Proto-IMAGE

Most of the optical vision in human eyes had been well researched

and we believe ” Seeing is believing”

despite of nobody knows what the others are actually seeing it,  in absolute term.

( You may already know or you can find hundreds of false-vision, illusion trick samples in the Net.

What we believe, we are seeing is the mare reconstructed image in the brain, which may be a false. )

—

I used to have a friend who was a color-blind.  When he told me at an art class, while painting a land-scape,

he is painting a tree as green by the color name written on the paint tube.

He couldn’t see green or red,  neither he can describe whether those green and red looks like gray or

another color what so ever.  Since nobody taught him what it is, so, he couldn’t have a word to describe it.

—– and we, lucky to have Pan-chromatic vision couldn’t guess or imagine how the world looks to him.

Our eyes itself are rather simple optical device, there is no color filter hence the image projected to the

retina is in full color though, the sensors, nerves and the visual cortex in the brain are too complexed,

far beyond the today’s science and the technology.  So that we can’t tap-into the brain and extract

an image what color blind is actually seeing the world.

With the same reason, a topics what I’m going to write here may not able to give an objective proof

or to give a demonstration to others though, if anybody else can find the same phenomenon,  soon

or later it would be recognized as a common phenomenon.

—–

Once before, when I went back Japan, I found the mountains of duster-cloth (which we call  Zoukin)

piled up in my family house.  Each of them, the old cloth has been cut to the size and hand stitched.

They were made by my mother.  When she faced the condition of her hand became stiff and feel a pain

with her age,  she decided to fight back.  Instead to have a medication or pain-killer kind, she started to

make Zoukin by hand stitching them, using old cloths she had been accumulated over the years.

—– Among such Zoukin, I found the one I know very well.  I knew it, but not in my ordinary memory.

—– Time to time, I give a massage to my eyes,  by lightly pressing the eye-balls with my finger.

(While eyes closed, of cause  😀  )

Under light pressure, in the dark field of my vision, the same image of distinct pattern always appears.

The pattern is like a line print of four petals flower.  It appear only first moment, a second or two and

dissolved into the dark.

Astonished to see the very pattern on the cloth,  I asked my mother, what was it ?

She told me, that cloth was a Yukata ( thin, light Kimono) she used to wear when I was a new-born baby.

The pattern appearing in my eyes was the printed pattern on the Yukata which I saw when I was a baby.

The first image I saw, has been burnt into my eyes.

This is the Proto-Image of my life.

—

For a new-born baby animal,  to recognize and register  who is the mother, into their brain

is the most crucial matter in their survival. (If it was the case of Zebra / the black stripe pattern,

and the Penguin / the voice, and so on)

Likewise,  we human has the same instinct —– we capture the image of the first sight, assuming

the person whom the baby saw, is the mother, and the key image was literally burnt into the vision.

—–

As I wrote in an early post [ Subconscious Data Bank ], we are accumulating a loads of information

without even aware of it.  And the Data Bank in our Subconscious may contain even the Genetically

implanted information. ( Experiment of the psychologist found that even the few months old baby showed

the reaction of alert when he (she) saw the image of tiger (not a toy but real one)—–only the explanation

is, it must be a genetically implanted memory )

—— and those information is affecting our way of thinking, decision-making or preference etc.

But, how about this Proto-Image ?   Would this one image, direct the one’s life ?

May be the image of four petals flower made me to pay more attention to the flower —— yet it need to

have more research.  And the Internet must be a good forum to exchange the information.

—– So, if you were intrigued, just try to see whether you have the same kind of burnt into image

in the bottom of your eyes. ( It takes only few second to test.  🙂  )

And if you found one, please post a comment here.

—

Cold blow / Wistle blow ?

Its getting pretty cold.  I saw beautifully frosted  decorated leaves.

It said to be the coldest in 17 years, and some says the ill effect of the climate shift caused by  El Nino

or La Nana kind —–. (To know the detail, go to Wikipedia please  🙂  )

On my previous post I wrote  “To know the Truth wouldn’t change our life” ——- then, the conflicting

question arose.

In the Hinayana Buddhist’s view,  an attitude “When its cold, just feel the chill and shiver with

other people who is suffering” —— this is correct.

Or, stand up and shout, telling the people  “What is causing the climate change, and the cause

of appearance of El Nino, in order to save the suffering of the people”——- this is correct too, save

the possibility he might be barking wrong tree.

So, one sect might go out and walking in a chilling wind. ( Don’t catch cold or even worse, pneumonia )

And another sect may go to a demonstration banging their symbolic flat drams on the front line.  (Though,

I haven’t seen them these days —— are they still alive ?    Do you know ? )

It’s better know the fact, better still the Truth. —– the one might be placed there to know and shout as

he (she) might be born for its purpose. —– though it may not be a license to become arrogant or snobbish.

——– And my answer ?

I would stick with Buddha’s teachings “Don’t torture yourself. Don’t go extreme” therefore

sitting next to a heater. (How convenient  🙂 )

——- Environment or external occurrence may give you a jolt to your unprepared mind

as it has been in the blank state.   Its jolt may give you a sudden enlightenment, though,

if it was expected or a prolonged same condition, mind couldn’t be fresh and naked

—— nothing would happen  /  it’s a same cold day)

Better make a hot tea with honey and lemon  😀  ( The truth is in the cup.  Honest, I can taste it.)

___/\___–

——

PS :  It seems the world was so disturbed by the exposure of the confidential US diplomatic correspondences

by Wikileak. —— how silly.

Every body knows, politics, diplomacy, economics, even so-called big charities are dirty business and

having dirty linen and utter hypocrisy,  tons of it,  exactly same to everybody’s private life.  Yet still

we pretend to be clean face and  talking with others with sweet words.

Sneaking behind, and suddenly pull-down somebody else’s trouser and to expose dirty pants,  then

shouting  “Have look this is the truth” —–So, what ?   It wouldn’t help anybody.  History will tell.

It just filling the arrogant dirty satisfaction of  Wikileak’s  founder.  Much worse than a scavenger.

Because, if it was a whistle blow,  what the blower want to resolve or change and to which direction.

There is non. Could he expect the politics can change ? ( In any system or ideology —– because the

environment and the contents / human is the same —– no utopia nor ideal man exists)

It would only push the politics even more murkier business, deleting all the traces at once.  That all.

Since, clean man (and woman) wouldn’t become politician.

Since, ambition to the power and to become famous is the synonym of self-centered arrogance and the

manipulation of the others by deception as an effective means. ——- Hence it can not be clean by nature.

Still, we could have wiser life, accommodating and concealing smelly guts inside.  😀

(You are well aware this hidden truth  😀  )

The Truth of the life was clearly elucidated by Buddha as the Four Noble Truth —— and

its Fourth is the direction How to live DESPITE of Those TRUTH / Reality.

Exposing smelly guts wouldn’t help anything.  The MATTER is how to live with it.

This is the Buddhism.

___/\___

What is the POINT ?

Somebody who read  Spiritual Sound gave me a question saying

that I’m desecrating the holy spirituality.

On the surface, it may look true.  But it is the main purpose of this DIY  Zen Blogging.

I’m not Desecrating  Buddhism  or any holy belief.

To decipher the mechanism of our mind and invisible psyche in relation to the Zen is

the task what I’m doing and all about this Yoshizen Blog. —— May be I am demystifying the religion.

( I don’t need to indulge  Mythical Dream,  as I’ve been surrounded by too many spooky phenomena.  😀

My task is not pretend to be a kind of medium but to find out the mechanism how it is operating. )

As I wrote in the earliest posts,  the repeating Buddhist’s practice is, in fact, ware-out the mind

and make the practice routine hence make the person able to do it without thinking / in Mushin.

Mushin is a state of mind,  and it is nothing to do with any mythical, glorious religious belief.

To open the mind and the perception completely away from any thought,  we are able to see

and able to know the truth as it is —— is what all about the teaching of Buddha.

To complete his teachings,  Buddha ordered to his disciples  Not idolize him or worship himself ——its

mean, to follow the Buddhist’s teachings, even a notion of Buddha / Buddhism have to be removed.

Because,  Buddha knew it is the pitfall of the teachings —— even a conscious of  I’m a Buddhist or notion

of Buddha would utterly negate the effects of Mushin.

Remove the conscious to be a Buddhist or the name of the Buddha,  is not desecration of the Buddhism.

Since it is the very core of the Buddha’s teachings.

Simply, this is how our mind works.   And this is what the Buddha’s teachings.

——

Buddha taught to remove the own thinkings to attain Mushin, in his explanation, since the basis of

own thoughts = the self is not existing.

To fully understand what Buddha meant took 500 years.  Hinayana Buddhists took this to negate

the self, especially filthy part of it, smelly guts or uncontrollable genitals shouldn’t be there.

Then Mahayana Buddhists realized,  if they shouldn’t be there, why the Dharma gave us in the first place.

(Not to be obsessed with it / Middle way , is a commonsense)

The function and its mechanism of our mind / psyche (dynamics of our subconscious) was designed

or given by the Dharma, and it has been refined and refined (evolved) in past billions of years.

Exactly in the same context to see the effects of the repeating practice,  I described the effects of

the incomprehensible hi-pitched tone —— it makes our mind puzzle and open the mind.

I didn’t ask anybody to listen Hi-pitched tone or Mozart Miserere.  I’ve just shown what is the effect of

us to open the mind and the perception. —– then you might able to touch spiritual world.

Whether this spiritual world is sacred or holy mythical world, is in your belief / Mind —– but

as the paradox of Buddhism is here, as long as you cling its idea, you can not see it.

___/\___

—

PS :

Following the previous Post, there was some exchange of opinion in Emails.

And this is the extract  in which,  I found,  it is highlighting the point of

” How to make a perfect music piece which will hit the guts of others “

————-

Though, important point is, —- What  are the guts.

Everybody got more or less the same guts, having it

tens of thousands of years.

Its mean, what will hit it, has been tried and sorted out

spending thousands of years of time, by millions of people.

That is how most of the culture in the world came to

have pentatonic —– same conclusion.

The reason is, it was written in the Dharma. ( Ref; Harmony

in Dharma )

And the guts is ruled by the Dharma, not by one’s brain.

Deviate from the Dharma, yet make perfect one is hard,

if not impossible. ——–

—–

Equidistant Tonal system was perfected in the time of  J.S. Bach, though it has been only utilized for

the convenience of key-tone change.   And its use became universal, despite of the existence of some

discord (which has been simply avoided to occur as Taboo, by the composer.)

So that,  Arnold  Schoenberg is the first one to fully explore the musical possibility of its system.

But, big but, do you or anybody on the street, ever listen, let alone remember his music ?

Some (very rare person, may be a student / ex-student in classic music) may say

“How about his organ music [ The Ascension ] it is spiritually very striking isn’t it ?”.

I can agree, its sound very spiritual though,  as I wrote in ” Blank Space ” it is because of slow-moving,

continuous high tone, which is vague and undefinable,  hence our brain abandon to define its

meanings,  then start to feel  ” Something Unknown there”.

This very feeling, “abandon to impose own thinking, and leave the Mind open” is happen to be

the same to Buddhist’s Mushin —— we describe it  Spiritual.——- All of us share more or less

the same perception and the same guts.  Simple  😀

—– So, departing  from the tradition, and explore complete freedom in sound making,  is a good attempt,

though,  better not forget, we and yourself are still within the Dharma’s  rule.

Other’s guts is under this Dharma too, so that better chose the direction accordingly.

( The Expression —– which is also common with others, mean Communicable, has to be

emanated from own guts” Blank Space ” too —— not from the thinking or technical possibility )

Please read the Post ” Freedom in Restriction “. (Under a category [Music] )

___/\___

—

Blank Space in the Mind / CREATIVITY / SPIRITUALITY

This is a speculation and in metaphor, since the mind even my own  is so elusive and impossible to see it

direct though, it seems in the edge of conscious and unconsciousness,  there is a Blank Space

where a seed of thought or image is first appearing.

The Space has no size, hence it can accommodate the notion of universe to the structure of sub-atomic

particle —– first in a vague form under dim light.

As this Space was surrounded by all library of knowledges and memories  include the subconscious

memory which is deep in the brain, therefore all sorts of connection can be made,  in order to make sense

of what is this seed meant,  in a fraction of second.

The direction of this connecting process can be logical but it is not necessary.

So that a  dream can be created in utterly illogical direction and  with completely  free connection.

In the same time this is the process where creativity works. Whether it is a flat image or a 3D

structure, or an idea  which would be then converted into a meaningful notion by the linguistic semantics.

In the case of image, some person can gradually clarify its vague image into more solid image,

some people has very clear spatial imagination and can do it in 3D structure, others may

only able to see vague 2D image.  The person who can see clear 3D image is also good to see

the object objectively. (And I noticed those people are also able to see the self objectively)

From those images, some of the people can convert it to a concrete drawings (with a skill to

coordinate with the hand) —- as an art or a design for the purpose.  It can also be an invention.

But those new connections are not the result of logical thinking and there is no formula,

or methodology, they are more like a result of chance.    It always comes unexpectedly  🙂

( Like a production of T-cell in our  White blood, the design or the combination of DNA pattern is random

—– no designated pattern against the targeted virus.  Just make a lot, some may match to the virus and

able to kill them, though the rest would be wasted and die.)

Our body is relying on random chance —– knowingly control the direction is done in much

higher region of the brain, with less creativity or fancy novelty. ( Logical but boring.  And

this is why  so-called Conceptual art is boring.   😀 )

—-

So, the field of creativity, new idea or art / design, even a dream are all born in this Blank Space.

It can be described even the limbo in our mind / brain.  Between conscious and unconsciousness.

Starting with very vague feeling, as if it is exist or not exist —— like what  Buddhist describes.

In this field, as the first seed has no defined direction,  chance / accidental connection could be

occurred,  and as the brain scanning all the file and  information, something very remote but possible

new connection can be made.——–> Eureka ! ! !

If it is something useful, we call it invention, if not —– can be an art. (—– Why not  😀  )

—-

To see the seed as it is,  in the clear eyes,  is what the Buddhists are working for.

Since it could be the sign from the Dharma or it could be the direct transmission.

Or it could be an ingenious new idea in physics. (Ask Einstein, how he did it.  😀  )

To see it as it is (before converting it to a known category / notion) need to have an  open mind,

and best to be done in Mushin without any idiosyncratic view imposed on it.

( Interesting aspect of this  Open Mind / Blank Space is, some people can put even clear easily

distinguishable object / idea  into this space, and able to make totally new connection free from any

crèche, idiosyncratic notion,——- it is THE creative brain, creative person. And strangely you might

think, the practice of Zen ( not just a twisted leg formality or patterned Koan ) is nothing but the way to

create this Blank Space in the brain and handle all the coming signal with totally open-minded

manner and purest perception)

And this  Blank Space is where we can communicate with our Spiritual World.

As a seed appeared to this Twilight Blank Space, it is not yet the form of legible word,

some people call this  Transcendental (if it was arrived to the unconscious region,

we couldn’t notice it,  and if it was a clear legible message or clear visible image, we don’t

call it Transcendental) in which we feel, something beyond of our understanding,

deep meaning must be there ——- this is what we call  Spirituality.

—————–

When we receive something very vague signal,  we feel it  Transcendental or  Spiritual.

Like a sound which doesn’t have a clear rhythm nor distinctive melody  but slowly moving rather high

tone (2~4kHz), especially if its got some echo ( think, such as  Mozart’s Requiem which was recorded

in a church acoustics, or some slow synthesizer musics), as it is not narrative or descriptive,

and as the echo gives a feeling of the space, we start to feel as if we were absorbed in the infinite

space and gazing into deep unknown world —— we describe the feeling “Spiritual”.

In this reason, sacred music use this effect —- most typically Mozart / Vatican’s  Miserere.

( This Allegri’s sacred music was smuggled out of Vatican, stashed in the memory of Mozart.  🙂  )

Even the Adagio of Albinoni or Samuel Barber makes our skin creep.

( There could be a neurological effects between the cyclic stimuli / such as sound vibration and

resonating nerve signal —– can be a  residue or left over of  far ancient sensory,  such as Pineal Grand

was suspected to have —– sensing Earth’s Magnetic Field, Cosmic Wave kind of fancy staff —- which

might explain even  Why harmonic sound is more comfortable to listen, or  tone of music affect our mood )

Those phenomena gave a clue —— undefinable signal, a seed of very vague feeling or idea / image is

coming to this Blank Space and making the mind to explore unknown field —– Dream, Creative Idea

—–> Art, Invention, New Theory.

In comparison, if the signal is clear and distinctive, it will be instantly linked to the specific data, category

or notion by the cognitive function of the brain, then it will be converted to the literal notion.

But to define the vague signal, whether it was internally conceived or externally received —- it first comes

to the Blank Space.  So, this Blank Space is functioning like the sorting room for the lost letters  😀

——————-

A scientist said, this function is in our Right Brain  though  I’m not sure as a person who got right brain

damaged still has some creativity,  free mind is functioning —– and I haven’t seen my brain cut open yet.

(Observation through latest brain scanner is telling, that the Nobel Prized Right Brain theory

seemed to be a myth ——- our brain is much more complicated)

—–

State of Zen = Dharma

Through  email,  Jaganathan  asked me pretty significant question.

” It would be helpful to know, by doing what a person in  Zen can fall back into  NOT being in  Zen  ”

In fact there was a popular misconception behind of this.

Zen or ultimate state of the mind in the Buddhism is not a newly acquired fancy addition of

the Mind.  Far from it, it is just the default state (if I may use a computer term)  of the mind.

( Hence, it is the a crucial marker to distinguish out a sham  Zen instructor —– if he says ” You will get

something new” it is the indication of that he doesn’t know the Buddhism )

This is Why everybody has it and born with it.

This is Why all the Zen masters in the past, when he realized it, described  ” It’s a dog sit ”

And this is Why a small children often shows it,  even a small animal, the Nature itself  shows it.

And this is Why, the Buddhism asking and asking ” Get lid of your thought (which is the products

of the complicated brain activities)” —— so, it was described as, be in the Mushin / Selfless.

Of cause,  Buddha was fully aware of this.  That is why he showed it by doing, not by the words.

And this was Why the followers had to follow him and mimic (and repeat as the practice) what

Buddha was doing.  (so the tradition was created )

——- being in the Default state, even the perception of  ” I’m seeing or listening etc ” are not

there ( hence, later description of the sense itself are not existing  were appeared in the Mantras )

( You have to remember that the all the Mantras were written more than 200 years afterward  by

the memories and the guess-work —— since, often with misunderstandings)

All the conversion to the categorized notions or ideas are done by the additional Thinking process.

Still, without all those conversions,  our eyes are seeing. And to see it, as what we have seen in the

first moment, without conversion or additional process is  what we call as the Clear view or Clear eyes.

And without the complicated brain process, which mean without any masking of the thoughts,  we can

see the Dharma —– or one might say even without seeing the Dharma, but Just be with Dharma.

So, be with it —— its mean forget what you have just read here — blah blah blah, Just Do It.

—-

Therefore (back to Jaganathan’s question) as the  Default is the basis, one can not remove it,  though it

would be easily masked by any setting of  thought,  pretension,  borrowed buzz-word,  fashionable

popular idea,  useless Ego,  Greed  etc etc,  but with the price of the Karma.

That is why,  stay humble,  without any masking  or dress-up  would be better,  as it will lose nothing

——- so, peace in simple life is what the Buddhist’s choice.  ( Though, paying some price to the Karma

and have small pleasure may not to be too bad. —— If it was not forgiven,  we human being had been

eliminated long ago.)   Still, choice is yours.  Don’t blame me if its happened.   Ha ha ha   😀

___/\___

—

Practice ?

There are funny misunderstandings among the Buddhists,  which lead to the even funnier

misconception of the Buddhism.

Due to the each sect’s tactics to monopolize the Buddhism,  each sect having their own practice,

banging a drum or chanting the name of mantra or sitting etc etc what so-ever.

But,  one shouldn’t forget,  they are just a mean or tool to learn Buddhist’s Teachings.

—

There are hundreds of practices which bear the name  ***** Dou such as Ju-dou, Ken-dou, etc.

Dou mean  A Way / Pathway —– to reach Buddhist’s enlightenment.

It is a vessel to cross the other side.  In metaphor, a finger  pointing the moon.

With an unfortunate confusion in the English translation,  the word  PRACTICE was taken like

a  training exercise. But,original meaning is To apply the teachings to a real situation and Do it.

Medical practice mean actually cut a stomach and stitch it —— Oh, c’mon don’t cut it for practice. 😀

To reach Olympic Medal in swimming, swimmer needs the basic training of running, push-up etc

though, no-one would think, do the running is swimming.

—

Yet still, lots of  self-proclaimed  Buddhist believes  ” As I’m chanting the name of mantra, hours

every day —– so I’m a  Buddhist ” —– so, I asked ” How come, your joint (hashish)”  ” Oh, with this

I can reach even higher spiritual level ” ——- m m m ?

Buddha’s followers literally followed him, And copied exactly the same what he was doing.

This is the PRACTICE.  Buddha was the living sample of How to live as a Buddhist.

Buddha was not doing any training exercise.  When he want, just sit and took a rest.

But never tortured his legs.  ( So, he could walk by his own till 83, to his Nirvana —— in comparison,

all the Zen sect high Priests  end up in wheel-chair when they got old, due to many years of torture to

the legs. —— when Master Dogen said  ” Just sit ”  on that time life-expectancy was mere 40~50 years,

long before the body started to show the symptoms of old age)

So,—– sitting is just sitting, take a rest ( away from the life’s all other activities / actions ) — hence,

no need to think or worry —– have a break, that’s all.

It is so funny, sitting itself was mistook as to be a Buddhist. —— No, It’s a misunderstanding to think

” Sitting is to reach the Dharma ” —— No, we are with Dharma 24 hours, every fraction of second.

Our life itself is the PRACTICE.  To achieve the best in the PRACTICE is the Buddhism.

___/\___

PS:  As I wrote in the earliest posts, those ” Repeating Buddhist’s Practices “ are the

training Practice to learn ” Do the things without thinking “ ( by means of ware-out the mind )

which is aimed to attain the State of the Mushin.

The Key to the Buddhist’s life is To live the life in Mushin—— hence, life is the PRACTICE to

apply the way of Mushin.  And the Mushin is the synonym to the Clear Eyes to see the Truth.

Zero = Infinity

Watch this Space.

—

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—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

This is the Space supposed to accommodates whole Universe end to end.  Therefore if you type here, the

space would be enough to have the whole Buddhist’s mantras scripts trillions of trillion times,  though

WordPress is a small provider in the cyber space and myself is an ever minute blogger,  hence the

appearance of the space is just this small.

Yet,  you can see the infinite spread of the space ——- since this is the expanse of the Dharma.

Did you see it ?   You convinced ? ——– Well done.  Then, watch the inside of the circle —– zero.

— ——————————————————— ——o

Do you still see the same expanse, whole Universe ? ——– Since,  this is the same Dharma.

——-  Now you know that  with Dharma,  you can be whole span of the Universe,  in the same time

you can fit inside of the space zero.

Once you free your mind,  you can be in anywhere,  you can live anywhere in any shape.

With its blank space of the mind ( Mushin ) and the complete open perception,

you can embrace Infinity and the Zero in the same time.

This freedom is the Enlightenment.  There would be no limit or any hindrance in your life..

___/\___

Nature = Dharma

–

—————————————–It’s a summer, have a brake, have a kitcat.

—-Photo by :  Canon 5D Mk-II  ( It’s a good Camera)  /  Nikon Fish-eye 16mm  ( It’s a good lens ) 😀

Talking blah blha, typing tick tick —– is a tiring business.  It’s nice to be in the nature.  Its teaches us more.  🙂

Please click the image to enlarge, and click again even larger.  Nature is not necessary posing us in orderly

esthetically pleasing alignment —– they can be just wild —– yet this is still their equilibrium / harmony.

Try to see them in esthetically orderly frame is our Ego.  Mahayana accept its disorder as it is.

This is the Dharma.   ___/\___—-

Middle Way

Most of the explanation and understanding of the Buddhism are based on Buddha’s life style.

Buddha himself was the very living sample and the text-book.

Not only what and how he does the things but also how he sees and perceives,  feels and thinks the world.

Since it was the way of the life,  it is not the abstract system of the philosophy,  and as he is the living sample

it is not the religion to believe.   ( The reason why the Buddhism became a  religion later was,  as he has gone

to his Nirvana and  only the legend to believe left.  Once the facts is no longer on front, the story changes.)

———————————

Since the matter is the state of the mind,  harder still, almost invisible subconsciousness,  not all the details,

what it is, why so,  were necessary elucidated. ——– May be because he had explained it in enigmatic

metaphor or left it without verbal explanation and let the people to learn through practice.

So that, even the disciples of  Buddha himself,  to attain certain mental state needed to have lots of guess-work.

————————-

To deny one’s ego and attain the negation of attachment,  then broaden it to the general emotional detachment

is hard enough  ( I’m rather skeptical,  how many monks has ever  reached even to this stage)

Then from there ( in the state of Mushin ) to realize  ” If the self is not exist,  how the same self can impose

the denial to other existences ?”  (Which is what I’ve described before using a metaphor,  -1 x -1 = +1 )

This is the core of the Notion of Middle Way ( We often make a joke ” Somewhere in the middle ” but

it is not such simple matter of quantity / Half Measure.)

Unless the person standing in the state of Mushin, this  Middle Way has no meaning as it is a part of Mushin.

———— There is a good sample in the previous post  ” Ikkyu-san ” /

” It’s good to have human hot water bottle “—— Ikkyu didn’t reject her in the same bed,  far from it, he

appreciated her accompany and the warmth.  But just took asleep.

This is the MIDDLE WAY.  How it is  HINAYANA !

( If you felt a discord when you read this passage in Ikkyu,

you are not Hinayana enough, not liberated enough.)

——— As it is not the matter of quantity or intensity,  as there is no such things like  ” Little bit less Mushin ”

It is next door beyond the Mushin.

From Room A you go to next Room B,  then go up the stair and open the next door to go into

another Room A’ which looks identical  to the Room A,  though this Room is situated above Room A.

You may think,  you were come back to tha same Room though, this one is in different dimension.

Not only Room A’  is situated above Room A,  from there you can see Room A, Room B like bird’s eye view,

since Room A’ has no floor or wall to block the view.   This is the place of absolute freedom.

Since Buddha was  in deed the resident of this Room A’  he had the freedom of the view,  and there

was even no silly restriction such as what to eat.  He ate anything offered.  (Hence he died with food poisoning

of a fish which he was grateful as it gave him the Nirvana )

As  Buddha had no stereotypical view or idea toward the death, he could just accept it,  hence it was  Nirvana.

———————–

Yet still, even the disciples were not necessary able to learn everything from the living text-book / Buddha

they needed to argue another 1000 years to find the door way to the Room A’.

And the  Room A’  looks almost identical to the Room A,  the old masters  who actually reached to this Room,

all of them just shouted  ” What a hell.  It’s a Dog Shit ”  —– ( But mind you, this Dog Shit is the same Dog Shit

Buddha stepped on. —– It is the Holy Dog Shit. So you know, it’s even smell nice. /  Internet information

says, at the Shaolin Temple in China you can buy a gold replica of this dog shit.   Ha ha ha  I’m kidding.  😀  )