MOUNTAIN IS MOUNTAIN, WATER IS WATER

Today I visited Palgong Mountain near the city of Daegu, the third biggest city in Korea.

To go up, I walked along a broad uphill walkway, and then I climbed one thousand three hundred and sixty-five stairs. I arrived at the top of the mountain with my tongue hanging out, because the stairs are steep and uneven; then the statue of Katpawi Buddha appeared to me.

It is the only Buddha with a hat on. It was carved by a monk who intended to placate his mother’s soul by this. The hat on Buddha’s head is a traditional Korean hat wore only by high class men in ancient times. It is said that if you make a wish (only one wish) to Katpawi Buddha, it will be fulfilled.

While I was facing the statue, the sound of a Buddhist song flooded my ears. The words were mountain is mountain – water is water.

Then, I sat down to contemplate Katpawi Buddha. I felt as if he was opening my eyes to see reality as it is, not as I want it to be. Yes, mountain is mountain – water is water, I thought. How many times we mistake mountain for water and vice versa! This happens because of our delusions which prevent us from seeing things as they are. We wrongly perceive things, people, and situations, so as a distort mirror reflects a distort world.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
– Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo