Rainbow Display

Mist of falling water intermingles with a shaft of light penetrating the canopy of cedar and fir. Micro-droplets are clothed in rainbow hues as they swirl and dance, roiling in a fire-like display. This rainbow appears to my eyes as a ghost of color rising upward, following a stream of luminosity peeking through the tree branches above. 

I have witnessed many seasons of this waterfall. Every visit offers a literal washing of my senses while cleansing my mind. It is called Sahalie Falls and it cascades down a basalt gorge carved by the Mackenzie river. It teaches many lessons of the watercourse way, the Tao of non-duality expressed in natural display. Although those lessons are taught, they cannot be caught—just as Buddha’s wisdom cannot be held in any one moment of awareness. One can only witness the play of light, surrender to its beauty, and move on. 

No concept can imprison this experience and no words apply, especially these. It is best to let words fall as water mist, dance as momentary pigments on the page, and disappear into a rainbow-display of the pristine mind. In the language of Varjrayana Buddhism, beholding the beauty of momentary awareness is a natural function of the unfiltered mind. It is often referred to as a display of wisdom—a rainbow display. 

This display is what we see as experience. What we do with it is a matter of perspective. If we use the freedom inherent in an artist’s brush, infinite vibrant possibilities can manifest. If we follow our mental habits, we witness a mirror of our limited perception. Either way, everything blends into ungraspable rainbow colors arranged by the perceiving mind.