What makes a good mirror? Firstly, it must be clean. If it is not clean, you will not see your reflection accurately. Secondly, it must be true (flat), otherwise it will not give you a true reflection but a distorted one. Thirdly, a mirror doesn't judge, it only shows you the truth and then you are free to judge yourself.
Have you ever looked in a mirror expecting to see one thing, and then you see something else completely different? A mirror will show you how you look and not how you want to look. Thus, we notice a contrast between how we want to look and what the mirror reflects. But this is good, because, otherwise, how would you know what you need to do to produce the desired image?
I'm very lucky to have a mirror. I have a few, but one has proved to be most true. When I see his behavior, his dharna, it becomes obvious to me that I'm lacking some of those behaviors. I see a contrast. The way he treats others is very royal – again, another contrast. And all the while, I don't feel any judgment from him. Even when he makes an observation about me, it's just a remark, not a criticism.
Not many have such a mirror, and so I feel quite fortunate. I feel it is a gift. He does a great service because he inspires me (without saying anything) to reach my full potential. He shows me what is possible.
I think it would be a fine thing to become a mirror. What a beautiful service to provide to others. But it requires remaining clean, remaining true, and remaining free from a judging and opinionated attitude. In fact, a mirror will not even know that they are acting as a mirror, because they themselves will not see faults. Having seen my mirror, I know this is possible – and so I'm constantly checking my mirror to see how I'm progressing. If nothing else, it's something to reflect upon.
Thank you for reading. For more information on Raja Yoga philosophy see www.bkwsu.org.
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