Subconscious Data Bank

Are we the conscious owner of our-self ?

I remember the stir and the annoyances among the scientists and philosophers

when they faced with the first ever report of the live brain scan.

It was the discovery of the fact, we are not consciously thinking.

The thinking process was being done unconsciously.

Naturally it lead to the most fundamental question, If not consciously thinking

who made this decision ?

If am not I, who is the one consciously aware I am ?

——Thinking process does not needs to be conscious.

Make an analogy in the computer.

Even though we program it in a kind of English (only after the computer became

able to be programed in higher language —– before it, all had to be done in

Hex or binary number ) computer is not operating in English. And even in

the out put sage, unless the signal was not decoded in ASCII it wouldn’t become

readable in A B C.

Exactly same as this, our thought, especially such as deep feeling, vague idea etc

has to be first categorized in the pattern and converted into own language,

otherwise we can not consciously process it in English.

In every-days life we are reading numerous signs and even a hint without converting

them to the words.

——————

In a latest development of the Honda Asimo Humanoid Robot, Honda created

” Thought controlling System ” using a geographical pattern of the activity in

the brain , picked up by the sensors in a helmet, and enabled to move the

Asimo’s right hand left hand and so on.

This experiment demonstrating the fact, to think something, we don’t nee to

have linguistic conversion.

And without conscious, the process in the brain is still taking place.

I also recall a funny quote ” The bathroom is where most of the important

invention was conceived”. I know lots of people would agree with this.

Why bathroom ? The answer is very simple. All of us do the business as

a routine and we have done the same, hundreds of thousands of times.

We don’t need to think about and do it unconsciously.

And the bathroom is where our brain has a moment of brake in the busy life.

Once our brain was vacated empty (some may describe it, completely open

minded) it is easier to sense and locate a faint image or vague idea, when it came

up from the depth of unconscious darkness. Then you might shout ” Eureka”

The original concept, conceived in the unconscious process having much grater

freedom of the creativity than the ordinary rational thinking.

Zen meditation is the way to create this condition of the brain, in a bit more

comfortable, less smelly environment.

( If possible, under a Bodhi tree. Ha Ha Ha 🙂 )

Koan ? ? ?

Quite awhile, I was haunted by the Ontology and the Epistemology in the Buddhism.

On the surface, its definition is different in a Mantra to Mantra, and even worse in the

Mahayana Mantra, the description such as “Exist as not exist” kind appeared so often.

——–? ? ? Then oneday, I suddenly realized, the matter is not on the superficial words,

BUT in the intention behind of such expression.

At the teaching, Buddha wanted to show how uncertain the existences are, let alone

unreliability of our own perception, which supposed to observe and sense the objects.

Especially in the bottom line of the idea “Karma”, everything, include our 5 senses

are the relative phenomenon. Both observer and the observed.

Nothing can be certain.

——- In order to make Disciples to contemplate this, by themselves,

the Buddha must have used quite mind boggling, puzzling analogy.

YET, the understanding of the uncertainty itself, even the Self is exist or not was

not the main issue.

(Then I realized, this is the very situation which 1000 years old cliche has mocked

about while describing  ” See the finger, but not the moon “.

And, mocking the novice who is trapped into arguing the shape of the finger

such as ” Who is watching ” or ” Where they are ” kind, as ” Trying to catch Namazu

(slippery, slimy Cat-fish) by Hyotan (equivalent of smooth glass bottle).

——This is the very reason why all the famous answer to the  Koan  is, in fact,

mocking back to the question. )

What Buddha wanted to teach was, to brake the attitude of the people who

tend to cling or obsessed with the things or ideas.

Buddha wanted the people to have clear eyes to see the truth of the life.

Imposing self or distorting vision of the ego is the main obstacle to see

the truth.

* FUNNY STORY (1)

Many years ago I was talking with my friend about the Zen.

When I said ” The matter of the Zen is to control one’s subconscious”.

My friend said ” No, subconscious is outof one’s control”.

So, I told him “Have look, as you got young daughter, you must have noticed, when she wear mini-skirt

her body movement become completely different, and she does it unconsciously”.

“Another sample is the time when we encounter an escalator which is not moving. When we step on it we

almost tumble as the body is adjusting to the expected movement.

But it couldn’t happen in the second time. And we are not necessary consciously thinking about it”

—— A question here, if we can behave or act without conscious, WHO is operating the puppet / us.

(Of cause now all we know it is the programed movement in our motor legion of the brain)

This is what the Mantra described “Mind is there as it is not there, therefore it is there”

(Before the notion of  Subconsciousness was defined,  it was so difficult to explain the

phenomenon even to the Buddha himself, and made the follower to puzzle.

The Buddhism to find the notion of Alaya (close meaning to subconscious) is

300 years after Buddha’s death.)

Any how my friend was convinced that this phenomenon is the one of element of the Zen.

The conscious of wearing mini-skirt, went down deep into the subconscious, and started to

control her behaviour.

So, when you  were re-programed or put a conscious of that you are a Buddhist, deep down

into your invisible subconscious, you start to behave and live as a Buddhist.——Provided,

you know what the Buddhist is, in the same time.

And this is the reason why all the Buddhist sects employ the physical practice as a part of

the Buddhism study.   Since, physical practice goes into subconscious faster as a routine.

—————-? ? ?     Really ?

Once you have been re-programed, you no longer spread your legs wide open.

Though, I wouldn’t imply that’s the reason why Buddhist is not sexy.    Ha Ha Ha 🙂

Do it!

If anybody want to live as a Buddhist, just live don’t waste the time thinking.

Unlike the Hinduism which started from the myth or story, the Buddhism was started by the man who

got the clearest eyes and his observations, it is based on the realm of the fact.

The realm of the fact mean, it is not the imaginary world, but the solid reality of the life.

In deed the Buddhism is the way of the life, not a fantasy.

In the same context if anybody attempt to dissect and analyze the Buddhism, the answer can not be found

from the theoretical thinking. It can only be found from the practice.

That is the reason why , like the Soto-Zen prohibit the teaching in the verbal mean.