Book 20 Chapter 31

108 Essential Recommended Books Designated by Cheonmu Academy That Students Must Read—But Almost No One Does

XXVIII. A Treatise on the Mind's Eye (Shim-an)

—What is the Mind's Eye?

What truly is the Mind's Eye?

What state do we refer to as the state of the Mind's Eye? The state of the Mind's Eye is closely intertwined with the state of the Mind's Sword (Shim-geom), and we cannot neglect this question in the slightest.

As is well known, even a single object changes its appearance depending on the perspective from which it is viewed. When the subject receives an object, the subject selectively accepts a part of that object with subjective orientation and then undergoes a process of internal reconstruction. Because each subject has a different subjective orientation, the results of perceiving the same object can vary greatly.

Then what is seeing? It is an act that cannot be defined in a single word. However, to make it easier to understand, it can be described as the act of receiving information about an object through the eyes. When we concentrate on seeing something, things around us become less visible. However, even if we don't perceive them well, the fact remains that our eyes are seeing. Therefore, if the brain can recognize this discarded information, it will possess a much superior information reception capacity.

Furthermore, the ability to grasp the movement of fast-moving objects varies from person to person. Seeing objects in the dark also varies.

The act of seeing does not end with just seeing. The key is how it is received and interpreted. In that sense, it is more accurate to view the Mind's Eye not as an increase in eyesight, but as a leap in brain power, that is, an increase and expansion of the power of perception.

To provide a more familiar example, it is similar to highly developed intuition. In other words, the Mind's Eye is the ability to simultaneously receive and instantly process information that has been unconsciously abstracted until now.

If so, it would be reasonable to say that the Mind's Sword is the state of swordsmanship that can instantaneously embody the information and enlightenment grasped through the Mind's Eye.

Therefore, it can be said to be absurd for someone who has not attained the Mind's Eye to attain the Mind's Sword.

(Continued Later)…