What You See in Life Changes

There is an old Buddhist story about a dog who wanders into an abandoned palace. The palace is beautiful, its walls lined entirely with mirrors. As the dog steps inside, he suddenly sees hundreds of other dogs staring back at him. Startled, he growls at once, and a hundred throats growl in reply. Terrified, he bares his teeth, and a hundred sets of teeth flash back at him. Overwhelmed, he bolts from the palace, convinced he has narrowly escaped a den of enemies.

Another day, a different dog enters the same palace. He is calm and curious, and when he sees the other dogs, wags his tail. Instantly, a hundred tails wag back. He feels safe and welcomed, and he leaves the palace happy, certain he has discovered a hall full of friends.

The palace, of course, never changed. Only the mind of the dog did.