Pratibimba (The Mirror)

The City in the Mirror

Abhinavagupta uses the metaphor of the Mirror (Darpana).

Imagine a city reflected in a mirror.

1. The city looks like it is "inside" the mirror, but it is not distinct from the mirror.

2. The city does not displace the glass. The glass remains full.

3. If the mirror consciousness was dark, nothing would appear.

The Radical Insight:

The world "out there" is actually appearing "in here."

You have never experienced an "external object." You have only experienced the image of the object within your own awareness.

The screen of consciousness is the only thing that actually exists.

The Practice: Bimba-Pratibimba

• Look at a tree.

Realize: "The tree is not out there. The visual data is happening in me*."

• Look at a thought.

Realize: "The thought is not me. It is a reflection on me*."

• Turn the gaze around. Look at the Mirror itself.

What does the Mirror look like?

It has no image. It is pure Capacity.

This practice collapses the subject-object duality. There is no "Me" vs "World." There is only "Consciousness" playing as "World."