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.

___/\___

—

Unfortunate History of BUDDHISM

In most of the case, study deep into the Buddhism,  quest to the core of the Buddhism mean

read more books, another Sutra and then sitting 😀

Natural consequence, here, sitting mean, thinking about what was found in the book.

Strangely,  you might have found  a fine print saying  ” Sitting has to be without thinking “ 😀

And somewhere,  ” —– but most crucial teaching can not be taught by the word “.

———- What a hell, where to find the answer ?   —– rightly you might say  😀

Unfortunately, ( especially in the west ) a so-called teacher or a master of a sect or group, did come

through same process. Simply he did it longer than you, hence read a bit more books, met another

master ( who studied in the same way ) and so on —– that’s all.  In fact, non the  wiser than you.

—–

Unfortunately Buddhism is not the matter of the knowledge nor what you learned.

But don’t become desperate and shout  What a Hell, since you are not alone.

This is the inherent trouble of the Paradox in the Buddhism.

When Buddha was in this world and teaching his immediate followers, he showed the way how to live

how to see the things etc etc —– those were the practice,  then time to time he took the rest —– rest mean

rest, hence give a break to the brain.  Naturally, he was not thinking while sitting.

It looked like a meditation, or later people thought and called, it was a meditation.

When the brain was left completely blank, time to time suddenly new idea or

understanding comes out. ( Ref : Blank space —– somewhere in the another post )

Then, Buddha might have told something new understanding, even a joke to such as  Shariputra —–. So that

the followers thought,  Buddha, in his deep meditation he has been in touch with the unknown

truth / Panya Paramita —– though,  Buddha was taking a rest and having a time of no thinking.

Of cause, even Buddha couldn’t show what’s going on in his brain nor disciples could seen it.

We only see the apparent outcome when it came out.  Only the person with very good insight, who had

the same experience, could guess the process in the brain or in the mind.

So, the situation even among the immediate followers was like this ( —– how do I know ?  Ok, tell me any

another possibility you can conceive )—– since, without having the proper understanding of the

Buddha’s teachings, Buddhism spent hundreds of years in the argument of such as  AbiDharma.

And the superficial posture of ” Meditation ”  became idiosyncratic synonym of the Buddhism.

Hence gave a misconception, With deep thinking process, you can get supreme wisdom.

Further trouble in the western Buddhism was emanated from the word  MEDITATION which meaning

imply  deep  thinking ! — even though Buddha was just having a rest.—– It was a Kitkat time  😀

In practice, to practice ” To Do without Thinking ”  the sitting is the hardest sample to try —– it’s mean

only few people who already reached to the advanced level could do it, still how do we know he could ?

Can the person sitting ( without thinking  ) tell ” I’m not thinking ”   —– How funny.  😀

It is the same to a man sitting, supposedly be in silence, declare  ” Yes, I’m not speaking “.

Anyone can pretend and say, I can —– but those impostor tend to preach others, with his glorious story.

This was the history in its reality.  The more glorious, needs to listen with the more sackful salt.

—-

When the crucial matter of the Buddhism is  NOT THINKING / MUSHIN,  cringing stereotypical posture

and its idea of sitting ( in fact it is very bad to the leg —– resulting wheel-chair in the later age —– all

the high priest in the Zen sect had end up in a wheel-chair ) because of it looks authentic,  is

nothing but a vanity.

Throw away all those POSTURE.   Throw away the IDEA of  Buddhism.  Let it go.

Take a break, relax —– in the deep breath, you may find yourself in the blank moment.

Then you are in the void of this mess of the life.

This VOID is the MUSHIN.  You are in the true pathway of the Buddhism.

( When you let it go.  Then you get it as the whole —— What a paradox ! ! ! )

___/\___

—

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.

___/\___

—

PSYCHE of Kisa Gotami

—– ( Before, it may better read the previous post [ Word — or  Run ] first, for continuity sake ) —–

A Buddhist who is practicing many years, asked me about a direct transmission to Kisa Gotami.

Wasn’t that, a kind of spiritual revelation, inspiration did hit her ?

He is always inclines to a spiritual mysticism as he came to the Buddhism from New Age fascination.

Though,  I don’t take a stance in Mystical Spiritualism. It got to be clearly logical and scientific,

save the last remaining unknowable in the extreme front.  ( And unexplainable 8150 story  🙂  )

” I think, it was rather common psychological process. Her grief got worn-out, while finding out

the facts that everybody is having the bereavement of loved one,  yet this is what the life is ”

” If you see hundreds of facts which telling you only one truth, on the end you got to accept it as the truth.

And  if you try to know with your effort again and again, your body and your subconscious learns

that It is the inescapable Truth. Once you came to this state, the fresh grief and its feelings gone.

A fresh emotion never stays fresh for ever.  As its says, the time is the best consolation.

In the case of Kisa Gotami, this process of time had accelerated into one day.

Since running around whole village all day, she must be physically exhausted, and when she came back

and sat down before Buddha, she must felt real brake and a rest.  Child had gone but a grief too.

Buddha didn’t do any magic.  It was a very effective spot on advice and the Practical Solution.

—–

Later she became a bhikkuni ( nun ) and joined the followers of Buddha —– its mean, her husband lost

not only a child but a wife as well.  Poor man.

I’m sympathetic to her husband as well” 😀

___/\___

—

Word – Word – Word or RUN

In my daily life, my radio is always on.

On the beginning of my English life, it was  BBC Radio-3  with its classic music. 

But past 10 years, it is almost always Asian Radio, hence the languages are Hindi, Urdu,

Tamil etc, and musics are Bollywood, Bangla, Punjabi etc (they rarely play classic Indian music).

It seems, it is an annoyance to a visitor, hence all of them volume down the radio.

(What so ever, it is noisy)  In fact I’m not necessary listening it. Any how I can’t understand the languages

and I don’t care the music    Still, something there would cheer up the atmosphere. 

Best of all, it will prevent the unknown unwelcome visitor to knock the door.

(I’m open minded, but not necessary having open door policy  😀 )

[]

Even though not listening, still I remember lots of  Asian popular music and picked up quite

a few of words.  So, time to time I asked my Asian friend about the word, what is the meaning

—– then I realized, the meaning of the word is so widely varied in each context and

among the people (even among the same Hindi etc).

Like the words  Kia-bate.  On the face its mean “What’s going on ?” can be an accusation but also

a praise with unexpected surprise. 

[]

So that the words in the Hart Mantra, ” Gate gate ( Bodhi-suwaka)” can be

” So, it went on as Bodhi-suwaka” or “Hurrah , go-on, go-on, Bodhi-suwaka”. (I don’t care though)

—— So, it must be a lots of headache for the academic, authority to translate an

ancient Mantra, —– as we can conveniently see the situation in the Wikipedia, and

compare the difference in the interpretation of such as the  Eight fold Pathway ( Just find

which word is correct to describe the Pathway ?  —– how time consuming ! )

[]

In the Buddhism story, the story of Kisa Gotami who lost her child, is the

most well-known one.

I knew this story since I was in my 20th though, why I didn’t talk about here before is, the

seeds what Lord Buddha asked Kisa Gotami to find was,  in Japan (hence in China as well) it

was written as Poppy Seeds, not the Mustard Seeds as known in the West. 

I thought, I should find which one, before I write.

[]

Lord Buddha asked Kisa Gotami to find the Seeds (which one ever) from the

house where no bereavement ever taken place, to revive her dead child.

She went around asking all the houses in the village, but everybody told her

“Oh no, we lost one (or many)” —– on the end, she contemplated that it was an

inevitable and common occurrence and came back to

Lord Buddha with calmly settled, relieved heart.

[]

Lord Buddha knew, she is so desperate ( = Mind was stuck, attached to her child)

= she will seek the seeds in just for its purpose ( Mindfulness), and walk and walk

asking door to door (Repeated Practice) —— soon she become to do it with almost

automatic manner next by next hence get the state of the mind of No-mind,Mushin.  

And with Mushin she could see the situation and the fate, with clear eyes and

the mind. —-Hence achieve the Contemplation.

This is a Direct Transmission.

[]

How many hours has she walked ? =It all happened in one day.

With Lord Buddha’s spot on advice, a desperate woman achieved contemplation

and get peace of mind.

Lord Buddha knew, an explanation in the words wouldn’t work.  

But the practice (walking, asking around) does. = This is the typical teaching

of Lord Buddha which showing its crucial core of the Buddhism.

In comparison, the people who try to read the words still arguing —– 2500 years ?

[]

So,  through your book away, switch off your computer, and go out.

As Lord Buddha said,  ” Don’t believe (cling on) the words you were told.  Think yourself “.

Have a nice walk.  You can see something afresh.

Yes, it is your first step to learn what the real Zen and the peace of mind is.

___/\___

[]

–

IF only – – –

Many years ago, when I was doing a photo-assignment for a big department store, I made an excuse of

a cause of inadequacy, or blaming the situation of my Court Case in the High Court.

( If not I could have done in different way —– kind)

The editor, who happen to be a seasoned  Zenist, shouted me at once ” There is no IF,  in the life”.

As if it was a hit of lightning, this words opened my eyes.  And it’s lightening went through my spine.

—–

Yes, this is it.  All the Buddhism knowledges or crèche went down to the depth of my subconscious where

the reality of the life lives.   ( We can have a dream, though only able to live in reality )

We got only one life.  What ever happened there, is either given by the Dharma, or the result of

my own Karma —— in either case they are unavoidable or inevitable.  There was no choice.

Its mean, any excuse or complaint is utterly waste of the time.    Since, no-one has the opportunity to

have his life Re-Do and tinker the past, and no time left to patch up anyway.

Only the way left is, anything for further on —— now on, has to do the best. Just Do It.

The Life I have done and the Life I’m doing is my only life.  No but, no excuse, since only

the person who judge it,  is myself.  There is no point to deceive myself or to dodge a word.

Anyhow the Dharma is inside of me —— there is no escape.

A convenient excuse of  “IF”  doesn’t work.  😀

( In this aspect,  the Buddhism is very harsh.

Unless otherwise Buddha wouldn’t have defined that “The Life is suffering” in his Four Noble Truth )

——– After many years, I heard the same words from two more person, one was even a young art student,

and realized, it was not Master Takeda’s invention, but more likely a popular phrase then,  still it didn’t

reduce the value of his teachings.

Simply because  ” There is no IF, in the life”  is absolutely true.

___/\___

—

Virture of DHARMA (2)

When I was a small boy, my brother showed me an electric trick

of a small light bulb connected to a battery with thin wire,  and light

it on and off, which he learned in the school on the day.

I learned the trick and improvised it further and made a model of

town (?) which having street with electric-poles carrying supply cable

and street-light,  a house with a light inside etc etc.

—

Then a question arose —– ? ? ?

Why electric power goes every where,  where ever the wire was

connected.  And regardless how many light bulbs or length of the wire connected.

( Well, anyhow they are only few bulbs and few meters of wire —– it was a kid’s play )

Why the power doesn’t refuse to go one place or why a bulb some meters away, light up in the same instant

with another bulb. —– If we are walking on the street, it takes longer to get far, and not necessary go all the

places.  That was a  COMMON SENSE  I have acquired so far until then.

So that, I had to learn  “Incredible, Invisible Phenomena” and its rules ! 

(It was my start for the unknown frontier 🙂 )

———- Strangely, even though I’m using pretty big IC etc, to build electronic circuits these days, still  I’m

not necessary sure, why electron has to go just because it is conductive, in more or less in the same speed ?

( Ultimately still there is no explanation Why a material such as lead gives positive voltage and lead oxide

gives negative voltage in a lead accumulator, and electron start to move when they are connected with wire ! )

The same can be said, why the light has to go even the end of the universe, just because it is an open space ?

———- Why they never refuse TO GO THERE saying I DON’T WANT.  😀

You may say, simply it is just an emission of energy —– ?   Really ?

Those seemingly imperative phenomena are still puzzles to me.  Why the light which got no fuel can travel

to infinity ? —– is it a kind of inertia ?  But a Photon which got no mass can have inertia ?  And why it bend

a course when it go through near heavy star while having no mass —– how gravity can affect it ?

—– Anyhow, it seems everything spread and try to get the state of even balance. (Light brighten the dark. :-))

So, it is safe to say, the basic tendency of the Dharma is to gain an equilibrium with its  perpetual

spreading dynamism, which keeps changing moment to moment.

In fact this is one of the fundamentals of the Physics called Entropy.

( Hence, even a culture, knowledge, technology spread  (so does the MacDonald  😀 )—– and applying

this view may explain the Democracy —– Dharma hate the concentration of the power,  Dictator  😀 )

—

Contrasting to this, the existence and its activities of the Life-form is having different principle.

As I wrote before, the Dharma also support the Life-form to exists.

To create the Life,  it is necessary to configure the selected atoms and molecules to combine

in specific order and create a pattern, as organic matter —— and ultimately the DNA.

So that the Dharma having two-way process, one is out-warding dispersing process, and the other is

centripetal combining process. —– Any Life-form has to go through those two-way process.

This is the Life’s fundamental Karma.  The Wheel of the Life. ——– Process of configuring

the matter and the structure, then its destruction / disintegration.

This is the reincarnation in the Buddha’s teachings. ( It is nothing to do with Vedic Atoman and their

idea of reincarnation of perpetual soul,—– which is the idea Buddha rejected )

—

Life’s centripetal process and its tendency is the self-replication of the pattern (DNA) and the self-preservation,

in another word, it is self-centered.  Though, Life-form is only a very peculiar small part of the Dharma,

naturally Dharma is dominated by the wider rules which is out-warding dynamism —– spread and

gain  the equilibrium.  So that, even the inside of our body, chemical exchange such as Oxygen and CO2 or

balance of Hormone etc or even the communication of Nerve signal are all following the dispersing principle.

And  remarkably  the breeding, as its name Propagation suggests, is the activity to spread the species

as wide as possible, and to fertilize as many as possible.

Inevitably such as mankind’s existence is heavily entwined those conflicting principles / Dharma.

Therefore pushing one aspect too far always create fatal stress / unbalance with external wider world.

So that, to keep a good balance with the environment and the society is the crucial matter

for the survival.

Too much exploitation of the Nature, let alone destroying  the Nature, would lead to a heavy repercussion.

( Which we mankind is facing this very moment )

——- Interesting point is, as we are having the Operation System  which follows the principle of

the Dharma inside of us, and the sensing mechanism of those operation in our Feeling /

Subconsciousness as the Default, some of the very sensitive people can see or sens those balances.

— For instance, an inherent feeling of compassion and the drive for the Charity is one of its manifestation

of the internal Dharma —– to help or spread the  wealth to others, is a psychological  mechanism to lessen

the unevenness of the society.    If the wealth and the power is evenly spread, there wouldn’t be a conflict, and

it would be a Peace and a Harmony in its society and with the environment. — unless somebody with Ego and

Greed want to have all for him (her ?) self. ( Unfortunately this is the case too often )

—

If you know the Buddhism, you may found the description here is somewhat familiar.

As a matter of fact, I thought I was approaching from the scientific observation. —– then  realized,

it is nothing new. —– They are all what Buddha found and taught then.

But this fact indicates, this is not a fancy observation or theory of today.   They are the same findings and

the insight, by the man of 2500 years ago, who had no modern scientific knowledges.

Simply because the Dharma is the same Dharma.

—

Too much centripetal, selfish mind / Ego and Greed invites heavy repercussion and would lead to

the Self destruction. Therefore, be charitable and share the compassion with others.

Too extreme is also detrimental.  Better stay humble and in the Middle way.

And above all, as the Dharma is, open your eyes wide  and spread your view.  Don’t get stuck

with your narrow view and narrow thinking or cling to a fixed idea. —– Be flexible to the changes

as the world is changing with its dynamism and the flow, every moment to moment.

As our thinking is emanated from our centripetal mind or Ego, better be detached from it and

embrace the Dharma.  Stay in Mushin.  Spread and fuse your mind to the Nature / Dharma.

—-

You must be amazed, all those Virtue and Virtues wisdom are not deduced from the concept, but they are

the inherent Rules or tendency of the Dharma itself.  This is the Default settings you can see !

And this is the proof of the greatness of the Buddha’s teachings.

What Buddha did was,  just pointed the Dharma with his finger.  That all.

( But funnily enough, in 2500 years, so-called Buddhists have been gazing at his finger )

We need to see the Dharma with our own eyes.  Which is on front of us.

___/\___

—

Mistake in Philosophy — Answer in ZEN

You might heard a story to extract latent memory from a witness or surviving  victim, by way of hypnotism,

such as a profile of assailant or even from pass-by, the car number parked on the street then.

The car number may be utterly trivial and useless to a pass-by, still we may remember surprising detail.

They are the Subconscious Memory or our Hidden Data bank.

When we consciously watch the scene, we only pick up the information which we got interest.

And this selection is not consistent.  It will be biased by the preceding event, experience or a suggestion.

If you are interested in fashion, you may pay great deal of attention to the shop windows and

somebody’s style, but remember nothing else, as the mind was just stuck there.

But when our mind is free and open we can see the scene as it is, and able to memorize everything.

Of cause those data are not just visual, but also the information from other sensors, and the internal feeling,

subconscious thoughts as well, which has been accumulated since you are born.

From those immense amount of data, only minute part of them, which  matches to the precast category or

notion, it become conscious memory and it can be transferred to higher legion of the brain (New Cortex)

to be used for the conscious thinking process.

—– Hence, the data available to such as the linguistic, logical thinking process, are only a miniscule part of

the whole data bank, the answer or conclusion we make is always inadequate and ” Not the exact Truth ”

which we knew it. —–  So. we always say ” Don’t think in your head. Find the answer in your heart”.

—

It is obvious, our Hidden Memory, Subconscious Data bank retain the whole information of our environment,

and ourself.  In other words, the faithful picture of the world and the information of ourself / True Self.

And they are not just a static images but their dynamism, tendency and the Rules,how the things

work, and how this True Self has been behaving and prefer what etc.

Its mean, The Dharma / The whole existence and its Rules within, are all mirrored  here.

This is the very meaning of ” Everybody possess the Dharma inside”.

And literally the Self is a part of it, the Dharma, and as everything in there are without any

partition, no separate awareness watching the Self or Subject, there is no feeling of alienation.

———- Many years ago, somebody asked me whether a mad-man can have The Dharma in him as well.

I said, yes.  Because, even a mad-man got the same body and its function, feel the same pain,feel the

same hunger, see the same, hear the same, and may have more or less the same emotion — the process

of those information may be different, so that from the same image of black cat,  he may interpret it as

a Devil —– still, his Data bank having much more accurate picture of the world than his twisted thinking.

In the same context, even an idiot who lack the higher process in the brain, still having more or less

the same Data in his subconscious, it is nothing but the Dharma.

—

When we think, quite often we use a notion which we have imported ( in other words not emanated from our

own Data bank, but intellectually learned ), since it didn’t have the original source and the process to

deduce, it couldn’t have an accord to the person.  As a matter of fact, even a notion the person knew well

still,as its using the notion of the words, it is no more than a proxy.  The complexed idea having the situation

even worse.  Even an idea constructed from the own Data bank (which came from own experiences and the

observation) when it was  imposed to the phenomenon, it doubles the uncertainty. —— Observer and

be Observed.—– The word (a notion) HAPPINESS is just a name of category, so that, its realities has

millions of variations, and an observer is just one of 40 billions.

The certainty is only the statistical probability. There can not be any absoluteness exist.  Despite this,

Philosopher often impose his own idea to interpret a phenomenon.  Hoping, his words can covey

what he conceived. (and expecting others can guess the same )

Against this fundamental jeopardy, Zen abandons the conversion to the notion and the words.

( Hence, relying on the Direct Transmission)

And abandons the stance to be an observer, or more precisely, abandon to be an observer as an Ego.—

When facing a phenomenon or others,

Zenist just open his mind in Mushin. (without Ego without Thinking—– hence no conversion)

And leave the matter to the perception in his Subconscious = Dharma’s judgement or reaction.

(As the Observer and be Observed are both naked, both of the Dharma fuse together.

And the equilibrium will be spontaneously prevailed in the accordance of the Dharma)

This is the Ichijo (Oneness) in Zen —— the answer to the jeopardy of the Dualism.

___/\___

—-

CLEANING

Currently in Japanese Twit-Sphere, a heated debate for the Cleaning their class-room is going on.

It started by a secondary school boy who is saying ” Its no use to clean the class-room by themselves.

It is not efficient enough.   Why not use the professional cleaning company ? ”

Against this, many people are saying  ” Its only a cheeky excuse, he just want to have a lazy life ” etc.

And others are saying, school is not just for studying knowledges but also for leaning the attitude for

the life, morality.   Some are saying even in religious context.

It is the same tendency, even in the western society, once it was spoken  in a religious context, the others

reacts at once,  in almost in allergic vigor —— saying feel uneasy, or even dubious.

—— It was in an unfortunate history, when a religion was spread, they always take over the morality

and the wisdom as a part of their own teachings, such as ” Thou shalt not kill, is their God’s commandment ”

—– But long before religion was invented, it was an established commonsense in the human society.

And, when a religion became out of fashion, because of even a fundamental  morality was mistaken

as a part of such religion, it became a target of rebellion.

—-

As a matter of fact, the tradition of cleaning their school room was originated from the Buddhist’s temple.

Since the school has started as the monks teaching the reading, writing to the local kids, the tradition

( in fact, it was a part of Buddhism practice ) to clean the room by the kids is an inseparable part of

the school’s teaching.  And by doing so, the kids learn and grown into a person of their own life.

Life is a violent imposition of the tasks to all the living things.

Nobody ever asked and born as it is.  Everybody came to this world,  without any expectation or

preparation at all.——- Somebody may born into a harsh desert country as an ugly boy or a pretty girl

in wealthy western society etc, as in a variation of fifteen billion. ——- Without question, without

complaint, the one has to live or start to live their own life.—– It is the harshest imposition.

So, the kids learn this reality, starting with cleaning the room, without question as everybody is equal.

( To ask somebody else to clean the toilet, always create the seed of discrimination in any society )

By doing so, the kids learn to be humble and to be selfless, and learn to act in equality.

In the same time, to find the best way to clean and master the skill —– it’s a training of the

trouble shooting, practice creativity.  On the end, even a kids can achieve to do the work in

Mushin (Mind of No-mind )

To have a clean class room for comfortable study environment —— is only one of the by-product.

——- Though, this kind of opinion seems not welcomed in today’s Japan —— to have a lecture from

somebody else is an invasion and interference to the individual’s human right. ! ! !

( in the point of political correctness )  Beautiful.   Ha ha ha 😀

—-