Yoshizen's Blog

Mindfulness again !

A word most frequently come-up on the Buddhism talking is the [Mindfulness]

= in another word it is a word and its notion is the most confusing and

misunderstood. (hence keep haunting the people 🙂 )

= Misunderstood from the tone of the word which force a person to think,

“I have to Mind to make it full” = trapped into such obsessed idea.

On contrary, Mindfulness is Just Doing the Subject away from any Thinking.

= Whole Mind and the Body was completely absorbed by the Subject.

It’s mean, even an awareness “I have to be in full of Mind” can not be there.

= You can not learn Mindfulness, but you have to learn the subject such as

Tea Making = after 10 years, when you can make a tea without any thinking,

almost automatic = this is THE  MINDFULNESS.  😀

( If a teacher says, “I can teach Mindfulness”, he (she) is a sham )

[]

Some time before, I’ve described the situation of Buddhism teaching with a metaphor,

“ The teacher who supposed to teach dancing, teach the step, hand movements etc,

without music, without knowing what the dance is”. = Almost like the blinds

touching an elephant and try to explain what the Elephant is. 🙂

Therefore, the unknown part, or the part what Zen teacher couldn’t clarify was left as a myth

of spirituality, and the structural explanation, such as the relation between the notion of

Self, Mindfulness, Mushin, Enlightenment and Nirvana were completely missing.

—– on top of this, sect to sect, they give their own wording, making the situation even worse.

[]

Contrarily to the popular MISconception, the Buddhism is one of the most

simple religion, or it may not even be a religion at all = just a way to live in a

particular MIND. ( AND, this particular mind is nothing special neither

= Mind of AS YOU ARE. 🙂 )

There are no special name of Divine figure to remember, there is no obligation to chant special

mantra, even no obligation to do something. —– But Just live your LIFE.

Only a confusing or difficult part is, to see this MIND. Or, to see WHO YOU ARE.

Yet, strangely, YOU are nobody else of YOU, hence your Mind is nothing else of YOUR MIND.

—– (That’s why, this is so difficult and so easy ! 😀 😀

And that’s why the scripture says, “ It is there as not there” 😀 😀 )

[]

To live Your Life as Your Own Life with 100% commitment is the Mindfulness.

In the moment, when me to curve wooden Spoon, I had to concentrate and completely being

“A Man Who curve the wood” = this is the Mindfulness on its MOMENT.

To be in the Mindfulness, there is no another mind to observe such mind.

= Because, JUST DOING IT is what 100% commitment meant.

To curve the wood, hand and the chisel is fused together which follows the grain of the wood

automatically. = this is the [Ichijo] and as there is nothing else but the action of curving

= no another thinking is there. = this is [Mushin]. As the wood is being curved, its shape

is keep changing and no-return. = this is what [LIVE in MOMENT] mean.

[]

As I wrote before the original word to describe Mindfulness in the Buddhism scripture

(in Pali) is Sati, and Chinese used a letter [] Nien or Nen in Japanese for this translation.

This letter meant a sort of mind, deepest in the human psyche which form the base of the mind.

And I found in Japanese a word [覚悟] Kakugo seems to be the best suited to represent the

meaning.   This word can be used to describe a determination in the deepest psyche

in the subconscious level.

Hence the meaning is, a kind of mind to BE as {something / somebody} hence, if it

is YOU, a firm commitment to be YOU, or even an absolute commitment to curve a wood.

(No one can have any another mind while using sharp tool, otherwise end-up cutting fingers 😀 )

[]

So that, when we were absorbed in a subject, it’s a moment of Mindfulness. = so deeply absorbed,

as even an awareness which observing “ I’m doing this” is not there, = is Mindfulness

= Mindfulness has to be in Mushin ! —– In fact, it is so easy JUST DO IT.

—– ( Whether to be absorbed in such subject is fit to be IN YOUR LIFE or not. = This is a matter

related to one’s Karma. = Who you are ?   And I’ll talk about it in the another post. )

___/\___

[]

Tagged with: , ,

Effort ?

An exchange of Comments in the [Spoon !] post may highlight the point of this Blog.

A person called [EML to OUTLOOK] commented ;

I have learn some good stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for revisiting.

I wonder how much effort you place to make the sort of great informative web site.”

What I replied was ;

For your eyes, it may looks an effort though, the notion of effort is = If you got to

do it for somebody else or for something obliged to do. (not necessary wanted to do)

But in this case, to sharpening the tool, to carving the wood, to take photos of

it and to write about = all together for no purpose and I have no obligation.

I’m just doing it.

( —– What can I expect and going to do with those utterly useless SPOON  😀 )

If you do something such as a game and completely absorbed in it, you may not

feel you are putting an effort (even though you put so much time and energy)

= same as that.

But, was this for myself ? = Zen doesn’t feel even myself was doing it.

Just the hand was doing it.

This is the Zen in action, or it can be said, living Zen. Zen need no effort.

(This is the reason why such a spoon item is in the Zen Blog)”

[]

As often I said in this blog, the most big misunderstanding in the Zen study

emanated from the word [Mindfulness].

And even more fundamental misunderstanding is = try to DO the ZEN. —– Zen is

not a kind of activity to DO = Zen is a condition like a body temperature. It might be 0.1 degree

higher or lower even you can do the same though, it might have an effect to the result.

You can not intentionally choose to be higher body temperature = it is just to be, as it is. 

What actually I was doing is such as sharpening tool, carving wood or typing.

Or Sword Master’s case, just fighting with his sword = Zen is just a mind-set behind.

[]

Mindfulness is the same = you can not actively DO it.

It is whether you were being absorbed in it or not.

This is the reason, why it is hard to understand, let alone achieve it, when you do something

not familiar or not very keen to do the subject. = And this is the reason why I’m keep writing

“Try to do a thing which is familiar to you or very ordinary such as [Cutting Lemon]

or [Walking] as a practice for Zen.  Instead, if you do very peculiar activity = peculiar only

to a sect of religion = until you get used, its strangeness makes your conscious uneasy = as long as

you feel uneasy, you can not settle with the activity = you can not be absorbed in its subject.

( Hence it takes longer time to get used for it become a daily norm = which you can do it

without conscious = automatic)

[]

The man commented was seeing an [Effort] in this blog, especially to make spoon etc, though

as I wrote in my reply, there wasn’t much effort there. = I got used to do all those process.

—– this is the reason why the Buddhism keep saying [Heijyo-shin / 平常心]

( Mind in ordinary) = Zen is just a condition of the mind in the dairy life and

it is nothing special.

[]

There is a fundamental paradox in the condition of the mind —– people were

attracted by a peculiarity of a strange religion which give an impression of something special

= which may give a person to feel “I’m special = better than others” —– though, as long as the

person having this kind of arrogant feeling or Ego, there is absolutely no benefit

of such religion other than a placebo effects of such [special] feeling.

[]

Nothing special or noble, let alone peculiar super-natural vision etc.

in Zen.   Only Zen makes difference in the results in the dairy life.

That’s all.

(The best thing of it is, we can do it without effort = since we can do it while

absorbed in its subject, hence with much higher efficiency 😀

 —– I mean not just carving a Spoon.   😀 )

___/\___

[]

[]

Win win – Musashi the Sword Master

There was the most strange quote of Sword Master Musashi Miyamoto.

When he was asked what is a secret to keep winning the fight, he replied,

Never fight with a man stronger than me” —– !

( I wasn’t there to hear this myself, so I’m not sure whether this quote is true or not though,

from the level of Zen he reached, this word sound quite likely his own word. )

[]

Enlightenment in Zen liberates one’s mind = Liberate mean, free one’s mind from

all the restriction and the bondage of the ideas.

Free from pretence, rules, stereotypical beliefs even one’s own Ego.

So that, here is a contradiction, why Musashi needed to win ?

Why he needed to avoid to fight stronger opponent ?

But, before that, there was a preceding condition, why needs to fight ?

To seek a fight is driven by an intention from the Ego, Greed for the fame etc etc,

but once he reached to the level of the Enlightenment, he no longer had an impetus to fight.

( But Sword Mastery is not came from the will, but instinctive body reaction = if it

was needed to react in the situation, he could have done without having a will to fight

= it was not him fight, but the Dharma does ).

So that, once Musashi reached to this level, even the other sword master as good as him dear to

challenge him because even if challenge was successful, fight would cost a limb or two = a life of

sword mastery would be lost for ever = no point to challenge Musashi — and it never happened.

[]

Still the remaining question is, why Musashi uttered such words to spoil the game.   😀

It was because, what the Zen and its natural choice = Middle Way was.

Once enlightened, to cling the idea of Zen disappeared too.

(Conscious idea doesn’t need to be there because everything were controlled unconsciously).

So that, on the occasion, chattering with young novice, what situation required (= a task on front

of Musashi, on that moment ) was to have a good, cheerful conversation.

Why needs to be so serious.  He just took a Mickey out of serious novice.

(To his eyes the people in Sword Mastery or Zen seemed more like a caricature figure then)

Go, Middle way.   So that, the life can have much more fun. 😀

Relax !

[]

Thought on MARATHON — SUFFERINGS

Tomorrow, tens of thousand of people will run for London Marathon.

Quite few of my friends did it and till some years ago, I was thinking I’ll do too though,

I’m becoming aware, better not.

( I can invent hundreds of the excuse not to do = it’s mean to think about itself is utterly a waste of

time.= So that, in accordance to my Zen Moto [Just do it] => Just think not. Ha ha ha 😀

Therefore, in my peaceful mind — Marathon ?  What Marathon ?   What a nice day !

[]

Why people run for such enduring action which is not even their imperative, which is,

some said useless action.  = Of cause, some are running for the Champion Medal and some are running

for Charity though, bast majorities are running for a sake of just running, or even for a fun.

What is a fun while giving 50 km or so torturing, punishing task to the own body ? —– of cause, as

I used to be a member of the Alpine Club, I know what it is, as we did similar training and above all,

we did pretty similar body punishing long walk in the mountain, often carrying 40, 50 kg of lord on

our back. —– and we mountain climbers were always making joke

“ What silly things we are doing 😀 ”

[]

Then give a thought or two. —– ? ? ?

Have I, have we ever had an easy life ever ? —– We, the greedy creature, the human,

always assess an action in comparison to the gain though, is this kind of view true ?

For a sake of convenience and to have an quick answer, we Buddhists having a tendency and good

excuse to end the argument, we have pretty nice story to convince ourselves into contented, which

called Enlightenment 😀

—– See this in reverse. = Need to have an excuse to have a peace of mind is,

because it is not in a peace at all isn’t it. 😀

[]

In Lord Buddha’s teachings, life was defined as SUFFERING (how nice). Yes in deed, this is true.

So, a training is the training for this unavoidable enduring life. = training for the Marathon but the

Marathon itself is a training to face a situation in the life.

June in every year, we members of our High School Alpine club had a special stamina training for a

preparation for a summer climb while carrying 40 kg of stones to a 900 m high mountain top,

starting 6 o’clock morning, reaching the top about mid day.

It was on a ridge called Baka o-ne in Oh-yama, west of Tokyo. Why it called Baka o-ne, Nut’s ridge

is, it is just one continuous boring climb, no respite = makes anybody just fed-up.

[]

While carrying 40 kg of utterly useless stones, I cursed every single step “What am I doing.

How silly I am. Ok, on the next step, I’m going to through this stones away and shout to the leader

“ Kill me here, I’m out” — on the end we reached to the top AND came down with empty ruck-sack,

that was all.  (Since many clubs are doing this many years, the mountain top having tens of tons of

round shaped river stones, which makes innocent walkers just puzzled.  “How come ?” 😀 )

( Soon or later, I tired to complain = after all, to join the club and came to the mountain was my

choice.  I’ve gained a kind of contemplation [Just walk] otherwise I shouldn’t have born to this

world. — And I continued this, while keeping Mountain shelter as a volunteer, we had to carry-up

the food staff for the lodgers of up to 300 people a night, without receiving any money, far from it,

we had to spend our own money to get there  Kita Yatsuga-take.)

[]

Anyhow, the life is the suffering  😀     But, if we have a training while having heavy punishment

to the physics and to the mental strength, we obtain good resilience to a cause of those sufferings.

To over-come the endurance of Marathon, the person gain the proof in the fact, I did.

And this proof gives the person a confidence = I can do, because I have done.

This confidence brings a peace of the mind = Don’t worry too much, it may not

as bad as the Marathon. 😀

So, it is a good news, it wouldn’t be in vain.

Enjoy a running.   Have a good Marathon 🙂

___/\___

[]

Can Monk get MUSHIN ?

Posted in Buddhism, East and West, Evolution of Mind, Ichijo, Mushin, Paradox, Subconsciousness, Zen in Action by yoshizen on November 6, 2011

Can Monks get Mushin, let alone Ichijo and Jizai ? —– I don’t think so. Or it may takes 50 years.

Even worse is, so-called Buddhism Academics.

How many Japanese Zen Monks can speak English, and how many of them wrote Zen book in English ?

—– This is the situation, what western people reading the Zen. = No wonder it is hard to understand

let alone able to learn Mushin,  not mention ever get Enlightenment.

What monks learning is, their trade = the business how to run their Temple.

[]

Most of Japanese monks become monk, just happen to born as a son of priest = had to take over

temple business.    Naturally some of them might be good in English though, it is not necessary useful skill

in running the temple as virtually all of their customers are the Japanese, and most of the case they are

the old people.  So, what the trade skill to run temple ?

It is, to carry out the ceremonies which required immaculate posture, performing, chanting some mantras,

above all friendly but solemn facial expressions !

( No customer ever ask about the meaning of what they are doing   😀 )

[]

To be qualified as a monk, —– as a formality, they have to learn Buddhism theory and its history in their

sect’s university.   Though it is in most of the case, yet another boring study.

And yet another formality, spend few months in their main temple as a novice —– except exceptionally few

exception, most of them are then ordained as an “enlightened monk”.

So, where they can learn Mushin ? (few months in the temple, cleaning the floor ? —– joking)

[]

Buddhism Scalars are likely came from Philosophy back ground or Religious History. Naturally, they are

good in logics and semantics and may able to read ancient Pali, Tibetan and Sanskrit etc,

and must have read millions of the words.   On top of this, may have met many priest, monks while visiting

or even staying the temples —– though,

has they got time to lean what the Mushin is,  let alone to master it ?

Now, the medical science can observe the activities of the Schizophrenia’s brain by PET scan and able to

analyze what chemical effecting it and so on. Yet still, non of them able to know what is going on in the mind

of a Schizophrenia.  To treat it, doctor doesn’t need to learn to be a Schizophrenia.

But to talk about Mushin,  it is necessary to get Mushin  by him/herself first.

Able to read the ancient description about the Mushin and able to compare this script and others, doesn’t

mean they know what the Mushin is, therefore,  they are not necessary able to know what would it be if looked

by the eyes of Mushin. —– They know the words but not the meaning and its effect of changed perception.

[]

So, this is the situation what has been written about the Zen Buddhism.

Even worse, the Buddhism is having too many conflicting notions in the same instance,

such as how detouched emotionless eyes can be compassionate eyes in the same time.

—– it is hard to complehend on the words or in thinking,  but only able to experience it

in Mushin in the situation.

To experience mean, you got actualy do it,  not by trying to understand it while sitting in a cauch.

Utterly contrary to the popular belief, Buddhism is not a religion of understanding / Meditation

but the practice of the practice. —– It wouldn’t take you to the heaven (as no such things exists)

but help you to live everyday’s life,  as you have to practically do the

endless continuous practice as your life.

( After all, life is not what you think, but what you do.   🙂 )

___/\___

Conflicted view to Steve Jobs

Some people pointed out that my view toward Steve Jobs in two previous posts are conflicting.

Appreciate him in respect of his Zen influenced attitude but in the same time showing an

almost a hatred toward him. —– this is true in certain extent.

There is a very clear reason. From the beginning I didn’t like Apple at all as I’ve described before.

Then, I learned a life history of him and his background —– born as a child of Syrian father

and an American mother, but as their marriage was not accepted by their parents, Steve was grown up

in the adopted family, Jobs. —– those conflict embedded in his psyche lead him to seek the Zen

which gave him an ultimate confidence to be HIM and the mental strength.

non

People having a stereotype towards the Buddhism that it is a teaching of peace and harmony.

Though, as I wrote long ago in a Post [ Third aspect in Zen ] there is yet another aspect =

Zen as a technique of Mind Engineering.   How to reprogram one’s mind and give a confidence.

The most famous Sword Master Musashi Miyamoto who wrote [ Book of the Five Rings ] was an accomplished

Zen Master too. —– Still, he was a killer of 30 odd people — (said to be, as I wasn’t there 🙂 ).

And lots of opponents who fought with him were also Zenist.    Being a Zen Buddhist doesn’t mean they

avoid the fight and settle peaceful draw.   One has to die.    The matter in there was only how to kill

in the most efficient way.  Live as a Samurai, death is a part of their Karma and the contemplation.

This is nothing but the Zen Buddhism.

non

Zen can give completely open eyes of Mushin,  hence the reaction or decision-making is

the reflection of the Dharma, thus the result would be the most appropriate and the best.

In this aspect, Steve Jobs has accomplished the task what he needed to Do.  Which

he conceived the idea with his open-minded way ( having no dithering to the conventional

thinking or hesitation to others ).

I appreciate this, in relation to the Zen. —– though, I hate the way how Apple exploited the others.

Dharma did give him the best idea of the product design, though I quite doubt of the

well thought-out (second thought driven by the greed) business model to enslave the

consumer = too much tactical thinking and the greed subjecting others was excessive. 

Zen will make a person to perfects the task,  but to harm others

would lead to the repercussion of the Karma to him.

I give certain appreciation to the products, though I wouldn’t make myself to become

a slave or their colony.

My freedom is more precious than few hundreds pound gadget   😀

non

I hate Apple.

Posted in Awareness, Cyber Space, East and West, Ethos, Fate / Providence, Mind, Music, Paradox, Subconsciousness by yoshizen on October 10, 2011

Since I’ve put quotations from Steve Jobs on my previous post, some of the people got a

misconception of that I am a fan of Apple products.  Far from it, I am a proud Apple hater.

Never attracted to buy any of their product, therefore I don’t have any, except some discarded junk for spare-

parts. ( A power adapter with broken connector for Mac’ laptop, I bought for £1 from an Odds and Ends box

of a shop, wasn’t too bad for a  24 V power supply to use with stepping motor, as it is smaller

and having a built-in  fold-away main plug  )

The reason why I hated them since very beginning was, I hate their sales tactics.

Only designed and schemed for the way of money sucking system, was utterly repulsive to me.

non

Storing digitized music signal in a solid-state memory was a natural evolution, as I was seeing the last moment

struggle of Sony trying to cling the market by their Mini-disc, I really pitied them with a question Why ?

Though, I didn’t buy Apple’s iPod, as I saw their greed to monopolize the Music distribution system by their

monopolized  iTunes.  ( Before, I’ve been annoyed by their Mac’ design. Everything is incompatible with PC.

All the connectors are exclusive, not only the style of it, but the signal protocol, format etc, hence it needs to

have all sorts of converter. — On top of this, they are much more expensive, selling to the snobs who want to

show off. —– I despise those kind of snob most. ( Just watching heavily compressed signal of downloaded

porno, what  is the point to have so-called “ good in graphics Apple Mac “ —– don’t make me laugh.)

( Me to use bloody expensive full-frame Canon was not for fancy pretence, simply because no other camera

allow me free to use another manufacturer’s lens, even hand-made lens, while keeping auto-exposure function.

You can’t do this with any another camera —– I had no choice. )

non

The reason why I did put a post quoting Steve Jobs’ word ;

>>> you are not going to usea piece of plywood on the back,  even though it faces the wall and

nobody will ever see it. You will know it’s there,  so you are going to

use a beautiful piece of wood on the back.

—– is to say, in real life, he didn’t cut even a single piece of wood to make his product.  He was

not a programmer nor electronic engineer. — He only know the design spec’ which can sell.

He just pressurized others to make it —– in notorious draconian way.

Apple didn’t make any of their products, from single component (nearly 80% came from Japan )

to final assembly (in China).

But got most of the profit for themselves thanks to their inflated price.

non

I can imagine the pressure who supplied the component, had to face —– such as to make it 1mm even thinner

out of already minuscule 3mm high, and even with reduced price.

Everybody had to work for Apple while dripping their blood and under a fear of instant dismissal.

He was a man lived in grudge and the revenge against the people who has kicked him out of Apple before.

No wonder such obsessed hi-tensioned psyche shortened his life. I don’t think he had a happy life, neither he

gave any happiness to other people —– he only sold an empty vanity, a Myth to the mass.

When Steve Jobs realized,  that their brain couldn’t keep hold the Myth for ever, they opened the design of

APP to the outside designer ( in fact it was an ingenious solution ! ) and started to sell the APPs designed by

somebody else.  Yet another exploitation of others while running their money-making  machine for them.

And this must be the reason, why his Hero was real Ninja —– who got a deadly efficiency, able to carry out

a duty [to kill] in a most ruthless dirty manner —– contrast to useless fantasy in Superman or Spider-man.

non

Seeing his death, and seeing the wane of Apple, flood-gate was opened for the people to speak out.

So, I’m very curious to hear, how Steve Jobs could able to force his concept in their product design system.

( Steve Jobs invented nothing. He just used the existing technology and the components only in smaller, pretty

package = putting a lot more together, in order to give an illusion to the users that they can do a lot more.

—– To do this, the supplier of the component, such as camera, touch-pad etc had to work bloody hard to

make it even smaller with higher spec’ to fill the requirement of the Apple)

non

And interesting to see, how such as the Korean industry who got used to just copy, is going to do their future

business without having a sample to copy 😀

(—– It’s mean, the inspiration of Steve Jobs was at least unique to him and impossible to copy.

—– in this aspect, he WAS a unique man —– all the technology in the iPhone has been known

to the electronic industry though,  nobody else,  other than Steve Jobs

actually made it to iPhone )

It’s a funny paradox here. — (It’s easy to do, still nobody else but him did do.  He Just Did It.

It was a good sample, how to keep an Open-Mind.  And if it needs to be done, Do it.  😀 )

]]] non

Bowl of Water Zen

When I was talking about Zen practice with others, someone mentioned a BBC news which

showed a group of Chinese Zen monks are walking while carrying a bowl of water

as their Zen practice. —– “ Oh, what a good idea. It’s a good practice to learn Zen Mind “

( It’s easy to try this.  Fill the water to the top of bowl about 8″  big and holding it to your chest high and walk.

By doing this,  you can observe your state of the mind,  how steady and calm your mind is.

Strangely you may find,  the more you concentrate and gaze the water the more it shakes  😀

—– when your mind is almost detouched from the water or whole action,  then the water become still and

make no drip while you are walking —- then you can fill even more water reaching to the edge.  It’s a fun !)

non

In this blog, I’ve been talking that any action could be a Zen practice, hence in one post I talked about

[Lemon Zen] and the other post, [Walking Zen] in fact I also mentioned about the effects of even riding

a bicycle or typing —– any repeating action could have the same effect to reach

a state of the Mind of No-Mind or Mushin.

non

In fact everybody is doing the action of walking in Mushin = nobody is thinking when and how to move

the right leg after left leg has moved. —– It’s all done unconsciously.

So that, the practice of Mushin ( and the Mindfulness of cause — if a part of the brain is not fully engaged

for the walking, we can not automatically adjust the leg movement following the slight change of a condition

of the road surface) is not necessary an exotic funny action.

non

Then inevitable question arose —– if the walking is the practice of Mushin which everybody is doing,

why not everybody is an accomplished  Zen Master.

Here is a funny but fundamental paradox of the Zen Buddhism.   When the Mushin in walking is the

Zen, it is the Zen. —– but otherwise it is just an unconscious action of walking.

non

Buddha didn’t perform any fancy or peculiar action. It was just a simple ordinary daily life, yet

as it was repeated every day, each action was almost identical every time.

This simplified and fixed way of each practice is the requisite condition of [the Life in Mushin].

Buddha’s life style was the text-book and the disciples were learned and copied those action, and in the process,

disciples learned the Mushin ( or the state of the No-Mind  was developed  in them).

non

Because of the state of the mind can not be learned by the word, but only by the practice ( like any

emotion,  unless a person has experienced it,  the description of feeling couldn’t make any sense )

and this is the reason why non of the ancient scripture was actually talking about No-Mind, but only No-Self.

( No-Self = No-Mind —– still able to live as a person is because there is the enough program in our

Subconsciousness which is invisible —– like what I am talking here, is a new interpretation after Freud invented

a notion of  Subconscious = which was not exists in the ancient time )

non

And there is yet another paradox in the Buddhism.

To live the Life in Mushin is what all about the Buddhism though, no-mind, no thinking, BUT unless it

was  understood as the Buddhism,  it wouldn’t become the Buddhism.

Anybody can carry a full of water in a bowl, and time to time the one may need to do it.   Just carry a cup of tea

happen to be full to the edge, from kitchen to a table —– some may succeed it while making no single drip, yet

some may make a mess.  What makes a difference ?

Calm mind, hence a steady hand is the crucial point here = a kind of thought “ Oh, I’ve put

too much. I’m silly. I would spill a mess on the floor. etc. “ would make a hand even more

wobbly and the tea would drip here and there   😀

non

A person can practice this and acquire better coordination on the hand, so that it will be programmed into

the motor legion of the brain and may become a routine movement.   But, that all.

BUT, if a person practised this, under a file name of the Zen Buddhism, the file become

accessible in any moment when it need to have a calm mind in your life.

Carrying a full of water as Zen, it become the Zen with its effects.

Once a person acquired this file with the attachment of the notion of Zen and its spiritual implication,

the file would be applied to any action and any situation in the Life, hence, walking is the Zen, cutting a lemon

is the Zen, and even facing Tsunami Wave could be handled in a calm mind and able to act in the best way

or see the fate with calm clear eyes.   (Sorry to the victims of Tsunami)

With this Paradox ( has to live without thoughts, preconception etc, still needs to organize its notion of

Mushin as the practice of Zen Buddhism) Buddha has asserted “ There is the way, which is to be

pursued as the way of Buddhism “ since in his earliest teachings as one of the Four Noble Truth.

non

This notion makes the difference between Mushin to just to be an ignorant thoughtless.

Though, the notion itself is nothing complicated = just to be aware [to carry a bowl of water is for Zen]

—– with this awareness, just Do It and keep doing it —– then suddenly you will find that you can do it without

spilling a single drip of water, and realized while doing it you didn’t need to think anything = Just Did It !

———-

Then observe yourself, while doing even other things, are you just doing it as well, without having any

useless thought ? (You may achieve this in few weeks or may be taking few years. Just carry on. —– then you

might be noticed, you have been having no upheaval in your life and strangely, quite unexpected

or too good to be true kind of coincidences has been happening, yet no one can tell why

—– Just carry on with your LIFE without questioning. ) —–This is a Zen Buddhist’s LIFE.

___/\___

Think Yourself (2)

Gosh, it was the February of last year when I talked about this in a post  [ Think yourself ].

On that time I wrote the reason why Buddha ordered his disciples not just follow his words but

think it by themselves,  was,  let the Buddhism to evolve by taking new thinking according to

the change of the world. —– This is true. And the Buddhism did it,  in deed.

Then after I wrote previous two post about will-power —– I realized there was also a hidden meaning in

the Buddha’s words “ Think yourself “ —– he must be thinking the other effect in the brain when

people think about the subject again and again.

non

You might remember when you were a child, you asked a rather silly question to your parent and

annoyed them such as why we can’t get a stars in the night sky,  I want to have one   🙂

We grown up and know more and better ( how far the stars are ),  and also we tired-out to think about

such question = effect of the brain fatigue and the acclimation to the same signal.

non

There are two different kind of the results you can get out of a question, say what is the answer of

[ 1+1 = ? ] —– with straight arithmetic, it is [ 2 ] but when you tired to question again and again = the question

itself would ware-out.  ( may be not 1+1 kind but pretty awkward abstract notion such as

where we came from for what purpose and where are we go after life. etc etc )

When the question disappeared, no problem left = just carry-on your life.    Ha ha ha 😀

non

Despite your expectation Buddha didn’t give any of those answer, he was silent = famous

roaring sound of silence.   But ordered to think yourself.

By doing so, you will get the answer of Ha ha ha 😀 :-D.

After all this is the very answer you need to have to live your happy life.

Leave the question to a Philosopher who was born to be a grumpy philosopher.

You don’t need to have grumpy life.   This is the Buddhism.    Ha ha ha 😀

Have a nice day 🙂

___/\___

non

Passiveness – Active Conviction – KARMA

While talking with a person I met only second time and discussing about his project

which I may give a help. —–

non

“I just giving you a help since I think there was a Karma behind of this encounter.

No other reason”

( The reason why I needed to say this, is because of a lot of cases people mistook “ There must be a hidden

intention” —– Don’t make me laugh.   Dubious relation would bring much more risqué )

It’s mean it is just a passive reaction = If it was in the Karma, it is the absolute = no choice.

Eventhough,  giving a help, sometime having quite a complicated heavy task = the work

required serious concentration = so-called Mindfulness —– it needs to have quite heavy

commitment = active involvement )

non

It is obvious, even if it started seemingly by chance = passive, it end-up with quite active involvement.

—– This is the inherent paradox in Zen Buddhism.

You are born to this world without your consent or choice at all.  Absolutely non.  This is the Karma.

So that you are absolutely passive and no escape.

Yet still, once you are up on the ring = You got to fight with your full force.

This is the FUNDAMENTAL  NATURE of the LIFE.

Buddha did simply pointed out this fact.

non

Buddhism is not his invention.   It is the TRUTH which is always there though,  we simply don’t want to

face straight.   That’s all.

When Buddha saw this Truth straight, he noticed that knowingly live with this Truth, the Life

would be much lighter as it doesn’t carry heavy burden of ignorant expectation or delusion.

Four Noble Truth in the Buddhism Teachings which was taught since his earliest teaching is,

all about this Truth.

Then Buddha taught further into the mechanism of how Karma and the Dharma works.

non

Strange myth of the Buddhist is that they are peaceful people hence, passive and soft touch.

It is wrong.   If the life is just for passiveness, there couldn’t be any achievement = just random

momentary this and that.

Karma comes not by chance —– it shows direction,  that is why it is Karma.

You got to embrace the Karma in its full extent. ( But without the ego which was emanated from inside

of yourself —– Karma comes somewhere else,  Ego boreout of yourself  )

non

If the universe is only following The Law of Entropy, everything  (in fact even a thing couldn’t be existed in

the first place ) was just dispersed and only the space of nothing has expanded.

But there was the Gravity ( don’t ask me where it came from —– even a top scientist doesn’t know) which

configured the energy into the matter, then more and more matters created the particle, and more particles

into as the atom, then even larger heavier atoms —–> and so on.

The direction of creation created the Lifeforms on the end.

This system of the Rules is the Dharma.

To create something, it needs to DO.

non

When you DO, you got to do —– otherwise nothing would happen, nothing would be achieved.

It got to be highly active process.

Be an active Buddhist.   Don’t be just sitting there    😀

___/\___

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