How to explain "a thousand rivers reflect a thousand moons", a quote from a Ch'an poem of Southern Song dynasty? In short, a thousand rivers signifies all sentient beings, not just one thousand beings; river water represents the mental capacity which includes all six consciousnesses; a thousand moons denote all phenomena (the world). Phenomena arise as a result of sentient beings' mental functions.

~ Khenpo's blog published on 10 January 2017