Questions & Answers:
Q) How does an enlightened person react to the physical environment?
A) In the same way that an ordinary person does. There is a beautiful statement: before enlightenment, a mountain is a mountain, a tree is a tree, a river is a river; while seeking, a mountain is not a mountain, a tree is not a tree, a river is not a river; the seeker is confused about them. After enlightenment, again, a mountain is a mountain, a tree is a tree, a river is a river! After enlightenment, things seem to be the same; the enlightened person sees it all from a different plane. A normal person always sees things in a distorted way, as he wants to see them.
- -A small story:
An old lady who was particularly obsessed about looking good, walked into the beauty parlour one day. She asked for the beautician and started chatting with her. The beautician was a very practical lady and told her not to be worried so much about her physical appearance and that it was enough if she looked neat and presentable. The old lady said, 'No, you don't know. My latest problem is I am getting wrinkles around my eyes.' The beautician looked at her and said, 'I have a solution for that!' The old lady asked her eagerly, 'What is it, tell me. I don't care how much it costs.' The beautician replied, 'Just take off your glasses when looking into the mirror!'
Everything depends on how you see it! Perception is what makes each one's world different from the other. You can make or break things with your perception. Depending on where each one is stuck, the world can cause havoc on them. An enlightened person, on the other hand, sees things as they are, with neither hatred nor attachment, with neither greed nor detachment. That is why they live a liberated life while they are living.