Zen in Daily-Life

Don’t mistake this title as “Twisting leg everyday”.

Zen is to do something in a Selfless state of the mind. Twisting and sitting (supposedly while

meditating) is a mere practice to gain this Selfless (Mushin) state. —– Though, we are not

born for sitting but to do something to have active life, otherwise we have had extinct long

ago with starvation. So, even Eating in Selfless (ie; in Mushin, and in complete commitment

ie; Mindfulness) IS the Zen.   = This is the realization of what

Lord Buddha taught us = Anatman / Selflessness.

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To DO Selfless mean, DO IT without connecting the matter to the Emotion. = This is a state

of so-called Detachment. —– Everybody ever attempted to learn Zen, must heard the words

such as Mushin or Detachment, though, very few had been instructed how to learn it.

(Because in most of the case, their instructor had only an experience to have sat somewhere

in a temple, that all. Still, he is thinking that he had learned Zen.

So, teaching the same sitting  (and only sitting)  to others. 🙂

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The trouble of learning Zen by sitting is, even if the person (luckily) able to manage vacating

his mind while sitting, to keep this state of mind (whil doing other than sitting) is almost

impossible.   Because the mind had been accustomed to “Sitting and Do nothing” and make

empty Brain.   Therefore, TO DO anything else, the Brain and the Thinking will come back.

—– Naturally, to learn Zen in the ordinary situation, in a daily life is far better, as the person

can apply the same method and the state of the mind to DO another  “Thing”  as well.

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Such as to make a cup of tea. (In this purpose, DON’T take short-cut = make a tea from loose 

tea-leaf —– (this has the same concept as how “Tea making as a Zen practice” developed.)

The way I make a tea is :

Put a water to a kettle and shake it to wash inside and drain it. Put a water again to the

exactly the same level.   Switch on and wait it boils.   When the water started to boil,

switch-off (don’t wait automatic switch-off).   Pour the hot water (about half cup) into a

teapot where a tea-strainer and a tea-spoon is in.  (To heat-up them all together.)

Then take the spoon and tea-strainer out and make the spoon to dry.   Throw the hot water

from the teapot.   Then, put a spoon-full or two (according to the taste) loose-tea leaf into

the pot (heated spoon takes no condensation of the steam from the warmed tea-pot, hence

no tea lief would stick on it.)   Then pour the hot water to tea-pot.   Wait two minutes then

serve a tea. Put sugar or milk when I want.

(In fact, when I pour a tea to the cup, I add the (still) hot water from the kettle for next cup.

(I’m a chain tea drinker, anyhow.)   (Hot water was not as hot as before though, tea would be

brewed longer in the pot = it prevent the tea become too strong !

— Second cup doesn’t have fresh flavour though.)

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—– The process may seems too much details.   But they are all for a sake of good tea-making,

and to concentrate for this purpose IS the Mindfulness.

By doing the whole process always the same as THE Accustomed Form.

—– If you follow this, soon or later, you will gain the Formalized body movement and

gradually able to refine the details.   And soon or later you must be realized that you are

DOING all the process Just as a routine = without thinking and the process seemed to be

carried-out almost automatic.   It goes almost independent from YOU —– (As you know,

Do the same, again and again, you start to Do it without excitement, interest = No Emotion ! )

= Now the tea is ready for you to enjoy.   And it was made without your thinking (in Mushin)

and Detached from your Emotion, in other words, Without the  Conscious SELF

= You were in Selflessness.

Do anything in a part of daily-life in the same approach = DO only what you ARE doing

= Mindful Concentration to the only subject.   (nothing else in your mind)

And DO what that subject demand, in your best.  = This is the ZEN in the daily-life.

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= As you did the things, as good as you could, it’s mean “You may do better next time though,

what you have Done WAS the best on That moment = no regret.   (Regret can not change the

past, because the past has gone and the matter to DO better would be on the next time.)

= So, you can live the day without useless regret.   (You only can live, on its moment !)

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Key point is,

(1) Take it as if it is a Formalized procedure, hence you only Do it as if an imperative form.

(2) No short-cut and Do the best. (3) Establish your way and stick to it. (Stick to it though,

“Do the best”  has priority = the way to Do should evolve to even better on the process.)

(In fact, Mushin or Selflessness is mere By-product of this process = Forget them and just Do

what you got to DO = The matter is, you to DO it and only the result count.)

—– So, enjoy your Tea.      (While having the tea, think about, when you live in this manner

down to all the detail of the life, from the way to get-up from the bed – – – – – each frame of

picture to picture, you did your best = in total you had the best satisfying day, and next day too,

so does next year = in total, you have satisfying LIFE.  

As you been doing the best, others will know you are the most reliable consistent best,

because you are the Zennist.      What you wish more on your LIFE.

—– (without able to make satisfying tea, able to have satisfying day, you are far behind

of even start to talk about Zen,  let alone Enlightenment.    

But when you achieved to make a good tea, and had satisfying day, year, life = then,

you don’t need to have any Enlightenment on top of your life, since you already had one.

—– Life has full of funny paradox.  😀

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This was the reason why, when the Zen Masters found their Enlightenment,

all uttered “It’s a dog shit” = after all, all of us walking completely in Selfless Mushin

= nobody need to think how to move the legs.   We were born, able to live Selflessly

= So, it was explained as “We are born possessing the Dharma” which enabling us

to Live without relying on to the Self.    In fact, The Conscious of SELF is obstructing us 

to Live Selflessly.  —– When the Master discovered  this,  after spent years of practice,

he was annoyed to feel ( as the years had been wasted,)  hence    “What a dog shit”  😀

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No Word = Strongest Teaching !

Wikipedia is a very convenient place to see the world, even about Buddhism.

Not necessary because it shows the truth but shows the current situation of Popular Belief.

Funny though, it often says “Citation required” — in Buddhism this is THE most blatant irony.

Understanding in Buddhism came from not because it was written. It always come between

the lines. —– Don’t believe what was written but you have to think yourself.

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In Buddhism, such as the strongest denial or the things which is not exist was not lexically

expressed.   So that, the matter was often over-looked or even mistook by the people who

only follows what was told or read.

Like a famous episode in the Vimalakirti Sutra —– To answer a question of “Oneness” (how

totally mindful to the subject) Vimalakirti utter no word, and its silence hit the audience

like a roaring thunder (so the scripture said).

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—– (If you couldn’t get it) = Think, such as in a situation of Sword Mastery, if a man using

the sword could see the situation, how he moves, how sword moves in the Objective View,

it’s mean his mind is separated and floating in the air and watching the situation in

distance = here, two Selves, one was watching and other was being watched, not mention

the independent Sword = this is far from Oneness.    When the conscious of using Sword

and the Hand(s) and even the existence of the Sword fused altogether and moves as one

unified force,  it is the Sword Mastery and the Master was in Oneness.  

(In Zen term it is Ichijo / 一如 or Fuji / 不二 )

—– If you are good in typing, you must know, when you were absorbed into its task =

not only the position of each key, but the keyboard, screen, even the draft paper has gone

out of your conscious but only a stream of each letters = your finger moves automatically,

completely out of your conscious.   And even your Brain was not in there, if the draft had

miss-spieling you just miss-type as it is = This is the Oneness = two Selves, Observer and

be Observed, in fact, THE SELF itself has been totally disappeared into the “TYPING”.

Therefore, no observer or conscious to describe it, nor description of Oneness on typing

could exist. —– (I can describe it because I myself is one-finger typist, still seeing other

expert, I can guess how it’s works from the aspect of Zen. —– still, I may be wrong. 😀 )

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—– So, there couldn’t be a description of Oneness.

= No word even from a wise-man Vimalakirti.    And, in the scripture, there was no

explanation such as what I wrote above ever existed, because able to write about 

expose a failure, that the one was not in “Selfless Oneness” = make a fool oneself.

This was also the reason when

Lord Buddha went out for a walk in a rainy night, he didn’t explain why, even to Ananda.

Because it was about the Selflessness = since the Self / its conscious was not there to

observe, there couldn’t be a word to describe it. = So that, there was no explanation.

(In fact, to teach Selflessness must be the hardest part, even though it IS the gist of Buddhism.

It can be taught only through a practice  (without type-writer !)  I wonder how many of the

followers could have managed to get it ? —– Still, as the tradition has been continued to

the Zen, it’s mean some had certainly mastered it and handed down the teaching !

—– but not by a word or scripture.)

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In Buddhism, a lots has not been written.   As, it meant to be a strongest denial.   Such as

Lord Buddha didn’t answer the question related to the “after life”.  Hence no explanation 

= it’s mean there couldn’t be any written record, hence no citation could be possible.

No citation indicates, no such things in the Doctrine of Buddhism.   And no word by

Lord Buddha ever existed since such matter has no worth to spear even a single word.

(Unfortunately, this situation had been exploited, knowingly or with sheer ignorance,

so many stories of “reincarnation, etc” had been fabricated.)

—– Yet western rhetoric wants to have a denial also has to be expressed,

and No-existence (it’s hard to explain what the Voidness is), has to be proved even

in the Wikipedia. —– It must be a headache to the author.

They can’t create a blank page in Wikipedia and put a comment  “This is Zen”.

(I wonder why not.   A blank page could convey as much as message written

in the same space.)     Ha ha ha.   😀

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Lost in a Process ? — or Tampered ?

A man was walking on a trail in the middle of nowhere and met

Lord Buddha.   He asked, is this the right way to go ?

Lord Buddha answered,  Yes I came from there. You just GO.

Anyhow it was only a single trail, nothing else. —– Does it mean

Lord Buddha “Taught him the right way ?” or taught nothing new ?

—–

The man was born to go this way anyway.   So that there may

not be any needs to ask. —– still having the words, it gave him

a confidence and a peace of mind.

He just kept walk, thence reached to the destination.

(But, if the man didn’t actually walk all the way up, or stray-away,

he got nowhere and remained in the middle of nowhere,

still wandering in a barren desert.)

—– Everybody was born to have Dharma.   Therefore, unless

stray-away from the trail, but kept walking, everybody can

reach the destination —– where it was called Nirvana.

So, Lord Buddha told a man ” Just Go” — since it was a  way to

gain Selflessness and to reach Nirvana.

(Remember ?  Kisa Gotami’s story ?)

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Though, in reality very few did, since even fewer ever met

Lord Buddha, so that most of the people got the direction from

others who said walked it before.    And the another trouble was that

so many had took wrong turn, hence wrong trail had been

marked on the ground which was misleading the people to stray-away.

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Lord Buddha’s aim was to save the people from

“A delusion of Samsara” = The idea of Samsara  WAS  the very delusion”

though, later, the Teachings were mistaken to “Save from Samsara” on

the assumption of “endless cycle of rebirth = Samsara exists” because

the Hindu idea of Samsara was almost a common-sense THEN.

(During 400 years of oral tradition, gradually

the original contents of the Teachings has been changed to

“Buddhism IS based on a belief of Reincarnation”—– because of

this, the later attempt to revive the origin such as “Selflessness” 

became a contradiction = “If Selfless / Anatman was true, who is going

to be reincarnated ?  = and it was misinterpreted as a self-sacrifice.

—– There was absolutely no concept of “After life” in the

Lord Buddha’s teachings. = He didn’t even bother to give an answer to it.

(Able to answer mean, such idea was exists in the mind.  But because

there was absolutely no such notion, even no word exist in his mind.)

Or the Words to clarify “No after Life” was intentionally removed from

the oral recitation, because it contradicts a popular Hindu belief =

People must have thought “Such Enlightened wise-man wouldn’t have

had said such silly things against  a common knowledge of Reincarnation” ! 

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But if Lord Buddha’s teachings were the same to Hinduism, why people

specially come and seek a liberation in his teachings ?  = Because,

Lord Buddha denied the reincarnation, it’s mean no previous life which

would impose a Cast to next life exists.  Hence there was no Cast system in

the Original Buddhism.  

Cast is a part of Hindu Samsara idea ! —– Denial to such idea was the

Lord Buddha’s very distinctive and revolutionary new teachings.  

(The idea of “Re-born while carrying the Karma of previous life IS the CAST”.  

Denial of Perpetual Soul (Self) = No Self to be Re-born, hence NO CAST.)

—– You have to see the truth in the historical fact.

Think yourself.  Don’t believe the scripture blindly. —– Remember,

Lord Buddha reached to his Enlightenment without reading any scripture !

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What Buddha found

(According to the Scripture which Yoshizen found in the Dragon’s den in South London.

—– the Authenticity is more or less the same to any other Buddhist  Scripture )  ;-D

After 6 years of ascetic hard practice which was based on the Vedic concept, “With a

concentration of one’s mind = Atman can reach to the level of super natural power”

which is, of cause, on the belief of that the Atman exists. —– but to realize, it was not

suit for him, and left the ascetic practice, and having nursing his weakened body,

Gautama Buddha suddenly noticed that, while eating a milk-porridge offered by a

village girl Sujata, his mind was completely empty. = no mind or conscious was there.

It must had shocked him and made him realized that we’ve been doing a lots of things

without having any thought or conscious. We all are walking without thinking how to walk.

Facing this undeniable fact, he realized that the belief of Atman was utterly false.

What makes us to live, and walk was not the Atman but invisible Dharma.

Atman is not exists, and if we remove the mind or thinking and make it empty, the Dharma

which has been masked by the mind will prevail.

—– So, he tested this, sitting under the Pipal tree.   And after 49 days when he run-out of all

the thoughts, the mind became empty, hence, without any pre-conception and with the

clearest eyes, he saw the world as it is which is the sign of the Dharma.

It was the moment of his Enlightenment.

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Then he gave a thought, why the same man who had been believing the existence of Atman

now seeing it is not exists.   If really Atman exists, same Gautama must see the same Atman

still here, but the fact showed, it is not.    It changes moment to moment.

When things changes, others change as well with direct, indirect connection and this makes

the Dharma dynamic.   Hence, nothing stays permanent.

But it is the paradox, to be the Dharma it should be permanent. —– what only persistent in

the Dharma is, its nature of change, not the appearance.   Appearance is just a transitional

illusion on our eyes.   And our eyes were also attached to this transitional existence, us,

which we can not even define it is existing or not, because the one who try to define it,

is not a consistent existence either.

So the situation, which can only be describable is, the changing nature of the Dharma which

got a mechanism of Karma, which drives everything change, moment to moment,

that nature IS the Truth.

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It’s means, “No rigid existence of Atman, let alone its perpetuity, hence No Self, the Self what

we imagined”, everything is Void.  And the Dharma and its mechanism of Karma are all

invisible and unknowable because they may also be Void.

—– Yet still, we are here, there is no choice but has to accept this Truth.

When you can not beat, better join them, be flexible.   This is the Enlightenment.

It is not a kind of jump and dance discovery, but neither need to be depressed, because, this

is what we are and our situation is.   It’s mean, we neither need to worry because, our worry

itself may be yet another illusion, and anyhow we are here only in this moment in only one life.

And we are here because the Karma caused us to be here, there must be a reason which

we can not know.    We have to accept and respect the Dharma.

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And an essential wisdom to deal with this situation, —– to deal with almost invisible Dharma

and the Karma, we have to see them as it is, with transparent perception, never with

coloured glass, in other words, in Selfless clear eyes.   In Selflessness, in definition, there is no

Ego or Greed either. Since, the owner of Ego and Greed is not exist.

Therefore we have no possibility to loose anything = We will be in total freedom = We can have

totally liberated life, free from any delusion.

So, Lord Buddha started to teach the way to obtain this Selflessness.

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(Note : It is crucial to see the formation of Buddhism in an aspect of historical situation.  

It was a time when the Vedic belief was gradually taken-over by the new Hinduism.  

A religion of mostly just worship and make rituals toward the Vedic Deities (hence, ordinary

people were just by-standers) to a religion which is taking a personal account in each Karma

and perpetual cycles of Reincarnation (Samsara) = Hinduism, which horrified the people with

a fear to be trapped in a cycle and even born again as a beast.  

Lord Buddha urgently needed to to give an answer to those people and liberate them from

such deluded idea by teaching them that the reincarnating soul = Atman itself is not exists

hence the one’s death will be the total end which IS the Nirvana.

No-Self / Selflessness / Anatta / Anatman was the centre of his teachings.  That was why when

Lord Buddha was asked a question (again) “What happens after a death ?” or  “After a death

where the soul goes ?” He was so annoyed and didn’t give an answer.  —— On the scripture,

his personal attendance Ananda asked him “Why didn’t give an answer” “Because, it would

confuse them” = If this scripture was true, even a closest disciple haven’t understood the

teachings, or most likely  the writer of the scripture didn’t know what the Buddhism was.

(on that time the original teachings had already lost !) 

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—– It’s sound strange still, it is quite common tendency of the Karma, people who afraid to

get injured get injury.   (May be because, the person who had no fear was more agile and

able to see and avoid a danger = the same tendency appeared everywhere in the life.)

There are endless list of the paradox in the Life. = They are definitely making the life FUN.

And this is the secret to live happier peaceful Life.

So, this is the Enlightenment.

___/\___

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Selfless = Anatman = Sunyata = Voidness

As I wrote in the previous post “No Teaching ??? ”, what

Lord Buddha was teaching was no other than the state of the brain “Selflessness”

such as when a person was completely absorbed into an action or practice.

(Though his approach to put emphasis on meditation may not be the best way.

==> So that many different methods was invented later).

But unfortunately, this neurological phenomenon and his Teachings has not been

correctly understood and kept by his followers.    The reason was, as I wrote, it was

not clearly explained even to the immediate disciples and not all the disciples

necessary understood, let alone actually reached to a state of Selflessness. 

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This history has been reflected to some tradition, such as that the Theravada sect

who is keeping rather ancient form of Buddhism define the “Voidness” = Sunnata is

pertaining to the Selflessness / Non-Self = Annatta, and this Annatta is in fact, no other

than the Sanskrit, Anatman.

Lord Buddha’s teachings had the fundamental stance against the Vadic Atman.

Therefore, it was NO-Atoman = Anatman. —– It showed, in the original teachings, there

was no separate notion of Voidness, because the feeling of Voidness = Detached view to

the world was a part of the Selflessness or Selflessness itself.

(The one who really possess the Selfless-eyes knows this.)

Because, when the Emotion was disconnected, and feel everything were detached, the

stimuli to any 5 senses doesn’t have significance —– it exists though makes no difference

as if it was not existed.   Hence, didn’t need to specially talk about so-called Voidness.

(People who naturally acquired to speak English, as born in England, doesn’t excite or

talk about it.  But foreigner who newly became bilingual tend to show-off that he can

speak English. = A person acquired Selflessness through long practice, doesn’t feel of

the Voidness anything special, since they gradually came together and feel nothing

that they are the separate phenomenon —– in fact the person doesn’t even noticed

such a phenomenon, either Selflessness or Voidness ever existed in the mind.) 

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The history of Buddhism was the masquerade of sham Guru who pretended to know the

Lord Buddha’s teachings = Selflessness. —– As, there was a hear-say, the attribution of

the Enlightenment (Selflessness) is such as “Middle way” or a “Detached view = Perception

of Void” —– Those Guru pretended that they know the subject, and deployed the argument

while writing yet another script about “Middle-way” or “Voidness” simply they saw the

opportunities to become famous and rich.     But in fact, some of them were Tantra, or

mixture of Hindu and as they were using their more familiar knowledge to describe

Selflessness and Buddhism, = Buddhism deviated so much.   In fact some of them became

beyond the recognition from the original teachings and end-up almost like the Hinduism.

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Fundamentally, there couldn’t be any argument or needs to discuss the matter of

Middle way or Voidness, even the Panya Paramita as a separate phenomenon, since

they are naturally attributed to the same state of Mushin or Selflessness

= Psychological Phenomenon is Just one.

(A man in ill for caught cold shows the symptoms such as “High temperature”

“Headache” “Coughing” etc. so that to deal with “High temperature” alone and

dip him into a cold water wouldn’t help him. :-D)

People who doesn’t know the whole, in its totality, picking-up a superficial distinctive

feature, and talking in loud voice, pretending that he is The expert. Is exactly like a Theory

of Economics = use one monetary index, and try to describe whole economical trend.

Or mimicking the fashion of a star, and buy the same handbag, use the same buzz-word.

All those are the sign of “This person doesn’t know what he is talking about”.

Still, the trouble was that to the eyes and the ears of people standing by, who knows

even less, think those sham Guru looks, sound, great. —– The sensational new fashion

trend with buzzword of Voidness and the thousand of new-Buddha etc.etc. those new

concepts in Mahayana scriptures were made-up in this way.   (But don’t get me wrong

I’m not against everything of Mahayana, as it opened the more flexibility and the

way of free thinking which is the essential to the Zen mind.)  

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The worst was Nagarjuna who boasted that he brought back the scriptures from the

Dragon’s cave in the sea bottom. = What a shameless braggart. —– If you see it in

cool head, you may realize that he was a kind of sham doctor, a salesman selling dubious

beauty portion.   And selling new buzzword of Voidness, exploiting the ignorance of the

Buddhists who doesn’t know what was the

Lord Buddha’s original teachings.    (What Nagarjuna said, such as in the Panya Paramita

Sutra was not necessary wrong, and the funny paradoxical phrase was the attempt to

express the complexity of the human mind (co-existent Conscious and Unconscious mind)

though, to put such emphasis to Voidness alone was an indication of that he didn’t have an

own experience of the Selflessness (cut-off  Emotional Region / Hypothalamus in the Brain,

hence the things and the matters were seen remote from Self-interest) = he didn’t know

that the Selflessness and the voidness was not separate phenomenon.

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To describe what’s going on inside of our body is not easy,

not mention inside of the mind, even to

Lord Buddha, especially, subconscious is invisible. —– Hence he was very reluctant

on the beginning (so, the scriptures says). That was why

Lord Buddha invented the way to teach direct, without resorting the verbal explanation.

—- though, some were worked, but not everything. So that, many different understanding,

interpretations were bore out, not mention convenient use of the term or notion even the

Divine figures from other religion.

When the person was in Selflessness, there is no need to have a Divine figure to worship.

Selfless hence with Dharma IS its state.  Dharma is there together with

its mechanism of Karma. = It is not for worship but to live with.

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—– Of cause, the situation is more or less the same to me, I never seen how a

visual signal running from my eyes to the brain, = only guessing it must be like a

PET Scanner’s screen showed us.    Still, as we know now, how the brain works on the

process of thinking, feeling etc. and we are able to shed the light

to the matter “What is the Selflessness” of which

Lord Buddha pointed out as the way to deal with Life’s problematic situation.

Now is the time to elucidate and Re-construct the teachings of

Lord Buddha to its original form. —– using today’s term = talking in a style and the

words, matched to the occasion and to the audience was the tradition started by

Lord Buddha.    😉

___/\___

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No Word, No Teaching ???

There is a well known quotation in Buddhism   “In his 45 years of teaching,

Lord Buddha didn’t give even a single word”. —– Even as a metaphor,

this words could explain the most crucial truth in the teachings of

Lord Buddha.

(After 4 years I blogged here = this practice has been my equivalent of facing a rock wall

to sort out the conflicting notions and the words in the scripture, and on the end, I came

to the conclusion.)

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A trouble of Buddhism is that there is no authentic written “one teaching”.    

Even the earliest scripture, Agama Sutra was created 200 or more years later, thence

virtually all the 3,000 Buddhism scriptures were compiled on hear-say and guess-work.

(still the author may say “My understanding of the True Buddhism”)  

And on top of this,  it was a well known fact that

Lord Buddha,s words seemed to be different ocasion to ocasion and it was depend on

to whom he was speaking. —– So that, what I’ve been doing was, picking-up the pieces

among the mountain of disassembled parts and to re-configure the most likely the

original picture. (You may say, I also doing a guess-work) 😀

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Considering this Quotation “No teaching” together with other stories such as Kisa Gotami’s

mustard seeds’ story and a story of Churi Pantac (Shuri Bantoku) sweeping the garden, and

on top of those, “Going out on rainy night” (Test of Selflessness) story.

There was no explanation of why or what could be achieved by doing so, was given by

Lord Buddha. = It must be the teaching of “Think it yourself” though, is anywhere the

explanation why need to think yourself, was ever explained ?    By thinking it, (but thinking

in the subconscious level ! ) the one can reach own understanding which would lead to the

own Enlightenment, as the Enlightenment couldn’t be given or taught by any other person,

the one has to find it. (external communication hardly touch one’s subconscious.)

(It is completely different from “Believing the Gospel”= Belief is to firmly memorise the

Pattern, but not necessary know what to do with it, since implanted memory is a

foreign substance) = Because the very process of finding out, is a part of the Enlightenment

(This process is to Re-program the Brain and cut-off Emotional Region to handle a situation

= hence, without an involvement of the Self.)    Thus, to teach it in the words would spoil the

purpose of ths teaching itself. = Teaching in Words would only create a memory, but Buddhism

need to change the personality from the subconscious. —– While fully aware of this paradox,

Lord Buddha wouldn’t have explained the effect of the practice or what is the aim of it,

instead, only gave an instruction what to do.   He didn’t give-away the trick and the goal.  

In this extent, he didn’t teach but just gave a Task.   And while doing it, the person can reach

and gain a state of the “Mushin” and  “Selflessness”. —– Observing the person’s progress,

Lord Buddha must have given further instruction what to do next,

and where is the point to watch, but not what to think or why / the theory.

( Practice  can be done purely subconsciously  (in Mushin)  but the Word  ( = Categorized 

notion)  couldn’t be operated away from the highly conscious brain activities.)

[]

A crucial point in Buddhism IS there is no promise of salvation BUT “Save yourself by

reaching the Enlightenment by yourself” —– otherwise, Life is suffering, getting ill,

get old and die. = very blunt message. = (Very Un-Religion like message in deed, since

Buddhism is a teaching of Truth, not a false hope or pinky illusions.)   And all the

8 right path etc are what you do.   Not what to believe. In fact, all those “Do what” are

obviously in the common sense.   Nobody would suggests otherwise.   So, there are no

fancy ritual but simple practice = matter is not what or why, but Do.

Lord Buddha might actually told those words to his followers, but no words of why to

Do it = because, no matter of what, but actually Do it unconditionally then

what would happen = Was the teaching.

[]

So that when you do, just DO without thinking,

without questioning, it’s mean in Mushin, was what

Lord Buddha taught, NOT a complicated reasoning or mythical story which only exists in

abstract notion = Delusion.    “What we can DO (include the thinking) without our lexical

conscious = in another word “DO it subconsciously” is the Core of the teaching.

Lord Buddha must have taught how the Karma (cause and result) works in each moment,

such as behind our eyes how the nature is interacting, and all sorts of the physical

phenomena, almost like a science teacher, and taught this is what the Dharma is.

But strictly remained within the rationality and on the facts.

(even though it was in the 2,500 years old standard).

[]

Since we can do, we can live, without conscious (in deed as we are walking without

thinking how to walk or we are thinking without us noticing it.)

“In the truth, SELF is not a real existence but only an imaginary existence = The Self or

Atman in Vedic teachings is a false”.   Therefore the teaching couldn’t be based on the

lexical thinking which is a product of the conscious Self. —– The paradox was that the

teaching was “to become and to live Selfless”. = How to teach and learn the Selflessness

without relying on the product of the Self / Word and the notion. —– Only a way to

learn “To do without thinking” is just watch the way to DO, then Do the same.

[]

To teach or to tell in the words, “Do it without thinking” is the same as to tell

“Tell me that you are sitting in silence” 😀 —– So that,

Lord Buddha just asked the followers to follow him and do the same.

The followers studied by just watching and learned by just Doing.

By just keep Doing, the followers get used with it, and reached the mind-set to Do

and Live without conscious of the Self.   (Without conscious mean, it is not only in

Mushin but be with the Karma of its Moment, in another word Ichijo / Oneness with

the subject or ultimately with the Dharma.)

[]

So that, the teachings were not in the words, hence, it sound as if nothing was taught.

But that was what Buddhism was in the original form. —– And this was the very reason

why the tradition of “Teaching by Heart to Heart, without relying on the words”

(教外別伝，不立文字，依心伝心)  has been kept in the Zen teaching.

(= Just DO the work. Soon or later you will learn to do it automatic/Selfless.)

Yes, Lord Buddha has taught.  In a way NOT taught anything at all.

So, the quotation was correct.

___/\___

[]

 

Google Search

It seems that from the eyes of Google, I may fallen into a category of the least useful

data in their business.    Despite the fact that the owner of WordPress (is Google)

putting quite big companies AD into my blog and making money, still my own  “Profile”

and ID are useless such as my Mail address, user name on Youtube, not mention this

very Yoshizen couldn’t be congregated to one ID.

To define the ID can make the Person (with all the associated Information, even oversaw

history of search record, the contents of Email) as a clear target of AD = convincing

profile to target an particular AD to a potential buyer of their product.

Not only my ID but also the theme or contents of this blog is too wide-spread = hard to

define the main subject, not just peaceful Buddhism, not necessary the Art, or simply a

Photography —– and why the strange Cooking here ? ? ?

[]

Until a year ago, to find my post by Google Search was very easy, just type search-term

such as  [Tree of the Life],  [Bodhi-tree] etc. would lead to my post on the first page of

Google list, if not on the top, reflecting the number of hits of which people has made.

(It was automatically done by their Search-engine algorithm.)

Then Google has changed it, and [Tree of the Life] [Bodhi-tree] were disappeared and more 

commercial items such as selling books or an AD of a Tour visiting India got the priority.

It seems, [Cooking Daikon Zen] is still coming up on top of Google-search though,

the other one such as  [Cooking aduki-bean Oshiruko]  which used to came on top too

had almost completely disappeared while showing thousands of other items which got

just a single word [aduki] or [oshiruko] even contain just [Cooking].   Otherwise, only

searching by  [Cooking aduki-bean Oshiruko Yoshizen blog]  will show my post.

Read a screen shot above “ No results found for Cooking Oshiruko Yoshizen Blog”  looks

very funny isn’t it = their automatic search algorithm couldn’t see the title of my post.

— Really ?   (What sort of manipulation behind here ?)  😀

—– Is this because of they thought I’m not a profitable customer (who isn’t very cooperative

for their business term.) ?    Regardless, a quality of the information of which my post got.

(Please read it = How do you think — and try to test the  Google-search  by yourself =

you may see,  next target could be you.)

[]

Funny fact was, when I found that the Google Image was showing the miner picture of

[St.Lucia] laying on the sand (?) instead of the main figure which was receiving lightning,

I mocked them “Haven’t they got the eyes to see the Art ?” and posted the photo on Google+

(as I suspected that the people who didn’t join G+ may be getting a raw-deal )

—– then the post [St.Lucia] started to came-up on the top page of 13,700,000 items on their list.

—– Why funny wire figure came above much more important picture of the religious paintings

of the old masters’ in the museum.

This signified the fact that the Google listing was not operating neutrally by the

automatic algorithm like what they says, but by the people who got a certain intention.

Google might be aiming to become the force in the “Big brother’s System” = The Ruler

though, it is a direct confrontation with the Dharma / Law of the Universe or just

obvious common sense.  

Who do they think they are ?    Are they thinking, they are the auditor of the world ?

[]

PS :  Yet more funny story was, after I’ve put this post, my friend who tested this, found

that my post  [ Cooking Oshiruko]  came back to the top page again.  😀 —- Who is watching ?

[]

The company who cross the line to become too greedy seemed to get a punishment of the

Dharma.   Such as a company even I, a small man on the street disliked because of their

over-stepping business practice,  get their own cause boomerang-back.

10 years ago I really hated Microsoft. —– Then, they tumbled down, being accused of their

monopolizing business practice.   And the Apple who I really hated, saw the same fate.

( remember what happened to Steve Jobs.)   It seems this is the turn of the Google —–

I’m very very interested in to see what would happen to them.   😉

(It may not necessary come from the front door straight to their business tactics such as

from the rival businesses, but it could come even from the back.)

(PS:  Funny coincidence —– I just found this article in the Wall Street Journal =

Yahoo tops the net traffic over Google) = When I think, everybody think the same too !

[]

In principle, the Dharma should be the all the existences which is in the invisible “Void”

without having Self or its own mind.

It is like a huge machine operating in rational interaction, —– though, in its invisible

unknowable part of the Dharma still seems to have a will to determine our fate.

Though, this “Will” kind is not whimsical or impartial, but simply tells wrong is wrong,

right is right —– to the larger and longer term extent and to the balance of whole Universe.

Because we human-being is too small to know whole extent of the mechanism of the

Universe, we have to leave it as unknowable still, simply it is “Yet we know the whole”.

We are discovering more and more, still we never found anything irrational =

everything down to the sub-atomic particles to our mind mechanism still keeping its

rational cause and the effect linkage. = nothing bore-out from nothing miraculously.  

So, simply, when we (even a company) did something wrong, it creates a distortion in

a balance of the Dharma ===> causing repercussion which we called Punishment.

This mechanism is the System Principal of the Cause and the Effect,

the Linkage mechanism which was called Karma and they are the very Teaching of  

Lord Buddha.

___/\___

 []

Grown-up with Pain

It seems the Politicians are arguing about yet another law to deal with “Dangerous Dog”

after many cases of the children (even Policemen) were attacked, even by their family dog.

[]

To my eyes, there lies a fundamental problem of our society’s attitude toward the animals

and the nature in general.

I’ve seen a very small child run to cuddle even a big dog which is somebody else’s dog.

May be as a civilized people, we should be friendly with animal etc. though, animal is

the animal for ever.  May be thousands of hart-warming story of the friendship between

human and animals, though, we shouldn’t forget that we are only a part of the Fauna,

and other part of the member never belong to us, let alone dictated by us.

Our apparent dominance is just a superficial pictures.

[]

Be friendly but cuddling them like a Soft Toy is totally different matter. —– have you

ever seen the dogs hugging each other ?   Or does cats do it ?   Only Primates hug !

Even if it is familiar picture to a dog, suddenly a small child who’s smell is totally

unknown, come close and start hugging, the dog react their own way —– could

bite-back, scream and the smell of blood only excite them.

We shouldn’t mistake, “Be friendly” doesn’t mean “THEY also act like Soft toy made

by human” — we need to distinguish and treat them as another member of the Fauna

who could still be dangerous.

[]

Same misconception is in the education, publication etc. = with a sort of

“Humanitarian Ideas” = treat others as equal, not to be violent, etc. or talking about

not giving “Psychological Trauma” etc. (even seek a damage compensation against it).

(Worst is in Japan, in the children’s book all the fearful image of such as Wolf or any

Dangerous animal has been disfigured into cuddly cute “Figure” and even the

carnivorous Ogres became just another member of a democratic society!

(Ogre is the symbol who AGAINST the society = counter reference = they got to be bad !)

In the other hand, a Manga or Game Hero uses all sorts of lethal weapons to kill

enemies in the most violent way, was not checked.

So, a kids grown up without learning a pain (to the self = to the others) does the most

horrifying killing when he or she (these days, women has been committing really

dreadful killing = it seems they really found the equality) commits a murder.)

[]

NO! Grown up is a process to learn with Pain.  Its trauma is the basis of the imperative

memory “What we have to pay attention” and the teachings of DO and NOT DO.

—– We intelligent civilized people “can” understand what was told or written, is false.

The notice or warning was for the excuse of the liability of the Authority. = I told you.

(Please note, I’m not advocating a teacher, instructor sort, resorting with a physical

violence or harassment in order them to enforce their “idea” to the students.)

[]

Respect the Nature is to accept that they got their own Karma hence rightfully exists in

this Planet = Respect WHAT THEY ARE, not impose our idea such as faithful cuddly dog

or beautiful song bird etc.   To lean this without pain, it wouldn’t be sublimated to the

bottom of our subconscious, and reflect it to our behaviour or perception.

—– In most of the situation, our behaviour, perception were not controlled by our

civilized conscious thinking but invisible subconscious.  We only think after.

( —– by the way, I don’t intend to offend the unfortunate victim mowed by the dog.  

I really feel sorry for them. —– especially, me too, can’t get on well with the dog

= as, I’m a cats person. 🙂 )

[]

Mind in the Syber Space (and Under the Hormone)

There was a rather sad news on the radio that a girl committed a suicide after bullied on SNS.

In reality, it was only a line of letters on a screen, still we take it as a message from somebody

and interpret it in a certain context —– some time too seriously.

(And in this case it even caused a girl to hang herself.) 

[]

With Twitter accounts in my name  (though, whether they are “mine” or not is arguable since

they are created by somebody else. :-))  I used to receive a lots of direct massages to my Email,

of which most of them were saying  “Somebody spreading dreadful rumour about you ~> See

this”  or  “lol, I laughed so much of this picture of you ~> See this”   and lure to get virus or 

see AD —– (Though, I only guess, since I never ever clicked and open. I don’t know what’s there.

Then I set a filter “Twitter, Direct massage” automatically go to the bin.)

= The reason is that there is absolutely no possibility, somebody I don’t know can make any

serious rumour about me, or post a photo with my name on it (since, all of my ID is fake.)

Other reason is, if it was true, it must be a fun to other people = enjoy it yourself.

Make the world smiley place is a good things, why not ?

If anybody doing it on behalf of me, I’m very much thankful. 😀  

[]

To deal with Syber Space, I prepared to the worst scenario, hence I don’t give real ID as

much as I can.   As I got friends who are (were?) Anarchist, Hacker, (ex?) Terrorist, etc etc. and

know a bit of computer, I’ve seen a program which can generate all the combination of possible

Password and hack-in etc etc. = I don’t trust so-called Security at all.

So, if I got to do Net-shopping I use a bank account which got only just-enough balance left.

False ID to each registration prevents two information joint together.

(You know, First name + Post code can find “Who you are and the full address”. To add DOB can

access NHS data. From here, to hack-in to Banking data is just a matter of keyboard. etc etc.

—– And on top of those, such as Google is keeping all of our Net history in their side.

A hidden file of Picasa is keeping extract sample photos of naughty site you’ve visited.(not me) 🙂

—– search your HDD, [Photograph, Picasa, Information] or check ALL the files in your Picasa!

—- and those information has been given to the National Security.  You remember?  ! ! !)

We are completely naked in the Net.  = So, remember to use snail-mail if you are dealing with

something dubious.   Utilize a convenience of Internet, free of cost, having certain trade-off.

 

We human being is a social animal, and rather vulnerable existence, hence very susceptible to

the environment and the social-environmental condition.   Therefore, we were genetically

programmed to pay attention to others, though, to take other’s words too serious is a trouble of

the person who read it. = It is a juggling work.   To listen what other’s say might be important, but

in the same time, to detached from it, is also important.  Other’s words could be crucial though,

just put a distance and think “Who the person bother to send such a message is ? And what’s the

intention ? Hasn’t this person got anything else to do ?” = such observation will shed a light to

the situation. —– And much more importantly this detached mind-set prevent us

to be deflected by the emotion.

[]

Still, to take an other’s message in certain context is depend on the mind of who read it.

In a philosophical view, the things in the world is not really existing but only in the mind,

let alone such as a message in the Net. = It is an indirect-indirect flimsy existence.

And physically they have no danger. Just delete it.

And the Buddhists may not believe the Self is even a real existence = if the Self is not there,

why afraid to be harmed or lost in a Syber bulling.

[]

 Yet still, if you take matter in a mind too seriously, this article may show you the reality,

Mind is not a kind of Holy existence in a mysterious sanctuary.    There may not even be a

so-called spirituality.    They might be all in a delusion.

[]

The two faces of the “love hormone”

By Brian Dodson

August 6, 2013

Often called the love hormone, oxytocin has shown the ability to enhance social bonding,

decrease anxiety and encourage an overall feeling of satisfaction with life. A new study out of

Northwestern University, however, finds that this ancient hormone has a dark side, and is capable

ofstrengthening unpleasant memories, fear, and anxiety. This Jeckyll and Hyde behavior results

from the fact that oxytocin has a general strengthening effect on social memories, without regard

to their polarity.

Although discovered in 1906, study of the emotion-altering effects of oxytocin are still in their infancy.

Experiments on humans as well as animal models strongly suggest that oxytocin is associated with

pair bonding, social recognition, ethnocentricity (the “in group” effect), increasing trust, decreasing fear,

and even improved wound healing. An interesting example of this class of effects can be found in a

2012 study which showed that oxytocin caused men in a monogamous relationship to maintain

four to six inches more space between themselves and an attractive woman in a crowd, while

having no effect on single men.

Other, less positive properties of oxytocin dosage have also begun to be reported.

For example, a study from the University of Haifa found that the emotions of envy and

Schadenfreude (pleasure in another’s misfortune) were increased by internasal administration of

oxytocin. Further research suggests people with borderline personality disorder, whose major

symptom is a tendency to withdraw from social interactions, exhibit less trust when treated with

oxytocin. This was particularly true in those who were sensitive to rejection. Clearly, oxytocin’s

effects on people’s emotions are not as simple as originally suggested.

This new study from Northwestern University demonstrates that oxytocin is associated with

emotional pain. In increasing the strength of social memories, it may be the reason that stressful

social situations (bullying, abuse, ridicule, rejection) can easily be brought to mind long after the event.

The intensity of such memories can be such that the memory feels almost like living through the

original event every time you think of it.

The Northwestern study, carried out by Dunbar Professor Jelena Radulovic’s group, found that

during a stressful social experience, oxytocin is released and activates a part of the brain that

intensifies the memory. Oxytocin also increases the susceptibility to feeling fearful and anxious during

stressful events going forward. It seems likely that oxytocin also intensifies positive social memories,

but this has not explicitly been examined as yet.

Professor Radulovic’s study is the first to link oxytocin to social stress and its ability to increase

anxiety and fear in response to future stress. The researchers also discovered the brain region

responsible for these effects – the lateral septum – and the pathway or route oxytocin uses in this

area to amplify fear and anxiety.

The findings surprised the researchers, who were expecting oxytocin to intensify positive emotions

in memory, based on its long association with love and social bonding.

“Oxytocin is usually considered a stress-reducing agent based on decades of research,” said

Yomayra Guzman, a doctoral student in Radulovic’s lab. “With this novel animal model, we showed

how it enhances fear rather than reducing it and where the molecular changes are occurring in our

central nervous system.”

Far from a simple “cuddle hormone,” oxytocin appears to have the same complex interaction with

human health and behavior as most other hormones. While a good deal of progress has been made,

there is still work to do when it comes to to unknotting the tangled ball of yarn that is oxytocin’s effects.

Source: Northwestern University  —– The link to the Original article 

[]

PS:  If you are a hard-core Spiritualist, you may not happy with this kind of materialistic

view though, this view doesn’t conflict with Lord Buddha’s teachings at all. Far from it, 

Lord Buddha’s fundamental teaching of the Karma = Cause and Result is nothing but a

Scientific Rationalism.   Hence, when one dies, its mind, spirit goes with.  No Atman exists.

Nutrition of the soil and the water with plenty sun, the plants grows.

This is nothing but the science.  Hence, the Testosterone in a body drive a man to do the sex.  

So, here the Physiologists talked about how Oxitocin causes in our body and gives the effects

to the mind. ——  This is the Very mechanism of the Karma.

[]

Drawing with Invisible Force

[]

This is a wonderful watercolour drawing by Elene Caravela, which I found in her blog:

elenacaravela.wordpress.com      (Quality sake,  please see her Original Drawing there)

Elena has been one of the most prolific artist and the blogger who showed Watercolors, Oil paintings,

Photographs = very wide coverage of genre in very high quality work.

In the past year or so, I always impressed, even amazed by her drawings,

how her almost whimsical free blush strokes able to capture such vivid and also

realistic human figure. —– What is the secret of her creation ?

[]

To my comment and a notice that I want to re-blog —– she gave me her reply ;

[]

I’d be flattered Yoshi. I guess, I plan in my head a bit to make sure the figure will fit on the page

(mentally count out head size both vertically and horizontally, but really loosely).

Then see the movement on the spine and extremities. The force takes over.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t   🙂

[]

—– As she said, she might have given some consideration to the size of the

head etc. = here the thinking stops, then “the Force takes over”

To see her blush work, there is no hesitation, its quick movement some times creates even

the paint splash or drip. (in another piece) = blush and the hand moves perfectly spontaneous.

So, —— in such spontaneous blush stroke, look again the drawing above, = one blush stroke

perfectly depicted the body-line to the round bottom. — I guess, here not only the

direction of the blush movement, also it involved certain control of the pressure to the blush

and its twists, which determine the width of the line. (though, only a guess — I know the way how

to use curving chisels but not necessary the drawing blush 🙂 ) — all in the moment of one stroke!

This phenomenal control was done by the invisible Force, not possible by a human thinking.

[]

Spontaneity mean, there is no intentional control or thinking. —– This is nothing other than what

Lord Buddha taught = the state of Selfless / Mushin, therefore “The Force takes over”

= this Force is what Buddhists call the Dharma ! (or the Rules of the Universe)

The moment when the blush and the subject meet, the tension and the heat created

on that moment, drives the blush wild. = and creates dynamic impressive piece.

(consideration or useless thinking such as what others or market may think etc. spoil the tension

and the heat, hence makes the piece dull)

But Elena got perfect freedom not bothered by useless thinking, and I guess, when her blush was

driven by the Force, even she, herself may not able to control = blush got its own mind and move

almost automatically.    That is how she creates such impressive work = It’s wild, as it was driven

by the Force of artistic nature. 🙂     That is what the art of Elena stands out.

[]

By the way, don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying Elena’s work is anything to do with Buddhism.

Far from it, the state of Selflessness is one of the inherent human psychological nature.

Buddhism applied it to more general aspects of the life.   Not only the superb blush work, we can

achieve the superb life with it.  = Quite similar to that Love is not because of the Christianity, but

they applied it to much deeper spiritual level.

Zen Buddhism pushed the potential of Selflessness to its extremities.  

—– That is what the Zen Buddhism is. 

[]

Elena has acquired this state of mind while drawing / practicing again and again,

probably  tens of the thousands of  times.  Hence, the Buddhism using the same way of

the approach = practice it again and again until the hand started to move automatically.

= Hand moves automatic = without thinking = without self conscious = Selflessness.

In the  Selflessness, invisible force takes over.  This force is the Dharma. = Under

the control of the Dharma, phenomenal freedom and the result can be achieved.

This is how the  Selflessness in the  Zen Buddhism works.

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