Feeling – Heart – Mind – Thinking

Because of its nature of ambiguity, what going in the depth of our Mind has no clear picture or even the defined notion or name.  Nevertheless, we are using a kind of the name for the sake of convenience.  And, we are using a kind of words to describe each Psychological phenomena.   So, from the murky deep to clear conscious, we named each of them such as to Feeling, Heart, Mind, Thinking. 

With the advancement of the technology and the medical science, the research and the understanding toward those mechanism of the psychological phenomena were becoming clear day by day.  And the development of experimental psychology is started to show quite new fact and the reality. 

One of the experiment, which was — the two group of the volunteer was given the Adrenalin hormone (so, the blood pressure rose and the heart started pounding) and one group was told by a decoy volunteer as “I heard we are going to have a  pretty funny game after this. So, I’m very excited” and the other group heard the other decoy murmuring that “I heard that the after effect of this experiment could be very bad. I’m very much worried of this”  On the after interview, the first group told that he (she) was very excited with the expectation of fun.  But the second group answered that they felt fear.

—– The same physiological effect = risen blood pressure and pounding heart was felt by the first group as a joyful excitement.   But the second group felt it was a tension of a fear. = Each were biased to the opposite direction by the dubious suggestions.  So, the feeling could be as simple as the balance of the chemical, same as too much acid in the stomach.  And to figure it out (with the biased expression) “I’m very heavy” is your heart.  Then, describe it with more objective words “I feel very heavy” is your mind.  And you might started to think “Should I take a pil ?”

Ambiguous shadow in the deep, may not have any holy truth.   Neither Carl Jung kind of romantic belief not mention Freud’s delusion.  (Now those kind of so-called “Psychology” was dead long since = simply because no such memory device which hold like Oedipus Complex etc or unconscious memory was found under MRI —– all those were our own creation inspired by the learned story in the daily life = same as a Dream.)    So, the unconscious mind = “Heart” might be just an unsorted complication of the chemical mix. —– As you know, when you feel so crazy and hot in love, the reality was that you were just filled with Oxytocin and Dopamine in your blood. = So, you feel its urge, still as it was nothing to do with any logic or hi-level thinking, you can not describe its factor or reason in word. (In fact, if you could describe it, you were not in love but just observing third party !) —– We call such invisible drive or a vector as the Heart.   😀

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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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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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PERFECT or INPERFECT ?

Many of you who read especially the previous post ” Limit of TRUTH “ may be wondering

what I was intended to say.  ( In fact I was showing, how futile to hit the wall on the end of cul-de-sac  and

the limitation of the approach toward the life by way of thinking )

Fresh comer to the Buddhism might be bemused or even felt a disappointment as I’m not selling

the Buddhism while saying ” This is the perfect Answer, buy Buddhism” —- like another vending post.

But this is what the Buddhism and the greatness of the Buddha’s teachings are.

It is not revealing what the structure of the Dharma nor to teach how to control it, but to learn the

way to follow it through practice, and the gradual change of the way of the Life and its mind–set.

Buddha was not a Devine figure nor Prophet telling glorious story.

He was a great teacher who taught the TRUTH of the LIFE through practice.

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As it is the TRUTH, it is not necessary a sweet story nor deceptive salvation story, as harsh words in

the Four Noble Truth epitomizes.  Since the Dharma  is strict, not necessary friendly to the mankind

still it is only the rule beyond the human control or intention, Buddha taught the way to follow it.

And this WAY is what Buddha mentioned last in the Four Noble Truth .

To follow the unknowable uncertainty  and its changing nature of the very Dharma,

Buddha was teaching its on the spot user–manual, not the analysis of its tendency or psychology.

Same as  how to use a computer, to know how CPU was manufactured, with which material and so on,

wouldn’t help at all for its usage.   All about the mater is how we use it without causing clash or over heat

and complete the task —– therefore able to  have smooth happy life (then nirvana).

( But mind you, the Life and the Dharma is not as simple and cheap as  PC,  you can’t buy another one 😀 )

This approach  became more apparent as in the development of the Hinayana Buddhism.

It is not the Buddha’s idea or invention, it was his discovery in the function of the Dharma.

Hence,  it is the teaching to see and become aware how the Dharma exists in ourself.

—— or the Life to be accommodated in the Dharma.

So that, it was often dabbed as  ” Life in harmony with the Nature “

When the matter is not imposing own idea but to be accommodated by the Dharma,  it is the matter of the

acceptance, not the choice —– in fact there is no choice but to accept   (—– with  fight or else  😀 )

Whether the Buddhism Accommodating the Dharma or Dharma accommodating the Buddhism may sound

strange though, because of this accommodating nature of the Buddhism, the Buddhism can accommodates

any another religion,  race  whoever ( them to exists is also the expression of the Dharma —– if they are

contradicting the Dharma they couldn’t be there in the first place)

—– and exactly the same context, accept  any situation. ! ! !

Hence, Buddhism can be in the millionaire’s life and in the murderous gang star’s life too.

( So, there is my old post  ” Zen in a Battle field ”   😀  )

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Thinking and judging in our way, and imposing our thinking, ( whether it is logical or not ) to the Dharma

is noting but an alienation or even a disrespect to the Dharma.

With an insatiable apatite to find whether one atom is in two places in the same time or not, or why

the rabbit bonking a lot etc ( 😀  ) might be in a legion unknowable.

So that, all about the teachings of Buddha is to eliminate the own thinking, conscious Self.

When conscious Self is not there, what is Mr. A standing here ? —— It is a manifestation

of the Dharma taking a shape of Mr. A

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When you face your own life in Mushin, you see only the immediate matter, the abstract

interpretation or romantic dream can not be there —– hence you are concentrating to the matter.

Being in Mushin, the subconscious program  ( Dharma ) which is most relevant to the matter ( whether you are

aware, it is there or not) will deal with the matter —– hence you can deal with it in most efficient way.

To deal with its matter, only small part of the Dharma ( and its wisdom )was needed.  Yet still, all the

Dharma is in us —– may be another occasion we may need somewhat fancy part of it.

Like Window Program, it came as a bundle, OS to graphic program, text document, video etc etc,

when you buy Laptop, it comes together —– you open and use the program for the task to task.

Some of the program, you may never use —– it’s still there, and something you may not understand what

it is for —– and the most basic phenomena of how the electron behaving in the billion of semiconductors

in the CPU—– I don’t think you are care about it at all.

Don’t think, just use the computer and do the task,  Just Do It.

So, Don’t ask or think about whether they are perfect or not, or showing the Truth or not.

It is not the computer to make you to achieve Nirvana, but the work you have done.

—— Funny you may feel with this metaphor

—— But this is your Life and the Teaching of Buddha.

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How BUDDHISM deals with TROUBLE

( This is the shortest summary of what I have explained in the past hundred posts )

Half of the troubles in one’s life are caused by  external situations or factors, which is beyond the one’s

control —– the one was in the wrong place in the wrong time.

Though rest of half were caused by oneself which are largely attributed by one’s emotion, including

one’s greed, sexual instinct and emotionally biased wrong thinking —– in another word, Delusion.

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What  BUDDHA taught was the way to deal with those troubles by gaining the clear eyes to

see the situation  AND  the way to control one’s mind (include the Emotion and Instincts ).

——– so, it was the two-way approach, hence the complete package of the solution.

To see the world in the clear eyes with the understanding of its existences ( include the Self ) which are

constantly changing by the chain of cause and result,  is fundamentally rational and factual —— hence,

Buddhism never has a conflict with the science.  ( And the common sense.  😀  )

——-

And to deal with one’s mind which is riddled with Ego, Greed, Emotion and  Delusion, Buddha had

adopted remarkably effective way of practice which can Re-program one’s  Subconscious,

therefore able to eliminate all the effect of those awkward Ego, Emotion etc.

This uniquely Buddhist’s way of practice is,  to repeat the same action or thinking for the tens of thousands

of times thence worn-out the Thinking and makes the action independent and immune from any Emotion.

By doing so,  human mind and the body learns to do it without involving thinking and the emotion

therefore, the action became almost automatic (since emotion is detached) and extremely refined.

And able to achieve the selfless state ( Mushin ) of  the one’s mind.

———- As the result,  the Person wouldn’t be shaken by the troublesome event,  and the Mind can handle

the situation without the interference of the Emotion or  Subconscious blockage,  even awkward trouble

can be solved in the very rational and calm manner.

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