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)

—–

Mulberry

Every year, in the middle of August, there will be my annual event to go to see the Mulberry tree

and eat its berry, as one of my special ritual. ( After this, it will be the Blackberry’s season  🙂  )

—

There is a Japanese song called ” Aka-Tonbo ” ( Red Dragonfly, and its appearance heralding the coming

Autumn  /  end of the summer) —— it was dubbed as the second Japanese National Anthem.

Some Japanese expatriate would tear when they sung this, even though they may not necessary ever

eaten this berry in their life.

Song is about a childhood memory,  when he (she) was piggy-backed and  saw  the red evening sky,

the flying  Aka-Tonbo,  and the memory of picking the Mulberry. ——– (sob  sob)

My childhood memory itself was nothing like in the song,  still when ever I saw this Mulberry tree

my thought just goes to this song.   ” This is the Mulberry of  Aka-Tonbo song ” ——– still,  it is

almost a mystery, why this Mulberry having such significance and  Aka-Tonbo song  makes the

Japanese cry ——- though, it is a touchy subject I never dare to ask others ” Why you cry ? ”

—-

I can describe,  the size and how its berry looks like (it looks similar to Blackberry —– if  you click

the photo and enlarge it twice, it will be about 80% of the life-size) though I can’t tell what is the taste

and how it is distinctive.  Unlike the light or sound, there is no chart to plot or even measure its

distinctiveness.  (We only able to measure the strength of each taste,  very strong to very weak.

But we even don’t know what sort of difference or similarity  between the taste of apple and the grape)

So that, we can not objectively describe or think about the taste— Only able to detect, it’s there or not.

—-

Among the sensory stimuli, the visual signal is the most indirect stimulus.  It detects the light

reflected on the surface of the object and the signal has to be reconfigured as a pattern in the brain

—– otherwise its  signal / stimulus wouldn’t have any effect as a stimulus,  as if it is not existing.

In comparison, sound signal stimulates  the hearing nerve direct.  As long as it’s there you can not escape.

But the sound is a by-product of something vibrating, and transmitted through the air, if we block

the air path we can annihilate its existence.

Though, taste and the smell is the direct chemical effects created by the particular monocle of

the material or ingredient, so the monocle itself needs to touches the nerve.

Second direct sensory are the touch feeling.   It will be detected by the direct touch but needs to feel

and assess.  So that the same stimuli of such as touching a wire-brush —— very slight ticklish feeling

to itchy feeling and if it was pressed too hard it is painful —— its dependent to the interpretation.

Some people feel even pleasure by piecing the skin by needle. (I wonder what sort of process there ?)

—

The more direct the stimulus,  its effect goes deep straight, even hit one’s physiology straight, since it

by-passing the process of the brain,  and evoke the subconscious reaction, revive the latent

memory and hit the emotion direct, we can not control —— sob !

When a monocular of chemical which is unique to the Mulberry, touches our taste-bud, specific

signal was transmitted from there (scientists still don’t know the mechanism, is it the pattern of pulses ?

if it was the case, can computer mimic the pattern and recreate the same sensation of taste ?

or even create the similar but slightly different pattern hence new taste ? ? ? ) we perceive specific

sensation and  as its sensation is unique, it will be strongly associated with its particular

situation —— hence, its revive the strong memory and the associated emotion.

—

Yet, me to go and pick Mulberry is not only for indulging child memory,  but I rather feel a kind of duty

to remember  our humble origin.  We human being came from the savannah  as the hunter gatherer.

We survived while picking fruits, plant roots, sea-shell etc etc —– thanks to the nature and

ultimately the energy-source, the Sun. ——- (Fruits comes from the tree, not from  Tesco 😀  )

We never created foods.  We are just a sucker of the nature and a part of the food chain.

Especially to be a Buddhist, we shouldn’t forget that fundamentally  we are the  bikku (beggar ).

So, thanks to a tree in a park, I can pick this Mulberry, free of charge.

( Though, I’m not alone.  It seems I’m competing with another picker and the Birds —— early Birds got

better chance and upper hand / upper wing  to reach top of branch.  I got only few left over.  Sob  😀  )

——

Creative Mind (2)

In my life I might have seen billions of images,  I’ve seen hundreds of thousand of Art images include

the artistically well designed commercial products.  And I met hundreds of artists. With a curiosity of

how those artists create their art,  how they conceived the original image or idea. ( Secret of Creation)

It seems there are some distinctive types of creative mind and its mechanism and the tendency.

In most of the cases,  there is the original image or real existence which inspired the artist.

The great artist, Pablo Picasso created many ( too many  😀 ) mind-boggling extraordinarily images,

yet he never created any new image.  He only created new style to show the same subject.

Even heavily decomposed, deformed cubist paintings still maintain the image of the original subjects.

Same apply to Salvador Dali.  Unless the clock with needle hands exist, his melted clock never appeared

in this world. ( Think if it was a digital clock with LCD face, the image couldn’t be so striking as we are

much familiar with  funny shaped plastic products )

So, only pure abstract art deals with totally new image, still, what inspired Mondrian was the Japanese

house interior design which Bruno Taut brought to the attention of the west.  And even looks like abstract

expression of Henry Moor’s sculptures still shows the woman as woman, unmistakably.

Yet still, some artist create utterly incomprehensible image which is not a result of random chance.

Some people are able to conceive pure image which seems to have no origin.

( Here I’m not talking about the twist of ordinary idea such as ” If the bloom handle is straight stick,

why not an useless twisted metal ” or ” If the public display has to be decent and acceptable, why not

smelly animal dung ”  kind of idea ——- it’s still in the logic, only a negative process.  Nothing  new.)

I had chances to talk with those artists who create utterly incomprehensible images and found

they are not necessary aware creating strange image  ” Ah,  I just like it.  It’s  who I am ” —–  ! ! !

It seems there is a completely different type of brain exists.  Naturally they seemed to have very

different perception and the handling of their life style too. —— not necessary street-wise or

smart to sell their art, since they are neither a good communicator. ( often talks incomprehensible

though, the line on the palm indicating, the person got well developed brain )

___

They are the person of  True-Self as the one born to be = as the Dharma created. ——– So, would they

make an Enlightened person or at least good Buddhist ?

Good question, and this question signify the clear distinction What is the Buddhist.

——— Once, Master Dogen questioned  ” If everybody born to have the Dharma within, why the past

Great Masters needed to have practice to get it ? ”

The small children are the angels, as they are so natural and innocent ——- as they are in their True Self.

So, the cliché was created.   Of cause, it is only a nice flirtation and the myth. If it has even a shred of

viable significance, 99% of world population is the great artists and the Enlightened people, —— and

the Child Parliament with Child PM governing the country. ( Why not  😀  )

—-

True Self in the Buddhist term is not simply the self as a person happened to be born with.

It is the Self once denied Self.  ( So, the process is much more important than the result —– in the first

denial,  Selfish Ego and the Emotion would be eliminated.  Hence, in the second denial when the Self was

revived, the Ego and Emotions are missing —– or came under the control.  Self itself looks the same though )

T—

In the zoology, to define whether the particular animal can recognize the self / if the conscious

of SELF exist in them, scientist use a mirror to observe their behaviour. (If the animal can see a   reflection

of him as him or the other animal —– and become aggressive or see behind of mirror etc )

Just to be the Self as he was born, is easy as all the animal is living in this way.  But able to have the

conscious of Self and able to differentiate behavior ( control ) needs to have much evolved brain.

Control  what ?   Control, mainly the instincts, and suppress the emotion. Then able to do something

more complicated projects / preconceived plan with observation feed-back and judgments.

To control the behavior in order to have a harmony with environment,  the observation of outer world is

of cause essential,  and in the same time observation of  the Self too.  This is the Self-conscious.

So that the matter is  if the one can detach the view-point and watch the Self from a distance, objectively.

But, this is nothing but a  Self alienation.   This Self alienation is the trade-off, necessary compromise to

survive in the social environment.  Hence, we social animal / human being was forced to live with the watchful

eyes of the Self.  Then, where is the estranged True Self, became a perpetual conundrum.

—

In the Buddhism, the matter of Self and the  Selflessness seemed to be a bit over emphasized  because of

Buddha denied its existence in the first place,  in order to differentiate with the popular Vedic teachings.

But, as I explained afore, the restrain of the raw Self / Ego is the basic rule to live in the society.

( So, we often use the expression ” Play a roll ”  ( Away from  being in the Self )

Even in a pack of the animal, pecking order (control of the greed ) or breeding right of the alpha-male

(control of the sexual desire) etc —— the denial of one’s Ego is the essential rules of the survival.

Buddhism is not asking the follower to do anything special —— just be a sensible member of the society.

Same apply to the Ten Commandments, it didn’t need to be given by the God. It exist long before the Myth

was invented.  Otherwise the primitive society could be fallen into disarray and couldn’t be survived.

—

Japanese language having one of the most complicated honorific expression system.

How polite,  has to be exactly matched  to the social scale —- too polite to a junior person mean blunt despise.

( Even a man of respectable position in his forties could lose the trust in just one word . —— I still regret

a word to my professor when I was 25 —— even if it was meant to be a joke )

So that, it is very easy to assess the quality of the person (and their up bringing / family ) just see the wording

in a letter or listen the tongue. —- trouble is, the person  may not aware the situation and what he is speaking.

Here, the clear eyes to see the Self and the reference data to judge the situation is essential.

Yet True Self is ever more reclusive.

___

CREATIVE MIND —- HELIX the ANGEL

My design or creative work used to be to make something useful especially in the photographic field.

But when I encounter a complication or intrigue in its commercial implication, I just fed up with them, and

started to make utterly useless things —– so-called kinetic sculpture. (Well, it is their classification

and the naming.  I don’t care what ever called.  I just made something  fun  for myself and  as I happen to

know electronics  they often moves,  flashing the light or makes sound.  It is a reflection of  Who I am )

In the same time, my interest to the human mind, especially its cognitive function and creativity led

me to make a kind of figurative piece to see how we can recognize it,  still as the figure even when it was

simplified to the limit.

——————–

To think about creativity through traditional art form and technique doesn’t have so much point, as the freedom

would be confined to the last stroke only.  After all, the creativity is the matter of how the brain

re-configure new  image or notion, better try it as wider as possible aspects.

Thanks to be an outsider of the art,  I don’t need to be confined in the traditional art form.

Above all, traditional technique cost more.  The reason why  traditional sculpture having established supply

and production systems are,  they are the money spinners,  hence it would cost more. (See who buy  Art ?)

Though with a Buddhist Bikku’s principle,  everything has to come from the skip, free of charge.

Therefore the material and the production technique has to follow accordingly to funny material —— its mean,

to invent whole process or technique. ( You may never imagine to create curvy nude figure out of drink can )

The photos here is the Helix the Angel.

The name came from its spiral structure.  Why spiral ?

——- To make a full figure,  we can do it with clay  and

take a die and cast it in metal or glass fiber plastic,

( If not the stone or wood carving —– its a heavy work)

But to make it from  metal panel, it will needs to use either

expensive press process or lots of heat and bang by hand.

Though I got an idea to make it easy and cheaper, using

the way to lap-up a mummy with strip of bandage.

Strip of metal will not totally cover the body though it wouldn’t be a matter, as long as its shape showing

the essential contour,  it would be seen as a body and the gap would be filled by the brain with its function

of integration.  (Convert a flat panel to 3D figure,  lots of people may think  to make each body parts with

rounded pipe,  thinking of Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz,  but it is a stereotype,  mere  variation of existing idea.

A body made by metal needn’t to be a robot kind.——— Anyhow most of the robot looks awfully ugly.

If the task was to make a robot,  I  will make a robot which should function,  regardless if it looks ugly.  But to

make a beautiful Angel,  she got to be beautiful.   Creativity has a direction.   Its not just a wild imagination.

Imagination is A Part of creativity.  The matter is how to develop its image to a concrete object / 2D or 3D etc )

———————–

Intricacy of the miniaturization and its realistic representation would amazes the people,  but in the same time

when a simplified figure showed core essence of the subject,  it amazes the people too.

Art is an Artificial representation of the Natural Truth.  When the well known nature was realistically

represented in an Artificial form or invisible truth was well exposed by the Artificial means,  in either case

it would strike the people’s subconscious/ naked perception.  This is what people calls the ART.

Once before, to show  well known existing object such as a Urinary or Dead Shark in different context did

amaze the people as a twist of the context,  but since such idea became ubiquitous,  its no longer impress

the people.  Because, its no longer exposes the truth,  but ironically it exposed another kind of truth

” Money grubbing fraud ” and so-called  Conceptual Art  became the dirty word.

———————–

Once the created piece was seen by the others,  concept or imagination of the maker came into the field of

communication  (it is no longer the solo game of one’s expression ) ——- the very concept / massage has to

be understood by the others.

If the concept or imagination was originated from the depth of maker’s subconsciousness,  as all the human

share the basic feeling and instinct,  it would be understood by the others, more or less in the same context.

Though,  if the concept was manufactured in the higher region of the brain (by Thinking ),  as everybody got

different knowledges and ideas,  it wouldn’t be understood in the same context.

(That’s why,  so-called  Conceptual Art needs to have  pages of pages of  blah, blah, blah.)

Here the situation of ” What is The true SELF ” came into play.

————————

Incidentally,  this Helix the Angel was shown to the organizer of the so-called ” Angel of the South “

( Evesfleet Project) Design Competition as it happened soon after I’ve made this.  Though, they choose

out-dated conceptual piece ” White Horse ” for the project —— I wonder if it would ever be built.

———- With the design concept of the Helix,  its wings would flap by the wind and drive an electric generator

which would power the hi-power LEDs  in the eyes at night   ( in theory  😀 )    Though, I found the wind in

east England,  if it is east wind it would blow from the east, all day——- not conveniently changes the direction

to make the wings flap and generates electricity.   It was the design flop,  not made by the wing.  Ha ha ha  😀

The creativity in the imagination alone would not necessary works in practice.

In this case,  it is much more an engineering product design than  the Art.

Still it was a fun.

Sexual Instinct —– What ?

Quite number of years I spent time to watch  Male – Female interaction in the Club.

As I had free entry to the Clubs as a top dancer, up to four nights in a week,  I was on the floor.

Such as a Club called  Enigma  ( formerly  Manhattan Light ) in  Muswell Hill, London  was where

I spent four nights every week,  nearly three years,  as I was living in the aria.

( After this, I was in the  Fridge Club,  Brixton , every weekend,  nearly six years  with my flushing LED

dancing pants or sound reactive flushing pendant which I designed myself.)

———- But there was funny rules, ” Never mix with clouds ”  I was there only for my dancing not

socializing with people. Exception was a Manager,  Staffs and  DJs /  And the person introduced himself

in proper manner. ( So that, two guys among the cloud became good friends )

By watching the interaction between  young man and  girl, their body language  and  who chose who

and changed to who and so on,  I recorded those observation in my log-book in their nick names.

————- Even funnier story was, despite always there,  never speak to the cloud but to the Staffs

and never drink  alcohol,  many people mistook me such as the Real Owner of the Club or  Under-cover

Detective,  Special Security Person (since, my dance movement looks like Martial Art)

(Those were what the staffs told me, as the people asking them ” Who’s that guy ?  Isn’t he —- ? ” )   😀

———————-

The reason why I chose this topic was,  as  I thought the  Unconscious,  Subconsciousness (in another

word Instinct ) may hold the key to decipher the foundation of the SELF. ——– Sexual Instinct is

the easiest one to start and observe. ( In deed you can watch  lords of lords of activities there )

And, how my observation has reflected and resulted  was, what you are reading in this Blog.

———— In addition, I came to the conclusion

” The mankind is the only animal born without the complete program of the Sexual Instinct “

( I know, at first you wouldn’t agree with this  though,  think deep,  remember when you were small,

when you were first ever encounter the sexual knowledge such as where the baby come from

( did you believe,  a stork brought them  ? ) you must be shocked.    And the first time you try to do it,

how awkward you were  ——- (Obviously, only the Instinct, the mankind got is a vague urge  to release the

physiological pressure / tension —– by any means —– hence, there such wide variety of means and fashions )

In comparison,  other animals having amazingly complexed yet perfected instinctive behavioral pattern,

not only the elaborated courtship rituals but associated breeding activities which works only to own species.

We mankind knows virtually nothing of what and how to do and everything has to be learned.

Because of this inadequacy of the instinctive (ie; IMPERATIVE ) program, human sexual activities having

so much wide variation,  dependent to the culture and early orientation ——- once a person caught up to

certain direction, its tendency getting heavier and heavier.  Though, this is not Instinct but the Obsession.

Because of this phenomena,  early orientation or occurence affect the person’s behavior in unconscious,

subconscious level ——- by which, such as so-called  Psycho-analysis  works.

You must be amazed to hear,  even the most basic part of the sexual reaction,  the timing of  ejaculation

is in fact Cultural.   ( M m m m  ? ? ? )

In the west,  a man ejaculate when the insertion was completed with imprinted stereotypical psyche

” I conquered “.   —— But in the east,  a man has a duty to make a woman to come,  so that he ejaculate

when he felt the contraction,  since he grown up hearing, reading   ” Otherwise you are not  The Man ” and

this subconsciously imprinted obsession controls the timing. ( You can ask around the people, if you dear.

—– so, you do your research ) —– So-called  Tantra-Sex and its naming originated from here. ( Though,

it seems, it was utterly mis represented by the so-called guru  who couldn’t even control  himself )

——————————–

This observation gave me the insight, even such basic, ( looks like ) instinctive reaction is

cultural / programable,  so-called instinct or unconscious behavior is in deed Re-programable.

——— isn’t this, the very function behind the  ZEN ?     Yes, it is.

BRAIN WAVE

Some days ago,  I saw a bizarre demonstration which purported to be an electronic display of the

Buddhist Meditation,  consisting a video image said to be controlled by the Brain Wave.

Loads of scientific buzz words such as Quantum Mechanics, Sinusoidal Alpha Wave etc etc were spoken.

———- Yet strangely, a demonstrator  who got a shaven head said ” I’m not an electronics expert,

so,  I don’t know the details of the technology here “—— Oh, I’m, sure Brain Wave is not Sinusoidal at all.

——————–

How bizarre this one was —– to begin with,  Alpha Brain Wave is nothing to do with the Meditation.

EEG  Brain Wave was picked up on the surface of the head and showing the summed up electric signal

of the inside Cerebrum Cortex’s activity.   Therefore,  the Brain Wave is the reflection of the vigorous

activity of the brain —— sound opposite of the calm Meditation.   (Of cause, even under the deepest

meditative state, certain physiological function is fully active, hence creating so-called  Artefact ( back

ground noise ) is always there.

Any how, the activity of inner part of the brain such as Limbic System is not possible to observe by the EEG,

unless a hole was cut to the skull and put through a probe deep inside.  ( Very risky operation )

——————–

More than 40 years ago, when a meditating monk was wired up and the EEG / Brain Wave was recorded

first time, the relation between Alpha Wave and the Meditation was discovered.  So, a  Myth  was created.

Though, ironically, some years later, the true nature of the Alpha Wave became clear —— it was the

indication of the ” Eyes are Closed ” —— its mean, the visual cortex in the back of the head is in idle state.

Nothing to do with meditation.    (Well, see nothing was indicated.  At least   😀  )

(  In the Zen, Eyes wide open and seeing, but take NO NOTICE is the key technique —– Thus able to

either Detach or Concentrate to any subject,  any time,  by will )

Yet still, the Myth or idiosyncratic misunderstanding was kept and worshiped by the people who doesn’t

know the Buddhism neither Medical science or Electronics.

And this kind of bizarre gimmick industry is flourishing.

How amazing  !!!

When Mankind didn’t have the knowledge of electric activity,  lightning was believed

to be an act of angry God.

The Brain still remaining in the mystery is,  nothing to do with  the mystery of the Buddhism.

Mind is not just a matter of  Brain cell and  Electric pulse.

—

PS: Half year later, I bumped a man who demonstrated aforesaid  Electronical Meditation, at an art

gallery and found that the man is (despite his shaven head  🙂 ) just a novel art performer, not a monk

or to do anything with Buddhist’s meditation.  So, he must had a lots of fun for doing it. 😀

DELUSION — is it a Face ?

This is a funny photo.  It supposed to have a face there.

Can you see it ? —–( it is the pattern on the cushion )

It was one of the ” face” picked up by the Google Picasa,

Face Recognition Program.

——————–

As I’ve collected 20,000 photo of faces ( well, lots of them came

together with legs, boobs etc) and I’m sorting them by the

type of face and eyes, ears etc.

( Incidentally, to see the person changing  the face, body shape,

in spate of  4~5 (?) years,  giving me a chilling feeling of harsh reality,

Nothing stays the Same—— and think, what will they do next, after 5 years time  ? ? ? )

To have the Face Recognition Program was not my choice.  It came automatic as an up-date. Though, it is

using my CPU without my permission.  I’ve tried to remove it though, it is a part of Picasa 3 (and old version

had gone ) and I couldn’t pinpoint which part of program file is doing this.—– ( Google may planning to create

another  Social  Net-working  System to compete  with  Facebook  ( which I hate most )  in the near future ).

Anyhow,  as they cropped  faces and asking me to name the person,  I clicked (may be ) 30,000 times

” Ignore ” and deleted all of them except about 30 ” faces ” which is a sheer mistake such as the one here.

In certain extent, this program was well designed as it made only  0.1% mistakes.—– Beyond here, its

needs to have a human brain ——- though, wait a moment, our brain makes as much as mistakes.

——- When I was small, I was disturbed by a pattern of knot on a wooden panel of the ceiling, as it looks

a man’s fearsome face.    Once an image was registered in the brain as a face, it always looks as a face.

———- It is interesting to see, even an artificial digital image processing makes same kind of mistakes.

In Buddhist term, this is the Delusion and a cause of paranoia though, as it was a very useful brain function

of data integration / filling the gap of information by fuzzy logic —— not exact but somewhat likely

judgement —– this kind of mistakes are inevitable.

Most of the case, it is just ” Ha, Ha, Funny ” but time to time, it might led to a serious consequence.

Stay cool, stay objective is the secret to stay in Peace.

As the mater of fact, more than half of the personal trouble was caused by oneself and one’s mind.

Emotion

We tend to simplify the Notion, such as the Emotion, like thinking it as if it is only the feelings,  Sadness,

Joy, Anger etc—– just see as an indicator of the mind, thus totally missing the point of  its function behind.

The part of the brain which is dealing with Emotion is known as Limbic System,  which situated under

side of the Cerebrum, and just above the Thalamus where body functions were kept controlled.

——————–

Structurally, this part of the brain is the older or original part in the evolutionary scale ( sometime its called

Old Cortex ) therefore common  with other simpler animal.

(less number of Neural layers indicates this too ——primitive hence it is fundamental to the Life)

So, what is this Limbic System is doing as the main function.

Its function is to Assess the incoming signal (Information / Data ) according to the Self-interests.

Self interest is largely, the instinct of survival and own comfort. —— its mean, Ego.

( Though, highly developed human’s case, this ” Own comfort” include the feeling of  Achievement ——

of which target may not necessary immediately link to his or her own gain, and it can be very spiritual )

——————–

And the action which was triggered by a stimulus such as a visual signal of the danger,

the evading action has to be continued for a certain length of the time, (just out of vision  wouldn’t be enough)

it has to be kept by the chemical effects.———- (So, Adrenalin is high, tension is kept high )

Since the Limbic System is directly linked to Tharamus,  effects are mostly Physiological,and the

secondary Psychological effects must be a later development,  or even a cultural development and

the result of the Conditioning.  (When to laugh or get angry etc are depend on the Culture, so that

small children don’t have same Emotion.  They need to lean the manner,  how to react and should  feel !!!).

Programing of ” How One has to Feel”— is the basis of the development of  HUMAN like  human.

This is what we call ” ETHOS” —– since, it is in Emotion / Uncontrollable—– hence Imperative.

( Carl Jung called this ” Collective Unconsciousness”  though it is only the end result. He didn’t know why )

( Most of the people know only their own culture and  own emotion—– so, not aware of this)

——————–

To see a news “A boy was rescued after 8 days” may trigger an Emotion ” How lucky this Boy is” and

feel a joy,  or dreaded with a thought ” What a poor boy to spend 8 days next to the Death” —– is

depend on each personality,  still this news gave significant impression to both person —– as it

triggered their Emotion,  but if it didn’t trigger the Emotion,  this news couldn’t

even be noticed / insignificant Data to the person.

Even an exciting signal source such as a sexy object (person) may become boring subject after a while.

( Hence, ” Seven  Years  Itch” —— 🙂   )

———- Emotional perception is very subjective, hence changeable.  So the importance of the Data as well.

Selfless (so-called) is to handle the signal while  being Apathic to the Emotional Bias, which

bore out of the Ego or deluded idea.

And giving no significant weight to any signal, and treat all the incoming signal impartial is

The Open Mind. ( Sociologist’s Value Free )

Emotion is the part of Self-conscious feeling,  noticeable side-effects of the Limbic activity.

Before the Large Brain / Cerebrum evolved and took over the Decision making process,  this part of the

Brain handled the thinking function / assess the Data and decision making. —– Important fact is, its still

doing  this subconsciously —– Hence it makes  Double Layer System .

( Emotional feeling  may started like an  Allergic Symptom to alert the individual.)

——————–

In metaphor, the incoming signals were assessed and directed to each door. (One is a Trash bin)

And this signal leaving each foot print.—– Some of them might make very muddy big foot print,

even splashing sticky muddy water all around.  ( Emotionally drenched. It’s a mess.    😦   )

Buddhism is making this signal to tread quietly, leaving minimum foot print and the noise.

When the foot step become  silent,  the Buddhist can hear the minute sound behind.

And some experienced Buddhists can even re-direct the signal and prevent it goes into the

door of House of Horror.   —— (Shame, screaming Horror House may be quite exciting and fun   😀 )

Voice of Dharma

The reader who has been kept reading this Blog may have now realized

What is the Buddhism and the function of its practice.

——————–

The fanction of the practice is to remove the noise of the activities of Notion ( Conscious Thinking )

which is masking the inner layer,  Raw Data Processing System or Old System ( Subconscious ).

Since the Old System has been evolved with the history of the Life, its memories retains the

billion of years wisdom and still retains the ear to hear the signals of the Pineal Grand, which

seemingly able to sense the signals from the Earth and the Universe.

Therefore,  in the state of absolute passiveness / Selflessness,  we may able to receive those signals

through the Old System.( even Unconsciously )

———- What is the signal ?

When asked, Buddha didn’t give answer.

Hence in the Buddhism tradition,  it can not be taught neither described in the word.

(Obviously it is the Voice of the Dharma, though the deepest meaning of the Dharma is not explanable

which the one has to see by himself,  thus Buddha didn’t explain.  His action itself was the teaching.)

So that, when we meditate,  first, silence the thought,  then expose the sense of the inner

layer, Old System in the absolute passiveness——-so, you may feel even the flow of dead still air.

This is the way,  we might be able to hear the voice of the Dharma.

(But mind you, Dharma doesn’t speak  English. Its a sign.    Ha Ha Ha   😀  )

——————–

( As I wrote before it can be done not only by the sitting,  but also even by cutting a lemon.

So,  it is your turn, try, just do it. ——- It is just a matter of you to open your Subconscious in

absolute passiveness.)

Origin of Mind

” Here I’ll explain how the Mind evolved and structured / in my Hypothesis “

My understanding of the structure of the human mind took the form coinciding with

the understanding of  “How Buddhism works”.

So, they were developed in a two-way traffic.  “Assuming, if the Buddhism works, the mind

needs to have such and such structure” in the same time “If the mind have such structure,

Buddhism must be working in this way”.  So that it was like working on a Zigsaw Puzzle

which got the fuzzy pictures on both side.  I might be wrong, hence it is a Hypothesis, yet still

so far the Buddhism picture seemed to fit well, therefore the other side should work as well.

( This is a quick summery of it, as somebody said, a blog got to be in 100 word to be read by others)

——————–

In any life form, selfish Ego is the fundamental of its instinct, to eat, to sleep, avoid the pain are

all for the survival of the Self.   Sex is in its extension toward the extended time scale.

In the simple organism, those activities was often programmed chemically, so that in that level,

the boundary between physiology  and the instinctive activity is rather vague, still  its indicate

the deepest origin of even highly developed organism, like a  mind of humankind today.

When the life form evolved and started to have a complexed behaviour, more than an instant reaction,

(with supporting nervous system and information process power,  which we call intelligence )

even a simple animal start to have each distinctive behavioral pattern.

——————–

In order to make sure own survival, they start to act more proactive, selecting suitable environment,

seeking better hunting ground, picking the sign of danger and avoid a direct encounter etc by fully

utilizing its  intelligence—– in other words, use memories and the knowledges for the necessary decision.

And this decision can be projected in the time scale as well, to the future, such as to avoid possible

danger or wait a play to come, even sense the change of  weather from the sign to seek the shelter.

Its mean, they not only see an object in their front but also able to imagine which has not appeared  yet.

( Incidentally,  I used this idea to define the level of life organism to social organization, how high it is evolved,

by measuring the length of the projected time scale, such as an action to catch a play with a fraction of a

second projection,  to years long development plan of the Government —— in the Thesis for my Degree)

So, it is safe to say, even a simple animal having abstracted cognitive  notion and its future projection.

——————–

In my view,  originally the emotion seems to have developed to support this projection by preparing the

physiological condition of the body with the appropriate hormone balance.——- (Since it is a chemical

based effect, it last longer and deep.  And hard to control by any logical persuasion.  Therefore

it may need to remove the cause in the first place ——and this is what the Buddhism is doing)

——————–

During the process of evolution, the human brain not only increased its size but also the amount of

informations stored, and more importantly, it acquired the sorting and filing systems as well.

Same kind of informations or data will be filed in close association or as a group.

And later, each group started to have an own  [Tag ] which is the abstract notion of the contents,

such as fish, bird, hot or color red (which include 100s of hue) etc.  (note; it’s not yet by the word)

This abstracted  notion was the essential for the omnivores mankind’s survival, for them

to know which is the kind to chase, otherwise run for life, before actuary encounter face to face.

And with the development of the notion, it enabled the brain to have a process of the information purely

from the memory with its own cause, and also give the category to each vague feelings.

Those ability lead to the development of the internally generated signal flow and the process.

—–This is the birth of the Mind.

( On this stage, it would be functioning like, the one came across a dead snake, first alerted with fear,

then moment later, as realizing it is dead, start to play it with stick,  even try to carry back.——this is a

highly complexed behavior involving inference, further observation,  judgement—-there is the Mind )

——————–

When the human brain further evolved and acquired the language, those Notion [ Tag ] was

given each Name or the Word such as Fish or Bird, Good, Cold, etc etc.

And with further development, when human started to form social system, the linguistic

communication become the essential  tool for the survival.

On the end, the human intellectual system, based on the linguistic Notion ( Thinking ) started to

have the dominance in their Mind, and even created purely abstructic System of Notion, such as

Idearism, Metaphysical Notion, the God, even a Deluded Idea. etc etc.

(Which may completely remote from the life’s reality —-and the two systems started to alienate )

In the same time, this Notion based system has masked all the original information system which

had been evolved from the time of primitive life and containing most of the fundamental rules of the life.

Which is Buddhist calls as the Dharma. —– And this hidden [ Primary  System ] is the Subconscious.

——————–

The paradox is, even though most of the mental process was carried out subconsciously, as the

neural net work such as sensory nerve are connected to the [ Primary System ] first, yet still, as

the display unit is the very [ Conscious System ] we wrongly believe that the Mind is in our Conscious.

It is exactly the same misunderstanding that the display or monitor screen is the TV.    🙂

(As the Mind has such multilayered structure, we need to uncover layer by layer to find the Dharma.

——and this is what the Buddhism’s practice for)

In the same historical origin, the Self having multi layered structure too.  (such as Ego, inner Self )

——————–

(Copy righted by Yoshi Imamura / 2010 )