TOMATO is DHARMA

A reader sent me a link of a page of Wikipedia [Dharma]  to educate me. 😀

Thank you very much though,  I might have seen this page before but didn’t like it.

The author of the page surely knew the meanings of the Dharma contains

mere things and phenomenon as well.

But he might wanted to make up the story looks more authoritative,  he emphasized more in the Rules side,

and only mentioned “Things”  and  “Phenomenon” just like an addition.

—– ” It was his Arrogance sir ” 😀

——

Don’t make the things and the life even more complicated with useless thinking.

Just open your eyes and look at a Tomato plant.(Provided if you have one. If not, anything would do the same)

—— Its green shoot, leaves, and although it’s under a soil and can’t be seen  but its root is there.

It’s just grow.  And going to yield beautiful red Tomato fruits (or vegetable ? —– you argue, not me  😀 )

( If you ever eaten  fully ripen real tomato in the sun drenched field,  you know how sweet its fruits is ! )

With your fresh eyes, just feel again.  Isn’t this amazing ?   How it’s grow ? How it’s exist here ?

To maintain its shape as a Tomato plant,  there is a complicated biological mechanism, —– determination

by its genetics, and the botanical, agricultural aspects such as the species, variety etc,  the growth

mechanism,  monocular-biology,  what nutrition,  what substance goes into their roots and converted into

what and makes its leaves etc etc.   It is a conglomerate of existence with rules and phenomenon.

—-

Without having this Tomato plant itself,  all those phenomena never taking place there.

So, why the Tomato exists in the first place and who is and why, you happened to watching this Tomato.

All together,  this,  before your eyes —– is The Dharma. (Which you need to pay a respect as well)

—– But, if you don’t have the eyes and the mind to feel it is amazing,  you may need to reset your mind

and the perception once, and start again to see the world, like a child saw it first time ever.

You may not as bad as the people believing that the Tomato comes from Tesco. 😀

This is why Buddha ordered  ” Think yourself ” —— refresh your perception.

To see the Dharma in its shape of a Tomato is the starting point of the Buddhism.

___/\___

—

YOU are a part of the DHARMA

The people who is thinking to know or believing the Buddhism, might be believing that

Shakya muni Buddha started the teaching of The Dharma.

You are wrong.

—-

The Dharma exist from the beginning of the time and the space. —-– or even before that and

may triggered the creation of this world itself.

And the notion of the Dharma has been existing thousands of years before Buddha.

In fact, an ancient word Dharma is a headache of the scholars and the translators alike, as its contains

so many meanings.   All the existences is the Dharma, and the Rules among those existences is the Dharma.

And the Rules and the Law are also the Dharma. —– it’s suggesting it was the long-established philosophy

to see the world, visible and invisible, the existing world is an entwined system of the existences and

the relations and the rules between them.   It was derived from the basic attitude to see the things not

just as a material but to understand them in a spiritual context.  Typical in the Eastern Philosophy.

It is more akin to the general theory of the Universe which can define from the sub-particles

to the life-cycle of the stars and the universe.

What Buddha found was mainly the relation and the rules between Man and the Dharma.

But as the Dharma itself is the Rules, what he taught was the way to see and follow its rules in the Dharma.

And taught his followers, to follow and live according to the Dharma, it is the way to attain the Nirvana.

——

As everybody born with the Dharma within ( of cause, since we are a part of the Dharma ) every body

should able to see and easy to follow it. ( provided, to see it with clear eyes and the mind. 🙂 )

So that, Buddha ordered his disciples to see and think it by themselves —– not believing what others

said or written.

—– Why, the reason was?  Because, the Dharma is invisible and deep inside of each person’s

subconscious, only a fully opened mind, without any disturbance of the thought in the mind

can see it. Listening, reading somebody else’s words need to think the meaning —– utterly opposite of

what Buddha taught.   Of cause, no-one can write down and listing up what the requirement of the Dharma.

No human being is above the Dharma.

Even Buddha followed the Dharma and accepted his Nirvana.

—–

As everybody is a part of the Dharma, everybody is connected each other and to the natures.

As if you feel the pain of the injured hand in your whole body,  the pain and the agony of the victims

in Sendai hit the other people,  even a Yakuza in Osaka,  and made him to drive a truck to deliver the

relief goods to the victims.  It was his spontaneous actions and nobody needed to persuade him to do.

Thousand of volunteers like him are helping the victims of the earthquake, tsunami and evacuees of the

destroyed nuclear plant,  simply because the compassion in their subconscious,  which is no

other than the Dharma, has driven them.

Some volunteers may be the Buddhists or other persuasions but not necessary all of them.

Its mean,  the humanistic compassion is not a monopoly of the Buddhism nor any religion,  but

the Dharma and its virtues are the common among the all the human being.

Buddha pointed out this fact, and taught the way to see and listen it,  since he noticed the

mechanism and the tendency of the Rules in the Dharma,  by his insight while in Mushin.

What makes the Buddha’s teaching unique was,  that he found an active process to reach the

Dharma by sharpening one’s perception by the practice.  The practice to silence the useless noise,

the one’s thinking which is masking the Dharma.

—-

Fundamentally the Dharma is Selfless as it is,  say the Universal Soul,  the Rules of

the Universe,  it doesn’t belong to or favour any individual.

And its Rules are for the continuation of the Universe,  not necessary for a single individual.

Therefore, to see and listen what the Dharma is aiming, the one has to silence his own projection.

In other words, the one has to know he himself is not a single entity, only a part of the Dharma.

In metaphor, there is no such things of the sovereign independence of the Nation of the Self.

Strangely you might think, giving up the independence can bring much more benefit to a  nation.

( Don’t fooled by a silly sample of a farce in the European Community and the troubled  Greece and the

Portugal etc,   EC is not the Dharma.    Ha ha ha  😀 )

Of cause, the power of the Dharma and its aim of continuity is far grater than an individual.   😀

Its power ratio is the infinitum against virtually nil.   Better forsake useless own thinking and let the

Dharma to decide —– this is what Buddhists calls the Selfless-Life  or  Life in Mushin.

In another metaphor,  the Cloud Computing has more power than the set of program in an individual

PC. ( —– though, I don’t like the idea of Cloud itself,  since Google is not the selfless Dharma.

There is no such things like free lunch.  Think while using free Google,  what we gave up to them ?

To them we are completely naked. What we are interested in, what we are searching, what we are

talking with my friend etc etc and made ourself to just a target of the  advertisement )

—-

Once the individual thinkings were cleared off,  one’s subconscious,  and the Dharma which

has been masked underneath will prevail.

And it allow a person to react instantly without the hindrance of time-wasting thinking or

useless consideration of Ego.

This is what the Zen Buddhism is doing and what you can achieve with it.

___/\___

—

禅仏教とは What is the Buddhism

This is the shortest explanation of What is the BUDDHISM, which I made to my friend in Japan.

——————–

これは日本の友人に送ったメールで、仏教とは何かを説明した部分ですが改めて読んでみると、

極度に簡略化した割に要点はちゃんと収まっている。

これは皆に読んでもらうのに手頃では？と、ポストに加えました。

—-

仏教的倫理観では、人間も含めた全存在は実は無限に広がり断え間なくつながった

「法（ダルマ）」であると理解しています。　個人が個人と見え、当人もそう考えているがそれは単なる

見かけで実体の無いもの。　（ましてその当人のエゴだ欲だといったものは当人の幻想、雑念以外

の何物でもない）－－－で、当人は実は全体のー部分、他の人ともつながっているから、ちょうど怪我をした

手の痛みが全身に伝わるように、仙台の痛みが大阪のヤクザにさえ伝わりトラックを駆って現地の救援にと

かり立てる。　それも坊主が説教してかり出した訳ではなく、全く自発的な行動です。

ーーーという事は別に仏教に依らずとも、元々これが人間のモラル、「法」として存在していたという事実です。

当然、救援に向ったトラックで石コロを運んだような馬鹿は居ない。自発こそは「法」であり、英知です。

例の倫理構造図式の、実在、真、正、英知、さらにそこから抽象された倫理意識や、具体的に

何をすべきかは人に言われるまでもなく、まして坊主に説教されるまでもなく誰もが解っている事です。

釈尊はこれを指摘して「法」がいかに全てをカバーし有効に機能しているかを説明しただけで、別に

[法]やモラルを発明して人類に与えた訳ではありません。（僕は単にそれを図式化して説明しただけです）

元々「法」の中に無我も慈善も含まれているのですが人間、我や欲、執着があって素直に「法」を

見る事、従う事ができない。　で、小乗仏教では細かく禁忌義務を列記して、

形の上だけでも「法」に従った、つまり悟りを開いたとされる人間を生産しようとした訳です。

しかし何百もの禁忌を記憶しそれにこだわりつつ生きる事自体が雑念ではないか？となった。

ここから大乗ヘの進化が始まった訳です。

—

「法」は全ての人間に（実は虫けらにも）元々備っていて雑念がそれをマスクしているだけだから

要は無心になれば良いーーーとは言うものの、それ程簡単ではない。

「精々努力しなさい。しかしムリしなさんな」というのが「中道」と言うもの。

極端に執着したり固定観念でタメにするのは別として人が人として自然に着想してやっていく事は

「法」の内と見るのが大乗です。 しかし、それならー流の職人が寝食を忘れて完璧を追求するのは何か？

あるいは連続強姦魔はどうなのか？ーーーなどというタメにする質問が出たら、

質問者をー発ドツケば即解決する。禅は明解です。

—–

面白いのは長年黙々と手作業をやって来た人、全く空しく水面を見つめて来た釣り帥などの中に

しばしば「ムッ、お主できるな」という人物がいる事です。ーーーで、この効果を意図的に再現するように

考えたのが、それぞれの宗派の「行」で、全く何の足しにもならない事を延々と繰り返させる。

初めは疑問や不平があってもいずれ思念を放棄し黙々とやるようになる。意図的に与えられたものでも

無心に遂行する心理、行動様式が定着すると余計な思考や逡巡なく物事を処理できるようになる。

ーーーーー（僕はこれを仏教の持つ第３のアスぺクト＝心理工学と呼んだ訳ですが）

（思念のマスクが取除かれると潜在意識の中にプログラムされていたものが反射的に出る。.しかし、

本人すら自覚していないものが何故そこに在るのか？ーーーだからそれが「法」なのだ、と説明する）

無心とは、一切の構えなく心を開く事でもありますから自由な発想を持つには最適ーーーで、

それをテストする為に僕は色々変なものを発想しては、それを作っている訳です。

実験心理学、実験仏教学と言う所以です。

ーーーーーーーーーー

___/\___   Yoshizen 拝

—–

SELF again ? ! ! !

One of my friend who is a believer of the Brahmanism sent me a link to the site showing a (long )

conversation between a Guru and a follower.

—– www.krishnamurthys.com/profvk/advaitadialoguepage1.html

—————

Gosh !  Is it going on to 1008 lines ?

It’s a good sample of 3~4000 years argument.

My blog having strange conflict about this.  And 2000 years still no answer was found 😀

The argument is time-consuming and on the end no answer —– so,

Buddha cut off the time-waster “No such things like the Self ”

—–Though,  the obvious trouble is — I’m still here,  Who Am I ?

In my Blog,  I’m saying True Self is in our subconsciousness but it is not the self but the Dharma.

And the apparent self — Self-conscious is false or self-conceived illusion.

Still, leaving murkiness — When enlightened man sees the ” Dharma let this hand move” and created

something ( by himself ) — whose hands did the work.  Undeniably it was the same, very man —– though,

he was working in deep concentration (abandon himself  / he was not even aware his eyes were watching

his work )—–there was no Self,  as he was in Mushin, state of the Mind of No-mind ).

———- Your Brahmanism, your Guru is talking about abstract definition of the Self —– but

Buddha was talking about mental-state / neurophysiology.

Because, Life is not in your abstract imagination —– but you actually need to DO and LIVE.

And when you can achieve much better result  “ Do it in Mushin ”  why you need to have

conscious of  Self / notion of  Self.

When a Bank rend you a good money, you don’t need to think about the financial system behind the banking

operation —– you just invest the money into your business and work hard.

—– Buddhism is the pragmatic answer, the best answer applicable to the real life.

Not for a philosopher. Buddha didn’t need to save the Philosopher / Brahman.

He wanted to save the real people.

—

By the way, those conversation is the long tradition of which even Buddha did it with his disciples, and

the origin of the Rinzai-Zen though, as you too might have found, it’s hard to read 1008 lines without

fallen asleep  😀

That’s why I’m suggesting ” Cut a lemon—> and learn Mushin ” 😀

———- Convinced ?  😀

—–

There is a story of Buddha attending to a man wounded by an arrow.

His disciples were wondering from where the arrow could have been shot, the material it is made of, who

could have shot it etc etc,  while the man was dying !

Buddha said  ” Gentlemen !   STOP !!!   Attend to the man first, before he dies  !!!”

This is Buddha’s revolution with respect to Hindu philosophy  😀

—-

I’m well aware except few differences, there is little distance between Buddhism Dharma and

the Brahman / Atman. —– Yet its argument wouldn’t help much to the human life.

So, I would concentrate pragmatic implication ” Just Do It ”  😀

Because we can’t create our life just by imagining it.  We have to LIVE, while we LIVE.

___/\___

—-

DISASTER in Japan

 

–

–

–

–

——————————————————– Here Everything was lost

—————————————————–anything remains is the HOPE

————————————————–and the WILL to Re-build the LIFE.

–

–

–

–

Seeing the Earth Quake and the Tsunami report from Japan is nothing but a heart-braking to me.

To see a photo of a flatten muddy field which caption says, There used be a town, its empty span of

nothingness shocked and made me wordless. Emptiness of almost perfectly flushed-out field.

—

It seemed, the western reporter, photographer prefer to pick up dramatically or even funnily

piled-up devastation. An orgy of destruction. ——— but to Japanese, as I am, it is not funny at all

nor the object to be amazed.

—

Another cultural differences appeared in the western media is, all the report found it is even strange,

the reporters unanimously says ” how Japanese can keep emotion in check and stays calm ?”

The emotion is the default feeling of the human-being, hence it is more or less the same to any

culture. Though, emotional expression is not instinctive, in other words, it is cultural.

Whether it is emotional or not, expression is a way of the communication, therefore even

an emotional expression is dependent on the situation.

—– there was an interesting psychological study and the video images of the small children.

When a small child stumbled and fallen, having a pain the child started to cry. —– You will think it is

a natural emotional reaction.

Though when the same child stumbled and fallen on the empty street where nobody else is in sight

( except a hidden video camera ), child didn’t cry, and stand up by herself.

This is the true nature of the human-being. —– communication is to appeal to others.

Having emotion is one thing. To express is other.

If there is no other person to help, no need to express. —– even small child knows this

and behave accordingly.

AAAAA

In the western culture, where the Ethos and the psyche was shaped in the cast of Judia-Christian religion.

In there, the God is a humanized image or notion. And the relation of the believer to

the God is one-by-one base. You have to stand before the God in person. Hence you have to talk or express

to him — otherwise you can’t to be heard.

Therefore, unless you express and assert your Self, you are not exist. And under this understanding

even a word expressed by a person may not necessary enough. Hence, a written contract became essential.

So that, express and express and make a claim is the basis of the psyche.

And as the relation to the God is one-by-one, when something happened, shout “ Why me “

AAAAA

In comparison, the Eastern God or the place of the mighty power is the Heaven,

or Buddhist’s  explanation is the Dharma. The rules of the Universe.

Regardless, whether you face it or not, believe or express yourself or not, you are under the Dharma.

As all the occurrences and the existences are in this Dharma or under this Dharma, hence even a huge

natural disaster may produced by this same Dharma, hence you can’t argue with it.

Nor there is no use to complain or express your emotion. —–  Shout and cry is no use. The matter is

just think what you can react to the situation. What you have to do the next.

And in the case of huge natural disaster, as the same fate has come to everybody, and as everybody

was created by the same Dharma, everybody has the same feeling and facing the same situation,

one crying wouldn’t make situation any better.

Thanks to Japan has very little foreign element in their psyche, everybody is sharing the same psyche

—– even to the people who was not affected by the disaster, they share the same pain,

hence the help started almost instantly. And no looting at all.

—

In the Buddhist’s explanation, this is the moment when the Dharma prevailed.

As everybody having the Dharma in them, when they sees the situation far beyond the human

comprehension, lost the word, hence lost any thinking, therefore the mind became

blank = blank open space = Mushin —> The Dharma, hence its nature of Charity and compassion prevailed.

And the Dharma is inside,  whether the police is there or not, no looting occure.  Since Dharma knows it.

—-

I only hope the people who had this disaster to recover and able to re-build their life.

( And in this given opportunity, Japanese can root out their rotten government and rotten policy in their

nuclear generating system )

___/\___

—

Self Denial — Self Sacrifice — Duty of Charity — MUSHIN ???

Self Denial – Self Sacrifice – Duty of Charity – MUSHIN ???

This is one of the most misconceived area in the Buddhist’s practice, hence I’ve been asked a

question again and again about the distinction.

Such as like a practice of one of the Buddhist’s sect in Japan, Ittou-en which I had mentioned some post ago,

which member is going around the town, asking household to let them clean their toilet.

This is the practice to learn Self Denial and the Self Sacrifice, and make people’s toilet clean may

seemed it is an act for other’s benefit hence it must be a charity. ( Though it seems quite patronizing )

I can see their point though, in the same time I would rather feel the intention with a pinch of salt.

If a practice to clean somebody else’s faeces could make a person humble and enlightened, the

people in India where particular job has been assigned to one particular cast ( or former cast ) should

have created thousands of enlightened holy man there. ( Never heard of it 😀 )

I’m sure, to clean somebody else’s faeces could destroy the person’s dignity still, not necessary it

destroys the person’s Ego. ( Ego is not dependent on the profession. Arrogance may be )

The more the required practice was dreadful, the more strong will and the determination is needed.

Unfortunately, this strong will, a belief of “ This practice should make ME higher noble person “

and “ I WANT to achieve it, I WANT TO ACHIEVE IT “ is nothing but an obsessive thinking.

Far from it, what Buddha taught was to DO the things without thinking, i.e; in Mushin.

The so-called practice is its formalized form of each sect.—– As everybody has unique grown-up and own

life history, even in the way of learning the same Buddhism, everybody takes different pathway and

as I described, there are three distinctive aspects how people related to the Buddhism, hence to learn

the Mushin, each person would take different approach and the steps.

Hence different expression, explanation were come up, such as Self Denial.

As a matter of fact, Buddha didn’t teach such things at all. What he taught was “ Self is not exist

from the beginning “ ( Since he took a stance against the Vedic idea of Atoman —– he saw it is the cause

of the trouble, as  it is the delusion.   That is why, he taught the MUSHIN / Mind of No-mind) —– though,

this is one of the hardest part in the Buddhism to understand. ( If anybody has able to achieve

the MUSHIN, it is almost the completion of the enlightenment. )

—–

History of the Buddhism clearly showed this fact, that even Buddha’s immediate disciples are not

necessary understood this. Hence the first few hundreds years, Buddhism have had the time

of Hinayana to Suppress the Self = Denial of the Self = Superficial mimicry of the MUSHIN.

To be in MUSHIN, of cause there is no SELF hence no EGO or Arrogance, Greed.

But try to achieve it from other way round, suppress the SELF first, not necessary works, because of 

a thinking of “Deny the self, deny the ego” is there.

———- As you are reading this, only your visual cortex and the brain to configure the word and

their meanings are working = you are not aware the existence of your eyes and

the conscious “I am READING this”. ——- You are reading this in your MUSHIN ! ! !

Buddha also against the practice to torture the mind and the body, therefore the Self Sacrifice is

not in his teachings. It was not the Self Sacrifice but as the ( Enlightened ) person doesn’t have

the Self, the person just react to the situation in the best way or necessary way —– it only happen to

be seen “ the person has sacrificed himself “—– but the person himself was Just Doing It, that’s all.

Same applies to a Charitable act —– “If the one is doing it with a conscious of I’m doing the

Charity, it is not the Charity “ —– so as the Enlightenment. Which occur only in Mushin.

This is the reason why, in the Mahayana Sutras, there are typical expression like “ Exists as not exist “

“Do as not do” hence, do the charity (or help others) without having the conscious of helpingothers.

Without conscious mean, without thinking, without having the

conscious of the Self = DO IT SUBCONSCIOUSLY / SPONTANEOUSLY.

—–

To re-discover the Buddha’s original teachings, Buddhists spent another five hundreds years until

the Mahayana was introduced. And with its new ( or original ) understandings, sacrifice the life

to get Enlightenment as an Arakan ( Arahat ) was rejected, since the matter is not a posture but to

be in MUSHIN, and to be in MUSHIN, anyone and any life-form can get enlightenment as the

Dharma itself is, in its nature. —– But the reason why Buddha remained as a Bhikku ( begger) was

very simple. He was not trained to be a farmer nor any profession, there was no way else to get food.

To have a simple humble life go round the town begging the food was enough for him (and to his followers

together ). It was his simple easiest life style. To live as a Bhikku he didn’t need to think neither. He just lived.

Therefore, to be a Bhikku is not a precondition to get enlightenment, it was just happened to be.

Buddha never accused to be wealthy and had no hesitation to receive their giving of good food and

he ate any food. A funny description in the Vimalakirti Sutra “ You have to mind to receive it from

the poor people as well, in order to give the same opportunity for them to offer the food ( Hence

let them to practice good deed —– for them to attain their Nirvana ) show the situation well. 😀

Buddha’s teaching to those wealthy people to stay modest ( Middle Way ) and the way of giving

in Mushin would lead them to have Nirvana without any danger to reborn to be animal ( Since no such things

of perpetual soul exist ) must be well received by them.

As it was the historical fact, the Buddhism spread and did grow having with the wide support of

the ordinary people. It is impossible to imagine that Buddha asked those people to endure a kind

of practice to sacrifice their life, let alone to clean the faeces in order for them to reach Nirvana,

as Buddha himself rejected the practice to torture the mind and the body.

Simply because Buddha knew, anything can be done in Mushin, and the Mushin has no Ego.

Anything can be done mean, the practice can be anything, hence it doesn’t need to be torturing practice nor

heavy self-denying act. Mushin can be achieved Not What the Practice IS or how to understand it,

but by the Mind-Set = Mind of Just Do It.

—

It is the easy practice, as easy as some late Masters described it as Dog Shit. And as difficult as

non of Buddha’s disciple could understand .

It seemed that Buddha did know the situation, hence he needed to order his disciples “Think yourself,

not just believe what you were taught” in his death-bed.

Its meaning of thinking is, not what the answer they would get, but the process and the effects of

thinking (and effort to figure out in practice) —– “Mushin has no Self, no Ego” was what they had

been taught. And they must have shown well copied practice what they learned from

Buddha.  But it was just a copy of the movement, not necessary in Mushin.  Buddha must be aware of this.

That was why he needed to give an order to his disciples. —–  It was an inherent short-coming of

having the master near you. You can get the explanation easily from him, then you satisfied as you

could understand it (intellectually). The trouble of Mushin is —– you can’t get it with an

understandings or any thinkings. You have to DO it to discover.

—– therefore, many hundreds of years Buddhists monks just argued the definition of Dharma or try to prove

whether the Self is exists or not.

But the situation like this provoked the mind of free-thinker. “What a hell, what are they talking

about ?” which made them aware, that the matter is not whether the Self is exists or not, but it lies

in the phenomenon, that we can do the things without the conscious of the Self, and it can be

done by anybody. ( hence Mahayana )  ! ! ! ” This must be the core, what Buddha had taught.”

This kind of observations never came from the monks who is just sitting and thinking, but from the monks who

are under-taking the chores  in the monastery or low-ranking monks walking and begging the food by himself.

That was the reason why, such observation became a noted idea and written-down to the Sutra took long time.

Yet still, they couldn’t go further than the description

of “Do the Charity without having the conscious of Charity” or “Do as not Do”.

Mahayana Buddhists only thought about the DOING side, not knowing how DO changes the mind.

And how this DO came out of one’s brain was completely out of their sight.

—–

To decipher what was the mechanism in the brain / to see the roles of the subconsciousness, took

another 2000 years. ( Until here )

I am well aware and confident, for you to read this post, this 10 minutes opened your eyes to

reach your enlightenment. ( You only need to open your eyes and the mind  🙂   )

___/\___

—–

Review of the Post

One of my friend gave me a review of latest post ” Third Aspect in Buddhism “ and said,

” You did a dissection of the Buddhism,  not with a scalpel but using a machete,  cut it open and

made its body visibly spread wide.” —– M m m, was it awful ?

Not necessary,  but quite drastic, nobody had ever attempted it before kind of action.

But, as it showed the Buddhism graphically spread open,  it made the people to position

where  they are standing about, and made them to see which direction is the next step to take.

———- It must be true.  As soon as I uploaded the post,  many Links were made and the access

was just kept growing and growing,  and so far made second highest hit among my posts.

And something amazesed me was, a day  before I posted

” Burden ??? ” and  ” Third Aspect –“, when I had bought top-up

voucher for my Inter-net connection, that notorious 8150 number

appeared in its top-up code. —– Its mean, Buddha did know what

I was going to do before hand, and telling me its importance.

I’m not a vegetated peace-loving Buddhist as I had no hesitation

to use a machete to cut open the confusion in the Buddhism.

But in the same time,  I still retain the attitude to bow the mystery of

the Dharma who seemed to watching me.

This is the Aspect, Buddhism as a Religion, and I keep my faith there.

___/\___

—

Third Aspect in Buddhism / in ZEN

If anybody has read my blog all through from the beginning  ( thank you very much ) may found

something different tone around the posts about Kisa Gotami and some posts following it.

You are absolutely right.  The posts around Kisa Gotami are about one of the main aspect of

the Buddhism —– Buddhism as a Religion. Religion to save the tormented soul. (And also

about the Intellectual snobbism  / Philosophy —– this is the Second aspect )

———- Though,  I’ve been talking a lot something different, especially in my early posts.

Yes,  they are about the Third aspect of the Buddhism especially strongly in the Zen. —– It is the

aspect of the Mind Engineering,  and in this aspect, so-called burden, the Self Denial having different

treatment —– since it is not for a salvation of a man but more for the achievement of the person.

—

Third aspect in the Zen is, as the word Engineering suggests, it may remote from the religion

hence it may seem Atheism, hence the person may not end up in the Heaven though, don’t worry

no such things over there. And even if you were reborn to a dog, there shouldn’t be any trouble as

no dog remember the former life or the name.  ( I never met any dog telling me his former life, so far 😀 )

To deny such deluded idea of the Perpetual Soul, therefore to deny the same person can be reborn

to a dog, was the starting point of Buddha.

Anyhow, before talking about after a death, to regain the sanity out of tormented mind is the way to

save one’s miserable life —– that is Buddha’s approach.

When a part of a machine was twisted and jammed, whole machine wouldn’t work properly.

So that before imagining what dreamy product the machine could make,  repair the parts and

adjust each part of the movement and make it works perfect,  is the first thing to do.

Same to this, to re-construct one’s life out of misery, has to start from a part to part, step by step.

Re-adjust the way to operate and the way to carry out the daily life —– and on the process,

to learn the way to see the mechanism, how they work together,  in what principle. —– and as

the result,  one can operates their machine or life perfect,  therefore

able to create perfect product / LIFE.

This pragmatic approach IS the Teaching of BUDDHA.

Hence,  in the Buddhism the practice is inseparable as it is the way to learn how to see and

to know the principle operating in there.  This principle is the Dharma.

———- So that, the Buddhism’s structured approach to the practice having the most effective

way and the wisdom to DO the Things and achieve the highest standard. ( To see the proof,

have look the Japanese products  😀 —– But don’t ask me why the products from other

Buddhist’s country are not necessary so. —– it’s really a good question  😀  )

—-

To see the way how the approach of the Buddhism ( or Zen )  can solve the question in a field of

to DO something, is the Third aspect in the Buddhism. In here, there is not necessary

tormented soul or miserable life,  the precondition of Self Denial having different aspect too.

Such as a case of a sportsman is the best sample, in there, it is the fight against the Oneself.

And its effect or the result doesn’t  appear anywhere other than in practice, it got

not much use for an intellectual interest. ” As long as you are thinking, you can’t do it “

—

On the end, the key element in all aspects of the Buddhism is the MUSHIN,  mind of no-mind.

Though, anyone who wants to be saved out of misery,  needs to get rid of the Ego,

hence needs to have Self Denial first. ( One small sect of Buddhists in Japan, Ittou-en going around and

asking the household to let them clean their toilet  in order to have one’s Ego to be denied —– though, the

toilet is a genitals of a house, not open to the public —– it might be better them picking dog shit on the street

than invading somebody else’s privacy, in the name of religion —– still it’s their practice)

To a tormented soul, as the person’s mind had been through the torment and its Ego had been

defeated already, and as long as the person can see the Karma straight ( without twisted view, misdirected

grudge etc which is caused by an arrogance —– so that it need to have personal consultation ) the process

of  Self Denial has been done.— Hence the person can go to the next stage while having  proper direction.

—

Yet, the one who doesn’t care end up in the hell ( 😀 ) but still aiming highly tuned life and the

freedom of creativity  and actuary want to Do it —– gain the Mushin by doing it as a practice.

This is so-called a technique of the mindfulness —– to eliminate any  thinking  in the brain, even the subject.

It is the process to re-program your subconscious,  hence Mind Engineering.

You may find the explanation for each sample and others,  in my old post somewhere.

( I should make the Key-word index —– for a moment, seek is your part of practice. Just Do It   😀  )

___/\___

—

Hidden burden in BUDDHISM

Hidden is not necessary appropriate word.   To the people who is aware of it, it is nothing new but

because of it is not convenient or sound nice, it has been stashed away or intentionally ignored, hence

it was rarely talked about, —– YET, it is the most crucial element and the steps of which

a Buddhist had to take once in their pathway.

—–

Go back to the Kisa Gotami story, —– What was her Contemplation ?

Was that just an acceptance of the life’s reality and the surrender to a force of the Dharma ?.

What was the meaning “Surrender” to the Dharma ? —– obviously, it is silly to stand against the Dharma,

therefore, it is no point to talk about the general condition of human existence, as man’s

existence is a minute from the beginning.

Superficially the teaching in the story of Kisa Gotami is an acceptance of the life’s undeniable reality= Dharma.

Yet hidden in the story, was her Self Denial —– not just accept the Dharma, but there was much more

personal, strong feeling of the failure, as a mother and a wife.

In fact, it was a rigid patriarchal society where a wife’s role and the duty was to bear a son.

A woman can assert her status only as the mother of the heir. Having her son’s death, she was

facing not only the grief of her loved child but a crisis to be branded as a woman of failure.

—– To accept the emotional trauma of both grief and the feeling of failure in fully minded

depth was, in deed her contemplation.

Discovering the harsh reality and found no possibility to find the seeds to revive her dead child,

psychologically she was stripped naked, left alone in the void of blank space —– she became

a clean blank sheet of paper, well prepared to listen the teaching of Buddha.

And Buddha knew she will reach to this state of mind when she come back. ( That’s why he sent

her out for a journey ) So that, when Buddha saw her come back without carrying heavily deluded

expectation and clean calmed face, he gave her kind consolation and the words of wisdom.

—-

Often forgotten or rather intentionally ignored fact of the Buddha’s life is that,

once Buddha was a renegade of the ascetic holy man’s lank.

In order to soften the blow, this story was changed to rather positive description of that

Buddha found the better way to reach the truth, other than torturing the body and the mind —– though,

the eyes of the society then and to the mind of himself,  he knew he was a renegade until

Buddha found his own answer —– real truth and the way to reach there.

In the man’s life, anything has happened was, in fact placed there to be happened.

Same apply to the Buddha’s life as well. —–  If he didn’t join the holy man’s lank and learned among them

and then abandon its practice, the Buddhism today is not exists.

In other words, the elements and the experiences Buddha gained while he spent a time among

the ascetics, and  above all, the contemplation he got when he became a renegade was a key

to reach the Buddhism.

When Buddha abandon and let such practice go, he was literally a broke. no margin to retain

any ego or arrogance left, and having the deep blank space in his mind —– the mind was

completely open. Buddha was ready to configure his understanding from the deep depth of

his subconsciousness. ——————->  (read again and have enough time to visualize those words)

And Buddha’s blank space in his mind,  completely open subconscious inspiration was

able to see the invisible rules of the Dharma which we call  Panya Paramita.

Here the Buddhism was born.

—–

It must be clear, it sound not very pretty though, a defeated completely lost mind, or utterly

desperate feeling of failure, —– utterly denied and hopeless ego, utterly powerless feeling

and so on, —– is the key to gain a blank space or completely open humble mind.

Which can be bracketed as a Self Denial.

May be not, not pretty, but sound rather dreadful   😀

But this is the key step to start to receive the teachings. —– hidden and yet another unfortunate

aspect of the Buddhism.

Yet, even The Great Teacher Buddha went through this, how can we avoid to take this step ?

Sound too much ? —– OK, I leave the analysis to the next post   🙂

___/\___

—

FACT and the Belief or a Delusion

In my posts about the story of Kisa Gotami,  I’ve written, 

” it showed the core of the Buddhism teachings”.

Kisa Gotami story has been accepted by all the Buddhist’s sects, simply it’s just a simple story

and showed no complicated mambo-jumbo,  which was telling most likely happening situation

and a quite likely possible Buddha’s advise and its logical out-come. 

Whether this was a historical fact or not, nobody dear to start such argument. 

Simply because there is no point to argue.  It must be the true FACT.

And why I wrote  ” It is the core of the Buddhism” is, without any glorious mumbo-jumbo,

no part of the story needed your belief or elaborated deep understanding of the Buddhism, yet

anybody can see the logic, how Kisa Gotami reached to her contemplation as a FACT.

( Of cause, I can make a fun out of this story  ” If there happen to be a house of which new comer

just settled in, hence so far having no funeral had taken place, and  Kisa Gotami was able to bring

back the seeds —— what Lord Buddha could have done ? ? ?   Forgive me

Lord Buddha,  I’m just kidding   😀 )

[]

As it is clear, there is no need to have elaborated mambo-jumbo, no complicated

belief, just as she did, get lid of a delusion  ” The dead child can be revived ” and

open the eyes to see the reality which is on front of her which is

no other than the Dharma.

If anybody still couldn’t see such simple fact is, In fact, it is a sign of having a delusion.

Such as arrogantly believing  ” My Buddhism is more elaborated and better than other’s”

If there is such things in the Buddhism, the story could have been changed to such as

” Kisa Gotami met Brahman on the way, who told her to go back to Buddha, brah  brah ” —–.

Simply it didn’t happened.  Simply because the past masters who even got the authority to

rewrite the story saw, this is the true Fact  and this is what the Buddha’s teachings.

___/\___

_—-

PS:   Of cause, you can say that,  it was just the beginning of her pathway, thus

she still needed to practice many more years to get enlightened.

( Hence she became a bhikkuni and joined the Sangya though, —– the question is,

what she could find beyond of that.

What is, what she found then ? —– What lies beyond the Dharma.

Spirituality means,  to believe and follow invisible phenomena or to believe it is exist though,

Lord Buddha himself refused to elucidate what they are.  No one can reach to the hight of what

Lord Buddha did able to see.  To imagining you can, is nothing but an arrogance and

the contempt of Lord Buddha.

Yet ironically, when the past great Masters got enlightenment,  all of them

described it as Dog Shit. —– Why ?   Simply because,

it is just the Dharma, only one but ubiquitous ( because, everything exist is The Dharma )

—– only the obstacle is, to see it as it is. —–> Need to have clear eyes and a

state of the mind / Mind of No-Mind / Mushin.

Non of the teachings of Lord Buddha having any enigma, everything is clearly comprehensible

and logical ( to reasonably intelligent person ) —– All the Eight Fold Right Pathway contain

nothing but the good common sense.  Only the obstacle is actuary Do it.

Right vision, Right thinking etc = everything is Right, in the understanding in the brain.

To know and understand it is one thing,  actuary able to do,  is the other animal.

So, What makes Lord Buddha’s teachings so unique is, he was the only one to find

the way to make people able to DO it  by means of  Repeating Practice.

Reading the stories in the Sutra or Reciting the words of Eight Fold Right Path are

just a process to familiarize with them.

But to Do the obligatory Practice everyday customize you to follow

the Duty unconditionally. (it’s mean you surrender your Ego )

And as you do it everyday, can be years long, your body learn to

Do it without conscious,  in other word automatic. 

This is nothing but the state of Mushin.

State of Mushin is in fact Dispassionate state of the mind hence it doesn’t have any

specially intended mind,  such as do something evil to someone (or fucking around)

In this state of Mushin, you can see the Dharma as it is. 

And the Mushin is ( strangely  😀 ) same to embrace the Void. 

And this Void contains the Whole. —– Dharma is whole but void.

( To reach to this Mushin, some may need to do the practice many years, but to

the others, it occurred in instant by the direct transmission )

The holy Ark, the establishment said to have, may be containing  just the empty void.

Funny you may think,  but this void, great emptiness is the Enlightenment and the

Dharma. —– But to see this Void,  you don’t need to have mysticism. 

It’s there everywhere and in fact everything IS. —– This is why, it’s a Dog Shit.

And this is the Buddhism.

[]

My personal view is,  if  Kisa Gotami didn’t became bhikkuni and made another

child, it was more in line with Mahayana.  (To take care of the child needs to have

unconditional endless work.  It can be a good practice to gain the Mushin. 

And on the end, Kisa Gotami could have had both, good grown up child and

the Enlightenment as well  🙂 )

—– To cringing the idea of Pathway and following the idea of Arahatship was

not Mahayana at all.

Crucially,  Lord Buddha established his teachings, away from the idea of ascetic

monks, in order to save the suffering of ordinary people on the street,

Lord Buddha would not have given the unachievable incomprehensible tasks to

those people then. 

And this is the fundamental base of the Mahayana Buddhism.

___/\___

—