> The mind is often spoken of as a perfect mirror, that reflects the world but is itself not visible. But some types of Buddhist meditation are aimed at recogni

> The mind is often spoken of as a perfect mirror, that reflects the world but is itself not visible. But some types of Buddhist meditation are aimed at recognizing "the nature of mind", i.e. the mirror itself. It's described as being "luminous", which I take to mean that it somehow expresses qualia. What is reflected is not the mirror. To see the mirror itself, you have to somehow look past the perceptions. I don't see this as inconsistent with the materialism we're referring to here. I think by the 'mirror' they refer to the brain itself. I think the Buddhists are saying 'Don't blindly trust your perceptions: perceptions are not reality. Perceptions are created by your brain, the mirror, and they reflect reality; but they are not reality. So you should understand your perceptions and how your internal reality is created from the external reality'. Which is pretty much understanding yourself (in psychological and why not even neurological ways if you can), your limitations and potential. edit: I hadn't submitted this comment as I usually leave some for later editing, my apologies for coming in late.