Paradox on No-Self

Despite the Buddhism IS the teachings of the NO-Self,

there is no explanation of “What is no-self” in the scripture.

Even more peculiar phenomena were = there were hundreds,

if not thousands of description of “the ideal person” still

there was no words saying that the man has no-self. — Why ?  

Because there IS NO-Self.

(To talk about the SELF need to recognize the existence of it = need to

have yet another Self to observe its existence ! — if you can aware/

observe yourself, your observer has already alienated  YOU. )

.

Our feeling was induced by the Limbic System of our brain. 

In fact, all the signal from the sensing organs goes to the

Limbic System first and the most of important process =

selection of those signal, cognition, judgement etc etc were

done in there and only the last result goes to the New Cortex

of the brain and then converted to the conscious and given

the lexical interpretation.  = It’s mean, we human being has

enough wisdom to sense the environment and judge the

appropriate response to have the daily life by the process of

the Limbic System alone though, all those feelings and the

process are hidden under the darkness of the Subconscious/

Unconsciousness they ARE invisible for the most of us. 

Those process were called instinct though as they were

hidden, often we don’t know why we took such reaction. 

So that, when we say “This IS my decision and how I think”

they ARE only a conscious part of the process in the brain.

= And we called this = “Self-Conscious” and the SELF.

Lord Buddha saw this Self-Conscious as a mere delusion

and it was coherent with the view of No-Self = Anatman.

=== To become aware of the SELF is the sign of

the alienation to yourself and the break-down of Mushin.

(State of the Mind of No-mind) —– It IS the paradox.

And this paradox, delusion IS the loot-cause of the

discord to our nature / Dharma.

___/\___

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釈尊の教え－－－Buddha’s Original Teachings

Note :  This post is parallel with this and this post in English. 

釈尊の教えが元々如何なるものであったかを知るには，教えの与えられたその時代，

その時の思考，その瞬間の心理の機微を知る必要があります。

人々の問い掛けに，その瞬間の機知で応えていたとされる

釈尊の教えに抽象的な想念は無く，全ては対話に立った明解な英知であったのです。

人々の問いかけもごく日常的な問題，その世相のトピックスであった訳ですが，

釈尊の時代は将にヒンズー教の勃興期で，当然の事として新しい流行思想が話題の中心に

なっていた訳です。 古典的べーダに根ざした道徳論的，儀式的バラモン教から派生した

ヒンズー教は当時の新興宗敎で「霊魂が生れ代り次の生を規定し，

それがカーストになる」とした画期的な流行理念であったのですが，この流行とそれの

もたらした恐怖は，かつての「天中殺｣の流行を想い浮ベるとピンと来るでしょう。

根拠も，何の証拠も無いでっち上げであるにも拘らず，世の人というのは

コロっとだまされパニックに陥る。この「輪廻の輪」という妄念に囚われた人々に

明解な答を与え，無要な心配やカーストのクビキから解放するというのが

釈尊の直面した火急の任務であったのです。　何の根拠も無いそのような妄念に対して

釈尊は極めて論理的，合理的な解答として「心配するには及ばない。万物は（我々も）

因果，縁の上にのみ存在しているのだから，当然の事として肉体が死ねば，

そこに根ざしていた意識も自覚も，苦悩も消滅する。これが涅槃で，それは誰もが

自然に得られるもの。我やカーストなど単に頭で作り出した妄念である」と説かれたのです。

［］

ヒンズー教で言う「無限に続く死と再生の繰返し＝苦界／娑婆／サムサラ」に対して，

釈尊は「輪廻，再生すベき「我」などと言うものはそもそも存在しない」と説かれた訳

ですが，存在しない物を説明するというのは至難の業です。（概念，言葉も無い！）

例えば，全てが共有され私有物の無い社会で「盗み」とかその罪について議論する事はできない。

重力の在る地球上でなら「もしこの重力が無かったら－－」と考える事ができますが，元々

重力の無い世界に暮していたら，重力とはいったいどんなものなのか想像もできないでしょう。

無私，無我である事はできる（一如として）が，それを客観的に自覚した瞬間に一如は消滅する。

（眼の存在の自覚なしにこれを読んでいても，言われて気がついた途端に一如が崩壊する）。

つまり無私を説明するとは外ならぬ「私，我」の存在の認知になってしまう訳です。当然の事として

釈尊が「我」を話題にする事は無く，「魂は死後どこへ行くのか？」といった質問は存在し得ない

物で，それに対する答が与えられる筈も無かったのです。つまり

釈尊は本人が「無我」に一如であった故に｢我」の存在に関しては完璧に「無記」だったのです！

［］

従って，仏教の中で最も重要な無私，無我（アナトマン）の教えは，実は体得する以外にない。

不立文字，教外別伝，以心伝心となる由縁です。（無心に，黙々とやるのみ）

しかし逆に言えば，言葉の上で定義し得ないために，誤解曲解が生じる原因にもなったのです。

－－－で，この曲解はごく初期のうちに起っていて，輪廻やサムサラを説く仏典は

実はヒンズーやタントラの混交でしかありません。

無私無我を教理の根底に置く時に，いったい何が誰が，死後も留って生れ代るのか？

釈尊がそんな矛盾した馬鹿な事を言うはずが無いでしょう。（笑）

しかしケダモノに生れ代るかも知れないと心配する人々の恐怖感は職業僧の飯のタネ，

彼らが話を書変えてしまったのです。

在りもしないあの世から戻って来て「話が違う」と文句をつける人は絶対居ないのですから

どんなホラを吹いてもバレません！　実に困った“虚偽表示”です。（大笑）

 ___/\___

—————-

PS:  The image on top was created by [Mouhitsu] of Japan-Post.

Though, the work has to be saved and its “png” has to be converted

by this process —– Bring the Downloaded image to desktop.  and

Double-click this => “Open with” =>[Paint] —– then click and open

left top icon and go to “Save as”=>”jpeg” (Yes, to asking small window)

—–> The saved image is on the Desktop !  🙂 

-［］

Zen in Daily-Life (2)

In the previous post I explained how to gain the Selfless-mind-set with an example

of Tea making though, obviously Tea making is hardly a “Task in our daily life”.

It is more like a not too serious leisurely moment when we have a break.

So, how about a handling business matter such as to deal with Bills.

[]

Zen only deals with the matter on front.   And divides the whole task into small section.

And to deal with each section, one at a time.   (To climb the mountain, not overwhelmed by

its 8,000m hight, just concentrate to make each step perfect ! = On the end, reach to the top.)

Of cause, our brain can trace the implication of the matter even to 3^rd, 5^th effects and able

to speculate further though, the further we go it become a products of Imagination, or

pretty close to a Delusion.   (As a matter of fact, most of the speculation is nothing but a

delusion and the rest of only few, happen to meet the probability. —- Yet I wouldn’t totally

reject the facts, some people could foresee this probability in amazing accuracy.)

—– So, when a bill dropped on front of you, how you handle it ?     This bill is no delusion, and

a fact how much money you got, wouldn’t have so much grey area.   (Of cause, if you are

running a business, the money coming in, may have some uncertainty of timing, hence some

speculative juggling may be inevitable.   Still, a situation of unknowable wouldn’t give an

excuse to halt the whole business.   In a situation,“Can’t pay now” still, just keep a silence, or

send an excuse of delay, would make a big difference.)  

If ignored, it would come back twice harder.

[]

To live a life, “Don’t care” is one of THE attitude.   The way of Zen is the another attitude, and

I wouldn’t judge right or wrong but just show the resulting difference in efficiency to deal

with the Life.   Throw the bills to a bin and leave the payment until receiving a Red-bill, is

also a life-style.  Though, Zen chose the way, responding it at once. Because, anyhow a due

payment has to be cleared soon or later, not mention additional Late-payment charge etc.  

Unless the amount is in millions and keep it one more day in the deposit account will create

thousands more interest, instead, just clear and see no mess, is the choice of Zennist.

Even just to open an envelope, tear it regardless if it could also tear the document, —– but 

Zennist use scissors. (For THE task to open it, take the neatest way.  NOT the least effort.)  

And to pay attention, whether to keep the envelope together, if the document was

back-dated.  (—– I had an experience to argue in the Court, for the serving date of a

legal document with the stamped date on the envelope as an evidence. !)

Zen approach is to make everything into a clearly sorted file, and make a way to handle

it to a fixed routine, and to deal with them automatic = no hesitation, no stammering =

hence nothing bothersome would be left.   Even if having a headache of juggling, still see

the balance on a clearly filed order would make the Life easier, otherwise see it among

the piled-up bills, notices and other letters etc., will make the life into a confusion.

It’s far easier to deal with it, one by one in the first place.   The more delay only makes

the pile-up higher and such situation makes one’s mental state only depressed more.

[]

Dealing the things with a rule, and make it routine would change the matter from

“personal” to “one of an item among the lots”, hence it became an object, and

separated from the Emotion.  = Because of it is under the rule = independent from your

whim, and the rule and the routinised process handles the matter = not your mind = this

is the Selfless state.  —– (In fact this is a well known situation, “the customer complained,

don’t handle me as a number but as an individual person”— still, in an aspect of

efficiency, the difference is obvious.)

With a superficial impression, you may not like this though, the Zen originated “Selfless 

work Ethics” has contributed to High-productivity and the quality in the Japanese industry.

[]

This rule and a fixed routine creates consistency in the repeated task, and makes 

a person’s brain “Selfless state” —– This phenomenon is all common in the Tea-making or

the handling of clerical work, even the car-making — in fact all the human activities.

—– Behind this phenomenon, there is an crucial tendency of the brain. = Our brain has a

threshold of signal intake = if the same input has been repeated, the brain start to ignore

the signal and respond to it as a pattered routine without involving the Emotion.

It’s mean, when the brain handle a matter without involving Emotion,  the feeling of MINE,

or conscious of SELF  would not be generated.  

[]

All the sensory signal first goes to the Limbic System to have a reference from the memories

and anything related to one’s interest  (gain, loss, danger, comfort) was marked as significant

and the related hormone (if it was a sign of danger, Adrenalin) will be secluded to the

whole body to respond.  But if the signal has no such importance and repeatedly coming,

this process in the Limbic system would be bypassed. (Even though, the same bodily action is

still carried-out but “Emotionlessly”).  

Because of this Limbic System distinguishes and sorting the signal related to the SELF, if the

signal was bypassed,  one’s reaction would be carried-out without the connection to the

SELF, and the related hormone wouldn’t be secluded = No Emotion. — (Emotion doesn’t come

from a Thinking process, but mostly from a Mood created by the Hormone.) 

—– Therefore, when the brain was trained (through repeated practice) to bypass the process 

in the Limbic System, both  Subconscious of the SELF and the Emotion would be suppressed.

 —– And this phenomenon is the basis of

Lord Buddha’s teachings of the Selflessness (Anatman) and the origin of Buddhism.  In deed,

our brain, thoughts, mind is bothered by the interference from the conscious of SELF and the

Emotion, which creates Ego and the Greed and subsequently all sorts of the troubles in the LIFE,

Lord Buddha’s approach to utilize those Brain Function was a brilliant idea.   And without a

bias of Self, Ego, Greed and Detached Emotion, we can see the things much clearer

= We can see The Truth —– This IS, what Zen and Buddhism can achieve. 

___/\___

[]

Zen in Daily-Life

Don’t mistake this title as “Twisting leg everyday”.

Zen is to do something in a Selfless state of the mind. Twisting and sitting (supposedly while

meditating) is a mere practice to gain this Selfless (Mushin) state. —– Though, we are not

born for sitting but to do something to have active life, otherwise we have had extinct long

ago with starvation. So, even Eating in Selfless (ie; in Mushin, and in complete commitment

ie; Mindfulness) IS the Zen.   = This is the realization of what

Lord Buddha taught us = Anatman / Selflessness.

[]

To DO Selfless mean, DO IT without connecting the matter to the Emotion. = This is a state

of so-called Detachment. —– Everybody ever attempted to learn Zen, must heard the words

such as Mushin or Detachment, though, very few had been instructed how to learn it.

(Because in most of the case, their instructor had only an experience to have sat somewhere

in a temple, that all. Still, he is thinking that he had learned Zen.

So, teaching the same sitting  (and only sitting)  to others. 🙂

[]

The trouble of learning Zen by sitting is, even if the person (luckily) able to manage vacating

his mind while sitting, to keep this state of mind (whil doing other than sitting) is almost

impossible.   Because the mind had been accustomed to “Sitting and Do nothing” and make

empty Brain.   Therefore, TO DO anything else, the Brain and the Thinking will come back.

—– Naturally, to learn Zen in the ordinary situation, in a daily life is far better, as the person

can apply the same method and the state of the mind to DO another  “Thing”  as well.

[]

Such as to make a cup of tea. (In this purpose, DON’T take short-cut = make a tea from loose 

tea-leaf —– (this has the same concept as how “Tea making as a Zen practice” developed.)

The way I make a tea is :

Put a water to a kettle and shake it to wash inside and drain it. Put a water again to the

exactly the same level.   Switch on and wait it boils.   When the water started to boil,

switch-off (don’t wait automatic switch-off).   Pour the hot water (about half cup) into a

teapot where a tea-strainer and a tea-spoon is in.  (To heat-up them all together.)

Then take the spoon and tea-strainer out and make the spoon to dry.   Throw the hot water

from the teapot.   Then, put a spoon-full or two (according to the taste) loose-tea leaf into

the pot (heated spoon takes no condensation of the steam from the warmed tea-pot, hence

no tea lief would stick on it.)   Then pour the hot water to tea-pot.   Wait two minutes then

serve a tea. Put sugar or milk when I want.

(In fact, when I pour a tea to the cup, I add the (still) hot water from the kettle for next cup.

(I’m a chain tea drinker, anyhow.)   (Hot water was not as hot as before though, tea would be

brewed longer in the pot = it prevent the tea become too strong !

— Second cup doesn’t have fresh flavour though.)

[]

—– The process may seems too much details.   But they are all for a sake of good tea-making,

and to concentrate for this purpose IS the Mindfulness.

By doing the whole process always the same as THE Accustomed Form.

—– If you follow this, soon or later, you will gain the Formalized body movement and

gradually able to refine the details.   And soon or later you must be realized that you are

DOING all the process Just as a routine = without thinking and the process seemed to be

carried-out almost automatic.   It goes almost independent from YOU —– (As you know,

Do the same, again and again, you start to Do it without excitement, interest = No Emotion ! )

= Now the tea is ready for you to enjoy.   And it was made without your thinking (in Mushin)

and Detached from your Emotion, in other words, Without the  Conscious SELF

= You were in Selflessness.

Do anything in a part of daily-life in the same approach = DO only what you ARE doing

= Mindful Concentration to the only subject.   (nothing else in your mind)

And DO what that subject demand, in your best.  = This is the ZEN in the daily-life.

[]

= As you did the things, as good as you could, it’s mean “You may do better next time though,

what you have Done WAS the best on That moment = no regret.   (Regret can not change the

past, because the past has gone and the matter to DO better would be on the next time.)

= So, you can live the day without useless regret.   (You only can live, on its moment !)

[]

Key point is,

(1) Take it as if it is a Formalized procedure, hence you only Do it as if an imperative form.

(2) No short-cut and Do the best. (3) Establish your way and stick to it. (Stick to it though,

“Do the best”  has priority = the way to Do should evolve to even better on the process.)

(In fact, Mushin or Selflessness is mere By-product of this process = Forget them and just Do

what you got to DO = The matter is, you to DO it and only the result count.)

—– So, enjoy your Tea.      (While having the tea, think about, when you live in this manner

down to all the detail of the life, from the way to get-up from the bed – – – – – each frame of

picture to picture, you did your best = in total you had the best satisfying day, and next day too,

so does next year = in total, you have satisfying LIFE.  

As you been doing the best, others will know you are the most reliable consistent best,

because you are the Zennist.      What you wish more on your LIFE.

—– (without able to make satisfying tea, able to have satisfying day, you are far behind

of even start to talk about Zen,  let alone Enlightenment.    

But when you achieved to make a good tea, and had satisfying day, year, life = then,

you don’t need to have any Enlightenment on top of your life, since you already had one.

—– Life has full of funny paradox.  😀

[]

This was the reason why, when the Zen Masters found their Enlightenment,

all uttered “It’s a dog shit” = after all, all of us walking completely in Selfless Mushin

= nobody need to think how to move the legs.   We were born, able to live Selflessly

= So, it was explained as “We are born possessing the Dharma” which enabling us

to Live without relying on to the Self.    In fact, The Conscious of SELF is obstructing us 

to Live Selflessly.  —– When the Master discovered  this,  after spent years of practice,

he was annoyed to feel ( as the years had been wasted,)  hence    “What a dog shit”  😀

___/\___

[]

Lost in a Process ? — or Tampered ?

A man was walking on a trail in the middle of nowhere and met

Lord Buddha.   He asked, is this the right way to go ?

Lord Buddha answered,  Yes I came from there. You just GO.

Anyhow it was only a single trail, nothing else. —– Does it mean

Lord Buddha “Taught him the right way ?” or taught nothing new ?

—–

The man was born to go this way anyway.   So that there may

not be any needs to ask. —– still having the words, it gave him

a confidence and a peace of mind.

He just kept walk, thence reached to the destination.

(But, if the man didn’t actually walk all the way up, or stray-away,

he got nowhere and remained in the middle of nowhere,

still wandering in a barren desert.)

—– Everybody was born to have Dharma.   Therefore, unless

stray-away from the trail, but kept walking, everybody can

reach the destination —– where it was called Nirvana.

So, Lord Buddha told a man ” Just Go” — since it was a  way to

gain Selflessness and to reach Nirvana.

(Remember ?  Kisa Gotami’s story ?)

[]

Though, in reality very few did, since even fewer ever met

Lord Buddha, so that most of the people got the direction from

others who said walked it before.    And the another trouble was that

so many had took wrong turn, hence wrong trail had been

marked on the ground which was misleading the people to stray-away.

[]

Lord Buddha’s aim was to save the people from

“A delusion of Samsara” = The idea of Samsara  WAS  the very delusion”

though, later, the Teachings were mistaken to “Save from Samsara” on

the assumption of “endless cycle of rebirth = Samsara exists” because

the Hindu idea of Samsara was almost a common-sense THEN.

(During 400 years of oral tradition, gradually

the original contents of the Teachings has been changed to

“Buddhism IS based on a belief of Reincarnation”—– because of

this, the later attempt to revive the origin such as “Selflessness” 

became a contradiction = “If Selfless / Anatman was true, who is going

to be reincarnated ?  = and it was misinterpreted as a self-sacrifice.

—– There was absolutely no concept of “After life” in the

Lord Buddha’s teachings. = He didn’t even bother to give an answer to it.

(Able to answer mean, such idea was exists in the mind.  But because

there was absolutely no such notion, even no word exist in his mind.)

Or the Words to clarify “No after Life” was intentionally removed from

the oral recitation, because it contradicts a popular Hindu belief =

People must have thought “Such Enlightened wise-man wouldn’t have

had said such silly things against  a common knowledge of Reincarnation” ! 

[]

But if Lord Buddha’s teachings were the same to Hinduism, why people

specially come and seek a liberation in his teachings ?  = Because,

Lord Buddha denied the reincarnation, it’s mean no previous life which

would impose a Cast to next life exists.  Hence there was no Cast system in

the Original Buddhism.  

Cast is a part of Hindu Samsara idea ! —– Denial to such idea was the

Lord Buddha’s very distinctive and revolutionary new teachings.  

(The idea of “Re-born while carrying the Karma of previous life IS the CAST”.  

Denial of Perpetual Soul (Self) = No Self to be Re-born, hence NO CAST.)

—– You have to see the truth in the historical fact.

Think yourself.  Don’t believe the scripture blindly. —– Remember,

Lord Buddha reached to his Enlightenment without reading any scripture !

___/\___

[]

Selfless = Anatman = Sunyata = Voidness

As I wrote in the previous post “No Teaching ??? ”, what

Lord Buddha was teaching was no other than the state of the brain “Selflessness”

such as when a person was completely absorbed into an action or practice.

(Though his approach to put emphasis on meditation may not be the best way.

==> So that many different methods was invented later).

But unfortunately, this neurological phenomenon and his Teachings has not been

correctly understood and kept by his followers.    The reason was, as I wrote, it was

not clearly explained even to the immediate disciples and not all the disciples

necessary understood, let alone actually reached to a state of Selflessness. 

[]

This history has been reflected to some tradition, such as that the Theravada sect

who is keeping rather ancient form of Buddhism define the “Voidness” = Sunnata is

pertaining to the Selflessness / Non-Self = Annatta, and this Annatta is in fact, no other

than the Sanskrit, Anatman.

Lord Buddha’s teachings had the fundamental stance against the Vadic Atman.

Therefore, it was NO-Atoman = Anatman. —– It showed, in the original teachings, there

was no separate notion of Voidness, because the feeling of Voidness = Detached view to

the world was a part of the Selflessness or Selflessness itself.

(The one who really possess the Selfless-eyes knows this.)

Because, when the Emotion was disconnected, and feel everything were detached, the

stimuli to any 5 senses doesn’t have significance —– it exists though makes no difference

as if it was not existed.   Hence, didn’t need to specially talk about so-called Voidness.

(People who naturally acquired to speak English, as born in England, doesn’t excite or

talk about it.  But foreigner who newly became bilingual tend to show-off that he can

speak English. = A person acquired Selflessness through long practice, doesn’t feel of

the Voidness anything special, since they gradually came together and feel nothing

that they are the separate phenomenon —– in fact the person doesn’t even noticed

such a phenomenon, either Selflessness or Voidness ever existed in the mind.) 

[]

The history of Buddhism was the masquerade of sham Guru who pretended to know the

Lord Buddha’s teachings = Selflessness. —– As, there was a hear-say, the attribution of

the Enlightenment (Selflessness) is such as “Middle way” or a “Detached view = Perception

of Void” —– Those Guru pretended that they know the subject, and deployed the argument

while writing yet another script about “Middle-way” or “Voidness” simply they saw the

opportunities to become famous and rich.     But in fact, some of them were Tantra, or

mixture of Hindu and as they were using their more familiar knowledge to describe

Selflessness and Buddhism, = Buddhism deviated so much.   In fact some of them became

beyond the recognition from the original teachings and end-up almost like the Hinduism.

[]

Fundamentally, there couldn’t be any argument or needs to discuss the matter of

Middle way or Voidness, even the Panya Paramita as a separate phenomenon, since

they are naturally attributed to the same state of Mushin or Selflessness

= Psychological Phenomenon is Just one.

(A man in ill for caught cold shows the symptoms such as “High temperature”

“Headache” “Coughing” etc. so that to deal with “High temperature” alone and

dip him into a cold water wouldn’t help him. :-D)

People who doesn’t know the whole, in its totality, picking-up a superficial distinctive

feature, and talking in loud voice, pretending that he is The expert. Is exactly like a Theory

of Economics = use one monetary index, and try to describe whole economical trend.

Or mimicking the fashion of a star, and buy the same handbag, use the same buzz-word.

All those are the sign of “This person doesn’t know what he is talking about”.

Still, the trouble was that to the eyes and the ears of people standing by, who knows

even less, think those sham Guru looks, sound, great. —– The sensational new fashion

trend with buzzword of Voidness and the thousand of new-Buddha etc.etc. those new

concepts in Mahayana scriptures were made-up in this way.   (But don’t get me wrong

I’m not against everything of Mahayana, as it opened the more flexibility and the

way of free thinking which is the essential to the Zen mind.)  

[]

The worst was Nagarjuna who boasted that he brought back the scriptures from the

Dragon’s cave in the sea bottom. = What a shameless braggart. —– If you see it in

cool head, you may realize that he was a kind of sham doctor, a salesman selling dubious

beauty portion.   And selling new buzzword of Voidness, exploiting the ignorance of the

Buddhists who doesn’t know what was the

Lord Buddha’s original teachings.    (What Nagarjuna said, such as in the Panya Paramita

Sutra was not necessary wrong, and the funny paradoxical phrase was the attempt to

express the complexity of the human mind (co-existent Conscious and Unconscious mind)

though, to put such emphasis to Voidness alone was an indication of that he didn’t have an

own experience of the Selflessness (cut-off  Emotional Region / Hypothalamus in the Brain,

hence the things and the matters were seen remote from Self-interest) = he didn’t know

that the Selflessness and the voidness was not separate phenomenon.

[]

To describe what’s going on inside of our body is not easy,

not mention inside of the mind, even to

Lord Buddha, especially, subconscious is invisible. —– Hence he was very reluctant

on the beginning (so, the scriptures says). That was why

Lord Buddha invented the way to teach direct, without resorting the verbal explanation.

—- though, some were worked, but not everything. So that, many different understanding,

interpretations were bore out, not mention convenient use of the term or notion even the

Divine figures from other religion.

When the person was in Selflessness, there is no need to have a Divine figure to worship.

Selfless hence with Dharma IS its state.  Dharma is there together with

its mechanism of Karma. = It is not for worship but to live with.

[]

—– Of cause, the situation is more or less the same to me, I never seen how a

visual signal running from my eyes to the brain, = only guessing it must be like a

PET Scanner’s screen showed us.    Still, as we know now, how the brain works on the

process of thinking, feeling etc. and we are able to shed the light

to the matter “What is the Selflessness” of which

Lord Buddha pointed out as the way to deal with Life’s problematic situation.

Now is the time to elucidate and Re-construct the teachings of

Lord Buddha to its original form. —– using today’s term = talking in a style and the

words, matched to the occasion and to the audience was the tradition started by

Lord Buddha.    😉

___/\___

[]

DHARMA = System

While putting comments and reading the replies of another Truth Seeker’s blog,  I’ve found

the definition and the understanding of the word  DHARMA  vary a lot between  the Buddhists.

Some sects seemed to define the meaning of  DHARMA  very narrowly just as the Teachings.

The worst case I found was the Teachings of his instructor.  😀

———- Then I realized,  this must be the KEY in understanding  the  Buddhism.

Buddha (in my blog when I say Buddha,  its meant only Buddha / Shakyamini / Gautama Buddha )

had rejected all another teachings of so-called guru and popular Vedic teachings, and established

his own teachings which we now call the Buddhism.

Why he was called  Buddha / Enlightened Man,  not like a prophet or Devine figure was,  he was

a man who found the Truth in this whole world. —— Whole world mean all the existences, include us,

human being and our psychological phenomena as well.

—— By seeing it with his clear eyes, Buddha realized, the truth is in the very Dharma itself, as

the Dharma is whole existences and the rules combined together.

—

On this occasion,  I’ve clicked  Wikipedia to see what others are saying.  The authors who

compiling those descriptions are the people who learned the subjects much longer than me

hence,  their descriptions are correct though,  strangely  the crucial point, the meaning of

the DHARMA also contain the phenomena itself is only mentioned in the last. ( in two places )

—

Think where Buddha was standing and what he was seeing. —— In northern India,  far away

the great Himalayan mountains,  river, forest, green fields, people and animals —— and

the human life —— from there Buddha found the rules behind of all those existences /

the rule of the DHARMA and its intricate relations which are relying on each other /

the relative existence of the existences / phenomena.

( In any body’s eyes,  the Nature’s intricate Eco-system and the Harmony must have amazing Rules. ——

Some says it is the God’s design —— in fact it was the result of hundreds of millions of years refinements.

—— any irrational, ill-matched  design has been eradicated.  Hence only rational existing, happily exist now)

( So, I wrote somewhere before ” Spread your hand wide. Embrace the world. This is the Dharma “)

When  Buddha inspired his understanding, of cause, he was bound by the notion of the word

Dharma which mean whole existences and the rules behind of it, gave the foundation of his philosophy.

In another word,  Buddha’s teaching was inseparable from the meaning of the word Dharma

—— all the existences and the rules behind which is not independent notion from

the existence itself,  since they are all related and dependent each other.

With this understanding of  dependency, our human existence couldn’t be seen as the solid

permanent existence neither ——>  Hence, The Atman (Self) is not exists = Anatman (Non Self )

( When the Self is not a reliable existence, the product of the self / Thinking has to be seen as a Delusion )

And as the Dharma is not abstract, independent idea,  BUT inseparable from Existences / Phenomena

even the teaching  couldn’t be separated from the real life —— Hence, teaching = Practice.

—

———- From those observations,  I found the meaning of the Dharma  should be

better understood by  the word,  SYSTEM.

SYSTEM mean,  they are not just a pile of existences but each part are connected each other and

functioning together.   And to make a SYSTEM as the functioning SYSTEM, there is the Systematic Rules.

And the Rules has to be viable / rational, otherwise they would disintegrate and disappear.

( This is the reason why Buddhism never contradict against the science.

Since, Buddhism stands on the facts,  therefore it have to be rational.  Not stand on the absurd idea or belief.

This is the reason why Zen rejects the imagination and thinking, and relying on the observation.

Incidentally, when Buddha was asked about the structure of the universe he didn’t give an answer.

He might wanted to say ” I don’t know. Who care, do you ?” ( Such imaginary world  is not relevant to the life )

neither he answered  when  he was asked whether the soul exist and reincarnated.

He would have said  ” Haven’t you understood  what I said before”

( Anatman / Nonself  was his main teaching,  since Vedic  Atman is only  imaginary product / Delusion )   

Buddha never argue or get angry. 🙂

( Someone who deluded by wrong thinking/ belief will not get enlightenment that all. It is the person’s Karma.

Buddhism never offer the salvation, only give the guidance to the person to learn.)

—