Footprints in the Sand

In Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, the protagonist discovers with terror the presence of another set of footprints on the island he thought he was marooned alone on. These footprints are a good example of phenomena, which are patterns within the sense fields that resonate with karmic potential.

At this stage, in most books on enlightenment, we start asking really ridiculous questions — like where does the flame of an extinguished candle go? These seem silly questions, yet they are designed to ‘point’ the mind towards an aspect of reality that we cannot usefully describe any other way.

The mind initially and naively regards the footprint as a thing. Through prior karmic conditioning — whether this is recognised consciously or not — the presence of a certain sized and appropriately shaped pattern in the mud or wet sand will be recognised as such. Footprints are phenomena, even though in truth they are negative impressions in an unrelated substance that only has resonance with a meaningful mental pattern.

We might ask therefore, where does the footprint come from, and if the sea comes in and erases this impression — where does it go? If we ask this, we are getting you to look, in your mind, for possible solutions.

If I take a collection of different shaped pieces of card, I can put them together in the shape of a house, a car, a bridge, etc. From a relatively small number of shapes, with artistic talent, I could create many designs that with some reliability cause another to react ‘Oh it’s a boat’ or ‘Horse,’ etc.

The phenomena is the pattern the mind sees and is either present or absent. If I move this shape here: see, a horse — but now, a dog.

So when the Guru asks ‘From where does this sudden recognition of horse or dog arise, and when does it suddenly go, when I move another piece?’, they are teaching you to look and realise that phenomena arise in the mind. They are like mirages that arise when one is in a certain position but disappear once one moves.

Phenomena are both of the mind and also outside the mind. Generally, they arise in relationship to the presence of a certain patterning within the sense fields, but they can arise due to purely mental reasons in the case of hallucinations.

The phenomena of this footprint is therefore present within the mind as a karmic potential — that, once the conditions for this patterning arise, the mind is aware of the phenomena of ‘footprint.’ Once these conditions cease, this phenomena ceases — but in the same way a mirage ceases. The moment these conditioning patterns return, so does the positive hallucination of a footprint.

All phenomena are like this. This is why we can scare ourselves with vague silhouettes that resemble predators — the pattern in phenomena briefly reminds us of a karmically conditioned threat. It works the other way too: when hungry, even the rocks may remind you of ice cream.

The point is made when I ask you: are these footprints in the sand real? Do they have real substance? Could I stitch them together and make a bag of them? The obvious answer is no — they are made of nothing. They are the recognition of a pattern.

So, at least with the phenomena of ‘footprints,’ they are not ‘real,’ yet they are clearly present. Nor do they come from anywhere, nor go anywhere. They are like a mirage: they appear clearly and pristinely when certain conditions are met but then vanish the moment those conditions cease.

Does this make any sense?

“Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. Form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ from form.”
— The Heart Sutra (Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya)