Sometimes, all it takes is a moment of quiet reflection to see that nothing is truly right or wrong, better or worse — everything is simply flowing through the web of causes and conditions.
This piece is a small journey through thought: If I were you… — Perhaps, along the way, we might learn to see life through the eyes of understanding and compassion.
There are moments in life when we suddenly see everything happening around us — the joys, the sorrows, the gains and losses — in a completely different light. Through the lens of mindfulness, we realize that we are not living only for “ourselves,” but to understand, to love, and to learn from others.
If I were you, I would see everything that has happened as karma and conditions — when there is a cause, there is an effect; when something comes, it will also go. The past has passed, the future has not yet come; only the present moment is truly ours. In that very moment, we can choose to understand and forgive rather than cling to resentment or regret.
If I were you, I wouldn’t hide my emotions or punish myself for what feels incomplete. I would contemplate and see that emotions are simply arising and passing phenomena — they appear, then fade, neither “me” nor “mine.” When that is seen clearly, fear no longer has power over the heart.
If I were you, I would not blame those who have hurt me, for they, too, are suffering. When we see that the root of pain is ignorance and attachment to self, the walls between us begin to crumble. A glass once shattered may never be whole again, yet genuine compassion can bridge even the widest gap.
If I were you, I would not live lost in illusions, nor isolate myself in loneliness. When the heart opens, the world begins with it. We realize that we are never alone — we are part of a vast, interdependent web of life that connects all beings.
If I were you, I would not let envy or selfishness poison my heart. I would look deeply and see that another’s happiness does not diminish my own, but can instead inspire me to grow and understand myself better.
If I were you, I would pause and rest in the present moment — and see that today is already beautiful enough. Whether the future comes or not matters less than whether we have lived this day with awareness and love.
If I were you, I would spend less time staring at screens and more time with my breath. I would step outside, watch the clouds drift, listen to the rustle of leaves — and recognize that the miracle of life is always here.
If I were you, I would not speak words that wound, even in jest. For every word and every action creates karma — it can make flowers bloom in someone’s heart, or cause thorns to grow there instead.
If I were you, I would not search for a new harbor while my heart is still unsettled. Because when the mind is restless, no place can truly offer rest. Only when we return to stillness within can we realize that peace has always been here.
If I were you… I would learn to see others with eyes of compassion, without judgment or comparison.
For in the Buddha’s vision, no one is higher, no one is lower — we only differ in our degree of awakening.
And if you were me, perhaps you would smile and realize:
All assumptions about “you” and “me” are merely temporary gatherings of causes and conditions, with nothing fixed or separate.
When that is understood, the heart becomes light as a cloud, and friendship — even humanity itself — becomes pure again, like a stream flowing quietly beneath the earth, unseen yet nourishing everything.
You and I become one
Some mornings, when sitting silently and watching sunlight touch a leaf outside the window, we suddenly understand: all comparisons, all assumptions, all boundaries between “you” and “I” dissolve like mist.
What remains is one living current, breathing in rhythm with all existence.
When we can place ourselves in another’s position, the flower of loving-kindness begins to bloom.
To understand another is to understand oneself, for in truth, there has never been a real boundary between us.
And perhaps, in that still moment, there is no need to “assume” anything anymore.
For “you” and “I” are. Still, two words are temporarily named in this impermanent life — while love, compassion, and understanding are what truly endure, like a passing breeze: gentle yet profound, fragile yet everlasting.
🌿 A small piece for those who are learning to understand others and themselves — with the eyes of mindfulness and the heart of compassion.
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