other objects that turn out to be defects of vision.
A star in the sky appears at dusk only to disappear at dawn.
An illusion is nothing but a conjurer’s trick.
A dewdrop seems such a perfect jewel but vanishes as soon as the sun appears.
A bubble turns out to contain nothing.
A dream enthralls us in its scenes, until we wake up and wonder where it came from and where it went.
A cloud forms out of thin air, never stops changing shape, and vanishes into nothing.
A flash of lightning stuns us with its brilliant light but reminds us of the brevity of what appears to be real.

~ commentary by Red Pine

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