Ideally ~~~~ or Typical

Think, about your own life, — how can it be “Ideally” re-organized.    Then think about how is your typical daily life ?  —– In either case you may need to think quite deep.

—– So, how about, can you imagine “Typical Buddhist” or “typical Muslim man” ? You may say that you don’t know about them deep enough, or you might draw an image of a caricature = funny exaggeration based on the popular stereotype.   As those Notion of Ideal, or Typical kind were artificially created abstract notions for the convenience of communication or try to show how I am intelligent, they never represent a reality.    Real truth is always stays few steps behind of “Ideal” or “Typical” —– and we all know it.

So, the obvious FACT is, what so ever the imagination you have made-up here just now, in the actual daily life, you ARE just carry on your same old daily Life = You must be realized here, extreme or exaggerated idea came up when you INTENTIONALLY THINK = otherwise you are not having such image or notion = In a real daily life, you ARE living without any artificial conscious of “I AM carrying out my living operation”.  —– As a matter of FACT, while reading this blog, you are even NOT aware of YOU are reading this.   While away from intentional thinking, we ARE naturally following the way of the commonsense or what the Buddhists call Dharma.  Of which we unconsciously follow.

This IS what all about of SELFLESSNESS, and the real situation of the Middle way. (Both extreme were created by the intentional thinking = live without such thinking  (Selfless Mushin)  we can follow the Dharma and it IS the very Middle Way.

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Throw a stone

The words here “Throw a stone” is a metaphor or a symbol indicating that there is a meaning behind of such action — in Zen term, a Direct Transmission.  Why Direct Transmission ? — Because the words couldn’t convey the meaning behind or such meaning would be lost if it was expressed in the words. 

After many years, I suddenly realized that Lord Buddha never spoken about the Concept or the Idea conceived in the mind other than in the metaphoric stories.  His teachings were doing or show what or how to do.  And never explained what its action for or meanings of it.  So that, the Disciples were guessing or making their own interpretation if not their own understanding. —– The most of the scriptures were such kind of interpretations or guess-works and very little real teachings of Buddha was recorded because of very few could manage to catch the meaning behind, let alone describe them in the scripture.  (So that, the Buddhism has been surrounded by the mountain of buzz-words created by a superficial capturing such as Selfless, No-thinking, Mushin, Dedication, Self-sacrifice, Detauchment, No-greed, No-emotion, No-fear, Mindfulness, Middle way, — etc etc.)

In deed, Lord Buddha didn’t teach  the meaning or the intention behind of his teachings.  BECAUSE to explain such meaning WILL destroy the teaching itself. (It was recorded in the scripture typically as “Unanswered Questions” =  the abstract, imaginary notions such as an idea of  SELF or theoretical existence like an Infinity, were completely ignored by him.)

—– Do something, JUST do something without do other than DO, = such as to take a bicycle and ride, and go shopping.  When you do such riding, you ARE not thinking how to ride, how to push the feet or take a balance = because, you do it without any conscious “Let alone any conscious of I’m DOING the bicycle ride” = In fact, you ARE doing it without your SELF.  AS this IS the evidence of that the SELF IS not exists, and the idea of the SELF was a creation of your conscious or IMAGINATION.  Since the SELF is not exists, the notion or its word is not exists either (in other words, they were INTENTIONALY created to deal with those notion.) = Therefore, it IS not possible to explain the idea of “There is no SELF” = you can’t explain this without using the notion or the word SELF other than you yourself realize that you ARE riding the bicycle without the conscious of SELF.  Lord Buddha taught his followers to learn it through the action (or a kind of repeating practice — mind you there wasn’t a bicycle then.  😀 ) —– still, how his teachings was successful or succeeded was quite questionable = AND as he was aware of it, he had to leave the very last words “Don’t take the other’s words, learn it by YOURSELF” —– The history of the Buddhism showed nothing but the silly misunderstanding or more precisely the lack of understanding among the followers since then.   (I’ll show it with the most typical sample of “Middle way” in the next post.)

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Void and Middle way (2)

As I wrote on the beginning of the previous post, that the Matter all about Buddhism is The Mind.  

But, on this moment, forget about whether the Mind exists or not, can it remain after the death or not, kind of argument. (It seemed, that the writer of Mahayana scriptures made the matter too grand and ostentatious — don’t exaggerate too much. (= It’s a bad habit of the Indian scholar)  It’s just the matter of the Mind and Heart Sir.)  So, just think of your own Mind. We all know, that there are two kind of mind in our brain.   One feels and often perplexed in a depth of our mind (often called your Heart) and the other is thinking a logical answer while giving complicated consideration or justifying excuse.    The former was generated from the old part of the brain, called Lymbic system.   And the other from the brain’s new cortex.   Sound strange though, the neuro scientist found that we are first thinking deep in our subconscious, then convert it to cognitive (in lexical) form second later.   So, technically, the former can be the first impression or your feeling and the later is the Second thought or Consideration.  This mechanism appeared when we see, hear, taste — 5 senses = feel it, then categorize, name it or describe it.  So, this Second thought has been given a Consideration (while referring to the data-bank)  or Judgement whether it was for an answer of Yes or No = like, you have seen it or didn’t see it.

—– But here is a trouble, you might have thought, that you saw it — Did you ?   How you ARE shure.  Even if it was there, next moment, the projector was switched off or changed to the next image or the person is dead.   So, the Buddhism advise you, don’t cling your thought or hard judgement of Yes or No.  Leave the matter to your first impression.   Neither Yes or No, but your intuitive observation = This IS the Middle way.  Not between the Yes or NO, but your own initial intuition.   Because the whole Dharma is moving and keep changing = try to define it in a fixed form is nothing but the our delusion, since the Dharma itself IS VOID.  In fact we too.  (Though, I wouldn’t guaranty your debt disappear on the next moment or your wife let you free tomorrow.  —– World may look the same. 

So, don’t ask me what is the point to become a Buddhist.     😀   )

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What is VOID and Middle way

What all about Buddhism, the matter is “How our Mind works” no more no less. 

To Lord Buddha himself, its source was our mind itself.  Lord Buddha observed the activity and its tendency of his own mind, and the mind of the others as well.  But, priory to the matter of Mind, Lord Buddha discovered the mechanism of the Dharma, and its entwined activity of the Karma.  In the first glance, the Mind looked work in the same principle of the Karma though, there are some peculiar tendency in the activity of the Mind.  Generally, the Dharma works according to the mechanism of the Karma, though, the Mind does not necessary follow the Karma. 

When we see, the Mind may see but may not see.  Seeing and recognise it, is not the same activity.  Even if we didn’t see, we may still recognise it.  Its mean, the existences of the Dharma may be the same.  It may be there but may not be there.  The constant change in the moment to moment makes the situation even worse.  We can define, it’s there or it’s not there though, the truth seems not the matter of what we define still, we know the state of it by our intuition or subconsciousness = It’s there as it is.  But, we can not see this cognition, because it is in our dark subconscious = it’s there but not there.  Therefore, the form is no different from the Void.  Void is no different from the form.  See the world in this eyes, is the Middle way.  And because the world is exists in this way, It IS the VOID.   

The meaning of the night walk described in the post “Test of selflessness” was —– The followers followed Lord Buddha without ask why or what for = without having any lexical cognition.  Completely Selfless and Open minded = not imposing their own definition or seek an answer but accept the situation (walk on the rainy night) as it is = without going into the mind-game / Why,  but just take a walk —– This selfless mind is in the Middle way and accept the Dharma in such a way is to see its Void.  To gain the eyes of middle way, the followers became free from the wrong idea and start to see and live as the own (as it is).   To be as the own mean to be with Dharma. 

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Crèche in the Zen Buddhism

There are quite few Crèche in the Zen Buddhism.

Such as Mindfulness, Middle way, to live in Now,Selfless etc etc

and indeed, I did talked about those topics in the early posts.

Yet still, funnily enough, in the Agama Sutra, there was no word of

Lord Buddha for about those topics.  And I realized that, the talking

of those Crèche  started to appear in the Mahayana scriptures,

typically like Middle way.

—– as a matter of fact, I too wrote in somewhere, the Middle way is

not in the both extreme, somewhere in the Middle.

Though, think about the extreme — in the Nature/Dharma, if it was

too little, we may not noticed it was existing.  And if it was too much,

there is no such things in nature.  It was only a product of imagination.

In other words, if we follow the Nature/Dharma, we are

naturally live in the Middle way.   Likewise, to live in Now, if we don’t

cling Past, neither indulge imagined Future, we only deal with  Now.

In the same way, Mindfulness is not a special notion, it was the state

of Mind, when there was no other imagined matter / things, but seeing

the subject on front = what else can you think of ?

— in short, there wouldn’t be any of those issues exists in the Mushin.

= Mushin mean, live Selflessly.   So, it became to clear / too clear that

the script writer of the Mahayana has written those Crèche from an

overheard rumor “That the Enlightened said to live in Middle way,

live in Now and facing the life in Mindfulness”etc etc = and started

mimicking the antic = pretending of “Middle way” “Mindfulness”

“Live in Now”etc. and talked a lot blah blah — While not knowing

what the “Middle way” was = because he hasn’t even experienced the

Mushin, there was no way to know what the real “Middle way” was.

The people who doesn’t know, talk a lot, to pretend !

Still, the matter IS very simple. = once you vacated (emptied) your

Mind, what you can see is only the matter on front (= no memory

of the past, neither imagined future) = when the matter only on

front exists, what else to think about = this is Mindfulness. 

And when you follow what you instantly conceived (on that Moment

= so-called intuitive perception) is the way of the Dharma.(what else ?)

(Because the Dharma is rational and harmonious as a whole system,

inherently, there is no extreme = this IS the very Middle way)

—– You see, it’s so simple in real (practical) life.

But, “talk about” the misconceived concept is much more complicated.

Because, such concept (=Crèche) is in the intellectual thinking, BUT 

Zen Buddhism is a matter in the state of Mind (the way to handle the

data in the Brain) so, try to find the meaning by way of thinking is like

“To THINK HOW to ride a bicycle” instead to make own body to

“LEARN it”.  😀

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Wash Grapes

Grape is one of the most ancient fruits recorded in the human history 

though, as it is the cousin of Ivy,  I guess,  in the ancient time its

fruits must be as small as Ivy’s berry.   (about 1/4″ — 6 mm big ?)

Any how, the matter here is not a big (or small) issue at all = the way to serve.

—– In my bad boy’s habit,  there is nothing but a pleasure to steal a fruits.

(Fortunately or unfortunately I didn’t grown up to acquire the pleasure to

steal a woman.   😀  —– before read such menu available

I’ve become a monk (?)  —– how shame,  what a boring life isn’t it ! )

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To pick  and eat a fruit in the (Somebody else’s) garden, I wouldn’t be bothered

to wash it while presuming that the dirt has been washed away by the rain, and

no human hand ever touched it anyway. 

Though, when I bought it from a shop, I suspect it has been handled rather

dusty condition hence they are not clean. —– So, how to wash it ?

Long before,  I was washing the bunch of grapes under a jet of water then later

changed to wash each individual fruits —– I mean one by one,  since when

I noticed some time, some of them were covered with quite stubborn film of dirt.

( Remember, we eat grapes with its skin !  —– Japanese grapes can be skinned !  )

And these days,  I separate each fruit from a bunch and wash them in a plastic

bawl under the running water while make them well rubbing each other.

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Considering the amount of dust we are inhaling and eating, which may consists

sand or dried soil, even dried dog shit etc etc, without  knowing,  some dirt on

the occasional grapes wouldn’t make any concern.  —– So,  is this a matter of

principal or most likely the personality ? —– A kind of contemplation such as

“Resisting the dirt would be useless” may have an effect still,  the sense of 

cleanliness came from one’s up-bringing, and IS the one’s second nature.

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So, as a practice, how about the point of  so-called “Mindfulness” or “Middle way”

= how can we be “single-minded” and in the same time “be tolerant”.

(Is it a funny question ? )

If you think this is a funny question,  your understanding of Buddhism was wrong.

Wrong in the “Thinking” of  both  “Mindfulness” and the ” Middle way”.

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We don’t need to think about how to wash or how to eat grapes.   We should just Do.

= Wash or not wash what so ever you Do, IS a reflection of WHO YOU ARE.   As you

are born to be under the own Karma,  to follow it,  is the most natural way to live.  

And to be natural, need no thinking = just to be the own.  

No thinking or no conscious mean no Self is there.  And no Self,  no conscious mean

no intentional thinking NOR being not natural,  hence no over doing = Middle way.  

Without the Self, still able to do what necessary to Do, IS the Mindful way.

In fact, all the teachings of Buddhism are [ To be done without conscious ].

= Live without a conscious of Self IS Selfless.  Do without thinking IS Mushin.

When you Do the thing, there are no other things in the mind IS Mindfulness.

And when you Do,  no intentional thinking is there, therefore

Do only naturally you need to Do,  IS  Middle way.

If you are Doing something special to be a Buddhist,  IS not Buddhism.

[ Buddhism is Do nothing special, Think nothing as Thinking.

This IS why, Buddhism mean the VOID.  —– And this was what

Lord Buddha taught though, it was not fully understood by even

the author of scripture. ]

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Autumn Color

I popped out to the Greenwich with my friend who just bought DSLR this week

for a sort of photo session.  He has been watching YouTube Tuitorial viz kind of

“How to make a good photo” and “How to use DSLR”, though, they are still a

theory or knowledge. = Same as a Buddhist’s idea, it takes enough practice to

sink into a level of spontaneity. = Look into view-finder and see the Matter is

such as That “Depth of Field” what a viz told him. —– Anticipate, if the depth

changed what would be looks like then. —– Then own control starts.

Anyone can learn good composition / framing from the sample “To make Post Card

like scene to Post Card like Picture” though, to make “Nothing Special image to

Interesting Photo” need to have a good photographic talent. —– Exaggerate or

enhance the color would make a photo something looks nice though, its saturated

color gives irritation to the eyes too. = Here is the “Middle way” = the level of

saturation which our brain thinks !!! is always too much to our subconscious, since

our subconscious follow what is natural.    (Photos here are over saturated  🙂 )

Are you convinced ?  —– Take Middle way.  

(Looks unusual doesn’t necessary mean Special.

= in most of the case, it is just odd.  🙂

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PARADOX in seeking the ZEN

 

I wrote in previous post, to reach Zen, how it is crucial to block the Emotion.

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Though, Zen or Buddhism in general, it is a strange maze of the Paradox =

the more you try to see it, you can’t see.   The harder you put the effort,

you can’t achieve. (—– I think, I wrote the same subject before, while using a metaphor

“You can’t run, as long as you got legs” 😀 )

This trouble is, all comes down to the existence of the Emotion or Emotional thinking.

Because of the strong intention or will is always accompanied by the strong

Emotion. The more you are serious, the more your mind is stack to the subject

though, ironically, the art of Zen is how to make you detached from the subject.

—– You can’t detach yourself from the subject when you are studying it —–

you may say.

(If you ever read the book of Zen Mondo / Koan, then if you read it again while this paradox

in mind, you will see the point, or it will make sense in each answer.

= They are in the matter of this paradox.)

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So that, there is a trouble to understand such as “what the Mindfulness is” =

the harder you try to be Mindful = you are falling into a Clu-de-sak or strays away to nowhere

because of your mind = Emotion is just stack to the subject. Emotion blinding You !

—– There is nothing else but the subject, and you can see it clear detached eyes.

= This IS Mindfulness. = because of your eyes are detached from your Emotion, there

couldn’t be any wishful thinking or a greed to succeed etc kind of destructive rubbish = you can

see the true nature of the subject. = therefore you can do the perfect job, hence you will succeed.

This state of mind, detached from the subject, = as there is no Emotional

attachment, hence the mind is blank but only eyes are gazing at =

This is Mushin and in Selflessness = This IS Mindfulness.

Why Selfless here ?  Because, only eyes and the subject are here.  Not your Mind.

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Sound easy ? —– or you may utterly bemused, how to do ? How far to be detached 😀

Because of this confusion, ancient Buddhists invented [Middle Way] 2,000 years ago.

While saying “Not too close, still not too far” — Because, they themselves haven’t experienced

real Mushin 😀

= It seems, the vast number of Mantra Authors are not necessary understood the Buddhism.

= That was why so many fancy stories of it was added to the original teachings to cover-up  😀

(Good in writing is not necessary knowing the subject 😀 = The Monks are familiar with sitting

in the temple, but they may not be any expert of DOING something — this is a reason why the

Zen was invented = Zen put an emphasis to DO something and prohibit Thinking)

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When you DO something, subject is very front of your eyes.

If it was cutting a lemon, lemon and a knife are there. —– So, just cut it. You don’t need to think

anything else.  After cutting 10 lemons, 100 lemons, (what to do those mountain of lemon slices =

may be better make Marmalade and use one or two for a cup of tea 😀   Or if you are short of

money, cut potatoes instead and make crisps ? —– though, I don’t like to use oil )  you will

run-out anything to think about (NO Thinking) = you will cut it almost like an

automatic machine (NO Emotion),  hence your eyes sees nothing else of Lemon

and the Knife = this is the Mindfulness.   And the brain is in the state of Mushin.

Then, applying this eyes and the Mind-set to see other things in the Life.

By actually DO something, there is NO PARADOX (Paradox is created in the

Emotional Thinking = such as Intention, Will, Gain / Loss Calculation, etc etc =

not exists in Doing )  —– This is the ZEN.

( So, it is a great mystery, what the people is doing while sitting and doing

so-called meditation ?  😀  😀 ) 

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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. )

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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.

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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 !

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Rules in Helping Others

Be kind to others, help someone in need. ——- What a nice words —— as the Words.

Though, when its came to the practice, there are loads of question arise.

If you are a Buddhist, there must be the fundamental understanding to pay a respect to the Dharma.

Therefore has to accept the manifestation of the Karma.

Everybody got their own Karma. ( Not only the Buddhists.   🙂  )

——– So, when something happened or you encountered and see somebody in difficulty and obviously

needs a help.  If it is a very simple matter, it may not very complicated —— just give a hand.

Though, if the matter was very serious and the help may affect the person’s life or fate. ——– M m m  ?

How do we know,  if it does not interfere the person’s Karma ?

To live on their own pathway according to their own Karma is their individual birthright.

In the same time, we shouldn’t be obsessed by the idea of   ” I’m helping others ” —— just help without

having any notion of help.   If you do, you have to do it in Mushin.

Why encounter such situation, there was our own Karma  working as well —— It was not just an accident.

———- So, where a Buddhist draw a  line IN the Middle way ?

For such situation or even for the general rules to deal with others, I’m following a hose Rule.   Give a  help

automatically but  ONLY once. ( Buddha said to have offered three times  though  I’m just a small man  I can

afford only once.  Any how we got only one life and only one chance, never able to try the same again ——

—- have you ever seen or heard the same person born again and did the same attempt and succeeded ?

No such things like reincarnation exists. —– yes, decomposed my body, the element must be re-used to

constitute another life form, well may be a plant —– what so ever —– like a hydrogen atom in my body

has been recycled, recycled billions of times since it was created in the Big-Bang (allegedly) though,

no same person had ever created or same mind / soul ever exists, since even the soul is the result of

own Karma and the Karma of this moment is never the same in second later. No moment stays the same )

If my help didn’t work, it is the sign, I’m doing wrong  AND / OR it is the person’s Karma.

Struggling my way of help, believing this should work is the delusion.  It may make situation even worse.

Observe everything include the self, in the completely detached eyes.  So that never exited or panicked.

Other than technical difficulty, a sudden occurrence of blockage or short coming such as suddenly

mob-phone broken or train service halted etc is the sign of halt from the Dharma = stop it at once.

If the help is essential and when you are doing it in your Mushin, Fully Minded, strangely all  other

factors work together as well.  Others give a hand, conveniently specialist appeared etc etc.

So-called  Devine Intervention really happen.

After the event,  never contact the person unless the person gave me a contact.

( If the person is a stranger, never exchange contact unless the follow-up is the essential part of advice

——- avoid to touch personal matter as much as possible and limit only to the issue or problem itself)

It is the arrogance to see the result of the help. (such as ” Have look I’ve successfully helped this person “)

As the matter of fact only the person knows whether the help was really helpful or not.

If the person is not grateful and contact to say thanks, it was a sign of inadequacy.

Then, erase the memory of event other than the data of the experience (practical technique etc).

Above all, I myself have  One Week Rule which is, even when I’ve offered a help for the project etc,

if it was not started or the person did not make a move within one week, its file is deleted —– so, I

will not retain the memory.  If it is not urgent to the person, why do I need to take initiative and if the

person got yet another problem occurred, it is the sign, Dharma is not keen to its project.

Me to help a project lie on front wouldn’t have any problem though I wouldn’t undertake the person’s worry.

This is my way to live as a Zen Buddhist and live the life with  light luggage.

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