The Spark ("The finger pointing to the moon")

analogy

“I am a finger pointing to the moon. Don’t look at me; look at the moon.” Buddha

“It is like the finger pointing to the moon…” said Bruce Lee in the film “Enter the Dragon” (1973).

This analogy comes originally from the ‘Shurangama Sutra’, a Zen Buddhist text, where the Buddha wanted to point out where Ananda’s real mind (the True Mind, the Buddha Nature) was to him.

Imagine someone is trying to show you the moon by pointing to it:

- Your True Mind is the Moon (naturally bright, it has natural enlightenment)

- The Finger is the Teachings (dark, lacks enlightenment)

The finger points directly to the moon so that you can see the moon for yourself, not get distracted and focus on the finger, because:

• you’ll miss the moon

• you may even think the finger is the moon

• you won’t know what has enlightenment vs what lacks enlightenment

Similarly, the Buddha’s teachings (Dharma) point directly to your True Mind, so don’t just pay attention to the teachings, use them to see where the teaching is pointing, find the enlightenment by yourself, see your true nature. The Dharma is just the finger, your true mind is the moon. Be careful not to confuse knowledge of the Dharma with true understanding, or you will become ignorant by knowing.

Bringing the insights back to our daily lives, this simple analogy teaches us to look beyond the surface level and recognize the deeper meaning behind things. We must always look beyond the obvious and seek to understand the underlying reasons for things to be the way they ware.

Just as the finger serves as a guide to the moon's radiance, books, mentors and teachers serve as ways to illuminate the path to much profound truths that you need to see by yourself!

“Lead yourself, Learn to live. Lead others, Learn to Build.”

If you enjoyed reading this post consider subscribing to the newsletter for free, joining the community and sharing your thoughts.