Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

…when your heart’s on fire
You must realize smoke gets in your eyes

These lyrics from the song, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, made famous in a recording by The Platters in 1958, reminds me we are in smoke season. Of course, you only need to go outside to realize this. But as I see all things symbolically, I cannot help myself musing about fire and perception. 

In Buddhism, fire has many meanings. In some Southeast Asian cultures a statue of the Buddha has a ‘crown’ (ushnisha) upon his head which represents his expanded wisdom. Buddha gained so much knowledge in his mind that a cranial bump grew on top of his head to contain it. The flame at the very top represents the moment Buddha gained enlightenment.

In early pre-church Christianity, a woman named Amma Syncletica talked about fire in this way:

“In the beginning there is struggle and a lot of work for those who come near to God. But after that there is indescribable joy. It is just like building a fire: at first it is smoky and your eyes water, but later you get the desired result. Thus we ought to light the divine fire in ourselves with tears and effort.” 

Fire is both purification and enlightenment at the same time. When we dive into the flame of spiritual practice and it burns our delusions, we experience challenges to our previous sense of self. Our inner eyes burn until they clear with dawning awareness and clarity. Krishnamurti called it “the flame of attention” in which pure perception always consumes or liberates our delusion.

May all beings who experience suffering in fires and compromised air quality find the support they need. And…may all the smokey skies remind us of impermanence, purification, and potential clarity.