There is something so incredibly peaceful about the idea of looking at the world through eyes that haven't learned how to label things yet. Bankei's words remind us of a time before we built walls of opinion around everything we encounter. When we are unborn, we exist in a state of pure presence. There is no 'good' or 'bad,' no 'ugly' or 'beautiful,' just the simple, breathtaking reality of existence. It is a state of pure, unfiltered connection to the universe, where everything is allowed to just be exactly what it is.

As we grow up, we inadvertently start building these heavy filters. We see a rainy day and immediately think it is 'gloomy' or 'inconvenient.' We see a stranger and quickly assign them a category based on their clothes or their expression. We spend so much energy judging our own progress and comparing our lives to others that we forget how to actually witness the world. We become so busy critiquing the scenery that we miss the magic of the forest itself. This constant judging creates a layer of static between us and the true essence of life.

I remember a morning a few weeks ago when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed by my to-do list. I was sitting by the pond, staring at a single lily pad, and all I could think about was how much work I had left to do. I was judging my productivity, judging my lack of focus, and judging the slow pace of the morning. But then, I decided to try something different. I stopped trying to name my feelings and just looked at the water. I watched the way the light rippled and how the tiny insects danced on the surface. For a few moments, the lily pad wasn't 'something I was ignoring'—it was just a vibrant, green, living thing. The judgment vanished, and for a moment, I felt that same newborn clarity.

We can't actually return to being unborn, but we can certainly practice a little bit of that unburdened vision. We can practice looking at a difficult situation or a difficult person and simply observing the facts without immediately attaching a heavy emotional label to them. It is about finding that quiet space where observation replaces criticism.

Next time you feel that familiar sting of judgment creeping into your mind, try to pause. Take a deep breath and see if you can look at the moment as if you are seeing it for the very first time, without any labels at all. Just observe, and see how much lighter your heart feels.