Western God — Eastern Heaven

While talking with a Japanese lawyer about the Human-right, the most

fundamental difference in its origin become clear. = The origin of the

Judea-Christian God was such as like Gilgamesh who went to the heaven

and became the God. That’s why even the God speaks the same language

and able to listen a man’s play.

So that, even God’s given Ten Commandment was written in human

language but applicable only to the mankind = not to animals or to the

Great nature.   And because of the God has human origin or a product of

human imagination hence, having the same sentiment and the logic.

Therefore having the same fundamental needs, and expresses its needs as

the right (or in the other words Our EGO) and demanded.

This is a so-called human-right circulated in the western society.

—– You can imagine to live anywhere though, the people accept

you to live there is depends on their attitude = You can not demand.

You want to live is your wish though whether you can survive or not

depend on your fate.    Still believing, you can demand to your fate is,

because you know that the fate / God is negotiable, since he is a same

kind having the same mind. 

[]

In comparison, the Easterner has no God but the Heaven (Taoism) or

the Dharma (Buddhism) as the ruling Supreme Power.

But as it has no personified figure or human like character, it remained as an

invisible abstract notion whose power is absolute and to be feared.   Under this

Supreme Power, we exists only under its shadow.  = Nobody has independent

“Right” kind, merely having the given opportunity to stay here.  

But in the same time, this Supreme Power is not a tyrant but the power to

exercise Justice in Rational way. (= If not Rational, its system will not work.)    

Therefore the fate this Supreme Power has given us is the equivalent of

our “Right” (or the Cause of us to exist or not exist = Fate, even as a Death.)

[]

The idea of social system under this Eastern Ethos is = “All the system has to

be operated accordance with this Justice” = abstract notion of “Right or Wrong”

exists in the society as the Absolute Moral which is not negotiable or given a

margin of discretion.   And the most important point of this Eastern Ethos and

its system is, not just applicable to the human but it extends to all the nature.

Therefore, it causes us to exists but in the same time, in the same extent,

it causes the rain or even earthquake to occur = all the dynamism of

the Dharma or Power of the Heaven.

[]

So-called Civil-right has its origin in more or less the same story.   Such as like

King John who was forced to sign the Magna Carta, he was not a man of

Supreme Power = merely yet another Warlord, who happen to be a King then.

So, as a part of negotiation and the expression of power balance, the Magna Carta

was composed. = It was nothing like the God’s given Right to preserve human

dignity but a mare bargain of do and do not.

[]

In comparison, eastern Emperor was the Heaven-chosen Ruler ! (In its legend ! 😀 )

So, his power is absolute and not negotiable at all. —– the trade-off to the ruler is,

he couldn’t make a mistake since he was supposed to be the wisest-man who is able

to see the invisible sign of the Heaven to know incoming disaster etc etc —– if failed,

he would be ousted by the popular up-rise. (This was the Chinese history in the past

4000~5000 years !) —– In contrast, the authority of Japanese Emperor has never

been contested and its blood-line has never broken in the past 2000 years.  So that,

former Palace of the Emperor in Kyoto has no defence structure at all, ie; no high

wall or moat, since it was not necessary as Emperor never made mistake and nobody

ever stand against him.   (Current Palace in Tokyo was originally built for Shogun.) 

(Any short coming occured, it was all due to his courtier or minister’s mistake and

their head could have been chopped off, leaving the Emperor’s authority intact. :-D)

[]

—– in such system, there couldn’t be a prescribed law to guaranty the right of the

subjects, since there could always be the different condition and circumstances.

Therefore, the precedence never be generalised = always, “Such and such year

what was said” and it only worked as a reference. = had no bounding power.

= Everything was depends on the discretion of the Emperor or the Shogun.

So, this was the reason why in the Eastern society there couldn’t be the

development of Human-Right has ever taken place. = Since there couldn’t be

a possibility of negotiation against the ultimate, invisible power. —– but the

western idea of Human-right was made up with a negotiation between the

[Man] and a notion of yet [Another Man with power] therefore, a reasonable

line was drawn as applicable to the both side.

= So, it’s funny to hear that the so-called Western Human-right said to have

divine origin. ( Oh, really, what’s divine you meant ? !   😀 )

(Eastern philosophy never indulge [So-called Equality] = IF it exists, it negates

the fundamental teachings of the Karma and the Moment dependence of the

Dharma (and one’s life).  —– The reason why the Sangha of

Lord Buddha had no Cast in its group was, not because of the notion of Equality

but because of the cause to generate a Cast, the SELF of Previous Life is not exists.

But it doesn’t mean, the person would be born Karma Free. = Far from it,

If The Karma doesn’t exist, the Cause to create the person is neither there.

= Person wouldn’t come to this world. 😀

Can you ever imagine that you can force the Karma to create you with

the want of Human-right. 😀

(You can not negotiate it with the Karma, but you just follow.   😀 )

___/\___

[]

Does Meditation helps ?

There was an interesting report which studied the benefit of Meditation.

After a medical report about the effect of Meditation was published in JAMA

Internal Medicine, numerous articles which quotes this report has been

published. = This is the one of them (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304887104579304691799314468

Meditation Has Limited Benefits,

Study Finds

Mindfulness meditation can ease stress but

won’t curb problems like being overweight

Certain types of meditation may provide some modest relief from anxiety,

depression and pain, a new study found.

But the study found little evidence for other reported benefits of meditation,

including help in curbing substance abuse, poor eating habits,

sleep disorders and weight problems.

The report, published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine,

reviewed the findings from 47 previous studies, all randomized clinical

trials, with 3,515 adult participants in total.

Many people use meditation to ease stress and promote general health.

The purpose of the report was to examine the accumulated evidence to help

doctors determine how best to counsel patients on the possible benefits and

limitations of meditation, said Madhav Goyal, assistant professor of

general internal medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore

and the report’s lead researcher.

In each of the underlying studies, participants received professional

instruction in one of two types of meditation: mantra meditation or

mindfulness meditation. A popular form of mantra meditation is

transcendental meditation, which involves repetition of a phrase

“in such a way that it transcends one to an effortless state where focused

attention is absent,” the study said.

By contrast, mindfulness meditation emphasizes training in “present-focused

awareness,” or mindfulness. The study noted that the distinctions between

the meditation types aren’t always clear.

Researchers found that only mindfulness meditation produced some benefits.

For example, the improvement in patients with mild symptoms of depression

was similar in magnitude to what might be expected from the use of

an antidepressant, the study said.     It also noted that there were few

mantra-meditation studies to include in the JAMA review, which could help

account for the lack of evidence of benefits from this type of meditation.

The study didn’t find any evidence meditation was harmful.

Researchers culled through nearly 19,000 previous studies on meditation to

select the most scientific. Dr. Goyal said his team used rigorous inclusion

criteria. Each of the 47 included studies was a controlled trial in which

at least one group received either a therapy with known psychological

benefits, such as exercise, or a placebo instructional or educational session,

he said. Studies that looked only at children or adolescents, or those without

a control group, were excluded.

“Although uncontrolled studies have usually found a benefit of meditation,

very few controlled studies have found a similar benefit for the effects of

meditation programs on health-related behaviors affected by stress,”

the JAMA report said.

The report’s findings show that meditation is perhaps less effective in

alleviating stress-related symptoms than is widely believed, said

Allan H. Goroll, professor of medicine at

Harvard Medical School-Massachusetts General Hospital, in invited

commentary also published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

“The studies overall failed to show much benefit from meditation with

regard to relief of suffering or improvement in overall health, with the

important exception that mindfulness meditation provided a small but

possibly meaningful degree of relief from psychological distress,” he wrote.

Still, Dr. Goroll noted that participants only received 30 to 40 hours of

training in meditation, which could indicate that “meditation is a skill that

takes time to master.” He also said more evidence is needed to draw

more robust conclusions about any benefits to meditation.

“People come to a meditation class because they’re suffering in some way,”

said Jon Aaron, an instructor at New York Insight Meditation Center, which

promotes mindfulness meditation. Through meditation, they learn to relate

to their stress in a way that is more productive, he said.

Lindsay Gellman

[]

Something took my attention was that the way the other articles were

created while quoting the original JAMA report.

= Despite the original JAMA report gave only limited “prose” to “Mindfulness

Meditation” and found no positive effect in “Mantra Meditation” a lots of

subsequent article has been using this report as if it was the positive proof of

the effect in Meditation. <= this was a fraud !

See the real situation by Googling this = type [ JAMA report, meditation ]

—– This fact highlighting a situation = simply, people doesn’t actuary read

the line in detail but easily deflected by a misleading head-line = and this

tendency was exploited by those organisation who is making money

selling the Meditation practice.

[]

In reality, it is same as any religion, Meditation may work, may not work.

= It depends on the person’s Karma. (Everybody got own different Karma.)

And even worse, the effect of Meditation depends much more on a person’s

mentality. —– A person who got addiction, dependency, depression kind of

mental problem, it needs long term treatment = not few months medical trial.

Naturally, if anybody who is possessing a strong will and able to keep a strict

regime, the person wouldn’t get a trouble in the first place.

It’s mean, in case of opposite tendency, neither Meditation which is not a

Magic Bullet works.

[]

So, here is a funny but fundamental question. = Buddhism / Zen is

stands on the Selflessness, not a strong will or mind, because mind itself

shouldn’t be existing there. — But, “Strong will” wasn’t it a part of the Self ? 

Well, this is the most fundamental question = I’ll write about in another post.

___/\___

[]

Mistranslation of “MINDFULNESS”

When a person is walking —– in most of the case, the person is

not aware that HE (SHE) has been walking.

—– it is the same situation as you didn’t aware that your eyes has

been busy reading this blog on this very moment.

So, it is crystal clear, unless you become aware and intentionally think 

that you are reading this, your brain is just busy processing the meaning 

what was written, but paying little attention to the fact that who the

person reading this. = It’s mean, the awareness of you, yourself and what

and how you are existing here, doesn’t exists unless you are intentionally

think about it = because, “The existence of the SELF” is only in our mind

= SELF is a product of the one’s thinking. —– Also, it is obvious, once you

started to think about “That I am reading this etc etc” the efficiency of

reading drop drastically.   That’s why “This kind of thinking etc etc” were

called “Zatsunen”(雑念) = useless thinking or destruction. 🙂

[]

Lord Buddha thought exactly the same and came to the conclusion, that we

were designed to live without those conscious = useless thinkings and the

imaginary SELF.    We can be far better-off living and doing without those

“Zatsunen” because, without the destruction we were naturally controlled

by the Dharma.   Live and Do without useless thinking, is Mushin and being

with Dharma is Ichijo. = Then, what is this Dharma here, the Dharma who

controls us.  How this Dharma did know that the person IS walking or reading.

And how and what this Dharma remember how to walk or read, not mention

better way of doing them than our conscious controls.

—– (To cut the story short, I give you the answer here = they are the

subconscious control program, programmed and memorized into our brain

—– some has been even genetically programmed !)

—– This Dharma is the very Mindfulness and to let it control our action or

ourselves also called Mindfulness.

(In fact in my view, the choice of this word “Mindfulness” against the

Pali word “Sati” was the mistake

= it should have been “Retained Dharma” or simply just “Truth”.

—– It seems, all the misunderstanding of the Zen in the west has been

caused by this mistranslation ! = as it had given an impression that it was

the matter of the Mind-set —– but the essence is, NOT having it. 🙂 )

[]

—– Now, the reader who experienced so-called Zen training might have

realized a funny things  “where on earth so-called “Mindfulness Training”

such as that counting and concentrating to the breath etc etc, came from”.

—– I mean even in the ancient time when Theravada Canon was written.

—– In fact, this was the very very evidence of that the teachings of

Lord Buddha had misinterpreted from the beginning !

The Sati in the Meditation is, to let the Dharma made us sit = completely

abandon our SELF and get Mushin and just sit, is what the state of

Mindfulness on the (sitting) Meditation mean.

—– Who got the idea “To Think the breath and Feel the body etc etc”

= intentionally bring a Zatsunen / Useless thinking into the practice. 😀

(—– That was why the other school or sect has invented and since been

using other practice which couldn’t allow any useless thinking while doing it,

such as Shaolin martial-art or carrying a bowlful of water etc.)

—– Buddhism and the Zen is a strange mysterious teachings = not because

it got mysterious teachings but it got strange out of context mix-up and

wrong interpretations. 😀

The trouble is, still many people believing it, like wearing a

“Fashionable” T-shirts which got exotic Chinese character

printed upside-down. (It is in fact, nothing but, the insult to

Lord Buddha.)

___/\___

[]

What’s there ?

Here the question is ” Is there or not there”  ” What’s there” in

a photo or behind the photography.

This is an obvious subject,  nobody would give any argument

what it is.   And even without photograph, it still exists = photo is

mere secondly image of the existence.  Photo didn’t make it exists.

This image has no significance = It’s just there, like a subject.

But you may puzzle what this is ?  

What photographed here is the whole possession of a homeless person.  

Still some would say “So, what” —– OR others may see the meaning in

social issue or even philosophical aspects “What’s the human existence”

yet, visually they are just a lots of plastic bags on a bicycle. Nothing else.

More than that is all in your mind.

It’s all depends on, whether you make a mountain out of this heap.

Some might be good deep insights otherwise just the delusions.

Before one photographic image,  we have to see what a person

who is photographing has seen or conceived,  let alone aimed.

But who can see it clear —– and, who knows how real what we’ve seen.   

What I’m seeing might be there —– is it ?  Where ? Here or there or behind. 

We may not able to define what we are seeing unless we intentionally

impose a preconception, what I want to see, and reconstruct

the image OR story.

And it depend what we can see or what we know. —– or believe to know.

And if we know, —– can we be any wiser ?   Really ? ? ?

Is there any use,  if I told you what it was ?

In reality, we may not seeing any, let alone knowing, are they

really there.  So, this is the real situation, and how and what they are.

(If you want to see the VOIDNESS in much more symbolic

elaborated image, it is your pretence and the arrogance !)

—– truth might be just empty space.

= Don’t struggle.  Let it be and see just as it is.  Don’t make-up the order.

(F&M’s Cherubs were in a mess of reflection = that was how they were.  :-D)

By nature, as it is empty from the beginning, see as it is, be with it, is Ichijo.

Be with emptiness mean the mind is not there = Mushin.

Don’t impose own order mean = no complaint. What’s wrong with it ?  😀

—– So, it’s nice to be in PEACE.

___/\___

[]

釈尊の教え－－－Buddha’s Original Teachings

Note :  This post is parallel with this and this post in English. 

釈尊の教えが元々如何なるものであったかを知るには，教えの与えられたその時代，

その時の思考，その瞬間の心理の機微を知る必要があります。

人々の問い掛けに，その瞬間の機知で応えていたとされる

釈尊の教えに抽象的な想念は無く，全ては対話に立った明解な英知であったのです。

人々の問いかけもごく日常的な問題，その世相のトピックスであった訳ですが，

釈尊の時代は将にヒンズー教の勃興期で，当然の事として新しい流行思想が話題の中心に

なっていた訳です。 古典的べーダに根ざした道徳論的，儀式的バラモン教から派生した

ヒンズー教は当時の新興宗敎で「霊魂が生れ代り次の生を規定し，

それがカーストになる」とした画期的な流行理念であったのですが，この流行とそれの

もたらした恐怖は，かつての「天中殺｣の流行を想い浮ベるとピンと来るでしょう。

根拠も，何の証拠も無いでっち上げであるにも拘らず，世の人というのは

コロっとだまされパニックに陥る。この「輪廻の輪」という妄念に囚われた人々に

明解な答を与え，無要な心配やカーストのクビキから解放するというのが

釈尊の直面した火急の任務であったのです。　何の根拠も無いそのような妄念に対して

釈尊は極めて論理的，合理的な解答として「心配するには及ばない。万物は（我々も）

因果，縁の上にのみ存在しているのだから，当然の事として肉体が死ねば，

そこに根ざしていた意識も自覚も，苦悩も消滅する。これが涅槃で，それは誰もが

自然に得られるもの。我やカーストなど単に頭で作り出した妄念である」と説かれたのです。

［］

ヒンズー教で言う「無限に続く死と再生の繰返し＝苦界／娑婆／サムサラ」に対して，

釈尊は「輪廻，再生すベき「我」などと言うものはそもそも存在しない」と説かれた訳

ですが，存在しない物を説明するというのは至難の業です。（概念，言葉も無い！）

例えば，全てが共有され私有物の無い社会で「盗み」とかその罪について議論する事はできない。

重力の在る地球上でなら「もしこの重力が無かったら－－」と考える事ができますが，元々

重力の無い世界に暮していたら，重力とはいったいどんなものなのか想像もできないでしょう。

無私，無我である事はできる（一如として）が，それを客観的に自覚した瞬間に一如は消滅する。

（眼の存在の自覚なしにこれを読んでいても，言われて気がついた途端に一如が崩壊する）。

つまり無私を説明するとは外ならぬ「私，我」の存在の認知になってしまう訳です。当然の事として

釈尊が「我」を話題にする事は無く，「魂は死後どこへ行くのか？」といった質問は存在し得ない

物で，それに対する答が与えられる筈も無かったのです。つまり

釈尊は本人が「無我」に一如であった故に｢我」の存在に関しては完璧に「無記」だったのです！

［］

従って，仏教の中で最も重要な無私，無我（アナトマン）の教えは，実は体得する以外にない。

不立文字，教外別伝，以心伝心となる由縁です。（無心に，黙々とやるのみ）

しかし逆に言えば，言葉の上で定義し得ないために，誤解曲解が生じる原因にもなったのです。

－－－で，この曲解はごく初期のうちに起っていて，輪廻やサムサラを説く仏典は

実はヒンズーやタントラの混交でしかありません。

無私無我を教理の根底に置く時に，いったい何が誰が，死後も留って生れ代るのか？

釈尊がそんな矛盾した馬鹿な事を言うはずが無いでしょう。（笑）

しかしケダモノに生れ代るかも知れないと心配する人々の恐怖感は職業僧の飯のタネ，

彼らが話を書変えてしまったのです。

在りもしないあの世から戻って来て「話が違う」と文句をつける人は絶対居ないのですから

どんなホラを吹いてもバレません！　実に困った“虚偽表示”です。（大笑）

 ___/\___

—————-

PS:  The image on top was created by [Mouhitsu] of Japan-Post.

Though, the work has to be saved and its “png” has to be converted

by this process —– Bring the Downloaded image to desktop.  and

Double-click this => “Open with” =>[Paint] —– then click and open

left top icon and go to “Save as”=>”jpeg” (Yes, to asking small window)

—–> The saved image is on the Desktop !  🙂 

-［］

Fruits Fly

It seems different people call different Fruits Fly though, I’m talking

about very small common Fruits Fly in England.    While Googling, I

found that the others are having the same problem of Fruits Fly.

——( Dead Fruits Flies I found, and they were photographed by Nikkor 24mm F2 lens,

Reverse-mounted with extension-ring on Canon 5D Mk-III — as a X5 Macro-close-up) 

—– they suddenly appear in mass and start to pest the place.

Of cause, I wouldn’t believe that they naturally generated —– there

must be somewhere something nursing them.    But what was that ?

I certainly don’t have rotten fruits or cow-dung dropped in my room.

[]

When I was in my junior school, there was a kind of out of course

biology project = To receive a bottle of fruits fly and keep them in

a warm condition.   Then next week, 10 of the pupil brought back

each bottle and counted the number of hatched fly — how many of

them had black eyes etc.  Actuary, we were assisting the researcher’s

study (without understanding what for we are doing.  :-D)

Anyhow, still we learned how to nurse Fruits Fly with a gluey

yeast-starch mix and to see them hatch less than 10 days.

= It’s mean, when one female came into the room and laid the eggs,

a week to 10 days later, suddenly the room would have 100 of them

flying around.

[]

While observing where they are frocking, I realized that the fruits

skin peel etc anything sweet and wet in the bin is attracting them.

On top of those, I discovered that quite number of them penetrated

the polythene bag of Raisin loaf through small gap = they must have

laid hundreds of the eggs on the raisin. = If I didn’t notice, I could

have eaten plenty protein as well.   (That was how the Essential

Amino-acid was delivered to the “Strict Vegetarian” 🙂 )

—– then battle commence.   Since then, any wet or not completely

dry rubbish, mostly fruits peel kind were lapped-up in polythene bag

and goes to the bin and any soft food goes either fridge or plastic

container with lid.   I needed to make my room as dessicated and futile

as a desert, making them to convince “It’s better to go somewhere else”.  

( I did composting before though, I have no garden of compost to go,

and it’s bin itself became a center of unpleasant insects, fly etc

= So, I gave up the idea.)

[]

So that, in reality, to have an ecological, naturally harmonious life =

“Happily Live Together with other small Lives” is = sound sweet but

not practical or ideal at all.    In fact nothing but a pretentious fraud.

We shouldn’t forget  “To keep hygienic, clean life” is no other than

the practice to persecute against the pests and the germs.

The Bottle-fly or Cockroach are just having their own life that all.

Even AIDS virus is surely the other life-form. They only happen to

cross over the boundary to the human life and created the conflict.

—– People expecting a beautiful Butterfly just fly over their flowers,

still never anticipates their larvae could infest their plant in their

garden. —– if they saw it, certainly 99% of them will kill it.

[]

It easy to make-up a softy face and preach love and compassion kind

—– Oh !   Really ?

= Better not to be a filthy hypocrite. I rather stay to be a honest tyrant,

killing millions of grains and beans every year, on top of billions of

other invisible small creatures and the germs for my comfort and the

survival. —– To know the real extent, how we are relying on the sacrifice

of other life-form = Exact reality of the Karma, not a convenient pretty

story to justify and glorify ourselves, is the duty to be a real Buddhist.  

Scripture spent so many pages to explain about the Oneness  (Ichijo —

such as that “Giving, even without having a conscious of giving” ==>

having pretentious mind is too remote from the Buddhism.)

We need to see and think it in person.

___/\___

PS:  Since when my flat was made a desert, they just disappeared

and I only managed to find two dead bodies —– Where had they gone ? 

[]

Buddha’s Hesitation

Regardless, whether it showed real historical facts or not, still a kind of life history of

Lord Buddha has been well established and well known. = So, everybody knows his young

name, Siddhartha Gautama and a story, after he got his enlightenment, he became Buddha.

—– But, how about a story, that after he found the truth and reached to his enlightenment,

yet he said to have hesitated whether should he tell what he found to the others or just

remain quiet and wait to see own Nirvana, because the truth what he found was

too difficult to make others to understand.

[]

But the supreme God of the Universe, Brahman was frightened of this, if

Lord Buddha keeps the secret of  Truth in him and takes it to his grave, the man kind will

loose only the chance to learn it to save whole man kind from their sufferings, for ever.  

(—– Don’t ask me how Brahman did become aware of this —– If Brahman had such

Super natural power to know everything happening in the world, why he didn’t teach

such wisdom to the man, instead to bother the idea of yet another mortals.)

—– Anyhow, Brahman said to have come and begged to

Lord Buddha to teach the truth. —– So, what was that very Truth ? ? ?

(which would save the man, though too difficult to be understood by the man.)

[]

Many hundreds years after

Lord Buddha’s death, the new trend of Mahayana Buddhism created thousands of

enlightened Buddha and Bodhisattva —- during 2000 years history, they must be hundreds

of the thousands altogether.   If there are such number of the enlightened Buddha and

Bodhisattva, among them, at least some of them must had a very bright brain and clearly

aware what made him to get enlightened —– So, has any of them ever elucidated what the

supreme truth was —– Yet still, there was NON at all.

Only something related to this was, that the Zen Masters found it was the Dog Shit.

[]

Mahayana Scriptures says, the supreme wisdom is

“Panya-Paramita” “Anutra Samyak-SamBodhi” —– So, What ?

= WAS this “Supreme wisdom”  the one which gave a headache to

Lord Buddha for how to explain and make others to understand ?    If so, did any

one of those mass-produced Buddha ever got eternal life thanks to this secret Truth ?

Or this wisdom ever made any country free from the war ?    Nothing !    

No such wisdom, called Panya-Paramita had substance.

(Don’t make an excuse, by yet another Heaven’s story such as “Maitreya will tell it in future” )

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Looking through all the teachings in the Buddhism, there is No super-natural mambo-jumbo.

= Everything is easily comprehendable to normal brain, if not some of them are a bit harsh

or not very easy to keep-up, still, it is hard to imagine if there was any

“Hard to comprehend enigmatic issue” was ever existed on top of those,

especially considering  that No abstracts or Metaphysical illusion was in the

Lord Buddha’s teachings —– BUT if it was the notion of Selflessness, it was not only against

the common belief then, but also it would be very tricky matter to explain therefore,  this

trickiness would best match the trouble as a possibility, in his starting point. 

Assuming, —– if it was not a kind of fancy idea with magical power,

but simply the notion of Selflessness.  

—– The idea of Selflessness would make a perfect answer to the problem which the people

had been facing then. = Their fear to be trapped in the endless cycle of death and rebirth.  

(= It was a belief of New religion in the Brahmanism then = Hinduism now.)  

Against this, the answer of  “There couldn’t be such rebirth, because there is

NO soul or the Self remain after the death, which

could reincarnate to the next life”  was a perfect explanation. ——– But the trouble to

Lord Buddha was,  as the Self isn’t existing, there couldn’t be its notion, nor the word “Self”

= He couldn’t explain the phenomenon of the Selflessness without using the word “Self”.

(If he use the word “Self”, in effect it was the recognition of the existence of the “Self”).

Even worse, the phenomenon of the Selflessness is, not only in the depth of

Subconsciousness, but such notion or the word Subconsciousness itself wasn’t existing then.

—– until he found the way “Just let the people DO the things where Selflessness naturally

occur, which makes them to learn it by themselves, without needs of verbal explanation”

= So, with this solution,

Lord Buddha started to teach.  =  (Therefore, this was the origin of all the Buddhist’s

tradition such as “Selflessness”   “Without thinking = Mushin”  

“Without Word = but Direct Transmission”   “Learn through the Practice”)

Lord Buddha didn’t need to have a push from Brahman to start his teachings in deed !

(Still, making-up of such fancy story highlights the fact, that the original teachings has

been completely mixed-up with Hinduism then.)

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Exists or Not-exists ? —– Where is the SELF ?

Probably the most fundamental matter in the Buddhism is the Selflessness / Mushin.

—– though, this matter questions the credibility of the one who observes its existence, it is

nothing like a scientific objective proof of existence, it’s far more complicated or confused.

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Therefore, here, the most funniest paradox in the human culture comes in.

If you deny the existence of the Self, you can not argue or even put the matter on the table.

= because, its notion itself isn’t exists, there is no word to describe it.

= how to starts arguments ?

—– If the society has no system of personal possession, everything belongs to everybody, so,

there couldn’t be a notion of “theft” let alone the very word “theft”. 

If the Self is not exists, no word of SELF, let alone SELFLESS could ever exists.

So, without the notion of Self, how to argue about whether it exists or not.    😀

[]

Lord Buddha’s teachings were described as “Explain unexplainable” “Describe indescribable”.

In definition, Selflessness couldn’t be taught.   Selflessness itself is exists though, you can’t

detect or noticed, let alone capture it in objective observation nor describe it in the words.

Because, to notice “it is there”, it’s mean the observer, who was separated from the subject

= independent self is already THERE ! = You are the established EGO.

[]

So, Lord Buddha just gave an instruction what to do, but never explained why or what was

the intention.   (Like, just let Kisa Gotami to run about, or Churi Pantac to sweep the garden.)

—– While doing it, they will get used with its work or practice, hence became able to do it

without conscious = Selfless —– this was what the teachings were intended though,

it shouldn’t be objectively noticed or talked about. = the matter is, JUST DO IT.

[]

Once it was talked about, it became a NOTION and a WORD, it became independent

existence called knowledge.   Once the notion and the words “I’m cutting Lemon” was

established, “I” who cut the Lemon became THE Existence. —– but, you supposed to cut

a Lemon in Mushin, without the Self.   Without such conscious, Just Cut a Lemon, slice

by slice —– your knife, the lemon, your action were all fused in one, with the Dharma

= this is the state of Ichijo / Oneness. —– BUT, once the observant eyes started to see the

situation objectively and started to give a thought or two, the Observer and Be-observed

alienated = the harmony to be in the Ichijo has broken.

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In the Vimalakirti Sutra, when he was asked about what is this Oneness, he answered with

NO word (= and the silence hit the people like roaring thunder !) In fact this was exactly what

Lord Buddha did when he was asked about “after life”.

Oneness (Ichijo / Fuji) could exists if no Self was there.   And as NO self exists, of cause, there

couldn’t be any possibility of After-life or Reincarnation, and no such notion or word to

describe it could exist.   Hence, just a silence = Strongest denial !

(If he was to explain, “There is no Reincarnation because No-Self” it’s effectively recognize

the existence of the Self by the use of the Notion and the word “Self”.  

—– It is the same situation, if the one says “I’m sitting in silence”    😀 )

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It seems that the author of Vimalakirti Sutra did know what the mind of Selfless, as the

descriptions were spot on though, I’m not sure about the other Mahayana Sutra, and the

author (compiler ?) such as Nagarjuna —– he seemed to have written them from the

knowledge just heard from others.   They were the scripture for the sake of the arguments

and those arguments, theoretical explanation seemed nothing to do with

actual Selflessness and the Void.

—– Selflessness is everywhere, as you are reading this blog without noticing that your eyes

have been following the lines. = as everybody has born with Dharma, everybody has

Selflessness yet, masking it with the useless thinking and the Ego which has been kept you

away from getting enlightened.

May be just forget those words, Selflessness, Void kind of thinkings, and just take a walk

may open your eyes much clearer.

___/\___

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Hart Mantra — True or False ?

So called Hart Mantra (Sutra) / 般若心経 might be the most well-known Buddhist’s scripture among it’s 3,000 books, except to the followers of the Pure-land sect. (Pure-land sect prohibits their followers to read this scripture !)

[]So, other than the Pure-land sect, all the Buddhist are accepting the teachings written in this Sutra —– are they ?    

Its scripture said that “When all-seen Bodhisattva / 観自在菩薩, (suppose to be         

Lord Buddha himself though, Bodhisattva is the one yet to be Enlightened = can not to be a Buddha) practising Supreme Wisdom / Panya-Paramita / 般若波羅蜜多, found that the 5 aggregates (effectively everything) are Void, therefore resolved all the (cause of) sufferings, (thence told to) Shariputra that “The existences (Form) are no different from the non-existence (Void) —– which is the teachings of the Voidness in the existences and the Voidness in our own perception, therefore the Voidness of our own existence = hence No-self.

—– sound not much wrong in the Mahayana Buddhism’s context. —– (If we could ignore the silly ignorance in this scripture such as “Bodhisattva who haven’t reached Enlightenment yet still able to have all-seen power and teach one of the senior disciple, Shariputra who has been reached Enlightenment already”)   

Shariputra was not the earliest original disciples.   He joined the sangha long after Lord Buddha started teaching.   If this Sutra has any historical significance, it showed that Lord Buddha found the Voidness long after he started teaching. —– It couldn’t be true at all !   Such fundamentals in the teachings, should have had sorted out on the beginning.   Because, that must be his Enlightenment.

The main question what Lord Buddha had to find an answer was, to explain to the people who has been frightened by the idea of being trapped in the endless cycle of rebirth / reincarnation, even to reborn to a beast (= new trend of Vedic belief or beginning of the Hinduism) by showing them “There couldn’t be any possibility of rebirth, because the Self / Atoman (which Vedic teachings said) is not exists”. As he found the answer in the theory of Karma (Moment to moment inter-dependency of the existences) that the permanent Self couldn’t be existed. So, he started teaching of those truths. —– otherwise, what was he teaching before he found this Voidness ?

[]Further more, historian found a funny origin of this Hart Sutra (+Mantra), that this sutra has been written (or compiled) in China in 7^th century and then translated back to Sanskrit, therefore, we better not to take its contents as in its face value but to see it as a theoretical metaphor.

—– Of cause, many fantastic story in the Mahayana scripture are nothing to do with original teachings. —– Use your common sense,

Lord Buddha wouldn’t have said any fantasy as he rejected useless thinking as a delusion.  Naturally, he never showed a miracle or magic kind and prohibited such practice to the followers. = its mean, that the scripture which contained “Mantra” (or Dharani — which supposed to have a magical power ) is not the Buddhism at all.  You know this is why

Lord Buddha taught “Don’t believe what others said or you read, but find it out by yourself”

Blind Buddhists are worse than an ignorant, because he believes that he knew something. 😀

The matter in the Buddhism is, not about to know the words such as Voidness or Selflessness, but actually being Selfless.   Actually being Selfless mean, when you read those few lines in here,  just now (or few seconds ago ?) you didn’t aware that YOU are reading this. —– so, without having any conscious of the SELF (who supposed to read this), how you could manage to read this?      WHO the person reading this blog minutes ago ? = YOU have to sort it out by your self, —– When you were convinced that you don’t need to have your SELF-conscious to DO the things, you ARE most likely found yourself detached from the Ego, Greed, Fear, Lust etc. too, exactly the same practice which

Lord Buddha started to teach  2,500 years ago.  

___/\___

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PS: If you were confused of “Mantra” or “Sutra” —– The main body of scripture is the Sutra.  And last line of the words “Jate Jate, Para-Jate ~ ~ ~ Bodhi-suwaka” is the Mantra, which supposed to have magical power hence never translated but chant as they are.    Though, the meaning is = (as those words are infact common with ordinary Hindi today = since I noticed while listening Asian Radio here.) = Go Go, Go more, You Go Further, To be Enlightened.

—– Para is same as in  “Para-mount”, Bodhi is same as in  “Bodhi-sattva”.   🙂

* Beliefe of magical power in the words = Mantra / Dharani  is a practice of Tantra sect.  Nothing to do with

Lord Buddha’s teachings.  =  Last quarter of this Heart Mantra is praising and promoting  the “Power of the Panya Paramita Mantra” though, such notion is all in the mind or only imaginary existence.   (If there is any power, why India need to spend so much money for their military weapon.) 

All the products of imagination are nothing but the Delusion. It’s not the Buddhism. So, those scriptures are the evidence how the Chinese author was ignorant to the original teachings. —–

Lord Buddha left the last words”never idolize and worship me” = so, why needs to worship mere scripture written by a person who even didn’t know the teachings ! 

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Zen in Daily-Life (2)

In the previous post I explained how to gain the Selfless-mind-set with an example

of Tea making though, obviously Tea making is hardly a “Task in our daily life”.

It is more like a not too serious leisurely moment when we have a break.

So, how about a handling business matter such as to deal with Bills.

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Zen only deals with the matter on front.   And divides the whole task into small section.

And to deal with each section, one at a time.   (To climb the mountain, not overwhelmed by

its 8,000m hight, just concentrate to make each step perfect ! = On the end, reach to the top.)

Of cause, our brain can trace the implication of the matter even to 3^rd, 5^th effects and able

to speculate further though, the further we go it become a products of Imagination, or

pretty close to a Delusion.   (As a matter of fact, most of the speculation is nothing but a

delusion and the rest of only few, happen to meet the probability. —- Yet I wouldn’t totally

reject the facts, some people could foresee this probability in amazing accuracy.)

—– So, when a bill dropped on front of you, how you handle it ?     This bill is no delusion, and

a fact how much money you got, wouldn’t have so much grey area.   (Of cause, if you are

running a business, the money coming in, may have some uncertainty of timing, hence some

speculative juggling may be inevitable.   Still, a situation of unknowable wouldn’t give an

excuse to halt the whole business.   In a situation,“Can’t pay now” still, just keep a silence, or

send an excuse of delay, would make a big difference.)  

If ignored, it would come back twice harder.

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To live a life, “Don’t care” is one of THE attitude.   The way of Zen is the another attitude, and

I wouldn’t judge right or wrong but just show the resulting difference in efficiency to deal

with the Life.   Throw the bills to a bin and leave the payment until receiving a Red-bill, is

also a life-style.  Though, Zen chose the way, responding it at once. Because, anyhow a due

payment has to be cleared soon or later, not mention additional Late-payment charge etc.  

Unless the amount is in millions and keep it one more day in the deposit account will create

thousands more interest, instead, just clear and see no mess, is the choice of Zennist.

Even just to open an envelope, tear it regardless if it could also tear the document, —– but 

Zennist use scissors. (For THE task to open it, take the neatest way.  NOT the least effort.)  

And to pay attention, whether to keep the envelope together, if the document was

back-dated.  (—– I had an experience to argue in the Court, for the serving date of a

legal document with the stamped date on the envelope as an evidence. !)

Zen approach is to make everything into a clearly sorted file, and make a way to handle

it to a fixed routine, and to deal with them automatic = no hesitation, no stammering =

hence nothing bothersome would be left.   Even if having a headache of juggling, still see

the balance on a clearly filed order would make the Life easier, otherwise see it among

the piled-up bills, notices and other letters etc., will make the life into a confusion.

It’s far easier to deal with it, one by one in the first place.   The more delay only makes

the pile-up higher and such situation makes one’s mental state only depressed more.

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Dealing the things with a rule, and make it routine would change the matter from

“personal” to “one of an item among the lots”, hence it became an object, and

separated from the Emotion.  = Because of it is under the rule = independent from your

whim, and the rule and the routinised process handles the matter = not your mind = this

is the Selfless state.  —– (In fact this is a well known situation, “the customer complained,

don’t handle me as a number but as an individual person”— still, in an aspect of

efficiency, the difference is obvious.)

With a superficial impression, you may not like this though, the Zen originated “Selfless 

work Ethics” has contributed to High-productivity and the quality in the Japanese industry.

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This rule and a fixed routine creates consistency in the repeated task, and makes 

a person’s brain “Selfless state” —– This phenomenon is all common in the Tea-making or

the handling of clerical work, even the car-making — in fact all the human activities.

—– Behind this phenomenon, there is an crucial tendency of the brain. = Our brain has a

threshold of signal intake = if the same input has been repeated, the brain start to ignore

the signal and respond to it as a pattered routine without involving the Emotion.

It’s mean, when the brain handle a matter without involving Emotion,  the feeling of MINE,

or conscious of SELF  would not be generated.  

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All the sensory signal first goes to the Limbic System to have a reference from the memories

and anything related to one’s interest  (gain, loss, danger, comfort) was marked as significant

and the related hormone (if it was a sign of danger, Adrenalin) will be secluded to the

whole body to respond.  But if the signal has no such importance and repeatedly coming,

this process in the Limbic system would be bypassed. (Even though, the same bodily action is

still carried-out but “Emotionlessly”).  

Because of this Limbic System distinguishes and sorting the signal related to the SELF, if the

signal was bypassed,  one’s reaction would be carried-out without the connection to the

SELF, and the related hormone wouldn’t be secluded = No Emotion. — (Emotion doesn’t come

from a Thinking process, but mostly from a Mood created by the Hormone.) 

—– Therefore, when the brain was trained (through repeated practice) to bypass the process 

in the Limbic System, both  Subconscious of the SELF and the Emotion would be suppressed.

 —– And this phenomenon is the basis of

Lord Buddha’s teachings of the Selflessness (Anatman) and the origin of Buddhism.  In deed,

our brain, thoughts, mind is bothered by the interference from the conscious of SELF and the

Emotion, which creates Ego and the Greed and subsequently all sorts of the troubles in the LIFE,

Lord Buddha’s approach to utilize those Brain Function was a brilliant idea.   And without a

bias of Self, Ego, Greed and Detached Emotion, we can see the things much clearer

= We can see The Truth —– This IS, what Zen and Buddhism can achieve. 

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