By Simon Kim

Just like an age-old tree

With its roots weave through every nook and cranny

I finally learned to embrace all

With a loving smile resembling a grandma’s tender heart.

I am a gigantic old tree

That has been around for thousands of years

I am also the countless flowers this old tree blooms each year.

Because I am One with the One Mind.

Thinking back

It was a miracle how I met the everlasting One Mind

That shines so brilliantly yet quietly

In every corner of the entire universe.

Do you want to know

How was I greeted by the One Mind?

One day, many years ago,

As I was listening to the endless sounds of a gong,

All of a sudden, I was transported to a realm existing

Far beyond any known and unknown realities.

Everywhere I turned my head to

There was nothing but the One Mind

Containing every single thought, emotion, and expression

Of all life, all creatures, and all realities.

Just like the sun provides its rays to all

Even to the tiniest leaves in a shadowy valley

The One Mind shines through the entire gamut of its offspring

Supporting and embracing all in its bosom.

How startled, awed, and shocked I was

To know that I was oblivious to

This deeply beautiful, illumined, and pure essence

That sustains me and all other creatures at all moments.

As I was completely merged with the One Mind

I realized that

I could neither see nor touch the One Mind

Because I had been buried deep inside

Endless thoughts, emotions, and dramas

Played in the land of my small ego.

I woke up from a dream I’ve had since my birth

Into the everlasting reality

Yes, that same dream shared by everyone

Who couldn’t get away from endless pain, questions, and suffering.

As my ego-mind started to dissolve away

My true Self engulfed me with a knowing that

I am no one but the One Mind

Represented in human flesh and bones.

How astonishing it was to know that

My newly-awakened Self is identical to the One Mind

Infinite without beginning or end

More brilliant than anyone can conceive of

Filling up the entire universe with its inexhaustible energy

Totally alive and pulsating every single moment.

As I awakened to the One Mind,

Everyone and everything in it became awakened simultaneously

My heart was bursting into joys I had never known before

To see how awe-inspiring and mysterious I truly was.

I am an age-old soul

That existed before time

I cannot help but keep creating and experiencing

My own principles of eternal creation.

I am the One Mind

My cup runs over with the gratitude and joy that

Nothing in this world can even come close to.