Reflection of the moon in a pool of water

We might also consider the example of the reflection of the moon in a pool of water. We perceive a clear distinct appearance of the moon in the water, but this is solely because of the gathering together of the appropriate conditions: the satellite of the Earth, a cloudless sky, a pool of water on the ground, and the passing by of a perceiving subject. Out of the interaction of these conditions, the clear distinct appearance of the moon manifests in the water, but it is merely a reflection devoid of any intrinsic nature. The reflection is a dependently originated phenomenon, which has no intrinsic nature of any kind whatsoever. Yet at the same time, it is not merely nothingness: there is a distinct appearance. This is the characteristic of dependently originated phenomena: clearly appearing without any intrinsic nature. One cannot abstract the reflection of the moon from the water, because it does not have a separate existence. In fact, the manifestation of all phenomena is just like that reflection of the moon in the water: they appear, but only through the interaction of causes and conditions. So there is no need to cling to the idea of a truly existent mind as their creator. Mind is, itself, empty of such an intrinsic nature. There are many other examples we could employ to realise how all phenomena simply arise as illusions: mirages, clouds, lightning, the imaginary palaces that one beholds in the sky in a cloud formation, rainbows, or optical illusions over bodies of water. These things all appear clearly, but without any intrinsic nature, because they merely manifest through dependent origination.