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”.  😀

___/\___

[]

Blinds and Elephant

Among the millions of metaphors human culture has, the one such as

“Moon and Pointing Finger” was known to be associated with Zen Buddhism.

A story of the Blinds and Elephant was too widely known and seemed to have

lost its origin.   But this story/metaphor has Buddhist origin too, and this

metaphor was exactly about the Buddhists themselves, was forgotten.

[]

There are tens if not hundreds of the descriptions to explain Buddhism.   Such as

Mushin, Void, Mindfulness, Middle way, Clear-eyes, Detachment, Impermanence,

Ichijo, Compassion, Dharma, Karma, Delusion, Contemplation, Enlightenment,

— etc etc.   So that, the people whether believer or the outsider, they think that

there are many aspects, or the elements in the Buddhism which necessitates to

master next by next — though, it is the utter misunderstanding or misguided idea.

[]

Since those Notion and the Words were used to describe a state of the mind,

people were made to believe that such each state IS exists.  = Just same as

one blind man told while touching its flapping ear saying “The Elephant is a

soft thin disk just like a nan bread” and the other said “Oh, it is a very thick

rubbery hose, like a vacuum car’s hose” etc etc.

—– The trouble to deal with Buddhism was, that the most of its phenomena,

state of the mind are in the subconscious of the person, hence it is invisible to

the people, even to the person himself.   Inevitably, all those descriptions were

nothing but a guess work of the person, mixed with the hearsay. —– It’s mean,

a person who couldn’t even see the own mind speaking about the Buddhism, let

alone whether he himself had reached to the level to know what the Buddhism is.

[]

Typical sample of it in these days is, the fashion of “Mindfulness” even in a kind of

business lecture !   The most funny things about this word “Mindfulness”, there is

NO Japanese or Chinese word of this notion exists. = It was a western invention or

made-up —– probably, a sham doctor selling miracle portion kind of “Zen monk”

had used the word first, while having a misunderstanding that the Zen is “a kind of

concentration of the mind”.

If you know about the Zen Buddhism a little bit, you may know the word “Mushin =

Mind of no-mind” —– sound somewhat opposite of “Mindfulness” though, as a state

of the mind, those two is in-separable one.  (and nothing like a concentration at all =

Zen is a completely relaxed, open, detached mind = hence No-mind / Void = in fact,

all those different explanations were about the same state —– the person who said,

didn’t know the real situation / state in his real experience — came from hearsay )

= So, it is clear, the person who is using a word “Mindfulness” is a person who is

pretending to know the Zen Buddhism, (and telling “It’s a hose of vacuum-car”) 😀

[]

—– A funny story in Japan is, one of the big University, Waseda Uni’ has a

student group called “Mindfulness Society” = obviously following a book (or two)

written by the westerner. —– Or, they might have learned that “Mindfulness is no

longer the Buddhism but New religion” = Cool western religion !

— What a hose. 😀

___/\___

[]

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 ! )

[]

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.

[]

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.

[]

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”.

[]

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. ]

___/\___ 

[] 

Mindfulness – Mushin – ICHIJO

In past ten days, there were quite a bit of talking with my friends and they gave me a suggestion, that

a part of the script in my last post seems to be the most simplest but crucial explanation

of the Zen Mind, and said, having those few lines of explanation, half of my blog would

become redundant.

Great ! Thank you very much —– should I feel grateful or sad ? ? ?

( Anyhow, this blog is the ongoing report of the DIY ZEN, try to figure it out and see its notion in

a perspective = its got to have a progress and the refinement )

—– so, the following is the notorious script;

non

——————

In metaphor, Mindfulness is to eliminates all another thoughts —– say, when you got to

do [A],  to eliminates any thoughts other than about [A] is Mindfulness.

Then eliminates the very thought about [A] is the Mushin. ==> While doing [A], if no thought

is there at all, how the job [A] can be done = it is done by the Dharma.

Therefore, it is far better than “Done by yourSelf ”   ! ! !

( Quite convincing isn’t it ?    )

non

—– It seems that instead to use two words,  it is better to use one word Ichijo.

(Oneness = a mind and a subject are fused together as one Dharma,  hence the Self and the

subject itself are no longer exists as the separate entity, or seen to be exist) —– therefore,

the matter of whether one’s mind is there or not (about Mushin) or the subject which needs

to be fully concentrated (So-called Mindfulness ) is there or not, all become irrelevant.

( May be the first person who translated the notion of Zen into English didn’t know what the Zen really mean

—– good in English doesn’t necessary mean having good understanding in Zen   )

non

It’s true, in the notion of ICHIJO,  all the teachings of Zen resolved into

an infinity of the DHARMA.

The best of all, it is cheaper to practice only one ICHIJO, instead of Mushin, Mindfulness and Meditation.

—– you can get all three in one practice of DOING anything. — Ha ha ha, it’s suits to a humble man  

—– And this is exactly what the Dharma mean.— Totality is the Dharma.

___/\___

non

PS :  In the above script  [when you go to do [A], ] = this DO mean actual action not a meditation.

—– As I’ve been saying [ Just Do ] from the beginning,  Zen effect only comes with ACTION,  because

—– it is coincided with the seclusion of a neurohormone Selotonin which gives the contented feeling

—– and calm your mind down. —– This is the reason why, all the Buddhism practice is a simple

—– repeating action. —– Once anyone master this,  then the same technique can be applied to

—– any action or no-action alike = Being contended in calm while do nothing  😀     Peace !

non

Clear the CONFUSION

While talking with the people who read through my blog,  I found , I still need to clarify the confusion,

which may caused by not clear enough explanation.

It seems, the most confusing part of the Zen teaching is,  the apparent crush of  the Selflessness

and the so-called  Mindfulness. As  this Mindfulness was mistook as the Concentration,  my explanation

of  Selflessness = Detachment /  Mushin  seemed to have utter conflict with  Mindfulness.

———- Yes it seems true, as long as the person is  ” Thinking them as the meaning of the words “.

Here,  the hardest part of the Zen phenomenon lays.

One is the matter of the SELF,  and the Awareness of the Self /  Thinking ——> Not Thinking

——> BUT do it under the control of  SUBCONSCIOUS.

When we do the things Unconsciously,  this is what the Zen called  MUSHIN  ( SELFLESSNESS ).

DETACHMENT  from  the Thinking, and the person who is Thinking = SELF.

( Detached from the Self or own Ego ——– not from the subject to do)

Do the things in  MUSHIN or  Subconsciously, yet fully committed  to  the subject,  is the state of  FUJI / ICHIJO.

In this state of the mind, ICHIJO,  there is nothing else of  the person  (selfless SELF)  and the subject.

——– this is what western Zenist described as the Fully Minded or  Mindfulness.

One of the grave  mistake of the western Zenist was the use of this word, Mindfulness.

The trouble is,  there is no mind should be there. ———– So that, as long as the person mind the

mindfulness,  there can never be the MUSHIN or SELFLESSNESS achieved.

—————————

And this is the fundamental trouble to approach Buddhism by the word and the thinking,  and

exactly with the same reason,  all the Buddhism sects (except the talking shop of western Buddhists) are

using the physical practice as their part of teachings. (You can bang a drum or cut a lemon without conscious,

though  you can’t read or talk without consciously thinking )

————- And this is the reason,  why I have started this blog saying   “Just Do IT,  Don’t Think “

let alone talking about. ( So, why am I blogging here ?   😀 ——– In Hinayana,  I should just

watching the people talking, puzzling, though it is yet another paradox of the Mahayana. I have to blog )

————————

So, it must be clear now,  Selflessness, MUSHIN  and so-called Mindfulness, and ICHIJO  are

all exist in the same time as One Phenomenon of a State of the Mind (of No-Mind / MUSHIN).

All those words are the superficial appearances of the same Phenomenon seen from different angle.

————————

Since the result is much better done in Zen,  the question arose ” Who did this, as the Self was

not there,  WHO ELSE ? ” ——– Hence, ” It must be done by the  Dharma ”

and the riddle of  ” Is SELF really exist ? ” was born.