The Voice of the Cuckoo
I have never heard the voice of the cuckoo so deeply before. The more I become empty by practicing mettā, the more I can feel the sensory stimuli of smell, sound, sight, etc. They are clearer in perception. I can feel them without any effort, without any strain. Who would expect that by increasing emptiness, the sensory stimuli would be clearer.
But this change in perception is connected with the purifying action of mettā. Mettā cleanses the mirror of our mind of all possible mental impurities (poisons such as anger, hatred, jealousy, etc.), selfish desires, and the egoistic idea of 'I'. The mind becomes cleaner and more in the universal flow of life. It is interesting to note that I have a greater and clearer perception of sensory stimuli in proportion to my decrease in the desire to enjoy these perceptions.
When the noise of the mind finally decreases, we can again see, hear, smell this beautiful nature without difficulty. We can witness this in a way that was not available to us before – while we were preoccupied with creating the 'I'.