Some people are afraid of ghosts; other people aren't.
Perhaps ghost stories being told around Hallowe'en is to "scare" away the concern about dangerous tricks performed on that day with terrible consequences and replace it with the innocent excitement of going door to door to beg for candy and other treats.
Using the cartoon Casper the Friend Ghost as an example, Casper may represent a boy living in poverty who was cared for by an uncle. One day he ran away from home after being scolded by his uncle, and decided to leave their abandoned house. It was a nice way of exposing us to poverty without us kids knowing that the creator was secretly mocking the homeless and the poor.
In almost every ghost story that is a comedy, we see signs that one of the ghosts is a pauper or a bum e.g. Beetlejuice the Movie.
However, most ghost stories are created to scare us with the hope that perhaps the pandemonium may lead to a moral panic so that a ghost buster can scam them all as in Ghostbusters.
In most cases of ghosts, the gullible in a haunted scare everyone else around them. The "ghost" is actually their fear talking, and other people may pick up on that.
It is hard to tell a person who is afraid of ghosts that the only thing to fear is fear itself. When fear appears, observe it until it leaves and then follow it until you feel it no more. Eventually you will accept your fear of ghosts as unrealistic.
My purpose in stating the previous three sentences is to show that mere words cannot cure a man of fear. Rather, reason is needed to distract the fearful person from obsessing about the fear-inducing object, the ghost.
Fear cannot always be real, since it only affects our minds.
Through a person's control of the mind, it is possible to overcome fear. That is where meditation comes into the picture.
At this point in the discussion, I urge the gentle reader to ignore the ghost stories. Fill your mind with everything but the supernatural. For your fear verges on superstition because you believe in something that never exists except in the human mind.
Some people may still be afraid of ghosts; I am not.
Showing posts with label mind. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mind. Show all posts
20140706
Truth helps me (poem)
When the facts be known,
all romantic and silly notions
fall away, to be forgotten
as the truth helps me see
the situation oh-so-clearly.
Yet I do not mourn the loss
of passion, for my heart has
risen above it all, only to
come to know true love
in its many-splendored guise.
Indeed, passion lost implies
freedom's reign over desire.
Through mindful control of passion,
the ego's hold on the mind
is released forevermore.
By letting go of clinging,
I let unconditional love
inspire me to see the truth
of egolessness in life.
For that I am so grateful.
Originally posted March 15, 2005 at 9:48 PM
all romantic and silly notions
fall away, to be forgotten
as the truth helps me see
the situation oh-so-clearly.
Yet I do not mourn the loss
of passion, for my heart has
risen above it all, only to
come to know true love
in its many-splendored guise.
Indeed, passion lost implies
freedom's reign over desire.
Through mindful control of passion,
the ego's hold on the mind
is released forevermore.
By letting go of clinging,
I let unconditional love
inspire me to see the truth
of egolessness in life.
For that I am so grateful.
Originally posted March 15, 2005 at 9:48 PM
20140625
Without a Soul to Save, Only the Good Life Awaits (satire)
I'm pretty sure the fact that The Book of Mormon is in the English of King James version makes it a difficult read for me.
What if, instead of the Celestial Kingdom, I'm fine with rebirth in the Terrestrial Kingdom?
I'm not sure if a Mormon can understand that. In Buddhism, the reason why there is no baptism is because the metaphors about water refer to how the multitude of Buddhists are a part of mighty ocean of wisdom and love.
However, the goal of an earnest Buddhist is not to be reborn in the Six Realms of Desire but to escape rebirth itself through meditation and related acts of mindfulness.
I suppose meditation is mysterious to a Mormon who equates baptism and giving up worldliness with achieving the Celestial Kingdom in the Afterlife.
Nobody in America can really fathom how sitting on your ass achieving calmness of mind is supposed to lead to nirvana, let alone Enlightenment, except perhaps a Buddhist.
Yet that calm mind leads to the clarity of mind to realize almost the same thing that a Christian knows to be true: seeking fame and glory does not lead to a truly good life and neither does seeking riches.
In this way is Buddhism almost on the same page as Christianity. For, even without baptism, I can avoid the delusions that chasing fame may lead to, and also avoid the pitfalls of financial success.
After all, the Buddhist principle of no-self implies that there is no soul to save. Instead, there is only a good life to make my own.
What if, instead of the Celestial Kingdom, I'm fine with rebirth in the Terrestrial Kingdom?
I'm not sure if a Mormon can understand that. In Buddhism, the reason why there is no baptism is because the metaphors about water refer to how the multitude of Buddhists are a part of mighty ocean of wisdom and love.
However, the goal of an earnest Buddhist is not to be reborn in the Six Realms of Desire but to escape rebirth itself through meditation and related acts of mindfulness.
I suppose meditation is mysterious to a Mormon who equates baptism and giving up worldliness with achieving the Celestial Kingdom in the Afterlife.
Nobody in America can really fathom how sitting on your ass achieving calmness of mind is supposed to lead to nirvana, let alone Enlightenment, except perhaps a Buddhist.
Yet that calm mind leads to the clarity of mind to realize almost the same thing that a Christian knows to be true: seeking fame and glory does not lead to a truly good life and neither does seeking riches.
In this way is Buddhism almost on the same page as Christianity. For, even without baptism, I can avoid the delusions that chasing fame may lead to, and also avoid the pitfalls of financial success.
After all, the Buddhist principle of no-self implies that there is no soul to save. Instead, there is only a good life to make my own.
20131225
Divine Wealth
Divine Wealth: "Fearlessness (Abhayam):Among the Divine qualities, Fearlessness stands foremost. Fear is an effect of ignorance. Identification with the body causes fear. Blind attachment to the body, wife, children, house, property etc. is the cause of fear.The sage who has realised the Self is absolutely fearless.
'He who knows the Bliss of Brahman (God) from which words as well as mind turn powerless, fears nothing.' -Taittiriya Upanishad
Fear can be removed by constant thinking of the immortal and all-blissful nature of the Self. If you lead a life of honesty and truthfulness, if you devoutly observe the precepts of the scriptures without doubting, if you lead a life of right conduct, and if you remember God always, you will become fearless."
It is through worship that the mind is focused on good that results from such devotion.
One becomes open-minded and one's heart is softened until a tiny raw edge of fearlessness appears to devour any fears you have. Fearlessness is ravenous in its pursuit of fear, because fear pollutes the stillness of the mind, and prevents the mind from hearing the voice of God.
Once fear is no more, fearlessness moderates bravery by leading one to be hypervigilant against even one thought of cowardice, which is the fear that wants you to retreat from a challenge because you feel unworthy of meeting it.
In having met your challenges, you uncover divine wealth which is worth more than gold itself. For the diamond mind which arises spontaneously due to meditation shines brilliantly and is the result of facing all challenges in life fearlessly.
Even if you are not a Buddhist or a Hindu, then the wealth uncovered by the diamond mind will never fade away as long as you practice meditation.
Such is divine wealth, lasting longer than all riches and material possession. She who realizes its true value early in life shall live a long life!
Originally written February 29, 2004 8:17 PM
'He who knows the Bliss of Brahman (God) from which words as well as mind turn powerless, fears nothing.' -Taittiriya Upanishad
Fear can be removed by constant thinking of the immortal and all-blissful nature of the Self. If you lead a life of honesty and truthfulness, if you devoutly observe the precepts of the scriptures without doubting, if you lead a life of right conduct, and if you remember God always, you will become fearless."
It is through worship that the mind is focused on good that results from such devotion.
One becomes open-minded and one's heart is softened until a tiny raw edge of fearlessness appears to devour any fears you have. Fearlessness is ravenous in its pursuit of fear, because fear pollutes the stillness of the mind, and prevents the mind from hearing the voice of God.
Once fear is no more, fearlessness moderates bravery by leading one to be hypervigilant against even one thought of cowardice, which is the fear that wants you to retreat from a challenge because you feel unworthy of meeting it.
In having met your challenges, you uncover divine wealth which is worth more than gold itself. For the diamond mind which arises spontaneously due to meditation shines brilliantly and is the result of facing all challenges in life fearlessly.
Even if you are not a Buddhist or a Hindu, then the wealth uncovered by the diamond mind will never fade away as long as you practice meditation.
Such is divine wealth, lasting longer than all riches and material possession. She who realizes its true value early in life shall live a long life!
Originally written February 29, 2004 8:17 PM
20131010
What Dreams Are Made Of
In the story Dreamcatcher by Stephen King, Gary Ambrose "Jonesy" Jones is thoroughly intelligent that he has organized his mind like a library, filing away memories in rooms. However, King does not mention how Jonesy's memories are cross-referenced in order to keep his memories organized.
One must assume that whatever system is used, the owner of those memories, be it Jonesy or you or I, it would be organized in order to remember what happened in a person's past. When certain memories are not needed for recall, due either to their relative triviality or to their lack of relevance to the present, then they get "archived" i.e. moved into a storage room, the part of long-term memory, and "forgotten" in the Subconscious.
However, memories are never forgotten completely.
Over the course of years, some of them get "edited" and compressed into a terse form which is the synopsis of the original memory, especially the first memories involving emotions and feelings. Indeed, each person develops "archetypes" which are symbols of those memories that may arise in dreams from time to time.
My mind is not unlike Jonesy's, and for that matter, King's if it may be assumed that Dreamcatcher's characters are extensions of his own mind written down to document the author's innermost fears and the manner in which he vents those fears in creative storytelling.
Over the past year, I have had three dreams in which I explore a town and come across a place that I never have dreamed before then.
In the first dream, I happened on this apartment building in which people lived. It started in the subbasement and after it ended, the memory of it faded. I also saw bits and pieces of that dreameorld community.
In the second dream, I came across the apartment itself which was by a river. What I remember about it was the services room, which reminded me of welfare office and also of a homeless shelter.
In the third dream, which happened within the past two hours, I was in a room that is the common area for a group of roommates. One of those men, Mr Malice, tried to trap me between two pieces of furniture but I had the strength to prevent injury, and seeing that he had failed, he fled.
Mr Malice represents guilt and regret, the two complex emotions which arise when a person commits an error that he regrets and is aggrieved by guilt.
In my case, two days ago, I had made an error in filling out a work report and was called to task about it by my supervisor. Since then I have resolved to fully report my work day rather than keep it brief.
So possibly my mind emphasized all of this by conjuring up Mr. Malice trying to harm me. He failed because it was not his intent to harm me, but to remind me of my intent to fulfill my work duty.
For the mind, when it dreams, is always on the side of its owner, be it you or I. When it finds that my conscious will may have forgotten my obligations in real life, the mind will convey this in a dream, which may have a climax to remind me. We fail to recognize this at our own risk.
In a way, dreams may be due to the superego (conscience) using archetypes hidden in the subconscious to direct the ego (conscious will) along a path straitened by the inner moral compass (super-ego) despite the id (unconscious will) desiring to be free as a bird. Yet the id provides motivation via the libido to preserve life through acts that either create new life or create the world that is the mind. In response to the id, the mind then directs the body to act in a manner that reflects the inner world of the mind.
Thus, dreams are a part of the inner world of a person. Dreams help each of us to explore that world called the mind where memories are kept with the aid of the id, the ego and the super-ego. With their help, we are inspired to become productive members of society.
Id, ego, super-ego: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-ego
One must assume that whatever system is used, the owner of those memories, be it Jonesy or you or I, it would be organized in order to remember what happened in a person's past. When certain memories are not needed for recall, due either to their relative triviality or to their lack of relevance to the present, then they get "archived" i.e. moved into a storage room, the part of long-term memory, and "forgotten" in the Subconscious.
However, memories are never forgotten completely.
Over the course of years, some of them get "edited" and compressed into a terse form which is the synopsis of the original memory, especially the first memories involving emotions and feelings. Indeed, each person develops "archetypes" which are symbols of those memories that may arise in dreams from time to time.
My mind is not unlike Jonesy's, and for that matter, King's if it may be assumed that Dreamcatcher's characters are extensions of his own mind written down to document the author's innermost fears and the manner in which he vents those fears in creative storytelling.
Over the past year, I have had three dreams in which I explore a town and come across a place that I never have dreamed before then.
In the first dream, I happened on this apartment building in which people lived. It started in the subbasement and after it ended, the memory of it faded. I also saw bits and pieces of that dreameorld community.
In the second dream, I came across the apartment itself which was by a river. What I remember about it was the services room, which reminded me of welfare office and also of a homeless shelter.
In the third dream, which happened within the past two hours, I was in a room that is the common area for a group of roommates. One of those men, Mr Malice, tried to trap me between two pieces of furniture but I had the strength to prevent injury, and seeing that he had failed, he fled.
Mr Malice represents guilt and regret, the two complex emotions which arise when a person commits an error that he regrets and is aggrieved by guilt.
By facing the malice of self recrimination without awakening from the ensuing nightmare due to fear of death, guilt and regret quickly flee.
Such feelings and emotions are due to events in a person's life.
In my case, two days ago, I had made an error in filling out a work report and was called to task about it by my supervisor. Since then I have resolved to fully report my work day rather than keep it brief.
So possibly my mind emphasized all of this by conjuring up Mr. Malice trying to harm me. He failed because it was not his intent to harm me, but to remind me of my intent to fulfill my work duty.
For the mind, when it dreams, is always on the side of its owner, be it you or I. When it finds that my conscious will may have forgotten my obligations in real life, the mind will convey this in a dream, which may have a climax to remind me. We fail to recognize this at our own risk.
In a way, dreams may be due to the superego (conscience) using archetypes hidden in the subconscious to direct the ego (conscious will) along a path straitened by the inner moral compass (super-ego) despite the id (unconscious will) desiring to be free as a bird. Yet the id provides motivation via the libido to preserve life through acts that either create new life or create the world that is the mind. In response to the id, the mind then directs the body to act in a manner that reflects the inner world of the mind.
Thus, dreams are a part of the inner world of a person. Dreams help each of us to explore that world called the mind where memories are kept with the aid of the id, the ego and the super-ego. With their help, we are inspired to become productive members of society.
Id, ego, super-ego: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-ego
20130513
God as the Projection of the Muse (poem)
God is a romantic notion
that the unconscious creative processes
of the mind are projected
as the sole divine creator
while conveniently ignoring
the reality of human existence.
that the unconscious creative processes
of the mind are projected
as the sole divine creator
while conveniently ignoring
the reality of human existence.
20130512
Mental Negativity is the Dark Side of Ego
Sometimes I'd rather be a Westernized Asian rather than fall for propaganda designed to create hatred against another nation, be it Japan, Germany or America.
Hatred causes and arises from mental negativity. It is but an ally of anger which is the root of all negativity.
Indeed, negativity is the dark side of the ego left in control of the mind, sometimes with tragic yet preventable results (war, famine, and other human problems).
Only patience and love will stand up to anger. As for hatred, it is transformed by love into compassion. For love has opened the eyes of people who once hated and they repented.
Within context of Buddhism repentance is mandatory after admitting your faults in front of fellow Buddhists.
This brings out humility, which helps the Buddhist vow to "think good thoughts" as Zen Master Hui-Neng suggests.
Hatred causes and arises from mental negativity. It is but an ally of anger which is the root of all negativity.
Indeed, negativity is the dark side of the ego left in control of the mind, sometimes with tragic yet preventable results (war, famine, and other human problems).
Only patience and love will stand up to anger. As for hatred, it is transformed by love into compassion. For love has opened the eyes of people who once hated and they repented.
Within context of Buddhism repentance is mandatory after admitting your faults in front of fellow Buddhists.
This brings out humility, which helps the Buddhist vow to "think good thoughts" as Zen Master Hui-Neng suggests.
20130505
Update on my Medication: Sleep Deprivation versus Adequate Sleep
Psychiatry is the only profession where sometimes the doctors prescribing the drugs actually have never had any experience with them. My experience with mirtazapine is a good example of this: the psychiatrist described side effects of SSRI antidepressants which mirtazapine actually moderates due to its sedative effects.
As well, mirtazapine's sedation makes it possible to feel sociable because it's not a tranquilizer.
Though, my current usage of 200 mg of gabapentin and 10 mg of flexeril at bedtime is an improvement over the mirtazapine since even when I miss doses, it doesn't impact sleep quality. The only exception to this is when I do graveyard shifts.
In response to sleep deprivation in recent memory, I experienced a few pseudo-hallucinations, none of which actually were severe enough to warrant more than the usual rationalizations I use to treat them as exaggerations of explainable phenomena.
The pseudo-hallucination consisted of "seeing" the electric field of the power cord to my computer. Being well-rested now, I can explain this in two parts: when seen by the eyes, a black power cord could leave an after-image of lighter color. In my sleep-deprived state of mind, it is possible for the mind to add colorful detail that gives the impression of "seeing" the electric field of the power cord.
Though, I'd be happier to see a Buddha appear out of the blue. That's never happened to me ever. Most likely, this is because a Buddha is a metaphysical phenomenon while my pseudo-hallucination is the result of an overtired mind playing with a physical phenomenon.
Given the power of the mind when tired to conjure a hallucination I knew not to be real — which is what a pseudo-hallucination is — imagine what the mind could do when well-rested: analyze the recent experience of sleep deprivation and provide a rational explanation for it.
To explain how this has come about, I am going to attribute this to two causes: getting daily exercise during work shifts this week and getting regular sleep.
As well, mirtazapine's sedation makes it possible to feel sociable because it's not a tranquilizer.
Though, my current usage of 200 mg of gabapentin and 10 mg of flexeril at bedtime is an improvement over the mirtazapine since even when I miss doses, it doesn't impact sleep quality. The only exception to this is when I do graveyard shifts.
In response to sleep deprivation in recent memory, I experienced a few pseudo-hallucinations, none of which actually were severe enough to warrant more than the usual rationalizations I use to treat them as exaggerations of explainable phenomena.
The pseudo-hallucination consisted of "seeing" the electric field of the power cord to my computer. Being well-rested now, I can explain this in two parts: when seen by the eyes, a black power cord could leave an after-image of lighter color. In my sleep-deprived state of mind, it is possible for the mind to add colorful detail that gives the impression of "seeing" the electric field of the power cord.
Though, I'd be happier to see a Buddha appear out of the blue. That's never happened to me ever. Most likely, this is because a Buddha is a metaphysical phenomenon while my pseudo-hallucination is the result of an overtired mind playing with a physical phenomenon.
Given the power of the mind when tired to conjure a hallucination I knew not to be real — which is what a pseudo-hallucination is — imagine what the mind could do when well-rested: analyze the recent experience of sleep deprivation and provide a rational explanation for it.
To explain how this has come about, I am going to attribute this to two causes: getting daily exercise during work shifts this week and getting regular sleep.
20130417
Clear as the sky above (poem)
Clear as the sky above
is the mind freed of the Ten Evils.
Through actions and meditation,
the Ten Evils are transmuted into
the Ten Virtues by not doing them.
Not doing the Ten Evils is
repentance in action.
Thus the faithful freely
give of themselves
in compliance with the Dharma.
20130413
Pure Land Zen: Meditation and Buddha Recitation
Once you regularly meditate, although you still have thoughts wandering through the halls of the mind, Buddha Recitation soon makes it easy to bear those thoughts without clinging.
Even though you have countless thoughts, meditation helps the mind to ignore these thoughts so that you can focus on Buddha Recitation only to uncover a mind of no-thought.
Without clinging, a mind of no-thought remains thoughtful, yet empty of form. Neither meditation or Buddha Recitation is the cause of a mind of no-thought. Rather, it is good karmic merit accumulated by meditation and Buddha Recitation.
To forget Buddha Recitation and abandon meditation is to lose the Middle Way — a tragedy.
It is a tragedy because returning to the Realms of Desire makes it difficult to meditate and regularly recite the Buddha's name.
This is why I have faith in the Primal Vow, and believe that on my death the Pure Land is where I am destined.
I also believe that regular Buddha Recitation helps
Even though you have countless thoughts, meditation helps the mind to ignore these thoughts so that you can focus on Buddha Recitation only to uncover a mind of no-thought.
Without clinging, a mind of no-thought remains thoughtful, yet empty of form. Neither meditation or Buddha Recitation is the cause of a mind of no-thought. Rather, it is good karmic merit accumulated by meditation and Buddha Recitation.
To forget Buddha Recitation and abandon meditation is to lose the Middle Way — a tragedy.
It is a tragedy because returning to the Realms of Desire makes it difficult to meditate and regularly recite the Buddha's name.
This is why I have faith in the Primal Vow, and believe that on my death the Pure Land is where I am destined.
I also believe that regular Buddha Recitation helps
Even Trangressors May Approach the Pure Land
They who promotes mental unrest
in all sentient beings is
destined for the Hells.
Let us hope when they depart
samsara, the loved ones
lefts behind are so devoted
to him that he escapes samsara
by practicing Buddha Recitation
of Amida's Name-that-calls accumulating
the good merits which result
in rebirth in the Pure Land.
All that sentient beings are
required do is Buddha Recitation,
with meditation providing
the set and setting conducive
to Buddha Remembrance.
in all sentient beings is
destined for the Hells.
Let us hope when they depart
samsara, the loved ones
lefts behind are so devoted
to him that he escapes samsara
by practicing Buddha Recitation
of Amida's Name-that-calls accumulating
the good merits which result
in rebirth in the Pure Land.
All that sentient beings are
required do is Buddha Recitation,
with meditation providing
the set and setting conducive
to Buddha Remembrance.
20130406
Kokoro / Heart-mind: One heart, two-minds
心が思いやりを象徴するので、心臓心が感情を感じている。
合理的心臓が理性と制御を象徴するので、我々は愚かになるといけないので、それは、心を支配するようべきである。
Romaji transliteration:
Kokoro ga omoiyari o shōchō surunode, shinzō kokoro ga kanjō o kanjite iru.
Gōri-teki shinzō ga risei to seigyo o shōchō surunode, wareware wa oroka ni naruto ikenainode, soreha, kokoro o shihai suru yōbekidearu.
English translation:
Because the heart symbolizes compassion, the heart mind feels emotion.
Because the rational mind symbolizes reason and control, it ought to dominate the heart, lest we become mindless.
What this means is the heart symbolizes emotions and feelings; and the rational mind, reason and control. This is the essence of the original concept of "one heart and two minds" (一つの心、二心 / hitotsu no kokoro, futagokoro).
合理的心臓が理性と制御を象徴するので、我々は愚かになるといけないので、それは、心を支配するようべきである。
Romaji transliteration:
Kokoro ga omoiyari o shōchō surunode, shinzō kokoro ga kanjō o kanjite iru.
Gōri-teki shinzō ga risei to seigyo o shōchō surunode, wareware wa oroka ni naruto ikenainode, soreha, kokoro o shihai suru yōbekidearu.
English translation:
Because the heart symbolizes compassion, the heart mind feels emotion.
Because the rational mind symbolizes reason and control, it ought to dominate the heart, lest we become mindless.
What this means is the heart symbolizes emotions and feelings; and the rational mind, reason and control. This is the essence of the original concept of "one heart and two minds" (一つの心、二心 / hitotsu no kokoro, futagokoro).
20130319
Being (A Meditation)
Neither distress nor depression is caused by thoughts. What causes the distress?
How you deal with your thoughts determines the level of distress.
What causes the depression?
Not having dealt with your thoughts determines how depressed you are.
During meditation, be impartial and observe with detachment your thoughts, your feelings and your emotions — do not evaluate, do not make comparisons or judgment on them.
Just be with the thoughts, while stepping back from your stream of consciousness.
If you get caught by it, and inevitably you will, then gently refocus on the object of your meditation, be it breath, sound, object.
Mindfully dealing with thoughts acts to desensitize your reaction to thoughts.
With repeated training you will be able to observe the difficult emotional state coming to you without getting overwhelmed with it in seconds. The formerly charged emotions will lose their power over you.
It does not mean you will feel nothing, but you will not add unnecessary and self-destructive feelings to an already annoying experience.
How you deal with your thoughts determines the level of distress.
What causes the depression?
Not having dealt with your thoughts determines how depressed you are.
During meditation, be impartial and observe with detachment your thoughts, your feelings and your emotions — do not evaluate, do not make comparisons or judgment on them.
Just be with the thoughts, while stepping back from your stream of consciousness.
If you get caught by it, and inevitably you will, then gently refocus on the object of your meditation, be it breath, sound, object.
Mindfully dealing with thoughts acts to desensitize your reaction to thoughts.
With repeated training you will be able to observe the difficult emotional state coming to you without getting overwhelmed with it in seconds. The formerly charged emotions will lose their power over you.
It does not mean you will feel nothing, but you will not add unnecessary and self-destructive feelings to an already annoying experience.
20130131
Breath Meditation (poem)
With the breath it begins,
the quiet meditation
of the skillful one.
Without preconceptions,
the mind is emptied of bias.
Each thought comes and goes,
with focus on the breath.
Heart and mind become as one
yielding the blessed heart-mind.
Amidst the one-pointedness of mind.
the Bodhi Mind arises until
Emptiness is filled with bliss.
In pure joy, the skillful one
returns to the breath and rises.
the quiet meditation
of the skillful one.
Without preconceptions,
the mind is emptied of bias.
Each thought comes and goes,
with focus on the breath.
Heart and mind become as one
yielding the blessed heart-mind.
Amidst the one-pointedness of mind.
the Bodhi Mind arises until
Emptiness is filled with bliss.
In pure joy, the skillful one
returns to the breath and rises.
20130121
The Bodhi Mind is Emptiness
When you contrive to eradicate all thought in your mind, this is no-thought. However, a mind cannot be empty of thought, for thought always flows through it.
Thus, the practice of no-thought is all in vain, since each thought you eradicate only leads to more thoughts to eradicate. It is like trying to find the needle in the haystack.
Indeed, it is impossible to remove all thought from the mind, just as it is impossible to stop the flow of a stream with your hands. It is this impossible task that vexes the mind, producing even more thoughts.
How vain is it then to even attempt to stop all thought in the mind!
Thus the act of emptying your mind is in vain. For your mind is already empty. It has Buddha Nature, which is emptiness itself, and is capable of achieving Bodhi Mind, which is the motivation to achieve Enlightenment with the determination to achieve Buddhahood and the aspiration to rescue all sentient beings.
Even though your mind is full of thoughts, it is empty of clinging to these thoughts.
By attempting to empty your mind of thoughts, this is clinging. By clinging, the ego arises.
For what is ego but a kind of insanity, grasping in ignorance, and always craving?
Thus, the practice of no-thought is all in vain, since each thought you eradicate only leads to more thoughts to eradicate. It is like trying to find the needle in the haystack.
Indeed, it is impossible to remove all thought from the mind, just as it is impossible to stop the flow of a stream with your hands. It is this impossible task that vexes the mind, producing even more thoughts.
How vain is it then to even attempt to stop all thought in the mind!
Thus the act of emptying your mind is in vain. For your mind is already empty. It has Buddha Nature, which is emptiness itself, and is capable of achieving Bodhi Mind, which is the motivation to achieve Enlightenment with the determination to achieve Buddhahood and the aspiration to rescue all sentient beings.
Even though your mind is full of thoughts, it is empty of clinging to these thoughts.
By attempting to empty your mind of thoughts, this is clinging. By clinging, the ego arises.
For what is ego but a kind of insanity, grasping in ignorance, and always craving?
Dhyana
Hui Neng said:
In our system of meditation,
we neither dwell upon the mind
in contradistinction to
the Essence of Mind nor upon purity.
Nor do we approve of non-activity.
As to dwelling upon the mind,
the mind is primarily delusive;
and when we realize that it is only a phantasm
there is no need to dwell on it.
As to dwelling upon purity,
our nature is intrinsically pure;
and so far as we get rid of all delusive 'idea'
there will be nothing but purity in our nature,
for it is the delusive idea that obscures Tathata (Suchness).
If we direct our mind to dwell upon purity
we are only creating the delusion of purity.
Since delusion has no abiding place,
it is delusive to dwell upon it.
Purity has neither shape nor form;
but some people go so far as to invent the 'Form of Purity',
and treat it as a problem for solution.
Holding such an opinion, these people are purity-ridden, and
their Essence of Mind is thereby obscured.
Those who train themselves for 'imperturbability' should,
in their contact with all types of men,
ignore the faults of others.
They should be indifferent to others' merit or demerit,
good or evil, for such an attitude accords with
the 'imperturbability of the Essence of Mind'.
A man unenlightened may be unperturbed physically,
but as soon as he opens his mouth he criticizes others and
talks about their merits or demerits, ability or weakness,
good or evil; thus he deviates from the right course.
On the other hand, to dwell upon our own mind or
upon purity is also a stumbling-block in the Path.
In our system of meditation,
we neither dwell upon the mind
in contradistinction to
the Essence of Mind nor upon purity.
Nor do we approve of non-activity.
As to dwelling upon the mind,
the mind is primarily delusive;
and when we realize that it is only a phantasm
there is no need to dwell on it.
As to dwelling upon purity,
our nature is intrinsically pure;
and so far as we get rid of all delusive 'idea'
there will be nothing but purity in our nature,
for it is the delusive idea that obscures Tathata (Suchness).
If we direct our mind to dwell upon purity
we are only creating the delusion of purity.
Since delusion has no abiding place,
it is delusive to dwell upon it.
Purity has neither shape nor form;
but some people go so far as to invent the 'Form of Purity',
and treat it as a problem for solution.
Holding such an opinion, these people are purity-ridden, and
their Essence of Mind is thereby obscured.
Those who train themselves for 'imperturbability' should,
in their contact with all types of men,
ignore the faults of others.
They should be indifferent to others' merit or demerit,
good or evil, for such an attitude accords with
the 'imperturbability of the Essence of Mind'.
A man unenlightened may be unperturbed physically,
but as soon as he opens his mouth he criticizes others and
talks about their merits or demerits, ability or weakness,
good or evil; thus he deviates from the right course.
On the other hand, to dwell upon our own mind or
upon purity is also a stumbling-block in the Path.
20130119
On Ghosts, the Fear of Death and the Affterlife
Most likely, ghosts are nothing more than fictions arising in the mind.
There is nothing wrong about creating fictions in your mind, as long as you get your facts straight, and that fiction obeys physical law but allows for anything seemingly supernatural to be metaphor for subtle qualities of the mind.
Thus, a ghost is actually based on the memory of a deceased loved one or mistaken for a dead family member.
If the latter, the purported "daemon from hell" pretending to be said family member is actually a manifestation of fear of death and the afterlife. It is similar to a wrathful diety.
However, ghosts do not exist in reality; for they are figments of the imagination "created" by the mind. A Buddhist would call ghosts delusions manifesting as spirits of the dead, and mostly likely projections of fear of death.
This is why Pure Land way came into existence, to prepare people for the afterlife.
One side effect for rebirth in the Pure Land is that it reduces any chance that a person's ghost will linger, provided that the deceased's family fully accept Buddhism as the toolkit to rationalize supernatural phenomena as projections of the mind.
By doing so, the Buddhist becomes acceptable to atheists.
There is nothing wrong about creating fictions in your mind, as long as you get your facts straight, and that fiction obeys physical law but allows for anything seemingly supernatural to be metaphor for subtle qualities of the mind.
Thus, a ghost is actually based on the memory of a deceased loved one or mistaken for a dead family member.
If the latter, the purported "daemon from hell" pretending to be said family member is actually a manifestation of fear of death and the afterlife. It is similar to a wrathful diety.
However, ghosts do not exist in reality; for they are figments of the imagination "created" by the mind. A Buddhist would call ghosts delusions manifesting as spirits of the dead, and mostly likely projections of fear of death.
This is why Pure Land way came into existence, to prepare people for the afterlife.
One side effect for rebirth in the Pure Land is that it reduces any chance that a person's ghost will linger, provided that the deceased's family fully accept Buddhism as the toolkit to rationalize supernatural phenomena as projections of the mind.
By doing so, the Buddhist becomes acceptable to atheists.
20130114
Overcoming the Death of Reason
In this article, I plan to discuss the apparent death of reason in people who value their emotions and feelings over rational thought. Within context of this article, I also will access and display my personal experience to support my opinion that meditation is very useful for integrating rational thought with the emotions and feelings that we have. By integrating reason with feelings, it is possible to maintain emotional control without losing it. All it begins with is one breath...
Throughout my life, I have found the death of reason to be interesting because of the social repercussions. When a person has an emotional reaction, it appears as though all reason has left him. If I respond with logic and reason to his emotional response, he insists of staying angry and excited. Thus, it's wise to walk away from a person who is killing his ability to reason by remaining in a state of extreme excitement.
While walking away sounds cowardly, it is actually the safest thing to do when a person is overcome by their emotions. For misery loves the company of dreadfully depressing states of mind. Every year, most people suffer because they actually value their feelings over their ability to reason. When they think about it, their solidify their feelings into emotions, and thus hijack their ability to reason in a holistic manner which could greatly improve not only their life but also their mind.
When I was a child, I lacked the ability to coherently apply reason to cool my anger, moderate dislike, and handle my fears. A good example which comes to mind was my fear of caterpillars. I remember one day disturbing a bunch of caterpillars on a bush which reacted to disturbing their meal but rising up on their hind legs and waving their bodies. It was only years later, when I learned that caterpillars do this to scare off predators. In my child's mind, it was not normal for small bugs to move like that.
So when a few years later, when my brother pushed me into a bush, I freaked out. While I am unsure of what exactly I'd exclaimed, it might go like this: "Ahhh, the caterpillars are gonna eat me! Augh!!!" In response to my behavior, my brother could only laugh. If I had snapped out of it at this point, I would have slugged him on the arm, telling him "don't laugh at me!"
However, I am an adult now, and the above scene brings a smile of amusement to my face. For the reasonal mind I possess has lost most of the ready ability to emotional respond to a situation. When I do respond, it's of amusement rather than the appropriate emotion that is expected in a given situation. Yet this annoys people who expect consistency to match the appropriate emotion in a given scenario.
However, I have also learned to not react strongly to any given emotion. Even though I might feel fear in my heart, my mind is saying one thing: "I fear no evil."
How is this possible? Well, I have a secret weapon to maintain impulse control, which is nedded in today's fast-paced world. It is called meditation. Ancients have called it the true form of mind control, thus implying that brainwashing and other forms of mind control are myths of the modern age which show that the fear of being controlled by other people is a human fear.
However, I digress.
How does meditation lead to control of my mind? It begins with the breath, and ends when you mind is calm, so calm you can see with the clarity of reason that allowing your emotions to cloud your reason, it's as though you lose all ability to reason.
Who wants that in the real world? It makes you look immature when you get angry and rage just because the coffee is too hot. It is safer to wait until you think the coffee is cool enough to drink, or even better, blow on the surface of the drink before drinking. In doing so, you actually perform a shortened version of meditation. Usually the result of taking time to slowly drink coffee is the lack of burns in your mouth and on your lips. You also save your esophagus.
Thus, it's possible with meditation on a large scale to save your life from the death of reason.
Meditation is not about sitting on your ass and staring at your navel. If you want to do this more effectively, buy a wall mirror and sit in front of it. Seriously though, meditation is more than just sitting. It is not a navel-gazing, but it is the mind gazing at the monkey and throwing it bananas to slow its dance.
How then does meditation save your life? Well, when reason trumps emotions, you tend to think more clearly. Believe me when I say meditation leads to the calm mind of reason and promote the clarity of mind that can kill emotions' destructive rampage in the mind. It can also lead to quicker and more reasonable responses to danger than to jump up in a movie theatre crying "Fire."
So the next time you feel like doing just that, don't panic. Instead, take a deep breath and see if you can smell smoke.
Throughout my life, I have found the death of reason to be interesting because of the social repercussions. When a person has an emotional reaction, it appears as though all reason has left him. If I respond with logic and reason to his emotional response, he insists of staying angry and excited. Thus, it's wise to walk away from a person who is killing his ability to reason by remaining in a state of extreme excitement.
While walking away sounds cowardly, it is actually the safest thing to do when a person is overcome by their emotions. For misery loves the company of dreadfully depressing states of mind. Every year, most people suffer because they actually value their feelings over their ability to reason. When they think about it, their solidify their feelings into emotions, and thus hijack their ability to reason in a holistic manner which could greatly improve not only their life but also their mind.
When I was a child, I lacked the ability to coherently apply reason to cool my anger, moderate dislike, and handle my fears. A good example which comes to mind was my fear of caterpillars. I remember one day disturbing a bunch of caterpillars on a bush which reacted to disturbing their meal but rising up on their hind legs and waving their bodies. It was only years later, when I learned that caterpillars do this to scare off predators. In my child's mind, it was not normal for small bugs to move like that.
So when a few years later, when my brother pushed me into a bush, I freaked out. While I am unsure of what exactly I'd exclaimed, it might go like this: "Ahhh, the caterpillars are gonna eat me! Augh!!!" In response to my behavior, my brother could only laugh. If I had snapped out of it at this point, I would have slugged him on the arm, telling him "don't laugh at me!"
However, I am an adult now, and the above scene brings a smile of amusement to my face. For the reasonal mind I possess has lost most of the ready ability to emotional respond to a situation. When I do respond, it's of amusement rather than the appropriate emotion that is expected in a given situation. Yet this annoys people who expect consistency to match the appropriate emotion in a given scenario.
However, I have also learned to not react strongly to any given emotion. Even though I might feel fear in my heart, my mind is saying one thing: "I fear no evil."
How is this possible? Well, I have a secret weapon to maintain impulse control, which is nedded in today's fast-paced world. It is called meditation. Ancients have called it the true form of mind control, thus implying that brainwashing and other forms of mind control are myths of the modern age which show that the fear of being controlled by other people is a human fear.
However, I digress.
How does meditation lead to control of my mind? It begins with the breath, and ends when you mind is calm, so calm you can see with the clarity of reason that allowing your emotions to cloud your reason, it's as though you lose all ability to reason.
Who wants that in the real world? It makes you look immature when you get angry and rage just because the coffee is too hot. It is safer to wait until you think the coffee is cool enough to drink, or even better, blow on the surface of the drink before drinking. In doing so, you actually perform a shortened version of meditation. Usually the result of taking time to slowly drink coffee is the lack of burns in your mouth and on your lips. You also save your esophagus.
Thus, it's possible with meditation on a large scale to save your life from the death of reason.
Meditation is not about sitting on your ass and staring at your navel. If you want to do this more effectively, buy a wall mirror and sit in front of it. Seriously though, meditation is more than just sitting. It is not a navel-gazing, but it is the mind gazing at the monkey and throwing it bananas to slow its dance.
How then does meditation save your life? Well, when reason trumps emotions, you tend to think more clearly. Believe me when I say meditation leads to the calm mind of reason and promote the clarity of mind that can kill emotions' destructive rampage in the mind. It can also lead to quicker and more reasonable responses to danger than to jump up in a movie theatre crying "Fire."
So the next time you feel like doing just that, don't panic. Instead, take a deep breath and see if you can smell smoke.
20130104
Mind and Consciousness As Viewed by the Buddhist
Is the mind a quality of consciousness? No, the mind cannot be a quality of consciousness as it (the mind) arises through the outflow from the brain.
It is an impossibility for conscious to be aware of the mind, since the mind being aware indicates consciousness, whilst consciousness is a quality of the mind.
Is consciousness a quality of the mind? Yes, for the mind is conscious of self and others.
With respect to the consciousness-only school of Buddhism, consciousness itself arises from the mind, which itself arises from the brain's activities.
If the brain dies, so too does consciousness and the mind. Therefore, it can be said that consciousness is also a quality of the active brain.
Thus, consciousness is vaguely aware of itself but to be conscious of consciousness is redundant in syntax. This is why such consciousness is called awareness. Another term used is meta-consciousness, though I haven't heard of it or read of it.
If we replace consciousness with awareness, then the questions are better answered.
Is the mind a quality of awareness? No, because you need a mind to be aware of itself and consciousness.
Is awareness a quality of the mind? Yes, because the mind can be aware of itself and consciousness.
However, could the mind become a quality of awareness? It is possible, despite syntactical errors.
Then it is possible for consciousness to be aware of consciousness, and for the mind to be aware of consciousness. However, the mind can be aware of itself too. Such a mind is known as the diamond mind. Being aware of itself implies clarity of mind as well as mental transparency (the ability to see things through).
Thus awareness is not equal to consciousness but are two facets of the mind..
Since both the mind and consciousness can be aware of consciousness, it follows that the mind is similar to consciousness.
Yet the mind cannot be equal to consciousness since without the mind, it is gone.
Yet is an unconscious mind aware? No, it cannot use the senses.
You'll find that using the senses one can find out a lot about the mind: it can experience phenomenon, both inner (of the mind) or outer (material). Also, the mind can experience phenomenon that has no existence outside fictional works be it in print, on the big and silver screen, especially video.
As well, the mind can be aware of the fact that every character and sentient being in a manga is a conscious entity and thus possesses consciousness, despite the fact that every character and sentient being have no physical existence apart from a poor sketch of each character.
Going further, since Amida Buddha has a cover story, it depicts a mythical king who pledged allegiance ot a Buddha of a bygone era before the historical Buddha, and consequently founded a Buddha world called "The Pure Land of Bliss." After many lifetimes he became the twin Buddhas, Amida Buddha and Amitayus Buddha (Boundless Light of Wisdom and Boundless Life of Compassion respectively. These twins meditated for many eons and soon merged as one, called Amida Buddha.
How is this related to awareness and consciousness? Metaphorically, awareness denote a generalization of the feeling of being aware that is shared between all sentient beings. In contrast, consciousness is the generalization of the feeling of being consciousness. Just as one can be conscious of having a mind, a mind can be aware of being conscious. Thus being conscious and being aware are almost alike just a Amida and Amitayus are alike and just as Wisdom and Compassion are alike.
Compassion applies being able to be selfless enough to lose self-consciousness. Ergo it is associated with awareness. Thus one can be aware of being compassionate, yet have an awareness of compassion.
Wisdom on the other hand applies to experiencing phenomenon from a personal point of view, must as being conscious is. Thus one can be conscious of being wise, and wisdom is thus the shared view of being wise.
Thus awareness of compassion is possible and being conscious of wisdom is too possible.
Likewise one can be aware of being wise, and be conscious of compassion.
Therefore wisdom and compassion are but two facets of the diamond mind.
It is an impossibility for conscious to be aware of the mind, since the mind being aware indicates consciousness, whilst consciousness is a quality of the mind.
Is consciousness a quality of the mind? Yes, for the mind is conscious of self and others.
With respect to the consciousness-only school of Buddhism, consciousness itself arises from the mind, which itself arises from the brain's activities.
If the brain dies, so too does consciousness and the mind. Therefore, it can be said that consciousness is also a quality of the active brain.
Thus, consciousness is vaguely aware of itself but to be conscious of consciousness is redundant in syntax. This is why such consciousness is called awareness. Another term used is meta-consciousness, though I haven't heard of it or read of it.
If we replace consciousness with awareness, then the questions are better answered.
Is the mind a quality of awareness? No, because you need a mind to be aware of itself and consciousness.
Is awareness a quality of the mind? Yes, because the mind can be aware of itself and consciousness.
However, could the mind become a quality of awareness? It is possible, despite syntactical errors.
Then it is possible for consciousness to be aware of consciousness, and for the mind to be aware of consciousness. However, the mind can be aware of itself too. Such a mind is known as the diamond mind. Being aware of itself implies clarity of mind as well as mental transparency (the ability to see things through).
Thus awareness is not equal to consciousness but are two facets of the mind..
Since both the mind and consciousness can be aware of consciousness, it follows that the mind is similar to consciousness.
Yet the mind cannot be equal to consciousness since without the mind, it is gone.
Yet is an unconscious mind aware? No, it cannot use the senses.
You'll find that using the senses one can find out a lot about the mind: it can experience phenomenon, both inner (of the mind) or outer (material). Also, the mind can experience phenomenon that has no existence outside fictional works be it in print, on the big and silver screen, especially video.
As well, the mind can be aware of the fact that every character and sentient being in a manga is a conscious entity and thus possesses consciousness, despite the fact that every character and sentient being have no physical existence apart from a poor sketch of each character.
Going further, since Amida Buddha has a cover story, it depicts a mythical king who pledged allegiance ot a Buddha of a bygone era before the historical Buddha, and consequently founded a Buddha world called "The Pure Land of Bliss." After many lifetimes he became the twin Buddhas, Amida Buddha and Amitayus Buddha (Boundless Light of Wisdom and Boundless Life of Compassion respectively. These twins meditated for many eons and soon merged as one, called Amida Buddha.
How is this related to awareness and consciousness? Metaphorically, awareness denote a generalization of the feeling of being aware that is shared between all sentient beings. In contrast, consciousness is the generalization of the feeling of being consciousness. Just as one can be conscious of having a mind, a mind can be aware of being conscious. Thus being conscious and being aware are almost alike just a Amida and Amitayus are alike and just as Wisdom and Compassion are alike.
Compassion applies being able to be selfless enough to lose self-consciousness. Ergo it is associated with awareness. Thus one can be aware of being compassionate, yet have an awareness of compassion.
Wisdom on the other hand applies to experiencing phenomenon from a personal point of view, must as being conscious is. Thus one can be conscious of being wise, and wisdom is thus the shared view of being wise.
Thus awareness of compassion is possible and being conscious of wisdom is too possible.
Likewise one can be aware of being wise, and be conscious of compassion.
Therefore wisdom and compassion are but two facets of the diamond mind.
20121231
Buddhism: The Toolkit of Consciousness
My lifelong experience with Buddhism has proven to me that being deeply spiritual requires suspension of disbelief, faith in subjective reality and the objectivity of reason.
The Buddha, Buddha Nature, Nirvana, Dharma - these actually are actually processes contained in the mind to define, and to experience consciousness more fully. They are actuated through meditation.
Hence they are mind tools in the sense that they actually are used to explore the psychology of the mind. For all the discrete concepts of Buddhism represent at their core the many different facets of consciousness itself.
However, take care not to worship anything in Buddhism as a thing in itself. For Buddhism has no room for idolatry. It is essentially a toolkit that has been used for over 2500 years to explore the depths of consciousness.
Today, only fools consider Buddhism to be a religion like Christianity, and thus useless to the pursuit of profit. This flies in the face of daily proof that religious institutions actually gather together people of like mind to not only worship but also to profit from what amounts to a golden chain of love for each other's mutual good. For religious endeavor of any kind funded for spiritual profit is worthy of contribution, both financial and scholarly.
So, take what you want from what you learn about Buddhism to use as tools to explore consciousness, such as meditation and even the various layers of the consciousness as described in the Yogacara school of Buddhism.
I expect anyone reading this to do their research first. My blog contains enough clues to learn about the Buddha and what he symbolizes.
Even so, nobody is obliged to do so. All I ask is that anyone who wishes to walk on without careful research to avoid disrespecting the Buddha in a serious manner, because I might just show the fruit of your karma and make you eat it. >:)
Summary of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra: http://www.acmuller.net/yogacara/outlines/YBh-summary-utf8.htm
Search for "self and other" in the above webpage.
The Buddha, Buddha Nature, Nirvana, Dharma - these actually are actually processes contained in the mind to define, and to experience consciousness more fully. They are actuated through meditation.
Hence they are mind tools in the sense that they actually are used to explore the psychology of the mind. For all the discrete concepts of Buddhism represent at their core the many different facets of consciousness itself.
However, take care not to worship anything in Buddhism as a thing in itself. For Buddhism has no room for idolatry. It is essentially a toolkit that has been used for over 2500 years to explore the depths of consciousness.
Today, only fools consider Buddhism to be a religion like Christianity, and thus useless to the pursuit of profit. This flies in the face of daily proof that religious institutions actually gather together people of like mind to not only worship but also to profit from what amounts to a golden chain of love for each other's mutual good. For religious endeavor of any kind funded for spiritual profit is worthy of contribution, both financial and scholarly.
So, take what you want from what you learn about Buddhism to use as tools to explore consciousness, such as meditation and even the various layers of the consciousness as described in the Yogacara school of Buddhism.
I expect anyone reading this to do their research first. My blog contains enough clues to learn about the Buddha and what he symbolizes.
Even so, nobody is obliged to do so. All I ask is that anyone who wishes to walk on without careful research to avoid disrespecting the Buddha in a serious manner, because I might just show the fruit of your karma and make you eat it. >:)
Summary of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra: http://www.acmuller.net/yogacara/outlines/YBh-summary-utf8.htm
Search for "self and other" in the above webpage.
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