Watch your face.

Inspiration: frowning man walking by in a rice field.

Our mind and body work in unison like a well-oiled machine. What the mind thinks, the body feels. What the body feels the mind thinks. What comes first may not always be clear, but if you cultivate the awareness of how your body feels, you can understand your state of mind. Others might not see if we smile with a hint of cringe within, but you know exactly how free your smile really is. You can feel the slightest form of discrepancy or the absolute harmony with which your body and mind are expressed. In the example mentioned above, the discrepancy is easily recognized. But what is your default facial expression?

If you're able to catch yourself through mindfulness at certain moments throughout the day and become the observer of your own body, you might discover what state of mind you are in unconsciously. Recognizing your state of mind will lead you to recognize the quality of your default thoughts and judgments. They might be positive, neutral, or negative. Knowing how your face feels will tell you the answer.

This doesn't mean that if you don't smile you're not happy. However, we all understand very well the subtlety of how our face feels like and what the face of a smiling Buddha looks and feels like. If that joyful equanimity is a feeling, then the Buddha's face is that feeling's embodiment. Having a peaceful face will produce peaceful thoughts. Having peaceful thoughts will produce a peaceful face. So watch your face.