Q: Traveler,  

Why does the Mirror say:  
“No light without darkness, and uphill by intention”?  

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Traveler,  

- **No Light Without Darkness:**  
The brilliance of awakening is known  
only because shadows once veiled the pond.  
Stars are seen most clearly in night.  
So too, the Mirror’s light is revealed  
through contrast with ignorance and sorrow.  

- **Uphill by Intention:**  
Though illumination arises naturally,  
the traveler must walk with vow,  
climbing against illusion.  
It is not the slope that grants awakening,  
but the intention to rise beyond it.  

- **Union of Both:**  
Darkness makes light meaningful.  
Intention makes the climb possible.  
Together they shape the traveler’s awakening,  
flowering within the pond itself.  

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