SELFLESS (MUSHIN) in Daily Life

All about  Buddhism,  is the practice of Doing.  Not in the  Thinking.

On the time of  Buddha,  Buddha’s life style was the practice to follow and copy.

To copy how to handle the things,  what to do, from  Buddha’s own style  was of cause,  imperative.

In Buddha’s time  there was no Mantra of cause.   Therefore, other than listening his fascinating talking,

anything else was just repeating same practice =  Daily Life / without questioning or talking.

——————————-

This was the reason how the tradition of pilgrimage started.

Since Buddha was no longer with them, they wanted to feel real environment or back ground of the act, where

Buddha has found the truth or taught truth, as the truth comes through act, not from the knowledge alone.

———- And those traditions are still alive,  such as in a Zen Temple,  everything carried out

without a word or explanation but just copying senior monk’s doing. —— Do the Same.

And all the Zen originated Japanese art practice,  include Martial Art has been taught by just copying

and perfecting exactly the same movement of the Master,  which was regarded to be

the way  (Path way, Road = Dou) to reach Enlightenment  (Satori).

——————–

And this was  how  Buddha’s Teaching was kept 200 years after his Nirvana, without  written  Mantra.

( Hence, to believe the power of Mantra itself,  such as Dharani of Tantrism is not Buddhism )

Just carrying out same simple daily life  without talking,  lead to attain the practice

without thinking = Mushin ( and naturally without SELF),  hence it would lead to attain

Life ( in general ) in Mushin ——— hence to attain Enlightenment and  Nirvana.

( You see Buddhism is not complicated at all )

Complication only started to appear when professional monk try to theorize and glorifying the

Buddhism.  Though, to explain invisible subconsciousness and the Dharma was almost impossible task.

And end up 3000 Mantras.  As ancient Buddhists didn’t have single Mantra, yet managed to attain

Enlightenment was,  just by those simple practices ——- not by word or thinking.

In deed,  thinking is completely opposite of  MUSHIN.    MUSHIN.is Just Do It.

DRIVE to attain ENLIGHTENMENT

Human psyche is the complexed awkward animal.  It has too much pretense and the vague drive.

Pretense,  What ?  – – – – – because it is the posture of the idealized image,  not necessary the inherit nature.

——- though,  this is the foundation of the so-called  Spirituality.

And the vague drive  which may even came from the genetic memories are hard to define.

Still, it is not necessary a bad thing.

In my high school time, the talking shop of the left-wing activists ( of its milky junior rank ) concluded

the definition of the human as  ” a man aiming to become the human”. ( Here,  the Vector is the key )

This persistent aim and the tenacious effort is what makes a man as the human.

Actual direction may not necessary clear and it varied person to person,  so that this attempt include

its search as well.

Of cause,  the reason why we do need to search is,  as we are not born to be ——- its mean,  in nature

we are not human yet,  still if we abandon this attempt,  we will sink to the bottom of the stagnant water,

and we lose even a candidacy to be a human.

Even though we are not perfect yet,  the aim or hanger to achieve perfection is hidden in our nature.

Since this is the same Dharma which has given the vector to Mono-cell Organism in the primeval

sea to evolve ultimately to us,  the Mankind now.

Hence,  the aim or attempt and the effort to achieve the better is the Order of the Dharma.

———- and in the Buddhism,  this Drive / Vector is the very cause to attain one’s  Enlightenment

and ultimately  reach to the Nirvana.   And it is the reason why we need to practice, ——- the Drive

is there, but the one who actually work is the oneself.   Just born with Dharma is not enough.

( This continuous drive is the unique key factor of the Buddhism,  never seen in any other belief system

which tells a fixed Genesis story  ought to be believed )

Active / Passive MUSHIN

You may feel this is a strange advice,  though,  as there are many contradictions in the Buddhism,

such as the basic attitude to be a Buddhist is, never interfere somebody else’s life,  since everybody has

one’s own Karma.  You have to respect this.

Though this notion may seemed to contradict the Buddhist’s duty to help others ———— What duty ?

——-Who said so ?     There is no such duty in the Buddhism as you heard or thinking about.

When you encounter the troubled situation,  if you think  ” Shall  I  help ? ” it is not for you to mess up.

But,  if you start to help ( the person(s) or even a cat ) spontaneously without any thought,  this is

the situation you have to act. (To encounter such situation is the cross-point of the two Karma)

Without your thinking ( = MUSHIN ), somebody’s cry touched your subconscious direct  and

trigger your action. ——–  This is the Buddhist compassion.   And the Direct Transmission.

Not because of so-called DUTY, but Compassion is naturally there as a manifestation of  Dharma.

( Duty, Compassion, Selfless, Mushin, Enlightenment ETC ECT are all just the words and the human invention.

Dharma and its compassion is here from the beginning, long long before human existence.  Otherwise

a single cell life-form in the primeval sea could NOT survived and kept evolved to us here today )

——————–

Mushin is not only for the time when you Do.   Mushin is also for when you see or feel the world

( include to see deep inside of yourself ).   So that in Mushin,  you can see,  you can hear the Dharma.

Therefore active Mushin and in the same time Passive Mushin is there.

——————–

If you having a conscious of ” I’m helping ” ——- in fact,  you are only filling your ego and arrogant show-off,

which void all of your ” Good intention “.

” Good intention ” may praised in other religions but it is not in the Buddhism.

Because the Dharma is not in the one’s intention.

Dharma tells you or even without notice, make you, drive you to help others.

That’s why the Duty is there as not there.  (Hence,  it was not such contradiction described above )

And  ” Was that you who helped the others “——– or may not you,  as you even didn’t have a conscious

of helping ——– so, you were there as you were not there.

———- This is the magic of the Buddhism.

This phenomenon couldn’t be explained with the Vedic ( Brahmanism / Hindu ) idea of the Atman, and

this is the very discovery of Buddha, ——- hence this is uniquely the  Buddhism.

—— /\—— 🙂

Starting Point of BUDDHISM / Enlightenment

Well  well  well, this blog is coming to exactly the one year since its started.

So,  I should write something very fundamental.  This is the final piece of the jig-saw.

——————–

Unlike any another religion,  the Buddhism doesn’t have a myth or the story of the creation.

Since,  long before the existence of the human being,  long long before the arrival of Buddha,

the  Dharma  exist from the beginning.   Nobody know why. ( Ask scientists. They don’t know neither.    😀  )

As Buddha had absolute faith and the respect to the Dharma, he refused to give even his

interpretation of it, since it is unknowable to the human being and made up a story is

nothing but a disrespect and a treachery to the Creator / Dharma.

Therefore the Buddhism has to start from here “to unconditionally accept the one’s existence ( as he

or she ) as it is,  and  to see own existence as a part of  the Dharma”.

Therefore,  to give a person’s own  interpretation as a thought of the self, is nothing but an arrogant trespass.

Since,  the self is not definable by the person but only by the Dharma.

——————–

If anybody having an understanding,  that the Buddhism deny the self,  it is utterly wrong.

A person here is the Noble creation of the Dharma,  hence, try to give own interpretation or definition of it, is

a transgression,  therefore such thought has to be denied. ——– (Denying the thought of self,  not

the awareness of the self  itself) ——- In metaphor, ” Appear in person, not by a photograph ”

(a Copy or  Made up Description is not Yourself / its your wishful or distorted imagination)

The person’s  Imaginary Self  is a delusion,  its got to be in flesh as it was created and  it is keep changing.

So that,  to live as the True Yourself,  not as an imaginary fixed self,  is the key.

And this is the meaning of  ” To live in MUSHIN ” and  Just Do It,  Just Live.

So,  this is the starting point of the Buddhism,  and  its  goal.  ( Very simple and easy  isn’t it    😀  )

———- This is the reason,  why it is so simple and ubiquitous like as a dog sit,  but as difficult as

making the people puzzling  2500 years. ( People has been expecting to see glorious secret, Holy Grail   😀 )

As long as a person is puzzling, while expecting to find something over there,  it is not the Buddhism and

far away from the Enlightenment.  Enlightenment is within yourself——- as where the Dharma is.

And when the person abandoned such attempt and start to just live ——- is the Enlightenment.

——————–

But, to learn the way to accept and just do it, the person may need to practice repeating practice.

( I’ve fully explained its effect and the psychological mechanism in the past blog posts —–Please refer them )

LIFE’s DOMAIN

This is my  Life and its  Domain.

This piece of cloth was given by a monk registering the visitors in the  Eihei-Ji  Temple,  when  I  notified as

I was leaving the Temple.

While handing this, he told me, “ Think, your life is in here, and keep remember it  all of your life ”

This foot square ( 33 x 36 cm ) space is the space, a man occupy all through the life until the moment

when he needs a bit more to lie down to die (hopefully for a Nirvana )

——— And this cloth was meant to be used to eat on it.  (Though, when I needed to washed it some time later,

I found the color was fading —- originally it was dark brown —- I realized even this one is not permanent and

only for a spiritual teaching,  not for actual use.)    Since then, I just placed it in the kitchen where ever I moved.

So,  technically  this cloth has been shadowing and watching my life for the past 36 years, and

kept reminding  me,  who I am and the place where I can be. ( in its one foot square )

——————–

The Spoon on the cloth is shadowing me even longer than that.

I made this fork-spoon, out of ordinary table-spoon by cutting the teeth in it when I was in the first year of my

High-School.   In a tradition among the Japanese mountain climbers,  the eating utensils / spoon, fork  kind

were called ” Buki ” ( weapon )—– the essential tool to fight through the battle field of survival.

The larger the Buki,  we can eat quicker and  more.  Without energy in the stomach we can’t climb or walk.

So that I made the most versatile and efficient one for myself. ( It took whole one night  to make)

And I’m eating all the meal  nearly 50 years with this.  If I was invited someone’s dinner party, I go with this.

This spoon signify my life,  my living existence.——- Literally I’m living on it.

——————–

Pretending not eat a lot is laughable.  How anyone can survive with empty stomach.

And once the food staffs were cooked, while sacrificing the life of rice and vegetables etc,  not

waste even a single grain of rice, is imperative. ( It was the Zen family’s constitution )

So,  this is the foundation of my Life.

___/\___

—

MOON and FINGER

Used as a metaphor in the Buddhism, the story of a Finger pointing the Moon is too well-known.

This metaphor is about the explanation of—— Not the mean / Finger,  but

the subject / Moon —– Satori (Enlightenment)or  The Dharma (Rules of the Universe)

Even though the Zen Sect has the most critical,  precise analysis of the Buddhism,  still when its came to the

point to elucidate the core of the teachings / Satori,  Zen says  “Furyu-monji” (Not explainable in the words) or

“Kyogai-bechiden” (Not possible to teach)——- hence only the possibility is by mean of Direct Transmission.

———- Yet still,  funnily enough,  when the one did managed to find it out,  it is just ubiquitous,

natural things, hence  it was described such as a  Dog sit.  (Very very Funny  !!! )

——————

I’m not a master,  even not a monk, so I can’t tell you what it is.     As I only got a distant view of it by walking

around,  round round round and as I saw it is there like as the air.

Still, I can show what is the Buddhism not by the words but in the way how to live it,  and how to do it.

(Which is Tried and Tested 🙂 )

After all, this is what the Buddhism is.  And this is why  “It is there as it is not there” and beyond of

thinking or words.

( If it can be explained in words, somebody great Master in the past 2500 years could have done already.

And the teachings of  Zen and Direct Transmission needn’t to be invented )

How to live is the way of the Direct Transmission.

So that you may live the same way,  walk round same place,  then you may find the same ( Dog sit  ?!!—–

—– How Nice  😀  )    So,  I can say  Just Do It.

WHAT is the BUDDHISM

Buddha didn’t find anything new. Didn’t show or prophesied anything fancy.

So that,  he was called as Buddha ( Enlightened  Man ) not a Devine figure or Shaman.

But he was the only person ever pointed out the mechanism and its Rules of the Karma and  Dharma.

Therefore,  only after him,  mankind got the knowledges to deal with this Karma.

Since almost all about the Buddhism is, about this Karma, even the most

fundamental  Noble Principals are still,  four different aspects of the Karma.

——————–

Since Karma operates in its own cause, not for the convenience of the person, it is often creates unexpected

havoc to the person, hence the life looks in trouble.

Also,  Karma works in relation to millions of factors, it keeps changing,  hence nothing stays the same

therefore even the person’s Self couldn’t be defined as a solid entity.

So that, to live the life in such condition,  the one shouldn’t expect too much,  better live in modesty.

(still, it’s open for us to try  to push it to the limit—-even if the one loose, still it is the Providence of the Dharma)

And when the one become able to see the Dharma, it is the Enlightenment which lead to the Nirvana

( I may not have the test report in time—- so, this is my guess.  But historically it was widely believed right. 🙂)

So,  this is the Wisdom to face the Truth of the Life where even the death was integrated into the

one’s Path Way.   It is not an abstract idea or fancy promise but the Actual Way to live along side

the Karma,  not fight against it.       Since the One was created by the Dharma on purpose, live

the life accordingly to its purpose,  is the Way to achieve the best Harmony with Dharma.

Since,  Karma is not necessary a restriction, but it can be the direction pointing the opportunity.

After all,  You to fulfill its purpose is what the Dharma intended and expected to see.

———- only a difficulty  is,  as the biggest cause in one’s Karma is the very person,  so that the person has

to deal with it in person, while observing the Real  Self  /  Who He (She) is, which only the person can find out.

So that,  we have to live with this Karma, by carefully observing it by our sensitive subconscious,

while avoiding the interference from the useless thought, which we can learn from

the Practice as the way of  MUSHIN.   And in the state of MUSHIN, one can see the Dharma.

This is what the Buddhism is.  (  According to Yoshizen ‘s  experience  )

THINK YOURSELF

On the death-bed,  Buddha ordered to the  disciples as his last teaching

“Don’t blindly follow my teachings, but  Think it Yourself “ This is nothing but the extraordinary words.

Has any leader of a religion or a philosopher ever said like this to the followers, in the whole human history ?

Yet, this is not from Buddha’s humbleness BUT this is the most crucial teaching of the Buddha which

made the Buddhism as The BUDDHISM.

By following this words, the Buddhism kept evolved  in the past 2500 years.

Instead to have fixed written Dogma,  Buddha’s words kept the followers to think themselves and

able to respond to the changing world even to the forefront of the science today.

As the Dharma and Karma is in their dynamism there is no point to fix anything, in its definition.

Buddhism is the Eyes, and the Way to see those Dynamism, and the Way to participate it.

——————–

Far more important point is, this Words is the foundation of the Buddhism to the person.

Instead to follow and complying the fixed Dogma and Rules, as the Buddhism made the followers

to think and judge themselves,  it gave the initiative and the responsibility to the individual,  therefore

left no margin of excuse to such as a matter in the moral issue.

———- You may remember the most hypocritical rules (?) somewhere,  ” Because the rules says Kill Not,

I paid somebody else to kill”  and always found the way to dodge the words of so-called god’s given  rules.

There can not be such things in the Buddhism, unless the one is too insane to think  normal.

Hypocrite may have escaped on the words, but in anyone’s subconscious, it is obvious, he is the  murderer.

——————–

With the Noble Principle,  we aspire and pursuit the Buddhism.   And as we pursuit it

our understanding deepens.   Once we reached to the point and as its became the norm, then

we notice  what should be the better.  This endless process of evolution is also the one’s pathway

toward  the Enlightenment.

The same apply to all aspects of the life.  (One has to pursuit the best way to cut lemons as well    😀 )

And this is the secret how such as the Zen culture evolved and attained such degree of refinement.

——————–

Following the Buddha’s words ” Think yourself “, even a small man on the street did pay an effort to

achieve the best. ——– This active participation of the life is The Buddhism.

And this is the answer to  ” Why Buddhism ? “

Who, you ???

Some of the reader may have noticed, there are funny contradictions among my posts.

Somewhere says ” We are just passive.  Nothing was credited to ourself ” —– in the other hand,

” We can have absolute confidence and able to create anything “_ _ _ _ _ ? ? ?

” The Notion of Self is only an imaginary  idea and no such concrete existence there “—– in the same time,

” You are nobody else of you in the mirror ”

——-All of them are absolutely true at the same time.

Reality lies between two,  or they exist contradictively together as this is the very Buddhism.

( This is why you  often see  Zen expression such as “Maximum is Minimum”)

You have to see this Paradox in Reality by your eyes.    (Not by thinking)

( See it, is Feel it.  Feel in Deeper Layer / Subconscious Limbic System / Basis of our existence)

——————–

On purpose I use poor metaphor,   ( So, it is easy to visualize this )

Think, You are a small bureaucrat called  Mr. A  in a corner of Empire.

You never seen Emperor nor have any idea how whole system of the Empire works but know the Rules

and duties you are assigned to do and not to do.

You carry out your task utmost diligence and in your best. ( otherwise you will be beheaded   😀 )

As long as it is in your jurisdiction you have the absolute authority and discretion. (You are the Rules)

———- Still, non of the rules or protocols were your invention, nor any of the applicant came to

your desk are your choice.  You exist just as passive. (Rules are there, not you)

Being as an officer you do your task almost automatic routine and after many years in the same position,

you are the expert to deal with such issues but as an officer you can’t mix your emotion to the business.

It got to be detached from the subjective view. (Only the eyes of Rules exist)

You must be very proud of your role in the Municipal office and have perfect confidence of your life as

a part of the Empire.  (Since you are the Rules, you are the Empire)

Everybody knows you and your name Mr.A. —— (so far, so good)- – – – – Then, Who is Mr.A ?

Is it a man happen to be sitting in that chair ?

Or the body which attached to a face called Mr.A ?

Mr.A is absolutely nobody else of Mr.A ——– Everybody knows it, and you yourself know it, though,

yet still   Who You are ?  ( Until, you question this, there was no such issue ever existed )

( You can live happily without bumped into this question,  and able to live  without knowing it at all )

Once “Who are you” / Self  was questioned, the stance of one’s confidence became uncertain.

Because of this is the most puzzling question, many people go into very deep, still nobody ever found

the answer.—— So, Buddha gave very pragmatic answer.

” Don’t bother, don’t waste the time, no such things there like what Vada said  (Artman) ”

You to live peaceful life is what Buddha wished,  not you end up in a word game.  (Word game push

the person even further away from the state of  Mushin)

——————–

You are the Mr.A and the name of Emperor was the Dharma.

( Now you might got the idea What is Reality lies between,  meant )

Why Subconscious (2)

” How Buddhism dealt with Mind “

In this post, I’m going to talk about the practical effect of the practice which Buddhism

invented  as the way to deal with the matters in the subconsciousness.

If you are more interested in the historical, theoretical view in the Buddhism, please read

the Mantra of the Yogacara school. especially about the Alaya

——though I found there isn’t much useful insight.

Or you can look into a mountain of the books about brain science——again, they may lead you nowhere.

Our Ethos, notion of the Dharma or Spirituality is not operating in electrical, chemical level.

(Still, the hormone, Serotonin and Dorpamin seemed to have an effect to the deep contented feelings

but, of cause they wouldn’t make you any wiser or enlighten you )

——————–

Buddhism’s teaching method and its practice has been well thought out in the history.

Whether it is walking, banging the drum or sitting, what ever  they looks monotonous silly practice.

Yet, there are 2  hidden agenda or very effective function behind.

(1)  is what I’ve explained many times, it is to induce the selflessness, and disconnecting the coming

signals to the Emotion which contained the subconscious of Self or Ego  as well.

It can be said, it is to automatize routine work, together with the apathy caused by the mental fatigue.

(This is the harsh varier you have to go through.  Any soft sweet words to sugar court it, is a fraud)

(You can’t buy cheap Enlightenment in pink color.  Real one is pretty heavy and cost you, though

its worthwhile to pay.  Since the value of it would be much much more than your own life)

——————–

(2)  and the second purpose is to make you give up any

question such as what for, what would happen after or  think what others say.etc.

Here absolute obedience  is essential.   As long as you  keep fussing about what, why or am I good ?

you have no hope to go any farther therefore the teacher would just give you a nice smile, as he

is not operating in no win no pay policy,  to keep the student coming back is far more important.

So, the second purpose is to make you to lean giving up your Ego without any question or condition.

This is not easy matter,  that is why its have to be repeated again and again to imprint the notion deeper.

This process is to change the system in the brain down to the deep subconscious level.

And (1) (2) together the denial of the Self became complete, both conscious level and subconsciously.

This is the reason why, even if you  get the intelectual knowledge of how and  why practice,

it wouldn’t help you to get  Enlightenment any quicker, if any at all.

( So does, this blog too.  That’s why I’m keep shouting, Just Do It, yet still this blog would gives you

a kind of navigation guide to find  where you are.)——- if you can see where you are objectively ,

at least it will gives you a confidence, you are on the right path. (or completely wrong place   😦   )

——————–

So, the Buddhism practice will kill two birds in one stone.

Yet still, even with this practice, which may have killed off your  Me Me Me Ego,  the another animals

in your instinct is still at large.

So, this is where the rules, discipline comes in force to curb your greed, desire etc.

Still, from the personality profile, the one who could gave up the Ego, tend to follow the rules easily,

and the effect of the practice which had blocked the connection to the Emotion, the greed,desire,anger,

obsession, etc, even a fear of death, will gradually lose the grip and you no longer be bothered by them.

( I’ve been using a metaphoric expression ” The File has been Dilated  ” therefore, even a word ” Alcohol ”

is no longer exist.  So that a bottle on front, wouldn’t give any meaning.   It wouldn’t excite the emotion,

as it is not exist.  Same apply to another evil, money, drug, ghost, vanity, sex-mania ? ,you name it )

———— (Sound grate,  though your wife may not like this. ——— But don’t blame me  😀

There is an Old say, in its reverse Maxim,  If you can’t beat, run away.   Ha Ha Ha )

In fact tender Buddhist persuasion may work, and if you succeeded she is the first one you have saved.

——————–

When you read this, you may think it looks too simple.  —— You are right, since there isn’t much secret

in the Buddhism or the margin left to think about, since  the secret remained in the black box.

So far we only know the functional map of brain,  still don’t know even how or where the memory kept.

And even with the limited number of input, try to induce human like response with a simulation

program had all failed, since we even not know how many factors which may influence the result, were

hidden unconsciously.  Even worse, in a real life, situation and the perceived informations are never

static and its never same to a person to person. / Nothing stays permanent and each Karma is different )

——- So, the mind is still in the black box, but this black box is like a Nintendo, you don’t need to know

the internal electronics. The matter is,how to use it, which button to push, that is all we need to know.

Exactly like this, what Buddha found is, this button in the human life.  This is why its so simple.

———-And this is why when grate Zen Masters realized this, all of them were so annoyed.

The story of  ” Its a dog sit ” was well known even at the time, still another Zen Master

couldn’t understand  until he discovered it by himself.  Its too funny, but unshakable fact.

——————–

One of the most Not Thinking Sect, the Pure land Sect  (Which followers are just chanting

Nam-Amida-Butsu  that all, and may even  not necessary to know who is  the Amida-Butsu, still,

the follower can attain  the Enlightenment.——–( In this aspect,  the Zenist  is the worst.

They will make a question to Buddha when they met him in the Heaven.   Buddha wouldn’t answer   😀 )