“As the world awakens, so too does our reality awaken with it” –The Still Mind
The people of the world are waking up, now more than ever, particularly those of the younger generation––my generation. The efforts of all those “on the front lines” are not unrecognized.
When you have a race of beings, utterly unenlightened to their true relationship with everything, taking their arrogance to force themselves upon another race of equally unenlightened beings, the only thing that will result is conflict. After the conflict arises, the aggressor of the two seeks to construct infrastructure to protect themselves against their now “foe”. The two sides engage with each other until both are destroyed. And so is the mindless existence of unenlightened bodies in nature. Activity, unlike that of the most simplest of organisms — bacteria, or a virus. Humans with the complexities of their neurological makeup, still have more in common with a one-celled organism than uncommon. Detect, engage, consume, move on. From the simplest of forms of life, to the most complex, there is no difference; only the scale.
And so, meet the meaning of the endless stream of thoughts that you have in your head. For if you do not have all these thoughts which you mindlessly follow, day in and day out, for your entire life, how will you consume all that you can and expand as far as your body will take you? Empires are born of pursued thoughts. Thoughts that are clung to like fly paper. Thoughts that lead people to destroy themselves under the guise of communal good. When thoughts come and go, if they are not followed, I am quite sure that your body will live on. The sun will continue to move across the sky.
To be enlightened, put down your thoughts.
恍恍惚惚去追利，
心态永不离生气,
恍恍惚惚去追欲，
宁静规避如条鱼。
如此终身追意念，
永远经过你终点。
临死时人才发现，
此刻才含有关键。
万物不离人之体，
由意念起所分离。
人之体不离万物，
自己心生所痛苦。
All that is, precisely is the process that is the universe — the happening of existence. Everything with no exceptions; The hustle and bustle that we have turned human life into; “good” things, “bad” things, the running and seeking. These all are it — the Dao (Tao), the way. For example, just as there exists edible plants, but some will cause harm if consumed, so there are aspects of this happening of existence that are not favorable for us, but it is there nonetheless. Most walk around unconscious of their connectedness, however, because it exists, this ignorance is also the process as well. Those who are conscious of their connectedness, those who are awakened, are no different from anyone else for it is still all just the universe interacting with itself. A conscious being is not separate from existence. All are merely forms originating from the same emptiness. When one reaches this level of understanding, form enters into formlessness. Dualism disappears, and all is exactly the same. At this point there is no longer a need for the finger to point at the moon; one has spotted the moon. Buddhism disappears, non-buddhism disappears. Nirvana is revealed. Everything is just as it should be. Everything is Mu.
Aikido
I do not preach peace, nor do I preach the opposite. Understanding of the true self creates what it creates, which we have named peacefulness, or stillness of mind. In this way, there is no objective of stripping away of greed and hate, for cultivating the true self will cause greed and hate to fall away of their own accord. What remains is thusness, and in this thusness is unity. The urge to be better than others and have more than others simply has no place to abide. It is akin to facing an opponent who is stronger than you and more powerful. He can destroy a person with one blow. But what will he do if he can not catch you? What will he do when you are not there to receive the blow? He can do nothing but give up and move on. This is where one will meet Zen, on the battlefield of existence.When there is no place or thoughts to cleave to, where is it that they will survive?
What difference is there of a cell and a human being? A cell ingests and excretes, sends messages, handling affairs that a cell must handle. Likewise, a human carries out the same process, just on a larger scale. We have messengers to inform, food that we ingest and excrete. We have establishments for the purpose of taking care of emergencies that spring up, with ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, which respond to calls of distress, what ever they may be.
All that exists — be it a block of wood which grew from a tree, or a house that came from trees which humans have taken a rearranged in such a manner as to utilize the wood for an alternate purpose — is all one happening. A single, continuous process. There is no difference between this or that, a chair and you. All is of the same existence in multiple states. When it rains, there is no rain. It is the process. When the wind blows, there is no wind and no blowing.
It is one thing to have knowledge of this concept; another to live in it.
Needing to be “held together” in the first place is a clear sign that there is something being grasped for that doesn’t fit with one’s surroundings. “What keeps you going?” “What holds you together so you don’t go crazy?” What we don’t see in these simple questions that we tend to inquire of people when we are trying to get to know them, is that it is a verbalization of the fact that it is known that one has attachments constructing a “self.” It is a verbalization that one’s self is something that needs some form of mental glue to keep things from falling apart and being lost.
We can grasp for things all we want. Like a polar bear clinging to a piece of melting ice in the ocean, he is surrounded by a sea of water. The ice will melt eventually, and there will be nothing else that the polar bear can do but to let go. Survival will be trivial, for death is almost certain. However, if he happens to catch a fish before he dies, it will be the greatest meal he ever had. No past, no future, only right now, and right now all that exists is the eating of the fish.
Day in, day out, clinging clinging clinging. Run run run. Running around to satisfy the clinging. A need for more clinging. More running around; always chasing. An entire life of running and clinging is only good for creating more of the same in the future.
Too much trying. Too much effort.
Put it down.
Awakening can happen in a single moment. Zen masters have been known to use loud noises and shouting to awaken their disciples. In that moment, there is no thinking, no judgements, duality, good, bad. All becomes quiet; still.
The same can happen when we are startled, in a moment that calls for quick response by the body. When we are startled, there are no thoughts, just being startled. Even for the tiniest instant, everything had been put down. The interconnected systems of the body are simply reacting to a stimulus — going through a process. There is no room for extraneous thoughts and trivial worries. To reach this point in daily life is the ultimate stillness; the happiness of no happiness. No extremes. No place for thoughts to abide. Thoughts pass like clouds over still water, reflecting in the pond when they are there, and having no reflection when they are not.
When asked of a Zen master, “what is the nature of reality?”, he replies, “the monkey jumps from the high branch… the branch shakes,” and may leave one confused about his answer. Maybe he is avoiding the question, you reason with yourself. Maybe he does not know. But the answer that one seeks may not always be the answer that one gets. “What is the nature of reality?” inquires about something that is everything, including that very question itself. It isn’t an avoidance of the question, but at the same time it is. The question which you seek to have answered can only truly be answered in this way, because it is just more white noise on the ‘Existence Channel’. It is the universe interacting with itself. No logic-based thoughts, and analysis. That won’t answer the question. Any words that a master could use to describe it would be meaningless, and just more chatter on the channel. It is like one sonic pixel asking another sonic pixel about sonic pixels. His is an answer of thusness. There are no words. Only 無 Wu (Mu in Japanese); nothing, but at the same time everything, like the color white.
(Chapter from a work in progress)
Everything that happens in its own respective moment is the point of one’s life in that moment, because that is all there is. No gaining, no seeking or longing. No past, no future, only now. Once you see this then everything will become clear. You will live in accordance with the way of existence. As I discussed before, the problem arises when we think that there is a knower, and a “me” or “I” that can posses and own anything or any experience. Possessing is the drug that we become addicted to. If it is not yours then we must go make it yours. When it finally becomes “yours,” then you will worry from day ‘till night about how to take care of it and keep it, for fear of losing it. We live for what could be, or what should be. But living in this way we miss the point. We do everything with a goal in mind. We try to eat healthy, because it’s good for something. Some sit in meditation because it’s “good for them.” But what is “good” or “bad”? They are only words. The point of eating is just to eat. The point of sitting in meditation is just to sit in meditation. The point of learning a language is just to learn a language. Attaching to the benefits or acquisition of any type of fortune derived from doing anything will create suffering. Even if you derive benefits from it, you will suffer, for once the high subsides, you will be right back in the doldrums, desperate for more happiness. The suffering comes from longing and clinging. It comes from the running around attempting to create a world constituted of the materialization of one’s own thoughts caused by longing and clinging. Who is it that attaches to anything?
Why do you try so hard to fulfill the endless stream of random and fleeting thoughts? When one comes, we follow it. It goes away, and is replaced by another. We then follow it. Put them down. Put down attachment. Put down like, dislike, good, bad. Something “good” makes you happy, but something “bad” makes you sad or angry. Your own mind makes you happy, sad, or angry. When you can put down illusions, you will come to the realization that what is happening right now, presently in your life, is the only thing that matters, because indeed it is all there actually is.
Life is hard because we make it hard for ourselves. A whole race of beings knowing not how to live in the current moment. Every last one, wishing and fighting for “good” things to happen to “me.” Put it down.
When we look at the light from a star, or even our star, the sun, I’m sure by now we all know that the light takes some time get to us here on Earth (approximately 8.3 minutes). The light and waves we receive from the sun are always eight minutes old. We never see the sun as it is right now. Even the light that we use to see a friends face comes to us from the past — a relatively finite length of time in the past, but the past nonetheless. Our “self” is also from the past, and in anticipation of the future. Our entire world is made up of things that are never quite what they seem to be. Things that never can be grabbed or contained or possessed indefinitely. Everything is never in the place that we think it is. All is in a constant, ceaseless motion. You are never the same person as you were an instant ago, because every atom, every molecule, every cell is never for an instant the same as it was prior, or will be later. There is nothing that is permanent, so why seek to hold on to things that can not be held on to? You will make yourself suffer indefinitely. No exceptions. The only exception would be if you were to let everything go. In this instant, this would be your enlightenment.
(Chapter from a work in progress)
“You look troubled.”
“Oh, I’m just stressed. A lot on my mind.”
“Because of your home life?”
“No, home’s fine, I guess. It’s job stuff.”
“I see. You want to achieve something?”
“Well, yeah. I have objectives and a plan. Just somethings with my co-workers. We’re not seeing eye to eye on some issues and it’s just stressing me out because we have a deadline for a new product launch, and… it’s just crazy.”
“I see. What will you do when you achieve your goal?”
“Well, I will be happy, for one.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I know I’ll be happy when I don’t have to deal with the stress of this project anymore.
“I see. May I ask, all this for what?
“To have a good life! This is what I went to school for, and… This is just how it is, you know. This is the path I chose, and sometimes you have to take some crap, and keep going.”
“So, after you achieve your ultimate goal, then you will be happy?”
“Yes. I definitely will be quite happy.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because it’s what I’ve been working so hard for this long. It’s what I want!”
“I’m sure it is, but can you name me one time in your entire life where you have gotten what you wanted, and were satisfied? It hasn’t happened yet, because you were never satisfied, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. If you have never been satisfied in the past, and are not satisfied now, what makes you think that you will be satisfied in the future? If you can not live in the present then you will not be happy in the future. Your seeking will never end. Your clinging and desire will never end. And that is how you will live out the rest of your days — running, chasing, clinging. There will be no satisfaction; only suffering… Put it down!”
“Put it down? I do not know how to put it down.”
“Just put it down. Put down yourself. Put down your mind. Muddy water becomes clear when you leave it alone.
“I can’t just do that! To get anywhere in this world, you have to work hard! If everyone just sat around and did nothing, then nothing would get done, and people wouldn’t be able to live!”
“Who is it that wants to get somewhere?”
“Me! I do!”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Nancy. I work at an advertising firm.”
“Show me your ‘work’.”
“What do you mean? I can’t show you my work, we’re not at my office.”
“Then show me your ‘Nancy’.”
“What? What are you talking about? I’m right here. Nancy, right here in front of you.”
“Yes, I see you, but no ‘Nancy’. I see you, but no ‘working’.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, seriously!”
“Well, you don’t know who your ‘I’ is, so no wonder you’re so confused.”
“My ‘I’? My ‘I’ is me. I’m ‘I’! Seriously, what are you talking about?”
“The only thing I can see is you sitting here talking to me. I see no ‘work’. I see no ‘Nancy’. Nancy is your body’s name. What is the name of your mind? Where is your mind? When is it? Show it to me. Who is it that sits here in front of me now? Is it your ‘work’? Is it your past? Is it your future? Tell me, where are the steps that you took just before you sat down here? They do not exist. The only thing that exists is you sitting here talking to me. So, I will ask you again, who are you?”
“I’m…. I’m speechless, is what I am”
“Pleased to meet you”
The Still Mind 