Key Mechanism in Zen Buddhists Mind

While you were walking, you never thought how to move the foot for next step and

to read this blog you were not aware that your eyes is following the letters next by next.

This is what we called “Selfless State of the Mind” and you never expect to create the

money out of walking itself (itself mean, not such a thing to find a coin on the street or to

reach the place to do the business = they are the by-product or benefit from the walking.)

[]

For the people who want to get the Mushin or Selfless state in Zen, this kind of natural

Selflessness seems to be too casual and too far from the Buddhists practice though, it is

a matter of the mind-set which expect “More elaborated fashionable practice”.

But if you were a Prisoner of War and was ordered to walk to a camp 100 miles away —–

the mind-set might make the difference of life or death.

[]

When a task was given by an order or from a situation in the life, first, it’s needed to

have a “Contemplation” some time interpreted as an acceptance, giving-up (to resist) or

determination to take the task (which ever it was passive or more positive, active way).

—–> And as it was accepted = no way else to go = have to face

the task head-on (this is called “Mindfulness”).

[]

So, just get on the life (task).    Whether it was walking or small manual practice to do,

JUST DO, regardless whether it looks endless and boring.

[]

When we do repeated endless task, our brain rise the threshold of the importance of

the signal = and whole process would be categorized as neither flesh nor important.

= Brain start to process the matter without referring the signal to the Emotional 

region of the brain (in the old cortex) and it become as a routine.

In the same time, whole action process would be programmed into the Motor region

and become to an automatic action. —–> Hence, our brain does the task without

Emotion (=Detachment), without needs of thinking (since it was routine and

done in automatic) = = = This is MUSHIN.

And the task was just a repeated insignificant mundane task = no special interest 

could dwell there = nothing to arose EGO or GREED. = = = This is the SELFLESSNESS.

JUST DO IT.

[]

Once the person get used with “Desensitized perception” even other-things would be

seen detached as well. = No Emotional involvement to the useless matters in the life.

= = = This is the peaceful quiet life to be a Buddhist.   🙂

[]

And this, neuroscience, brain physiology behind our subconscious was the key

mechanism of the Lord Buddha’s teachings of the Selflessness and the Void.

Also, this was the reason why, despite the mambo-jumbo in the scriptures, the core

of the teachings were kept intact in a tradition of the Practice.

(The Buddhists on the street doesn’t read the scriptures anyway.= They only

taught and know the Buddhism in the Practice. = such as just chanting the title.)

___/\___

[]

Flow-Chart of Buddhism Teachings

Flow-Chart or the Steps in the Pathway

1) Do anything which has a fixed pattern.

2) By doing it repeatedly, 100s, 1000s even million times =

3) Because the nerve signal dealing with its action has

the same pattern, our Perception and Emotion’s threshold

level rose, hence the significance of the signal will be

lost and disregarded.

4) As the action has been repeated, its pattern will be

programmed into Motor-region of the brain and the action

become automatic routine.

5) As the effects of 3) and 4), the action can be carried-out

without thinking, even out of one’s conscious.

6) In the same time of 5), the one doing the action without

one’s conscious mean, it is in the Selfless state of the mind.

7) Once the one is in its Selfless state, the things become

distant objects as if it is somebody-else’s matter, =

Detachment = the one’s Ego or Greed wouldn’t be triggered.

8) To apply the same state of mind to other aspects of the

life, the one can see everything in distance = objectively

= Clear eyes.    (Gradually, the one acquire this, and once

mastered, it become free to control, if detached or not,

or which one to concentrate or ignore.)

9) And the one can see even the Self detached, objectively,

as if it is one of public, the social action start to follow

common-sense, not self-centred. (Centring self isn’t there) 

10) And able to act or help others without Ego and do the

things as much as possible. (Strangely, we instinctively do

it better ! Even if it is not in competition with others and

even to useless things, it’s mean, it’s not for Ego or Greed.

—– Fundamental Pleasure ? 🙂 )

11) From those aspects, it is rational to conclude, Ego itself

is not one’s imperative, so is the Self. = Self is not naturally 

exists but a product of one’s imagination or thinking.

12) Without having the Self, Ego and Greed which tend to

creates trouble and discontent = could any suffering be left ?

[]

It must be clear from this chart, all the process is pretty

natural as it follows the natural mechanism inherent to

our brain which is common to anybody, so that

Lord Buddha concluded that the Dharma which

rules us is Selfless and as it is common to anybody,

in other words, all of us has it within and Selfless.

— And it become clear, the so-called Rules of “Do this and

Don’t Do that” had been written by the person who hadn’t

actually done the practice to reach Selfless state by himself

hence, didn’t have a knowledge how the human mind

naturally works. (Real selfless person need no instruction,

nor such instruction would stay in the mind.  😀 )

[]

It must be clear. —– Is there any argument ?

___/\___

[]

PS : Though, in addition to this Chart, applying the context

of “denial” not only to the Self and suffering life, but to the

“Idea of Denial” itself, therefore, instead of being enlightened,

“being suffering” seems to be more natural = and this idea

became the stance of Mahayana Buddhism. —– Hence, Zen

says “To see NO enlightenment is the Enlightenment”

= (Anyway, no Self, what’s the matter ! )

[]

Clear the Deck for 2013 / Detach the EMOTION

Blogging, or writing in general, it is the process to convert the idea or notion into a separate object,

thus, enables it to be examined as an independent entity. ( on top of much more common purpose

to express it to others ) = like a Jig-saw Puzzle, we have to find, not only matching the shape of

pieces but also its picture printed on, which we can see the rationality in bird’s eye view.

[]

Thanks to given task of this Blog (yes, I regard this, not my choice but a given task I was assigned

— simply because it has occurred on my life — has anybody else assigned as well ? = if nobody

else there, I have to take care, haven’t I ? 😀 ) at least I managed to record the process what and

how I figured out Zen Buddhism in the past 3 years and 9 months, with over 400 posts.

(since, this is the DIY Zen study)

As it is still an ongoing process, I wouldn’t pretend it had consistent unity = far from it, it deviated

a lots, therefore it often contradicting each other.   And not necessary having even consistent

definition of the term, not because of mistake but change of my approach.

So, thanks goodness, I’ve managed to come to much clear picture of which those confusion has

been sorted out (well, more or less 😀 )

[]

My basic approach to the Buddhism is the same from the start, long before even I

started this Blog. —– It was to retrace the way and the process how

Lord Buddha found and came to his conclusion as a normal human being, not a

superman or divine figure.

Human brain is more or less having the same function and the same tendency.

As there couldn’t be any super natural phenomena such as Extra Sensory Power (though, I

reserve the judgement about this point, because there seemed to be something still there ) and

the human common-sense is more or less the same, therefore when we see the same subject, we

are able to deduce to the same conclusion.

[]

While I was blogging, there were two important view point came to my consideration.

The one was a phenomenon in the Neurophysiology, that the threshold of our perception

become higher against the repeating signals = I realized the connection to the repeating

action of the Buddhist’s practice which lead the person to acquire the immunities to the

repeating coming signal or same internal thought, hence higher threshold blocks the signal

reaching to emotional cortex and trigger the hormonal reaction. ( Such as if you see

the same porno photo on the wall every day, the perception was desensitized and soon it loose an

impact to arose you with a seclusion of Testosterone = photo become just another landscape. 😀 )

—– (On the beginning, I’ve been putting more emphasis to an effect of imprinting

by the repeated practice, but [imprinting into subconscious] alone couldn’t explain

the origin of Selflessness).

[]

And the other was a neurological symptom that the blocked connection to the emotional cortex in

the brain of Alzheimer’s case, it cause the loss of cognition to see the SELF and the

own possession = hence, loose the EGO, and the Self-preserving GREED.

Some of you may feel rather disturbing with this, because of the connection to Alzheimer’s though,

despite of it this is the very key to understand the MUSHIN and the SELFLESSNESS as

one phenomenon = the matter is to block the Emotion which is causing all the trouble

in the LIFE such as Obsessive Thoughts, sticky Attachment, EGO and the GREED.

[]

So, thanks to Alzheimer research, the mechanism of our Mind has been exposed.

But, to have this detached mind, you don’t need to wait another 40, 60 years =

while doing Buddhist’s practice, you might realized that you are doing it without

conscious (unconsciously hand was moving or automatically chanting) —– once

you see this phenomenon, practice the same while watching this blank-space in

your brain. —– Then, while having this blank-space in the brain (Being in Mushin)

turn the eyes beyond, and see the world in Mushin. = Soon or later, you will acquire

the skill to have this eyes in any moment and in any situation. = YOU ARE IN ZEN.

[]

In this context, so called Buddhist’s teachings = [eliminate THINKINGS] this Thinkings has to

be understood as [Emotional Judgment] not a logical clear thinkings. =

This is one of the most confusing part in the Buddhist’s teachings.

Lord Buddha ordered his disciples in his death bed

“Don’t believe what you were taught and what others say, but think it yourself ” =

Think logical in clear objective way, and use common-sense, was what he meant.

After all, cool dispassionate eyes = non-emotional, logical thinkings is the key to the Buddhist’s

Mind-set. —– (Without having Emotional conscious, we feel the Brain is blank ! 

= When we see something in total dispassionate way, we only feel the vision but

not a thought = This is MUSHIN —– still, the brain is working subconsciously )

There is no mythical secret technique which is not achievable to the ordinal mankind.

What Lord Buddha taught was not a kind of Mythical belief but the clear practical solution

—– such as the case of Kisa-Gortami, he didn’t tell her any Mumbo-jumbo such as she could see

her dead child in the Heaven or child would reborn and see her again, but simply made her just

running around and made her to reach logical understandings, that a death is the common

and inescapable truth. = This is the very Key teaching of

[Life IS, to suffer, getting ill and old, and to die].

[And the way to deal with this harsh Life is to learn Buddhism through its repeating practice] which

would eliminate the bad effect of the Emotion, hence able to live in peace of Mushin and Selflessness.

(As I rote above, without connecting to Emotion, the action can be done in

dispassionate way almost automatic = even without the conscious, and without the

obstruction of Ego, Greed and the Delusion)

[]

—– If you give a thought and review all the Phenomena in the Buddhist’s psyche, such as

Detachment, Detached to the Changing world hence Live in its Moment, Has no Fear of the Death,

no Ego, no Greed etc etc you will realize, all those were the manifestation of NO Emotion (and

Emotional Judgement). —–The man who could forsake the pleasure of life in luxury and the feast

of flesh, and able to bluntly define the [Life is Suffering],

Lord Buddha had no illusion, neither gave any sweet illusion to the followers,

especially his teachings were the one, revolutionary idea which against the popular

Vedic idea of Atman = (Perpetual soul, which has no logical, scientific proof) he would have had

no way to fabricate any another fancy stories. = Hence, the Buddhism in its original form is blunt

and straight, because of it was not considered to be popular but stand on the Truth, as it teaches

Own Enlightenment, not dependent on a Salvation which proved to be never come.

[]

Widely misconceived so-called Buddhist’s [Compassion] is not emanated from the tender

Emotion but it comes from the same Mind-set of Mushin and the Selflessness = see

the situation without Emotion and the Ego, hence able to see the needs of others as if it was one’s

own = then able to see what is the best to DO here = effectively helping others as a result.

= If the one still having own Emotion, the own self-preservation comes first.

Selfless act has no Emotion.   And this is why it has no notion of [giving to others]

= NO distinction of ME and OTHER. = in this Mind-set, there is even no conscious of Me and even

Animal or Plant. = This is the True Compassion in the Buddhism.

True Buddhist is not compassionate sweet person but he (she) is the person just Doing what he

ought to Do, without having even a conscious of doing or being as a Buddhist.

When the one has NO conscious of SELF, how the same person can have a conscious

of [I’m a Buddhist] —– And this is the true meaning of [There is NO SELF]

___/\___

[]