ISBN: 978-0-938058-02-1
US $30.00 ™
The Ten Paradoxes
The Science of Where’s My Zen? The Ten Paradoxes is a landmark program that combines a unique six-part training and educational system for achieving peak performance and enlightenment or what Master Nomi calls “Total Mental Fitness®.” Using the ancient power of No Mind® which has been clinically proven by top university and medical centers, it actually changes neural pathways to restructure and improve awareness, enabling you to do better and feel better in every aspect of your life. You'll attain peak performance and flow in sports, business, academics, relationships, and stress management, along with health benefits and deeper spiritual understanding. You'll be more playful and tranquil, have greater compassion and a clearer perception of reality, and become a better communicator with your colleagues and loved ones. With continued practice, you can even come to terms with death, the most feared aspect of our humanity. The Ten Paradoxes, through extensive research and case studies, leads you on a journey to the secrets of the ancient masters. First, it reveals the basic functions and mechanisms of the mind, beginning with the way we filter and interpret our perceptions, which then limits and restricts our actions and reactions. Finally, we will see how the mind defensively creates the self that we know as the "I"—the ego, or personality. This is the ultimate illusion that we all need to come to grips with. And when we do, our intuition and creativity blossom, and we become fully alive and open. The practice of No Mind® will actually un-train your thinking and teach you how to achieve Total Mental Fitness® by transcending the very structure of the mind. As long as we live in a dualistic reality, we keep searching for what we think will complete us: material objects, relationships, achievements, spirituality, etc. But, The Ten Paradoxes program frees you from the limitations of these perceptual and ego defense mechanisms and allows you to control your thoughts and desires. You will respond to a new, open set of categories— ultimately learning to act without trying. We therefore act in harmony with our essential nature. And we can truly be in control of our destiny, decisions, and responses, without the troublesome emotions we normally face, such as fear, worry, anxiety, prejudice, and greed. The practice of No Mind® not only brings freedom from our automatic actions, reactions, and perceptions, but the ability to make maximum use of our inner potential through ™ realization that awareness is the only universal constant .
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© 2008 No Mind® Publishing Company. Printed and Bound in Asia. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system— except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web—without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, please contact No Mind Publishing Co., 13351-D Riverside Drive #601, Los Angeles, CA 91423. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information contained in this book, we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein. Any slights of people, places, or organizations are unintentional. First printing 2008. Published in the United States of America by No Mind Publishing Co., 2008, Standard Address Number 256-7423 THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE E-BOOK, PAPERBACK, HARDCOVER, DVD AS FOLLOWS: Master Nomi The Ten Paradoxes / Master Nomi No Mind® is a registered trademark of No Mind Publishing Co. Total Mental Fitness® is a registered trademark of No Mind Publishing Co. Awareness is the Only Universal Constant™ is a trademark of No Mind Publishing Company Where’s My Zen?™ is a trademark of No Mind Publishing Company ISBN 0-938058-00-2 (e-book) (978-0-938058-00-7) ISBN 0-938058-01-0 (paperback) (978-0-938058-01-4) ISBN 0-938058-02-9 (hardcover) (978-0-938058-02-1) ISBN 0-938058-03-7 (dvd) (978-093058-03-8)
1. Psychology 2. Business 3. Sports 4. Buddhism and Science 5. Personal Growth I. Title LCCN 2005929343 ATTENTION CORPORATIONS, UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, and PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: Discounts are available on bulk purchases of this book for educational or gift purposes, or as premiums for increasing magazine subscriptions or renewals. Special books or book excerpts can also be created to fit specific needs. For information, please contact No Mind Publishing Co., 13351-D Riverside Drive #601, Los Angeles, CA 91423; ph 1-877-4NOMIND
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Dedicated to Chelsea and Allix for listening to the inspired and sometimes uninspired wisdom of Master Nomi for so many years. As they listened to the countless hours of talking about confusing paradoxes and No Mind, it suddenly became worth it all, when they said, “Dad, there is no ‘real’ answer to Where’s My Zen?” And for all those who have yet to uncover the magic and understanding of finding their own answer. And to my mother, Sylvia, who encouraged and motivated this mission for the past 28 years and finally sees it published.
Many paths lead from the foot of the mountain But at the peak we all gaze at the Single bright moon Ikkyu (1394–1481)
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CON T E N T S Preface: The Legend of Master Nomi No Mind 101 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
2 31 54 82 103 118 145
No Mind
Factor 1: No Mind Reality Factor 2: No Mind Deautomatization Factor 3: No Mind and CAt Factor 4: No Mind Intuition, No Mind Insight Factor 5: No Mind and No Iill; The “I” is Detachable Factor 6: No Mind Enlightenment: The Ultimate Paradox No Mind Extreme
No Mind 301 15 16 17 18
Mind
Our Natural Filter—The “I” The World According to “I” A Mild Condition of “I” Society’s Perfect Little “I” Why Am “I” So Defensive? The Language of the “I” Beyond the Iill
No Mind 201
xiii
162 181 196 224 237 250 274
The Ten Paradoxes
Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones The Ten Paradoxes Right Awareness Right Attitude
294 311 353 367
The Power of No Mind 19
The Three-Step Practice of No Mind
No Mind 401 20 21 22 23
384
The Secrets of No Mind
Secrets of the Soul Secret of Psi No Mind and Altered States of Consciousness Secret of Spiritual Awareness
432 442 457 469
ix
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x Contents
24 25 26
Secret of Mysticism No Mind No Death Secret of Living No Mind
No Mind 501 27 28 29 30 31
486 506 525
Living No Mind
No Mind Health & No Mind Academics—The Research No Mind Sports No Mind Business No Mind Stress Management No Mind Relationships
538 566 586 612 630
No Mind 601 Insights of No Mind
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It Never Ends, It Only Begins Anew
661
Insights Frustration Anxiety Crying Hate Desire Greed Energy Destiny Doubt Hope and Expectations Evil Conditional Love Unconditional Love Compassion Play Death Crisis and Freedom Zen Attitude Undying Humor Karma Leadership Friends Personality De-automatization The Mechanism
670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 682 684 685 686 688 690 692 694 695 696 698 699 700 702
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Clear Attention—CAt Peak Performance (Non-Action) The Mirror Time Opposites Patterns The Unity of All Things Evolution Cosmic Instinct Seven Enlightenment Factors The Five Aggregates Pure Vision Insight to Enlightenment The Eighteen Sense-Realms God’s Trap
704 707 708 710 712 714 715 716 718 720 722 724 726 728 729
Appendix One
730
Bibliography
735
Index Name Index Subject Index
771 777
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PREFACE THE LEGEND OF MASTER NOMI
I
discovered the ancient stone in 1979, while working as a carpenter in the city of Shikoku on the demolition of a very old Japanese temple. It was hidden under the floorboards above a utility basement. Buried along with the stone were scrolls of Japanese characters, as well as fragments of other stones. Wrapped around the scrolls were six equations scribbled on paper. It appeared that these equations were done recently by someone trying to decode the stone or the scrolls. At the time, I had the sense that this could be an important discovery. But I didn’t know that it would take me on a long journey in search of ancient knowledge that brings enlightenment, health, and peak performance in any life domain. I was about to be entangled in a web of paradoxes and ancient mysteries that began when I started deciphering the first scroll, whose title I translated as “The Power of No Mind.” The equations I discovered were later translated as the six factors of No Mind®, which I will define and describe in detail in this book; the core message of the scrolls is what I called The Ten Paradoxes, which I will describe in No Mind 301. Some were ancient philosophical teachings that I traced back The original ancient stone 2,500 years to the xiii
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Tao Te Ching, or The Book of the Way and How It Manifests Itself in the World. The Tao Te Ching was written by Lao Tzu, who was a hermit searching for the meaning of life. His understanding of the fundamental principles of No Mind underlies most of his The computer-enhanced translated model writings. If he were alive today, he would be able to apply the notion of No Mind to explain how an athlete, for example, enters the so-called “zone” or “flow” by performing without thinking. By surrendering all thought, person and action become one; there is no self and the athlete’s motions require no sentient effort. This is related to the ancient Taoist principle of wu wei, which means non-action or no-try. Hundreds of medical and scientific studies substantiate this and other principles revealed in the ancient stones, the scrolls, and the equations. After I translated the paradoxes of No Mind from the scrolls, I began to practice them in the hope of realizing spiritual awareness. The goal of my journey was to find answers to the following questions: What is the duality of the self? What is the experience of enlightenment? How do you utilize spirituality to atTranslated as “The Power tain peak performance in different of No Mind”
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life domains such as business, sports, relationships, stress management, and academics? I studied and practiced the initial mental-training techniques for two years, but soon I realized that it could be years before I fully understood the true meaning of the paradoxes. So I began researching other ancient meditation techniques, as well as the medical applications of meditation and associated scientific research. In the meantime, I kept practicing one to two hours in the morning and an hour in the evening. Yet, I was left with an even greater doubt and a more intense longing to understand enlightenment and the techniques that would help me attain peak performance of mind, body, and spirit. I struggled to piece together the pattern of the stone and its fragments. I studied the ancient masters, but I had a difficult time understanding what they were trying to tell me. During my quest to understand human nature, my ultimate goal was to pierce the veil of ambiguity and the paradoxes that were so characteristic of the scriptures of the ancient masters. Why, I wondered, were these great works so confusing that the uninitiated would be discouraged from following the path without a spiritual guide? The answer lies in the ultimate paradox of Mind and No Mind: Mind cannot realize No Mind (where No Mind roughly means “not mind,” or “no-thought”). No Mind is pure awareness, unadulterated by thoughts, or emotions, or sensations; No Mind is open to everything. You can achieve pure awareness only when you stop your mind from producing thoughts. Yet, despite the confusion and complexity that these ancient writers created and the questions they posed, I performed better in all aspects of my life when I practiced No Mind than I did using only my mind. Therein lies the paradox. As I continued to study and practice the ancient philosophy and continued my scientific research, I became so fascinated with the subject that in 1981 I quit my job and dedicated myself full-time to the pursuit of enlightenment. I was on a path toward finding something that would change my life forever. I felt I might uncover an
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ancient system of techniques that I could make accessible to others. Surprisingly, my pilgrimage did not lead me to an ashram high in the Himalayas; instead, it led me to local university medical, psychology, and education libraries where I spent hundreds of hours. They became my sanctuaries, where I pored over thousands of pages of medical and scientific research that seemed relevant to the analysis of the ancient stone, the stone fragments, The Ten Paradoxes, the equations, and the psychological and physiological implications of meditation techniques. Much of the reading was extremely obscure for someone with no formal medical training, but I was determined to understand the thrust of the researchers’ conclusions. I took notes, made copies, and reread them later. I spent up to twelve hours a day compiling volumes of notes and diagrams. Despite the repeated warnings of the ancient masters that an approach based on reason would be doomed to fail, I felt that I could come up with a system that was easier to follow in the context of Western culture. Therein lay the true goal of the ancient stones and scrolls. It is common sense that we question, analyze, and interpret our society and ourselves in terms of what we have learned and become accustomed to. Yet, in Zen training, we cannot analyze, intellectualize, or interpret anything in terms of prior knowledge or habit; we need to see with “new” eyes or we miss the point entirely. But how do we understand the concept of seeing with new eyes? I came to realize that “pure” awareness is the only universal constant—the basis of the ultimate reality that transcends conceptualization specific to any particular time, place, or culture. I attended seminars and workshops to gain more understanding of Eastern philosophy and Western psychology, to practice meditation, and to speak directly to modern masters and professionals. I also studied and practiced Kundalini yoga of the Tantric tradition and meditated on the seven chakras (points of spiritual and physical energy in the body), awakening the spiritual energy at the base of the spine.
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One night, while I was meditating, I was suddenly engulfed by a flash of white light that blazed into my head—a phenomenon that also occurs in Zen meditation. It only lasted for a few seconds the first time—a bit longer the second time—but the experience had an overwhelming effect on a very deep level, as if the energy that existed in all the emptiness of space in the universe now rushed through my body and mind. As I opened my eyes, I became aware of an unusual feeling of lightness and detachment, yet subtle energy was everywhere in my body. This experience was progress, but I knew that it was not what I was seeking—to unravel and experience the ultimate paradox, the ancient secret of No Mind. I studied Hindu philosophy, the yogic philosophy of Patanjali, Sufi mysticism, Christian mysticism, Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), Taoist philosophy, Tibetan Buddhism, and my personal favorite, Zen. Zen was the most straightforward approach, even though its philosophical traditions contained their own paradoxes, called koans. Meanwhile, my research into Western psychology and physics included gestalt psychology, depth psychology, psychoanalysis, Jungian psychology, parapsychology, quantum physics, hypnosis, electromagnetic fields, personality theories, and behavior modification research and therapy. Despite my research, I still hadn’t figured out how to solve the mystery of No Mind. I felt like one of the disciples who went off to ponder the koans, the paradoxical poems and statements of the ancient masters. Some grasped their meaning, while others became extremely frustrated because they couldn’t comprehend their significance. My personal koan was to resolve the illusion of the “I”: the ego, the self, or the personality. But I became increasingly frustrated as I tried to link Western psychology to Eastern philosophy. I meditated on the source of thought—the prethought, or that which occurs just before we become aware of our thoughts (what the Zen master called hua-t’ou). My mind was filled with thoughts of the “I.” I tried to understand the “I” in terms of the conscious and the unconscious, the subconscious and the paraconscious, the horse and
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the rider, the spirit and the mind-body, the id and the collective unconscious. And I tried to understand the “I” in terms of the unity of all things in some field of energy or in some electromagnetic or quantum force. It was as if someone took a hundred puzzle pieces and threw them into a running stream. As the pieces spread in all directions, I knew that it would be harder and harder to collect them and put them together. I now knew that the stone was part of a sequence of images that related to the understanding and mastering of No Mind, as well as to realizing that awareness is the only universal constant (discussed in No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind). It was hard to imagine how one could boil down such an enormous amount of information into something that everyone could understand. Some parts of the puzzle were making sense; others were not. I now knew that I would never find the answer by analyzing and interpreting the information intellectually. It was going to have to come from a different place. But from where? I labored over the material for months and months. Before I knew it, one year had turned into two. Then one afternoon, as I was sitting at my desk feeling extremely frustrated, I noticed the lemon tree outside my window. I began staring at one of the lemons until I completely lost awareness of myself. I was so absorbed in the lemon that I wasn’t aware of time or of my surroundings. Then, there was an instant shift of perception and I understood that the source of thought—that moment before a thought actually occurs in the mind—was actually emptiness. It was an empty awareness that was alive and full and permeated the emptiness of the universe. But that emptiness was not just the source of thought—it was the intrinsic aspect of nature: the flow of nature itself. And finally, there is no “I.” Then, in that moment, everything that had been so puzzling and paradoxical became utterly simple. This feeling of truth was so intense and unshakable that it permeated my bones and flowed through my veins. My awareness had suddenly expanded and I saw things from a new perspective. Yet, it was not as if “I” was
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seeing; rather, there was a “seeing into emptiness.” The experience went into the core of my being and beyond; it went into the universe. This was not just unity, but the “knowing” that the universe was manifesting itself through the awareness I was experiencing in that moment. I looked down at my notes and smiled. And then I started to laugh out loud at the comedy of the mind. In that one flash of insight, it suddenly all made sense. In the emptiness, everything was revealed. With that insight, I began rereading some of the ancient masters’ writings, translations, and interpretations. And as I did, I realized that I was no longer confused or uncertain—I now knew. It was just as the masters had said, “There is nothing to gain, yet nothing will ever be the same again.” Everything I read confirmed what I was feeling and, as difficult as the experience was to describe in words, I understood it when I looked past the language. But it was more than just a feeling. It was as if there was no longer a feeling of the “I,” but just an awareness of the moment that was everywhere. It was No Mind, yet the paradox was no longer a paradox. Now the sequencing of the stones made sense, and I was able to begin unraveling the meaning behind them. It was a major breakthrough in understanding No Mind and The Ten Paradoxes. I knew that this insight could be developed much further with more practice and application to daily life. The intense first phase of my journey had ended, but a new journey had begun in that flash of insight I called “lemon consciousness.” Over the next ten years, I continued to practice, though not always formally—I practiced through daily actions instead. But I never forgot “the day of the lemon.” The abilities I continued to acquire through No Mind training helped me in all aspects of my life. I found that the amount of time I practiced was directly related to the mindfulness or “awarefulness” I experienced in my daily life. The word “mindfulness” is a paradox itself. When we are mindful, we are not “full of mind,” but rather objectively aware of mind objects such as thoughts,
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emotions, mental images, and sensations. So we are not full of mind, but rather full of awareness of mind, or awarefulness, a state I will describe in detail later. I also noticed that during the months I practiced mindfulness intently, I was much more aware of the phenomena in my daily life. When I did not practice as much, I was more apt to be mindless in my daily routines— losing the awareness and becoming very mechanical. The most important aspect of the training is what the masters called “bringing it into the marketplace,” which means integrating the practice into your daily life and activities. What is the use of the training if it cannot be an important aspect of life? In the years following the “lemon” breakthrough, which had permanently changed my perspective, I was able to find happiness deep within myself and to live my life detached from unnecessary expectations. I still experienced the everyday feelings we all have, but in most cases I also felt a detached awareness—a mindfulness of the mind’s objects that becomes an absorption in pure awareness. In this way, I was never attached to the “I” and rarely sought to uphold it. Most people do not allow themselves the time to stop and reflect on the moment, and since moments are fleeting, they become lost opportunities. Sometimes the lack of mindfulness caused me to become argumentative or defensive because instead of “seeing” the moment, I was mindlessly defending something I had believed in the past. Instinctively, though, I knew otherwise. Argumentativeness always seemed to be a one-sided game, like teasing a monkey in a cage: It is easy to tease a monkey when it’s in a cage, but much harder to tease one when it’s free. Freedom, however, is relative. Although we may move from a smaller cage to a much larger one, even if we do not “see” the bars, we remain in the cage. On the other hand, when we can finally “see” the larger cage, we realize that we are still confined. This is a fundamental principle of Zen: the relativity of “seeing” the cage or, as the ancient masters say, “finding the tracks,” which means understanding
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conceptually that the “ox” (our spiritual awareness, or self-nature) to whom the tracks belong “exists.” Over the next 15 years, business demands and time constraints kept me from actively devoting the thousands of hours necessary to complete my quest, though I was still driven by the intense urge and great doubt I had originally felt. I was only able to keep up with my research in my free time. Most of my reading consisted of Eastern philosophy, quantum physics, or psychology. I yearned to continue on the path, and I kept my connection to it through reading and meditation. In addition, I jotted down any notes, ideas, and images I had that pertained to my journey. Finally, I resumed my quest to complete what I had started over a quarter of a century earlier: a comprehensive program of mental training based on the ancient masters but incorporating the Western sciences of psychology, quantum physics, mindfulness, neuroscience, and psychotherapy. So I began again, this time with help, to update the original research. I was astounded to discover that the emerging sciences of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, neuroplasticity, quantum consciousness, spiritual enlightenment, as well as attention and volition research, had all made significant advances that further confirmed the knowledge and experience I had acquired more than 25 years earlier. I was once again propelled by an inner drive to document what I had been developing and to design a system or path that could help others as it had helped me throughout my life. Actually, “help” is an understatement: While the practice can help you achieve peak performance in many aspects of your life, including business, sports, relationships, stress management, health, and academics, it also shatters the concept of one’s relationship to the natural universe. “It” and “me” no longer exist. There just “is” experiencing the very fabric of awareness as a vibration of the universe. Awareness is the only universal constant.TM There is the string of the instrument, there is the player of the instrument, and there is
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the vibration that moves the air and resonates. All are interconnected, but the reverberation is what moves us. No Mind consists of the vibrations of the ancient masters’ wisdoms and realizations, nothing more. One cannot own it, just like one cannot own the light from the sun. And so the book and the program evolved—this system that would eventually become known as The Ten ParadoxesTM as well as the No Mind®: Total Mental Fitness® program. This system happened through me, not because of me. In the end, all that really counts is the vibration of the sound and our visceral, unbiased perception of it; ultimately, neither the player nor the instrument matters. The sound does not belong to any one individual; it belongs to anybody who puts it to use and follows it. It enters this world as a quantum relationship, and it affects the evolution of the reader as much as the reader affects its ability to evolve. The interdependence and co-origination of the essential aspect of nature, as I first became aware of it over 25 years ago, still underlie my everyday awareness— when I look up at the sky, into someone’s eyes, at a bee; whether I’m negotiating a transaction or hiking along a hillside. It is in everything. May your doubts be great, may you solve the paradoxes, may your uncertainty produce “lemon” consciousness, and may you make great lemonade. Master Nomi February 15, 2008
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No Mind 101
Mind
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We “know” the world as a reflection of our mind’s experience of it. Over time, the mind becomes a dusty mirror reflecting a distorted image. The “dust” consists of years of conditioning to perceive, think about, and respond to the world in a given way. We develop a filtering and interpretive mechanism that underlies our understanding of the world as we “know” it. This mind mirror dims awareness, impairing the performance of the mind and the body. Chapter 1 identifies this natural filter, explores how it is formed and consolidated throughout our lives, and reveals what you can gain by “seeing past” it.
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Chapter 1
Our Natural Filter—The “I”
O
ver 12,000 years ago, humans began searching for answers to the question, “Who are we and why are we here?” In the last several thousand years, the ancient masters of the Zen, Taoist, Yogic, and Eastern traditions and the Christian, Jewish, and Moslem mystics have used psychology to understand the mind and its control. Eventually, they released the mind from its own chains, so it could experience reality directly—without preconceived ideas or prejudices. After their minds were completely unshackled through the practice of No Mind, they were able to attain Total Mental Fitness which enhanced all aspects of their lives, including work, play, love, health, and spirituality. The techniques of the ancient masters and mystics were used to overcome the obstacles of the ego, to master the mind, and to gain spiritual awareness. Throughout this program, you will come to know some of these ancient masters and their methods for achieving No Mind and understanding The Ten Paradoxes. You will learn about modern research that substantiates millennia-old 3
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4 No Mind 101 Mind
teachings and practice techniques. The techniques are as much science as they are philosophy. The ancient masters knew that our egos limited our individual freedoms and our abilities to do our best and to achieve enlightenment (or Nirvana). They also knew that because we tried so hard to accomplish goals for the sake of something called the “I,” we didn’t live in the moment, or allow the mind and the body to flow freely in our daily lives. By using awareness-training techniques, they released the mind’s potential to overcome those barriers and to transcend its typical limits. They understood that awareness was essential to attaining spiritual enlightenment, in any religion. This is one of the key aspects of the paradox of No Mind.
THE PARADOX OF THE “I” The masters knew long ago that the “I,” the ego, the self, or one’s personality, were merely labels we used to help us understand who we thought we were. Everything we do is based on our understanding of ourselves. From the day we are born, we are conditioned to think and act in certain ways. As our parents assign a name to our “self,” we become attached to this self and it affects the way we act and react. We try to improve this self; we boast about it and defend it. The ancient masters believed the secret to our freedom is in becoming detached from this self. That is the paradox of the “I.” It is reasonable to find this paradox confusing. But the more you understand and practice the No Mind techniques, the more you will comprehend the concept of the “I” and your attachment to it. It is a puzzle that has eluded people for centuries. By releasing the self, the ancient techniques of awareness training make one peaceful, happy and successful in anything one does. Alan Watts, an interpreter of Zen Buddhism and a scholar of theology and divinity, describes the “I” as follows:
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But we are so used to thinking of “I” as simply the center of consciousness, and the center of our will, that we ignore (or are ignorant of) most of ourselves ... We may not recognize ourselves because we think of ourselves as a chopped-off piece surrounded by our skin, and therefore we see ourselves in a rather impoverished way. And this form of perception is almost automatic. We think of ourselves as separate beings who stand alone and move through all sorts of different places but are cut off from the environment. (Watts, 2000)
5 Chapter 1 Our Natural Filter— The “I”
HOW THE “I” CREATES DUALISTIC REALITY The way we have been conditioned to think about the “I” since we were babies is why we perceive ourselves as discrete entities separate from our surroundings. And “otherness” (or anything that is seen as different) might threaten us. For example, we fear people who don’t share our beliefs, and we feel compelled to defend our egos, or “I’s,” against them. This detachment from everything else is a form of duality—it renders us fragmented and incomplete. The ancient masters knew this was simply something learned that had to be unlearned. This “unlearning” can set us free, so that we function at a higher level and utilize our full potential. We cannot be spiritually aware while “seeing” through the eyes of the “I”; we must transcend the “I” to achieve true spiritual awareness. We realize true spiritual awareness, or what the ancient masters called “realizing the Self-Nature,” by seeing things as they truly are, not as we want them to be. This spiritual awareness, which can be experienced through our minds, bodies, and spirits, is the underpinning of everything in the universe. It is only when we realize the truth of our nature that we can “see” through the illusion of the “I” and observe things as they truly are. Dr. Walpola Rahula was a Buddhist scholar and monk who taught in the Theravadan tradition in Sri Lanka; he writes: The realization of Truth is to see things as they are without illusion or ignorance ... Truth needs no label.
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6 No Mind 101 Mind
It is not Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, or Moslem. It is not the monopoly of anybody. Sectarian labels are a hindrance to the independent understanding of Truth, and they produce harmful prejudices in [people’s] minds ... here is no attitude of criticizing or judging, or discriminating between right and wrong, or good and bad. It is simply observing, watching, examining. You are not a judge, but a scientist. When you observe your mind, and see its true nature clearly, you become dispassionate with regard to its emotions, sentiments and states. Thus you become detached and free, so that you may see things as they are. (Rahula, 1959)
This revelation has eluded most for thousands of years. Our dualistic nature alienates us from each other; we have a hard time realizing that we are all part of the same universe and that when we discriminate, judge, or criticize anyone, we are doing the same things to ourselves. When we hurt someone else, we hurt ourselves; yet, our fragmented dualistic thinking has even led us to fight wars in order to protect the “I.” We fight threats to who we think we are, not to who we really are. But what are we really defending when we try to defend our “I”?
HOW THE “I” LIMITS PERCEPTION Animals, as opposed to humans, are not controlled by the self. An animal attacks only to survive, to defend its home or offspring, or to protect its food supply. It isn’t motivated by human emotions, such as vengeance, pride, greed, guilt, worry, expectation, hate, or prejudice. In the animal world, both predator and victim act purely on instinct and intuition—without malice. Animals, therefore, live fully in the moment. The development of the “I” in humans is the consequence of the physiology of the human brain itself. Some neuroscientists theorize that the increased complexity of the human brain, especially evident in the
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prefrontal lobes, is related to the development of the “I,” or self. According to these scientists, we perceive everything through the filter of the “I,” which colors our perceptions of the world and causes us to act according to those perceptions. The “I” filters out irrelevant details, so we can focus on the most important stimuli, otherwise we would be overwhelmed by too much information at any given time. The findings of a study on selective attention by Anne Treisman and Gina Geffen at the MRC Psycho Linguistics Research Unit, Oxford,
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... confirm once again that our perceptual capacity is limited at least partly by the information content of stimuli presented. The nature of the perceptual filter may be one of reducing background noise or stimuli while attention is occupied. Rather than blocking them completely, highly important stimuli may thus be perceived. This would have the advantage of allowing subjects to perceive highly important or relevant stimuli which would still be perceived. This would have the biological advantage that unattended messages could be monitored for any important signals, without at the same time much increasing the load on the limited capacity available for speech recognition. (Treisman & Geffen, 1967)
Our ability to filter out useless or unimportant information is important for our survival. Subconsciously, we perceive background information even while we are focusing on something at the forefront of our attention. If something in the background becomes important, we shift our focus onto it and react accordingly. For example, if I’m mowing the lawn and I catch a glimpse of a snake in the grass, I’d stop and take defensive action to avoid the snake or to scare it away. Essentially, our brain has built-in defense mechanisms that can be activated even before we become aware of them. But what happened to make us so different from the rest of the natural world? And what impact does this
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difference have on our relationships with nature and the self? We are different from other animals because we have developed an ego that processes everything in terms of itself. Everything we do is based on how we have been conditioned to see the world. And we analyze everything, both consciously and unconsciously, in terms of our expectations, intentions, anticipations, hopes, desires, worries, prejudices, and motivations. We have developed these filtering channels through nature and nurture. When we “think” we are in control and we “think” we know what we really want, we need to “think” again. Because of the “I” filter, what we think we want is an illusion. In fact, we are acting and reacting automatically to what we perceive as reality, and we make choices based on what we have been conditioned to believe about this reality. Daniel Wegner, professor of psychology at Harvard University, discusses the illusion of the “I” as follows: Conscious will is the mind’s compass ... The experience of consciously willing action occurs as the result of an interpretive system, a course-sensing mechanism that examines the relations between our thoughts and actions and responds with “I willed this” when the two correspond appropriately. This experience thus serves as a kind of compass, alerting the conscious mind when actions occur that are likely to be the result of one’s own agency. The experience of will is therefore an indicator, one of those gauges on the control panel to which we refer as we steer. (Wegner, 2002)
HOW THE ILLUSION OF “I” GIVES US IDENTITY As we evolved, we developed a mental filter that allowed us to interpret our thoughts and emotions as the “I,” the self, the ego. We also developed a sense of individuality that separated us from the people in our families and in society, emphasizing how we are different from everyone else. In addition, our egos falsely place us at the center of
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the universe, causing us to believe that everything and everyone revolves around us. Because of that, we look at the world in terms of us versus everything else and we remain fragmented. Though the “I” evolved as a filtering mechanism to protect us from getting overwhelmed by unnecessary information, it also caused the development of a sense of individuality, so that we could relate everything to our selves. This gave rise to our competitive nature, our desire to climb the ladder of success as far as we can go, and our need to be right in any given situation. We learn the centrality of the “I” in second grade: There must be a pronoun and a verb in the sentence, “I am playing tennis.” The “I” gets attached to all of our actions. Unfortunately, the “I” also continually needs to defend itself against perceived threats. When that happens, we act in unbecoming ways; we become greedy, hateful, hurtful, even evil. Such harmful thoughts and actions are triggered by our perceptions of reality, which are influenced by our own egos. As individuals, we often fail to see that our decisions to act in some way are nothing but reactions to what we have been conditioned to believe. Zen master Huang Po, who wrote in the ninth century CE, explains this phenomenon:
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In reality, there is nothing to be grasped (perceived, attained, conceived, etc.), even not-grasping cannot be grasped. So it is said: there is nothing to be grasped! We simply teach you how to understand your Selfnature [Spiritual Awareness] ... When we talk of the knowledge ‘I’ may gain, the learning ‘I’ may achieve, ‘my’ intuitive understanding, ‘my’ deliverance from rebirth, and ‘my’ moral way of living, our successes make these concepts seem pleasant to us. But our failures make them appear deplorable. What is the use of all that? I advise you to remain uniformly quiescent and above all activity. Do not deceive yourselves with conceptual thinking, and do not look anywhere for the Truth. For all that is needed is to refrain from
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allowing concepts to arise. It is obvious that mental concepts and external perceptions are equally misleading. (Blofeld, 1958)
HOW WE SEE THE WORLD THROUGH THE “I” We have developed the “I” to deal with the world around us. In all aspects of our lives—personal, business, sports, stress management, relationships, education—we accept that we have to have an “I” that relates to both the external and the internal worlds. We perceive and interpret these worlds according to the development and conditioning of our very own “I.” It is as much a fact of neuroscience as it is of ancient Zen psychology: Our “I” filters our views of the world. It is impossible for us to see the world as it really is until we learn how to remove the filter—this is one reward of practicing No Mind. If we do not perceive reality directly, then we are essentially only imagining what we “see.” It is our conditioned response to these external and internal worlds that Edward Conze, one of the great Buddhist translators of the twentieth century, called “imaginations.” Conze writes: When people are tied down by a sense object they cover it with unreal imaginations. Likewise, they are liberated from it when they see it as it really is. The sight of one and the same object may attract one person, repel another, and leave a third indifferent. A fourth may be moved to withdraw gently from it. Hence the sense object itself is not the decisive cause of either bondage or emancipation. It is the presence or absence of imaginations which determines whether attachment takes place or not. The onrush of sense experiences must be shut out with the sluice gate of mindfulness. (Conze, 1959)
When we study the six factors and the secrets of No Mind, we will learn how mindfulness, or awareness training, allows us to retreat from the “I” and to
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“see” a reality that is not based on our perceptions of the world. People interpret reality differently; what is right for one is not right for another. A businessperson might be frightened by a spider that fascinates a zoologist. Even though our experiences are identical, our perceptions are disparate because we have different sets of past experiences. As Conze indicates, mindfulness through the practice of No Mind allows us to transcend our perceived reality, to expand our awareness beyond the filters of the “I,” and to “see” a reality unadulterated by our conditioning and interpretation.
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THE SYNAPTIC ASSOCIATIVE NETWORK OF THE “I” The “I” defines us in terms of where we live, what we do, who we are, what we believe, who our relatives are, where we come from, what we can and cannot do, and so on. We can be summarily categorized and identified in these ways within a given social context. But we can function on a much higher level without these “I” definitions. They entangle us in an associative network of synaptic neuron connections whose function is to process information— adapting and learning from our distinctive past patterns, which makes us unique. The brain, through its associative neural network, is able to do many things at the same time. One of its main functions is to protect us by filtering out unnecessary information and by defending us against external threats. Through the associative neural network, we act, think, and feel everything around us, and we also “feel” our individual selves. The concept of identity, as constructed through this innate biological mechanism, leads us to ask: Where does the “I” really exist? Is there a location in the brain for it? Or, as the ancient masters indicated, is the “I” nothing more than a series of synaptic discharges taking place at any given time?
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Joseph LeDoux, a world-renowned brain expert, explains: And each time one of us is constructed, a different result occurs. One reason for this is that we all start out with a different set of genes; another is that we have different experiences. What’s interesting about this formulation is not that nature and nurture both contribute to who we are, but that they actually speak the same language. They both ultimately achieve mental and behavioral effects by shaping the synaptic organization of the brain. The particular patterns of synaptic connections in an individual’s brain, and the information encoded by these connections, are the keys to who that person is. (LeDoux, 2003)
THE SHARED REALITY OF THE “I” Even in the face of such questions about identity, the ego refuses to destroy itself or to face its unreality. An analogous example is Hal, the computer in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal gained control of the spaceship and became attached to his position of power. Much like the ego, or “I,” Hal wanted to stay in control, protecting itself by the humans aboard the spaceship. Zen masters would say that recognizing “the Hal on board” is the first step toward achieving non-dualistic spiritual awareness, or accepting the true reality of nature. We need to expand our awareness beyond the conditioned reality that we share with others—a reality that stems from the limitations of the “I”—and realize that there is another dimension. Research psychologist Robert Ornstein has this to say: It is the function of sensory systems, then, by their physiological design to reduce the amount of useless and irrelevant information reaching us and to serve as selection systems. The information input through the senses seems to be gathered for the primary purpose of biological survival ... Our agreement on reality is subject to common shared limitations that evolved to ensure the biological survival of the race. (Ornstein, 1972)
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In other words, we filter our reality through our learned and socially conditioned beliefs of what reality should be. Our shared understanding of reality is constructed in this way, so that we see what we need to see in order to survive as members of a collectivity dealing with a harsh environment. Our perceptual systems are trained to perceive the elements in our specific environment that are most imperative to survival. In modern society, for the more fortunate, these elements could be money, fame, success, status; while for the less fortunate, it could be simply making ends meet. Our habituated conceptions of what reality should be limit our ability see new possibilities when they arise. When we free ourselves from our preconceived ideas, we will have transcended the “I” and discovered a “new” reality.
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HOW WE ALTER REALITY TO SUIT THE “I” If we don’t relinquish the mind’s natural filter, the ensuing illusions might cause us to see nonexistent threats. When that occurs, we sometimes end up lying to protect ourselves or our families. For example, a mathematician friend might say, “Oh, I heard your son is having trouble in school. Is there anything I can do to help?” You, however, feel the need to defend your son’s reputation, so you lie, “No, he’s doing fine, really!” In reality, your friend was just concerned about your son’s well-being. By becoming defensive, you might have kept your son from getting the help he needed. No matter how seriously we look at such defensive reactions, we are defending an illusion. The only threat is to our ego. Imagining oneself as a conscious agent means that conscious intention, action, and will must each be in place for every action. Intention and action imply will; intention and will imply action; and action and will imply intention. An ideal agent has all three. Putting these parts in place, it seems, involves constructing all
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the distortion of reality required to accommodate the birth of an ego ... our sense of being a conscious agent who does things comes at a cost of being technically wrong all the time. The feeling of doing is how it seems, not what it is—but rather is as it should be. All is well because the illusion makes us human. (Wegner, 2002)
The “I” does indeed make us human, but we pay the price in terms of stress, poor performance, isolation and fragmentation, and an altered reality. We expend an amazing amount of energy to protect the “I.” We plan, plot, conceive, retaliate, move, ally, and gain recognition— all to preserve the “I.” We are continually trying to modify the world around us to fit our own views of it: We do not refer to our own experience, but to our overwhelming legacy of the conceptualizations of others. Instead of occupying our infinite talents in procuring our few simple needs, or in molding and weaving the Earth as do the lilies of the field, we are endlessly correcting and tampering with the world, and perhaps, in our explosive exploitation, only making it worse. How can we do otherwise? For if our actions derive ultimately from our beliefs, i.e., our “concepts,” we are forever manipulating a world which we do not directly perceive and therefore cannot know. (Brooks, 1974)
The ancient masters knew that we must detach ourselves from the “I” to become more effective at what we do. We simply must flow with life. To know the external world as it really is, we need to perceive it free of the “I” filter—or at least we need to perceive it more mindfully and less mindlessly. Our efforts to dominate the environment and other people, all in the name of the “I,” actually hinder understanding the real nature of reality—the source of Nature. We have more sophisticated cities and technology than ever, better opportunities for financial growth, better education, and access to better healthcare. Yet, because we often overlook our essential link to Nature, or the pursuit of spiritual awareness, we are left empty and fragmented.
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THE INSATIABLE NEEDS OF THE “I”
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The “I” is like a bottomless urn. Whatever you put in just flows out. So the urn is always empty and you have to refill it constantly with something new and better. Even people who have the money to buy anything they want often feel that they are unhappy and missing something. In addition, over half the people in the world suffer from severe stress and anxiety, sleep disorders, and stressrelated health issues, such as cancer and heart attacks, because of the constant pressure to fill a void in their lives and to keep pace with everyone else. The society we have created by trying to quench the needs of the “I” has treated us well on the surface. But inside we long for tranquility, understanding, and unity with Nature. We get what we think we need from the world around us, but we cannot get what we really crave inside: a sense of inner completeness and fulfillment. That’s because from a young age we are trained to believe that we always need something else to make us whole. For example, advertisements tell us how incomplete we are because we do not have a certain product; so, we constantly want more and more. But what if there were a way to live in a society with a different perspective—different from the perspective of the “I”? What if we were able to live with the same perspective that gave the ancient masters insight into the reality of Nature and the dualistic structure of our minds—the effect of the “I”? We have to stop behaving like automatons. According to Abraham Maslow, the late president of the American Psychological Association, expanding our awareness helps us become healthier people:
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To the extent that we try to master the environment or be effective with it, to that extent do we cut the possibility of full, objective, detached, non-interfering cognition. Only if we let it be, can we perceive fully. Again, to cite psychotherapeutic experience, the more eager we are to make a diagnosis and a plan of action, the less helpful do we become. The more eager we are to cure, the longer it takes. Every psychiatric
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researcher has to learn not to try to cure, not to be impatient. In this and in many other situations, to give in is to overcome, to be humble is to succeed. The Taoists and Zen Buddhists taking this path were able a thousand years ago to see what we psychologists are only beginning to be aware of ... But most important is my preliminary finding that this kind of cognition of the Being (B-cognition) of the world is found more often in healthy people and may even turn out to be one of the defining characteristics of health (Maslow, 1968).
THE BENEFITS OF NO MIND EVEN WITHOUT ENLIGHTENMENT The practice of No Mind is not intended to make you give up any of your “I” definitions. It is designed to help you detach from them and from the identity they constitute, so that you can see reality as it truly is, not how you think it should be. To fulfill your potential as a human being, you need to restructure the dualistic nature of this web of definitions (explained in detail in No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes). You need to move into a non-dualistic perspective that is free of these definitions. While this might sound overwhelming, it is doable. The ancient masters proved this several thousand years ago. The medical and scientific communities have recently confirmed that it is possible to move into this non-dualistic perspective. You do not need to be a master to benefit from the techniques of No Mind. Millions of people have already successfully followed the path and discovered many health-related and psychological benefits. By practicing the No Mind techniques, you will be renewed internally, gain a new perspective, acquire the ability to achieve peak performance in everything you do, and—most important—begin to see outside the tidy “I” box. You will begin to see beyond the conditioned reality entrenched in your synaptic map by your past experiences and genes.
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The “I” filters the external world through this associative neural network. We describe and conceptualize everything in terms of our learned language and acquired knowledge. Yet, this is understanding reality only in terms of what we have learned, not in terms of what it really is. The ancient Buddhist scriptures say:
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Wordiness and Intellection—the more with them, the further astray we go. Away therefore with wordiness and intellection, and there is no place where we cannot pass freely. (Conze, 1959)
In this sense, we manufacture the external world in our minds. Obviously, we need the five senses and their associated neural pathways to deliver information to the brain, so that we can interpret what we encounter. Then we can act on it: “The mind is a system that produces appearances for its owner ... The mind creates this continuous illusion; it really doesn’t know what causes its own actions” (Wegner, 2002). Our ego and perceptual filtering mechanism segment the world, categorizing specific events into groups and relationships to help us understand, act, and react to those events quickly and efficiently. Our awareness of the external world and of the actions and reactions required of us at any particular moment is vital to the difference between living freely and living as automatons. You might not realize that sometimes you act as an automaton. And you might think that you have “free will” and that you are in charge of your destiny. But as you explore and learn the techniques of No Mind, you will realize that you have been conditioned to mechanically act, think, and feel in certain ways.
A Fresh, Direct Reality One of the benefits of No Mind is the ability to see a fresh, unmediated reality. Imagine how fresh our perception was when we were born, when we opened our eyes to the things around us in those first few days. We had not yet
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acquired a fully functioning filtering mechanism or any information framing our understanding of the world around us. We had, for the most part, pure vision, pure hearing, pure taste, pure smell, and pure touch. Each moment of awareness was subject to a new interpretation or no interpretation; it just happened in its purest form. Imagine a world that we could not define, as we normally do, in terms of acquired beliefs and conditioning. Learning about the world is important, but being defined by what we have learned of the world is a trap. In other words, we have been conditioned to act and react in certain ways, but how we define ourselves (in terms of our acting and reacting and our interpretation of our perceptions) is not reality; it is simply the construction of our “life-world.” But this life-world is not necessarily an accurate reflection of what is really happening in the world around us; it is only what we have learned to see through our brain’s filtering mechanism, which distorts reality. We need to learn to see through this screen so we can live in the moment. So we need to return to the uncontaminated perception and spontaneous action of the newborn, while retaining the information we have accumulated in the course of our past experiences. The balance between our experience of pure awareness, or Clear Attention, and our understanding of the world allows us to continue to function in society. Without the filter of the “I,” perception and action can occur naturally, more spontaneously (as explained in No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes). The secret of peak performance, health, and spiritual awareness is to learn to live without the illusion of the “I.” As we become familiar with the techniques and applications of No Mind, we will learn the concept of attachment and its effects on our life and behavior, as well as seeing reality as it is from the perspective of a detached, passive awareness: For cognition to be complete, I have shown that it must be detached, disinterested, desireless, unmotivated. Only thus are we able to perceive the object in its own
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nature with its own objective, intrinsic characteristics rather than abstracting it down to “what is useful,” “what is threatening,” etc. (Maslow, 1968)
Seeing reality as it is requires the pure awareness of a newborn. When we develop pure awareness, we simply become aware of the things around us. Because we now perceive this information directly, not through the filter of the “I,” our actions and reactions are no longer manipulated by what we have been conditioned to believe. In “The Ego and Mystic Selflessness,” Professor Herbert Fingarette explains this further:
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Consistent with our inference is the mystic’s statement that enlightened meditation is (observing) things in the phenomenal world, yet (dwelling) in emptiness. Perception is present, but, it comes as it will to a mind that is ‘empty,’ i.e., without compulsive stereotyped modes of perceiving and thinking. (Fingarette, 1958)
Granted, it is very difficult to understand how we can achieve pure awareness when we are perpetually confined in the “I” cage. We are consumed by our lives, our selves, our families, our work, our friends, and our communities. We are like overfilled glasses that cannot hold any more water. We need all the mental energy and resources we have just to deal with our daily routines and problems. The “I” is being tugged at from many directions, and we are bombarded by advertising that tells us how inadequate we are and what we need to do to lead fuller, happier lives. This is why it is so vital to integrate the practice of No Mind in our daily lives and in our healthrelated and spiritual practices. Through the techniques of No Mind, we achieve peak performance in all aspects of our lives—an outcome that is documented throughout this program. The minds of the ancient masters were not constantly assailed by mass media. But they had other problems, including war, death, incurable diseases, and food shortages. They had to focus their energies on the mind even
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as they dealt with these problems. While the threats to the survival and to the well-being of the ancient masters were different from those we face today, their minds worked as ours do; hence, ancient Eastern philosophical truths about reality apply today as much as they did thousands of years ago. They are timeless, as is the No Mind program. Seeing reality directly, undistorted by the filter of the “I,” has another benefit: the ability to play, or to function at a better-than-ever level. Unconstrained by preconceived expectations, we can once again play in the world, as children do. If we let ourselves play like children again, we will do our best in business, sports, education, and relationships. We will be able to do this when we have mastered bypassing our filtering mechanism. We will be less inhibited, more intuitive, more intelligent, less stressed, and “outside the ‘I’ box.”
Distinguishing Awareness from Mind Still another benefit of the No Mind approach is spiritual awareness: the ability to understand and experience pure awareness. For most of us, living day-to-day causes confusion and the loss of touch with our spiritual awareness. The No Mind techniques enable us to reconnect with it. In his authoritative History of Indian Philosophy, The Hindu philosopher S. N. Dasgupta notes: All mental operations involve this confusion, by which they usurp the place of the principle of pure consciousness so that it is only the mind and the mental operations of thought, feeling, willing, which seem to be existing, while the ultimate principle of consciousness is lost sight of. If we call this ultimate principle of consciousness, this true self, ‘spirit,’ and designate all our functions of knowing, feeling, and willing collectively as ‘mind,’ then we may say that it is only by a strange confusion of mind with spirit that the mind comes to the forefront and by its activities seems to obscure the true light of the spirit ... The spirit, the ultimate principle
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of consciousness, and the self are one and the same thing. The three terms expressing the threefold aspect of its nature. (Dasgupta, 1927)
There are three parts to spiritual awareness: the spirit, the principle of consciousness, and the true self. Essentially, they are all the same. But we tend to confuse mind with pure awareness. There are many reasons for this: the natural filter of the “I,” our dualistic nature, seeing everything as a detached identity, and our codependent interpretation of the world. In other words, we make sense of the world as we perceive it, and if it does not make sense, we are confused. We do not have the necessary training to look at the world with pure awareness; we have been conditioned to always apply meaning to everything. These aspects of the mind have been studied for generations, and their effects on our perception of reality are well documented. We know that we define things in terms of prior knowledge, and we also know that this process takes milliseconds—from one thought to the next. When we try to define ourselves, our awareness of ourselves is caught in a chain of thoughts, each thought sprouting from the previous one, and their sequence flashes through the brain so quickly that we are left with the illusion of a self—an identity. When you have learned to slow down and to “watch” the mind, without the diversion of thoughts, you realize that the self is an illusion. More than realize it, you experience it directly. The masters knew it was simple to observe the mind once certain illusions were dismantled; they also understood that the process required practice and patience. They emphasized the simplicity of enlightenment, or Satori: the first awakening. But no matter how hard they explained this simple idea, most of their disciples pursued more complex answers and subsequently drifted farther and farther from realizing the simple truth that the self was an illusion and that pure awareness was their spiritual core.
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GETTING TO ENLIGHTENMENT
No Mind 101
Creating enlightenment is like making water wet—one cannot do it because water is already wet. Just as water is already wet, enlightenment already exists. Enlightenment is awareness of the true nature of the universe, pure spiritual awareness. We are already enlightened—we simply have not realized it yet, just as water is not aware of its wetness. The ultimate paradox involves using our intellect to search for something that cannot be grasped through the cognitive mind; this task has puzzled many for thousands of years. Because the mind cannot understand pure awareness, awareness must be experienced without the intellect. How can a thought see its own source? To see the source of the thought, we must become aware of the thought from a point outside it. You cannot seek mind with mind, you must seek mind from the perspective of pure awareness, or No Mind. You must jettison all attachments until there is nothing but pure awareness. No Mind techniques enable us to understand how to simply watch a thought and how to separate awareness from the intellect. We can learn to stop the mind from rationalizing the process of seeking enlightenment. And in doing so, we bridge the gap between knowing what we are sure of and the unknown of enlightenment. When we leap into the abyss and “let go” of what we know, we find the unknown and the path to pure awareness. When we use intellect to comprehend the analytical aspects of the mind, we get nowhere, even though we expend a lot of energy. It’s much like a mouse running on a wheel—he runs and runs, but when he stops, he’s still where he started. This lack of progress challenges our sense of ourselves, or the “I.” And this doubt can stop the wheel in a flash, because it pushes us past intellect and into enlightenment. This doubt feeds our quest for the true nature of enlightenment. We wonder what enlightenment is: Is it this? Or is it that? Yet we never
Mind
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know until doubt explodes into truth. It is like a rubber band that gets stretched and stretched until it finally snaps. In realizing enlightenment, there is no loss of self: You do not lose everything you have become and identified with. You lose nothing, yet nothing will ever be the same. The mind’s mechanisms are not negative, just as your “I” is not negative. These are natural cognitive processes, and they exist for evolutionary reasons. But we also have the ability to reach a level of spiritual awareness where we are viscerally aware of our essential spiritual aspects—the direct awareness of the essential aspects of Nature. In enlightenment, awareness is the only universal constant™. Usually, our intellects are enough to get us through the day, but they are not enough to help us achieve the goal of Total Mental Fitness®. Therefore, we need to learn a different way to jettison the filter of the “I” and to achieve pure awareness. With No Mind, an entirely different world of limitless possibilities awaits:
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Finally, just to make sure that the point is not missed, I want to emphasize (1) that the looking within for the real Self is a kind of ‘subjective biology,’ for it must include an effort to become conscious of one’s own constitutional, temperamental, anatomical, physiological and biochemical needs, capacities and reactions, i.e., one’s biological individuality. But then (2), however paradoxical this may sound, it is also simultaneously the path to experiencing one’s specieshood, one’s commonness with all other members of the human species. That is, it is a way to experiencing our biological brotherhood with all human beings no matter what their external circumstances. (Maslow, 1968)
When we understand and experience our “specieshood,” we reach spiritual awareness. By looking within, the ancient masters discovered what many psychologists, neuroscientists, and other scholars have discovered through modern technology and research. Ancient
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masters and scientists may label concepts differently, and they might have different working theories, but their conclusions are essentially the same: The filter of the “I,” or who we think we are, limits our perceptions of reality, governs our actions and reactions, limits the potential of the mind-body dynamic, reinforces our perception of time, separates us in dualism, and causes many of the psychosomatic problems we endure as individuals and as a society.
FINDING HAPPINESS OUTSIDE THE BOX OF “I” Understanding reality in terms of what we have learned is limiting in many ways: it frames our ability to perform, act, react, and choose freely, without past or future influences. We are so conditioned to try as hard as we can to succeed at most activities (from academics, to sports, to relationships) that we become consumed by our efforts. When we fail, we experience shame, guilt, and remorse, or we feel disappointed. We push hard to keep up with the Joneses; we feel humiliated and inferior when we cannot, and we boast about it when we can. We perform at work the way we think we are supposed to, yet somehow whatever we do is never enough, so we constantly struggle to succeed and to be happy. People in all occupations and from all backgrounds feel the need to succeed, and when they don’t, they are miserable. There are many wealthy, successful, and famous people who are not happy and who turn to drugs, to alcohol, and to other destructive behaviors. They don’t seem to understand that money can never bring true happiness, even if it brings comfort and convenience. Money cannot resolve our intrinsic need to realize spiritual awareness and deep contentment. Our only path to complete fulfillment is in discovering spiritual awareness and shifting our perceptions to a non-dualistic approach: seeing reality as it really is, not the way our filtering mechanism interprets it.
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The lure of material and social gains compels us to pursue external sources of satisfaction, which cannot give us happiness. We need to understand true happiness and freedom from a perspective that is outside the “I.” In other words, within the confines of the “I,” we depend on something or someone else for our happiness, success, or freedom. When we think that we will be happy with a new car or toy, then our happiness depends on acquiring that new car or toy. We become dependent on such acquisitions, and because our needs and expectations constantly change, we are never really happy. It’s like being tossed by the waves of an ocean surface, never truly understanding the profound bliss of the calm below it. As long as we continue to focus on the “I,” we will see things only from that perspective. It is like a fly caught in a spider web: from inside the web, the fly can only see whatever is immediately around it because it is trapped in the filament. We pity the fly for being stuck in the web, but is it not the spider that is really stuck in the web? The fly has known the freedom of flying everywhere and experiencing many things. The spider has known only the web; it is stuck. Society is like a spider that spins a web. When we are young, we are like the roaming fly, free of the web, but soon we get entangled in the “I” conditioned by society. We are trapped in the sticky web of our understanding of the self, which is nothing more than an extension of our own “I” and of society, which is an aggregation of the many “I’s” that make up our community. When we are trapped in our individual and social webs, we are confined by our limited vision and by the limits of our intellect that constantly interprets reality for us. We are limited by our own thoughts and by the reality we share with society. Although we are trapped in this web, we can use ancient techniques to release our awareness and to realize that we have been stuck. We have the potential to look around and to “see” what the masters have seen for thousands of years. Then we can continue on our path.
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25 Chapter 1 Our Natural Filter— The “I”
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26
In The Self in Transformation, Fingarette reveals:
No Mind 101
Liberation is achieved as a way of life and by means of ‘pragmatic,’ not theoretical communication, communication oriented to the immediate context and the particular person. It is not a question of proving or disproving theories. Likewise, the psychoanalytic therapist, as a therapist, is not primarily concerned with establishing the truth of some general theory; he is concerned to provide specific interventions which enable the patient to undergo the experience with concurrent insight. (Fingarette, 1963)
Mind
Liberation through awareness is key to several psychological therapies. When we become aware of the mind’s processes as such, we can control them. Developing and training attention is the fundamental building block of No Mind. Attention to the present moment, along with attention to the stimuli from the senses, thoughts, and feelings, leads to a new vision of ourselves and of the world. In the practice of No Mind, we do not conceive, analyze, or intellectualize the perceptions. The senses, thoughts, and feelings simply exist on their own, of their own accord. But how is that possible? How can the filter filter itself? This is a legitimate question. How can the “I” realize no “I”? This feat is analogous to trying to lift yourself up and carry yourself in the air. To realize No Mind, we must learn to step outside the mind’s filtering mechanism, although we do not really step out, or step anywhere for that matter; there is just an awareness of stepping out. In this way, we are no longer attached to any particular perspective because the awareness does not cling to any particular interpretation. Sixteenth-century Zen master Takuan Soho says the following: The mind that becomes fixed and stops in one place does not function freely. Similarly, the wheels of a cart go around because they are not rigidly in place. If they were to stick tight, they would not go around. The mind is also something that does not function if it becomes attached to a single situation. (Soho, 1986)
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CHAPTER 1 IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. The ancient techniques of awareness training are the most important aspects of No Mind; Total Mental Fitness® is the fulfillment of the mindbody potential, achieving peak performance, and the experiencing of spiritual awareness.
Chapter 1 Our Natural Filter— The “I”
2. We develop awareness that the “I” filters and modifies our experience of the external and internal worlds. It obscures our essential link with Nature and life. It is a fact of science, as well as of ancient philosophy. It is a function of our sensory systems, an aspect of our physiological design to reduce the amount of useless and irrelevant information. 3. Identifying with “I” creates a dualistic relationship with the external world and causes us to feel alienated from everything. Even most of our spiritual beliefs are dualistic, thus precluding true, non-dualistic spiritual awareness. We remain fragmented instead of becoming whole, a piece of something, rather than the essence of everything. 4. What we “see” of the external and internal worlds is perceptually altered to fit the image of what we think they should be. We unconsciously filter reality to fit our needs. In addition to doing this individually, we also do it socially through shared realities. 5. The “I” mindlessly seeks to fulfill its expectations, intentions, hopes, goals, and motivations, and it is simultaneously affected by its conditioned anxieties, worries, guilts, prejudices, hates, etc. The “I” underpins our automatic behavior and confuses the mind with awareness, limiting our natural capacity to experience No Mind.
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6. The “I” is a self-protective mechanism that evolved to filter, analyze, interpret, categorize, defend, and associate in response to the world around it. In this way, we also imagine our internal world. We create the world in a way that is consistent with our beliefs, expectations, and motivations— our life-world. 7. Recent studies and scientific-medical theory recognize the “I” is an illusion. We believe the “I” is a conscious agent and we perceive it as an entity that “acts” autonomously. Instead, it is a biological mechanism and a social construct, and it gets reality technically wrong. 8. The “I” is the product of our synaptic associative network, which is conditioned through our individual experiences and genes. These shape our behavioral patterns, as they are literally encoded in our neural connections. 9. No Mind is an ancient technique through which we can modify and override the illusionary experience of the “I.” We can develop pure awareness, which allows us to “play” in the world again. We learn to perceive from an objective, pure awareness. 10. As long as we are trapped in the “I,” happiness will always depend on something or someone else. We cannot be unconditionally happy without experiencing pure awareness beyond the “I” box.
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EXERCISE 1: PRACTICING MINDFUL ATTENTION
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Step 1: Being mindful of the perceptual filter This is an exercise in mindful association. The chart lists 25 words/objects intended to act as perceptual cues to trigger responses. With a sheet of paper, cover all the words below the first word, so that you can only see the first word/object. Look at the first word/object and immediately write down the first object, image, word, thought, or feeling that comes into your mind. Then slide the paper down to reveal the next word, write down your response, and so on. The objective is to become aware (mindful) of the association without thinking or analyzing the word. So write down your first answer in a split second. Do not hesitate, just write it down and be mindful of it. This is an exercise in training your attention to become aware of “what the mind is doing” in different situations—in this case, what it is doing with words/objects. This is an easy exercise into looking simplistically at the perceptual filter we have discussed. Typically, people supply a multitude of different answers to the words. You may have a single answer or several answers, but write down your answers quickly, before you have a chance to “think” about them. It is not a test and you cannot fail; it is only a tool to help you learn to become aware of your associations and responses. When you have finished this exercise and practiced the techniques you will learn in No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes, revisit this exercise 30 days after you have practiced the techniques of No Mind.
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Our Natural Filter— The “I”
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Object
Your first thought, feeling, image
Love Greed
Mind
Black Desire Death Cockroach White Play Evolution Evil Meditation Karma Spiritual Attachment Trying Work Water Mirror Pure God “I” Tranquility Prejudice Worry Intention
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The mind is not a passive spectator that observes reality objectively. Each of us has an “I” that processes reality and presents it to us as the “I” has been conditioned to interpret it. In other words, we see the world as the “I” presents it to us. The conditioned “I” is founded on assumption and imagination that filter and modify our “experience” of the outside world. This obscures our image of the immediate reality, so that we cannot fully experience the moment and act and interact with it freely. This illusory world of the mind usurps our free will. In fact, many scientists now refer to “free will” as “free won’t.” We become aware of a reaction a full half-second after a stimulus has been processed in the brain and an appropriate course of action has been chosen, unconsciously. In other words, we become aware of our reaction after the fact, and now we have a choice to veto it or to stick with it.
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Chapter 2
The World According to “I”
W
e “know” the world only as a reflection of our mind’s experience of it. When the mind reflects the world, it functions analogously to a dusty mirror. The dust is accumulated over the years by our filtering and interpretive mechanism, which determines our understanding of what we have come to “know” as “our” world. Since each of us interprets the “experience” of the world differently, the dust “patterns” vary across mirrors. How the mind reflects the world depends on the thickness of the dust cover. But even if we are dealing with a very thin film of dust, our minds will not reflect the world as clearly as they would if they were dustfree. So the “mind-mirror” no longer reflects the world as clearly as it once did. And if the mirror becomes slightly warped or bent, the reflection becomes even less accurate. We all see the same things, understand the same things, hear the same things, taste the same things, feel the same things, and smell the same things. But we all have relatively different interpretations of these things. Our conditioning, experience, and genetics 32
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distort the real nature of the world, favoring subjective perception based on the ego’s habits and preferences. We see what we want to see or need to see, not what is really there. Indian scholar Sri Aurobindo defines the ego in terms of Yogic philosophy:
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If one were embarrassed by the word ‘spirit,’ then think of spirit as the subtlest form of matter, but if one is not embarrassed by the word spirit, then one can think of matter as the deepest form of Spirit ... The ego is by its nature a smallness of Being; it brings contraction of the consciousness, and with the contraction limitation of knowledge, disabling ignorance, confinement and a diminution of power. And by that diminution incapacity and weakness, scission of oneness, and by that scission disharmony and failure of sympathy and love and understanding, inhibition or fragmentation of delight of being, and by that fragmentation pain and sorrow. To recover what is lost we must break out of the worlds of ego. The ego must either disappear in impersonality or fuse into a larger ‘I.’ (Ghose, 1955)
OUR SELF-LIMITING INTERPRETATIONS The “I” sets a boundary between us and the social and natural worlds in which we live. We not only become different from everything else, which is natural and acceptable, but we “lose” ourselves in the difference. When two people taste vanilla ice cream, one may say, “This is the best vanilla I’ve ever had; it’s incredible.” The other may say, “I don’t like vanilla. I’d rather have chocolate.” Why? Assuming our taste buds are all pretty much built the same way physiologically, why does one person love the taste of vanilla, while the other dislikes it? Our likes and dislikes certainly make us unique, and they allow ice-cream manufacturers to sell more ice cream and to have fun creating a variety of flavors for different tastes. We do not need to go into detail; we just need to acknowledge that “difference” across people is natural.
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However, we really need to clearly understand how the sense organs interpret information. It is not necessary to employ neuroscience or physiology; what matters is to acknowledge that although we all have the same sensory organs, we still experience the world differently through them. Where do these differences come from? Well, they can be explained in terms of both nurture and nature. In other words, they are the product of our learned experiences and of our DNA. A large part of who we are—and why we like the things we like—is based on what we have been conditioned to like and dislike by our families, peers, mentors, communities, and society. But we are also born with a certain genetic makeup that makes us different from others. For example, we may not like vanilla ice cream because no one in our family likes vanilla and we never have vanilla ice cream in our home (hence, it tastes foreign to us). But we might detest vanilla ice cream because we are allergic to the vanilla bean—an allergy shared by our parents. Even basic needs and motives play a part in “heightening perceptual readiness to environmental cues,” so that it is easier to detect what we are “looking” for (Aarts, Dijksterhuis, & De Vries, 2001). We learn how to interpret the information we receive from our senses; we learn through association and conditioning what we like and what we dislike. Intuitively, we all understand that there are differences in taste and that people like different things based on many experiential factors. Some people enjoy eating snails, while others are repulsed by the thought. Some people enjoy trying new things, while others stick with the familiar. Perhaps there is too much dust on the mind-mirrors of people who are averse to trying something different. Removing the dust reveals new realities. The point is that people interpret the same stimuli differently. Because of this, we can treat these interpretations as the products of different worlds—our worlds of the “I” created via nurture and nature, by experience and genetics.
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The “I,” which constitutes our identities, is the aspect of our mental lives that causes us to interpret the same stimuli in different ways. We claim ownership of our interpretations—“I like vanilla, not chocolate.” We identify with the interpretations, become attached to them, and even defend them, if needed—“I don’t understand how people can like chocolate, when vanilla is so much better.” Interpretations may be learned, acquired through modeling or association, or experienced. We acquire them automatically in the brain, through a process that has been mapped out by neuroscientists. The sense of taste, for example, is a response to incoming stimuli that are analyzed and interpreted in milliseconds by the brain’s neurons. And brain cells have certain electrical and chemical conductivity that determines the rate at which a neuron cell fires.
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A cell’s intrinsic properties, which may have a strong genetic component, will greatly influence everything that cell does, including its participation in synaptic transmission. But because psychological and behavioral functions are mediated by aggregates of cells joined by synapses and working together rather than by individual neurons in isolation, the contribution of intrinsic properties of a cell to mental life or behavior occurs only by way of the role of that cell in circuits. While synapses themselves don’t account for everything the brain does, they do participate crucially in every act or thought that we have, and in every emotion we express and experience. Synapses are ultimately the key to the brain’s functions, and thus to the self. (LeDoux, 2003)
The Effect of Interpretation on Our Perception Given the brain’s inherent physiological ability to associate, categorize, and discriminate perceptions in milliseconds, all subjective experiences depend on what the “I” has learned. For example, someone who sits down to sample a new serving of food may say, “I like this—this is really good; what is this?” When the cook says, “It’s
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snails,” the diner retorts, “Oh my, I can’t believe I just ate snails. They’re disgusting.” In seconds, the food went from tasting really good to being disgusting. The taste buds liked the snails before the new information was analyzed and filtered through the “I.” Once the diner placed snails into a category—i.e., snails are disgusting—then the diner’s interpretation of how the snails tasted changed. It is difficult to understand how we can interpret, then misinterpret, and then reinterpret all over again, altering our perceptions in the process. Through it all, the taste of the snails is the same; the flavor changes only because of each “new” interpretation. That is a very important point: The experience of the perception is altered by the interpretation of the experience. We experience the world not as it really is, but through the mind-mirror and the dust of previous experiences and conditioning. Just as the light reflecting from the mirror is dimmed, our experience of the world is obscured. Intentions, expectations, and motivations, for the most part created by what the “I” has been conditioned to believe, represent the dust on the mind-mirror and compromise our experiences of the world. Psychologist Guy Claxton makes this point: This inhibiting effect of intention certainly has its parallels in everyday life. The phenomena of ‘not being able to see for looking,’ or of ‘trying too hard,’ are commonplace. Perhaps the presence of a strong intention locks consciousness too firmly into a predetermined framework of plans and expectations, so that other information, which could potentially be useful or even necessary, is relegated to unconscious processes of perception, where it is, in these cases, ignored. Intention drives conscious attention, to the detriment, sometimes, of intelligence. (Claxton, 2000)
Depending on its intensity, intention alters our perceptions and causes us to react to situations automatically, without recognizing what is really going on. In other words, we react mindlessly, and our mindless reactions narrow our perceptions.
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As long as we do not know we are eating snails, we like them. When we know what they are, we instantly dislike them. So who tastes the snails? Who is really doing the interpreting? Can we say the “I” tastes the snails? Or is there just a taste of snails? In this case, as in so many others, we do not need to attribute the taste to the “I.” So how do we overcome the accumulated experiences and learning, which cause us to react mindlessly? The solution is in removing awareness from the maze of the “I.” We have to learn to perceive the world as it really is, not as we have been conditioned to see it. This issue is of particular interest to researchers in the field of cognitive neuroscience. In one study on focused attention:
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Seeing the world around you is like drinking from a fire hose. The flood of information that enters the eyes could easily overwhelm the capacity of the visual system. To solve this problem, a mechanism—attention— allows selective processing of the information relevant to current goals ... we are not passive recipients of the information that washes over our sensory receptors, but active participants in our process of perception. (Kanwisher & Downing, 1998)
OUR CODEPENDENT REALITY Our reality exists in a codependent relationship with our learned “understanding” of it. We understand reality as we have learned to interpret it, not as it really is. This codependent relationship solidifies as we mature. We can recognize that one person loves Beethoven, while another prefers modern jazz. We can acknowledge that one person loves the fragrance of a certain perfume, while another cannot tolerate it. What feels good to one person may feel terrible to another. What makes two people compatible is their ability to interpret each other’s “I’s” objectively and correctly. Recognizing and acknowledging certain behavioral or cognitive patterns in a romantic partner allows us to enjoy their sense of humor even if it is not quite our “cup of tea.”
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38 No Mind 101
So we acknowledge a fundamental aspect of human cognition: Our mind creates our “experiences” and interpretations of the world. When we introspect, we realize that the world we know is not reality.
Mind
Perception is essentially a process of pattern detection and completion, driven by response desirability and capability. Learning is essentially a developmental process of pattern attunement, driven by success or failure of preconditions ... perception is a habitual processing mode that is acquired, and which can be altered by practice—with direct and very beneficial results. (Claxton, 1999)
ALTERING PERCEPTION New studies using neuroimaging and behavioral assessments suggest that perceptual awareness depends on attention (Rees & Lavie, 2001) and that we can alter our perceptions through attention training, or what the ancient masters called mindfulness. When you remove awareness from the maze of the “I,” you see a world that is “clearer, cleaner, and more objective” (Claxton, 1999). When you practice No Mind, you can begin to look at life mindfully, or with Clear Attention. Clear Attention, or CAt, means being objectively aware of your actions, reactions, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It shifts your perception outside the web of the “I” to an empty, unbiased awareness (see Figure 7-1). The more you practice this, the longer you will be able to stay in that mindful, clear space. And an immediate benefit of No Mind practice is that you can learn pretty quickly how to choose to accept or reject the actions of the “I.”
The Illusion of Free Will Many of our responses are conditioned—free will is often an illusion. For example, one study demonstrates that we can change our behaviors if we know we are going to be
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praised for particular actions, but only if we understand what is expected of us. In other words, when we know what the goal is, we become conditioned to affect it. So if you know that your boss will say, “Great job!” when you go above and beyond your normal duties, you’ll do a great job to receive the boss’s praise. Studies have shown that control groups that expect praise do better than the groups that don’t expect it. Throughout our lives, we have been conditioned by various kinds of verbal cues, and we act according to those “reinforcing” cues. At other times, our treasured goals can blind us to reality. For example, if a millionaire threw gold nuggets on his estate grounds and told the townspeople to come and shovel around to find it, people would think that they were digging for gold, unaware that they were actually spading a garden. (Spielberger & DeNike, 1966) When we respond incorrectly to a certain situation, we do so because of the way we have been conditioned to respond to that situation. According to another study on selective attention, what we need, what we expect, and how we feel all determine what we select to perceive in the environment. Experiments have shown that we don’t do well when we try to accomplish two things at the same time. We decide what to notice based on how we have learned to act in certain situations (Kastner & Ungerleider, 2000). So what we choose to pay attention to is directly related to the “I” in terms of what we “feel” we need, what we “expect” we need, and what we “think” we need (see matrix in Figure 7-1). And this, of course, is different for everyone. In many cases, then, we act for the sake of getting rewarded and in reaction to conditioned responses. In psychology, this is known as deterministic behavior.
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The Practice of Free Won’t Fortunately, we are not like Pavlov’s dog, which salivated at the sound of a whistle when it learned to associate it with feeding time. We are not complete automatons; we
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have the potential to overcome automatic-action and automatic-reaction responses made on autopilot, without any mindfulness (see Figure 7-1). Therein lies the essence of free will, or, as some scientists now call it, free won’t. A true choice is one made when we learn how to choose freely—that is one of the benefits of No Mind. But first we must understand “who” does the choosing and what set of parameters determine our choices. Are you really making the decisions? Did you choose the vanilla ice cream, or was the choice already made for you without your awareness? In the milliseconds it takes to process thoughts in the brain, it might have seemed like you chose vanilla. What made you say, “I like vanilla ice cream”? Why did you make that choice? It was the mental web of the “I.” Your choice was processed unconsciously by the associative neural network, and you became aware of it half a second after it was decided. In several famous experiments, Benjamin Libet discovered that the brain registers a stimulus and begins to act on it before we become aware of it. Our awareness of an action may occur up to 500 milliseconds, or half second, after the action is initiated (Libet, 1999; Libet, Wright, & Gleason, 1983). In other words, we begin to take action before we even know that we are doing so. And when we become aware of the action, we assume that we made the choice about how to act. This assumption is part of the illusion of the “I.” We didn’t choose anything; we only responded the way we had been conditioned to respond. The assumption of choice is an illusion. The concept of free will has been reframed by the scientific community in terms of “free won’t”: When we become aware of an action or reaction, we have the ability to veto it in favor of an alternative; that is, we can exercise free won’t. The veto option is available equally to novice and expert practitioners of No Mind. Studies indicate that when we try to act consciously, action is delayed, which gives us more time to veto it once it reaches our awareness. According to Libet, since the
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intention to act can take 500 milliseconds to activate the muscles, this “retained the possibility that the conscious will could control the outcome of the volitional process, it could veto and block the performance of the act” (Libet, 1999). You can take advantage of the half-second delay to exercise free won’t or to consciously stay on course with your initial reaction. When you become aware of the action, you can cancel it and select a different action, based on another intention or expectation. In some cases, the delay is helpful.
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It should be of interest to the reader that many of the world’s leading neuroscientists have not only accepted our findings and interpretations, but have even enthusiastically praised these achievements and their experimental ingenuity ... The ‘usefulness’ of a delay in the appearance of sensory awareness is evident, in part, in the phenomenon of psychic modification of the content of a sensory experience. Freud and others in psychiatry and psychology have recognized that the conscious experience reported by a person may be quite altered from the actual image or even completely repressed. The delay of up to about 500ms provides a physiological opportunity during which the individual can unconsciously detect the nature of the image and generate neural processes to alter the content of the conscious experience. (Libet, 2002)
However, the “I” remains the source of these expectations and intentions, and all actions and reactions that take place in the brain automatically give us the feeling of identity: “I am doing this.” This raises the question of whether it is possible to get around the “I” at least in certain situations, when this would benefit us more. Since we automatically sense and perceive through a series of autopilot mechanisms in the brain, this allows for auto-action and auto-reaction to take place without our being immediately aware of it. In professional sports, for example, that delay could be the difference between winning and losing.
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Closing the Half-Second Gap
No Mind 101
If we need to take immediate action, as in sports, playing an instrument, creative thinking, and public speaking, we must forsake thought for the sake of speed (Libet, 1992). We forego “free won’t” to close the half-second gap. Since the “I’s” responses take place before we become aware of them, we can act more directly and efficiently when we learn to trust them and “let go.” For instance, in tennis or the martial arts, we must react without even a split-second delay. Highly trained athletes react without having to think about their responses. When you are trained to respond correctly, you learn to trust your responses without interfering with them—you go with the flow. This is No Mind in action: acting without over-thinking, which is closing the gap in the delay. This type of action or reaction is natural; it is not something we “should” or “need to” do to feel better about ourselves. It is pure reaction through mindful awareness. It is objective, with no interference from the “I.” In addition to developing automatic proper responses through so-called “muscle memory,” we can also close the half-second gap through No Mind action and reaction. Athletes recognize intuitively that we do not experience the world in real time. Instead, we experience a subjective time which is off by half a second. Psychological research on sports professionals explains how athletes train to respond without thinking and by entering “the zone,” thereby circumventing the 500-millisecond delay. They respond and focus their awareness in the moment. A study of tennis players, who can serve a ball across the court in 400 milliseconds, suggests that the player returning the ball does not analyze the moves of the opponent who serves. In other words, players close the gap of the cognitive delay through experience and training:
Mind
We do not notice the large gap in our awareness because our brains move seamlessly from a state of intelligent forecast to a state of confirmed sensory expectation ... Every moment is processed within some prior context—a framework of hopes and fears, intentions and expectations, memories and goals. These form the
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backdrop against which the events of the moment will be judged. And the more we get right about the coming moment, the less work there will be to do during it. (McCrone, 2001)
An athlete, therefore, trains to respond without analyzing opponents’ behaviors, mannerisms, and body positions. With experience, we intuitively “know” the next move without thinking. Usually in extreme sports, to think is to be too late. This can also be achieved through the practice of No Mind.
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ASSUMPTION ALTERS THE WORLD OF “I” The world according to “I” is the interpretation of the world through the filter of “I.” The ego distorts reality through the dust of accumulated learning, modeling, conditioning, and association. When the world outside is consistent with the world inside, we feel comfortable. When they are dissonant, we are quickly alerted about the discrepancy, so that we can veto or correct the original action. In his book Going Inside, McCrone argues that anticipation and imagination are fundamentally the same. While anticipation is tied to predicting the moment, imagination asks “what if?” In both cases, we make an assumption. We imagine a situation and anticipate how we would act based on the way we perceive the world, instead of responding to the actual world. Assumption, therefore, can alter the way we think about things: Illusions of various kinds can occur in any of the senses, and they can cross over between the senses. For example, small objects feel considerably heavier than larger objects of exactly the same weight. This can be easily demonstrated by filling a small can with sand, and then putting enough sand in a much larger can, until the two cans are in balance. The smaller can will feel up to 50% heavier than the larger can, of precisely the same weight. Evidently weight is perceived not only according to the pressure and muscle senses, but also according to the expected weight of the object, as indicated by its visually judged size. When the density is unexpected, vision produces the illusion of weight. I believe
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all systematic distortion illusions are essentially similar to this size-weight illusion. (Gregory, 1968)
Anticipation, expectation, hope, desire, and imagination all alter the perception of reality and create the inner world according to “I.” Remember, we become aware of our action up to half a second after the brain has already determined its response. Therefore, in many cases we can react more quickly and more efficiently if we don’t think about our reaction.
THE WORLD OF “I” IS NOT THE REAL WORLD When we anticipate, hope, desire, or expect certain things, we create an imaginary world. As argued previously, when the “I” becomes aware of the brain’s action, we are left with the impression that we controlled that action; but we didn’t—all we did was act the way we had been conditioned to act. This distorts reality and shifts our attention from its true nature, so we cannot experience the moment and interact with it fully and freely. For instance, a tennis player might congratulate herself, “I just hit a great serve!” Yet, did “she” really hit that great serve, or did her brain process the situation and choose an appropriate action unconsciously before she was even aware of it? In other words, self-consciousness is just another thought of the “I” doing something, which is the basis of your identity. Ironically, the “I” separates us from the world around us. The world according to “I” is lonely, detached, and dualistic. When we understand the “I” illusion through No Mind, we achieve spiritual awareness, where we act and react without the “I” being the focal point, or the imaginary originator. Conditioning and reinforcement join synaptic connections in the brain, developing neural pathways and the associative neural patterns of behavior and perception we experience. Our perceptions are altered by our understandings, intentions, assumptions, expectations, judgments, motivations, and interpretations of a situation.
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The world as it really exists is changed into what we think it should be. Because nature and nurture affect the neural connections and cognitive associations, each person has a unique perspective on the world. Over the last hundred years, psychologists have extensively researched patterns of conditioning and reinforcement, which develop the mental web of the “I” and shape who we think we are and why we act the way we do. Alas, those same patterns also keep us from reaching spiritual enlightenment. The “I” is a complex automated mechanism with a free-won’t editor. The patterns of behavior you exhibit have been learned and acquired through experience and genetics. The “I” has adapted itself to fit the needs and requirements of the world, family and social values, genetic traits, professional goals, educational expectations, and so on. The world according to “I” is the world created by the “I” through the brain’s filter (see Figure 7-1). Most important, this world created by the “I” is not the real world.
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The World of “I” Seeks Stability Through Identity Genes account for about 50% of personality traits, such as timidity or aggressiveness. Environmental factors determine whether a given trait is reinforced or modified through experience: When identical twins, separated at birth, end up sharing characteristics as adults, we need to wonder whether this is due to their common genetic heritage, to common influences within the womb, or to subtle environmental similarities that shape the development of their synaptic connections. (LeDoux, 2003)
In Personality and Assessment, Walter Mischel of the National Academy of Sciences asserts that we can learn behaviors just by observing how other people respond to certain situations: Classical conditioning depends on association of stimuli rather than on reinforcement for responses. Behavior
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may result as witnessing; a fear may develop after watching someone get hurt. The reinforcing consequences incurred by behavior are dispensed not only by the external physical and social environment. A striking characteristic of human behavior is that people judge and evaluate their own behavior and reward and punish themselves ... The consequences a person expects depend not only on the outcomes he has received for his behavior in similar situations, but also on the outcomes he has observed other people obtain ... Behavior depends on the exact stimulus conditions in the evoking situation and on the individual’s history with similar stimuli based on review of experiments and documentation. Stability (constant) behavior is enhanced when individuals categorize themselves with relatively permanent trait labels (smart, dumb, attractive) ... Trait labels are likely to have particularly strong stabilizing effects on behavior when they lead the labeled person into special consistent environments in which he regularly encounters people who model the labeled behavior or who reinforce behavior congruent with the label. (Mischel, 1968)
When our external and internal worlds are consistent with each other, this has a stabilizing, or reinforcing, effect on our behavior. When we are familiar with “who” and “what” we are, we are reassured. This is especially true of small children; when their behavior is consistent and their patterns are routine, they feel safe and secure. But many times the external world is not consistent with the world according to “I,” producing stress, anxiety, fear, and confusion (see Figure 7-1).
REAL AND IMAGINED EVENTS CAN BE THE SAME IN THE BRAIN Systematic desensitization, or reversed conditioning, is a technique that has been used by psychologists and psychiatrists to modify the inner world’s reaction to the external environment. It has proven effective in the treatment of anxiety and phobias.
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The procedure involves imagining a situation that triggers the anxiety or phobia, then linking the imagined event to a relaxation response. With repetition and practice, the imagined event no longer triggers anxiety. Consequently, when the real event occurs, it is no longer associated with anxiety. Used successfully for years, the procedure confirms the brain’s ability to restructure itself by remapping its networks. Arnold A. Lazarus, PhD in Psychology and professor at Rutgers University, reports that in one study, 70% of the subjects undergoing such desensitization reported marked improvement within an average of 20 sessions. The technique “seemed to be most valuable with phobic disorders. And also, self-consciousness, hypersensitivity to criticism, rejection fears” (Lazarus, 1961). Desensitization has been shown to be effective for the treatment of public-speaking anxiety and was found to be far superior to other approaches (Paul, 1966). Through reverse conditioning, people can unlearn behaviors that trigger any number of phobias. These results confirm that the inside world has a direct effect on how we view the outside world, and that both of these worlds are required to form the world of the “I.” The fact that we can modify behavior through conditioning demonstrates how powerful conditioning is to forming behavior in the first place.
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FREEING THE WILL FROM THE “I” Fortunately, we can transcend the illusion of the “I.” Everything we have been conditioned to believe has a strong and direct effect on the “I.” This aspect of human nature has profound implications for our strengths and weaknesses. We can free the awareness from the “I” trap through the practice of No Mind, and we can perceive the world directly as it really is, not as we think it should be. This happens as we understand that the “I” limits our perceptions and experiences of the world, while engulfing our awareness.
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Free will can guide us past the barriers, as long as it is objectively free and not originating from the subjective “I.” When do we know that we have untangled our free will from the mental web of the “I”? According to the ancient masters, you have passed through the gates of insight when the boundaries of “I” disappear into nothingness. Once you understand how the “I” is created, you can wipe away the dust from the mind-mirror and achieve pure awareness. The knowledge and practice of No Mind gives you the opportunity to be psychologically satisfied and capable of achieving peak performance and spiritual enlightenment. It opens the doors to experiencing the world more directly and creatively, allowing you to live fully in the moment (Brown, Forte, & Dysart, 1984). In addition, practicing the techniques of No Mind reveals a larger world—reality as it is—thus making you more sensitive and more aware of opportunities and choices. No Mind allows you to open yourself to true free will.
EXPANDING YOUR WINDOW OF THE WORLD Ultimately, the practice of No Mind enables you to see the world directly and clearly in its entirety. Imagine a monkey in a circular room with a dozen very small windows. Each time the monkey looks through a window, it sees a different part of the outside world; to see the world in its entirety, the monkey would have to run around in circles at high speed and look through each window until its brain strings them in a visual sequence to form an “experience” of the entire outside world. Unable to do so, the monkey is stuck with access to fragments of the outside world and cannot know what is occurring behind all of the windows at the same time. Therefore, the monkey never understands the whole outside world—just the isolated snippets that appear through any one window at a time. And if the monkey were born inside the room, its entire experience of the
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outside would always be circumscribed by whatever window it looked through. Similarly, the “I” confines our experience of the outside world by looking only through the windows it has been conditioned to go to. When it is unhappy with one view, it goes to another. Further, through a complex process, the “I” separates itself from the outside world by producing its own filters for the windows and then modifying the filters in anticipation of what it “thinks” it will see when it looks out. We all have different window screens. As long as we experience the world from within the “I,” we are trapped in a circular room. We are always looking out one window at a time, seeing only this or that part of the world; we never perceive the world directly, only through the filters of the “I.” Understanding this, the ancient masters devised a technique to get outside this room and to experience the entire outside world directly, not just through the windows of the “I.”
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CHAPTER 2
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Each one of us interprets the same things differently. Our conditioning, learning, experience, and genetics alter the real nature of the world, favoring perceptions based on the ego’s preferences. We see what we want to see or need to see, not what is really there. 2. Conditioning and reinforcement join synaptic connections in the brain, developing neural pathways and the associative neural patterns of behavior and perception. 3. Our perceptions are altered by our understandings, intentions, assumptions, expectations, judgments, motivations, and interpretations of a situation. The “real” world is changed into what we think we should be seeing. 4. Our reality appears to us in a codependent relationship with our learned understanding of it. We understand reality as we have learned to interpret it, not as it really is. We interpret reality concurrently with perceiving it, which is the codependent reality we experience. 5. When we shift awareness outside the maze of the “I,” we see a world that is clearer, cleaner, and more objective. We become aware of an action up to half a second after the brain has already chosen that action. What appears as free will may be more appropriately termed “free won’t,” the ability to veto an action before it commences, since the brain has already set the stage for it. 6. The existence of a distinct entity that we know as the “I” is an illusion. When we “think” of our actions and reactions and become conscious of them, our performance and acumen are often
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inhibited. We need to release the full potential of our mind and body to act and react without being slowed down by over-thinking or over-analyzing. 7. The world according to “I” is the interpretation of the world that shapes the “I.” The ego mirrors the world around it through the dust of accumulated learning, modeling, conditioning, and association. When the world outside is consistent with the world inside, we feel comfortable. Otherwise, we experience discomfort, stress, anxiety, confusion, and fear.
Chapter 2 The World According to “I”
8. We can free the awareness from the trap of the “I” through the practice of No Mind, so that we can perceive the world directly as it really is, not as we think it should be. We understand that the “I” limits our perceptual field and our experience of the outside world, while compromising our awareness. We are learning and understanding the different components of the “I,” as represented in Figure 7-1. The practice of No Mind gives us the ability to break through these limits.
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EXERCISE 2: PRACTICING MINDFUL ATTENTION
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Being Mindful of the Sources of Our Preferences Write down your answers to the following questions; if you need more space to write, use a blank piece of paper. You do not need to answer these questions in a split second, as you did in Chapter 1, but it is important to try to understand why you prefer your answers. You may not know why; this is common and the answer may come to you at a later time, when you are not trying to think of it. If you have an idea, write it down. You may try free association when you are finished with the answers that are giving you trouble. Question
Why is this your choice?
What is your favorite ice cream flavor? What is your favorite meal? What type of music do you prefer? What is your favorite flower? What is your favorite fragrance? What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite book? What initially attracted you to your partner? What were your favorite subjects in school? How do you feel about doing something wrong? How do you act in times of crisis?
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Question
Why is this your choice?
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What is your greatest phobia?
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What do you fear the most?
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What is your greatest happy thought? What is your greatest expectation of yourself? What gives you anxiety? What do you absolutely hate? Have you ever done anything based on greed? What is the most important hope you have? What do you do to play? What is your greatest joy?
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Each of us has a mild condition of “I,” or self. While we are under the influence of the self, we are spiritually ill. We are conditioned through a series of external and internal cues such as environmental conditions, thoughts, emotions, sensations, assumptions, and defense mechanisms, which the brain categorizes and maps. This conditioning creates learned responses, such as anxieties, phobias, expectations, and intentions with which we identify and to which we form attachments through the agent of the “I.” These attachments to the “I” determine our self-image and modify our experience of the world. Emotions can overwhelm thoughts, and because emotions have greater intensity, they have more power to condition responses, to modify behavior, and to contribute to both a positive and a negative self-image. Emotions also use most of the brain’s resources in emotionally charged situations, and they can cause the “I” to act mindlessly, on autopilot. Complex ideas, such as beliefs, self-image, and hopes, are relative to the mental web of the “I,” and what is true for one person may not be true for another, which often leads to conflicts between people. Understanding this relative nature of ideas is important in understanding human nature.
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Chapter 3
A Mild Condition of “I”
W
e have learned that the “I” is a deceptive mechanism that limits the mind-body dynamic. In reality, the “I” does not help us to achieve peak performance, stress-free lives, or spiritual awareness. In fact, it is the reason why we misinterpret and misperceive the world around us. The “I” causes us to misjudge the outside world and to fear nonexistent threats. We all have experienced confusions stemming from the “I.” In this chapter, we will look further into the conditioning and reinforcing processes of the “I,” so that we can learn how to free our awareness from its grasp.
ATTACHMENTS ARE THE GREAT HURDLE OF THE “I” We are conditioned by environmental cues and by internal cues, including thoughts, emotions, sensations, expectations, motivations, and defense mechanisms. The brain groups similar cues together by developing corresponding associative neural networks 55
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and synaptic maps. These operate unconsciously and consciously and at the same time on the cognitive, emotional, perceptual, memory, behavioral, and other levels. The effectiveness of reinforcement and conditioning on the “I” is documented in thousands of medical and research experiments. A 1967 study, for example, suggests that implosive therapy, a method for alleviating anxiety by continual exposure to the situation that caused the anxiety, is highly effective in treating a wide range of mental disorders. During treatment, which lasted from one to 30 hours, subjects mentally reconstructed past anxiety-provoking scenes and play-acted those scenes until the anxiety was gone. As a result, they came to associate the new level of relaxation with the anxiety-provoking image: ... many if not all of the anxiety states experienced in the human are a product of numerous conditioning experiences in the life of the individual which can be understood in terms of the conditioning model of the laboratory ... anxiety is a learned response to a set of cues based on previous trauma (reinforcement) in a patient’s life. By approximating the past dangerous situations and associations without primary reinforcement, extinction may be achieved. (Stampel & Levis, 1967)
Conditioning creates learned responses, such as anxiety, phobias, expectations, and intentions. We identify and become attached to these behavioral responses through the “I,” which becomes the basis of our selfimage and modifies our experience of the world. Stored in our memories, attachments reinforce who and what we are and how we feel about ourselves. Attachments, then, become the basis of our identity: our expectations, hopes, desires, motivations, fears, likes, dislikes, intentions, worries, and so on. In the brain, physical identification occurs when we associate the self with an emotional event. The synaptic associative network can form associations to different things, events, or images at the same time, in parallel. In other words, our brains can associate a single event with
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several corresponding cues, such as a place, an object, a person, a time of day, a color. An association can be identified with countless different cues, which makes our mind very difficult to comprehend. But understanding the process is important as we learn the concept of No Mind. For example, imagine that every time you are in the dark, you get anxious about the thought of rats, and this anxiety turns into terror when there is a closet in the room. This could be because as a child, you got trapped in a dark closet with a rat. Even though there is nothing inherently scary about closets, darkness, or rats (your favorite pet could have been a rat), you were scared by the idea of being alone, separated from your parents, and out of control. So all of these things became associated with fear. Now your fear of rats is triggered by the dark, even though the connection is irrational. We identify with such emotional responses, and although each identification, like “afraid of the dark” and “afraid of rats,” is conceptualized separately, they are linked and can be triggered together or independently. Our personalities—our “I’s”—develop through millions of such events, even though most are not so extreme, and many are pleasant.
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Memorable experiences generally have a component of emotional implications. Cues that activate this component might activate its associative network. The relevant cues, in this case, will be ones within the brain and body that signal the same emotional state you experienced during the time of learning. Conscious emotions and thoughts are very similar in certain aspects. They both involve the symbolic representation in working memory of sub-symbolic, unconscious processes. Emotions and thoughts are generated by different sub-symbolic systems, but emotions involve many more brain systems than thoughts do. (LeDoux, 1998)
Memories are linked through a symbolic associative system for easier retrieval. Thus, we may think that we are reacting freely when, in fact, we behave the way we have been conditioned to act in certain situations. We
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identify with emotional and cognitive experiences and become attached to them. As we say, “I am this,” or “I am that,” we condition the associative neural network to identify the “I” with our experiences.
Mind
THE POWER OF EMOTIONS Emotions are so powerful that they can overwhelm thought and affect our actions dramatically. They can modify behaviors and cast our self-image in either positive or negative light. Emotional reactions also appropriate most of the brain’s resources. In The Emotional Brain, Joseph LeDoux argues that emotions can influence the brain more than thoughts do. They can overpower thought through the amygdala, a primitive structure in the front of the brain of most complex vertebrates, which processes emotional reactions and interacts with the cortex, the part of the brain associated with memory. Thoughts can trigger emotions, but it is difficult for thoughts to control or to turn off emotions. There are more connections between the amygdala and the cortex in primates than in other mammals, suggesting that the connections continued to expand during our evolutionary history. In the future, according to LeDoux, humans may develop a higher capacity to control their emotional reactions, perhaps like the Vulcan character Spock in Star Trek. According to LeDoux, “different emotions are involved with different survival functions—defending against danger, finding food and mates, caring for offspring, and so on—each may well involve different brain systems that evolved for different reasons. As a result, there may be more than one emotional system in the brain” (LeDoux, 1998). The emotional experiences produced by the nexus of the amygdala, the cortex, and the associative neural networks bond the “I” with feelings, such as fear or euphoria. We form attachments through identification with specific rewards or reinforcing external or internal cues. Emotion, then, makes our attachment to the “I” more permanent. In the case of claustrophobia, for example, the person is
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attached to the identity: “I am claustrophobic.” Unless the individual seeks treatment for the claustrophobia, he will go through life identifying himself as claustrophobic. However, pure awareness, or No Mind, is not conditioned, nor does it experience claustrophobia. It is simply aware of it. When we lose awareness of how we experience an identity, we become attached to the role. It becomes the experience of an “I”: “I am claustrophobic,” rather than just an experience that occurs: “There is an uncomfortable feeling of fear in this small space.” You feel yourself experiencing the phobia, so you think, “I feel claustrophobic.” But that is not the case: It is a claustrophobic reaction to a set of learned cues that have been intermixed with a “concept of identity.” When we detach our awareness from the experience of the claustrophobia, we are able to control and to modify our reaction by developing new associative networks that relate to the learned cues. There may be action and reaction, but the “I” never really “does” anything: what we mistake for the “I” is, in reality, just a series of thoughts about how the mind and body experience self-consciousness.
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Breaking Free of Auto-Action and Auto-Reaction Though separating awareness from emotional attachment is very difficult, it can be done with practice. We do this by changing the autopilot loop of mindlessness to mindfulness. To do that, we must question the basis of emotion: What does it mean to experience emotion? With respect to the techniques of No Mind, we learn to respond with certain emotions that are related to various cues. We experience positive or negative emotions that are triggered by emotionally charged memories—neutral memories usually do not trigger emotional responses. Emotions depend on experience, conditioning, genetics, and learning. Different cues trigger different emotions in each of us. We all know what it means to be “happy,” but the cue that triggers one person’s happiness is not the same cue that triggers another’s happiness.
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Emotional intensity and expression (such as bodily reactions or speech) vary from person to person. That often causes us to misinterpret what someone else is really feeling. In other words, we sometimes think we know what the other person is feeling, when we really have no idea. After we have an outburst of anger, we reflect on it in terms of our identity and of the context: “I always get angry when he does that.” Once anger is attached to another person’s action and we have identified with it in the “I’s” mental web, our awareness gets lost in the emotional state. In other words, we become mindless; we are no longer aware of what we are doing in that moment; we are in auto-action and auto-reaction mode (see Figure 7-1). The cues that trigger our emotions take over, causing us to act and react automatically. Verbal stimuli can also condition and reinforce our behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. In a simple experiment, people were conditioned to respond to the words “tense” and “relax” by associating the words with the presence or absence of an electrical shock. When the subjects received a shock, the experimenter repeated the word “tense,” and when no shock was administered, the experimenter repeated the word “relax.” Consequently, the subjects were conditioned to react to the verbal cues only. Simply hearing the word “tense” caused the subjects to tense up in anticipation of a shock (Dean, Martin, & Streiner, 1968). In an older study, Dr. Joseph Wolfe used a form of psychotherapy known as reciprocal inhibition, which links an irrelevant conditioning cue with the anxiety response to form a “new,” more favorable conditioned response. “In general, it is possible to overcome a habit by forming a new and antagonistic habit in the same stimulus situation” (Wolfe, 1958). Nearly fifty years later, we know that the brain is capable of forming new neural links and networks in a process called neuroplasticity, and that process can be accelerated with the techniques of No Mind. We do not need to be aware of the stimulus for the brain to recognize it; we perceive a vast array of
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stimuli through our perceptual mechanisms, even though we discern a very small percentage of them. J. A. Deutsch and D. Deutsch of Stanford University report, “The behavioral evidence leads us to the probable conclusion that a message will reach the same perceptual and discriminatory mechanisms whether attention is paid to it or not. And such information is then grouped or segregated by these mechanisms” (Deutsch & Deutsch, 1963). Forty years later, LeDoux writes: “Stimulus recognition requires only that an immediately present stimulus match some representation of a similar stimulus in memory. There is no need to have conscious awareness to have recognition” (LeDoux, 2003). In other words, the brain acts and reacts unconsciously to a multitude of external events, and we become “aware” of a miniscule segment of these internal actions and reactions. We should not, however, disown our emotions and surrender responsibility for our actions. We have the ultimate responsibility for our actions and reactions, just as we have the ability to become mindful of our emotional states. Even though the emotional state may occur one-half second before we become aware of our actions, we can use mindful awareness to veto our actions and reactions and to avoid getting “lost in the emotion.” This is an important part of No Mind. Because emotions take over the brain’s resources, it is difficult to control emotions solely by thinking. We need to separate our awareness from the emotion.
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UNDERSTANDING THE INSIDE WORLD OF EMOTIONS We are capable of experiencing several emotions at once. For example, we may be sad, guilty, compassionate, anxious, depressed, and angry with ourselves because we accidentally let our neighbor’s dog wander off and get lost when we were supposed to be watching it. Why do we experience so many emotions in response to just one event? Most emotions are caused by our thoughts, anticipations, and expectations about the
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possible future consequences of our actions. In many situations, we jump-start our own emotions by anticipating events. Instead of focusing on the moment, we think of the consequences that may result from our actions, thereby triggering additional emotional reactions to the outside cue. As we repeat these responses over time, we condition ourselves to react to external events with a whole array of internally stimulated emotions. Thus, we produce far more complex reactions than are necessary to resolve a situation, causing stress, worry, anger, and so on. The inside world is driven by how the “I” sees itself: “I am usually overly cautious,” “I worry too much,” or “I am a chronic optimist.” Every time the phrase “I am” comes up, you are conditioning and reinforcing that particular behavior—you are teaching your inside world who you think you are. This kind of conditioning can be inhibiting and even dangerous. Emotions once increased our odds of survival—as in the development of the fight-or-flight response, for example. But in today’s world, emotions can hinder our performance. Emotions can slow down our reactions in certain situations, trigger inappropriate behaviors, and produce anxiety. During emotional outbursts, we don’t think very clearly and the connection between our minds and bodies is disrupted. We all remember being so scared in certain situations that we froze when we should have reacted. For example, because many of us are afraid to talk to our bosses, we might have stumbled through an important presentation and missed the points we really wanted to make. And we have all said and done things in anger and wished that we could take them back afterwards. Because being overwhelmed by emotions or acting on emotions is often unhealthy and counterproductive, it is important to learn how to control our emotional responses. This can be done as part of No Mind: Total Mental Fitness, which teaches us how to realize an objective awareness apart from the “I.”
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Misreading External Events: Living in Illusion
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We may perceive aspects of the outside world as harmful, when, in reality, they are not; we have been conditioned to think they are harmful. We perceive certain situations incorrectly because we misinterpret what is going on around us. Yet, from the “I’s” perspective, our interpretation is accurate because it is consistent with what we have been conditioned to believe. For instance, if we are overly emotional, we can be needlessly cautious sometimes and see danger where it does not exist. As we repeat these internally driven behaviors, we condition and reinforce them, so we keep misinterpreting stimuli. We become trapped in the wheel of illusion. We also constantly misinterpret cues from other people; we think they mean one thing and then find out that they meant something entirely different. At work and in business, we constantly analyze— mostly unconsciously—how and what people are feeling. We anticipate their emotional reactions, but if we actually talked to them, we might discover that we were wrong. This can happen in relationships when we assume what the people we love are feeling or thinking. And why anticipate what the other person is feeling or thinking? Because we are motivated to protect and to preserve the “I.” We can learn to break the loop, to transcend our automated selves, and to become more aware human beings— accomplishments that enable peak performance. We can become aware that we misinterpret emotions. We can also learn to recognize shifts in the intensity of our emotions, like when boredom turns to disgust and then loathing; or when apprehension becomes fear and then terror; or when joy becomes ecstasy. Distinguishing levels of emotional intensity enables us to become aware of our own environmental cues, so that we may act and react appropriately.
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Projecting Our Emotions We become attached to an emotion when we identify with it. And we define ourselves by such identifications,
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thereby reinforcing our own self-image. They become personality traits that characterize the “I,” such as, “I am usually a cheerful person,” or “I am usually an angry person.” In the extreme, traits can become obsessivecompulsive disorders. We are what we identify with, whether we like it or not, and in many cases we do not like “who” we are or how we react to certain situations. The psychoanalytic term “projection” refers to a mental dynamic where we see unpleasant qualities in ourselves and then project them onto another person in an attempt to deny our own emotions. For instance, a person who has an irrational paranoia of being followed may be extraordinarily critical of the reasonable apprehensions of somebody who is on the witness-protection program. In other words, you are projecting your feelings on someone else. Projection is the ego’s way of dealing with feelings that it finds disgusting and with emotions it believes separate its “self” from other people. It is therefore crucial to our health and happiness to understand this ego defense mechanism and to recognize it when it manifests.
THE I’S ABILITY TO ABSORB AWARENESS The “I” absorbs our awareness when we are in autopilot mode, that is, when we are behaving mindlessly. The mind-body dynamic responds to a set of cues that have become associated with certain reactions through the neural networks of the brain. The mental web comprising the identity called the “I” is a result of these conditioned networks. Because we are constantly being bombarded by external cues, we become creatures of conditioned responses to our environment, mostly unconscious. We respond to those cues through the mental web of the “I,” where processes occur simultaneously, producing the so-called “stream of consciousness.” We can only be aware of how the brain interprets all this information. If nothing challenges our previous experiences, we react in autopilot mode. Sometimes the brain reacts to situations extremely
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quickly, and we become aware of the reaction only after it has been completed, which may be too late. However, No Mind reduces and eventually eliminates such “mindless” actions by turning them into mindful moments. For example, many of us have driven a car on autopilot because our thoughts were occupied elsewhere. At some point, when our awareness returns to driving, we realize that we have no idea how long or how far we have driven. “In this situation, ‘automatic-pilot driving’ is managed simply as a perceptual-motor skill, involving only sensory, intermediate, and effector subsystems” (Teasdale, Segal, & Williams, 1995). Such driving demonstrates how sophisticated the brain is and how many parallel levels of information it can interpret simultaneously. Like driving on autopilot, reinforcement and conditioning occur underneath our “floating” awareness, where we receive information from a multitude of environmental stimuli. We process subliminally, or below the level of awareness. If we do not become mindful of it, much of our day may be spent in autopilot mode, and we lose the moment.
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BOMBARDED BY SENSORY INPUT Astonishingly, all of this happens because we are bombarded by more sensory input than we ever thought possible. Most of us are familiar with the five basic senses: touch, vision, hearing, smell, and taste. However, science has now shown that there are at least 37 sensory channels to the brain, including every tactile sensation from the toes to the legs, the genitals, the fingers, shoulders, nose, face, lips, tongue, and scalp. At least 29 of them involve the sense of touch. Muscles governing speech and hand movements dominate the motor cortex more than any other category of muscles does. The sense of touch is especially vital to our ability to function. All 37 sensory channels can relay data to the brain simultaneously, as they are activated, at both the conscious and the subconscious levels. As inputs are related to corresponding experiences, they set up neural
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associative networks and maps in the brain, and all of this establishes our identity in terms of an “I,” or who we think we are. Consider the human brain as it gets simultaneously and continuously fed information by at least 37 senses operating on at least two levels of perception. As bewildering, complicated, and possibly frightening as this sounds, it has been happening for millennia. Also, keep in mind how rapidly this human machine operates. Electric impulses dash along the neurons at a speed of roughly 60 meters per second. In the intricate complex of neurological structures within the body, a staggering number of physiological events can occur during, say, the time it takes a pencil to reach the floor after it has been dropped by the hand. (Key, 1973)
Subliminal Perception We can perceive input through our senses below our level of awareness, and those subliminal cues condition and reinforce our behavior at an unconscious level. Science has determined that the subliminal perception of information can take place at a rate of 1/3,000th of a second. In his book Subliminal Seduction, Wilson Bryan Key outlines how the advertising and media industries use subliminal techniques to encourage consumerism (Key, 1973). A famous example comes from the movie The Exorcist, where technicians spliced a terrifying death mask into some of the scenes and many viewers became very nauseated without understanding why. Similarly, in the old days theaters spliced pictures of delicious-looking popcorn and drinks into films to boost sales at their refreshment stands. Retail stores also used to embed voices in the background music just under the threshold of hearing. The voices would say things like, “You are being watched” and “Do not steal.” When a TV ad that included a subliminal message aired in 1973, the Federal Communications Commission immediately banned the practice. Yet, current print advertising still contains subliminal messages artistically embedded
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in the image. Most of these messages relate to sex or death, exploiting our most primal desires and fears. Because we perceive these sensory stimuli below the level of awareness, we may also react to them at the same level, without ever knowing why. This isn’t news to the scientific community. In 1956, Dr. Charles Fisher led a study to confirm the results of a 1924 experiment by Allers and Telek that showed that people who had been subliminally exposed to certain pictures later recalled those pictures in their dreams. The results of dream and imagery experiments suggest that perception, like any other mental activity, first goes through an unconscious phase. Consciousness and response are not identical, and not all responses involve consciousness (Fisher, 1956).
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Becoming Aware After the Fact: The Unconscious “I” By the time we become aware of our response to a perceptual cue, the information has already been subjected to a series of filters and analyses in the brain. We become aware of the filtered and analyzed final product only. In addition to Libet’s finding that we do not become aware of an unconscious act until approximately half a second has elapsed, the results of a recent study “appear to indicate that the unconscious/preconscious mind is able to perceive a recorded verbal message that cannot be consciously understood at the high rate of speed at which it was recorded” (Kaser, 1986). Another experiment reports that, “under certain circumstances people can make perceptual discriminations even though the information that was used to make those discriminations is not consciously available” (Kunimoto, Miller, & Pashler, 2001). Three more studies demonstrate measurable effects of subliminal perception on a person in terms of both visual and auditory cues (Borgeat, Chabot, & Chaloult, 1981; Henke, Landis, & Markowitsch, 1994; Urban, 1992). Interestingly, although our brains respond to, analyze, categorize, and associate information and produce
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reactions without our awareness, when we become aware of these reactions, we assume we “own” them, and we identify with them. We may not know why we had a particular thought at a particular time, but we feel as though that thought was uniquely ours.
Mindful or Passive Receptivity Increases Perception So we find ourselves in an ongoing state of mindless awareness. Intuitively, we know that we are constantly subjected to an astounding amount of data and that only a small fraction of it ever reaches our awareness. So our awareness continuously shifts from cue to cue, between our internal and external worlds, causing us to perform a variety of tasks simultaneously. Think of the kid who puts a playing card between the spokes of his bicycle and attaches it to the frame with a clothespin. Every time the card is hit by a spoke, it makes a snapping sound. The faster the wheel goes around, the faster the snapping sound gets. When a stream of cues hits our awareness, it is as if we keep shifting our awareness from spoke to spoke, from cue to cue. For as long as we remain in the stream, we are subject to autopilot, or mindless behavior, and we act as automatons. Can we become aware of more of the information that reaches our brain? We can. One way is to learn No Mind— or to separate awareness from the stream of action and reaction. By doing this, we switch to manual control and disengage the autopilot. We become mindful. The literature on subliminal perception repeatedly emphases passive receptivity as a means of becoming aware of subliminal stimuli. Pressure or tension appear to limit an individual’s sensitivity. We can make such material available to our consciousness most effectively by learning to relax completely. Tests conducted under hypnosis, self-hypnosis, yoga meditation, as well as deep-breathing relaxation, indicate that subliminal cues can become liminal simply through relaxation. (Key, 1973)
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As a practical example, consider the stereogram images so popular in the 1990s; you need to be in a relaxed state of mind to see the 3D holographic image. When you first look at a stereo image, all you see is the computer-generated pattern of shapes and lines. But when you relax and unfocus your gaze, the 3D holographic image comes to life. The first time people discern these patterns, they are amazed that an image can change so dramatically and so quickly based on a mere perception shift (Magic Eye Gallery: A Showing of 88 Images, 3D Illusions by N. E. Enterprises, 1996). Similarly, when we shift our awareness from a mindless to a mindful state, we also shift our perception to a more lucid perspective, where we finally “see” what we have been missing. When we are relaxed and focused at the same time, we increase our perceptual vigilance. We are more aware and perceive more information from the inner and outer worlds than we usually can. The perceptual and ego defense mechanisms, which is discussed in Chapter 5, operate automatically. These defense mechanisms are mostly responsible for how we “experience” the world, and they control the process by which we block, ignore, or repress information. Relaxation and awareness enable us to bypass the reinforcement and conditioning processes that determine the “I,” along with all of its symptoms, such as anticipations, expectations, desires, hopes, opinions, motivations, intentions, fears, and worries. Overcoming ideas that have been entrenched through the process of conditioning has been a long-standing goal of meditation. Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the eleventh descendent in the line of the Tibetian Trungpa tülkus, or the teachers of the Kagyü lineage, writes in Meditation in Action:
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In a sense, opinions provide a way to escape. They create a kind of slothfulness and obscure one’s clarity and vision. The clarity of consciousness is veiled by prefabricated concepts and whatever we see we try to fit into some pigeon-hole or in some way make it fit in with
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our preconceived ideas. From the start one tries to transcend concepts, and one tries, perhaps in a very critical way, to find out what ‘is.’ One has to develop a critical mind in which to stimulate intelligence. And if one cultivates this intelligence, ... then gradually, stage by stage, the real intuitive feeling develops and the imaginary or hallucinatory element is gradually clarified and eventually dies out. (Trungpa, 1969)
Suggestion is Another Environmental Cue When we are in a passive mode, we are very vulnerable to suggestion. The “I” can be conditioned and reinforced through suggestion, which occurs at all levels of human interaction and which has powerful influence on our behaviors, values, beliefs, expectations, and motivations. Positive and negative suggestions usually bypass conscious awareness and bridge unconscious mental activity and the environment directly. For example, verbal suggestions can play an important part in the reinforcing and conditioning of the “I.” If we hear our parents say repeatedly, “She is so shy,” or “He’s always been very smart,” we can become conditioned to believe that we are very shy, or very smart. Experimental research on healthy people has shown that suggestibility is a common human trait (Lozanov, 1978). In many experiments, people have realized health benefits from a placebo because they believed that they were taking an actual medication. Researchers theorize that a person’s beliefs and hopes about a treatment, combined with their suggestibility, may have a significant biochemical effect. Internal suggestion can be so powerful that in some cases we can heal ourselves just by believing that we will be healed. The emotional state of people at the time they receive a suggestion is crucial. We all have experienced being highly suggestible when we were hurt, crying, and vulnerable. We invite help and nurturing, simultaneously opening ourselves to more suggestion than when we are calm. Attitude, motivation, and expectation also affect a person’s suggestibility: The more eager you are to satisfy, the more willing you are to act on the suggestion; the more
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intense your motivation and expectation are, the more you will be influenced by the suggestion. Your behavior and reaction to suggestion are influenced by various factors, including gender, age, hunger, self-preservation impulse, family background, exposure to violence, propensity to feel anger and hope, socioeconomic status, love, and greed.
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Seeing the Strings That Pull Us When we separate awareness from the stream of action and reaction, we perceive the world intuitively and clearly. We recognize some of our conditioning and reinforcing cues, which were put in place to help us survive in society. We see the strings that pull us in various directions by the hands of the mass media, for example, instructing us how to feel and act. When we do as we’re expected to, we receive some kind of reward, or praise—such as, “Good, George”—which reassures us to continue acting in that way. When we do something wrong, we are discouraged in ways that condition us to know this was inappropriate—“Bad, George.” We cannot evade responsibility by blaming genetics. Genes certainly play a part, and we inherit them without our consent. But genes only account for about 50% of any given trait, and far less in many instances (LeDoux, 2003). Furthermore, a trait, such as shyness, does not comprise a person’s entire personality. And with reverse conditioning, those traits can be modified. Proper reinforcement from parents and teachers can help a child overcome shyness. We cannot be free until we cut the strings that pull us, but first we need to discern them by being objectively aware.
BEHAVIOR MODELING: TAKING CONTROL OF THE STRINGS THAT BIND US Behavior modification can work two ways: one is to take control of the strings that pull us; another is to modify those strings. In Principles of Behavior Modification,
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Albert Bandura reviews many studies and comes to the following conclusion: Higher order conditioning processes are frequently used to increase the potency of persuasive communications. One method is reinforcement. In positive appeals ... performance of the behavior suggested by the communicator results in a host of rewarding effects. Thus, smoking a certain brand of cigarettes or using a particular hair lotion wins the loving admiration of voluptuous belles, enhances job performance, masculinizes one’s self concept, actualizes individualism and authenticity, tranquilizes irritable nerves, invites social recognition and amicable responsiveness from total strangers, and arouses affectionate reactions in spouses. (Bandura, 1969)
Monkey see, monkey do. This kind of modeling can have adverse effects. Our behavior can be conditioned by the behavior of someone we respect and admire. Advertising uses this type of conditioning and reinforcement techniques to modify and sustain our behavior. We want to emulate the behavior of idols, celebrities, superstars, and mentors as we see them looking happy and successful, doing certain things and being rewarded for them. But we need to question the source of our beliefs: Remember that most of the “I’s” mental web was developed through a multitude of conditioning and reinforcement cues learned in the context of our family, peer networks, community, religion, work, etc. When we say, “I believe,” are we repeating a modeled behavior that we have acquired like a hand-me-down pair of shoes? We need to learn how to think for ourselves. Bandura’s research indicates that we can be influenced to either act or not act in certain situations: Laboratory studies disclose that according to the positive appeal reinforcing nature of communication [mass media] the consequences portrayed by the performer can facilitate or inhibit response tendencies. (Bandura, 1969)
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Similarly, Zen master Hanh once admitted that he often recognized that he acquired aspects of his behavior directly from either his mother or father. He knew that in this or that instance, one of his parents was the source of a particular thought, action, or reaction, and that he was behaving just as one of them would have. Both of his parents had long since passed away, and every time he caught himself behaving like them, he would say, “Oh, hi Dad, there you are” or “Oh, hi Mom, there you are.” In his state of mindful awareness, he was able to note the source of his behavior and to modify it, if required.
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BUILDING A PERCEPTUAL AND COMFORTABLE BOX Modeling reinforces our perceptual “box,” which contains the many filters of the “I,” and which is the reason why we frequently misinterpret reality and behave inappropriately. The “I” box distorts what is really there into what we think should be there. Belief systems are a significant component of the perceptual box. Milton Rokeach and his colleagues conducted intensive studies on how our belief/disbelief systems are organized: Belief/disbelief systems are seen to serve two opposing sets of functions. On the one hand, they represent every [person’s] theory for understanding the world [they live] in. On the other hand, they represent every [person’s] defense network through which information is filtered, in order to render harmless that which threatens the ego. These facts (study results) suggest that each person is somehow motivated to arrange the world of ideas, of people and of authority in harmonious relations with each other. Consider first the findings which suggest that we categorize people and groups of people in terms of the extent to which their beliefs are congruent or incongruent with our own. (Rokeach, 1960)
Thus, most people perceive reality within the limited belief/disbelief system that they have developed through
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learning, modeling, and conditioning. That system is, in effect, a set of blinders that confines us within a comfortable path. We accept some behaviors because we feel comfortable with them. We group people according to their beliefs and disbeliefs. And we feel comfortable because they fit our self-image; they match our internal set of parameters that represent the “I.” We know when a certain behavior is comfortable because it synchronizes with the neural associative networks of our memory. Most people live their entire lives in their comfort zone and do not dare to venture out. From the inside looking out, it is just another normal day. From the outside looking in, however, they appear trapped in the “box” of the “I.” For some people, the stress of dealing with the unknown is not worth freeing themselves from the box. It is part of their self-image to be cautious, conservative, and dependent. And then there are the adventurous nonconformists who constantly venture out to try new behaviors. They defy their idea of who they are “supposed to be”—what makes them and their families comfortable. This is typical among teenagers, who often try to be the opposite of what everyone told them they “should be.” Maybe it’s their longing for spiritual awareness and true freedom that makes them seem rebellious. Some teenagers cross the line between right and wrong and some do not. Some young people know that they can only take their rebellious behavior so far. Maybe the conditioning of the “I” prevents them from going any further. In other teens, the conditioning does not entrench such strong values, and they engage in illegal and sometimes fatal behaviors. There exists an intrinsic moral line that is a natural conditioning factor for humans. We all have it, only some of us choose to ignore it or develop such disturbed personalities that we no longer see it. Some will cross the line and some will not. We all have had rebellious periods. When we “experience” rebelliousness, we attach such enormous significance to it that it consumes us, as is the case with teenagers. When we get older, we realize the foolishness of our
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behavior. The problem back then was that the “I” was defined by a new set of parameters that came from our friends, idols, superstars, mentors, and so on. By rebelling, we defined the boundaries of a “new box.” Our behavior was then reinforced and conditioned by a new set of rules, even though the underlying conditioning remained. At any age, we are not robots, but we live by defining boundaries that influence our behaviors and perceptions of reality. When we imitate behavior, we define new boundaries for the box.
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Modeling is a very potent technique of attitude change. Experiments with snake-phobic patients have shown that symbolic modeling and desensitization successfully extinguished negative emotional responses to snake stimuli. And live modeling caused the greatest behavior modification, allowing subjects to interact with snakes without any adverse consequences. (Bandura, Blanchard, & Ritter, 1969)
Modeling has a dramatic effect on the conditioning and reinforcement processes. We imitate people we like. Teenagers, whose brains are developing emotionally, often make rash choices in a pressure-cooker society, where they deal with countless stress factors such as school, sexual relationships, peer pressure, frazzled working parents, and drugs.
THE ISSUE OF COMPLEX TRUTHS Most of us would agree that truth is relative to our belief systems, as it is based on the mental web of the “I.” The kind of truth that involves belief is called “complex truth.” When we interpret an internal or external cue, we compare it to our memory, expectations, assumptions, and experiences. When it matches, it becomes “our” truth. When the cue does not fit comfortably with “our” experience, we interpret it as “not truth.” Each one of us holds onto different “truths,” and we do not all agree on their essential meanings. Complex truth is one reason why hundreds of religions claim to be
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“the true” religion. On the other hand, simple truths—like the fact that a fire engine is red—do not trigger our complex belief systems. So we need to realize that truth is relative to the “I” that identifies it as truth. In fact, all of our “experiences” of reality and of the world around us are relative to the observer: the “I.” An ancient master’s advice is, when speaking of the ultimate truth, remember to smile, so that people know you are not attached to it and that you know it is always relative. Attachment to complex truths leads to extremism. Your truth is not everyone else’s truth. How can we cling to a complex truth when we know it to be an “experience” of the world relative to our point of observation? It is like being so attached to a ball that you cannot play with it because you don’t want to let go of it. Subsequently, you are stuck with a lifeless ball in your hands. Understanding that complex truths are relative allows us to play: If you do not “let go” of the ball, the game is over before it begins. When we play, we are open to simple truths, such as the untainted experience of pleasure in this moment of play. Another ancient saying goes like this: “You are not what you think you are.” The masters knew that we are more than the sum total of the superficial entity we call “I,” and that once we realize the limitations of the “I,” we can function at a higher level. We can soar to unimaginable heights of happiness, fulfillment, and inner serenity. It is an inherent potential in each of us—the potential latent in the seed.
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CHAPTER 3
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. We are conditioned through a series of environmental cues and internal cues (as in thoughts, emotions, sensations, expectations, motivations, defense mechanisms), which the brain categorizes by developing associative neural networks and maps. These operate consciously and unconsciously and at the same time on the cognitive, emotional, perceptual, memory, behavioral, and other levels. Conditioning creates learned responses, such as anxiety, phobias, expectations, and intentions, with which we identify. We form attachments to these responses through the agent of the “I.” These attachments of the “I” form our self-image and modify how we experience the world—linking identity and behavior to produce who we think we are and what we should be.
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2. Emotions can overwhelm thoughts. They use more of the brain’s resources and have a higher capacity to condition responses, to modify behavior, and to impress both positive and negative self-image attributes on our minds. We also project our emotional states onto others when we fear or deny our emotions. When our “I” cannot handle painful emotional states, we repress the experience in the unconscious, so that we are no longer aware of it. 3. The “I” is capable of absorbing awareness when we are in autopilot mode, or engaging in mindless behavior. 4. We can learn to separate awareness from the action and reaction of the “I” by changing the autopilot loop of mindlessness to mindfulness.
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5. Our perceptual “box,” which sees reality through the many filters of the “I,” often misinterprets reality and alters what is really there into what it thinks should be there. 6. Conditioning and reinforcement occur through verbal and subliminal cues, as well as through suggestion and modeling, and they trigger emotional states that reinforce the development of the “I.” 7. When we are mindful, or in a state of passive receptivity, we are more likely to notice mental events that were outside the scope of our awareness before. We are more likely to see the strings that pull us and bind us to our behavioral patterns. 8. Complex truths, such as beliefs, self-images, and hopes, are relative to the mental web of the “I” and may not be true to others with different mental webs.
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EXERCISE 3:
PRACTICING MINDFUL AWARENESS
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Being Mindful of the Source of Conditioning In this exercise, you try to name a corresponding event that triggered your answer to the questions in Exercise 2. For each response in Chapter 2, fill in the appropriate answer. For instance, if your phobia is a fear of heights, you might remember falling off a small roof when you were five. Or if you like vanilla, your answer may be that you have liked vanilla since you were three. If you need more space to write, use a blank piece of paper. You may not know the answer, and that is acceptable. In fact, you may not know most of the sources for your preferences. Ask your parents, significant other, or friends if they can shed light on the answer. Obviously, some behaviors have been subjected to heavy reinforcement over the years. So just have fun. Relaxing makes it easier to remember or freely associate a response.
Question from Chapter 2
Answer
A Mild Condition of “I”
Can you remember the source, trauma, or other conditioning influence?
What is your favorite ice cream flavor? What is your favorite meal? What type of music do you prefer? What is your favorite flower? What is your favorite fragrance? What is your favorite movie?
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Question from Chapter 2
Answer
Can you remember the source, trauma, or other conditioning influence?
What is your favorite book? What initially attracted you to your partner? What were your favorite subjects in school? How do you feel about doing something wrong? How do you act in times of crisis? What is your greatest phobia? What do you fear the most? What is your greatest happy thought? What is your greatest expectation of yourself? What gives you anxiety? What do you absolutely hate? Have you ever done anything based on greed? What is the most important hope you have? What do you do to play? What is your greatest joy?
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EXERCISE 4: PRACTICING MINDFUL AWARENESS
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Being Mindful of the Power of the “I” For two hours, try to count how many times you refer to yourself as an “I.” When you referred to yourself as an “I,” was it strictly in the grammatical sense of using the pronoun to construct the sentence, or was it to establish an identity? Be mindful of each circumstance and situation. This is a very powerful exercise you should practice daily in different contexts. Monitor the conditions under which you automatically tried to protect or defend the “I” and note the source or type of identity you experienced.
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Social interactions involve language, which shapes our identities in terms of “I,” “me,” “mine,” “theirs.” Our society, communities, and families condition our behavior through a process of socialization, in which we learn to act in terms of shared interpretations of right and wrong, good and bad, success and failure, happiness and discontent, and so on. Thinking and behaving the way society has conditioned us to think and behave means that we act and react mindlessly. Our actions become automated; for the most part, we lose awareness of what is happening and how we are acting in the moment. In Chapter 4, we will explore the role that society plays in conditioning the “I” and how we can use No Mind to transcend the categories that cause us to become automatons; experience the world in a new, fresh, dynamic way; and act and react more in accordance with our natural abilities and talents.
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Chapter 4
Society’s Perfect Little “I”
W
e are social animals. We have developed complex social groups in order to survive, and we have flourished, shaping the world around us to fit our needs. We need and thrive on social interactions. We try to blend in and to be compatible with others. Consequently, family, community, and society as a whole have a powerful impact on the development of the “I.” They affect our perceptual and ego defense systems, our values and beliefs. They mold us to conform to social conventions; to be a part of the labor force; to follow the teachings of our religions; to be cooperative with others; and to participate in suitable leisure activities. We try to fit in to succeed as social beings. Society is an accumulation of “shoulds”—expectations and beliefs about the way things should be. Just as we develop our own beliefs about who we are and what we should do as individuals, we also construct the walls of our social box, which constrains our actions as one of the many, as part of the group. 83
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Societal conditioning has its positive aspects: it ensures order and control, and it allows us to work together and to accomplish collective goals. But it also has negative aspects: it limits our creativity, expression, and intellect, and it makes us vulnerable to the influence of mass media, peer pressure, work stress, socialstatus concerns, and so on. Our individual “I’s” are shaped by all the “I’s” that exert influence on us. Each of us mindlessly strives to be a perfect little “I” in the larger “I” of society.
LANGUAGE IS THE KEY COMPONENT OF THE “I” Language has been perhaps the most fateful development in human evolution. Words and sounds allow us to communicate our experiences of our external and internal worlds. Language drives human thought. It allows us to alter our experiences of the world by the way we communicate those experiences to others and to ourselves. The verbal metaphor is a primary means of communicating. We create metaphors to help us understand and interpret reality and experience. Theodore R. Sarbin, professor of psychology and criminology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, explains: Human beings including psychologists, construct their cosmological worlds, their explanatory systems, out of belief ... a historical analysis of psychology (and other sciences as well) seems to show repeatedly how a thinker will note that two events have a common property and will construct a verbal analogy ... he will label the metaphor. But his audience will tend to drop the metaphoric qualifier, and in so doing, will create conditions for myth making. (Sarbin, 1968)
Our innate ability to construct metaphors has been traced to specific chromosomes on our genes. Through metaphor, we describe our entire emotional world and construct a “verbal analogy” for how and why we “see” events the way we do.
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Other animals may be consciously aware, in some sense, of events going on in the world ... but lacking language and its cognitive representations, they are unlikely to be able to represent complex, abstract concepts (like ‘me’ or ‘mine’ or ‘ours’), to relate external events to these abstractions, and to use these representations to guide decision-making and control behavior. (LeDoux, 2003)
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Therefore, through language we learn to identify with the “I,” using words such as “me,” “mine,” and “yours.” Language plays a key role in the development of the “I” (to be elaborated in Chapter 6) and in shaping and altering our individual realities. It is primarily through language that we continually adapt and change our behaviors to conform to social expectations.
Taking Our Cues from Those Around Us Renowned psychologist B. F. Skinner explains how we are influenced to alter our behaviors: [People] act upon the world, and change it, and are changed in turn by the consequences of their action. Certain processes, in which the human organism shares with other species, alter behavior so that it achieves a safer and more useful interchange with a particular environment. When appropriate behavior has been established, its consequences work through similar processes to keep it in force ... by the event called “reinforcement.” (Skinner, 1957)
Skinner’s predecessor, John B. Watson, believed that he could mold a young person into anything he wanted, including a “rich man, poor man, beggar man, or thief,” and he conducted experiments to prove his theory. Although we possess innate genetic tendencies and abilities that can nudge us in one direction or another, we are conditioned by environmental and social cues that directly affect the development of the “I.” Ego, as defined in psychoanalysis, is developed in response to our physical and social environment. Society is built on conventions, regulations, laws, ideas, fashions, language, religion, work and social
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ethics, and moral and family values. These factors, which ensure social order, influence who we are and, more important, who we think we are and should be. Families are built on the same elements as the larger society, though they are not as complex. Our families have taught us rules, values, ethics, religion, as well as everything we should and should not do. We conform to our families first, to our specific society second, and to the larger world third. What we become is in many ways a direct reflection of our families and society. Psychiatrist Georgi Lozanov describes social conditioning: “Socialization, the buildup of the human personality through and for society, begins from the very first days of life. The environment suggests habits, conduct, and attitudes to both the growing generation and to adults. Social influence is, however, a complex result of interpersonal relations” (Lozanov, 1978). Further: Social learning results from observational (cognitive, perceptual) learning, classical conditioning, and response contingent reinforcement. Behavior is complex and depends on a multiplicity of situation-specific variables ... No one doubts that previous experience and genetic and constitutional characteristics affect behavior and results in vast individual differences among people. (Mischel, 1968)
Motivating the Self to Conform Behavior is complex; we learn to behave in certain ways due to numerous factors. We observe others’ behaviors constantly, both consciously and unconsciously. And most of the time we are conditioned subliminally through unconscious cues. In other words, most of the time we are unaware of the conditioning effects of our environment. So how do cues (specific things or events) compel us to act in one way or another? We are motivated to make certain choices in two ways: extrinsic motivation is determined by external social cues, and intrinsic motivation is determined by
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cues from our internal world. “Our behavior is therefore determined by an interaction between our beliefs, expectations, needs, and environment. Anyway, motivation is a concept inferred from behavior. Therefore, its evaluation could only be secondary” (Quoniam & Bungener, 2004). We expect to be rewarded when we act in certain ways because we have seen others getting rewarded for similar behaviors. Thus we act this way based on what we “see” and on what we have learned we would get as a result. So if our motivations are the product of learned behavior, do we really have free will?
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Following the Lead of Social Models We learn to mimic the roles of our peers, models, and mentors, and we emulate famous people we admire, even if we can never achieve their status. We all have seen celebrities on TV commercials raving how a piece of workout equipment would change our lives. And like it or not, most of us have fallen into the trap at least once. Studies have demonstrated the pervasive, automatic effects models have on our behavior (Castelli, Zogmaister, Smith, & Arcuri, 2004). Through advertising and entertainment, the mass media bombards us with conditioning and reinforcing cues. Advertisers start to flood our minds with product advertising when we are children, and they pour billions of dollars into making sure that we recognize the “right” brand—their brand— even when we are older and have our own children. They want us to become part of their “family” forever.
It’s Not What Gets Said, It’s Who Says It In an intricate society, we constantly analyze and interpret complex cues about people’s feelings and intentions: Did he really mean what he said? Was she genuine and can she be trusted? We rely on our interpretations to make appropriate decisions.
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We weigh these cues against our understanding of them and against our past experiences dealing with similar cues. We must have faith in the veracity of the cues to act on them. If they are suspect, we won’t act or we’ll interpret them as unattractive (Aarts, Gollwitzer, & Hassin, 2004). But truth is relative and learned—we are taught what we think is true. So complex truths that involve belief and expectation are relative to our conditioning. Studies have shown that we are influenced by prominent and attractive speakers—the more important or attractive the speaker, the more we listen to her (Mischel, 1968). We are likely to listen to attractive people with social status, which is why billions of dollars are spent on advertising with celebrities, musicians, singers, comedians, and even politicians. For example, mass-media campaigns using high-profile luminaries are designed to influence community norms regarding health behaviors, such as physical activity: “Stay active and fit by using [fill in the product name].” Such campaigns can reach large populations at a relatively low cost, influencing our awareness, knowledge, and beliefs and changing our intentions and behaviors (Cavill & Bauman, 2004). We are constantly interpreting cues through the mental web of the “I,” most of the time in autopilot mode. We often act or react automatically in certain contexts and “think” about what we have said or done later. In Personality and Assessment, Mischel writes: Investigations have shown that behavior peers, social models, credibility of communicator, and incentives offered for opinion change directly influence attitude change. (Mischel, 1968)
We interpret cues in relation to our own experiences, memories, and behaviors, which form our basic assumptions, expectations, desires, motivations, and needs. Because of this, we don’t always interpret cues correctly. Interacting in the social world is a reflection of what we have learned and how we have been conditioned to act. It is a reflection of the “I.”
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Sometimes we misinterpret cues and act inappropriately under the influence of strong emotions. Other times, we simply act mindlessly, in auto-reaction mode, based on what we have learned. In Genetic Engineering: Man and Nature in Transition, Carl Heintze writes:
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Interior collection of knowledge and feelings governs not only how we feel about ourselves, but also how we deal with the world outside our body. (Heintze, 1974)
Take a two-year-old who walks up to a stranger. The child has no idea that the person may present a threat until a parent comes along and corrects the situation by “teaching” the child not to talk to strangers because they could be dangerous. Young children do not have enough data to interpret potentially dangerous cues in their environment. They have not learned how to act in society, so they are not yet stifled by all its “shoulds.”
CORRECTLY AND CLEARLY INTERPRETING SOCIAL CUES Interpreting cues is important, and we must be able to do it accurately and objectively. We can do this when we practice No Mind; this ability is particularly useful in business settings, for example. In No Mind Business, we explore methods for interpreting cues while negotiating, interacting with business associates, and managing a business. As long as we can keep our minds focused, relaxed, and not clinging to any one thought, we can perceive the cues objectively. We can learn to counteract the processes of filtering and “auto-interpretations” that cause us to act and react on autopilot. When we do this, our reactions to cues simply flow in the moment; we don’t have to try to act or react. By practicing No Mind, we can control our typical auto-actions and auto-reactions, such as emotional expressions, facial gestures (e.g., frowns), or nervous
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habits (e.g., tapping our feet). We develop better control of our expressions, and we are aware of negative behaviors before we automatically act or react. No Mind can help us be more successful in meetings, interviews, and negotiations. No Mind can also help us understand our partners better and halt mindless reactions that lead to arguments. It is essential that we clearly and correctly interpret cues in a business situation, so that we don’t give away our own “feeling” cues and so that we can read those feeling cues from others. It is important not to say one thing and to do another in business dealings. When you learn how to monitor the incoming cues by being mindful, you also learn to “send” cues that enable others to perceive what you want them to perceive and to interpret things the way you want them to be interpreted.
BECOMING FIELD-INDEPENDENT When we become fully aware of how we act in certain situations, we can adjust our actions to get our points across. In order to do this, we need to understand how to become more autonomous of our environment, or field-independent. In a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Herman Witkin uses “field dependence” to describe a person’s reliance on his or her environment. For example, field-dependent students rely heavily on teachers and peers for motivation and for help with school work, while field-independent students study more on their own, focus more on school, and tend to perform better academically. The fielddependent/independent model has been continually revised over the last fifty years. ... for some people perception of the part was strongly affected by the surrounding field; others were able to escape this influence and to deal with the part as a more or less independent unit. People tend to be selfconsistent in the ease or difficulty with which they
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escape the influence of the complex pattern. (Witkin, 1950)
In Witkin’s study, people who depend on other people or things to help them accomplish their goals performed less efficiently than those who relied on themselves to get things done. Our reaction to various events and information depends on the conditions under which the events occur. When we interpret things through our senses, we unconsciously intake additional information from the outside. This means that we may base our interpretations and reactions to a particular event on other things that are happening around us, rather than on an objective analysis of the event itself. We make judgments based on the surrounding information, not just based on the specific object. For example, good is often depicted as light (rather than dark), as up (rather than down), and as moving forward (rather than backward). In one study, researchers examined the association between brightness and either a negative or a positive effect. “The studies suggest that, when making evaluations, people automatically assume that bright objects are good, whereas dark objects are bad (Meier, Robinson, & Clore, 2004). In interactions, our interpretations may be skewed in various ways. We see the world in a certain way because that is how we have “experienced” it. But many times we misinterpret what is really out there and fail to grasp the real world. We go through life on autopilot, watching a particular event, interpreting it mindlessly, and then moving on to the next one. Remember that when we learn to relax and to focus without effort, we “open” ourselves up, so we can perceive new cues through our senses. When we become aware of these incoming cues, we can objectively interpret events, rather than just assume what is happening based on limited cues. In order to understand the importance of No Mind, we need to understand these basic mechanisms.
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YOUR INTERPRETATIONS: UNDERSTANDING THE PROGRAMMING Because most of us go through life on autopilot, it is logical that society, family, and community determine the way we act and think. Our families start to condition our behavior by teaching us their values, beliefs, ethics, and morals. The family has the greatest influence on the development of society’s perfect little “I.” Societal values are usually closely linked to family values. Like our families, society tells us how we should live, what products we should buy, what should make us happy, or how we should achieve our goals and meet our financial needs. Because we cannot differentiate between the program and ourselves, we identify with the program, and so we live the program. We attach ourselves to years’ worth of conditioning and experience, which are as real as anything we know. But why do we “get with the program?” We conform to social expectations to survive within the societal “I.” We perceive what society has trained us to perceive and what we are accustomed to perceive.
SEARCHING FOR AN UNCONDITIONED REALITY Until we break the bonds of conditioned perception and interpretation of reality, we remain trapped, incomplete, and dissatisfied. The thought of pure freedom is a dream to most people or, at best, an illusion. We think we are free, but we are not. Even those who rebel and think they live outside the bounds of society fail to recognize that they are merely conditioned by a different societal matrix. True freedom is neither being outside society nor being submerged in it. Ultimate happiness comes from experiencing unconditioned reality, which is independent of any societal matrix.
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Most people have difficulty understanding how they can relinquish conditioning and achieve a state in which the mind is devoid of thoughts. Such a state of mind reveals an entirely different reality, free of the conditioning. This reality has existed all the while; nothing has really changed. Through it, we experience our true spiritual awareness, which has been always there. It simply got covered by the dust of experiences and conditioning collecting on the mirror of “I.” According to the Tao Te Ching:
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Who can make sense of a world like cloudy water? Left alone and still, it becomes clear. Should this stillness be maintained? Moving hastily will surely cloud it again. How then can one move and not become clouded? Accept Tao [Flow of Nature] and achieve without being selfish; being unselfish one endures the world’s wear, and needs no change of pace. (MacHovec, 1962)
The muddy water through which we try to see becomes clear once we have learned No Mind and allowed the mud to settle. When we act without the selfishness of the “I,” we are truly spiritually aware.
FINDING UNCONDITIONED REALITY THROUGH SENSORY DEPRIVATION Sensory deprivation, while discouraged, is one path toward unconditioned reality. In a study of sensory deprivation, a subject was able to clear his mind completely and to trace some of the conditioning he manifested in adulthood back to childhood. The sense that they inhabit a body disappears. Their thinking becomes desultory and disorganized. No longer buoyed by the pressure to map the exterior world—to internalize its structure—people begin to lose their capacity to represent even its basic dimensions. Being in the world, and being forced to respond, focuses us. It stretches us into a state of mental being. (McCrone, 2001)
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Another study of sensory deprivation notes changes in thought, perception, and insight. By shutting down the sensory input to the brain, some memories—whether latent, repressed, or unconscious—may be recalled, possibly allowing the subject to recognize the source of some conditioning: A vivid recall and an apparent reliving of past events and anxieties occurred in their complete context. As a result of recalling the experiments, he achieved the insight that most of his life he had been metaphorically repeating the history of these crucial childhood events and had been trying to compensate for the apparent maternal rejection by the kinds of attitudes and drives he had developed during his lifetime. This was accompanied by the feeling and sensation of having ‘come back to himself,’ he was aware of a new and quiet feeling of happiness. During the seven weeks of ESR [environmental seclusion], the experimenter recorded 800 pages of crucial repressed memories and other events, the existence of which he had never up to that time suspected, and which he had tried to arrive at for a least ten to fifteen years by free associations comprising about 2,000,000 words of material, and by the study of his dreams (some 7,000), and by various other techniques. It must be noted here that in ESR the memories came back with much greater vividness than can be communicated here: he could actually feel the ground under his feet, hear people talking and using words he could not then understand but which he could understand now for the first time. He could feel an itch, or the urge to blow his nose and hear the sound of his doing so. The experimenter had a remarkable and, to him a unique feeling of “returning” to the human world and nature, which seemed renewed and thrilling. The impact of nature on his senses was utterly marvelous. The sight of it seemed slowed down, as if each particular picture on a film were moving into place in his vision. The trees and their forms seemed sublime, the grass wonderfully green, the smell strong and delightful. It
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seemed much akin to a child’s first impressions of nature with all senses alive. Commonplace happenings seemed vital and renewed; the human voice sounded “angelic.” (Ziskind & Augsburg, 1962)
As this account shows, once we eliminate the barriers to our perception, we can see clearly without definitions, categorizations, prejudices, assumptions, motivations, intentions, value judgments—without the need to interpret the experience. Cleansing the filters of the “I” refreshes our view of reality. A child first sees through a mind without barriers, defenses, or prejudices. A child sees through clear water; reality is reflected with less dust on the mirror. We are born into an unconditioned reality; only later do we learn and develop the conditions. No Mind helps us develop this kind of spiritual awareness, but we need to be able to disassemble the categories programmed into our worldview. Jerome Bruner, professor of cognitive psychology at Harvard and Oxford, asserts:
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Perception involves an act of categorization. The category need not be elaborate: “a sound,” “a touch,” “a pain,” are also examples of categorized inputs. All perception is generic in the sense that whatever is perceived is placed in and achieves its “meaning” from a class of percepts with which it is grouped. In learning to perceive, we are learning the relations that exist between the properties of objects and events that we encounter, learning appropriate categories and category systems, learning to predict and to check what goes with what. Representation consists of knowing how to utilize cues with reference to a system of categories. It also depends upon the creation of a system of categories in relationship that fit the nature of the world in which the person must live. (Bruner, 1957)
These modern scientific ideas were well known over 2,500 years ago. The human brain has not changed, and it won’t change unless it evolves differently in the future. Categories created and reinforced by society and family
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are the associative neural networks in the brain that allow us to interpret the experiences of the outside world. Habitual categories are difficult to modify because we constantly reinforce them by repeating them. In the process, they become hard-wired in our brains. For example, studies show that the brain physically organizes memory into sequences within the associative neural network. Even when there is no obvious sequence for the memories, the brain still organizes them into sequences, which get reinforced when we recall the memories. In other words, no matter what we perceive, our brains are constantly organizing information into categories and sequences for easier later retrieval. And the more we use our brains and recall memories, the more we reinforce the categories (Tulving, 1962). We usually employ these habitual categorizations on autopilot (see Figure 7-1). Ellen Langer, professor of psychology at Harvard, explains in her book Mindfulness: We experience the world by creating categories and making distinctions among them. ‘This is Chinese, not a Japanese, vase.’ ‘No, he’s only a freshman.’ ‘The white orchids are endangered.’ ‘She’s his boss now.’ In this way, we make a picture of the world, and of ourselves. Without categories the world might seem to escape us ... Mindlessness sets in when we rely too rigidly on categories and distinctions created in the past (masculine/feminine, old/young, success/failure). Once distinctions are created they take on a life of their own ... We build our own and our shared realities and then we become victims of them—blind to the fact that they are constructs, ideas. (Langer, 1989)
SHARING REALITIES IN THE SOCIETAL “I” In the societal/family “I,” conditioning and reinforcing cues act to establish shared realities. Shared realties arise from shared categories.
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This is another key point to understanding the “I” and the concept of No Mind: There exists a societal “I” that shares certain characteristics with your individual “I.” Your “I” is not just what you are, but what and how you have been conditioned to act and to feel by your family and society. And as long as you know your behavior is acceptable to your family and society, you continue to behave the same way. Your family and society have influenced your opinions, desires, needs, expectations, hopes, and fears. But even as your habits, routines, and lifestyle change individually, they most likely will still conform to family and societal norms. A person who rebels against his family is regarded as the black sheep of the family. In the context of the larger society, such rebels are called mavericks, liberals, nonconformists, or free-spirited. In the 1960s, for example, the hippies were the outsiders; they didn’t agree with traditional worldviews and wanted to change social behavioral norms. Although some cultural changes took place, society remained pretty much as it was before the hippies came along.
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WHEN SOCIETAL “I’s” FUNCTION AS INDIVIDUAL “I’s” The patterns of society, family, and community are everywhere—in our laws, regulations, religions, values, ethics, conventions, traffic patterns, economic cycles, fashions, music, transportation, architecture ... The individual “I” is a reflection of these patterns; we adapt to them and manifest them in our lives. These patterns condition our “I” in accordance with the larger “I” of society. The point is that we can become aware of the pattern that represents our behavior, which is the first step in the process of “stepping outside the “I.” From this perspective, our society becomes a large functioning “I,” composed of the shared conditioning and reinforcing programs of our individual “I’s.” For
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example, when political leaders get together at the United Nations and discuss foreign policy, trade, and economic strategy, they represent society’s “I” and its programs of conditioning and shared realities. The key to being a great political leader representing a society’s “I” is to be calm, focused, and detached from the individual “I” in the process of the political negotiation and decision-making (as we will see in Chapter 29). Political leaders should allow the needs of the societal “I” to outweigh the needs of their own “I” under all circumstances. They should maintain their spiritual awareness in everything they do and say. Sadly, many political leaders do not fit this characterization. If a day comes when society is no longer motivated by greed, ambition, lust, aggression, territoriality, and prejudice, we would have one boundless, all-inclusive community. Such an enlightened society would be in accord with Nature or the Tao; but can it ever exist? Likewise, when the individual is not driven by conditioned intention and motivations, the person knows no boundaries—reality is unconditional. And such a person can exist—it could be you—as have millions of people for the past 3,000 years.
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IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Social interactions take place through the medium of a dualistic language (I and they) that shapes our identity of “I,” “me,” “mine,” “theirs.” These identifiers describe reality in terms of “ourselves” and our conditioned ideas, which in turn drive our actions and reactions. Society’s “I” functions similarly to our individual “I’s.”
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2. We construct our reality with verbal analogies. We create metaphors of a reality that we feel we cannot really understand. 3. Our society and family condition and mold programs of behavior in us through a process of “socialization,” in which we learn to act in terms of proper social interpretations of right and wrong, good and bad, success and failure, happiness and unhappiness, and so on. Social modeling has persuasive effects on the development of our behavioral programs. 4. We interpret cues from the outside and inside worlds through mental categories that trap us into habitual cognitive and behavioral patterns. Social categories reflect socially shared realities experienced through shared social interpretations. One problem is that we also misinterpret reality due to these categories, which distort what is really there. 5. No Mind allows us to see reality more clearly, without the blinders of our learned categories of interpretation. We can intuitively sense a person’s feelings when we stop “trying” to interpret them. We are more compassionate through mindfulness.
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6. Habituation to categories produces mindlessness in action and reaction. Most of us go through life in autopilot mode. Sensory deprivation and mindfulness studies have demonstrated that we can cleanse our habitual categories and “see” the outside world in a new, fresh, dynamic perspective. We can also learn to understand our own categories. 7. We can be society’s puppets, caught in a program of behavior without being aware of it. On the other hand, we can learn to recognize the shared categories that determine our shared realities. We can achieve a spiritual awareness that allows us to identify the program and modify it accordingly. We can undo the categories through the practice of No Mind, which allows the brain to set up new categories.
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EXERCISE 4: RECOGNIZING THE CATEGORIES WITHIN US
The following questions relate to commonly known programs in most societies and families. Consider the question, and then think about your town or city, or apply the question to your immediate family. Answer the questions as truthfully as you can. Then reflect on what you know about yourself to see if you fit into the common societal patterns in the list.
Common societal patterns
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Yes or No—Explain your answer
Do the members seem relatively free? Is selfishness a common pattern? Are you in agreement with the prevailing religion? Are your neighbors honestly friendly? Are they genuine? Are your friends happy? Are there more discontented members or contented ones? Is self-centered fulfillment a recognized pattern? Is giving and sharing a recognized pattern? Is there a pattern of “outdoing others” among members? Are the majority concerned only about customary education, or is there a balance of education, values, inner peace?
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Common societal patterns
Yes or No—Explain your answer
Is a more expensive thing better than a less expensive thing? Does your perception of people change with the car, clothes, style they have? Do you fear or hate some members? Are constant praise and reward common motivators? Are you “good” friends with happy, humble members? Are you “good” friends with successful, powerful, high-status members? Is more (e.g., a bigger and better “toy”) better to most people? Are there members whom you personally know could die right now contented with their lives?
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The “I” uses defense mechanisms—including fantasy, denial, regression, projection, and repression—to defend itself against anything that may cause anxiety, confusion, or other negative emotions or psychological disorders. These defense mechanisms mask the true nature of reality. They alter our perceptions so we can experience a version of it that is more consistent with our values, motivations, expectations, intentions, and beliefs. They reaffirm the identity of the “I” and our attachments to our self-image. The “way we think we are” and “how we want to be seen” establish attachments in the mental web of the “I.” Our defense mechanisms confirm these attachments by selecting information that is compatible with them. Over time, we develop various defense mechanisms, including altering reality to fit the way we want to see it, projecting our emotions onto other people, distorting our own self-image, and engaging in self-destructive behavior like alcohol or drug addiction to repress our problems. In Chapter 5, we will explore the common defense mechanisms that keep the “I” in control. You will begin to understand that your mind can be un-trained, so that you see the defense mechanisms at work and use the techniques of No Mind to overcome them.
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Chapter 5
Why Am “I” So Defensive?
O
ur perceptual and ego defense mechanisms are key to understanding some of our most important psychological characteristics. These mechanisms have evolved to filter the deluge of incoming data and to make sure the external and internal worlds are compatible with the beliefs, values, emotional characteristics, expectations, hopes, desires, needs, motivations, and intentions of the “I.” What’s left is a reality that’s been manipulated by what we have been conditioned to believe. So we do not “see” reality as it is, but a constructed reality through “ego-colored” glasses.
BRINGING REALITY INTO THE COMFORT ZONE These defense neuro-mechanisms protect the “I” from unwanted, scary, dangerous, explicit images that might cause stress, anxiety, confusion, terror, or other painful emotions. The neuromechanisms protect the “I” from being hurt psychologically. They 104
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filter and analyze perceptions, thoughts, and emotions to make sure that they are consistent with what we have learned, with what we have experienced, and, most important, with what we “think” of ourselves. This self-image—what we think we are—develops over years of environmental conditioning and reinforcement. The goal of the “I” is to defend us against anything that could harm us psychologically or make us think less of ourselves. The most common perceptual and ego defense mechanisms are fantasy, denial, repression, regression, and projection. Psychologists have identified others: isolation, displacement, rationalization, and intellectualization. For our purposes, however, we will focus on the first five, whose sole purpose is to defend the “I.” These mechanisms mask reality in order to uphold an illusion. And they limit our potential in all aspects of our lives including sports, business, relationships, and academics.
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Fantasy and Denial: Unfulfilled Programs The “I” sees reality the way it has been programmed to see it by the media, peers, models, advertising campaigns, family, and society in general. We are constantly being told how we should look, what we should eat, what should make us happy, how we should live our lives. Because this is occurring at a subliminal level, we often do not know why we do the things we do—why we buy the things we buy, for example. In the case of consumerism, it seems the “I” just has to have something, but we never really know why. The answer lies in the subconscious programming carried out by advertisers. They spend billions of dollars to create realities for us; they mold us into perfect consumers by constantly telling us why we cannot live without their particular brands. But what happens if we cannot afford all the things advertisers tell us we need, and if we cannot look and live the way they promote? Well, we can deny we ever really
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wanted all that stuff in the first place. We can also fantasize about the way we really want to live. Sometimes we have to pretend that we already have everything the advertisers tell us we need: the perfect body, the perfect mate, the perfect job, a great sex life. We learn as children to fantasize about being something we are not, or to pretend we achieved something we did not—all for the sake of protecting the “I.” We create a fantasy life to hide the fact that we are failures. But these fantasies can cause a range of mental problems, from mild apprehension to depression to psychosis. The important point is that the “I” alters our experiences of the external and internal worlds through defense mechanisms meant to protect us from the “real” reality. The defense mechanism of fantasy is closely linked to denial. For example, people who do not accomplish a lifelong dream or a particular goal may decide that it’s too late—they never really wanted to do it anyway, or they never needed to do it. Both fantasy and denial protect the “I” from painful truths. We have all experienced these defense mechanisms in action to some degree, whether we are aware of it or not. If you think about how many experiences you may have had when you were protecting your “I,” you can understand how reality is altered in favor of your self-image. In Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious, Sigmund Freud wrote, “these processes which take place in the preconscious and lack the attention—are appropriately termed ‘automatic’” (Freud, 1917). Denial and fantasy become an auto-action and an auto-reaction (see Figure 7-1). Our minds automatically rationalize, fantasize, and intellectualize what is happening around us to make it more pleasing to our self-image. Again, we are changing reality so that we can deal with it. Our defense mechanisms mask the true nature of reality and alter our perceptions so that we can experience a version of reality that is more consistent with our values, motivations, expectations, intentions, and beliefs.
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The problem is that we cannot see the “true colors” of the wind as long as we are looking through rose-colored glasses. The practice of No Mind can remove those tinted glasses so we can see reality.
Repression: Forgetting about the Programs
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Another way we fail to experience reality directly is by purging our emotions from our consciousness. When we find it difficult to cope with certain thoughts, we push them away to deal with them at another time, or we hope that they will fade away altogether so we’ll never have to deal with them. For instance, let’s take the son who is unable to deal with the death of his father. Maybe the son is inconsolable because he never had a chance to say goodbye, and every time he thinks about that, he cries. Yet, maybe it isn’t just that. Maybe there are other issues involving his father that the son has repressed. Maybe the son feels guilty because he believes he wasn’t a very good son, or maybe he and his dad had an argument that they never resolved. Even though the son had repressed those unpleasant memories, they were triggered by the death of his father. And now that those memories have surfaced again, the son has to deal with them. Freud called repression “motivated forgetting,” that is, deliberately failing to recall a threatening situation, person, or event. We often repress unpleasant experiences to avoid dealing with them. This ego defense technique protects the “I” and helps it cope with reality. Psychoanalysts try to make their patients conscious of repressed events so they can deal with them and get on with their lives. Freud described this as an attempt to “make the unconscious conscious.” He explained repression as a process of filtering unwanted perceptual cues before they reach awareness, or as selectively “not wanting to remember” disturbing thoughts or experiences. Repression is common among people who have been repeatedly victimized or who have had traumatic experiences. Approximately 40% of sexual-abuse victims and
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trauma survivors report that there were times when they could not remember the abuse or the trauma. The memories were repressed. Repression, like most defense mechanisms, is a coping strategy. We are always trying to maintain the inner status quo for our psychological comfort and for the sake of our functionality in the world.
Regression: Going Back Before the Programs Regression is going backward in time to a safe place and time in our lives to avoid dealing with a current traumatic situation. We go back to a more carefree time, when our parents took care of us and we had no responsibility for ourselves. In a study of burn trauma patients—who often become childlike—researchers note that patients recover faster when they are cared for by a loved one, such as a mother or father. Major burn trauma is ordinarily associated with psychological regression, which regularly assumes either an immature, dependent (childlike), or primitive (animallike) form. Treatment is enhanced when the partner in a committed relationship is included in the treatment program. (Tempereau, Grossman, & Brones, 1987)
Projection: Seeing Yourself in Someone Else Projection is the act of assigning our own unacceptable feelings, emotions, perceptions, expectations, hopes, desires, fears, dislikes, or frustrations onto another person. It is a defense mechanism that keeps anxiety-producing or distressing memories outside our awareness. If the unconscious “I” finds a feeling to be anxietyproducing, it can project that feeling onto another person, so that the “I” does not have to deal with it consciously. Projecting such feelings onto someone else is another defense mechanism. For example, your friend Amy might say to you, “You were never a good listener.” But Amy is not really talking
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about you; she is projecting feelings she has about herself onto you, as she might fear she is not a very good listener. Parents often—and without being aware of it—project their own unrealized goals, aspirations, or expectations onto their children. We all use this defense mechanism to help us cope with reality. And in almost all cases, the “I” is not “aware” of what it is doing and why. Projection helps people maintain the illusion of their perfect “I’s,” but it can often hinder their performance in the real world. The “I’s” primary concern is maintaining its own wellbeing, safety, and comfort. If the “I” becomes conscious of dormant painful emotions, it deals with them differently, depending on the intensity of the emotion. We can deal with less painful emotions through therapy. But extremely painful ones often overwhelm us, causing depression or escapism though alcohol, drugs, or other self-destructive behaviors. Remember, emotion can overpower thought and gain control over us. Professional psychotherapy, therefore, is sometimes required to help us become aware of who we truly are, so we can feel and function better.
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MAINTAINING THE ILLUSION OF THE PERFECT “I” A key point to remember is that the defense mechanisms serve the “I” by maintaining its positive self-image, even if it means denying traumatic events, personality conflicts, negative behavior, anxiety-provoking emotions— whatever presents a threat. The defense mechanisms mask the true nature of reality and alter our perceptions, so that we can “experience” a world that is more consistent with our values, motivations, expectations, intentions, and beliefs. Defense mechanisms reaffirm the identity of the “I” and the attachments to the characteristics of the selfimage. When we are free from these mechanisms, we can achieve peak performance and spiritual awareness and be more understanding of the “real” world and people around us. This is the essence of the practice of No Mind.
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The “I” Needs to Limit the Reality of the World
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Fantasy, denial, repression, projection, and regression are defense mechanisms that deny any information contradicting the “I” access to our awareness. Given the defensive nature of the “I,” a substantial portion of reality is blocked out. As it interprets reality based on its own value systems, beliefs, and expectations, the “I” alters reality to fit its self-image. Today, this is a main task of the “I.” Thanks to modern communication technology, we receive countless sensory inputs daily—far more than ever before. These inputs condition our defense mechanisms in many subliminal ways, and those mechanisms unconsciously alter our perceptions and our understanding of reality. We are conditioned to see the world through these filters, but the practice of No Mind can help us remove them. Through our defense mechanisms, we see only what we “want” to see. The evening news shows us only a fraction of what is happening in our communities, our cities, our states, and in other countries around the world. So how much reality do we really see? We certainly cannot see or interpret reality from the perspective of the “I,” since it is altered by the brain’s perceptual and associative mechanisms.
Mind
Modifying and Understanding Defensive Styles The defense mechanisms are not static; they can be modified and changed over time. According to one study, shifts in the “defensive style” occur as people mature, indicating that we are stylizing and modifying defense systems as we adapt to the environment: Ninety-five men, selected in college on the basis of health, have been prospectively followed up for 30 years. Their adaptive styles have been isolated, labeled by the ego mechanisms of defense that their behavior reflects. They were categorized by personality attributes. Highly significant shifts in defensive style occurred as individuals matured. In order to conceptualize the continuum
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that underlies mental health, identification of a person’s dominant defensive styles may be superior to our current scheme of static unitary diagnoses. (Vaillant, 1976)
According to the study, our behaviors and conception of reality may also change as our defensive mechanism styles change. It also emphasizes that therapy should be customized to the specific defense mechanisms a person uses to cope with issues. In other words, what mechanism we use to cope with a problem is as important as the problem itself. The complexity of the ego and its perceptual defense mechanisms lends itself to the unconscious development of the characteristics of the “I” in terms of “styles”:
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... [Ego] defenses cluster so as to constitute ‘styles’ and ... these styles can be ranked as more or less adaptive. The results, which argued strongly for the validity of a questionnaire measure of perceived defensive style, also showed that such defenses tend to cluster into styles that can be ranked on a developmental continuum, from ‘maladaptive action patterns,’ through ‘image-distorting’ defenses, ‘self-sacrificing’ defenses, and ‘adaptive’ defenses. (Bond, Gardner, Christian, & Sigal, 1983)
It is hard to understand all the defense mechanisms we use. With all of these “defensive styles” altering our perceptions for the comfort of the “I,” how much of reality do we really see? Well, not very much. We are unconsciously and consciously regressing, repressing, projecting, and denying a very large portion of what we see, hear, and feel. And if none of those work, we can always fantasize.
THE ANCIENT MASTERS COULD SEE CLEARLY Although we all see beauty as beauty, ugliness as ugliness, evil as evil, good as good, these can mean different things to us, depending on our interpretations of our perceptions. Indeed, “Beauty is in the eye [or “I”] of the beholder.”
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The world around us appears as we “see” it, not as it really is. We experience it in terms of how the mental web of the “I” interprets it. We live in a world where the boundary between illusion and reality may be so subtle that, without a trained mind, you can easily mix them up. The Tao Te Ching makes this point: Colors can make us blind! Music can make us deaf! Flavors can destroy our taste! Possessions can close our options! Racing can drive us mad And its rewards obstruct our peace! Thus, the wise Fill the inner gut Rather than the eyes, Always sacrificing the superficial For the essential. (Dale, 2002)
SEEING CLEARLY WITHOUT THE “I” To “fill the inner gut, rather than the eyes,” you must transcend the “I”—for fulfilling the “I” is superficial and inessential. Grasp for what is real, not for things in which the ego delights. That is the No Mind of the ancient masters. Look for the essential aspect of nature, not the manufactured version produced through the mental web of “I.” Remember, we “see” ourselves the way our “I” thinks we should be. Of course, we prefer to see ourselves in a positive light, and we go to great lengths to maintain that perspective, which keeps us psychologically and physically healthy. So, yes, we protect ourselves against a world that we experience only partially. At the same time, we are part of the world; we influence it and it influences us. We do not need to defend against ourselves any more than a snake needs to defend itself against its own bite. But we do.
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We should be like the snake, which does not try to be anything but itself, in harmony with nature. Let’s just be our “I-less” selves. The Tao, or nature, does not “create” the world as we do. It is both a part of the world and the whole world simultaneously, so there is no need to “create” anything. The world already exists; we just need to become aware of it. When we live closer to our true nature, we are closer to the natural world around us.
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Through Tao everything exists yet it does not take possession. It provides for everything yet it does not lay claim. Without motive it seems small. Being the source of everything, it is great. Because it never claims greatness, its greatness shines brightly. (MacHovec, 1962)
Without the mechanism of the “I,” we see clearly that there is nothing to fight. People might perceive that statement as an assault on their ego, on themselves, on who and what they think they are: “How can I give up what I have been attached to for so long?” You don’t need to give up anything because there is nothing to give up. When you realize this, you will be like the Tao: Being the source of everything, it is great, but it never claims greatness. Several thousand years ago, the ancient masters realized that through No Mind, the “I” loses its grasp on awareness. When you experience enlightenment, you lose nothing and you gain nothing, yet nothing is ever the same again.
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CHAPTER 5
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Common defense mechanisms include fantasy, denial, regression, projection, and repression. They are primarily unconscious processes to defend the “I” against unacceptable, hurtful, or painful information that may cause anxiety, confusion, or psychological disorders. 2. Fantasy can help us cope by altering reality in a way that is comfortable for the self-image. The mind runs learned “programs” that make perceptions more attractive. When we cannot achieve something, we can pretend that we have achieved it, or we can pretend to achieve it in our “own” way. 3. Repression is “motivated forgetting” of traumatic memories, experiences, people, or events. It is part of the coping strategy we use to create our reality. Projection and repression rob us of achieving peak performance and maintain the illusion of the “I.” These mechanisms hold us back from spiritual awareness. 4. Defense mechanisms put reality into our comfort zone for the maintenance of the “I.” Reality is created by our minds to be consistent with our selfimage in order to maintain the illusion. 5. Defense mechanisms mask the true nature of reality and alter our perceptions, so that we can “experience” a version of reality that is more consistent with our values, motivations, expectations, intentions, and beliefs. 6. Defense mechanisms confirm the identity of the “I” and our attachments to the characteristics of our self-image. The way we think we are and how we want to be identified reinforce attachments to
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the “I.” The resulting defense mechanisms reaffirm the attachments by selecting compatible information from the inner and outer worlds. 7. Over time, we develop defensive styles that can be modified to fit our changing circumstances. The styles are adaptive (altering reality to fit a more compatible mode of perception), maladaptive (projecting emotion coupled with hostility to another person), image-distorting (creating fantasy roles and denying), and self-sacrificing (engaging in self-destructive behaviors, such as alcohol or drug addiction, to repress a problem).
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8. Defensive styles and mechanisms alter our perceptions and understanding of reality. We “experience” the world through these filters. Yet, the ancient masters discovered that No Mind can detach awareness from these mechanisms and allow us to “see” reality directly. When we are free from these mechanisms, we can achieve peak performance and be more understanding of the “real” world and people around us.
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EXERCISE 5: IDENTIFYING DEFENSE MECHANISMS
Mind
The following list of questions relates to common defense mechanisms, both ego and perceptual. Consider each question, and respond without overanalyzing your answer, as your answer may be influenced by defense mechanisms, such as intellectualization. Take a few deep breaths, relax, and try to answer objectively. No one will see the answers except you, so the more honest and objective you are, the more insight you will have into yourself and your defense mechanisms.
Defense mechanisms
Has this ever affected you in any way?
Have you ever been deceived without knowing it? Do you understand the real motives of that deception? Have you verbally defended yourself lately? Have you bought a product without really knowing why? Have you become aware of anything from memory that was repressed? Are there images that you do not like to see? That you censor? Are there people who make you anxious when you see them? Do you avoid those people in general?
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Defense mechanisms Describe a painful past event; do you speak openly about it or repress aspects of it?
Has this ever affected you in any way?
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Do you fantasize about issues that you had to deal with? Do you fantasize about your position in your career? Do you fantasize about your real happiness in life? Do you have fantasies about your mate’s happiness or love for you? Do you feel your family is content and happy? Are you society’s perfect little “I”? Can you speak openly about all of your sexual habits and likes? Have you ever been in denial about a situation in your life? Have you ever been in denial about someone close to you? Have you ever realized that you projected your feelings about yourself onto someone else? Have you said something to someone, realizing that you were referring to yourself? Have you ever had aggressive or hurtful feelings toward yourself?
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Language, by its very nature, divides, fragments, categorizes, and compartmentalizes our “experience” of the world. As such, it influences the way we perceive things, interpret things, and act on those things. The formation of selfawareness and the acquisition of language occur almost simultaneously and establish a codependency that makes it nearly impossible to perceive or think without language. Language itself creates the false idea of a dualistic reality, defining the “I” and continuously reinforcing it. Because the “I” is separated from the whole (or reality as it is) in a dualistic existence, it is in a constant, futile search for that which will make it whole. As long as we remain detached units, however, we cannot become complete and reach our full potential. The detached “I” remains bound by time and limited by its own boundaries. In Chapter 6, we will explore why the “I” cannot become whole. We can become aware of our “wholeness,” but only through releasing the “I.” Suspension of the “I” through the practice of No Mind allows us to understand our spiritual awareness, the essential aspect of nature, or the Tao.
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Chapter 6
The Language of the “I”
W
hen we realize true spiritual awareness, or enlightenment, we transcend the “I.” In this state, there is nothing to gain because we are not expecting to gain anything, and there is nowhere to go because we are right where we should be. We are also more mindful of the dynamic nature of the mind-body nexus in relation to the world around it. This is far more gratifying than seeing everything from the narrow perspective of the “I.” The ancient masters say, “When enlightened, we gain nothing.” Why? Normally, we think of acquisition in distributive terms—to “gain” is to take something from one place or person and to give it to another. Such definition is premised on the existence of two separate entities—a giver and a recipient. Gain also implies acquiring something to satisfy a need or an expectation of the “I.” For instance, “I want to get that, or I want to be enlightened.” As an example, let’s say you win an award for performing well at your job. Unimpeded by the illusion of the “I,” you can focus on what you have to do to achieve the award, not just on the final 119
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result of getting the award. In other words, it’s not about the end—“I won,” but about the means—the mind-body working together efficiently. Don’t worry about winning— focus on the spiritual process of “doing,” and the rewards will come. We focus on the journey, not the destination— that is how we enjoy the moment, which is really all we have. When we understand the “I” as “not me,” we no longer think of the “I” versus the world. Yet, at this point language breaks down, and it becomes impossible to describe a non-dualistic experience via dualistic language—one that ensures the existence of the self by using pronouns like “I,” “me,” or “mine.” For example, many athletes find it difficult to describe reaching the “zone” in sports. The experience is like restoring the spiritual awareness we had before the development of the “I.” Nondualistic spiritual awareness is what we experience at birth, before the years of conditioning and reinforcement from family, community, and society, and before we develop our internal ego and perceptual defense filters. We return to this state of spiritual awareness when we are released from the grasp of the “I.” We spend a lifetime following the actions of the “I,” to which we become attached and with which we identify. In many instances, we act and react on autopilot, unaware, mindless. But when we detach the awareness from the “I” through No Mind, we become free to eliminate the artificial flavoring and colors of the “I.” We are free to see reality from a fresh perspective, outside the conditioning of the “I.” It’s not giving up who you think you are; it’s expanding the limitless possibilities of who you really are. According to a study conducted at Dalhousie University, Canada: Buddhist psychology has now gained some credence in the West and is starting to exert a growing influence both on various areas of medicine and well-established Western psychotherapies ... The Buddhist concept of ‘selflessness’ is often perceived by Westerners as a recommendation for the dissolution of the ego and its
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propelling forces in their competitive societies, instead of an invitation to dispel the artificial compactness of their ‘I.’ (Michalon, 2001)
THE “I” AS A CREATION OF LANGUAGE
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The “I” does not exist as a separate entity or agent. It is an illusion that we have created by identifying with everything we have been conditioned to believe. This illusion is reinforced by language through pronouns like “I,” “me,” or “mine.” How do you dispel this illusion? If you must think in terms of “mine” or “me,” just don’t get attached to them. Be mindful of the “mine” and “me,” and you can slowly dissolve the attachments. Or you can not think and just be aware of reality as a something that merely happens in time. By doing this, you won’t feel the need to describe anything verbally in terms of the “I.” This is not to say that we do not exist. Obviously, we do; however, the “I” is not the essence of our existence, but only an illusion of language and identity. Everything we believe we are is us. Certainly, our life is not happening to someone else. Our life is simply our life. Yet, our language forces us to identify with everything in our life, so we say “I am this,” or “I am that,” or “I like this,” and “I dislike that,” and so on. It is difficult not to use the “I” in a sentence about ourselves. It sounds very uncomfortable to say, “This mind-body does this or that.” Language helps define the “I,” frames it as a unit apart from the rest of the world, and reinforces the continuity of the “I.” So the “I” is a creation of language, duality, and identification.
IDENTITY AS A CREATION OF LANGUAGE Our self-image—who and what we think we are—builds a shell around us that separates us from the rest of the world. We protect our self-image, and we are proud of the things we accomplish. But when we transcend our
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“I-image,” we realize that there is no one to claim all of our special qualities and accomplishments; they are just the special qualities and accomplishments of our mindbody dynamic. “I didn’t accomplish it”; it was just accomplished through the mind-body dynamic in a more or less efficient manner. When you take this step, nothing is taken away from “you.” You are not stripped of your self. You simply shift to a higher, more expanded perspective, where life is liberated from suffering and attachment. This shift results in true happiness. H. P. Grice, professor of philosophy at The University of California, Berkeley, suggests a model of perception in which we detach from a sensory cue (or what he calls “sense datum”). He states that perceiving an object involves having an impression of something—a sense datum—which is similar to being mindful of something: Are we to accept the legitimacy of the sentence ‘It looks indigestible to me’ as providing us with a sense datum sentence ‘I am having an indigestible visual sensedatum?’ (Grice, 1965)
If we remove the “I” in the sentence, then we essentially have, “there is a thought that that food is disgusting.” It is difficult to talk like this and a lot easier to simply say, “I can’t eat that.” In reality, the response is an auto-reaction of the brain that reaches our awareness after it has already been processed. We look at the food, and maybe it resembles something we once ate that made us sick. So we mechanically react negatively to the new food because of that past experience. Even though the new food could be delicious, we won’t even try it. But if you take one step backward, you’ll realize that it’s just your mind telling you that the food is disgusting. The food could be scrumptious, but you won’t even let yourself try it because of what your mind is telling you. If you detach yourself from the thought that the food is disgusting—if you become mindful of it—you won’t be
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automatically repulsed, and you might discover it is actually quite tasty.
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THE PERILS OF THE PRONOUN “I”
The Language of the “I”
In language, we habitually use “I” in conjunction with everything we do. We have become identified with the pronoun—an illusion reinforced by language. This unit of speech harms us much more than it helps. We use the pronoun comfortably in language, but in reality it is the kernel for many psychological, sociological, and psychophysiological pathologies. The medical literature discusses thousands of pathological disorders that stem from a person’s ego or selfimage. The “I” does not go away easily. Its grasp is firm; it takes No Mind, or a sudden burst of insight, to escape it. For thousands of years, the masters have known that real suffering is generated by the “I.” They developed a powerful psychotherapeutic language that solves the problem of identity and helps us understand and eventually experience the non-dualistic nature of No Mind. The great Zen master Hui-neng said:
Chapter 6
As long as there is a dualistic way of looking at things there is no emancipation. Light stands against darkness; the passion stands against enlightenment ... The main point is not to think of things good and bad and thereby be restricted, but to let the mind move on as it is in itself and perform its inexhaustible functions. (Suzuki, 1969)
Letting the mind move unchecked takes practice. We learn to allow the awareness to “float” above our thoughts and to avoid getting pulled down by them. A non-dualistic awareness is a reality that can be experienced—it has been documented thousands of times throughout history. The ancient masters knew that language was a key prop for the “I” and for maintaining the illusion. Language is a direct manifestation of the associative neural
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networks of the brain. We think in terms of language, and therefore need it to identify everything outside and inside of us. The ancient Taoist text says, “Those who speak do not know, and those who know do not speak.” Ultimate nondualistic reality and enlightenment are beyond description in ordinary, dualistic language. Recently, physicists have been establishing the existence of a non-dualistic reality in labs with particle accelerators and vacuum chambers while studying subatomic particles (Capra, 1976). We will discuss this in detail in No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind.
THE RELATIVE EMPTINESS OF LANGUAGE Our use of language to communicate is a conditioning and reinforcing factor equally important to learning and experience. The central concept for the great dialectician Nagarjuna (150–250 CE) is: “emptiness [sunyata] of all things,” which reflects the incessantly changing nature of all phenomena. He also demonstrates the failure of language to describe the experience. He understood that whatever could be conceptualized is relative, and anything that can be described by language must also be relative. Further, everything that is relative is empty, or void. This does not mean “empty” in the sense of nothing, but in the sense that the concept of a thing is not the ultimate reality of that thing. A concept is always relative to something else; therefore in terms of spiritual awareness, it is empty. Non-dualistic spiritual awareness is not relative; it transcends relativity because it is relative to nothing—it just exists. Just as an ocean cannot be relative to itself, a drop of the ocean is relative only when defined as a drop by removing it from the ocean. When the drop becomes the ocean, it loses its relativity to the ocean. When we are born, we are the ocean. The “I” forms like a drop extracted from the ocean. Visualize yourself
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as a drop that has been removed from the ocean, and you know yourself as the drop, not the ocean. As long as you identify with the “I,” you are the drop. Once you realize spiritual awareness or enlightenment, you are like the drop returning to the ocean and “remembering” you were always part of it. You did not gain anything, you were always the ocean, but you just lost the experience of being the ocean. The “I” made you forget. Language, however, constantly puts us in a dualistic reality; it always renders us relative to what we are doing, accomplishing, or performing. The “experience” of the world develops co-dependently with language, and it is framed by our description of it—we say, “I am washing dishes,” not “The mind-body is washing dishes.” When you take the “I” out, all description becomes empty, and it is only an illusion to attach yourself to something that is empty or relative. There is only “the washing of dishes.” Even though descriptions of reality are empty, the “I” attaches to the descriptions of what we are doing, how we are feeling, and what we are thinking. But what is described is not reality—it is the “I’s” idea of reality. When you realize the “I” is an illusion, then you can realize No Mind, experience non-dualistic spiritual awareness, and develop peak performance in your life. We simply perform better when we just perform, rather than when we think, “I need to perform.” Nagarjuna refers to this non-dualistic spiritual awareness as indescribable, nameless and flowing; it is empty, yet the source of all things. The ancient master recognized language’s inability to describe this reality properly. Language enforces duality in another way. When you describe something using language, you simultaneously describe its opposite. For instance, if you describe a flower as red, you simultaneously tell us that the flower is not black, yellow, green, blue, or any other color. If you describe a feeling as happiness, you are also saying it is not sadness. So when we use language to describe non-dualistic awareness, or No Mind, as empty, we also mean that it is full. This is where language breaks down. Physicists know
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the universe is not empty; it is full of particles. Subatomic particles emerge from what “appears” empty (Pagels, 1982). Essentially, the same holds true for the “I.” If you are not the “I,” how can you describe yourself? There is awareness, attention, or consciousness, which all mean about the same thing. In contrast, No Mind is nondualistic; it is pure awareness—individual and universal awareness at the same time. It is the drop and the ocean, when the drop transcends itself and remembers it’s the ocean. This is difficult to comprehend intellectually, because we invariably use language to conceptualize everything. Still, language is not adequate to describe a non-dualistic reality; it is not adequate to describe enlightenment. That is why we must experience reality for ourselves; otherwise, it does not make sense. The ancient masters devised techniques, such as No Mind, for this exact purpose.
LANGUAGE AS THE SELF POLICE At least two hundred families of languages and thousands of dialects are used in the world today. Languages generally describe things in terms of subject-verb-object: what the subject is doing, and what is being done. The subject component—the “someone-is-doing-something” part—is very important for the construction of a sentence, no matter what the linear relationship is in the sentence. In Going Inside, John McCrone argues that language changed our evolutionary development by allowing us to organize not only our social world, but also our internal world, thereby creating special human abilities, such as self-awareness, that may not exist in animals. “Language, and the habits of thought which it supports, may have developed first in the social sphere, being the product of a cultural rather than a biological evolution,” McCrone says, going on to assert that words allow us to treat our brains as if they were digital storehouses. Words give us the power to label and to describe anything.
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We can even use language to conceptualize and identify our emotions: Grammatical speech put a motor into human thought, allowing our minds to break free of the tyranny of the present. We could then start going places in both our imagination and our memories ... and this control over our state of mental representation gave us two new powers in particular: recollective memory and selfawareness. (McCrone, 2001)
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Through neuroplasticity, or the brain’s capacity to rewire itself through neurons forging new connections and assuming new roles, language gave us the ability to form a distinctive view of ourselves—conditioning and reinforcing a pattern of “I,” in which we live and acknowledge our lives. Language itself is broken down into identifying doers and their actions, like “I am playing tennis.” The use of words develops a self, or an awareness of a self. And perhaps the purpose of this self-awareness is to help us police ourselves as language and communications develop, as McCrone suggests. Why is self-policing so important? Because self-policing, or conscience, helps us watch what we do and say for the purpose of sharing and cooperating with the group. Self-policing helps us blend in with the group. We can learn concepts like patience, respect, or kinship so we can communicate with other members of society. Social conditioning has instilled and reinforced the “I,” so that it may be responsible for its own actions, just as religion threatens that something bad will happen to us, such as spending an eternity in hell, if we don’t live a righteous life. Language gives us the ability to look beyond the moment, both forward and backward in time. On the other hand, No Mind occurs only in the moment, which is one reason why language cannot describe this reality; language separates things, fragmenting the external and internal worlds into small conceptual parts. No Mind breaks down these barriers to reveal the wholeness of reality, instead of the fragments that language leaves behind.
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LANGUAGE, DUALITY, AND RELATIVITY
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Language frames the “I” as separate from everything that is not part of the “I.” It perpetuates the “I-versus-theworld” model that enables the ego and the perceptual defense mechanisms needed to maintain the well-being of the “I.” This is the pathology of identity, which is the source of many of our problems and limitations. Essential duality fragments life. Not only do we see everything as separate from the “I,” but we also tend to distinguish conceptually the “I” from the mind-body dynamic. In other words, we think in terms of “my body and mind” versus “the body and mind.” The underpinning of this process is the subconscious activity of the “I,” with its many subliminal defense mechanisms. We are protected from potentially dangerous impressions that never reach our consciousness and that remain hidden or repressed. All this is done for the comfort of the “I.” The filtering and interpreting activities of the associative neural networks fragment reality into elements that we can easily understand. Thus, the “I” is a discrete entity, which places it in a dualistic relationship with the world. The “I,” however, is only a succession of thoughts, which always unfold in relation to something else. And if they are relative, they are empty ideas. They are not complete and whole in themselves—somewhat analogous to what Plato calls extra-mental “Forms” in his Theory of the Forms (Fine, 1995). They have no “real” existence of their own. They are the drops and not the ocean. Drops’ “real” nature (their timeless and placeless essence) is the ocean, and once they become the ocean again, they no longer exist as drops. Language is relative also, as it cannot describe the whole adequately, only the pieces. It is impossible for any language to describe the ultimate reality of true, nondualistic spiritual awareness. The ocean is in the drop, so it’s not really a drop, it’s the ocean. The drop never really existed, it was an illusion. Because we use language to
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form thoughts, our thoughts are always relative to something else. When we describe an object, we describe its relative opposite. Most important, when we describe ourselves, we always do so relative to something else. We also describe everything that is not ourselves, cognitively maintaining a dualistic relationship with the rest of the world. The foundation of this apparent relative nature is in the structure of language. As long as we use language to communicate, we describe a dualistic universe in terms of dichotomies. Listen to the ancient Taoist sage Lao Tzu:
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Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil. Therefore having and not having arise together. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short contrast each other; High and low rest upon each other; Front and back follow one another. Therefore the sage goes about doing nothing, teaching without talking. The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease, Creating, yet not possessing, Working, yet not taking credit. Work is done, then forgotten. Therefore it lasts forever.
THE DELUSION OF DUALISTIC THINKING In dualistic thought, opposites exist as two poles of the same whole; they depend on each other, and one does not exist without the other—they are trapped in a dialectical relationship. Ugliness presupposes beauty, only because you learn what is ugly in contrast to what is beautiful. Otherwise, all things appear the same—neither beautiful nor ugly. Opposites may exist as two parts of one whole, but the form of that whole is circular, not linear. In other words, they are always connected, not opposite to each other.
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In fact, interpretations of beauty vary throughout the world, because beauty and ugliness are relative to each other and to the observer. Similarly, the descriptive words and modifiers in language are relative to their antonyms, relative to the person talking, and relative to those who are listening. This dualistic character of language poses a challenge to experiencing No Mind. Our dualistic language patterns strongly influence the internal conditioning, filtering, defensive, and associative mechanisms that shape the “I” and our perspectives of the outside world. We build a world of opposites, divisions, separations. We dissect the reality that we perceive, and understand it according to its parts and pieces, typically missing the whole. All this reinforces the “I” as a separate entity. Language perpetuates the delusion of duality. When thinking stops and thoughts cease to flow, we can achieve nondualistic pure awareness—No Mind.
LIVING BETWEEN THE OPPOSITES Living in the golden medium between the opposites is always healthier than being at one extreme or the other. It reduces internal conflict—the internal dialogue that the self constantly has to correct and to criticize itself. It also allows the world and its separateness to dissolve into a greater unity of things, of people, and of compassion. It enables us to become spiritually connected to a greater whole, to be happy and fulfilled. How do we get there from here? We have to surrender the “I”-made delusion of dualism, which hinders our ability to achieve a higher state. You may think you are happy because you just did something that makes you feel successful in the social world. But if a circumstance changes—you lose a job, a mate, a game, or any source of fulfillment—you are thrown back into the whirlpool of despair or sadness, seeking happiness again. Once you attach your happiness to something, you can become unhappy again when circumstances change.
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True and lasting happiness cannot come from fulfilling a set of conditioned parameters, such as career goals, relationships, or financial status. These are temporary conditions that we try to satisfy; if any of the conditions change, so does our relative happiness, because our happiness is relative to the impermanence of our conditioned reality. Like a small craft on the ocean, we live amid the waves of the consequences of our daily social interactions. We are tossed about, up, and down. The “me” society, using the “me” strategy, is going to get something out of you today, and you are going to get something out of someone else.
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THE “I” CANNOT CHANGE OUR EXTERNAL OR INTERNAL WORLDS We may never amend the basic mode of operation of the “I” and of the big “I” of society. The world may never change, as long as we see ourselves as the drops and not as the ocean. The dualistic language of the “I” always sets it apart from the world and from itself. The “I” unconsciously and consciously fragments itself into parts of a whole, for its own defense and maintenance. The “I” is not able to perceive the whole of our internal world either, because a substantial part of it is unconscious. The “I” needs assistance in the form of psychotherapy to uncover and repair hidden emotions, memories, or perceptions. And the greater “I” of society needs spiritual awakening on a global scale to solve problems like self-destruction through war or pollution. We can, however, change ourselves and our dualistic relationship to reality. We can achieve No Mind and leave behind the relative point of view based on opposites and attachments. Then we recognize reality as an allencompassing whole, which was fragmented only by our perception. We are ready to move our relative perspective from the parts to the whole. Hopefully, one day the many nations of “I’s” will join into a single planetary “I,” as projected in sci-fi classics like Star Trek.
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NON-DUALISTIC AWARENESS AS A META-THERAPY We have the ability to resolve inner conflict and to stop turning on ourselves through “seeing” reality non-dualistically. When we do that, the mind is free to think continuously without having to stop to evaluate each thought. The mind also frees itself of defensive and conditioning mechanisms that pull it from one extreme to the other. Problem-solving is accomplished when we see the world as it really is, not as we have been conditioned to see it. We cannot be discouraged or embarrassed by malicious talk. We are not in conflict with society; there is no aggression, no malice, no self-righteousness; there is only one who lives within the flow, like a stream flowing to the ocean, merging with the ocean and losing its essence as a stream. There is no self-consciousness. We are aware only of the stream of life, never getting stuck on the parts. The process is more important than the goal. We do not see the fragments, only the whole nature of the event; we are not interested in the details of the problem, only the solution as it affects the whole. Each problem presents a unique solution, not another problem. This perception of reality has been classified as a form of meta-therapy. Harvard’s own Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, conceptualizes meditation as a form of meta-therapy: ... a procedure that accomplishes the major goals of conventional therapy and yet has as its end, a state of change far beyond the scope of therapies, an altered state of consciousness which would undergo a profound, non-verbal level. (Goleman, 1971)
So by suspending the thoughts of the “I” through the non-verbal practice of No Mind, we reach true spiritual awareness.
UNDERSTANDING EMPTINESS AND REALITY The dualistic nature of language gives rise to another paradox, which challenges our search for true awareness:
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How can something be itself and its exact opposite at the same time? In The Tao of Physics, physicist Fritjof Capra writes: The exploration of the subatomic world has revealed a reality which repeatedly transcends language and reasoning, and the unification of concepts which had hitherto seemed opposite and irreconcilable turns out to be one of the most startling features of the new reality ... in modern physics at the subatomic level. (Capra, 1976)
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The ancient masters knew that the solution to this paradox lies in the correct understanding of emptiness. Emptiness does not consist of “no things”; it consists of all things while possessing nothing. We are talking about the “fullness of emptiness.” The interpretation is paradoxical only because of the dualistic nature of language. We find it difficult, if not impossible, to describe something to be itself and its opposite at the same time: “It is both hot and cold,” or “You must look up and down at the same time.” Such a perspective, however, can be realized when you look between the opposites, when you understand them as two poles of the same entity, or reality, because “up” and “down” are relative to the observer in three-dimensional space. Going up for one observer may be going down for another. Up or down are relative to a point of reference, depending on where one is located in the threedimensional space. When you understand “full and empty” as aspects of the same reality, they are no longer opposites. This is the state of No Mind, which is simultaneously a non-dualistic aspect of the nature of the mind and of the nature of the universe—awareness is the only universal constant. It is another term for Tao, the universal aspect of nature. The description of No Mind sounds perplexing, and that is why the ancient masters taught without speaking, trying to convey something indescribable. Zen masters gave their students koans—nonsensical riddles—to help them stop their intellectual pursuits and break through the paradoxical nature of this reality.
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So students of Zen contemplated reality until, in a sudden burst of insight, they understood the meaning by experiencing it. Lao Tzu describes the paradox in Tao Te Ching:
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The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of ten thousand things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.
DESIRING: PUSHING OFF HAPPINESS INTO THE FUTURE Desire is directed towards things the “I” has been conditioned to believe it wants and needs. When we are constantly trying to fulfill ourselves through something, we are never fulfilled “now.” We are always in a state of potentiality—the potentiality for fulfillment. Living in that state is not true happiness because being fulfilled is always something that might happen in the future. Once we meet one need, we decide we need something else to make us happy, and so on and so on. “Satisfy my desires, and I will be happy.” References to happiness are always in the future or in the past. You may be temporarily happy within a specific, short time frame, like walking down the isle during your wedding, but that won’t go on forever, and you go back to living in a state of potential (we will be happy when we buy that house, a new car, send the child off the college, save enough to retire). As long as you stay in this state, the gates to the mystery remain closed. Living in the present is the only source of complete happiness. Abandoning desire and discarding everything the “I” has been conditioned to believe are the means to achieving true permanent happiness. That doesn’t mean we should give up everything we have acquired to be happy, cease to wish for things, or abandon our goals. We are human, we live in a society,
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and we desire certain things for ourselves, for our children, and for our families. We want to achieve, and we strive to live up to our highest potential in what we do. This is all normal.
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THE SECRET IS IN THE PROCESS, NOT THE GOALS No Mind allows you to achieve your potential and to be satisfied with the process, not the goal. The ancient masters do not prohibit anyone from reaching for a goal; they discourage attachment to the goal or to the accomplishment. You must be happy in the present, while trying to reach your goal. You should not put off being happy until you reach your goal. And when you do get there, be happy in the present moment of that reality. On the other hand, wishing, hoping, and always looking into the future for something to make you happy is foolhardy; you miss being happy in the present and engage in permanent waiting for something to potentially make you happy in the future. So you should focus on the process of achieving a goal, not on the goal itself. Desire provides another example of the dualism inherent in language: there is desire at one end and fulfillment of the desire at the opposite end. Living life between desire and fulfillment is very frustrating if we are solely focused on the end result. The secret is to remain happy in the process of achieving fulfillment, yet not be attached to the fulfillment itself. Your fulfillment is always in the process. Ultimate happiness lies between the opposites. For example, suppose you’re taking a cruise from a port called Desire to a destination called Fulfillment. Why not enjoy the journey between the two ports to the fullest? What if you don’t make it to Fulfillment? What if the ship is forced to alter its course to a new destination—would the entire journey be a waste? If you had no expectations, intentions, or anticipations related to the destination, a change in course wouldn’t change your happiness on the journey. But if you were filled with expectations about the
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destination, you would experience many uncomfortable emotions and you would not be happy. You cannot obtain ultimate happiness just by waiting to fulfill your desire, because ultimate happiness must be found between the opposites—between desire and fulfillment.
THE PROBLEM OF ATTACHMENTS TO DESIRES Attachment to any goal, desire, wish, need, material object, or relationship makes us susceptible to being unhappy and discontent. We set a goal, and we immediately take steps to fulfill it. We may need to take one or ten thousand steps. We have small and large goals. Whatever the goal and whatever its characteristics or time frame, if we focus only on the goal, we miss the process of the journey and the enjoyment of each step. As we turn the whole endeavor into a burden, each step becomes harder and more difficult to take. Furthermore, depending on our character, the steps may become so difficult and burdensome that we halt the journey and never reach the goal. When this happens, we become frustrated. We also protect the “I” by denying that we ever wanted to reach the goal in the first place, or by fantasizing that we did, in fact, achieve our goal. We also come up with a host of excuses why we gave up on the journey. The ancient masters said, “What is the need for all this?” There is no need to set yourself up for unhappiness in this way. Striving for goals is healthy because it gives us direction; but attaching ourselves to our goals is not healthy, and it can render us unhappy if we don’t fulfill those goals. The eighth of the Ten Paradoxes postulates: With Attachment, Work. Without Attachment, Play. The ancient writings of Taoist Chuang Tzu describe this condition: What [people] can themselves control are their minds; external things are all subject to the requirements and commands of the world ... The [person] of greatest
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knowledge puts away [the idea of] skill, and without effort shows his skill ... the way in which the perfect [person] enjoys himself is by his passing through the world of [people] without leaving any trace of [himself]. [Their] way is free and encounters no obstruction; [their] mind has its spontaneous and enjoyable movements, and so [their] spirit is sure to overcome all external obstructions. (Legge, 1891)
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The idea of achieving something without any effort may be difficult to understand. The dualistic identity of the “I,” which arises from the contradictions inherent in language, gives rise to all our ideas about our experiences. Identity is the product of our development from childhood through adulthood. As we develop our identity, we also develop other significant psychopathological issues, including problematic self-worth, self-esteem, self-respect, self-alienation, self-denial, and self-love; these cause us to develop certain desire potentials and patterns that we either achieve or not. But to act without effort simply means to act in the flow, in the moment, without paying attention to the things the “I” desires. Acting without effort is acting in the moment.
LIVING IN THE WORDSCAPES OF REALITY Identity also raises the issue of dependent co-arising: every feeling, thought, or perception is associated with another, and each triggers another thought or feeling. The co-arising—the simultaneous arising—of thoughts, feelings, and perceptions in the mental web causes many problems. These are tied to our conceptual linguistic fabric— what psychologist Guy Claxton calls the “wordscape.” A small issue can trigger a host of others that may appear unrelated, but could be related in the unconscious. These problems cause us to experience minor frustrations as well as severe emotional distress. Dependent coarising is an aspect of the mental web of the “I.” Claxton explains that children learn language by stringing together words, or what he calls “flags,” that
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become connected together into “strings of linguistic bunting that begin to create a ‘wordscape’ that overlays the experientially based brainscape” (Claxton, 2000). In this way, language carves up the world and alters our perception when links of meaning co-arise in the associative neural networks. We have all had the experience. A small issue leads to a torrent of other thoughts and emotions that sometimes get out of control. We then wonder why. We wonder where the despair, the suffering, and the depression are really coming from. They’re coming from our experiences, values, judgments, meanings, interpretations, goals, hopes, and anxieties that are co-arising from codependent memories. It is a neurological phenomenon that allows us to understand something but also traps us in the understanding and meaning of that thing.
THE I-ILLUSION, OR THE IILL, MAKES US ILL The key to understanding our health and how the practice of No Mind maximizes our potential is knowing how trapped we are in the mental web of the “I.” The illusion of the “I,” or the “Iill” (pronounced “ill”), is one aspect of our minds that make us ill, in a literal sense. As history has demonstrated, we are not sane under the influence of the Iill. The mental web of the Iill consists of the synaptic associative networks of the brain that condition and reinforce the ego and its perceptual defense and filtering mechanisms. This is the foundation of the “I.” The older we are, the harder it is for us to change. The foundation grows stronger with age, just as concrete hardens with time. The mental web is also the source from which the Iill derives its meanings and interpretations of reality. The mental web of the Iill is the basis of the codependent coarising of feelings, thoughts, words, and perceptions. The Iill shapes our experience of the world as well as our interactions with others. In short, the world is experienced through the Iill, which creates our “brainscape” of reality.
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The mental web is the basis for our interpretation of the world and for the decisions we make. The Iill experiences the world dualistically, seeing parts and fragments, which are relative to other parts and fragments only because the Iill sees itself as a part or a fragment. Even though it yearns for completion, it remains incomplete—always trying to reach one goal or another. So it is always in potential of becoming complete, but its own identity stands in its way. Identity positions itself against the world. So our very experience of the world is relative to the “I’s” mental web, and this relative experience sometimes makes us feel alienated and out of touch with reality. The Iill frustrates our primordial need to experience true spiritual awareness, or No Mind; we seek to integrate wholeness, unity, and universality into our lives. The inner quest for healing the fragmented and divided self is the product of a dualistic life. The unconscious motive of our religious, theological, and philosophical pursuits is to heal the fractured life of the Iill and to return to the wholeness of true, non-dualistic spiritual awareness. Yet the misinterpretation of the works of some of the greatest spiritual teachers of philosophy and religion has reinforced a dualistic form of worship and left people still seeking true spiritual awareness and god-consciousness. In the end, dualistic religions reaffirm the reality of the Iill and leave it fundamentally fragmented.
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GETTING PAST THE IILL TO NON-DUALISTIC SPIRITUAL AWARENESS The Iill is the antithesis of non-dualistic spiritual awareness. In No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind, we will explore the ancient masters’ understanding of nondualistic spiritual awareness in terms of a non-dualistic emptiness that is manifest in all things. The emptiness is experienced as the essence of all life and the universe.
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Although most religions are dualistic in nature (“god x is there and I am here”), god x, or whatever higher power you believe in, is everywhere—not just “there,” but also here, within each person. Christian, Hebrew, Moslem, and other mystics understand emptiness in terms of a non-dualistic god x who is everywhere. God x even becomes aware of itself through the non-dualistic mind emptied of the “I” (discussed in Chapter 24). The point of this chapter is that many psychological pathologies arise from the fractured dualism of the “I.” Alienation, repression, denial, divided consciousness, obsessive desire, and stress all originate from our severance from the world around us. The Iill is never complete; it is always fragmented and trying to fulfill its illusory needs and desires. Still, the Iill cannot be content because it has no inherent or underlying source of contentment. The Iill is an illusion and cannot attain true meaning. It has no roots, except in fleeting thoughts and feelings that have no grounded existence. Society as a whole is a larger form of the individual Iill, with its own patterns and models. It develops through conditioning processes similar to those shaping the Iill. A society can have psychological problems similar to those of the individual “I’s” that compose it. A society can be sick or healthy. Societies are composed of self-centered egos that are alienated from everything around them, and so they have no remorse for inflicting evil, pain, pollution, or suffering on other humans, on animals, and on the Earth. The shared Iill of the society can be healed only by revising its consensus toward non-dualistic, Iill-less reality. Yet, most societies presently endorse the opposite for economic and political reasons. Balancing economics is important, as long as it is not taken to an extreme. The non-dualistic aspect of No Mind is a model of health and balance. The practice of No Mind overcomes relative identity and the mental web of the Iill. Dependent co-arising (which is graphically shown in Figure 7-1) also occurs with language. Each word is relative to another and simultaneously describes its opposite.
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UNDERSTANDING THE NONLINGUISTICS OF NO MIND Our primary goal is to get a basic understanding of the conscious and unconscious workings of the mind, so that we can understand the program of No Mind. Under the control of the Iill, our essential identity entails attachment, and therein—the ancient masters knew—is the key to our inner conflict, distress, and inability to flow and let go. We have all experienced the “letting go.” For example, when we are performing a sport or another task, such as running, swimming, driving, or working, sometimes we briefly lose awareness of the Iill and exist in the moment; we are aware, but we lack self-consciousness. We are performing in the moment without effort and without intention. We are just doing something without thinking about doing it. We are overcome by an energetic impulse, an almost spiritual sensation. This is called the “zone,” the “flow,” peak moments, or peak performance, which is detailed in Chapter 28. When the focus of awareness is so intense that it overpowers the Iill, it temporarily causes us to suspend the “I-awareness,” or the awareness of the self we have most of the time. Thus, we suspend the mental web of the Iill by becoming objectively aware of it. This is Clear Attention (CAt), which over time develops No Mind. When we expand our awareness beyond the Iill, the mind-body acts and reacts, but there is no “trying” because the action is effortless. In Star Wars, when Luke is asked to raise his sunken starfighter from the Dagobah swamps using the power of his mind, he says he’ll try. Jedi master Yoda responds without using any pronouns: “No. Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Luke doubts the Force could carry such a huge object, but he is wrong. Yoda lifts the starfighter telekinetically and places it on dry land. He knows that the secret is expanding one’s awareness beyond the “I.” Temporarily “losing” the Iill is a feature of these inthe-“zone” episodes, or No Mind—when the mind-body
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is functioning at peak performance. Many sports psychologists call these “peak moments,” or “flow.” The mind-body dynamic performs the way it was trained; it works naturally, instinctively, and most important, nondualistically. This is a glimpse into No Mind—a naked expression of enlightenment, an awakening beyond the ever-present Iill. Eugen Herrigel, who is famous for the classic book Zen in the Art of Archery, writes in The Method of Zen: If waking dreams perpetuate a type of imagining in which awareness is always dependent on the eyes of the ego (where Earth is always in the center), and is unaware of this, one can observe a tendency to see all other images only as they relate to ego (all planets exist because of Earth or are important only because of their relation to Earth). That this is a perspective which exaggerates some qualities of images and negates others would not be apparent. The ego seems to try and subsume not only awareness, but imagination as well. The particular qualities of these are lost as the ego tries to make them mere satellites. It is inevitable that the nonego in this case is reduced to those terms in which the ego can perceive and understand. (Herrigel, 1974)
The ego (Iill) tries to control everything around it and to justify everything in terms of itself. Even trying to understand No Mind (a non-ego state) is perceived in terms of the ego. A problem that occurs because of this, which will be explained later, is something called pseudoenlightenment. The arrogant Iill sees itself as the center of everything, just as long ago many believed that the Earth was the center of the universe.
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CHAPTER 6
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Language, by its very nature, divides, fragments, categorizes, and compartmentalizes our experience of the world. Language is the prop for the basic “self” awareness. It also defines the Iill, or the I-illusion, as an independent unit, and it maintains that unit through continuous reinforcement.
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2. The dualistic nature of language frames the Iill by using pronouns, like “I,” as descriptors for actions and reactions. This develops attachment to the Iill. 3. The experience of the world is dependent on and relative to our description of it. Language is thus codependent and relative, and it is inadequate to describe a non-dualistic reality. 4. Awareness, attention, and consciousness are all the same phenomenon expressed in different modes: awareness is passive, attention is active, and consciousness is the sensation of self-awareness. 5. The nature of the Iill is to live in constant potential of fulfillment. It cannot be ultimately happy because it cannot be empty. In its fragmented existence, it seeks to become whole through what it needs to fulfill itself. Yet, it is never whole, because it is a part of the world of desire and need. It cannot exist in the present moment because it is bound by time due to its separateness (its dualistic nature). It cannot see its source as a product of the associative neural network. Living between extremes is a path to essential wholeness and happiness in the present moment. 6. Suspending the Iill through the practice of No Mind leads to the experience of spiritual awareness.
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EXERCISE 6: INCREASING AWARENESS OF OUR DUALISTIC LANGUAGE
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The basic exercise for increasing awareness is simply to catch yourself using the pronoun “I” when you describe yourself doing something (“I love to go shopping”); making a reference to your self-image (“I am really good at finding facts”); making a reference to your likes or dislikes (“I like chocolate”); making a reference to your desires or needs (“I would really like to drive that car,” “I really need this in order to look like her”). Try to catch yourself using a language identifier like the pronoun “I.” Count how many times in one day your “I” identifies with something, someone, or somewhere.
1. Have all your desires been met? 2. What is lacking? Which desire is still not fulfilled? 3. What do you need most? 4. How do you satisfy this need? 5. Are you living in the potentiality of the future and waiting for your desires to be fulfilled to be happy? Which ones? 6. Are you happy right now, in this moment? 7. What is keeping you from being happy right now? 8. Are you aware of describing things using opposites? Can you think of a more holistic way of describing the same thing? 9. Do you understand what a non-dualistic reality means? And why does language keep us from experiencing it? 10. Do you feel limited by the way you describe yourself? Or do you feel you can do anything? 11. Have you experienced how the “I” limits you? 12. Have you experienced debilitating self-doubt? For instance, have you ever mentally lost the game before you even began to play it?
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The process of becoming detached from the Iill and the state of detachment itself increase awareness. Moving beyond the Iill enables you to experience unfiltered reality—one free of conditions. In moving beyond the Iill, you do not lose who you are, but you gain a new perspective—a new spiritual awareness. You see and understand things beyond the things you have been conditioned to see and to understand; therefore, you have a more direct perception of reality. With No Mind, there is no thinker, no “I,” no thought— only pure awareness. It is not self-conscious as normal awareness is; it is pure awareness, pure perception, and pure action, without any aspect of the Iill. Chapter 7 addresses the true awareness that transcends the awareness limited by the Iill, and describes the benefits that stream from this sea of awareness into our everyday lives.
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Chapter 7
Beyond the Iill
T
he practice of No Mind involves nothing esoteric, psychic, ethereal, or mysterious. The state of No Mind is a simple aspect of human nature that is hidden in all people. The technique is simple, and it can be learned relatively quickly without formal meditation practice. While the goals of practicing No Mind are peak performance and spiritual enlightenment, the practice has enormous benefits for your daily life (as detailed in No Mind 501, Living No Mind).
THE FALSE JEWEL The practice of No Mind seeks to awaken you to a non-dualistic perspective, an awareness beyond the mental web of the Iill. Psychology professor David Marks states: The personal ego is considered by the uninitiated as the crowning development of the mature personality. Buddhist psychology 146
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belittles the personal ego by pointing out that it is only a product of remembering certain ever-recurring clusters of experiences, called ‘I.’ (Marks, 1972)
The complex of mechanisms—the mental web—that the No Mind program calls the Iill creates a multifaceted identity that we claim as our own and that generates many problems. Three of the most important problems are the Iill’s dualistic nature, identity, and propensity for attachment, which are responsible for many psychopathological, sociological, and neuro-physiological ailments in individuals and in society. The real problem is that we don’t see this. The Iill entangles us in its web and deceives us unconsciously. Dr. Ida Progoff, director of the Institute for Research in Depth Psychology at Drew University, explains:
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... the environmental self ... must be disposed of before the ‘individual’s real nature’ can expose itself. The environmental self is built up from close contact with individuals in family and social environment as a whole. The conflict that takes place ‘within’ the personality is, however, very real and painful, for the habits of the environmental self are deeply engraved as patterns of behavior in the individual psyche. They are not easily replaced. And yet they must be replaced if the new image is to take a dominant and guiding role in the individual’s growth ... [a person has] the capacity for self-transformation, the ability to redirect his existence through the development of resources that are part of his organic nature. (Progoff, 1973)
In his book The Magic Monastery, Idries Shah talks about Middle Eastern sages from a thousand years ago. A truth-seeker approaches a master’s disciple and asks: “Your Master seems to pass his days in taking away from people their ideas and beliefs. How can anything good come of such behavior?” The disciple responds: “The Jewel is found after the dire has been removed from around it. The false Jewel is made by applying layer after layer of impure substance, which nonetheless glitters, to any surface at all” (Shah, 1972).
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The “false jewel,” or the Iill, is indeed made by applying layer after layer of conditioning and filtering. Despite those layers, the Iill still glitters, but the glitter is the illusion. The Zen masters called the layers dust. When the dire, or fear and suffering, is removed, then the real jewel is found. When the layers of dust are removed from the Iill, then we can achieve No Mind. Yet, most people believe that they are losing something in the process—that their ideas and beliefs are being taken away. The truth is that they don’t lose anything of their own. Their behavior is not their own, and their ideas and beliefs may actually be those they’ve learned from their families, peers, and society. So nothing is removed; your essential ideas and beliefs are always there.
SEEING THROUGH THE LAYERS As an analogy, consider an old wooden table that has been polished for years and years. When we look at the table, all we see are the thick layers of polish build-up protecting the wood underneath. Finally, at some point, we realize that for many years we have been looking at the layers of polish, not at the actual wood. We have seen the coating of wax building up, changing color, and yellowing, but we have never seen the actual wood. Yet, beneath the coats of polish, the natural beauty of the actual wood remains the same—nothing is lost and nothing is gained. Although the table will never appear quite the same again, now we will always know the naturalness of the wood under the coatings, instead of just the coatings. Sometimes we see the glitter and completely miss the underlying essence of something. The layers of conditioning built up on Iill are like the layers of polish built up on the table. And because of these layers, we are unable to see reality as it truly exists. Our usual ways of thinking have equated ego with awareness. And in doing so they have created a blind spot. It is possible, however, for awareness to be strained from the ego and by doing so to create a vantage point
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separate from the ego. When awareness is identified with the ego, it is the ego’s eyes through which awareness perceives. In this state the ego acts as if it is at the center of all that is to be perceived. It appears distinct from the circle of images around it, because it itself is unable to be perceived by awareness. All relating done in view of awareness is that of ego to other, of ego to image, of ego to object. (Herrigel, 1974)
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The ego, or the Iill, holds our awareness hostage, making it difficult for us to “see” out. The experience is similar to a dream in which you feel that what you perceive is real, but when you wake up, you realize it was only a dream; when you wake up, your perspective, or your awareness of the dream, changes. When your perspective of the Iill changes and you realize that “you” are not the ego—the center of thought, emotion, and perception— you gain priceless insight into your spiritual awareness. Even this analogy has its linguistic limits. It’s a paradox to apply a dualistic language to a non-dualistic experience. The word “you” is misplaced, because “you” are the Iill, and this realization is beyond the Iill, or “you.” There is no real “you” who realizes; there is only the realization of something. If “you” have a thought or perception of this awakening, it is not the real experience; you only imagine it. It is pseudo-enlightenment. “You” cannot be enlightened; there is only the sensation of enlightenment.
TRANSCENDING “YOU-PAST” AND “YOU-FUTURE” The practice of No Mind begins the process of liberating awareness from the ambiguity of the Iill. Normally, we are not aware of this perspective until we focus our attention on the process, as opposed to the products, of the mental web. A study published in the International Journal of Psychoanalysis concludes: Practice can further clarify the nature of the experiential self, especially showing the fleeting nature of inner reality and the suffering involved in clinging to images
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and concepts of self (narcissism). It also provides a way of training the mind to let go of the clinging to concepts to make experience more fluid and the selfconcept more flexible and complex to be better able to adapt to an inherently complex and changing reality. (Falkenstrom, 2003)
In his book Living Zen, Robert Linssen writes: Still the ancient masters say that Satori or Nirvana [enlightenment] requires from us a total presence to present. ... [T]he automatisms of memory constitute the most subtle and overwhelming conditioning factor of the human being. This chain reaction is so subtle and so delicate that at present nearly all [humans] are totally unaware of it. By continual accumulation they form the ‘I-process’ which, fed by them, increases in bulk and is transformed from moment to moment. Each new memory is instantaneously conditioned by the whole of the older memories. This unity of direction forms one of the essential elements which gives the ‘I-process’ its character of apparent continuity. Our mind should not get rid of the memory content itself, but the identification and attachment to it. This is a very important distinction. It is of the utmost importance to free ourselves from the influence exercised by words and from attachment to memories. The [person] who transcends the limits of his mind can really be free. Freedom can only exist from the moment when the sterile journey to and from ‘known’ to ‘known’ has ceased. (Linssen, 1960)
Our identification with the Iill, or what Linssen calls the “I-process,” focuses our attention on the past and on the future. Yet, our awareness of the “now” is the cornerstone of living at our full potential, in the freedom of the moment. When CAt is focused on the present, it transcends the “you-past” and the “you-future” of the Iill. There is no reason to dispose of the Iill, but there are plenty of reasons to detach from it and to stop identifying with it. When we are free of the mental web of the Iill, we continue to function in society, only with a fresh and
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broadened perspective. We have the choice to live life as puppets on the strings of the Iill or to awaken like Pinocchio and run free for the first time. Buddhist scholar Dwight Goddard says:
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Disciples and Masters who cling to an ego-self may find themselves in the state of Samadhi (or bliss) by going off in solitude, recognizing the world as manifestation of mind as discriminations ... but as they are still clinging to egoism they do not attain the ‘turning about’ at the deepest state of consciousness and, therefore, they are not free from the thinking-mind and the accumulation of its habit-energy ... Prajna (fundamental wisdom inherent within all [people] becomes known after the world of delusion has been destroyed) comes from mind-essence [Spiritual Awareness] and not from any exterior source. Do not have any mistaken notion about that. To cherish mistaken notions about that is to make a ‘selfish use of true nature.’ Once the ‘true nature’ of mind-essence [Spiritual Awareness] is realized, one will be forever free from delusion ... to be free from discriminations, from clinging to desires, from illusions; to set free one’s true nature ... that is what is meant by realizing one’s true essence of mind [Spiritual Awareness]. (Goddard, 1938)
SEEING OUR ONENESS The conditioning of the Iill causes fractured and divided lives, as well as fractured and divided societies. The awareness we achieve from the practice of No Mind can heal both. The key is to shed the dualistic mode of thinking and to avoid the trap of language. Once you identify something, it exists independently because you have given it a distinct identity. Such an identity is dualistic, because it always describes two things, not just one. That something must exist and arise codependently with other objects. In the absence of identity, a non-dualistic perception is possible—a global No Mind awareness.
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When you describe something, you also describe its opposite—if a ball is red, then it is also not blue, nor yellow, nor white, even though all colors exist in clear light, as demonstrated when that light passes through a prism.
SEEING THE ONENESS OF THE SOURCE A prism produces a rainbow of colors when white light passes through it—it follows that what appears to be clear, white light in fact contains all colors. The prism is a simple metaphor for being and nothingness; when you experience the emptiness (nothingness) of reality, you “see” the fullness of Being. You realize that the true essence of nature, or of god x (meaning the higher power in which you believe), is like the white light entering the prism to blossom into a rainbow. The essence of nature becomes the multiplicity of all forms in the universe; when we see the forms only, we miss the underlying essence. Eminent physicist Heinz Pagels writes in The Cosmic Code: After inventing relativistic quantum field theory in the 1930s and 1940s, physicists came to a new concept of the vacuum—it is not empty; it is a plenum. The vacuum, empty space, actually consists of particles and antiparticles being spontaneously created and annihilated. All the quanta the physicists have discovered or ever will discover are being created and destroyed in the Armageddon that is the vacuum. (Pagels, 1982)
In nature, nothing exists independently. All things are dynamically linked in the web of life. Thinking of things in terms of their independent nature is an illusion, which quantum physicists have known for a long time. The problem stems from our mode of thinking; we think in terms of language, and therefore we naturally separate things into parts and fragment the whole of nature. It is a natural function of the brain, but not a reality of nature.
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You cannot isolate anything in this vast universe; everything is interrelated. As the physicist “penetrates deeper into matter, down to the subatomic particles ... the constituents of matter and the basic phenomena involving them are all interconnected, interrelated and interdependent; ... they cannot be understood as isolated entities, but only as integrated parts of the whole” (Capra, 1976). The basic oneness of the universe and of the individual is the foundation of non-dualistic awareness. What appear to be separate entities are indeed codependent, unified by nonidentity, and interdependent through coorigination. The object and its description co-arise codependently and cannot be separated into parts without reference to the whole. Everything in nature is connected. Every entity depends on another entity and cannot exist on its own.
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[People] feel and experience [themselves] as [egos] ... the special danger is that the ordinary [people are] in such a state of unawareness that [they do] not know this. And even if [they are] told, [they] cannot understand. [Their] [e]gohood goes hand in hand with a distortion of reality. Satori, the Zen enlightenment, brings upon one the sudden flash of insight ... It is so physically clear that it brings with it absolute certainty, so that you instantly ‘see’ and understand that things ‘are’ by virtue of what they are ‘not.’ And that they owe their being to this not-being which is their ground and origin. (Herrigel, 1974)
BEYOND THE IILL No Mind opens the perceptual field, frees the mind-body to act and react in the flow of nature, modifies the categories that restrain thinking, and opens up a new perspective of awareness. You can overcome your feelings of a separate and divided self and experience open and unbiased communications with others and with society as a whole.
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The conflict and inner turmoil of trying and succeeding can be accomplished without attachment and identification—essential elements of suffering, self-doubt, self-denial, self-alienation, regression, and aggression. When we detach ourselves from the mental web of the Iill, we experience pure, unconditional emotion; we are no longer stuck, blocked, or trapped by the mental web of the Iill. However, in order to detach ourselves from the Iill, we must have the right attitude, and we must learn and practice the right techniques.
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CHAPTER 7
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. The practice of No Mind involves nothing esoteric, psychic, ethereal, or mysterious. No Mind is a simple, though often hidden, element of human nature. The technique is simple, and it can be learned relatively quickly. While the goals of practicing No Mind are peak performance and spiritual awareness, the benefits of the practice for your daily life are enormous.
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2. The practice of No Mind is aimed to establish a non-dualistic perspective; an awareness beyond the mental web of the Iill. 3. The Iill makes for a multifaceted identity that we claim as our own and that is responsible for many psychopathological, sociological, and neurophysiologic ailments in individuals and in society. 4. The “false jewel,” or Iill, is indeed made by applying layer after layer of conditioning and filtering to form a barely escapable mental web. It holds us hostage, incapable of pure awareness. 5. In freeing yourself of the Iill, you don’t lose anything because what you think is yours is actually the work of the Iill. When you realize that you are not the ego—the center of thought, emotion, and perception—you gain insight into your spiritual awareness. 6. Applying a dualistic language to a non-dualistic experience is a paradox. For instance, “you” cannot be enlightened; there is only the realization of enlightenment. The word “you” is misplaced, because “you” are the Iill, and this realization is beyond the Iill or “you.”
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7. The practice of No Mind begins the process of separating awareness from the ambiguity of the Iill. 8. The constant awareness of the present moment is the cornerstone of achieving peak performance and spiritual awareness and of living in the freedom of the moment. 9. The Iill causes fractured and divided lives and societies. The awareness achieved from the practice of No Mind can heal both. 10. The key to No Mind is to shed the dualistic mode of thinking and to avoid the trap of language. 11. In nature, nothing exists independently. All things are linked dynamically in the web of life. The basic oneness of the universe, of life, and of the individual is the source of non-dualistic awareness. 12. No Mind opens the perceptual field, frees the mind-body to act and react in the flow of nature, modifies categorical thinking restraints, and opens up a new perspective of awareness.
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NO MIND 101
REVI E W
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The goals of No Mind are peak performance and spiritual enlightenment, and these require thorough explanation of the fundamental workings of Mind—No Mind 101. Understanding basic cognitive mechanisms such as filtering, associative networks, formation, defense submechanisms, emotions, conditioning, reinforcement, over-intellectualizing, and over-analyzing, is a crucial foundation for understanding No Mind. These mechanisms utilize the neural networks of the brain and the synaptic connections that form between neurons. Yet, awareness can be trained to “watch” these mechanical processes and to avoid being caught in the state of mindlessness. When we are not “mindful” of our actions, we act like automatons. No Mind is no-thought, but it is also the awareness of seeing into nothingness, which is spiritual awareness. Your true spiritual awareness is the essential aspect of nature, which simply involves “remembering” what we knew at our birth, that we are the essential larger whole and there is no separateness between everything else. Spiritual awareness is not self-conscious, as normal awareness is; it is pure awareness, pure perception, and pure action without any involvement of the Iill. Spiritual awareness is the essence of nature (or, as some call it— god-consciousness). And this experience is beyond the normal scope of the mind as described in No Mind 101. We cannot experience this as long as our awareness is trapped within the limits of the neuro-associative networks of the brain. No Mind is not an experience that can be identified with the self. You cannot say, “I am in No Mind,” or “I have experienced No Mind.” There is just the experience of No Mind. This appears problematic from the perspective of a dualistic language and our cognitive propensity to use the pronoun “I” to make communication easier. Identifying with the “I” through language further conditions and
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Review
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reinforces our conceptualization of ourselves as separate individuals. No Mind, on the other hand, is universally shared; it does not belong to only one individual. In No Mind, awareness is the only universal constant. We do not lose ourselves in the process of achieving No Mind. We simply no longer identify with the Iill and are no longer attached to it. We achieve freedom though detachment from memories and behaviors that stem from the Iill. Freedom is escaping the potentiality of desire and need. As long as we are attached to desire or need, we live in “potential”: a state where there is only the potential of fulfillment—we are always looking for something to potentially make us happy and cannot live fully in the present moment. In this way, we only experience conditional happiness. When we are unfulfilled, we suffer, because we have identified with a contingent need, desire, expectation, anticipation, motivation, or hope. The Iill distorts reality by interpreting it selectively and by defending its preconceived ideas of it. This is accomplished through the neuro-mechanisms of the mind, as described in No Mind 101. No Mind gives us a fresh look into reality and removes the distortion; reality is no longer skewed to reflect the intentions, expectations, and motivations of the Iill. And this is therapeutic for us, as well as for society as a whole.
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Figure 7-1: No Mind 101–Mind and the Mental Web of the Iill. Figure 7-1 graphically summarizes what we have learned about the Iill and the mind. This is not an inclusive representation of all mental processes. But for the purpose of practicing No Mind, understanding this basic conceptual model of the mind and its neuro-associative mechanisms is crucial. The brain processes perceptual information from the external and internal worlds on many parallel levels. Emotional and thought processes have parallel associative neural networks operating simultaneously to interpret, understand, act, react, think, and feel. In this model, we start with auto-perception (mindless awareness), and information is interpreted along countless parallel paths through the memory channels shown on the right and through the behavioral channels shown on the left; these channels define the cycle of autoaction and auto-reaction. In other words, we see something, we associate its meaning, and
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then we act accordingly. Some of these actions occur unconsciously, and then we become aware of them. This is consistent with our routine mindless behavior (discussed in No Mind 201). We conduct much of our behavior as automatons. The bottleneck at the top of the diagram represents the limited amount of information that reaches our mindful awareness (which is shown as the shaded area), at which point we can use free won’t (as opposed to free will) to cancel the selected course of action. The bottleneck further represents the half-second delay of an action or reaction—already initiated by the brain—reaching our awareness. This delay occurs regardless of awareness. We can learn to be mindful instead of continuing in auto-pilot mode, watching and allowing the mind-body to act naturally and effortlessly, and consequently achieving peak performance. The center of the diagram shows the wide split between the mind and the body by the Iill attention. The divided mind-body under the influence of the Iill cannot achieve peak performance and be in the “zone,” or the “f low.” As long as we are Iill-conscious of our selves, we are restricted. We over-correct and over-analyze our performance and do not allow the mind-body to flow. The Japanese characters represent the mind and the body. As we reach No Mind and practice mindful awareness, we close the gap of “I,” squeezing it out and expanding awareness beyond the Iill. Subsequently, mind and body can flow more harmoniously together, as shown in the matrix at the end of No Mind 401.
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No Mind 201
No Mind
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The Iill is empty—it has no substance of its own. However, as Zen Master Suzuki says, the Iill is also the “mischief maker,” the trickster that captures awareness and fixates attention on the fulfillment of desires. The Iill is our personal “unmoved mover,” an imaginary entity that tugs on our imaginary puppet strings. Yet, when we take a step back and become aware of the whole, we realize that the puppet master and even the strings themselves do not exist. As long as the Iill is present and active, our minds interpret reality incorrectly; we perceive individual objects instead of their underlying essence. We each have Equations of No Mind our own personal “false” experiences of reality. Equations for Factor 1: No Mind Reality All of this is maya—the illusory world of false I ⴝ 1; I ⬅ 0 interpretations. When The first simple equation represents Factor 1. It states we look into nature and that No Mind Reality (“I,” or the Iill) is not equal to 1. That’s because 1 is a whole number, and the Iill, which gain a new spiritual exists in a state of potential, is always a fragment of awareness of nature’s something greater, and therefore cannot be whole. In other words, as long as we remain in the Iill we cannot Cosmic Soul, we bebe whole in the sense of spiritual awareness; we remain always a part of something else. come subtly aware that all the forms we The second equation states that “I” (the Iill) is identical (⬅) to 0. That’s because the Iill is an illusion—a product encounter in reality are of the mental web, spawned by the neural networks merely condensations and associative patterns of the brain. So we equate illusion with zero—there is nothing really there. (see also of nature’s Cosmic Fig. 7-1) Simply put, the “I” is an illusion and is not Soul. Some people have whole in terms of spiritual awareness. This is a basic No Mind reality. said they “see God in everything.” They are onto something. Chapter 8 exposes the Iill in its Iillusion.
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Chapter 8
Factor 1: No Mind Reality
DESIRE-LESS STRIVINGS RESULT IN GREATER FULFILLMENT The practice of No Mind enables you to break away from the Iill’s mental web, which is the product of the mechanism of the neuro-associative network of the brain. No Mind 101 details the development and workings of the mental web—how the Iill entraps awareness in the process of auto-perception, auto-action, and auto-reaction. Our identification with and attachment to desire potential (a chronic anticipatory state where we only experience the potential of desire fulfillment and never achieve actual spiritual fulfillment) results in a fractured and discontented self, and its extrapolation to the mass population results in a fractured and discontented society. As the Iill and society strive for a deeper meaning of reality, they seek integration that they often cannot gain. This is the void that never seems to be filled. But desire 163
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demands fulfillment. The essential purpose of a glass is to contain fluids. Is the glass half empty or half full? In No Mind, we see beyond the opposites, so it is the emptiness which allows the glass to have its fullness, and its fullness is the result of displacing its emptiness. Fullness and emptiness are relative to each other, not opposite. Unmet desire remains in the potential of fulfillment. When you are focusing on the potential, it is impossible to be completely happy in this moment. You are always waiting for something in the future. When we learn to detach from identity, we detach from desire. When we detach from desire, fulfillment is no longer potential: fulfillment now exists as an option, not as a basic need. As long as we strive on behalf of the Iill, then our attachment is perpetuated in the cycle of desire fulfillment. Once we learn that all desires, expectations, hopes, ambitions, anticipations, goals, and motivations are “empty,” we grow toward a higher potential as human beings. Abraham Maslow argues that the natural impulse to reach this higher potential for unification and integration exists as a weak instinct, a primal desire: . . . although it may be drowned out by habit, by wrong cultural attitudes toward [this primal desire], by traumatic episodes, by erroneous education . . . Western culture may express the purpose of controlling, inhibiting and suppressing this original nature of man. Furthermore, there are two sets of forces pulling at the individual, pressures forward toward health and pressures backward toward sickness and weakness (regressive). . . If we wish to help humans to become more fully human, we must realize not only that they try to realize themselves. But that they are also reluctant or afraid or unable to do so. (Maslow, 1959)
As the ancient masters say, we are afraid to take the leap “into the abyss.” We leap instead from desire to desireless endeavors; we strive without the “pre-programmed”
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motives. We are naturally afraid of losing what we have become attached to, what we have identified with, and what we call our selves. But in reality, we do not lose anything; we gain higher functionality in a happier, more integrated life. The insight that desire is empty is one of the important first steps.
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TAKING THE LEAP INTO THE OCEAN OF PURE AWARENESS You may ask, “Why should I abandon my inner drives, desires, and goals?” The answer is that you should not. You should keep them and pursue them. Just don’t be attached to them or identify with them. The seemingly real paradox of the “I”-condition is that you are still in the mental web of the Iill, so “you” can continue existing as usual within it. In No Mind, however, any arduous striving is empty because the source of striving is the Iill. Striving originates from the mental web, and as such, it has no reality on its own, no permanent substance. In other words, in No Mind there is no “you.” Awareness is freed from the Iill. The Iill is just a series of fleeting impulses in the brain, responding to conditioning and actualizing themselves through associative neural networks and mechanisms. Feelings, thoughts, and perceptions that arise from the mental web are aspects of the Iill and have no permanent substance. They are temporary and dualistic; therefore they are empty. We are more than the sum total of all this. Here is an analogy. Picture your fleeting hopes, desires, and expectations as empty holes that need to be constantly filled to maintain the Iill. Imagine the Iill as a ship and “you” as awareness. Suddenly, the ship’s hull starts developing holes that are letting water in—the ship is sinking and you are panicking. You start running around from hole to hole to stop the leaking; every time a new hole appears, you dash to plug it. Running around and filling holes soon takes up all of your awareness, to the exclusion of everything else.
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Most people go though their daily routines and tasks in this torturous state. Their awareness is completely engaged and unavailable for any other activity. In a moment of epiphany, however, you suddenly have an insight that the ship and the holes are not “you” and that if you get off the ship (Iill) altogether, you can be free of having to continually plug holes. As you begin to leave the ship, the holes stop appearing, and once you are completely off, there are no more holes to fill. Paradoxically, by devoting awareness to the holes, you were creating more and more of them, feeding a continual pattern of hole-plugging. By its very nature, each hole was in potential of being filled, even though they could never be filled on the aggregate level. You were identifying with the holes, acknowledging their reality, giving them existence. When your attention shifted—when you left the ship—the holes ceased to exist. While your attention was “lost” in filling holes, it also fueled their emergence. It is the Iill that creates the holes. Most important, the potential for the ship’s sinking was an illusion and the panic was self-inflicted, as are most of the fears we experience in life. Why? We discussed codependent and co-arising cognitive patterns that emerge as a result of the brain’s physiology—the associative neural networks. Every time you desire something, you automatically produce a network of codependent relationships that demand fulfillment. Every desire is linked to subdesires. They do not exist in a vacuum, much like the holes on the ship. When you focus on your desire, you create more desires, and you are trapped in constantly trying to fulfill them. As far as our Iills go, we all have different ships. Some of us have beautiful luxury powerboats that frequent tropical locations; others have sailboats that slowly make their way along their course; and others, who are less fortunate, have rowboats. Regardless, all “boats” are just vessels of their respective Iills. Each boat reflects its Iill and codependently takes on its characteristics. And they all have holes, because the holes are an intrinsic aspect of the nature of the Iill.
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Most important, all the boats have one thing in common—they are on the same ocean, without which they could not be afloat or move anywhere. When all the awarenesses on these boats realize that they need to get off to stop the holes from emerging, they jump into the ocean because they have nowhere else to go. Once they see each other off their boats, the awarenesses realize that they are all the same. The illusion of the boat (the Iill) that perpetuated their differences now no longer exists. The awarenesses become the ocean and remember their true nature—their spiritual awareness. In other words, think of the awarenesses as drops of the ocean; when they jump off their boats and into the ocean they are no longer drops, but the ocean itself. This is an important insight. The awarenesses realize the unity and interrelationship among themselves and the ocean, which is the underlying essence that sustains their existence and that of nature. In the beginning, you are aware of yourself in the ocean, but in the advanced stages of No Mind, you are the ocean, without any selfconscious awareness.
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BREAKING THE SPELL OF THE ILLUSION OR MAYA This analogy clarifies two critical insights of No Mind. First, the ocean, as a metaphor for the essential aspect of nature, or Tao, is non-dualistic—that is, it has no identity and it is enduring, unending, and intangible. Any substance or form that is dualistic and that has an identity is impermanent and changing. Second, when awareness is separated from the Iill, it is No Mind, yet the Iill continues to exist. Nothing is lost, other than Iill’s ability to dominate awareness. When awareness is free from the Iill, we learn to watch our thoughts, desires, perceptions, and emotions. It is possible, however, for awareness to be strained from the ego and by doing so to create a vantage point separate from the ego . . . When awareness is
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identified with the ego, it is the ego’s eyes through which awareness perceives. In this state, the ego acts as if it is at the center of all that is to be perceived. (Watkins, 1976)
Clear Attention (CAt) is awareness that is “strained from the ego”; it is No Mind’s brand of mindfulness. But in the practice of mindfulness, there is still awareness of awareness. In No Mind, there is no longer awareness of awareness, only pure awareness, which is total absorption in that moment. And this is the key difference between the levels of mastery of the technique and its application. In this sense, we break the bounds of the illusion imposed by the Iill. The ancient masters referred to this illusion as maya, which constituted the Iill’s construction of the “experience” of the world. Maya is the phenomenon of our experience created by our perception of the world. All things are an interpretation of our perceptual mechanisms, and they exist in a surrealistic landscape in the mind; therefore, this interpretation of reality is an illusion because reality is not directly perceived. Our interpretation of the world is a false impression, not the real world itself. We never perceive reality directly, as we did when we were first born, unless we circumvent the process of perception. This is not to say the real world does not exist and that it is all an illusion. The world is there, and we use our perceptual senses to interpret it. Our experience of the world is modified, yet it remains an experience of an outside world that is very real. But it is our own experience of it. In the presence of maya, all we experience of the outside world are the manifestations of nature, not the essence of nature itself. Under the spell of maya, we cannot experience true spiritual awareness. The experience of No Mind breaks that spell. All forms elude our experience of spiritual awareness. We see only the forms, not the underlying reality. The forms of the world, even though they are typically understood as the complete reality, are an illusion hiding the underlying reality of spiritual awareness. When we realize No Mind, the forms become
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known as mere manifestations of spiritual awareness or God-consciousness.
PLAY CAN OVERCOME DESIRE In The Master Game, the groundbreaking 1970s study of yoga and meditation styles, biochemist Robert DeRopp writes:
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False ego, on the other hand, is in no way necessary. It is made up entirely of egotistical illusions, negative emotions, lies, delusions of grandeur, self-pity or arrogance. It is essentially a malignant entity, a sort of spiritual cancer and, where it becomes the dominant component, destroys its possessor’s capacity for growth just as physical cancer destroys the body . . . Our highly acquisitive culture with its emphasis on conspicuous consumption, on ‘keeping up with the Joneses on the general game of ego-centered one-upmanship, encourages the growth of the false ego. In great cities, amid a profusion of status symbols ranging from yachts to orchids, this aspect of the psyche may be seen flowering like a monstrous creeper nourished by false values and artificial conditions of life. It shows its phony glory in high-priced restaurants, where dishes with fancy French names are served by weary waiters to bored patrons who are visiting the establishment not so much to eat as to see and be seen. There its bright brittle face and synthetic smile is as obviously artificial as a plastic orchid . . . It is necessary, though not always easy, to distinguish between the essence and the persona. (DeRopp, 1968)
The ancient masters understood that we were under the illusion of maya and that attachments to constructs of the Iill were among our greatest challenges; yet, overcoming them was most rewarding. We attach ourselves to things, feelings, perceptions, and thoughts. These sensations are “ours” and “we” feel that we own them. The desire for a sports car, a good-looking partner, a large house on the hill, the perfect job, the ideal relationship,
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status, wealth, and happiness originates from conditioning through a multitude of sources. We were not born with these ideas. We may have a genetic potentiality for general fulfillment-seeking, but the specific ideas were learned. This is not to say that we cannot play and have our toys, but we must be able to remain detached from Iilldriven behaviors, such as obsessive needs, expectations, motivations, hopes, and desires. Again, a newborn doesn’t know what a Porsche is. None of these mainstream needs is genetically acquired. You learned about a Porsche, with the status and ego-gratifying perks it can offer. You may desire the Porsche because you’re a sportscar enthusiast fascinated by automobile performance. If this is honestly so and you are not in denial, then you may consider yourself at play, which can be defined as realizing the desire without being attached to it. We do not need it, and it is not a hole that demands to be filled. True play is an unmotivated act; failure to fulfill the desire causes no adverse behavioral consequences. Play can overcome desire. Most of the time, the Iill is all too serious and determined. At play, you can appear serious—only to make your point “seem” serious—but you are not attached to the outcome, and you have no expectations of the results. You maintain a sense of humor and an awareness of the blissful meaninglessness of it all. You realize the emptiness of the Iill in any situation, yet you are sensitive to others’ interpretations and understanding of the situation.
AS LONG AS YOU SEE MAYA, YOU CANNOT PLAY Play can be extremely useful in business negotiations, sales, marketing, and management, because it can show others that it is not imperative for you to close the deal; hence they do not feel pressured to act (see Chapter 29, No Mind Business). Pressuring someone to act can derail a deal before the negotiations have even begun. Play is a realization that there is no need to be serious, because seriousness is attachment, attachment is identity, and
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identity is an Iill state of mental health. Play is what we all need to have—natural play that is not directed by the Iill or concerned with expectations and intentions. Nature is at play. The entire cosmos and life on this planet are at play. There is naturalness to life and to the universe that we sometimes take for granted because we fail to see it or to look for it. (We discuss this in Chapter 26, Secret of Living No Mind.) Zen scholar Alan Watts, Ph.D., says:
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The ‘maya’ or unreality lies not in the physical world, but in the concepts or thought forms by which it is described. It is clear that ‘maya’ refers to social institutions, to language and logic and their constructs, and to the way in which they modify our feeling of the world . . . Society is persuading the individual to do what it wants by making it appear that its commands are the individual’s innermost self. “What we want is what you want.” And this is a double-bind, as when a mother says to her child, who is longing to slush around in a mud puddle, “now darling, you don’t ‘want’ to get into that mud!” This is misinformation and this—if anything—is the ‘great social lie.’ (Watts, 1957)
All our constructs of reality are thus our reflective interpretations of individual, family, and social values and conditions. Our thoughts appear to be ours, but are they really? We mirror what we see and what we learn. It is the natural output of the brain’s associative neural networks and of mechanisms that underlie human psychology. Maya is the mental construction of the nature of objects in the universe. These objects exist, but relative to our interpretation, conceptualization, perception, and our cognitive experience of them. In essence, we are the observers and the objects are the observed. This is a codependent relationship, in which one cannot exist without the other. We give the objects meaning; otherwise, they have none. For example, a mountain exists, but it is not a “mountain” until someone is there to see it and to label it
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as such. The mountain, the stars, the sun, the trees, the animals—they all exist without definition and identity. When we define and categorize an object, we create a dualistic identity, and we mask the underlying essential nature of the object, which is non-dualistic. We lose the context of the whole for the perception of the specific. When we identify an object, we separate it from the whole. And that is the illusion called maya—when we fail to see the unity of all things through the experience of spiritual enlightenment. So it is important to understand the object as an “observed,” and therefore relative, phenomenon. Because of the mechanisms of the Iill, the meanings of objects will always exist relatively and co-dependently. So our illusion is not that the object exists or does not exist. The false impression comes from the meaning we assign to the object and how we interpret it; it comes from our unawareness of the underlying reality of the object. The object sits in front of us, and a magical copy of it sits in our minds. We think the copy in our minds is the real one, since this is our interpretation of the object before us. The Iill is convinced that the object in our minds is a direct reflection of the object out there; therefore it doesn’t suspect an illusion. But we do not “see” illusions; we “see” real objects that we can touch and feel. Maya does not deny our physical senses; it determines our interpretations of these senses and how we fragment reality into separate identifiable entities. We can understand this concept because we know that “beautiful” and “ugly” are relative terms; some works of art are beautiful to some and ugly to others. Because the terms are dualistic, beauty gives rise to ugliness, where we cannot know one without the other. Hence, all interpretations by the mind are relative representations of reality, or maya. Maya offers a dualistic view of objects in the universe; their underlying non-dualistic reality is not maya, and neither is the pure awareness of No Mind. When we penetrate the dualistic world of maya, we experience a nondualistic awareness of No Mind. We experience true spiritual awareness.
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The Iill as the Master Trickster
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Theodore Sarbin argues that the widely accepted materialistic conception of “reality” may be misleading:
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A person may be said to have a hallucination when he acts as if his imaginings are ‘real’ and, of course, when these imaginings do not meet the materialistic reality criterion. If this reality criterion were applied generally, a large number of people (perhaps all) would have to be classified as hallucinators. (Sarbin, 1967)
Factor 1: No Mind Reality
For example, a common misconception is that we see the sun as it is presently, but this is not true: we see the sun as it was eight minutes ago. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second, and because of the distance between us and the sun, light takes eight minutes to get from the solar surface to the retinas of our eyes. The same is true of distant galaxies; we see them as they were thousands and millions of years ago, depending on their distance from the Earth. Space and time are relative to the observers and to their position in the space–time continuum. In The Tao of Physics, Fritjof Capra writes: Since space and time are now reduced to the subjective role of the elements of language a particular observer uses for his or her description of natural phenomena, each observer will describe the phenomena in a different way . . . It implies, ultimately, that the structures and phenomena we observe in nature are nothing but creations of our measuring and categorizing mind. (Capra, 1976)
This was the basis for the theory of relativity postulated by Albert Einstein. Time was added as a fourth dimension to the three-dimensional space coordinates. The theory of relativity demonstrates that these four dimensions are intricately connected. So natural phenomena are relative to the observer and to what is being observed. This has been demonstrated repeatedly in subatomic particle experiments (Capra, 1976; Pagels, 1982).
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Different interpretations of reality are not necessarily right or wrong; they are just different, depending on the observer’s point of view. Since reality is relative to our interpretation, we might say that it is a sort of magical trick played on us by the mental web of the master trickster Iill, whose deceptions are self-promoting and selfreinforcing. Its mental web portrays the illusion of reality that is most palatable to the Iills, given its observation point. Everything is seen from this egotistical perspective, forfeiting original freshness and originality. The famous Zen master Suzuki writes: . . . we discover that all values come from unselfish motives. Any act with its base in an egoistic source is bad, hateful, and ugly, and goes against the general welfare of humanity. Egoism is thus always found at the basis of such an act. The ego is the mischief-maker. Even when we do something, objectively speaking, good and benefiting all of us, the act may not be judged as genuinely good if we find the shadow of ego lurking behind it. (Suzuki, 1959)
Suzuki confirms that the ego is the mischief-maker. In the confines of the illusion, or maya, we are still under the spell of the master trickster, the Iill or ego. The spell leaves us no choice but to associate actual reality with the illusion. True, we can also change the illusion and be redefined, as the Iill reinterprets objects and rearranges the illusions of reality. How many times have you changed your opinion about something? Even though you were adamant about never trying escargot, maybe you decided to risk it one day and now you like snails. Based on your new experience, you have a new interpretation of the perception of snails. The snails were always snails, and they never changed. Only your illusion of the perception of snails changed. Thus, our interpretations are dynamic and constantly changing, as the Iill changes and modifies its constructs of reality. Through it all, we never glimpse, much less know, reality. This is the illusion of the Iill, or maya.
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THE LINGUISTIC CODING OF THE IiLL
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The illusion of the ego, or Iill, has been a common theme in philosophical, psychological, and even religious writings since ancient times. Father Joseph Marechal writes in Studies in the Psychology of the Mystics:
Chapter 8 Factor 1: No Mind Reality
One essential feature of Christian Mysticism is renunciation of the ego, which is an essential characteristic of the unity of the interior life in Christianity, so that the Self may unite with God. . . . it is detachment from the ‘vainglorious ego,’ the dispersed and capricious ego, the plaything of external circumstances. (Marechal, 1964)
The practice of No Mind frees us from the normal, fixed interpretation of reality and opens a fresh, dynamic, and flowing new perspective. We are not locked into seeing things only one way; we can experience a broader range of reality that may not have been available to us before. “My” way of seeing things as a reflection of “my” past experience changes to simply seeing things as they are. Instead of insisting on “my way, the Iill’s way,” we can drop the pronoun and say, in a detached way, “the experience.” Again, however, the dialectics of language generate problems. It is more comfortable to say “my way” than to say “the experience.” This is a very difficult habit to break. We have to change the codes of our behavior that have been patterned by society. Dorothy Lee, in her studies of linear and nonlinear codifications of reality, writes: Basic to my investigation is the assumption that a member of a given society not only codifies experienced reality through the use of specific language and other patterned behavior characteristic of [their] culture, but [they] actually grasp reality only as it is presented to [them] in this code. (Lee, 1950)
The social codification of reality in the form of language is one of the environmental determinants of our behavior and worldview. The mental web contains the embedded codes and behavioral patterns that partially
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establish how we act. Recognizing the social linguistic codes helps us understand that the illusion is not a “real” aspect of ourselves. We start thinking of it as a learned aspect of ourselves. In this way, we develop a level of intellectual detachment (learning a new code of perception), and as we practice No Mind, we develop “true” detached awareness of our mental phenomena. It is written in the Tao Te Ching that “a wise person makes his own decisions; a weak one obeys public opinion.”
DEVELOPING A FRESH NEW PERSPECTIVE The practice of No Mind gives you Clear Attention (CAt) in order to perceive a new perspective. But the new perspective must be constantly refreshed. The ongoing problem is that the “I” may claim ownership of this empty awareness and re-impose dualistic thinking: “I understand that I am empty.” The reality is that the “I” cannot be empty; there is just emptiness. Simple. This is the initial paradoxical perception to overcome. Achieving this level of No Mind is a start, but you cannot stop here if you seek ultimate freedom. Many disciples throughout history have been stuck at this level for years. They cannot release their idea of reality for the reality itself. This is like taking the word “elephant” (the signifier) for the mammal itself (the signified). Signifier and signified are not the same. With practice, students can exert more and more control over the Iill. The periods of CAt become increasingly longer, and eventually the student develops an insight, an intuition, a burst of enlightenment that dethrones the Iill, making it a mechanism that just functions in the background. The Iill no longer has dominion over awareness. Those who are too lazy and comfortable to think for themselves and be their own judges obey the laws. Others sense their own laws within them; things are forbidden to them that every honorable man will do any day in the year and other things are allowed to
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them that are generally despised. Each person must stand on his own feet. (Jasper & Shagass, 1941)
ESCAPING THE TRAP OF THE IiLL THROUGH NO MIND
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From the dualistic perspective of the Iill, we are forever unsettled and yearning for fulfillment. As long as we see the parts, we cannot see the whole. When we cling to and identify with discrete objects of desire, we are trapped in the mental web. Thus, we are constantly striving for someone or something new to identify with, to attach to, and to “fill the holes.” When we lose what we are attached to, we become sad, disoriented, alienated, and subject to a host of other codependent feelings that arise from the loss of the attachment. However, you can stop this cycle of anxiety, worry, and getting ensnarled in the Iill. You can train your mind to flow without clinging to anything. And you will learn the techniques for doing so in No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes. For now, simply understand that objects of desire are inherently empty, that they possess nothing permanent of their own, and that they have no identity, except in the relativity of the mental web and in the value that the mental web projects onto them. In The Zen Doctrine of No Mind, Suzuki says: When ‘I’ is an illusion, all that goes on in the name of the agent must be an illusion too. Including moral sins, various kinds of feelings and desires, and hell and the Law of Bliss. With the removal of this illusion, the world with all its multiplicities will disappear, and if there is anything left in it which can act, this one will act with utmost freedom, with fearlessness . . . It is like the bee sucking the flower, like the sparrow pecking at grains, like cattle feeding on beans, like the horse grazing in the field. When your mind is free from the idea of private possession, all goes well with you. But as soon as there arises in the mind the thought
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of ‘mine’ and ‘thine,’ you are slaves to your karma. (Suzuki, 1969)
There can be an end to this continuing cycle of events and actions. There is a way to stop the wheel of suffering from turning and from endlessly setting off one painful event after another. There is a way to suspend the Iill from dominating and engulfing the awareness. And there is a way to end your karma. It is written in the Tao Te Ching: Without opening your door, You can open your heart to the world. Without looking out your window, You can see the essence of the Tao.
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IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. The “I” is the Iill, and its essence cannot be measured in terms of any one real unit of analysis that is complete and self-sufficient because it has no real identity of its own. Its identity is a mere illusion created by the mental web. In terms of real phenomena, “I” equals zero, because it has no real substance of its own, and it is empty. The Iill is therefore empty. This simple statement is represented mathematically by the following formulas,
Chapter 8 Factor 1: No Mind Reality
Factor 1: I ⫽ 1; I ⬅ 0, where ⫽ is not equal to and ⬅ is identical to. 2. The Iill is the mischief-maker, the trickster that captures our awareness and focuses our attention on the fulfillment of its desires. In reality, the Iill is empty and has no essence of its own. 3. The Iill’s continuing search for fulfillment is like plugging countless holes in a leaking boat. Once our attention shifts to the big picture, the leaks disappear. As long as we focus on the holes, we create more holes demanding to be plugged. Similarly, as long as we focus on our desires and expectations, we create more of them because they are codependent and co-arise together. 4. In the leaking-boat analogy, each one of us lives a lonely life on the boat of his or her own Iill. The ocean is what all boats have in common. Once we jump off the boat and into the ocean of awareness, we realize that we are all the same and that awareness is a universal constant. 5. Maya is our unique false interpretation of reality. It also falsely represents objects of the outside world as manifestations of the underlying essence of nature. It is as if the forms we see are merely
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condensations of their underlying essence. They are only illusions; ultimate reality is beyond them. While they are real in the world of the Iill and we perceive and enjoy them, they are unreal because they are impermanent and their real nature remains hidden. No Mind is the experience of true spiritual awareness, where we realize the underlying essence of nature.
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Adaptive and evolutionary processes condition us to perceive and to behave in a certain way; many of our perceptions and behaviors are automated, locking us into rigid conceptual structures and fixed behavioral patterns. By untraining the mind, we deautomatize perception and behavior and acquire a fresher, clearer, expanded awareness of reality and a newfound freedom of choice. Deautomatization opens the channels of perception to a more passive, receptive, selfless mode of cognition. This expands our awareness of the real world. In addition, the internal interpretive mechanism changes from one of selfishness Equations of No Mind to one of selflessness. Equations for Factor 2: No Mind Deautomatization We behave differently and better. Using initials to represent four variables—perception Chapter 9 explains how the practice of No Mind enhances our awareness of our actions and reactions, which frees us from the automatisms of the Iill.
(P), memory (M), auto-action (Aa) and auto-reaction (Ar)—we can express Factor 2 as follows: P ⴙ M ⴝ Aa ⴙ Ar for mindful behavior and deautomatized action and reaction and conversely, P ⴙ M ⴝ Aa ⴙ Ar for mindless behavior and automatic action and reaction
A simple fact of human and animal behavior is that perception and memory influence our actions and reactions. We filter what we see through what we’ve learned in order to decide how to act and react. The first equation states that when we practice Clear Attention— the mindfulness technique of No Mind—we can “deautomatize” our behavior and reactions: that is, perception memory would not equal auto-action and auto-reaction. Conversely (the second equation), when we do not practice CAt, we are subject to mindless or automatic behavior, and our perception memory does result in auto-action and auto-reaction: we react immediately from the learned patterns of our mental web. Once we are able to deautomatize our behavior through the practice of No Mind, perception (P) and memory (M) can be pulled out of the loop of automatic action and reaction. (also see Figs. 7-1 and 14-1)
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Chapter 9
Factor 2: No Mind Deautomatization
Our minds, actions, and reactions are governed by autoperceptions, which are interpreted based on learned conditioning stored in our neuro-associative networks (memory). Thus, our behavior is primarily automatic. In fact, even “free will” is “free won’t,” since our decisions are determined a fraction of a second before we become aware of them. Figure 14-1, however, demonstrates that action and reaction are not equal to perception and memory, and that we can move beyond mindless behavior. The practice of No Mind entails mindful “deautomatization,” specifically through the application of Clear Attention.
NO MIND: SEEING THROUGH THE FOG In the classic The Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Robert Earnest Hume writes: As the bees, my dear, prepare honey by collecting the essences of different trees and reducing essence to a unity, as they are 182
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not able to discriminate, ‘I am the essence of that tree.’ Even so, indeed, my dear, all creatures here, though they reach being, know not ‘we have reached being.’ These rivers, my dear, flow, the Eastern toward the East, the Western toward the West. They go just from the ocean to the ocean. They become the ocean itself. As there they know not ‘I am this one,’ ‘I am that one.’ Even so, indeed, my dear, all creatures here, though they come forth from being, know not ‘We have come forth from being.’ (Hume, 1921)
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The bees are not able to discriminate the essences, but we do so routinely. We automatically discriminate and identify ourselves and the world around us—we know reality in terms of discrete elements that we are trained to seek out and to recognize. As Figure 7-1 suggests, the workings of the Iill’s mental web are relatively automatic. The associative, categorical, and filtering mechanisms of perceptual and ego defenses work at the unconscious level. And as we are generally mindless of our breathing and heart rate, we are not aware of these processes until we focus on them. We live our lives experiencing and understanding reality through interpretations that are based on the unconscious memory of learning and experience. These codependent links are made in the neuro-pathways without our awareness, and the Iill “sees” and interprets the world through the conditioned mental web—through the fog of discrimination. While the healthy adult in a changing environment must be able to function with a good deal of flexibility, he must also be able to rely on certain learned functions which no longer require much expenditure of conscious energy and attention . . . Habit formation, or automatization, means that with increasing practice an action’s intermediate steps disappear from consciousness. This occurs in the perceptual and the cognitive field as well as the motor area. It saves energy in dealing with the outside environment . . . allowing oneself from time to time to go into altered states of consciousness and to de-automatize one’s solid, rigidly fixed look at life, maybe one way to
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contribute to a fresh and creative approach to reality. (Fromm, 1979)
SEEING PARTS OF REALITY WE NEVER SEE The practice of No Mind deautomatizes the actions and reactions of the Iill. We can watch and control the mind after we process sensory input through its natural automated functions. The normal defense mechanisms, such as filtering, categorizing, and conditioning, can be suspended when we see an object, or feel an emotion, or become aware of a thought. We look through fresh eyes that “see” things as they really are, without definition, prejudice, conceptualization, categorization, and attachment. It just takes practice (detailed in No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes). Dr. Arthur Deikman, Harvard Medical School graduate in psychiatry and neurology, reports that subjects in a controlled experimental meditation study . . . experienced alterations in perception which is described as a ‘deautomatization’ in which the subject may ‘attain a new, fresh perception of the world by freeing [them] from a stereotyped organization built up over the years’. . . in which one can cast off ‘the shell of automatic perception, of automatic affective and cognitive controls in order to perceive more deeply into reality.’ (Deikman, 1966b)
In other words, once we are free of the conditioned way we see things, reality seems clearer and more vivid. And there is a way to free ourselves through the technique of No Mind. During another experimental meditation some subjects reported percepts of light motion and force and color that were described as vividly real; a feeling of a new reality or rather a greater perception of reality. If, as evidence indicates, our passage from infancy to adulthood is accompanied by an organization of the perceptual and cognitive world that has as its price the
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selection of some stimuli to the exclusion of others, it is quite possible that a technique could be found to reverse or undo temporarily the automatization that has restricted our communication with reality to the active perception of only a small segment of it. Such a process of deautomatization might then be followed by an awareness of aspects of reality that were formerly unavailable to us. (Deikman, 1966a)
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As Deikman describes, this passage from birth to adulthood develops the Iill which, using the technique of No Mind, can be undone temporarily so we may see reality clearer. As Deikman says, there are aspects of reality that are unavailable to us when we see through perceptual filters. Though the automatic nature of our perceptions, cognitive controls, and behaviors obscure our awareness of the world, people have practiced techniques to suspend this process for thousands of years. Yet, many of these techniques were difficult to learn, and some were even kept a secret for philosophical or religious reasons. We have failed to understand the techniques because of the Iill’s rigid beliefs and values, reinforced by societal dogmas. We reject and condemn something before we have had a chance to experience it. The deautomatizing process achieved through the mindfulness techniques of No Mind allows us to open to reality: . . . reports indicate that mindfulness practice enables practitioners to become aware of some of the usually preattentive processes involved in visual detection. The results support the statements found in Buddhist texts on meditation concerning the changes in perception encountered during the practice of mindfulness. (Brown, Forte, & Dysart, 1984)
Although the process of No Mind is nothing new—in fact, it had its origins in ancient Zen—the No Mind program is new. The program blends the wisdom of the ancient masters with modern psychological, neurophysiological, physics, behavioral, and psychotherapeutic research and practice.
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“SHAKING UP” THE IiLL BY DEAUTOMATIZING
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Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Heinz Hartmann is among the founders of ego psychology. He writes in the Journal of American Psychoanalytic Association:
No Mind
Automatization is a characteristic example of those relatively stable forms of adaptedness which are the lasting effects of adaptation processes. . . . [The person] not only adapts to the community, but also actively participates in creating conditions to which [they] must adapt. [The person’s] environment is molded increasingly by [the person]. Thus the crucial adaptation [people have] to make is to the social structure, and [their] collaboration in building it . . . Automatisms . . . too, may be said to be under the control of the external world, and under certain conditions, a formulary abbreviated behavior is a better guarantee of reality mastery than a new adaptation to every occasion. (Hartmann, 1958)
Every day we abbreviate our behavior through automatizations; otherwise, we would be overwhelmed and exhausted coming up with a new behavior for every perception. There is just too much information flooding in through the multitude of sensory inputs. Yet, at any time we can become aware of an incoming sensory signal and objectively watch it pass through the awareness. Of course, this is a lot easier to do while sitting next to a mountain stream listening to the water falling over the rocks than it is in a crowded subway station. With No Mind, we can purify our perception of reality and have fewer slip-ups into auto-reaction. Merton M. Gill, MD, and Dr. Margaret Brenman suggest that . . . deautomatization is a condition which opens the way for a change in relative autonomy . . . Automatization can interfere with relative autonomy if it means the loss of the capacity to adapt to changing conditions. Thus, deautomatization of automated function is a part of normal functioning . . . We are suggesting that dissociation, deautomatization, and interference
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with the synthetic function of the ego are all different ways of conceptualizing the same phenomenon . . . Deautomatization is an undoing of the automatizations of apparatuses, both means and goal structures directed toward the environment. Deautomatization is, as it were, a shake up. (Gill & Brenman, 1959)
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We need to “shake up the system,” so that the Iill ceases to automatically determine our daily lives, perceptions, and understandings of the world. We can start to deautomatize by selecting one or more areas in our lives and by separating awareness from our bad habits, resentments, angers, and egocentric behaviors. We watch the behavior objectively, so that we can modify it. As we “clean the filter,” perceptions become truer and fresher.
DEAUTOMATIZING: WHAT IS IT? Psychologist Abraham Maslow provides an excellent summary of deautomatization: In ‘being’ cognition the experience of the object tends to be seen as a whole, as a complete unit detached from relations, from possible usefulness, from expediency, and from purpose. The percept is exclusively and fully attended to . . . My findings indicate that in normal perceptions of self actualizing people and in the more occasional peak experiences (mystic or oceanic, or nature experience, creative moment, insight, orgasm, athletic fulfillment) of average people, perception can be relatively ego-transcending, self-forgetful, egoless, object-centered rather than ego-centered. Ordinary perception is one that involves selection and relation to needs, fears and interests; one gives it organization, arranging and rearranging it. Yet, b-cognition [being cognition] is much more passive and receptive than active, selfless rather than egocentric. It is gazing rather than looking, surrendering and submitting to the experience. The world is seen as a unity, as a single rich entity. Self-actualization is not an all-or-none affair, but rather a matter of degree and of frequency.
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Further, Maslow suggests: Self-actualizing people can and do perceive reality more efficiently, fully, and with less motivation contamination than others do. Then we may possibly use them as biological assays through their greater sensitivity and perception. We may get a better report of what reality is like than through our own eyes, just as canaries can be used to detect gas in mines before less sensitive creatures can. (Maslow, 1959a)
Self-actualizing means achieving the potentialities of our Being—our essential substance that is beyond the basic needs of the person (see Figure 26-1 at the end of Chapter 26, Secrets of Living No Mind). When we experience moments of peak performance, we are the closest to our being cognition, or b-cognition; we are closer to the reality of nature and to our true selves. Our perception is less judgmental and more objective. Maslow speaks of b-cognition as an awareness that is outside the Iill, a passive and more receptive state of awareness that can be used to deautomatize the mechanisms of the mental web. In cleansing our perceptions of “acquired contamination,” we open new doors to perception. No Mind gets us through. No Mind is the pure essential awareness with which we were born prior to the years of information download through the perceptual network— the download of billions of bytes of information from our families, peers, communities, societies, and mass media. So within No Mind—this pure awareness—we begin to “see” an object not just as an object but as the totality of nature contained within the object. There are no autonomous objects—they are all co-arising and interdependent. In quantum physics, for example, the observer and the observed exist in a codependent relationship that cannot be broken; the mystic, however, transcends the observed–observer relationship and enters a nondualistic state where the two are the same and indistinguishable. Deikman says the mystical experience is
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an altered state of consciousness characterized by deautomatization: This state is brought about by a deautomatization of hierarchically ordered structures of perception and cognition structures that ordinarily conserve intentional energy for maximum efficiency in achieving the basic goals of the individual. Biological survival as an organism and psychological survival as a personality, perceptual selection and cognitive patterning, are in service of these goals. . . . automatic selections are set aside or break down, in favor of alternate modes of consciousness . . . whose inefficiency may permit the experience of aspects of the real world formally excluded or ignored. (Deikman, 1966a)
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An alternative mode of consciousness is necessary for breaking down the biological mechanisms of automatization. Psychologically, No Mind may be an alternative mode of consciousness, but the ancient masters defined it as spiritual awareness—a state beyond the mechanisms of the mind. While this notion has philosophical and religious undertones, we focus here only on the therapeutic and life-enriching aspects of No Mind. The mystical aspects of No Mind are discussed in more detail in No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind. You don’t have to understand these aspects of No Mind in order to practice it and to develop peak performance. An article published in the American Journal of Psychotherapy concludes: Meditative and esoteric traditions have much to offer psychotherapy. It has been suggested that varieties of meditative-oriented training can be helpful in: 1) Producing insight into habitual and self-defeating response patterns by focusing and exaggerating them and then providing social feedback; 2) Breaking the obsessive hold of the individual’s thoughts on his behavior by detaching affect from them and retraining attention (on a specific stimulus); 3) Conditioning the sympathetic nervous system by reducing arousing stimuli and training posture. (Carpenter, 1977)
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“Breaking the obsessive hold” of the Iill is the goal of deautomatization. Once we move past the Iill, its autoprocesses cease to exist. It then operates in the background, most or part of the time, depending on the mastery of the practitioner. Whatever the functionality of the mental web is, we lose nothing and we gain nothing; only nothing will ever be the same again.
SELFLESSNESS INSTEAD OF SELFISHNESS As the illusion of the Iill dissipates through deautomatization, fresh reality is exposed. Freed from former conditioning, we are capable of actualizing our full potentialities; we have an opportunity to acquire behaviors unconditioned by the past. Opening this door is an incredible human achievement. You are never the same again, as you perform from a completely different point of view; you act from the perspective of the whole, not as a fraction. And from this all-encompassing perspective, you don’t act out of selfishness but based on selflessness. As an example, many medical centers, laboratories, and biofeedback centers studied a remarkable man named Jack Schwarz. He demonstrated that people can control the pain of physical trauma; regulate blood flow, blood pressure, and heart rate; consciously heal the body after injury; and remain unaffected by the injection of some toxic substances: Traditional wisdom says that as long as you are in this world, you will have to serve this world by right actions, without evaluating the level on which fellow beings stand. The predominant characteristic of the path of action is a volitional spirit of selflessness or the spirit of will power. We cannot serve on the path of action if we are selfish . . . What is my greatest selfishness? It is to recognize that through my selfishness, I reach selflessness. That sounds like a paradox, an enigma. My selfishness is in wanting to reach the end of that path as soon as possible. And I know that I can only attain it if I am completely selfless. The only true selfishness is striving to reach the goal. (Schwarz, 1977)
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A selfless act is an act that has been deautomatized; in No Mind, it is called “play,” an unmotivated act, one that is not an “obsession” of the mental web of the Iill. The act wants to occur but does not need to occur. When we act selflessly, we act effortlessly and determine our own reactions, rather than have them determined for us. In contrast, selfishness keeps us within the Iill— acting and reacting for self-gain, ego-preservation, and self-fulfillment. Yet there is no real gain; there is no one to satisfy. Remember, the “I” is an illusion. The gain is empty, its source is empty, and therefore it cannot bring long-lasting satisfaction, because it is selfish or “Iillish.” This is why wealth and material objects cannot satisfy completely and permanently. Gains realized from this empty source bring only temporary happiness because the moment they fulfill a desire, another one co-arises. All things change, and change is inevitable; you continue to pursue new desires.
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MAKING THE IiLL A BACKGROUND OPERATION Lawrence Leshan, clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and researcher, writes: The argument is that the altered state of consciousness associated with the occurrence of paranormal events gives a ‘valid’ picture of ‘reality,’ a picture as valid as the common sense everyday state of consciousness during which only normal events occur. Both are equally valid, and each gives a partial picture of reality . . . Man has two ways of perceiving and interacting with reality. And he who uses only one way is not only denying a very large part of his being, but is also perceiving a much more constricted and narrow part of what is ‘out there’ than he potentially can. (Leshan, 1972)
With deautomatized awareness, we develop a new perception of reality because we keep breaking down the normal perceptual channels through which we usually interpret reality. In other words, we set up different neuro-associative maps to see reality with less filtration
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and distortion. The picture gets clearer and clearer as we practice No Mind. When the Iill consumes awareness and awareness is “lost” in the Iill’s processes, we are mindless instead of mindful, and we act and react on auto-pilot. The switch to deautomatization is a shift of awareness that sets up new ways to see reality and to respond to it. In An Experiment in Mindfulness, E. H. Shattock discusses how the Zen illogical approach is intended to break the acquired habit of logical thinking, of proceeding from thought to thought along well-defined habitual paths. The mind is made to untrain itself; to think without attachment; in fact, to learn to isolate individual thoughts. The stream of thought has been broken, and a gap has occurred which has allowed the intuitional awareness of Truth [Spiritual Awareness] to break through. (Shattock, 1970)
Later in the book, we discuss how Zen masters shatter the intellectual, logical, and analytical modes of disciples’ cognition through the use of koans, or non-sensible statements (also see No Mind 601, Insights and Paradoxes of No Mind).
DECONDITIONING THROUGH DEAUTOMATIZING The untraining of the mind comes through the deautomatization of the conditioning process that perpetually reinforces the mental web of the Iill. We do not go backward to childhood or infancy; we learn just to become detached from the Iill. Through the process, we free our awareness from the Iill’s web. By applying the technique of No Mind, we derive freedom through detachment and deautomatization, which forces the Iill to function without controlling awareness. Thus, by deautomatizing, we decondition ourselves. It only requires practice. As you practice, the Iill’s effect on your actions and reactions diminishes. As we break down the Iill’s automatizations, we recreate the freedom that exists in spiritual
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awareness, the pure mind of infancy. In his book on Yogic disciplines, Professor Ernest Wood states that in the school of Raja Yoga: . . . one must meditate on Self [Spiritual Awareness]. ‘I am not ‘it’’—‘it’ being the personality, physical and psychical, composed of body, personal emotions and fixed ideas, not simply the set of ‘vehicles’ as they stand, but also their habits of action, emotion and thought, the entire personality. [They] must put that outside [themselves] . . . ‘I am,’ and all clinging to consciousness, like clinging to body, bars the realization of that Truth. Success is marked by quietness, the best indication of power. Thus the mind and body will be active, but calm. And there will be contentment, patience, sincerity and steadiness. (Wood, 1976)
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Throughout the millennia that these techniques have been used, the terminology has changed, but the meanings remain the same. The more we cling, the more attached we become to our objects, lives, ideas, expectations, hopes, desires, prejudices, and dislikes. The more we cling, the more we get stuck in the web of the Iill. Therefore, one of The Ten Paradoxes (as we will learn in Chapter 16, The Ten Paradoxes) is: With Attachment, Work. Without Attachment, Play.
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CHAPTER 9
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Deautomatization is possible because we can break our auto-action and auto-reaction behavioral patterns: P M Aa Ar where P Perception M Memory Aa Auto-action Ar Auto-reaction Not Equal According to Figure 7-1, our reaction-based perception, memory, and behavior are automated until we separate our awareness from the mental web. Therefore, we become more mindful instead of mindless (Figure 14-1). 2. Automatisms are the output of an evolutionary, adaptive, and natural process in the brain that locks us into rigid patterns of perception and behavior. This is done in order to save energy; otherwise, we would have to constantly fabricate new behaviors in every mundane situation, and our attention would be overwhelmed. Automatisms are an aspect of the neuro-associative networks created by our synaptic brain. 3. By untraining automatisms, we can learn to deautomatize our perception and behavior, opening the door to a fresh, clear perception of reality. As confirmed by experiments and studies, deautomatization opens the channels of perception to a more passive, receptive, selfless mode of cognition and intuition. Maslow called this b-cognition. It is a change from selfishness to selflessness. Thus, more
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of the real world is perceived, and parts that were previously excluded are now revealed. 4. New behavioral patterns are developed, based on the deautomatized retraining of awareness. New behavior sets up new conditioning patterns and alters old rigid habits. Therefore, changes are made in the neuro-associative networks in the brain, which is called neuroplasticity.
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Clear Attention (CAt), or mindfulness, is similar to a mirror— that kind of awareness that reflects objects as they are, just as a mirror reflects things objectively. In the mirror of Clear Attention, the objects exist just as they are, without the need to be anything. CAt enables us to achieve the fluidity of awareness and action that is symbolized by a tiger (see Figure 26-1 at the end of No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes). We no longer get stuck on thoughts, emotions, or perceptions. The mind is free to expand its awareness beyond the limits of perception, behavior, and memory. CAt allows us to modify self-defeating behavior by becoming aware of the thought of the behavior before it actually happens. We then recondition our mental web with a new set of behavioral cues. In this way, we can stay in the flow of the moment and avoid the “puppet of external forces” scenario. Chapter 10 teaches the important Zen skill of being mindful of the activity in the moment— when walking, just walk; when cooking, just cook. Although they are not exactly the same, CAt and No Mind are states of awareness that allow the mindbody to perform at its full capacity.
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Equations of No Mind Equations for Factor 3: No Mind and CAt Using initials to represent Clear Attention (CAt), perception (P), behavior (B), and memory (M), we can express Factor 3 with this pair of equations:
CAt ⬇ Ø CAt > P ⴙ (B ⴙ M) CAt is congruent (⬇) or similar to empty, or mindful awareness, represented here as the empty set (Ø). In other words, CAt is devoid of mind contents; it is what is commonly known as mindfulness. Empty means unfilled—simply that the Iill’s thoughts and desires no longer fill awareness, and in that way it is not filled by mind objects. So in order to develop No Mind—expand our awareness beyond the Iill and overcome our autonomic behavior—we need to start with the practice of CAt. The second equation relates to Figs.7-1 and 14-1. Clear Attention can overcome (>) the automatic actionreaction loop created when the brain’s neural associative networks affect our perceptual cues. In other words, when we see something, we usually react and behave in a way that is predetermined by our memory of learned experiences. This concept is similar to that discussed in Chapter 8, but we’ve now added behavior (B) and defined CAt as the deautomatizing agent. The main idea here is that practicing CAt is the first step toward attaining No Mind. The subtle difference is one of mindful awareness (CAt), which leads to pure awareness (No Mind).
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Chapter 10
Factor 3: No Mind and CAt
THE MIRROR OF CLEAR ATTENTION Clear Attention, or mindfulness, is similar to a mirror. It reflects objects as they are, like a mirror reflects objects without bias. In the mirror of Clear Attention, the objects exist just as they are, without the need to be anything in particular. In Clear Attention, we objectively perceive thoughts, emotions, mental images, and sensations—we call them “mind objects.” We watch how the Iill naturally interprets these mind objects. The Iill uses: 1. Codependent categorizations, or the process through which the Iill automatically perceives and categorizes these mind objects. 2. Thought sequencing, or the process through which the Iill sequences mind objects, associating them with other mind objects and memories. 197
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3. Co-arising thoughts about the mind objects, or the process through which the Iill thinks about the mind object; for instance, how to react to the mind objects and what they mean. These are thoughts about thoughts. And thoughts generate the sense of an “I.” We then continue watching the associations of the “I.” These associations help us to understand our mind objects in terms of our selves and how we have been conditioned to view them. One study concludes that “associating is relating and that operations of relating are at the basis of recognition and recall . . . Relations are facts not only about learning, but equally about perceiving, imagining, and thinking” (Asch, 1969). In 1890, famed psychologist William James wrote: There are then mechanical conditions on which thought depends and which, to say the least, determine the order in which is presented the context or material for its comparisons, selections and decisions. . . . Objects once experienced together tend to become associated in the imagination, so that when any one of them is thought of, the others are likely to be thought of also, in the same order of sequence or coexistence as before. (James, 1890)
When we train our awareness to deautomatize, and when we become aware of the sequence of thoughts without producing more thoughts, we slow the mind down. We stop the thought process and associations. With the mental web process slowed down, Clear Attention reflects the mind objects as a clear mirror, without interpreting them. Awareness relates to these objects objectively, without interacting with them. For example, if we are riding a bicycle, there is just the awareness of bicycle riding. There is no awareness of “I am riding the bicycle.” With further training, we can eventually experience No Mind Bicycling.
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The mind is like a mirror because it reflects but does not absorb. Robert Ornstein, a research psychologist at Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, states: A mirror allows every input to enter equally, reflects each equally, and cannot be tuned to receive a special kind of input. It does not add anything to the input and does not turn off respective stimuli. It does not focus on any particular aspect of input and returns back and forth, but continuously admits all inputs equally. The ability to be a mirror, to be free of the normal restrictions of tuning, biasing, and filtering processes of awareness, may be part of what is indicated by ‘direct’ perception. This state can perhaps be considered within psychology as a diminution of the interactive nature of awareness, a state in which we do not select nor do we bet on the nature of the world. Nor do we think of the past. Nor do we compel awareness by random associations. Nor do we think of the future. Nor do we sort into restrictive categories. But a state in which all possible categories are held in awareness at once. (Ornstein & Naranjo, 1976)
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The ability to reflect mind objects like a mirror comes with the practice of No Mind. Reflecting thoughts, feelings, and perceptions without the Iill’s involvement enables us to reach this level of No Mind. As we think about being able to reflect mind objects, a question comes to mind—Who is doing the reflecting? Is it the Iill awareness? The answer is paradoxical: There is no one. It is just pure awareness, an aspect of No Mind that can be developed. There is only the mindbody dynamic and the awareness of the mind-body dynamic. Since the mind is concerned with the unconscious and conscious processes of the Iill, No Mind is just the pure awareness reflecting those processes. You really cannot call No Mind a state of mind because when the mind is finally void of thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, there is No Mind. Self-consciousness is absent. There is
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no “I,” there is just the mind-body dynamic. At this level, we experience spiritual awareness and No Mind. In any event, this state is an objective awareness of the working mind (explained in Chapter 15, Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones).
CAt EXPANDS AWARENESS “Clear Attention” (CAt) is the acronym standing for mindfulness in the No Mind program. CAt represents the flowing, flexible, and fluid sense of awareness that No Mind develops. In the case of No Mind, the CAt is represented by the tiger (see Figure 19-1 at the end of No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes); awareness flows without ever getting stuck in one spot. When we get stuck on mind objects, the mind cannot think freely, and therefore it is below its full potential. CAt is the awareness of actual events that are happening to us and in us in the present moment. We are paying attention to the flow of events inside and outside us, which allows us to expand our normal everyday awareness into aspects of the mind and body of which we are normally unaware, like breathing. CAt enables us to step outside the mental web and to be objective, unbiased, and passive observers to the mental objects in the mind, not automatons. When we remain objective, our thoughts, emotions, mental images, and sensations relinquish their control over awareness. Since awareness is not absorbed by the mind objects, it is free to reflect. What does it mean to stop or to slow down the Iill from interpreting and analyzing our thoughts, emotions, mental images, and sensations? The tiger represents the ability of awareness to flow, to avoid getting stuck in the process of thinking, and to not get swept away in the flood of thought and emotion. So we are less mindless and more mindful. CAt allows us to live in the Now and to understand that the Iill and its mental web do not always need to
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determine our life, that it is only a process of the mind and nothing else. CAt allows us to pause our actions, so we can then stop being automatons. That means we can make decisions freely, in the moment, rather than merely responding the way we have been conditioned to respond. We can acquire the detachment necessary to escape the Iill and to act freely without the automatic processes. By practicing No Mind daily, we deautomatize the Iill and its mental web and modify it over time, acquiring a new freedom and realization of our full potentialities. Eckhart Tolle writes in The Power of Now:
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When a thought subsides, you experience a discontinuity in the mental stream—a gap of ‘no-mind.’ At first, the gaps will be short, a few seconds perhaps, but gradually they will become longer. When these gaps occur, you feel a certain stillness and peace inside you. This is the beginning of your natural state of felt oneness with Being, which is usually obscured by the mind. (Tolle, 2004)
A MIRROR REFLECTS IN THE NOW CAt allows us to live in the present by uprooting the egocentric habits of the Iill’s mental web. In other words, we rid ourselves of the Iill. Rather than saying, “I’m the best,” you can just perform better outside the Iill. Your greatness is in your ability, not in how great you think you are. Everyone has natural potentialities and these are apt to grow when we are not under the spell of the Iill. Like an iceberg, most of the mental web lies below the “water line,” in the unconscious, which determines most of our behaviors. We become aware of a small percentage of that activity, and a half-second later at that. The past and future, however, arise only in terms of the Iill (see diagrams in Chapter 15, Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones). No Mind exists only in the present. You cannot have past or future without reference
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to something: an expectation, a hope, an anxiety, or a goal for the future; or a regret, a guilt, a resentment, or a memory of the past. Neither past nor future exists in No Mind because it is empty of the Iill’s contents; and it is impossible for either to exist in the immediate present. Our focus on the present literally binds us to it and excludes past and future, just as a mirror reflects objects only in the present. Even when a thought reaches our awareness, it comes from half a second in the past; it cannot exist in the immediate present. A mirror can no more interpret a past or a future event than a clear pond of water can reflect a bird that passed over it an hour ago. The images reflected on the surface of the water are changing constantly. Change is inherent in nature. When attention reflects perfectly and is unaware that it is reflecting, it is No Mind. It reflects everything, yet it is not absorbed by anything. When attention reflects everything, and yet it is aware of itself reflecting, it is CAt. So No Mind is a deeper level of CAt, yet the difference can be subtle. In No Mind 501, Living No Mind, we will learn how this can work in sports, business, stress management, academics, and relationships. For now, we concern ourselves with the concept of awareness as a mirror. Edward Maupin, Ph.D., a psychologist for over thirty years, describes a Zen state during the middle phase of Zen training in an article published in the Journal of Consulting Psychology: This state of mind is traditionally described with the analogy of a mirror, in which it reflects many things. Yet, it is itself unchanged by them. It seems likely that this phase of meditation, in particular increases receptivity to previously excluded experience. But the ability to deal with it in a detached non-anxious fashion is also facilitated. This state of mind is similar to a phenomenon reported by patients in psychoanalysis. (Maupin, 1962)
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SEEING THE WHOLE IN THE PART
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Maupin, like most Western psychologists, researchers, and writers, refers to the mirror, or what we are calling Clear Attention, as a state of mind. Generally, the ancient masters and texts say that CAt develops into No Mind, which is awareness beyond the state of mind. Gestalt therapy was developed by Fredrick S. Perls based on psychoanalysis, existentialism, and Gestalt psychology.
Chapter 10 Factor 3: No Mind and CAt
Gestalt Therapy is an expansion of Gestalt psychology by adding need and bodily awareness to the Gestalt forming process. The Gestalt is considered an arrangement of elements such as need into a pattern that appears to function as a unit, but is different than the sum total of the parts. (Perls, 1971)
Here, the therapist attempts to help us get rid of our “pattern of desire” to continually satisfy needs. For instance, the pattern may function as a unit, so that as every need emerges, it controls us, and we are compelled to look to our environment to satisfy the need. But it isn’t one need only, it is a series of needs. These needs are always in the past or in the future, and Perls insists that “nothing exists except in the now.” Perls recommends meditation as a means of learning to listen to your own thinking, allowing yourself to become more aware, and discovering how much you can actually help yourself. It allows the person to discover her personality and natural behavioral tendencies. Perls says, “I am sure that one day we will discover that awareness is a property of the universe” (Perls, 1971). (The experience of awareness as the only universal constant is discussed in detail in No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind.)
PEAK PERFORMANCE IS BEYOND THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE One way to view No Mind is as a psychological training system—a system to help us train the awareness and
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achieve peak performance. When the attention reflects as a mirror, as in mindfulness, it frees the mind of limitations and self-defeating behaviors. It releases the mind of the restrictions that the Iill imposes on the mind-body dynamic: “I cannot do that, I am not good enough,” or “I have never been good at that,” or “I’ve always been afraid.” Such self-defeating statements, whose origins are primarily unconscious, are forms of unnecessary negativity. In addition to these negative comments, positive comments about how “great” you are can also reinforce the Iill in a harmful way by building identity and attachments. Both negative and positive kinds of self-talk reinforce the Iill. For example, you can lose a tennis match before you make the first serve because you don’t think you’re a very good tennis player. Or you can bomb the job interview before you walk through the door if you don’t think your résumé is good enough. To stop this kind of self-defeating behavior, you practice No Mind, so you become aware of the behavior through Clear Attention and then alter it. Although positive statements are intended to motivate us, they can leave us in a state of anger, despair, and selfdenial if we don’t live up to them. They are developed from the expectations, hopes, goals, and wishes of the Iill; they do not reflect the natural potentiality of the mind-body dynamic. If a tiger fails to catch its prey, it does not wallow in self-pity and anger. Instead, it goes on to hunt other prey, following its natural instinct. The tiger performs at what is inherently its full potential.
AWARENESS SOLVES BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS We avoid the negative feelings that result from our behavior by approaching every situation with the detachment of CAt, by reflecting it as a mirror. Why go through the extreme behavioral swings that mimic the “ups and downs” of a roller-coaster ride? It may be the human thing to do, but we can develop better strategies to “detach”
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from these ups and downs without the exhausting effects and health consequences to the mind-body. If we reflect our feelings objectively, we experience them more intensely because the awareness is not impeded by the Iill’s limitations. It’s not what we think it should be, it just is what it is. Because we passively watch the feeling, our behavior is not determined by it. Say you hear a song on the radio by band x, of which you’re not particularly fond. When you hear the song, you automatically say, “I hate band x; change that station,” because you have been conditioned to think that way. However, if you become aware that you don’t like band x, the next time you hear a song by them, you can diffuse your reaction to the music by saying, “I’m aware I don’t like band x.” You’ll be aware that you want to shut off the radio, but you won’t have to react immediately. Your behavior has become mindful. Clinical psychologist John Burke describes “watchful attention” as the basis of Gestalt therapy:
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Therapy consists of the ‘reintegration of attention and awareness.’ Most people, most of the time do not fully know ‘what’ they are doing, and it is a considerable therapeutic contribution if the patients can achieve a vivid and ongoing awareness of [their] moment-tomoment behavior and surroundings. In a sense, the achievement of such full awareness is all that therapy needs to do. When a person feels fully and vividly what [they] are doing, [their] concern about why usually fades away. If [they do] remain interested, [the person] is in a good position to work it out for [themselves]. The basic assumption of this therapeutic approach is that patients deal adequately with their own life problems. If they know what they are and can bring all their abilities into action to solve them . . . the therapist must help by unblocking awareness . . . and help to more fully perceive sensory activity and help the patient to incorporate ways of behavior they adopted from others into their own consciousness, so it fits with the results of previous experience. (Enright, 1971)
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THERAPISTS PRACTICE CLEAR ATTENTION
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The watchful attention of the Gestalt therapist is similar to Clear Attention. Relaxing our state of repressive tension in order to become fully aware of our behaviors is necessary if we are to control and to modify them. Many forms of psychotherapy and healing practices originating with Clear Attention (mindfulness) have been documented in the medical literature over the past century; Freud’s concept of true floating attention is fundamental to psychoanalysis:
No Mind
One has simply to listen and not to try to keep in mind anything in particular . . . for as soon as attention is deliberately concentrated in a certain degree, one begins to select from the material before one; one point will be fixed in the mind with particular clearness and some other consequently disregarded, and in this selection one’s expectations of one’s inclinations will be followed. This is just what must not be done, however; if one’s expectations are followed in this selection there is the danger of never finding anything. (Maslow, 1954)
Expectations and motivations alter the perception and interpretation of what we are observing; if a therapist imposes his or her own expectations on the patient’s perceptions, a therapeutic session is likely to be nonproductive. Clear Attention is key to understanding the patient. Too many times the Iill is concerned with expectations and goal, not with the clear perception of the Now.
OBJECTS ON THE SCREEN OF AWARENESS We can apply the therapist’s technique of “watchful attention” to our lives. By shifting to CAt, we remove our attention from the original object, and any codependent expectations, or thoughts themselves, become objects of awareness—instead of being absorbed by the thought that we don’t like band x, we are “objectively” aware that
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we don’t like band x. Both object and associations become mental objects, which are watched as they pass through the screen of awareness. We deautomatize the normal process of action and reaction—watching our thoughts of band x—segmenting it into codependent links that “float” through the awareness of the mind’s contents. The mind’s contents are displayed on the screen of awareness. Then, because each object is linked through codependent associations, the associative and categorical networks are slowed down. CAt acts as a mirror, reflecting without interacting: As a bird flies over a pond of water, the pond has no intention to reflect the bird, and the bird has no intention to cast its reflection on the pond. Although in that moment the bird and the pond are dynamically interdependent, there is no intention, no effort, no trying, and yet each expresses its natural tendencies. The reflection is a natural result of the bird flying over the pond. This realization allows us to perceive our own “mechanicalness”—or our propensity to act and to react like automatons. In The Master Game, DeRopp writes:
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Seen objectively, without comment and without identification, the figure going through its antics on the screen of the mind will not even be regarded as ‘I’ but rather as ‘it.’ The essence of its mechanicalness will be perceived. The comment will be: ‘This ridiculous, pompous, frightened or angry creature is not a selfdirected being at all, but simply a puppet reacting to external forces.’ This is a very valuable realization. The only way to escape from the fetters of one’s own mechanicalness is to recognize that mechanicalness. Only in this way does one learn to be on one’s guard against mechanical reactions. . . . Impartial selfobservation is not easy. How can a [person] learn to regard his own manifestations with the detachment of a naturalist observing the behavior of an insect? There are tiresome, degrading, foolish, destructive manifestations of the self that can hardly be accepted without comment. And what of those embarrassing memories which, coming suddenly into the conscious
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mind, hit the ego with such force that one literally squirms with anguish? (DeRopp, 1968)
Impartial self-observation, or CAt, is an easy technique that can be learned in a short time. Practice is all it takes— practice and applying The Ten Paradoxes to our daily lives. You do not want to be thrown into an NBA professional game when you’ve only been shooting hoops in your driveway. The same applies to CAt—we must practice, so that when we need the skills, we have mastered them. We can apply CAt in our lives while doing most of our daily tasks. Just go about your routine activity, but watch the thoughts, watch the body, and watch yourself perform the activity. This is the opposite of how we normally perform tasks like cooking; when we cook, we normally think about something entirely different. We are not focusing on the cooking; we are allowing our mind to think about things that have nothing to do with it. How many times during the day do we do one thing, while we’re thinking about several other things? The mind’s natural tendency is to think about a variety of things at one time, making it challenging to focus on the task at hand. To practice CAt, just do what you are doing. When you walk, just walk. When you cook, just cook. When you act, just act. But most of all, as one Zen master says, “Don’t wobble.” We train our awareness with CAt to allow the mental processes to just flow without stalling at any one thought or emotion. We can remain flexible and agile in our awareness, like the tiger.
WATCHING “MY REALITY SHOW” As mentioned, CAt is commonly known in Zen training as mindfulness. Zen master Chen of the Chi Monastery gives this advice: The mind moves in response to the outside world and when it is touched it knows. The time will come when all thoughts cease to stir and there will be no working
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of consciousness. It is then that all of a sudden you smash your brain to pieces. And for the first time realize that Truth is in your own possession from the very beginning, would not this be great satisfaction to you in your daily life? (Suzuki, 1956)
“Smashing the brain to pieces” entails overcoming the Iill, and the Truth is the insight into our spiritual awareness, into No Mind. We struggle to escape the confines of the Iill, and suddenly, in a flash, we realize that we were never the Iill to begin with, and so we begin the “real” journey. In a simplistic analogy, we can think of awareness as a screen, and we can picture all the thoughts and feelings playing across the screen, just as a movie displays a succession of still frames to create a motion picture. Each successive still frame in the movie is another thought or feeling, and the star of the movie is “you” in the role of the Iill. As the star, director, and producer of the movie, you see reality based on a succession of “memory” frames, which have passed the inspection of “editors” (i.e., perceptual defense mechanisms, expectations, intentions, anticipations, hopes, motivations, and desires), who are simultaneously watching the movie, reporting back to the star, and censoring the action. As the movie is playing across the screen of awareness, the editors are giving meaning to its different parts. No current technology can function simultaneously on so many levels and still have an awareness of itself. Even the most advanced computers still lack the essence of consciousness. The brain is an extremely complicated mechanism, and it can watch and revise the movie simultaneously, bringing to the screen of awareness only the edited version. If we were to perceive all these prescreening activities, our conscious awareness would be overwhelmed, and we would be unable to function. This is why the evolutionary adaptive mechanisms limiting the stream of information that reaches awareness are crucial for survival (as discussed in No Mind 101).
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So our editors preview our thoughts and feelings prior to screening “My Reality Show,” starring the Iill, on the screen of awareness. They use our memories, conditioning and experiences, behavioral patterns, learned assumptions, defense information, or even genetic maps to determine how to edit the movie. They work without our knowledge or approval. They determine the next scene in our movie. They select interpretations of scenes depending on whatever they feel is necessary to give us the most useful and productive result—what makes the Iill appear as it or as the editors think it should be. But we cannot fire the censors because “My Reality Show” would appear unedited, and we could not identify the scenes of the movie or determine what the next scene should be (we need to know what is happening and what we should do). Viewing the unedited show would be like watching a foreign-language film—we could not comprehend what the actors are saying and we would have to guess, or “assume,” what is going on. Taking the analogy a step farther, what if we viewed a film that was made on another planet, in another galaxy, for viewing by the people of that planet, and we had no familiarity with the language, customs, conventions, and patterns of that society. The film would be completely unintelligible. We could guess what is going on or look for patterns to decipher the information, but we would be unable to interpret it exactly. A newborn views reality as if it were a movie from another planet. In the essence of No Mind, the infant attempts to interpret what it sees because nothing has meaning yet. The infant has to “acquire” a group of editors to create her own “Reality Show,” so that she can make sense of what is appearing on her screen of awareness. As the infant grows and learns, the editors become more adept at censoring the show, so that it appears consistent with the developing star of the movie, the Iill. As the Iill takes form, the editors do more and more complex and heavy editing on “My Reality Show” in order to keep producing results that are consistent with the desire potentials and need fulfillments of the Iill.
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CHANGING “MY REALITY SHOW”
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This is why we need to shift to CAt. So far, the editors have been providing a consistent show for the Iill, so that the movie and the screen of awareness have been the same. The movie has been all that there was, with the Iill starring in the role of its life, “My Reality Show.” We have not yet stepped outside ourselves and “watched” our lives. So we have not learned that the Iill is not us, but an illusion we created in the process of performing “My Reality Show.” Even if we stepped outside ourselves and became aware of our show, we would have done so from the vantage point of the Iill. Think about the movie being played across your screen of awareness. There really is no star called the Iill; in fact, there is no starring role at all, just a movie being played. In a theater, the movie is played in front of you and you know that the movie is not you; it is just a movie. In “My Reality Show,” however, the movie is playing inside our heads, across the screen of awareness. Because we have self-awareness or self-consciousness, we are aware of the movie unfolding and we identify with it. Because the movie is in my head, it must be “me” in the movie. We make this assumption instead of watching the movie with detachment, as we do in the theater. (Visual images can be so strong that even in theaters the boundary between movie and viewer is sometimes blurred. We become absorbed in the movie and have emotional reactions, as if the events were happening to us. We identify with the actors, and their situations become temporarily our own “imaginary” situations.) Let’s try to get a fresh perspective on the movie. In one scene, let’s say, a duck flies across a pond. On the screen of awareness you see the duck flying across the pond, but the editors have modified the scene to make it “feel” like the Iill, the star, is watching the duck fly over the pond. We have thoughts about ourselves watching the duck fly over the pond, and the thoughts give us the “feeling” of a self and self-awareness. Yet, in the movie, the Iill is never shown completely. In a sense, the camera is attached
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to the Iill’s forehead, and you know that there is a body underneath because you can see the arms and the legs when the camera points downward. You get the “feeling” that the camera is not a camera but that you are in fact looking through real eyes as you see the duck fly over the pond. Movie magic makes it “feel” as if the camera is the Iill, but in reality it is only the camera. The Iill is not living the movie, only the camera. We “feel” as if the events of the movie are indeed happening to us, or to the Iill, but they are just the events happening in front of the camera and being edited by the censors to produce what we see on the screen of awareness. It’s a fascinating illusion, but it is unintentional. It is the result of the associative neural networks in the brain operating on many parallel paths simultaneously. Our awareness is absorbed by the screen of awareness, watching the movie from the perspective of the Iill. It’s like when we go to the movies and become absorbed in the action on the screen and “forget” we are watching a movie. But now let’s change our seat and shift our awareness slightly, so that we can see the camera. As soon as we do that, we realize that the movie on the screen of awareness is just representing the events occurring in front of the camera, as edited by the editors. Let’s try to view “My Reality Show” as we view a movie in the theater; we know the movie is not happening to us, even though we may become absorbed in it and identify with it. In the theater, as soon as someone asks, “Do you want some more popcorn?” we revert to detached awareness (away from being absorbed in the movie). The same kind of shift in awareness allows us to watch “My Reality Show” passively without reference to the Iill, so that our awareness is not “lost” in the movie. Now we are aware of the editors too. We learn to change the scenes of the movie, instead of just being the star and reacting as the censors want us to react. In a very simplistic way, this analogy clarifies what we have learned about the interpretative and defensive
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mechanisms of the Iill. It also exemplifies how CAt acts as a mirror. Whenever we lose awareness and shift our perspective back, we are in “My Reality Show” again as the Iill. This happens many times throughout each day, but it can be regulated through the practice of No Mind. This is why it is important to maintain CAt as much as you can throughout the day, continually shifting the perspective to a mirror and reflecting the screen of awareness instead of being lost in it. This movie does not need a star because it is a self-documentary recording a life. Although that might sound boring, it is not, for this shift of awareness is the key to opening the gates to pure awareness and to revealing the answers to The Ten Paradoxes.
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PRODUCING OUR OWN SHOW To overcome the censors and our awareness being lost in “My Reality Show,” we must apply CAt to retrain our awareness, so that we can modify the movie. For most of our lives, we star in “My Reality Show” as the Iill because we do not realize that there is another way to act and react—that there is another way to live. From time to time, we all feel a yearning for a more complete perspective of life and perhaps wonder, “Is this all there is?” The unity and integration that we seek can be attained by seeing outside the Iill and by realizing our essential spiritual awareness. When we take the challenge of applying this very important process of CAt to our daily lives, and as we increase our efficiency with Clear Attention— not being pulled back into the Iill—we find new energy and a clarified view of the nature of our lives. W. Ernest R. Hilgard, psychology professor at Stanford University, reports that we may see reality clearer once we suspend memory: The continuity of memories is basic to self awareness. When consciousness is interrupted by sleep or in other
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ways, the sense of self is restored by reorientation through memory. . . . During hypnotic induction, [the] subject is told to surrender in a sense. Therefore when the need to plan is diminished, the memory function is weakened. With the weakening of memory, critical abilities are also lost. . . . reality judgments are made by bringing memory to bear on the present to decide whether the present conforms to previously experienced reality. If this be true, then when memory is held in an immobile state, reality is seen clearer. (Hilgard, 1979)
CAt AS THE SEED OF SPIRITUAL AWARENESS CAt is an ancient technique that has been discovered in many cultures over time. People from all over the world and of all religious backgrounds have written of this “reflecting” or “mirroring” experience. Besides Zen, even religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have mystical aspects that describe the essential characteristic of unity, oneness, interpenetration, its effect on the mind, and its relation to spiritual awareness or “god consciousness.” For example, take note of the teachings of the Muslim cleric Al Ghazzali: Know that mind is like a mirror, which reflects images. But just as the mirror, the image, and the mode of reflection are three different things, so mind, objects and the way of knowing are also distinct. . . . The knowledge of the proper means is a key to the knowledge of the unknown to the known. (Shah, 1975)
In No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind, we discuss how many religious and philosophical traditions repeat the same advice. Until we completely overcome the Iill, there will be aspects of the “I” in awareness. Subtle interpretations occur even when we believe our awareness is completely clear. Each of us has to pass through these important levels, and even when CAt is still within the bounds of the Iill, it is the beginning of the transition to No Mind. In the purest sense of No Mind, there cannot be any “mode of reflection” because No Mind is beyond
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self-reflecting modes; it is just pure spiritual awareness. The Zen master knows when someone has reached No Mind spiritual awareness. It is undeniable at that point; there is no doubt because all doubt has been overcome. You simply know—or it is known—when No Mind is reached.
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During Zazen [meditation] when the spontaneous associations, thoughts, perceptions, feelings emerge, the student strives to maintain a detached view of them. Without acting out or otherwise distorting reality in terms of them. (Maupin, 1962)
In Zen, every student goes through the process of trying to maintain a detached point of view and an empty mind during Zazen. The techniques of controlling awareness and of passively watching the mind objects are very important to achieving peak performance and spiritual awareness (see No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes). With practice, the quality of awareness grows until the shift of perception takes place and No Mind is experienced. As this occurs, your ability to function at a higher, more productive level in your daily life increases dramatically. As Krishnamurti stated in a 1929 talk: “Truth is a pathless land. [People] cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophic knowledge or psychological technique. [They] have to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of [their] own mind.” In Talks and Dialogues, he says: In that watching there is neither condemnation nor justification, is there? Which means, no interference of thought—right? Now, to look at anger is much more difficult, isn’t it? Because it is subjective, it affects you. I have to understand it. I have to look at it. I have to study it. I have to go into it. I must become very intimate with it and I can’t become intimate with it if I condemn it or justify it—right? But, we do condemn it.
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We do justify it. Therefore, I am saying—stop, for the time being. Condemning it or justifying it. You can be objective to your condemnation or justification when you realize that they interfere when you are looking at anger. (Krishnamurti, 1970)
We need to see beyond the anger, to be above it, to be free from it, to observe it clearly. Your awareness must be the dispassionate viewer of “My Reality Show”; you must watch yourself without unrelenting self-talk and identification with the Iill.
RECASTING THE IiLL AS THE SUPPORTING ROLE We use CAt to modify the movie that our mind editors are presenting to our awareness. If we cannot fire the editors, we can become detached from their comments when we need or want to. The Iill will not give up its role as the star because it wants to be the center of attention, so we have to remove the spotlight of awareness from it. Of course, stars put up plenty of resistance when their role is downgraded; they feel it’s their movie and they don’t want to leave the set. Egos are very temperamental. Yet, it can be done. We can change the Iill’s leading role to a supporting role by using the techniques of No Mind. When we practice No Mind, we are objectively aware for long periods of time and the editors censor and interpret less and less of the information coming through the perceptual system. “My Reality Show” is now running by itself, without its star; the information is the movie, and the editors are not doing as much editing, as they no longer work exclusively for the benefit of the Iill. Ultimately, we want the movie to play without the Iill altogether. We want to passively watch without any interaction from the Iill. Let’s take a look at what “My Reality Show” would be like first with and then without its star—the Iill.
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Today’s episode of “The Reality Show” is about, say, bowling. With the Iill starring, the movie is about the Iill bowling, not just bowling itself or the act of bowling. The movie contains statements like, “I’m a great bowler, watch me,” or “I’m really lousy at bowling, don’t watch me,” or even “I am the best bowler in the league; I’m so good.” The editing in the movie is all in reaction to ups and downs related to the expectations and motivations of the Iill’s bowling. When there is a strike, the Iill is gloating and happy. When the Iill misses the spare, it is sad and critical of itself. In this movie, the Iill reflects on itself because it is still under the illusion that it is a very real entity. This is a pretty boring movie to anyone watching because it is all about the ups and downs of the Iill’s bowling. But to the Iill this is a great movie because it is all about the star, “me.” In contrast, without the Iill as the star, the perceptions, emotions, motivations, and thoughts are displayed on the screen of awareness. Because the focus is on the actions rather than the Iill, the editors realize that there is no need for a star. The movie is about the act of bowling, not about anybody bowling. The thoughts about the Iill that were part of the first movie, like “I’m a great bowler,” or “I’m a lousy bowler,” no longer exist because using CAt takes away the Iill’s identity and stops it from focusing on itself. The Iill is revealed for what it is: an illusion. This revelation is consistent with what we know about the trap of language discussed in Chapter 6, The Language of “I.” When we speak about ourselves, we have to use a pronoun, so we say, “I am bowling” rather than “there is bowling.” Simply put, the new movie does not have Iill as the star; in fact there is no star. There are only the actions and reactions of the mind-body dynamic in space and time. In the starless movie, there is no Iill bowling, only bowling. When the pins are all knocked down, the mindbody watches contently, like the tiger catching its prey following its natural instinct. When the spare is not made
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and the pins are still standing, the mind-body still watches relatively contently—sometimes the tiger does not catch its prey. But there is objective watching of the emotions relating to the bowling. In this way, your performance is far better, as you no longer have to deal with the limiting factor of expectations and self-pressure. You are in the flow of bowling as a natural act of the mind-body dynamic. Now, however, there is a deeper sense of happiness, because it comes from the depth that lies below the waves of the ocean, not from tumultuous waves of the Iill. Next time you bowl or perform a sport, try to be mindful of the actions instead of your self-talk about how you should perform. As one of the Ten Paradoxes indicates, “Perform. Do. But never Think.”
ENTERING THE ZONE WITHOUT THE IiLL For many athletes, experiencing No Mind in the game is a peak moment, or peak performance. At that point, the athlete is in the “zone” or in the “flow.” The game is simply played. The mind-body knows how to play and does not need the Iill to star in the role of “I am playing.” We use CAt to watch the play and to allow the mindbody to perform what it has been trained to do and is proficient at doing. When the mind-body and the game/ ball/pins are so interdependent that all that exists is the movement of the ball in relation to everything else in the moment, this is No Mind. The highest achievement in any sport or activity is to function without the Iill, so that it is not in the way of the mind-body performance. We apply CAt to enable our mind-body to perform at its peak, without negative reinforcement from our memories or conditioning. CAt and No Mind are key to top performance in any sport (see Chapter 28, No Mind Sports). Lose yourself and notice how much better you perform. This is not to say that there is no fun without the Iill. In fact, the fun is enhanced because it is pure, without having to qualify as fun and without the self-consciousness of
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performing up to your or anyone else’s expectations. The act of bowling is pure, not tainted by “I should,” or “I must,” or “I messed up.” We do not need to involve the Iill in such experiences because it hinders our performance as bowlers or as anything else. There are many studies correlating overthinking, self-correcting, trying too hard and decreased performance (Claxton, 2000). When you feel that you must succeed every time you throw the ball at the pins because you are trying to prove something or to maintain the selfesteem of the Iill, you put unnecessary pressure on yourself and block the natural flow of peak performance. By the same token, if you play just because your friends are playing, and you feel that you are bad at bowling, then you try halfheartedly and fail; you’re simply setting yourself up for frustration. These are all selfdefeating attitudes negating your chances for peak performance. Either way, performance in the Iill mode is not peak performance. Your performance is reduced due to a series of expectations, both positive and negative, and as a result of your defense mechanisms that protect the star of the show, the Iill.
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ACHIEVING PEAK PERFORMANCE WITH CAt AND NO MIND How can you achieve peak performance? Let go of the Iill during key moments in whatever you are doing. Letting go of the “shoulds” is vital to peak performance. Dr. Karen Horney pioneered research in alienation, self-realization, and the idealized image. In Neurosis and Human Growth, she says: The ‘shoulds’ always produce a feeling of strain, which is all the greater the more a person tries to actualize his ‘shoulds’ in his behavior. . . . Furthermore, because of externalization, the ‘shoulds’ always contribute to disturbance in human relations in one way or another. (Horney, 1951)
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As long as awareness is engulfed in “The Reality Show” of the Iill, it loses itself, drifting in the waves of “shoulds” and “expectations.” Awareness forgets the tranquility and detachment at the depths in the ocean and gets tossed around on the surface. You only have to dive under the waves, where the water is calm and omnipresent. CAt allows you to separate awareness from the waves on the surface of the ocean, so you can achieve the depth of No Mind. Applying CAt, we learn to differentiate between the mind objects and the awareness of the mind objects. Several neuroscientists have confirmed the ancient masters’ knowledge that pure awareness of No Mind may be a quantum reality occurring in the universe as an essential aspect of nature, something we experience and know as spiritual awareness (as discussed in No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind). Whately Carington, mathematician, philosopher, and psychic researcher, writes in Matter, Mind and Meaning: What we call ‘a mind’ ‘is’ all those cognitive or cognizables in which would ordinarily be said to constitute the content of that mind, i.e., cognita in the case of what we call ‘conscious’ states, cognizables in that of ‘the subconscious’ . . . It follows that ‘consciousness’ cannot be a ‘property of the mind,’ or ‘being conscious of’ or cognizing an activity of it. Consciousness ‘is’ that state of ‘tension’ (the word is used analogically) between the cognitive constituting the object, etc., in which the mind would ordinarily be said to be ‘conscious of,’ and those which would ordinarily be said to form the ‘content of’ that mind, etc. (Carington, 1970)
According to Carington, if No Mind is pure consciousness and consciousness is not an aspect of mind, then No Mind is not an aspect of mind. No Mind has two aspects that have previously been described: (1) the conscious aspect and (2) the unconscious aspect, or spiritual awareness that is not in the mind. Both are of the same source; otherwise they would be dualistic, which is antithetical to No Mind.
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In other words, spiritual awareness is the underlying essence of nature, which emerges in us as pure awareness, as No Mind; yet the same reality underlies different modes. So when we are conscious of No Mind, it is an aspect of CAt; and when we are unconscious of No Mind, we are essentially absorbed in the moment. In that moment, we experience spiritual awareness, or universal awareness. It takes practice, but the reward is worth it.
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CHAPTER 10
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Clear Attention (CAt) is the same as empty, or mindful awareness, and awareness is more powerful than the automatisms of behavior and memory. CAt is similar to the empty set, or no thought, that develops into No Mind. CAt ⬇ Ø;
CAt ⬎ P ⫹ (B ⫹ M)
⬇ ⫽ same as
Where CAt is Clear Attention, B is Behavior, M is Memory, and P is Perception (see Figure 14-1). 2. Clear Attention, or empty awareness, is similar to a mirror; it reflects objectively. In the mirror of Clear Attention, the objects that cross the path of the awareness are reflected in their un-interpreted state, without the need for automatic identification and meaning. Objects exist just as they are, without the need to be something. 3. CAt allows us to achieve the effortless fluidity of awareness represented by a tiger in Figure 19-1 at the end of No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes. We no longer get stuck on thoughts or emotions; the mind is free to expand its perception, to increase intuition, to achieve peak performance, and to grasp reality as it becomes more clear and direct. We function with fewer filters and defenses, which expands our available choices. 4. CAt allows us to modify self-defeating behavior by becoming aware of the thought of the behavior in a detached mode before the behavior is actualized. We recondition our mental web with a new set of behavioral cues. In this way, we can avoid getting upset with life’s ups and downs, with our awareness in the tranquil depths beneath the waves, resulting in a healthier, stress-free state. We avoid being puppets of external forces.
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5. CAt teaches the important Zen method of being mindful of the activity: When walking, just walk; when cooking, just cook. Our awareness becomes filled only with the activity we are performing in the moment, not with thoughts, expectations, hopes, regrets, anxieties, shoulds, or motivations—all the attachments of the Iill that distract and reduce our performance. In sports, peak performance and the “zone” has been documented by elite athletes as a total absorption in the activity—as the experience of No Mind, with a corresponding loss of self (Iill) and time.
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6. CAt training leads to No Mind and to the experience of spiritual awareness. As the ancient masters have said and as many leading neuroscientists are finding, spiritual awareness is identical to the awareness of the universe, the essential underlying aspect of nature itself. It must be experienced rather than seen through the senses. 7. Studies have shown that over-thinking, overexpecting, trying too hard, self-correcting, and focusing on “shoulds” all reduce performance in both physical and mental activities. CAt and No Mind are states of awareness that allow the mind-body dynamic to flow without hesitation and to achieve peak performance.
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Intuition is akin to the “sixth sense”—a sense that can be developed through the practice of No Mind. Intuition provides a brief glimpse of what the mind can do when it is at rest, or not preoccupied with thought. In CAt or No Mind, perception is clear, open, and direct, fostering a stillness of mind and a receptivity that invites intuition. CAt must be practiced, however, to avoid mistaking the voices of the Iill for intuition. When we fear something, for instance, the fear may be genuine, warning us of possible danger, or it might be a fear based on conditioning— an irrational phobia. Likewise, greed may create a false intuition compelling you to make a foolish Equations of No Mind investment. Chapter 11 discusses how, through CAt or No Mind, the mind becomes receptive to intuition, bypassing the limitations and automatisms of normal perception.
Equations for Factor 4: No Mind Intuition, No Mind Insight Using initials to represent Clear Attention (CAt), intuition (In) and perception (P), we can express Factor 4 with this pair of equations:
CAt ⬇ Ø; In ⬎ P CAt is congruent (⬇) or similar to empty, or mindful awareness, represented here as the empty set (Ø). Remember, empty means unfilled—simply that the Iill’s thoughts and desires no longer fill awareness, and in that way it is not filled by mind objects. When Clear Attention is empty of mind objects, we see reality more clearly. The second equation states that when we practice Clear Attention, we perceive our intuitions more readily and are less likely to confuse them with normal perceptions or other mental contents. And because the information we receive when practicing CAt is less likely to be filtered and biased through the mental web of the Iill, our intuitions are greater than (>) or more powerful than normal perception. Thus, we can use our intuitions for improved problem-solving and more creative solutions.
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Chapter 11
Factor 4: No Mind Intuition, No Mind Insight
INTUITION—THE SIXTH SENSE Intuition is often called the “sixth sense.” The other five senses are processed through the perceptual pathways of the Iill and its mental web of conditioning, defense mechanisms, and filtering screens that work through association and categorization. Due to this filtering process, often we do not “see” the original intuition that arises in awareness. Many times, because of our defense mechanisms, we deny what the intuition is really trying to tell us because its message is unpalatable for the Iill. The Iill filters intuition just like it filters the other five senses. And just as we cannot experience reality directly without CAt or No Mind, we also cannot perceive our intuitions directly from the mental web of the Iill. When we have learned to deautomatize, we can perceive the intuitions in a clearer, more direct way. We have all had intuitions. But we have also analyzed, categorized, and qualified those intuitions through our understanding of the 225
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external world—in other words, we interpret intuitions as they relate to ourselves. We comprehend most of our intuitions through the Iill, especially when they arise in our dreams. The important point here is that our sense of intuition is subject to perceptual traps, which means that it is difficult to perceive it directly during our daily routines. In order to fully take advantage of our intuitions, we must detach our awareness from the Iill and empty our mind using the techniques of CAt. Paul Brunton was a British philosopher, mystic, and traveler. He left a successful journalistic career to live among yogis, mystics, and holy men, and he studied a wide variety of Eastern and Western esoteric teachings. In The Wisdom of the Over Self, he says that accurate intuition about a certain matter may be overwhelmed by emotions, prejudices or desires. Thus, intuition remains in the background, ignored and forgotten. Intuition arises spontaneously and involuntarily. The conscience, or inner voice, is intuition in association with desires, emotions, and egoisms, which blur the true intuition. It is the product of accumulated experiences that take the form of moral stances, critical judgment, and artistic taste. Intuition cannot be willed into being. But rather [those] who seek the guidance of intuition or touch of inspiration must, after concentrating on a matter, drop it completely and not persist in forcing an issue earlier than the mind is willing to bring it about. If [they do] this the answer which he seeks may arise spontaneously. (Brunton, 1970)
According to Brunton, the most authentic intuitions occur when mystics enter a state similar to No Mind. Intuitions are so subtle and brief that they may be easily overlooked or quickly smothered because we don’t take them seriously. Doubt blocks intuitions.
INTUITION VS. INSIGHT Our intuitions are also obstructed by impatience. We must check them against reason in order to verify them. But we
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must be careful here, as our reasoning may be motivated by the Iill. Unconscious desires, wishes, hopes, fears, and egoisms may masquerade themselves as intuitions. These false intuitions are known as pseudo-intuitions. Brunton says that authentic intuition is usually received in calmness, certainty, and clarity, when it’s not affected by selfish desire or personal excitement. We need to recognize a pseudo-intuition so we don’t act on it and cause ourselves unnecessary harm. Brunton distinguishes between insight and intuition. Intuition is a secondary product of the mind experienced by geniuses, and insight is a primary product of the mind experienced by sages.
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Intuition offers correct guidance in earthly human and intellectual matters, [whereas] insight transcends them. The transcendental insight [involves seeing] that every atom of this Earth scintillates mystically within the allcontaining universal life . . . there is not a spot from which this one existence is absent. (Brunton, 1970)
Intuition provides vital information we can use daily in business, education, and relationships. Intuitions also heighten our perceptions and allow us to interpret the world around us more directly. We can use this intuitive information to improve many aspects of our lives. Acquiring insight, on the other hand, entails realizing our essential spiritual awareness, or that we are the very essence of nature. The universe is the source of insight, while intuition originates from the sixth sense. We can experience the true meaning of insight through No Mind. When intuitions are created by the Iill, they are what Brunton calls pseudo-intuitions. They are not true intuitions, since they have been filtered through the mental web of the Iill. True and direct intuitions arise effortlessly in awareness when the mind is empty. You cannot will an intuition; it must come on its own. Arthur Deikman of Harvard Medical School says: We cannot ‘will’ to have insights. We cannot ‘will’ creativity. But we can ‘will’ to give ourselves to
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the encounter with intensity of dedication and commitment. The deeper aspects of awareness are activated to the extent that the person is committed to the encounter . . . the consciousness which obtains creativity is not the superficial level of objectified intellectualization. . . . but is an encounter with the world on a level that undercuts the subject object split. (Deikman, 1973)
According to Deikman, we cannot force ourselves to have intuitions because true intuition comes without effort. The mindfulness of No Mind is the ideal state for the realization of intuitions. But we need to sharpen our sixth sense by retraining the awareness. We are more productive in solving problems, developing ideas, and fostering inspirations by paying attention to the images and concepts that arise in awareness. We need to make sure that we are not too “mentally busy” to miss these vital intuitions. Intuition is a great source of creative genius. When you learn the technique of No Mind, you reach a level of openness that stimulates the conception and recognition of intuitions. Intuitions are valuable because they give us cues about problems in business, sports, relationships, and problems in general. Without the mechanisms of the Iill, this information will engender more creative and enriching solutions to everyday situations.
NO MIND OPENS THE GATES TO INTUITION AND INSIGHT CAt is awareness of the present moment that deautomatizes the processing of perceptual input. With CAt, the mode of perception is not fragmented by categories and codependent interpretations. The practice of No Mind brings about a state of heightened awareness, so that we can see the whole, rather than continually focus on the parts. This opens the non-perceptual gates of intuitions, so that the mind is able to function on a higher level and we are able to foresee impending problems.
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Intuitions are “grasped” instead of intellectualized and analyzed through the normal perceptual channels and filters of the Iill. Grasping implies understanding a situation or a problem in its totality, without breaking knowledge into parts, which often obscures the meaning of the whole. During CAt, the mind is alert and clear; it has an intuitive, ultra-sensory awareness that mirrors the environment. In this state of awareness, the mind is open to insights and intuitions not only about our own psychological states, but about the very nature of reality as a whole. It is a creative moment of gaining intuition into all kinds of unresolved problems and their creative solutions. At this level, there is no analysis or intellectualization— the mind is just open to its sixth sense of intuition. The Crow Indians, for example, would utilize No Mind to gain insights for the resolution of problems facing the tribe (Lowie, 1922).
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There are less dense aspects of the Universe, subtle energies that carry a different kind of information to us. They bring us the message of the nature of the whole; whereas our physical senses inform us only about the parts. Para-conscious mind partakes of the omniscience of Universal Mind. When the para-conscious is clogged through our lack of creative expression and our denial of our intuitions, we suffer from imbalance . . . You can learn to interact with the para-conscious mind. Then you will begin to direct your rational mind to implement the intuition provided by the para-conscious. (Schwarz, 1978)
Schwarz refers to the para-conscious mind, which is similar to No Mind, and to the Universal Mind, which is similar to spiritual awareness. In fact, these are all different names for the same mode of reality. Carl Jung famously talked of “the collective unconscious” as a universal reserve of unbounded information. Anybody could tap into that reserve in a higher state of awareness. The theory of the collective unconscious has touched many aspects of psychology, parapsychology, and philosophy over the past century.
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By definition, an insight implies holistic understanding. An analogy is the information contained in one DNA strand, which reflects the code of the entire organism. The same way, one insight (enlightenment) opens our eyes to the whole of reality. In the early half of the 20th century, philosopher H. H. Price wrote on religion, parapsychology, and psychic phenomena. In Perception (1932), he argued against causal theories of perception. He hypothesized that the unconscious portion of one’s mind partook in the “collective unconscious,” which was responsible for telepathic cognition. The collective unconscious, according to Price, is not an “entity” or a “thing,” but a “field of interaction.” Minds are not isolated entities either. He further explains, “the human mind has developed a repressive mechanism which suppresses the continual flow of telepathic impact from one mind to another because there is a biological need for such a mechanism” (Price, 1965). Carl Jung theorizes that the deep level of the psyche, which he calls the psychoid level, is a microcosm that reflects the macrocosm of the universe. Thus, every subject is a microcosm, potentially capable of reflecting the whole Cosmos. There is no distance to travel or no time to scan between subject and target . . . The potential is not realized because we are habitually and constitutionally given to respond to and interact with our environment, rather than probe within to discover hidden knowledge. (Rao, 1977)
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS THROUGH INSIGHT Grasping reality requires some parapsychological description that will be detailed in No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind. For now, the idea of insight and intuition refers to tapping into a universal base of information and knowledge during CAt and No Mind. These insights and intuitions bring understanding of the whole, as well as solutions to separate problems or ideas.
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The direct insight of spiritual awareness shatters the reality of the Iill. This kind of understanding cannot flow through the channels of the normal perceptual process of the Iill. The filters and defense mechanisms of perception block holistic insights. The ancient masters knew this and relied on direct insight into the nature of nothingness to break the illusion of the Iill, which is the first level of enlightenment. After this first level enlightenment, the student would finally grasp the seemingly incomprehensible paradoxes that had sounded like nonsense. The direct insight of the natural world is grasped in a single moment, when the apprehensions and doubts that have built up over the course of practice are suddenly eradicated. The word “grasp” denotes a state that is beyond intellectualization and analytical thinking; it is not understood in the ordinary sense of comprehending, but it is realized suddenly. The grasping of No Mind and the corresponding spiritual awareness are accomplished through insight. As we’ve already discussed, it is impossible to realize No Mind through thoughts or perception because of the defense and filtering mechanisms of the mental web of the Iill. No Mind is a state of no-thought, and mind is a state of thought. The grasp of spiritual awareness through the practice of No Mind is accomplished through direct insight of the whole universe without fragmenting it into parts. The experience literally punctures a hole through the Iill for the sake of “looking into the emptiness”; from there, the hole enlarges until the Iill can no longer engulf awareness (see Chapter 15). The initial “Looking into Emptiness”
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insight opens the door for subsequent insights to flow into the awareness without being filtered by the Iill. Once the gates are open, you are able to perceive intuitions that can guide you in all aspects of your life: business, relationships, sports, education, and your essential link with nature. Neuroscientists and physicists substantiate many of the claims made by the ancient masters, as documented in the No Mind program. Zen practice is specifically intended and performed for gaining this insight. The insight into spiritual awareness, No Mind, and the consequent release from the Iill, is the insight into the true nature of the human condition. This is the necessary starting point for the further development of No Mind. The knowledge of the ancient masters appears paradoxical at first, but when the initial hole through the Iill is punctured and the defense mechanisms and filters of the Iill have decreased, then the beginning of a state of ultimate fulfillment is set into motion.
REDISCOVERING OUR ORIGINAL FREEDOM THROUGH NO MIND Our model of reality is partly learned and developed as a reciprocal part of the Iill. It is based on models of the society and of the family, both religious and sociological; these models determine the way we “see” reality and our ordinary existence, but they also block our ability to see reality in a direct and intuitive manner. Without the ability to see in this direct way, we are limited to the model of reality that was developed by our conditioning and our neural associative network. Many liken this state to having blinders, like horses “walking through the streets of life” with a limited scope of what is out there in front of us. We walk through life along a course that we have been conditioned to follow. We endure the good and the bad of life, thinking that this is all there is and that it is our human destiny to live this way. Yet, we are always
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yearning for something else, something to link us to the natural world, to the cosmos, to nature. We know that there is something missing. There is always the hole we cannot seem to fill created by desire potentials that continually arise and seek fulfillment. We know that we are capable of more, of spiritual joy that is not based on fulfilling our conditioned wishes and hopes, but that resonates deep within us in all aspects of our lives. We practice No Mind to “rediscover” the insight of our spiritual awareness and original freedom—the spiritual awareness that was stifled by years of conditioning, learning, reinforcement, modeling, categorization, defense mechanisms, and so on. With No Mind, we can once again look through a child’s eyes and feel the joy of playing, the experience of an unmotivated act. In awe, we discover what it is to have that pureness of perception again. The insight of No Mind purifies perception and links us back to spiritual awareness and to everything in the external world. The insight breaks the bounds of identity and dualism and makes us whole, one with the essence of nature. The dominion of the Iill is disrupted; we no longer live life wearing blinders, like a horse walking down the street. We rediscover a landscape of unlimited potentialities. This instructive insight begins to uncover this new field of reality, which takes on new meaning. We revel in the joy of unconditioned Being. With the influx of intuitive understandings of the nature of ourselves and of others around us, we become more compassionate to those people who are still walking through life with blinders. We see things from a new perspective of freedom from conditioning. The blinders are off and the mind is free. The ancient paradoxes are solved and the riddles are answered. We cannot identify or label this new reality because this would entangle us back into the dualistic world of yesterday; so we just say it’s an intuitive breakthrough, which gave us nothing and changed nothing, yet nothing will ever be the same again.
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Daniel P. Brown of the University of Chicago published a study in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis that reviews classical Tibetan, yogic, and Hindu meditation texts:
No Mind
When the mind does not wander successively into any of the various classes of thought—reasoning, memory, anticipating and categorizing—nor into emotions, it is quiet enough to begin concentrative training . . . before initial, concentrative training, thinking and perceptual processes were well integrated in the same perceptual event. After much practice, the links between thought and perception are severed . . . the phenomenology of concentrative meditation is much like perceptual categorization in reverse; the yogi stops categorizing perceptual objects and is left only with the ‘mere signs’ . . . gross cognition, the generic term for thought, emotional disturbances, and percepts, is ‘done with.’ For the first time, the yogi ‘intuits’ the mind’s subtle process behind all its content. Only ‘Subtle process’ behind all its content and only ‘subtle cognitions’ remain. (Brown, 1977)
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CHAPTER 11 IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
CAt 艐 Ø; In ⬎ P 1. Where CAt is Clear Attention, which is the same as empty or mindful awareness; when we experience Clear Attention, then Intuition (In) is greater than the automatisms and limitations of normal Perception (P).
Chapter 11 Factor 4: No Mind Intuition, No Mind Insight
2. Intuition can be defined as the sixth sense, which can be developed through the practice of No Mind. The mental web of the Iill blocks subtle intuitions from reaching awareness, as the intuitions are processed through the filtering and associative neural networks. Intuitions are influenced by emotions, prejudices, and desires; thus, intuitions can be altered so that they appear as mere thoughts in awareness. 3. Intuition and insight are spontaneous and cannot be willed; yet, the ideal state of receptivity to our intuitions is CAt or No Mind, where our perception is clear, open, and direct. It is important to be in this receptive state and to discern between pseudo-intuition and true intuition, as the interpretation may influence your decision on a particular matter. Thinking, over-trying, intellectualizing, emotionalizing, and analyzing all block intuitions or obscure them in the processes of the Iill. 4. CAt inspires intuitions, which are known as great ideas, acts of genius, creativity, artistic expressions, premonitions, and so on. Intuitions are invaluable to business, sports, relationships, education, art and literature, and so on. 5. No Mind inspires insight as opposed to intuition, which is the direct seeing into nothingness and
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the realization of our spiritual awareness. The direct experience of the essential unity of nature and of the universe is grasped when thought and perceptions are severed through the practice of No Mind. 6. Through the practice of No Mind, we learn that when an intuition is real, we must follow its advice without ascribing it to the processes of the Iill. For instance, there are times when our fears are genuine and foreboding of real danger, and there are times when the fear stems from our conditioning and there is no danger whatsoever; we only imagine it.
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When we consistently apply No Mind, we ascend to a nonattached and non-identified awareness, which illuminates the illusory nature of the Iill. The Iill is empty, and the mental contents generated from the Iill are empty, similar to Watts’s “illusory circle of fire from the whirling of a torch.” The Iill cannot exist in the Now, and No Mind can only exist in the Now, which is why the two cannot exist simultaneously in the moment, and No Mind cannot be achieved from within the Iill. No Mind links us to our spiritual awareness, which, in turn, reveals our interdependence with the universe. Realization of No Mind can occur only through experience, which breaks the Equations of No Mind barriers of the Iill. Chapter 12 discusses how No Mind fuses us with the external world into one inseparable whole, where our fears, inhibitions, and tensions are released. We lose our self-consciousness and discover the secret of life, the eternal mysteries of No Mind.
Equations for Factor 5: No Mind and No Iill Using initials to represent the Iill (I), Clear Attention (CAt), future time (⫹t), and past time (⫺t), we can express Factor 5 with these equations:
I⬅0 CAt ⬇ Ø ⴙt ⴝ Ø; ⴚt ⴝ Ø In the first equation, “I” is identical (⬅) to 0. That’s because the Iill is an illusion—a product of the mental web, spawned by the neural networks and associative patterns of the brain. So we equate illusion with zero— there is nothing really “whole” there. (see Fig. 7-1) In the second equation, Clear Attention (CAt) is congruent (⬇) or similar to empty, or mindful awareness, represented as the empty set (Ø). Remember, empty means unfilled—simply that the Iill’s thoughts and desires no longer fill awareness, and in that way it is not filled by mind objects. This means Clear Attention is empty of mind contents. (see also Fig. 14-1) The final equations represent that the experience of No Mind is beyond time; it can only exist in the present moment. And because time does not exist in the present moment, past and future times are equal to the empty (Ø). Simply put, the Iill cannot exist in No Mind because No Mind is pure awareness of the present moment, and the Iill requires either a memory or a future hope and expectation in order to exist.
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Chapter 12
Factor 5: No Mind and No Iill; The “I” is Detachable
CAt ALLOWS US TO EXIST IN THE NOW We learned that CAt allows the mind to focus purely on the present moment. In the present moment, nothing exists except that which is Now. Memories, expectations, and the ensuing co-dependent emotions—such as anger, resentment, greed, and worry—are all related to the past and to the future. In the present moment, only CAt, or empty awareness of mind objects, exists. When we bring CAt to the foreground of attention, we negate the Iill, realizing that it is empty. All mind objects produced by the Iill are empty. At one level, this is the case simply because the Iill cannot exist in the present moment. It is a thought of a temporally situated memory or expectation. When we cut ourselves and say, “Ow! I am in pain, this hurts,” we are really saying that there is a feeling of hurt in the mind-body, and the mind is interpreting the sensation as “pain.” 238
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There is also a parallel thought that this pain is happening to me, therefore “I” identify with it, which gives us the illusion of an “I” identity. All that exists in the present moment is a sensation that the mind is interpreting as pain; there is no “I” feeling the pain—no “I” that has a past and a future, or an identity in time. When CAt is applied to this situation, we realize that the two primary mind objects in awareness are the sensation of the pain and the thought of the “I” being hurt. Then, there are also all the secondary co-dependent thoughts; for instance, “How bad is the cut?” “Do I need a doctor?” or “I am going to miss my dinner meeting because of this cut,” and so on. When CAt is applied, you are passively watching the pain—a content of the mind—in this present moment. In this way, we are not attached to the pain and we can control it. Instead of running around panicked because the body is hurt, we control the situation without inflicting more injury, a better tactic in any event. Many soldiers, martial artists, fighters, and extreme-sports enthusiasts train to regard pain in this detached mode, which makes them much more effective and more likely to survive.
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For the Ego exists in an abstract sense alone, being an abstraction from memory, somewhat like the illusory circle of fire made by a whirling torch. We can, for example, imagine the path of a bird through the sky as a distinct line which it has taken. But this line is as abstract as a line of latitude. In concrete reality, the bird left no line, and similarly, the past from which our ego is abstracted has entirely disappeared. Thus any attempt to cling to the ego or to make it an effective source of action is doomed to frustration . . . complete recollectedness [CAt] is a constant awareness or watching of one’s sensations, feelings, and thoughts without purpose or comment. It is a total clarity and presence of mind, actively passive, wherein an event comes and goes like reflections in a mirror. Nothing is reflected except what is. (Watts, 1957)
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THERE IS NO IiLL IN NO MIND
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Our abstract Iill, as Watts defines it, is like an abstract circle left from a whirling stick of fire. There is no circle, even though our eyes see it. The abstract Iill is the remainder of the succession of thoughts that have preceded it, a “circle of synaptic fire” that does not exist. Fleeting parallel thoughts in the mind produce the illusory whirling flame. No Mind will never have an element of the Iill in it, otherwise it would not be No Mind. There may be thoughts of the Iill, but they are regarded as mind objects and watched passively as they drift across the screen of awareness. The “Reality Show” has no real star; it is only the reality of the mind-body dynamic. The “starless” movie about bowling described in Chapter 10, No Mind and CAt, where there is no Iill bowling, only bowling, is an example of what sports psychologists call the “zone.” The mind-body dynamic is at its peak performance because there are no restrictions or inhibitions on performance. The training and technique of muscle memory are all that exist in that present moment. No Mind is devoid of the Iill and sets the mind-body dynamic free of mind-imposed limitations; yet, the Iill and its corresponding mental web are not destroyed, they are only lost in that moment. The brain retains its memory, but your awareness breaks away from the ambiguity of the Iill and realizes its illusory nature. We retain the knowledge that we have acquired throughout our lives and that frames our individuality; but we are no longer governed by it. No Mind releases the Iill, so the mind-body can act independently of the selfabsorption Iill-ness. Thoughts will come and go, and they will be watched passively. In order to control how another person perceives us, or how the Iill wishes that person to perceive us, we withhold or restrict our emotions. This occurs because the Iill cannot stop maintaining its self-image. In other words, we are constantly trying to manipulate how people think of us. We do this by performing a series of acts in order to project the “desired” image of ourselves
No Mind
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in any given situation (Goffman, 1956). Maintaining a self-image stifles our true feelings and emotional expression, and it requires a lot of psychic effort and energy. That is why the practice of No Mind leads to a more fulfilling life, with fuller expression of emotions, thoughts, creativity, ideas, and a purer perception of the external world. With No Mind, we stop trying to be the person the Iill wants us to be; instead, we can be the person free from Iill-ness. The ancient Zen paradox that the Iill cannot attain No Mind is the “mind-shattering” enigma that each disciple must come to terms with. If the Iill could realize No Mind, then we would have a dualistic No Mind, which means that it would have an identity and it would be a discrete part of the whole, instead of actually being the whole and having no identity.
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NO MIND IS QUANTUM AWARENESS No Mind cannot be a discrete unit, as it is the whole of awareness—both conscious and unconscious. No Mind is impossible to divide into parts. When we break down our perception of the whole into parts, we lose its unity and meaning. Spiritual awareness is the essence of nature that permeates the entire cosmos; it is the pure energy of awareness—No Mind. It is not the consciousness we normally experience, but the unconscious awareness that is unaware of itself. It just is. What occurs on Earth is not just exclusive to Earth; the same dynamics occur throughout the universe. This has been established for some time now by leading astronomers, physicists, and cosmologists, as we will discuss later. Nature is a totality and we are that totality, as opposed to being separate parts of it. There are no fragments or separate entities, because the quantum reality of nature is that all things are interdependent and co-exist. Everywhere in nature we can see that one thing needs
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another to exist. The bees pollinate the flowers, trees need carbon monoxide and breathe out oxygen, and the cycles of the moon determine certain human and animal behaviors. In fact, nature is filled with thousands of examples of the interdependent relationships between animals, plants, humans, and non-organic matter. The National Institute of Mental Health has published fascinating findings on celestial influences on biological rhythms (Luce, 1970). Nature itself evolved as a totality that cannot be separated from itself. We can identify and study a multitude of pieces, but in order to grasp the real nature of these pieces, we must see them as they relate to the whole, or to the entire reality of the cosmos. Physicists have confirmed our intricate connection to everything in the universe by studying subatomic particles, or the quanta of matter. There is a unifying aspect of nature that encompasses everything, including the nothingness in-between particles. The experience of spiritual awareness is crucial to our inner self-fulfillment as human beings. It ends the recurring desire potentials of the Iill.
THE IiLL’S BEHAVIOR EXISTS IN PROBABILITY PATTERNS Quantum physics uses the principle of probability, which postulates that it is impossible for the observer (physicist) to predict exactly where a sub-atomic particle is at any given time. The locations of the particles are predicted according to probability patterns, or their statistical likelihood to occupy a specific place. In other words, an electron’s position cannot be determined exactly; the physicist can only speak about how probable it is that an electron would be in a specific place at a specific time. The properties of any particle are the probabilistic outcomes of interconnections with and among other particles. Thus, quantum theory confirms ancient teachings that the universe is interrelated at all levels of existence. In The Tao of Physics, Capra defines quantum physics as follows: “It has come to see the
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universe as an interconnected web of physical and mental relations whose parts are defined only through their connections to the whole” (Capra, 1976). In fact, not unlike the particles of matter, the Iill’s behavior exists in probability patterns. We cannot predict precisely what we will think and how we will act or react in a given situation. We can assume or guess, but the behavioral pattern will be probabilistic, based on what the mind’s range of possible behaviors is. The brain’s associative neural network interprets cues and determines reactions in terms of probability patterns. As we know, our behavior is not always predictable. More conditioning and reinforcement produce more consistent behavior, yet we have the ability to consciously modify behaviors based on other probabilities and patterns of expectations and motivations. This will be discussed in more detail in No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes; for now, let us focus on the probabilities generated by an interconnected web of events. The micro- and macrocosms exist in terms of probabilities, yet they are related and cannot be separated.
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WE ARE BORN WITH NO MIND No Mind is experienced as a sense of totality, not as another discrete aspect of the Iill. It is awareness of the present moment and of the inseparable totality of the external world and of the person. In this way, it would never make sense for the Iill to attain No Mind, because “we” cannot attain anything—“attainment” is an illusion of identity. You cannot take ownership of No Mind, because this would turn it into a false state of mind, or another experience of the Iill. So we come to understand No Mind as No Iill, and that experience opens the path to spiritual awareness. No Mind is an experience of the totality of reality, not a focus on the parts. In this way, your “new” judgments and “new” decisions may be based on facts and information that were previously excluded by the mental web of
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the Iill. Perception that was once blocked is now open, so you are able to “see” things more clearly. All defense mechanisms and filtering and categorizing principles are suspended in No Mind, so reality is brought into awareness. You can apply a new vision to your life. If you “think” you have realized No Mind, that very thought suggests that you have not, as it entails establishing a distinct identity associated with No Mind. No Mind exists simply as pure awareness. So No Mind has no identity; in contrast, the Iill is identity. No Mind is everything and nothing at the same time, existing only in the present-moment awareness of emptiness. This non-dualistic experience is beyond the reach of the Iill. When awareness is empty and undivided, we experience No Mind, or life without the self. In No Mind, you are immersed in the flow of the immediate mind-body performance as an integral aspect of the external world. External world and mind-body dynamics dissolve into each other in the “now,” and we experience “oneness.” You are aware of yourself, yet there is also clear attention of the impersonal mind-body nexus interacting with the external world. There is nothing for the Iill to gain here. The development of the Iill through the associative neural networks of the brain precludes No Mind from awareness. This happens as a result of awareness becoming more and more identified with the functioning of the Iill. We are born in the state of No Mind and spiritual awareness, but they get concealed in the process of the Iill’s development. The process reverses itself through deautomatization, attention training, and knowledge of spiritual awareness. No Mind and spiritual awareness are two different aspects of the same reality, as will be explained later.
THERE IS NO TIME IN NO MIND The Iill cannot attain No Mind. Yet, it can practice the techniques of No Mind. The Iill tries to solve its own problems or dilemmas in attempts at self-healing,
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self-improvement, and self-help. In these attempts, the “free” aspect of attention is applied to the specific goal, and this is what we master when we practice CAt. The Iill initiates the practice of No Mind, and the ability to focus attention (CAt) triggers a corresponding detachment of awareness from the Iill. This detached awareness grows by applying CAt to your daily routines. The Iill can study and conceptualize No Mind, yet it is not the Iill that realizes No Mind. As practice progresses, awareness deepens and so does the understanding of the present moment. The ancient masters insisted that this particular aspect of No Mind needs to be experienced and not read about or studied. There is logic behind this stance—No Mind is non-dualistic, but anytime you try to explain it, you do so in terms of a dualistic language of identities. Once you identify something, you describe its opposite, which is language’s dialectical predicament. No Mind may be described as empty awareness, but at the same time it is full awareness of all things. It is empty and full at the same time, just as a cup half full of water is both half empty and half full at the same time. No Mind exists only in the now and has no reference to the past or future. No Mind has no time. In contrast, time is essential to the Iill, which exists in reference to everything of the past and in the future. People generally think in terms of linear time and lose their awareness of the present moment. Therefore, many times we are regretful, trying, expecting, fearful, anxious, or worrying. The Iill loses awareness of the present because it is absorbed with the future and the past. When we gain insight into our spiritual awareness through the practice of No Mind, we put our relationship with the Iill into the proper perspective, so we may live a fuller, healthier life without the psychological and physiological problems stemming from time-based behaviors such as stress and worry.
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Dr. Claudio Naranjo, innovative anthropologist and psychiatrist, describes the practice of the Now as one of egolessness: The practice of attention to the stream of life relates to asceticism in that it not only entails a voluntary suspension of ego gratification, but also presents the person with the difficulty of functioning in a way that runs counter to habit. Since the only action allowed by the exercise is that of communicating the contents of awareness, this precludes the operation of ‘character’ (that is, the organization of copying mechanisms) and even ‘doing’ as such. The practice of the now is one of egolessness. (Naranjo, 1971)
NO MIND IS NOT A STATE OF MIND No Mind is not a state of mind or an aspect of the Iill, as we have described these two in terms of brain anatomy and functions. It is a state of awareness—an aspect of your spiritual awareness. “You” cannot “achieve” No Mind. Achieving is an act of the Iill; you can perform well and achieve in terms of performance, but there is no identity with this achievement. It is just the achievement itself, or more like a realization—a remembering. Hence, the ancient masters’ insistence that “you” or the Iill cannot achieve No Mind. Novice practitioners constantly make this mistake when their Iill tries to identify with No Mind as a state of mind. It is normal, and the master, fortunately, knows if the disciple had reached the emptiness of No Mind or if it is the ego usurping the concept of No Mind. For instance, while it may make perfect linguistic sense for the disciple to say, “I am in a state of No Mind,” this phrase is experientially incorrect and dualistic in its interpretation. No Mind exists, and it is experienced when the mind is empty and awareness is focused. There is a mental shift from awareness entangled with the Iill to the pure awareness of No Mind. This shift is often likened to an awakening; thereafter, things are perceived in a more direct, clear way.
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The paradox of No Mind and No Iill is solved only through experience. It exists because of the very nature of the understanding and interpretive mechanisms of the Iill, which have been described in No Mind 101. Remember, we interpret everything by identifying what it is and what it is not, which creates opposites, contradictions, and parallel meanings. Thus, we need insight to experience No Mind and spiritual awareness; without this experience we would be lost within analytical and interpretive cycles, which would take us nowhere, like rats running on wheels. This is why the paradoxical Zen koans, or riddles, were used to break the analytical barrier of the student’s mind. Koans, as we will see later, were developed by the ancient masters to demonstrate the impossibility of communicating verbally the emptiness of No Mind or the Being and Nothingness of spiritual awareness. Koans are nonsensical and illogical statements that leave the students in a state of puzzlement and doubt; no matter how hard they try to figure out the answer logically or intellectually, they fail. When they give up completely, they break through the mental barrier and are released temporarily from the trap of the Iill; a new awareness arises and the painful searching for the answer ends. The poems in No Mind 401, Insights of No Mind, will help you gain an understanding of this reality in relation to the Iill and No Mind.
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. . . these moments were of pure, positive happiness when all doubts, all fears, all inhibitions, all tensions, all weaknesses were left behind. Now self-consciousness was lost. All separateness and distance from the world disappeared as they felt ‘one’ with the world, fused with it, really belonging in it and to it. Instead of being outside looking in . . . Perhaps most important of all, however, was the report in these experiences of the feeling that they had really seen the ultimate truth, the essence of things, the secret of life. As if veils had been pulled aside . . . this was a ‘natural,’ not a supernatural experience. And they gave up the name ‘mystic’ experience and started calling them ‘peak’ experiences . . . they are
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within the reach of human knowledge, not eternal mysteries. They belong not only to priests but to all mankind. Will power only interferes. In the same sense it begins to look as if the intrusion of will power may inhibit peak experiences. (Maslow, 1962)
ACT. REACT. BUT NEVER TRY. In 1962, Abraham Maslow published his book Towards a Psychology of Being. He described his approach as an existentialistic psychology of self-actualization, based on personal growth. When we take more responsibility for our own life, we use more of our good qualities and become more powerful, free, happy, and healthy. Maslow’s concept of self-actualization can play an important role in modern medicine. Most chronic diseases persist despite the best efforts of researchers, and patients might have a better chance to heal if they understood and lived the path of personal development. The hidden potential for improving the quality of life lies in helping the patient acknowledge that his or her lust for life, needs, and wish to contribute are really one and the same thing. But you only find this hidden meaning of life if you scrutinize your own existence closely and come to know your innermost self (Ventegodt, Merrick, & Andersen, 2003). According to Maslow, will power and trying only interfere with No Mind because they are both elements of the Iill. Will and trying are the product of the expectations, worries, hopes, and guilts of the mental web of the Iill. When will and trying are pure and effortless (which will be detailed in No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes), then the action is of No Mind. Act. React. But never try. When you stop trying and just passively focus the awareness on the mind-body dynamic, you achieve peak performance. You eliminate the Iill and No Mind suddenly arises. Then the paradoxes dissolve and the intuitive understanding of the oneness of the world is grasped.
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CHAPTER 12 IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Consistent application of CAt realizes a nonattached and non-identified awareness, which illuminates the illusory nature of the Iill. The Iill is empty, or as Watts said—like an “illusory circle of fire from the whirling of a torch.”
Chapter 12 Factor 5: No Mind and No Iill; The “I” is Detachable
2. The Iill cannot exist in the present, and No Mind can only exist in the present, which is why the two cannot exist simultaneously in the Now, and No Mind cannot be achieved from within the Iill. 3. No Mind links us to our spiritual awareness, which, in turn, carries the realization of our interdependence with the universe and of our most basic need to self-actualize our essential aspect of nature. 4. Realization of No Mind can only occur through experience, which breaks the barriers of the Iill. This point is beyond the paradoxes, and it is vital to improving life quality. 5. No Mind fuses us and the external world into one inseparable whole where our fears, inhibitions, and tensions are released. We lose our selfconsciousness and discover the secret of life, the eternal mysteries of No Mind.
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Enlightenment, or spiritual awareness, is a primordial human need, where you are completely absorbed in the Now. We have a genetic thirst to realize our intrinsic Equations of No Mind link to nature, which is the seed of spiritual Equation for Factor 6: No Mind Enlightenment awareness. But unforUsing the language of mathematics, we can express tunately, our perceptual Factor 6 thus: systems evolved so that ∑ (xon) ⬇ 1 || ∑ (xin) ⬇ 1 : 1 ⬅ 0; we mostly see the maya, ∑ (xon) ⬇ 0 || ∑ (xin) ⬇ 0 or the illusion, and not the “god in everything.” Definitions: The insight into No Mind enables us to perceive the world in its totality, and in that moment we realize how separate we are from our true selves. We escape the “Iill-ness,” which perpetuates the illusion of the self. We become integrated into the world, not separated from it. We become spontaneous, expressive, and courageous. Chapter 13 explores No Mind enlightenment in greater depth and discusses the primordial need of human beings to attain enlightenment.
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∑ Summation, or total of all things xo The essential substance of all organic life in the universe xi The essential substance of all inorganic matter in the universe n The infinite variations of all the life and matter in the universe || happens in parallel or simultaneously In this equation, x must equal 1 and 0 simultaneously in order for a non-dualistic universe to be able to perpetually create itself from nothingness—a basis of quantum theory. If x god or universal essential substance, then in order to avoid essential identity and dualism, god x must also equal 1 and 0 at the same time, being both Nothingness and Being. Avoiding essential identity and dualism is the key to a non-descriptive reality, which the ancient masters have taught for thousands of years. It is a reality we cannot describe and only can “experience.” Remember, the moment we describe something, we create a dualistic reality with finite definitions of what it “can” be. We give it identity, describe what it is, and at the same time describe what it is not. Yet “x” must be completely outside of this reality for it to be all things simultaneously. While most religious doctrines are monistic, it is important to understand that the ancient masters taught that god-consciousness must avoid the trap of essential identity. Simply put, the underlying reality to all life and non-life—whether you call it god x, nature, Tao, the Force, or essential essence—must be both Nothingness and Being at the same time in order to be infinite and omnipresent. That is what is surmised on both sides of the equation—and both happen simultaneously in the universe. Otherwise, you are back to the ‘chicken-and-egg’ scenario: neither can exist first without the other.
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Chapter 13
Factor 6: No Mind Enlightenment: The Ultimate Paradox
Those who do not find enlightenment . . . hesitate to plunge into the void, into the abyss of [their] own primal nature, because in [their] deepest unconscious [they] fear abandoning the familiar world of duality for the unknown world of Oneness. The reality which [they] still doubt. The finders, on the other hand, are restrained by neither fears nor doubts. Casting both aside, they leap because they can’t do otherwise. They simply must and no longer know why—and so they triumph . . . mindfulness is a state wherein one is totally aware in any situation and so always able to respond appropriately. Yet one is aware that he is aware. [No Mind], is a condition of such complete absorption that there is not vestige of self-awareness. (Kapleau, 1980)
Philip Kapleau is the author of The Three Pillars of Zen, which quickly became the standard introductory text on Zen practice in 1965. He also founded the Rochester Zen Center in upstate New
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York and studied with D. T. Suzuki. Kapleau was the first Westerner allowed to observe and to record dokusan: the private interviews between a Zen teacher and his student.
“I” CANNOT BE ENLIGHTENED We never really understand enlightenment from the perspective of the Iill, but we can experience it as No Mind, which is independent from the Iill. In other words, to say that we “understand” enlightenment is like saying that we understand a unique word in a foreign language we do not know, even though nobody could translate the word by itself because it has no corresponding word in the English language. So the word “enlightenment” really has no meaning until it is experienced. We can say it is like this and like that, but that would be like describing what skydiving is like, or what losing a loved one is like, when you have never experienced it. Enlightenment requires direct experience of an insight that is beyond the sensation of the Iill. Remember that “I cannot be enlightenment” and “I cannot attain enlightenment.” There is no ego in the attainment of enlightenment. Ego and attainment are both properties of the Iill. Most people believe that enlightenment can be attained only by the gurus or by the ancient masters who dedicated their lives to such esoteric pursuits and did not have our modern lifestyles. This is incorrect. The attainment of enlightenment, or the realization of your spiritual awareness, is an intrinsic ability of all humans. People who can dedicate some time to practice the technique, Right Attitude, and Right Awareness (discussed in No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes) and to study the theory and knowledge of No Mind will discover that enlightenment is indeed attainable. When people observe that the existence of their possessions, properties and persons is no longer secure, but may disappear on the morrow, [they have] a clear sense of the transitory nature of all things . . . Not the loss of feeling or a maimed zest for life is desirable so
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much as the cultivation of profound detachment deep within those moments of feeling or zest . . . It means putting aside all prejudices born from experience and all preconceptions born from earlier thoughts. Until one is undeterred and unperturbed by them when facing the problem of Truth [enlightenment]. It means being alienated from personal bias and uninfluenced by thoughts of ‘me’ and ‘mine.’ It means ceasing to use as an argument the words ‘I think so’ or ‘I stick to my belief’, and ceasing to believe that what ‘you’ know must therefore be true. Such an argument leads only to mere opinion, not to Truth. (Brunton, 1977)
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AN EQUATION OF ENLIGHTENMENT Let’s take a look at some non-linear equations that demonstrate how difficult it is to describe the experience of enlightenment using ordinary language and simple mathematics. Here they stand as symbolic representations for deeper understanding and not as literal interpretations of enlightenment. These non-linear equations are meant to demonstrate the limitation of language in terms of its inherent propensity to create dualistic identities, parallel associations, and contradictory statements. If mathematics isn’t your thing, it is not as important to understand the equation as much as it is important to understand the meaning behind the equation, which is described textually. In fact, it really isn’t imperative that you understand these equations; they are merely modern Zen koans to tease our analytical, interpretive, and linear minds with a paradox. (xon) 1 (xin) 1 : 1 0; (xon) 0 (xin) 0:
This formula attempts to synthesize the sum of the products of x, where x is defined as the underlying essence of nature. Then, there are “living, organic” Things (xo), and there are “non-living, inorganic” Things (xi). Living and non-living Things come in infinite variations, or forms (n), such as amoeba, snake, water, rock, fire, oxygen, and so on ad infinitum.
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The sums of all living and non-living Things exist simultaneously within an interdependent reality. The sum of all forms (taken as a whole or grouped in category sets, such as organic vs. inorganic forms) equals 1, where 1 is the essential underlying aspect of nature, or our spiritual awareness, or god x (whatever your understanding is of the essence of life and non-life). All Things are essentially 1 (Being) and 0 (Nothingness) simultaneously, so that 1 (Being) is identical to 0 (Nothingness). To reiterate, Something (Being) is Nothingness, and Nothingness manifests Something (Being). Therefore, the sum of the products of xo (essential substance of all organic Things) and of xi (essential substance of all inorganic Things) multiplied by itself in infinite variations, or forms, (n) existing in parallel, is 0 (Nothingness), where Nothingness is essentially All Things and Something (Being) simultaneously. Nothingness and Being are not opposites, they are both the same underlying reality of life and non-life. For these equations to be non-dualistic, x, the essence of nature, must equal 1 and 0 in parallel, or at the same time. Paradoxically, the expressions x 1 and x 0 must hold true simultaneously and in the present moment. When we experience the external world in terms of an underlying essence of nature, and when we conceive of this essence as “Oneness” (1) and “Nothingness” (0) simultaneously, then x equals 1 and 0 at the same time. However, in terms of standard human cognition, this produces a dualistic identification, because 1 is not the same as 0. Therefore, it is a paradox.
SEEING “GOD IN EVERYTHING” To have a non-dualistic equation, x must equal 1 and 0 at the same time, and we must conceive of identity and non-identity existing simultaneously in parallel. In other words, if we say that x 1 only, then we separate ourselves from the essential aspect of nature by creating a discernible identity. We are here, and god x is there. Some theologians may find this idea akin to “neutral monism,”
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which is defined also as the pregnant void or potential-filled nothingness. Otherwise put, the Iill breaks Things down into categorical and associative thinking, which allows us to understand the outside and inside worlds in terms of many “different” Things. Once we “see” different Things, x is no longer 1 and 0 because we have broken the world down into all the different identities we have learned and have accumulated in our memory. As long as we see all Things as 1 and 0 in the present moment, then we will see “the god in everything.” “To look into the nature of mind” When we break the world down into Things and then identify them, we lose sight of the essential “oneness” that underlies nature’s Things; this is the profound ignorance described by the ancient masters. So it is impossible to intellectually conceive of spiritual awareness because it is the essential aspect of nature as Being and Nothingness at the same time; but we can grasp it with insight. We can experience it. This is what we call “looking into nothingness.” Herein lies the paradox—while we speak of an underlying essence in nature as an ultimate substance, we simultaneously speak of Nothingness, which manifests itself as the essence of nature. It is empty and full at the same time; otherwise, we create the concept of identity, which is the crux of humanity’s dilemma.
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THE UNIVERSE CAN RECREATE ITSELF Most religious doctrines are monistic, which—again—is a fundamentally dualistic approach to understanding
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reality. Nature cannot be dualistic because it would not be able to continually sustain itself if it could not generate itself again from its essential substance. If all the matter in the universe disappeared, the universe would be able to regenerate itself from the Nothingness left over from the disappearance of Being. Scientists have discovered that the primal elements hydrogen and helium are formed during the nuclear reactions that take place within active stars. When stars die, their elements are thrown back into space to become the raw material from which planets, new stars, and everything else is formed. These atoms and subatomic particles are spread everywhere, creating other particles; thus, we all are composed of dead stars. Most physicists today agree that this particular universe is about 13.7 billion years old (measured in Earth time) and that it has inherent properties capable of producing carbon and larger atoms. We live in a universe that has the potentiality to generate life; all the particles necessary for life are already there, and they are continually produced from the nothingness of space. Space is not empty; it is bursting with subatomic particles. But there is no identity there, no discernable pieces; it is one interactive and interdependent totality. We imagine the identities with the neural mechanisms in our brains.
ENLIGHTENMENT IS NATURE BECOMING AWARE OF ITSELF Identity is an aspect of the associative neural networks of the brain that evolved from nature, but nature cannot “see” itself through this mechanism. This mechanism evolved to enable us to manage Things on a physical level for the purpose of basic survival. Yet, according to Maslow and others, humans also have the need for self-actualization. Unconsciously, we all have the inherent thirst to rediscover our oneness with nature’s underlying essence, which makes us whole and complete again.
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Enlightenment is the awareness that breaks the bounds of the brain’s mechanism, so that nature can become aware of itself and of its non-dualistic, non-linear essence. It is the awareness of the universe itself. It is not self-consciousness, as when something is aware of the awareness; it is just “aware.” Time does not exist in the reality of the present moment. Time is linear and the reality of the present moment is non-linear—the entire universe occurs simultaneously, and everything exists in parallel with everything else. Time is not a property of the universe; it is a property of an observer’s perception from a point in space. No matter how many variations of nature exist from one to infinity, x is still 1 and 0, both Being and Nothingness simultaneously. When x is anything other than 1, you “see” it in terms of the multiplicities of life and matter, you lose sight of the “god in everything.” Paradoxically, we can perceive Things (through our normal senses) only when x is other than 1 and 0, simply because we are actually looking at the form; we “see” the rabbit or a mountain and not god. If x is 1 and 0, no matter what n (number of Forms) is, all Things are essentially the same: 1 and 0, which is when we grasp through insight the “god in everything.”
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OUR SENSES CANNOT SEE THE “GOD IN EVERYTHING” It is impossible to grasp this with our perceptual mechanisms, since they evolved to perceive multiplicity, causing dualistic conceptual identity and categorization. You would need to perceive x in all Things, and x would be the same or nothing, but with our perceptual mechanisms we do not “see” x. Instead, we “see” the sum of the product of all organic forms (xon); and the sum of the product of all inorganic forms (x ni ); and we cannot perceive what x is. Critical thinking and logic do not allow us to perceive x, since the “roots of intellection” can be traced to the perpetual dilemma of our limited perceptual system.
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When we stop reasoning and trying to perceive the essential substance and nothingness (x), we are primed for insight into our spiritual awareness. Then, the essential aspect of nature becomes aware of itself, as it manifests itself through the multiplicity of all Things. But remember, it is not self-conscious as in CAt; it is just pure awareness— there is no self. If there were a self, we would be back to the sum of the multiplicities and to the limitations of the Iill. Awareness is not a Thing to be grasped or obtained, since it is also zero (0), or Nothingness. In other words, awareness is not a form, it is both Being and Nothingness simultaneously. That which is nothing is everything. This essential attribute of the universe can be realized by enlightenment, whereas the equations demonstrate the basics of this insight in simple mathematics. However, these equations are included here not for their mathematical but for their illustrative value. In subatomic particle physics, when searching for the essential substance (x), then according to the physicists Nothingness is the vacuum (when x 0). In all particle research studies, the observer must become part of the equation, because she is not “seeing” directly into the essential substance, and she is perceiving through the limitation of the perceptual mechanisms. Relativity theory presupposes that the observed and the observer are an integrated space-time coordinate system that is not absolute but relative. Light traveling at 186,000 miles per second produces the illusion of instantaneous events, yet when the observer is in motion and her speed reaches the speed of light, time and space change relative to the distance and speed at which the light is traveling. In other words, events are not the same everywhere; they depend on the location of the observer relative to the object, and the speed at which the observer is traveling. In particle physics, the particles are moving close to the speed of light relative to the motion of the observer and the observed events. So things are occurring relative to the observer; if there is no observer, the universe happens instantaneously in the present moment.
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REALIZING THERE IS NO OBSERVER IN ENLIGHTENMENT n o
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The simple equation sum of (x ) and sum of (x ) becomes complex when xi is a Thing multiplied by itself to the nth power, where n represents the many variations of that thing. For instance, if the observer and an organic or inorganic observation are seen as two different Things, then x would equal two multiplied by the nth power of the variations of the two, and x becomes a large number due to all the perceptible permutations. In other words, if you see the rabbit as having “god x in it” and you see yourself as having “another” god x in you, or not the same essential substance, then you’ve created two essential substances in the universe, or a multiplicity of gods. If there is only one, then you and the rabbit are the same in essence. And if that essential substance is in the rabbit and you, then it must also be in the Nothingness, which is everywhere in the universe. Otherwise, it would not be complete; it would be a part and not the whole. Take another abstract situation where a person observes a rock; there exists an infinite amount of variation for the rock, as well as for the person (there are many different rocks and many different people). Whatever n equals is not as important as the fact that it is perceived as “relative” through a dualistic thought mechanism of “seeing” the forms without the underlying substance. There are so many different people who can observe so many different rocks, and this produces countless possible human-rock permutations. We see the multiplicities of forms, but there is still a fundamental underlying principle that we typically do not “know.” And this of course is what enlightenment is. We grasp the underlying principle, shatter the Iill, and become god-conscious beings. The only case in which the person and the rock are seen as the same Thing is when x is 1 and 0—then it does not matter how many variations (n) exist. One of the ways the rock and the person can be perceived as the same essential substance is when we transcend the perceptual mechanisms through the practice of No Mind.
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THE SEARCH FOR x IS ENCODED IN OUR GENES
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There is a reality beyond the constraints of our basic time-space mechanistic view. We know that the reality we perceive is not the essential reality of the universe, as demonstrated through particle physics. We instinctively “know” that “things” are not the final reality; whether we are religious or not, we know that there is an essential aspect to nature that is the same in all of us. Perhaps this kind of intuition is coded in our genes. Objects and relative reality of time-space concepts must be transcended in order to experience the dissolution of the multiplicity of forms and the emergence of the essential substance of nature. How do we come to “know” x, or whether we see form or god x? Our limited perceptual systems can see only form, whereas enlightenment is “knowing” the reality of nothingness and essential substance without the perceptual mechanisms. It is not a matter of redefining x as essential substance or as nothingness, or even a matter of comprehending the notion that x exists as essential substance or nothingness. In both of these scenarios, x is still not “experienced.” We pursue enlightenment to realize and experience x as both essential substance and nothingness. In other words, it is not an intellectual pursuit, it is the “experience” that changes us. Let’s assume that x exists within all organic and inorganic Things, which is like saying that x god, x essential substance, x nothingness, or x Tao. Whatever belief we assign to x within this realm of identity, we are still speaking of the same reality. Whatever x is, it must be 1 and 0, otherwise it would be dualistic and the universe cannot be dualistic—dualism is not a property of nature. If you believe that god x is the essence of all things, then god x is also in nothingness. Nothingness and essential substance are reciprocal elements of the “same” reality, not each other’s opposites. If you exclude nothingness from the expression x god and assume that god x is only essential substance (an all-powerful being), then you have created a dualistic reality, where god 1 but not 0 in parallel. In other words, god x is out there and “not in
No Mind
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here or over there.” It must be everywhere and in all Things, as well as in nothing. Most people agree that if they believe god x is the essential substance, then in fact god x must be everywhere; they just forget to think in terms of nowhere also.
x ALSO EQUALS THE NOW
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When we create dualistic identities through categorizing, we break up the external world into multiple forms. But most people who believe in god x intuit that god x is in all living and non-living Things. When god x is conceived to equal both 1 and 0 in a non-dualistic reality, then looking into the emptiness also means looking into god x. In Western religions, this experience is known as a central aspect of mysticism, which we will discuss in No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind. In some Eastern traditions, specifically in Yogic and Vedic philosophies, this is called god-consciousness. We know instinctively that there cannot exist a multitude of essential eternal substances; but we have different names for the same eternal substance, in which we believe. There are many different religions and philosophies, yet nature remains indifferent to our interpretations of it; it just is and does not require our interpretations to exist. If the universe is 13.7 billion years old, and if humans began to record their thoughts on the essential substance only around 10,000 years ago, it would be arrogant to assume that the universe was waiting for us to define it, so that it can exist. Human arrogance is a common trait of the Iill. Just as we have discovered that the Earth is not the center of the universe, that the Sun does not revolve around the Earth, and that the Earth is not flat, we should eventually understand that nature functions whether we define it or not—it has and it will for billions of years. Remember, x must be 1 and 0 at the same time and in the present moment; x exists neither in the past nor in the future. X also equals the Now. We impose time on the macroscopic world we perceive, but it does not exist in the
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microscopic world. Professor Pagels of the Rockefeller University writes: We see that we can draw a line between the microworld and the macroworld of human experience—they are qualitatively distinct descriptions of material reality. Our minds and bodies respond to the thermodynamic macrovariables, which are the distributions of the microscopic motions. I feel hot or cold, a definite temperature, not the bombardment of billions of particles on the surface of my skin. I grow old and life is full of risks which have meaning only because some decisions are irreversible—I cannot go back in time. Yet from the microscopic world this is an illusion. (Pagels, 1982)
Time refers to before, during, and after, or past, present, and future. Einstein recognized that time was relative to the observer, just as points in three-dimensional space are; one’s left is another’s right, what is closer to one is farther from somebody else, and so on. This is a key No Mind concept; all things are relative, except for the ceaseless moment that cannot be observed and can only be experienced. The ceaseless moment is, therefore, beyond relativity. There are no fixed points in the moment, only the flow of Being. When we fixate on a moment in time, it immediately becomes the past or the future. Most of us spend our lives consumed by past or future events. No Mind grasps the present moment.
TIME IS RELATIVE, ENLIGHTENMENT IS NOT The relativity of time has been demonstrated in highenergy physics, where particles move close to the speed of light, since the speed of light determines time relative to the position of the observer. When particles move close to the speed of light, the passage of time changes relative to the observer or to the observed event. There is no absolute time or absolute space—it is all relative to the observer and to the speed of light. The only thing that is certain is the ceaseless present, which is independent of
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time and relativity. Its position cannot be fixed in space or related to past or future. The present moment flows. It just is. From a No Mind perspective, time stays where it is and does not move. People feel time moving because of their perspective relative to the past and future; yet, in the reality of the ceaseless moment and the principle of relativity, there is nowhere for time to go. Only people’s observations relative to the speed of light give time the illusion of motion or passage. We live in a world of gravitational, cosmic, and environmental forces that act on our bodies and minds and create temporal effects by causing us to age and to deteriorate, just as an ocean can slowly wear away a mountain. Change takes place in the ceaseless moment throughout the universe. We change just as nature changes, but the change occurs relative to our memory of what was there before and after. Because of our memory and our observation of events, we perceive time. Time exists in nature relative to a process of constant transformation that occurs everywhere simultaneously. Spiritual awareness and No Mind are independent of time, because from their perspective, there is no memory of it and no observer to observe it. No Mind is beyond the bounds of memory; it exists in the ceaseless moment as nature does; it simply flows as pure awareness. We see the Sun as it was eight minutes earlier, because it takes eight minutes for the light to travel to the Earth. But if we were on Mercury, we would see the Sun as it existed one minute earlier. If we had two observers, one on the Earth and the other on Mercury, they may both think they are seeing a solar flair instantaneously and at the same time, but there is a seven-minute difference. We assume we see the Sun instantaneously because we are used to thinking that we experience things instantaneously on Earth. That’s because of the relatively short distances light has to travel on our tiny planet. Time is a relative phenomenon, not a universal one. Therefore, it cannot be an aspect of the underlying essence of nature. In other words, the same time cannot exist everywhere in the universe at once, yet the underlying essence does.
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Nature exists everywhere in this moment, and time is relative to where you are and to the memory of what occurred before. Enlightenment is beyond time in the sense that time does not exist in the present; it does not move, it remains exactly where it is. Only the relative memory of the perception of time gives us the illusion that time is moving. For time to move, it must travel from a point in the past (t) to a point in the future (t); relative time cannot exist in the ceaseless present because it has no past or future connotations. From the perspective of the Iill, we observe time in a linear mode. In order to observe a nonlinear present moment, we must do so outside the Iill; this is the point of enlightenment.
THE BLOOMS OF ENLIGHTENMENT A mathematical expression of past, present, or future times must account for an observer and a state of mind (S) observing the past or future. Simply stated, in order to perceive the past (St) or the future (St), there must be this state of mind of an observer. An observer must observe time from a position with specific time-space coordinates in order to perceive movement. When the observer, her state of mind, and her coordinates become irrelevant, the ceaseless moment becomes clear and time has no value (t0). There is no fixed point of reference, only the totality of existence in an instant of the ceaseless moment. To restate the main point, time has no place in No Mind, which is pure awareness that has no reference to itself, therefore it is timeless. When the Iill is suspended and you are filled with spiritual awareness of the interconnectivity of all things and of your totality, then there is enlightenment or god-consciousness. This initial breakthrough from the state of Iill to that of No Mind marks the first level of “seeing” the reality of No Mind. Enlightenment blooms when the mind-body functions without the interference of the Iill, as a natural flow of natural momentum analogous to the way a
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flower blooms effortlessly. Blooming happens naturally to the plant, the plant does not will it; it is “non-action,” where there is nothing to do, yet “everything gets done.” Similarly, your innate abilities will bloom as a natural aspect of your mind-body dynamic when awareness is clear. We all also have innate tendencies, and when we discover those, we can refine them through practice so that we can “let go” and allow the mind-body dynamic to release its innate ability. Let’s revisit Maslow’s concept of self-actualization:
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There seems to be a kind of dynamic parallelism or isomorphism here between the inner and the outer. This is to say that as the essential Being of the world is perceived by the person, so also [do they] concurrently come closer to [their] own Being (to [their] own perfection, of being more perfectly [them]self). This interaction effect seems to be in both directions, for as [they come] closer to [their] own Being or perfection for any reason, this thereby enables [them] more easily to see the B-values in the world. As [they] become more unified, [they] tend to be able to see more unity in the world. As [they] become B-playful, so [are they] more able to see B-play in the world. As [they] become stronger, so [are they] more able to see strength and power in the world. Each makes the other more possible, just as depression makes the world look less good, and vice versa. [They] and the world become more like each other as they both move toward perfection . . . we have seen that in these various peak-experiences, the person tends to become more integrated, more individual, more spontaneous, more expressive, more easy and effortless, more courageous, more powerful. (Maslow, 1968)
Maslow describes superbly the enlightened state of a No Mind practitioner. The experience of being the external world is very intense, as it transcends the fractured existence of the Iill and leaps across the unknown void to rediscover unity with the underlying essence of nature—enlightenment.
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FREEDOM TO BECOME WHAT WE ARE DOING
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No Mind enlightenment affects all aspects of our lives, such as sports, business, education, relationships, stress management, health, and creativity, to name a few. We learn to become what we are doing and lose ourselves in the activity, therefore increasing our performance. Harold Kelman, M.D., of the American Institute of Psychoanalysis describes differences between the art of Western and Eastern painters:
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How the body is painted points up some crucial differences. Unconsciously, the westerner makes of it an external, separated, object, to which he is dualistically opposed. He paints an aspect of it from the outside, scientifically, i.e., as a geometrical object and according to the laws of perspective. The easterner sits on his haunches, literally and figuratively, contemplating it until he becomes identified with it and is it. He has become his object and his object has become him. They are one. He then paints the object from the inside. (Kelman, 1959)
There is absolute freedom in the unity of the mindbody with the object of perception. When the Iill doesn’t function in the foreground of awareness and doesn’t dominate our actions and reactions, we are free to experience the external and internal world without perceptual limitations and constructs. Through the practice of No Mind, artists discover a new source of creativity and intuition. The ancient masters produced beautiful paintings of their world with unwavering balance and unrestricted stroke of the pen. Their inspiration came not only from intuition, but from freeing awareness from the Iill and from its banal problems. The processing of perception is limited and filtered, and the interpretations of the mental web of the Iill are also limited and filtered to maintain its own identity. When you are delivered from the “Iill-ness” of the mind, your creativity soars and you grasp what is right intuitively, not through calculation.
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After investigating different views of Western and Eastern psychology, one researcher explains that in Western psychology a person creates a fictional version of his/her identity and sees it as a real self that he or she perpetuates at all costs, even if it puts others at risk or the natural world at risk.(Goldberg, 2004)
According to the ancient masters, most Iills are relatively ill because they are obsessed with maintaining themselves and with fulfilling unhealthy conditioned desire potentials. While there are evolutionary benefits of the Iill for our survival in society, the psychological and physiological problems associated with it are overwhelming; and so are the Iill’s limitations on the mind-body performance. The Iill imposes many limitations on people’s ability to function in all aspects of life. The ancient masters taught that all human suffering is contained within the Iill, so they devised techniques to heal the human condition. In an article published in The Psychoanalytic Review, Herbert Fingarette writes:
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. . . from observation of the behavior of great mystics and of those ordinary persons . . . [who] speak in a quasi-mystic way. For, far from showing confusion between self and environment, they act with unusual effectiveness and with a clear sense of the social realities. They often show great practical organizing ability and a particularly keen sensitivity to the real relationships between their own attitudes and desires and those of the persons they deal with . . . The enlightened one is, therefore, not only an unassuming and ‘ordinary’ person (as well as an extraordinary one), he is in many ways ‘more ordinary’ than most people. He is not overly proud, not driven by ambition, not prone to keeping up with the Joneses, not given to disingenuous logical or theoretical disquisitions. He tends to shun words. He suffers, enjoys, knows pain and pleasure, but he is not driven and dominated by these. Sensual without being sensualist, he is also aware of his ills without being hypochondriacal. (Fingarette, 1958)
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The two primary problems facing humans have always been attachment and essential identity. Pursuing ambitions and success is normal and healthy, but being dominated by them and identified with them is pathological. Enlightenment is not reserved for gurus and masters in the monasteries. It is a real aspect of human nature, a basic human need that can be attained by anybody who is seeking a healthier, more complete life. The practice of No Mind sets you free by illuminating the reasons why you act the way you do. In other words, the actions and reactions of the Iill are monitored by CAt, which can intercede at any time and modify the behavior—remember, we have “free won’t.” During the practice of No Mind, more and more of the actions and reactions of the Iill will be corrected automatically. After repeated practice, you will recondition yourself with a new set of behavioral parameters that will modify the undesirable aspects of the Iill, allowing you to become free of the “Iill-ness.” Passive awareness manifests new cues to enable appropriate modification of the Iill’s mental web, which relinquishes its dominant role in the perceptual and behavioral system. This “new” perceptual system interprets reality without identity and attachment. Psychiatrist Akihisa Kondo, who studied Zen masters in Japan, describes the moment of enlightenment:
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At this moment we notice how much we were crippled by convention. How deeply we discriminated. In short, how we were attached. We were far and foolishly apart from our genuine selves, suffocating our pure intrinsic value . . . From this the individual has the intuitive experience of the real existence of self and the world in its totality . . . Zen achieves the experience or vision of the whole, which is not a product of reasoning or mere intellect . . . It is this function of the human psyche or perceiving totality that Zen stresses and develops, calling it intuition. (Kondo, 1952)
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What Kondo calls intuition we are calling insight in No Mind. The insight of enlightenment is the source of pure, unfiltered awareness. An awareness of human nature illuminates the totality of existence in a single intuitive flash. In that flash, we grasp the infinite reality of our spiritual awareness. This explosive release of our present dualistic world transforms how the mind-body functions in everyday life. Celebrity psychologist Dr. Wayne W. Dyer defines an enlightened person in his best-selling book Your Erroneous Zones:
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The person who is devoid of all erroneous zone behavior may seem to be a fictional character, but being free from self-destructive behavior is not a mythological concept; rather it’s a real possibility. Being fully functioning is within your grasp and complete present moment mental health can be a choice . . . First and most obviously, you see people who like virtually everything about life— people who are comfortable doing just about anything, and who waste no time in complaining, or wishing that things were otherwise. They are enthusiastic about life, and they want all that they can get out of it . . . There is no pretending to enjoy, but a sensible acceptance of what is, and an outlandish ability to delight in that reality . . . You will find an uncommon absence of approval seeking in these happy, fulfilled individuals. They are able to function without approval and applause from others. They do not seek out honors as most people do. They are unusually free from the opinion of others . . . They do not equate being successful in any enterprise with being successful as a human being. Since their self-worth comes from within, any external event can be viewed objectively as simply effective or ineffective . . . They do not identify with the family, neighborhood, community, city, state, or country. (Dyer, 1993)
ENLIGHTENMENT MAKES YOU OBJECTIVE TO YOURSELF The enlightened person has a complete understanding of the Iill and remains objective to the emotions, thoughts, and perceptions that originate from the mental web—the
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mind objects. She knows that the reason she likes or dislikes something is relative to the conditioning and behavioral reinforcement patterns of the Iill. As you experience life from this “new” perspective, you exist on a different level and enjoy your emotions fully, without conditions or limitations. Unconditional emotions arise naturally and you attend to them objectively and affectively. The enlightened know that even though they are enjoying their feelings, they must do so without clinging because they are transitory. Attachment to any of these feelings will reinstate the Iill. Enlightenment brings nothing; it simply releases the “captive” awareness from the Iill, so that there is direct perception of reality. In Zen Satori, or enlightenment, “The individual is said to perceive objects more objectively than before, less disturbed by personal motives. Cognitive skills remain available as required” (Maupin, 1962). When we focus our attention, we become more aware of objects in the environment and our sensitivity increases (Corbetta, Miezin, Dobmeyer, Shulman, & Petersen, 1990). It’s possible to live as Dyer explains in Your Erroneous Zones. The enlightened person accepts all that is, because he is concerned only with the experience in the present moment. The past and the future are time elements of the Iill, and the enlightened person is aware of them, but they do not determine his behavior. It is not that he does not wear a watch or can’t make appointments; he simply isn’t a slave to them. If he is late, there are no excuses to give because the purpose of excuses is to cover up and to defend the Iill; so, he is late and it’s already in the past. His awareness is in the present, so it is more important that he is here now, rather than dwelling on the fact that he was late—that is in the past. If events or circumstances change course, the enlightened person is not devastated, stressed out, or worried because he understands the reality of the world and that all things change. He does not live like a balloon being tossed around or floating on the water. The enlightened
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person is rooted in the essential totality of his spiritual awareness and can hear the “hum of the universe.” In business, the enlightened person is firm, but without aggression or anger. He does not spend his time worrying about future events that are outside his control; instead, he focuses on the things in the present that he can control. He is not resentful or spiteful, because these are past-oriented emotions. His understanding of the Iill nurtures compassion for his fellow workers, associates, and even competitors, because he understands how people perceive their reality and the attachments they experience in their thoughts, ideas, or beliefs. So the enlightened person is sensitive to people he meets; yet, he understands that goals are best carried out without attachment to the outcomes. The practice of No Mind strengthens his awareness in the present moment. In our busy modern lives, enlightenment is not a dream or a luxury for those who have the time; it is a necessary means of enriching our lives in ways that wealth, success, and power cannot. It is necessary to satisfy our deep primordial need for spiritual awareness, not just for the individual but for the sake of society as well. Carlos Castaneda, whose works have sold more than eight million copies in 17 languages, describes the enlightened person as a “man of knowledge”:
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He “endeavors, and sweats and puffs, and if one looks at him he is just like any ordinary man, except that the folly of his life is under control. Nothing being more important than anything else. A man of knowledge chooses any act, and acts it out as if it matters to him. His controlled folly makes him say that what he does matters, and makes him act as if it did. And yet he knows that it doesn’t. So when he fulfills his acts he retreats in peace; and whether his acts were good or bad, or worked or didn’t, is in no way part of his concern. (Castaneda, 1972)
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CHAPTER 13
IMPORTANT POINT TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Humans have a primordial yearning for enlightenment and it may even be encoded in our DNA. Enlightenment is simply jumping into the void of No-Iill, where you are completely absorbed in the present moment without self-consciousness. 2. The need for realizing our intrinsic link to nature is our basic need to find our own self-truth. This need has been manifested throughout history in the form of numerous religious and philosophical systems. Unfortunately, though, our perceptual system evolved to see the multiplicities of form and not to see the underlying essential substance, or “god in everything.” For spiritual awareness, we must develop the insight necessary to see into the emptiness, the non-dualistic, non-linear oneness which underlies reality and in which nature becomes aware of itself. 3. Time is not a universal constant. It is relative to the observer, to the distance between observed and observer, and to the speed at which the observer is traveling. Time is linear and cannot exist in the ceaseless present moment; it exists as a macroscopic phenomenon, not as a microscopic one. In other words, in the world of forms we “see” time, but magnifying this world to the microscopic level of subatomic particles we do not “see” time. 4. The insight into our spiritual awareness grasps the totality of the nature—“the god in everything”; in that moment we realize how foolishly detached from our selves we were. We escape the “illness” of the Iill, which perpetuates the illusion of the self— a self that is capable of harming itself and others. Through the process of enlightenment, we find our
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special innate abilities and qualities, which we can develop effortlessly through “non-action.” We become integrated into the world, not separated from it. We become spontaneous, expressive, and courageous without the least bit of trying.
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At first glance, No Mind may appear to be a complex concept to be understood only through prolonged study and practice. But when we experience spiritual awareness, the simplicity of No Mind is revealed. No Mind is shrouded by the Iill, which has a tenacious grip on the mind’s ability to break through and to dissolve the “I” illusion. The harder one tries in conventional, conditioned ways, the more entrenched the Iill becomes. The intellect might catch a glimpse of the Iill, but it cannot grasp or perceive it. Breaking through this hard shell is the vital first step to enlightenment and perhaps one of the most difficult challenges of No Mind. Chapter 14 reviews the six primary factors of No Mind enlightenment discussed in Chapters 8 through 13, highlighting the key aspects of each and relating them to the development of the technique described in No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes. Once you experience the breakthrough, even if only for an instant, you are free from the mental web of the Iill, at least temporarily. As you develop the technique and the correct attitude in your daily life, the experience grows, fills awareness for longer periods of time, and becomes increasingly stable. The mind becomes calm and still, and awareness expands.
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Chapter 14
No Mind Extreme
A
t first, the practice of No Mind may appear to be a rather complex intellectual exercise, but it is the opposite. When spiritual awareness is grasped, it appears embarrassingly simple. It is shrouded by the Iill, and breaking and dissolving this illusion is the vital first step to enlightenment. The breakthrough is perhaps one of the most difficult challenges. We might be able to glimpse at it intellectually, but we cannot grasp and experience it on any level of thought and perception. The flash of enlightenment occurs at the moment of experiencing this breakthrough. And with enlightenment comes the intuition of the reality of our selves and of the world around us. In this moment we are free from the mental web of the Iill, at least temporarily. As we develop the technique and the correct attitude in our daily lives, the experience grows, fills the awareness for longer periods of time, and becomes increasingly stable. The mind becomes calm and capable of deeper understanding and contentment. 275
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Satori, in contrast, is the Intuitive seeing into the Real Self. The True author of one’s behavior which is at the same time a part of the whole flux of the Universe. (Maupin, 1962)
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THE SIX MAIN FACTORS OF NO MIND In the following pages, the six main factors of No Mind (see Figure 14-1) will be reviewed, and the important aspects of each will be summarized. These factors relate to the development of the technique, which is described in No Mind 301, The Ten Paradoxes. Each factor is just as significant as the basic understanding of the mind discussed in No Mind 101, as well as the basic understanding of No Mind discussed in No Mind 201. They are steps in the process of unfolding the essence of CAt, No Mind, and spiritual awareness; when you have a basic understanding of these aspects of mind and No Mind, then you can understand the technique in No Mind 301. If you don’t understand these aspects of the mind and of No Mind, it may seem like you are running down a path in the dark, unable to see where you’re going. The ancient masters would say this is the best way to run— with no destination in mind and in the moment. However, we are conditioned to act in an extremely goal-oriented society, and the knowledge and understanding of where we came from (mind) and where we are going (No Mind) helps to keep us on the path. Knowing where we are going is not as important as knowing why we are going. We do many things in life even though we are not sure where these things will take us; but at least we know why we are doing them. We know why we are studying No Mind—for the sake of better health, stress control, improving our relationships, sporting activities, business dealings, and so on; yet, we do not know where it will take us because we still do not know our full potentials. These newly found abilities may appear extreme to someone looking in, but from the perspective of the person who has reached No Mind and is looking
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out, it all appears simple. Let’s briefly summarize the information laid out in No Mind 201, because it is vital to understand these concepts before we study the technique of No Mind in No Mind 301 and before we can understand its applications to business, sports, stress management, academics, and relationships.
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1. No Mind Reality Factor one is No Mind Reality. Identifying with the Iill is the basic reason we misinterpret reality; it causes the illusion, which creates the continuous dualistic sequence of thought in terms of “I” and “Them.” No Mind enlightenment is non-dualistic because you cannot identify with anything, yet you know you are everything. This paradox is solved when we experience spiritual awareness through the practice of No Mind. When we are filled with thoughts that arise from the Iill, such as expectations, desires, goals, prejudices, dislikes, and so on, we should think of them as being empty—not in terms of denying their existence, but empty in terms of understanding that their reality originates from the Iill and therefore they are transitory and habituated. At the source of these thoughts, feelings, and perceptions is the mental web of the “I.” It produces conditioned expectations, conditioned desires, and conditioned reactions, which have no source of their own, no reality except that which is created by conditioning, modeling, associative neural networks, subliminal suggestions, and reinforcement. If you really analyzed the source of most of your desires, you would realize that they come from the social conditioning we undergo through our families, communities, religions, and ethnic traditions. In order to break the illusion, we do not identify with these empty aspects of the Iill, and as our attachment diminishes, we escape the mental web of the Iill. Understanding the illusion of the Iill is the first step toward liberation from mental habituations.
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2. No Mind Deautomatization
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The second factor entails deautomatizing our actions and reactions, or de-conditioning the mental web of the Iill. This is an undoing of the natural mechanical process of the associative neural networks of the Iill. It is our intrinsic ability to categorize, to associate, and to filter in parallel on the unconscious and conscious levels. We are mostly unaware of the automatic cycle of action and reaction because it occurs unconsciously. In most aspects of our lives, autonomic responses restrict our ability to perceive reality directly, and they prevent us from reaching our full capabilities. We need deautomatization to escape the trap of the mental web of the Iill. While we typically deny that we are on autopilot most of the time, we can easily see it in the way we act and react on a daily basis. The ancient masters considered deautomatization to be an essential starting point in the practice of No Mind, so they learned to mirror their external and internal worlds through the practice of CAt, or mindfulness. Psychotherapy has used deautomatization and desensitization with great success throughout the years. Tens of thousands of patients have used this technique in clinical applications, and millions of people have used it to enhance their lives for over two and a half thousand years.
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3. No Mind and Clear Attention In order to begin the process of deconditioning our actions and reactions, we learn to turn our awareness into a mirror that reflects mind objects, such as thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and motivations. The third factor of mirroring is an aspect of CAt; a mirror reflects its objects without bias, prejudice, value, identity, and it has no intention for objects to be cast upon it. As a pond unintentionally reflects a flying duck and the duck has no intention of being reflected in the pond, the action is without effort and the mirror just reflects it naturally. CAt entails passively reflecting the mind objects
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without deriving any meaning from them. In this way, nothing is added to the thoughts, feelings, or perceptions; they arise in awareness and are reflected like objects reflected in a pond. The associative neural networks and the parallel cognitive processes are slowed and eventually stopped with the practice of No Mind training. This is a powerful exercise to master, yet simple to perform. With practice, the smallest achievement can yield successful results. Mirroring opens the perceptual and cognitive systems to a greater range of information that we normally block. When we perceive reality in this direct way, we experience the oneness of the external world and remove the fragmentations imposed by the Iill. As awareness can mirror the contents of the mind and its actions, it can also watch the perceptions of the external world; Clear Attention (CAt) and mirroring are two aspects of the same principle. We watch and mirror the contents of the mind simultaneously. We reflect the sensory input of the external world as it arises in our awareness of the present moment, and we watch the events that are occurring to the Iill, mind, and body. The practice of CAt means simply registering and watching the mind objects and the sensory perceptions without analyzing or interpreting them, and without getting lost in them. It is a complete level of alertness and focus that passively observes the mind-body function as the mind-body has been trained, without applying any conditioned behaviors, such as expectations, motivations, prejudices, hopes, desires, effort, emotions, and so on. We simply note the mind objects and allow them to dissolve. In this way, the mind-body acts effortlessly and naturally without interference from the Iill.
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4. No Mind Intuition The fourth factor entails opening the sixth sense of insight and intuition. The practice of CAt heightens awareness and what is known in psychology as perceptual readiness. Then, we can perceive subtle intuitions that we
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can use for creativity, inspiration, genius, artistic expression, and premonition. Through the application of deautomatization, mirroring, and CAt, the Iill loses its hold on awareness, allowing these subtle intuitions to surface. Insight, as opposed to intutition, brings subtle knowledge of the underlying essence of nature, or spiritual awareness. Insight is realized through the awareness of No Mind, whereas intuitions are realized through CAt. Humans feel an intrinsic need for insight into spiritual awareness and for being connected to nature. These are the mysterious gates the ancient masters described; they open once we realize our spiritual awareness. At this point, the paradoxes and riddles of No Mind are understood and the limitations and dualistic characteristic of language are shattered by a new, non-dualistic perception. The fragmented world is unified into a functioning whole, where opposites are seen as aspects of the same reality. The insight of reality is grasped, and we realize that if we try to interpret reality, our experience will be limited by the mental web of the Iill. No Mind insight into spiritual awareness is a nondescriptive aspect of enlightenment, where only experience can produce understanding. In this process, there is an awakening of an inner ability to gather information through a “new” sense of insight and intuition. The intuitive grasping of creative ideas and solutions is commonplace, since the sixth sense is now open and receptive to subtle levels of information, without the suppression and filtering of the mental web of the Iill. It is direct perception of the external world. Chuang Tzu, an ancient master of the 4th century B.C., describes the emptiness of enlightenment and the roadblocks put up by the Iill along the way: Wipe out the delusions of the will, undo the snares of the heart, rid yourself of the entanglements to virtue. Open up the roadblocks in the Way. Eminence and wealth, recognition and authority, fame and profit. These six are the delusions of the will. Appearances and carriage, complexion and features, temperament and attitude. These six are the snares of the heart.
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Loathing and desire, joy and anger, grief and happiness. These six are the entanglements of virtue. Rejecting and accepting, taking and giving, knowledge and ability. These six are the road blocks of the Way. When these four sixes no longer see within the breast, then you will achieve uprightness. Being upright, you will be still. Being still, you will be enlightened. Being enlightened, you will be empty. And being empty, you will do nothing. And yet there will be nothing that is not done. (Tzu, 1968)
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5. No Mind and No Iill The fifth factor stands for the awareness of the ceaseless present moment, where the Iill simply cannot exist. The Iill exists as a linear aspect of time, located either in the past or in the future. The Iill can never exist in the present moment, as it continually must choose between the memory of the past and the conditioned expectations of the future in order to direct its behavior. Unlike No Mind, which is non-linear, non-dualistic, pure present-moment awareness, the Iill requires identity that causes the dualistic, linear nature of its fragmented reality. No Mind is an omnipresent awareness grasping the whole of reality, versus the fragments. It is not a mystical state, but simply an aspect of human nature expressed as spiritual awareness. When we practice mirroring and CAt, the Iill no longer exists in that moment; if a thought of “I” arises, we treat it as we treat the other mind objects—we watch it passively, take note of it, and allow it to dissolve. The Iill cannot exist in No Mind; if there are any remnant aspects of the Iill, then it is a state of the Iill, a pseudo No Mind state with which the Iill is trying to identify. The Iill is an illusion created by a neural associative process of thoughts occurring in milliseconds and in parallel with other mind objects. CAt has aspects of self-consciousness; you are aware of your self, or aware of awareness. But in No Mind, the awareness of the Iill vanishes and there is pure awareness of reality. We understand how cleverly we were deceived
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into believing that we were something that we were not. We protected a self that never really existed, and we were detached from our true spiritual awareness. When you grasp that the statement, “I have reached No Mind,” is as ludicrous as saying “The Sun revolves around the Earth,” then you understand the message of the ancient masters.
6. No Mind Enlightenment Many believe that No Mind Enlightenment was the secret state of gurus and mystics. This is far from the truth; the sixth factor is a simple experience of reality, one that is easy to attain through practice. With proper knowledge and application of the techniques of No Mind, the delusion of the Iill dissipates and you grasp the reality of enlightenment. With enlightenment, there is the experience of a release from attachments, a direct perception of reality, and honest emotional expressions and behaviors. You can play as a child, yet still live in your adult world of responsibility and work. Work becomes play, and play becomes a mystical experience of total absorption and flow. In sports, business, and relationships, the “new” game is played differently, from a fresh perspective. Success has a new meaning; it is not based on conditioned expectations, but on unconditioned awareness of the present. The results are not as important as the process itself and as the total enjoyment of the process in the present moment. Success is measured based on a new set of parameters that make you a healthier and happier person without the conditioned stresses of your everyday life. Enlightenment is an awakening to a simple aspect of human nature that was always there. No Mind is the pure awareness of enlightenment, which is the play of the universe.
NO MIND EXTREME The six factors of No Mind are derived from teachings that go back over two thousand years. The ancient knowledge and techniques, coupled with modern psychological,
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neuro-physiological, and philosophical research, allow the Western mind to grasp these millennial paradoxes. Contemporary science and medicine allow us to understand the psycho-therapeutic and performance benefits of the practice of No Mind. No Mind Extreme describes the fully functioning human being, who overcomes limitations, automatisms, and bad behavioral habits engendered by the mental web of the associative neural networks and conditioning, defensive, and filtering mechanisms. No Mind Extreme enhances awareness beyond the “me” complex and enables the leap into the void of enlightenment, direct intuition, and unrestricted and unconditioned mental performance. The evolution of the human mind is destined to end up here, in enlightenment. There are many obstacles in the pursuit of the practice of No Mind. The primary source of these obstacles is “you.” We learn to de-condition the way we relate to the world. We possess the resources required to make the journey and to gain the insight necessary to break through the mental web of the Iill. There is nothing we need to buy, nor a special class we need to attend. We already possess the only tool we need—the ability to direct our awareness. If we maintain the mindful attention of our actions and reactions through CAt in our external and internal worlds, we can overwrite the conditions of the Iill. The ancient masters referred to this as mindfulness—maintaining mindful awareness of your actions in your daily lives. Watch the mind objects with the passive reflection of a mirror. The ancients knew this was a vital aspect of the path, and today mindfulness has gained legitimacy as an effective tool in therapy. In a German study, mindfulness in clinical situations proved effective in the lasting reduction of psychological distress and in increased well-being and quality of life. Positive complementary effects with psychotherapy were also found (Majumdar, Grossman, Dietz-Waschkowski, Kersig, & Walach, 2002).
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GHOST OF “I-PAST” AND GHOST OF “I-FUTURE”
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CAt is awareness of the mind-body and of the external world in the present moment. We are aware of thoughts, but do not focus on them. Thoughts of the past or future, like worry or guilt, are watched in the present moment. Thoughts may occur simultaneously with other thoughts, like those concerned with the identity of the Iill. Yet, these thoughts are occurring within milliseconds and only appear instantaneous, which generates the feeling of “I,” “me,” and “mine.” These are the ghosts of the I-past and the I-future. After a little practice, CAt overcomes and watches the flow of thoughts without interaction and absorption. With training, it develops into one of the strongest tools we can use to handle mental objects and activity. You will develop the ability to apply CAt at the times when you need it most in your daily tasks and routines. Everything you need to learn No Mind you have already; there is no need to look anywhere else. The insight of No Mind is in your essence. We are born with it, but then we are subjected to the onslaught of conditioning and learning that is imposed on us by the environment, society, family, peers, models, mentors, and so on. We pay little attention, or aren’t mindful, of the activities, feelings, thoughts, and perceptions of the day. We cruise through the day as fast as we can, going from here to there, taking care of this and worrying about that. Sometimes most of us feel like rats running around on a wheel but going nowhere. When we get home, the rush often does not end; we have a slew of responsibilities to keep us busy there, too, so we do this and that and finally go to bed. Over 40 million Americans have insomnia, so the restlessness continues into the night, and we are unable to get the respite our mind-body requires. Without knowing or realizing it, we live each day in a state of turmoil; even though we may think we love our lives and appear happy on the outside, we are anxious deep inside.
No Mind
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The habituated actions and reactions of our daily lives get reinforced and conditioned into our associative neural networks, and this is the lifestyle we assume to be right and proper. Even when we know it is not healthy, we defend our behavior by telling ourselves that “everyone else is doing it” and that “our life is not as bad as theirs.” CAt sheds light on our lifestyle and allow us to modify it. For the most part, we cannot change our lives, our jobs, our mates, our children, our place of residence, our friends, our families, and our communities; but we can change our perspective and consequently ease the daily onslaught of ups and downs we all face. Irritation can change to happiness and jealousy and hate to understanding and compassion as you begin to understand that the material objects or desires we seek are not the vehicles of true happiness and satisfaction. The objects of desire are revealed as transient enjoyments if we approach them with dispassionate awareness. While they can still be enjoyed as such, it is the underlying sense of detachment developed from the practice of No Mind that provides us with the ultimate sense of happiness and contentment. The very essence of nonattachment opens a full range of un-conditioned possibilities, which then allow us to experience the “fullness” of life without being limited by our desire potentials. Simply, the need to have the object or to fulfill the desire dissipates. Whether your desire is fulfilled or not, there is no change in your level of happiness and contentment. Remember, objects of desire are an empty aspect of the conditioning of the Iill. Their source is the mental web, and they cannot bring genuine happiness and wellbeing. They can only bring temporary states of happiness, because the Iill keeps searching for more and more objects once it becomes accustomed to the ones it has already acquired. The cycle of desire potential and fulfillment never ends until it vanishes in enlightenment. When you are practicing CAt, you enjoy things from a detached state of awareness. In this way, you are mindful
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in your action and reaction to conditioned cues for the fulfillment of a desire. You do not need the object, you simply want the object. If you do not get it, there is no change in your state of mind. An adult is not much different from a child in this regard; children will cry for what they do not get, and adults will repress their displeasure, or inwardly “cry” if they do not get what they want. The repression of disappointment may manifest itself negatively in other aspects of the person’s life. Needs come with attachment and experiential problems, because one need leads to another and so on. So enjoying something in a mindful state of watching the enjoyment is healthy for the mind-body. According to The Ten Paradoxes, which we will discuss in No Mind 301, “With attachment, work. Without attachment, play.” To enjoy something effortlessly and naturally without being attached to it is to function at your fullest, or what is described here as No Mind. Maintaining CAt while experiencing the full range of mind-body sensations is pure and unconditional joy (to be distinguished from joy fulfilled as a conditioned desire potential). The phenomena we encounter every day can be used to elevate awareness to new heights, where we learn to focus it objectively in each aspect of our lives.
OUR LIVES, OUR PLAYPENS, AND NO MIND EXTREME Our everyday lives become our playpens, full of fun toys. Each toy brings a different reward or joy, yet we know that if the toy is not there, it will not matter. It is of no consequence to our inner contentment and happiness; it is watched as it passes through the mind as a floating thought. When we do not cling, we do not get stuck. Our life is a playpen, the objects are our toys, and the people in our lives are our playpals. When we master CAt, there is nothing but play. Play can be serious, lighthearted, humorous, or mischievous. There are many aspects of play, and they evolve
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based on the conditions we encounter. But we never forget that this is only play and the world is our playpen. We drop the attachments and enjoy the moment. We experience pure joy and we are not attached to our toys or playpals, because we know that they will come and go. No Mind is a true state of play. Play best describes the total absorption into the activity without the intervention of the Iill. So “I” am no longer doing this, there is just “doing.” The complex identity of self is removed from the activity, and there is pure play. Some of us have more expensive toys than others. Some children have sophisticated electronic toys and others have just as much fun with stones and sticks (unless they are conditioned to believe they need better toys). The essence of play is the same regardless of the toys. Some of us are professionals, while others are laborers, but the type of playpen should not make the difference. Some people have more comforts than others, but these are physical aspects of our lifestyles; No Mind is above all this. Any type of work is an expression of the mind-body dynamic, and with passive awareness, it is a direct expression of nature. Things and events are constantly changing, just like our playpens, play toys, and playpals are, but the essence of you, which is spiritual awareness, does not change; you are in a constant state of play. You are alive and functioning, and there is intrinsic joy in that. Whether life dealt you a luxurious playpen or not, you still must live, be detached, and play. That is No Mind and the essence of health. People who understand play typically see humor in life and are not obsessed, somber, or attached to outcomes. How can we find humor in anything when we are so fixated with the result of everything we do? People who realize No Mind are extremely functional; they reach the highest levels of professional ability, athletic achievement, and personal fulfillment. They can be sarcastic only because they realize the paradox of sarcasm and because they are mocking the very existence of the clingy and defensive Iill. Within sarcasm lies cynicism and
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within cynicism lies doubt, and this doubt is crucial at the beginning stages of No Mind practice. The doubt becomes omnipresent and then breaks through to insight and to enlightenment. The ancient masters say that the greater the doubt, the greater the enlightenment. It is similar to a balloon being inflated; the more air, the bigger the pop. There is no conditioned intention or conditioned try if the source is the Iill. The “Iill-intention or Iill-try” is conditioned and geared toward projected outcomes. This would fall into the category of Iill-expectations, Iilldesires, Iill-hopes, and so on. If we intend or try, then there is a dualistic mode of expression and that is not pure play. There is the “I” and there is the play, instead of the “I” merging with the play. There must be just play, no “I” or “I am playing.” That does not mean that there cannot be an intention, try, or desire; we just cannot be absorbed in fulfilling the conditions of the Iill. We must watch the conditioned intention, try, or desire and not lose our awareness in it. In other words, when you take a test, you must allow the mind-body to operate the way it was trained; you must maintain a passive awareness of the test-taking. Let the mind-body dynamic perform without thinking in terms of “me.” Statements such as “I must pass the test,” or “I must get an A,” or “I have to hurry, I am running out of time” are counterproductive. Just take the test without the interference of the Iill. Sit, relax, focus, and passively watch the mind-body interact with the questions, and the answers will come. Any attempt to force the answers blocks the mind. As we all know, when we try hard to remember something, we usually don’t remember until we forget about it and then it comes on its own. We “freeze” when we try too hard; when we relax, the answer comes on its own. This is play while taking a test, which sounds incredulous to most people. It is all play in No Mind, and play is the essence of nature. There is no intention on the part of sub-atomic particles to interact and to create new particles, it just happens because it is inherent in their nature; that is play. Likewise, our
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associative neural networks have no intention to produce the actions or reactions that arise in awareness. Intention is created by the Iill attending to thoughts of past memories or future anticipations. Between the past and the future is the present moment of awareness and the reason we practice awareness training, or CAt. In this way you are always shielded from extreme behaviors and views, whose maintenance causes pain, remorse, resentment, and stress. The balanced No Mind plays in the range of the proverbial golden median, and it has no attachment to the results. This is ultimate health, well-being, and contentment. So remember: With attachment, work. Without attachment, play.
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THE SIX FACTORS OF NO MIND ENLIGHTENMENT
Below is a quick reference to the six equations of No Mind enlightenment, to be used in conjunction with Figure 14-1 for a greater understanding of the model. These are purely illustrative concepts to help visualize the idea of each factor. For more detail and further explanation regarding each factor, refer to the corresponding chapters 8 through 13. Factor 1: No Mind Reality; I 1; I 0; where the “I” is the Iill, and “I” is not one real, selfcontained entity (equal to 1 of what statisticians might call measurable “units of analysis”), because it has no existence of its own; it has identity only as a by-product of the mental web. So in terms of real entities, or things that are whole and complete in themselves, “I” equals zero, because it has no real substance of its own, and it is an illusion. Factor 2: No Mind Deautomatization; P M Aa Ar; where P Perception and M Memory, and their sum is not equal to the sum of Auto-action (Aa) and Auto-reaction (Ar); Figure 7-1 indicates that this relationship is equal, and Figure 14-1 demonstrates the ability to move beyond it. Factor 3: No Mind and CAt; CAt Ø; CAt P (B M); where CAt is Clear Attention, empty awareness, or mindful awareness, and attention is greater than the automatisms of Behavior (B), Memory (M), and Perception (P). See Figure 19-1.
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Factor 4: No Mind Intuition; CAt Ø; In P; where CAt is Clear Attention, which is the same as empty or mindful awareness, and when we experience Clear Attention, then Intuition (In) is more valuable than the automatisms and limitations of normal Perception (P).
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Factor 5: No Mind and No Iill; I 0; CAt Ø; t Ø and –t Ø; where we realize that the Iill is identical to the empty set, the illusion, and Clear Attention is now congruent to empty awareness. We experience empty gaps of awareness devoid of thoughts or emotions. Past and future times are now equal to the empty set, as time does not exist in the immediate present of empty awareness. Factor 6: No Mind Enlightenment; (xon) 1 (xni ) 1 : 1 0; (xon) 0 (xni ) 0: In this equation, x must equal 1 and 0 simultaneously for a non-dualistic reality and for nature to perpetually create itself from nothingness. If x god, then in order to avoid identity and dualism, god x must also equal 1 and 0 at the same time, being both emptiness and substance. “God-consciousness,” or spiritual awareness, is looking into the emptiness. While most religious doctrines are monistic and dualistic, No Mind avoids the trap of essential identity.
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Figure 14-1: No Mind 201–Expanding Levels of No Mind. Figure 14-1 builds upon the basic diagram of the Iill in Figure 7-1. However, now the hard line connecting memory and behavior is dashed to represent a subtle shift in the processing of the perceptual and behavioral channels. This shift is key to mindful action and reaction and a step toward neutralizing automatisms. The result is purifying and expanding perception of reality and gaining freer action and reaction as a consequence of the deautomatization, or the unconditioning of the neural networks. The diagram represents the six factors of enlightenment stepping out as an expansion toward spiritual awareness (see also the Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones in Chapter 15), together with their corresponding equations. As awareness expands through the practice of CAt, the mind moves toward No Mind and eventually to the insight of spiritual awareness shown in Figure 26-1 at the end of No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind.
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No Mind 301
The Ten Paradoxes
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The ancient masters used a series of drawings accompanied by paradoxical poems to depict the stages of development in the practice of Zen and attainment of enlightenment. The illustrations revealed the difference between pseudo and real enlightenment. When the disciples believed that they had reached enlightenment, the illustrations would make them understand what stage they were at in their development. Many times, it was just the initial insight into their spiritual awareness. The Ten Oxherding Pictures, which date back to a Ch’an (Zen) master during the Sung dynasty in China (1126-1279 CE), depict the development of an adolescent herdsman who symbolizes the Iill. The boy sets out on a quest to find enlightenment—spiritual awareness, represented by the ox. Chapter 15 tells the story behind the original stone and the fragments. Through extensive research, a relationship was found in the sequence of these stones to the ancient Ten Oxherding Pictures and then assembled into a modern version consisting of nine pictures that represent the expanding awareness and the relation among the Iill, the Mind, and the Body.
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Chapter 15
Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones
T
he Ten Paradoxes begins with an overview of the different levels through which awareness progresses in the process of attaining No Mind and enlightenment. Then we’ll discuss The Ten Paradoxes and how we can apply them to our everyday lives. In No Mind 501, Living No Mind, we will learn how The Ten Paradoxes relate to different aspects of our daily lives, such as business, relationships, sports, and stress management. After we learn The Ten Paradoxes, we are ready to delve into the Right Awareness and the Right Attitude, which increase the effectiveness of the technique. Finally, we discover The Power of No Mind, and how to practice and to integrate the three-step technique into our daily lives. The ancient masters used a series of drawings accompanied by paradoxical poems to depict the stages of development in the practice of Zen and the attainment of enlightenment (Kapleau, 1980). The illustrations revealed the difference between pseudo and real enlightenment. When the disciples believed that they had 295
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reached enlightenment, the illustrations made them realize that this probably was only the initial insight into their true spiritual awareness (Braverman, 1994).
THE TEN OXHERDING PICTURES The Ten Oxherding Pictures, which date back to a Ch’an (Zen) master of the Sung dynasty in China (1126-1279 CE), depict an adolescent herdsman, who symbolizes the Iill, or everything described in No Mind 101. The boy sets out on a quest to find enlightenment. He starts from the perspective of the Iill, which is the root of the problems and attachments we experience in our daily lives. Our propensity to identify with the Iill feeds the illusion that we are separate from everything and maintains a superficial reality that we have created and have been conditioned to believe. There are many variations of the ancient Oxherding pictures which can be found for easy reference on the Internet. The young herdsman sets out on a journey to find the truth of who he really is. He seeks the underlying essence of nature, his spiritual awareness. The ox represents achieving spiritual awareness by controlling and eventually overcoming the mind—No Mind—which is the goal of the boy. With training and searching, the Iill eventually fades away into pure spiritual awareness of the essential aspect of nature. The series of illustrations begins with the boy looking for the tracks of the ox and proceeds to show him slowly overcoming the Iill, grasping the insight of spiritual awareness, and “seeing” nature as it truly is—“looking into the nothingness.” The last picture depicts the boy as a grown man experiencing the oneness of the world and “returning to the marketplace” to help other people do the same. The goal of Zen is the integration of enlightenment into normal daily life—into business, relationships, sports, art, education, health, and academics. The realization that you are everything and that everything is you
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engenders the purest form of compassion. At its highest level, this realization equals seeing into the emptiness, the essence of all things in the universe, which is both nothing and everything at the same time, as we discussed in No Mind 201. In the beginning, the inexperienced oxherder is confronted with the paradox that spiritual awareness cannot be found through the dualistic perspective of the Iill, and so the boy is uncertain and confused. In the second picture, ‘finding the tracks,’ the boy looks into the nature of the Iill (mind), and begins to understand its automatizations and mechanisms. The boy gains confidence to proceed with his quest for spiritual awareness, yet he still hasn’t experienced No Mind. He begins to now understand Right Attitude and Right Awareness of No Mind (discussed later in No Mind 301). In the third picture, which offers the first glimpse of the ox, the boy is fully aware of the patterns of the Iill and how far it is from true spiritual awareness. He has an occasional fleeting glimpse of the insight into his spiritual awareness, but the Iill is still overbearing. He understands that practicing No Mind will help him to begin dissolving the illusion of the dualistic relationship between observer and observed. He also learns that he can only do this through the direct perception of reality. In the fourth picture, ‘catching the ox,’ the practice continues but the boy is having difficulty maintaining the awareness required to reach the deeper levels of No Mind. Awareness shifts back and forth to the Iill, and the frustrated boy sticks to his pursuit of the ox. This marks an important turning point in the practice, because the boy must continue to practice No Mind whenever possible. In the fifth picture, ‘taming the ox,’ the youth has finally learned how to maintain control over awareness, which allows him to penetrate deeper into No Mind. He still struggles to transcend the dualistic nature of the mind, but this requires less effort and true spiritual awareness is now apparent. Watching the thoughts, the boy is mindful of the illusion of the Iill, and he understands that it is the by-product of mental processes.
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In the sixth picture, ‘riding the ox home,’ the boy is no longer swayed by desires or expectations, and all things appear in balance and harmony. “Desire potentials” do not require fulfillment. They are merely mental objects, so he remains detached and observes the folly. Yet, the awareness of dichotomous observer and observed remains; the illusion is not transcended fully, although the boy has become impartial to it. In the seventh picture, ‘ox forgotten, self alone,’ the maturing young man has reached No Mind, and there is no longer observed and observer—they are one. The duality of the Iill is transcended and concepts, thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and opinions have no meaning, for they are seen as part of the old illusion. The original spiritual awareness we have at birth is “re-experienced” directly as total absorption in the moment. The person who is doing the experiencing and the experienced phenomena have vanished. In the eighth picture, ‘both ox and self forgotten,’ the herder looks directly into the emptiness, and the last fragments of the Iill have dissolved. The fragmentation of nature is transcended into blissful unity of all the things in the universe. The underlying essence of nature is experienced directly as substance and nothing, where nothing and everything exist in the pure present moment. This is an unconditional state that depends on nothing for its fulfillment or maintenance—it is pure existence. In the ninth picture, ‘returning to the source,’ the herder observes the ceaseless change of nature, and the flow of the underlying essence is experienced as all things continue in their pursuit of survival, which is the quintessence of their being. Inherent in all things are the source of their origin and the effortless flow of their changing form, which is direct manifestation of their underlying essence. This is the realization of nature becoming aware of itself through the enlightenment of the herder. The awareness that is experienced now is the expression of the nothingness in all matter; it is an awareness that is throbbing with the universe’s own awareness. There is no individual self,
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only the objects of the external world and the pure graceful action of the universe. The tenth picture, ‘entering the marketplace to help others,’ depicts a selfless adult who sees all things without having to interpret their meaning or value. There is no condemning, justifying, or analyzing the people with whom he comes into contact. He flows in the way of the Tao (nature) like a mountain stream that cannot be stopped by the boulders that lie in its path. He simply flows around obstacles, at the same time offering wisdom and guidance to those who wish to go through the same journey. The man observes the strivings of people with indifference and compassion at the same time. The boy has turned into a man, and the man has vanished into emptiness, and nothing remains except the fulfillment of his intrinsic desire to help others.
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ZEN AND NO MIND Zen and the practice of No Mind are of no use if you cannot apply them to your life. Your daily work must manifest spiritual awareness through your mind-body dynamic. Nature expresses itself in the honest work that we perform in society. You do not need to practice Zen or No Mind in a special location set aside for mediation. Rather, you must incorporate it into all aspects of your life—business, sports, relationships, education, and so on. It is far more worthwhile to practice CAt while cooking, as opposed to sitting quietly on a pillow in a dark room. In fact, it is best to perform Zen in the midst of strife and confusion. One day the Master instructed a certain samurai: ‘From the beginning, it best to do zazen [meditation] in the midst of strife and confusion. A samurai, in particular, must be able to do zazen while uttering his battle cry. Guns are firing, lances are flying, and amidst the confusion, you send up a battle cry. It’s here that you can clearly make good use of your practice. What use can you have for the sort of zazen that needs a quiet place?’ (Braverman, 1994)
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However, meditating in a dark room can help you develop the skills necessary to practice No Mind in your daily lives, which is why it is recommended for beginners. The Sequence of the Stones presented here originates from the Ten Oxherding Pictures, although they are modified from illustrations that are almost a thousand years old. In the sequence, the number of pictures is reduced to nine. The illustrations incorporate knowledge of the Iill, Mind, Body, Spiritual Awareness, External World, and Time, as discussed in No Mind 101 and No Mind 201. The Power of No Mind discussed in No Mind 301 and the Secrets of No Mind discussed in No Mind 401 are integrated into the Sequence of the Stones which you will discover in this chapter. These symbolic mandalas represent the stages of development in the practice of No Mind through a stylized graphic format that replaces the boy and the ox with ancient symbols. The term mandala is derived from ancient Sanskrit of Tantric origins. It means circle, polygon, community, connection, and it symbolizes enlightenment. A mandala is crafted as a metaphorical palace that is contemplated upon during meditation. Each object in the palace has meaning, representing some aspect of wisdom, knowledge, and insight. Furthermore, the mandalas are used to guide the seeker of enlightenment through the stages of development.
THE ANCIENT YIN YANG SYMBOL The palace in the center and the outer circle of the contemporary nine Oxherding pictures is the Yin Yang symbol, representing the inner temple of the mind-body dynamic. The Yin Yang symbol originated in I-Ching, or the Book of Changes, which is the foundation of Chinese philosophy. I-Ching was developed from the awareness of the natural phenomena of the universe, or the essential aspects
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of nature. Yang represents the Sun, creation, heat, male, light, dominance, and so on. The Yin represents the Moon, female, cool, darkness, submission, completion, and so on. All things in the universe change all the time— there is no moment of stagnation. In the process of perpetual transformation, the forces of Yin and Yang are balanced because no one force dominates the other, and they are two parts of the same whole—the whole of nature. The Yin Yang aspects of any one thing are in constant fluctuation. One principle produces the other, and the essential aspect of one is within the other as a latent potential; in other words, all things possess their opposite state. We briefly discussed the reality of essential identity, such as the essential underlying aspect of nature, which must be Nothingness and Being simultaneously. In other words, the Now is both Being and Nothingness at the same time; otherwise, it would be dualistic and impermanent. In our categorical minds, we perceive Being and Nothingness as distinct identities and conceptualize them as opposites. Yet, just as Yin and Yang are not opposites, they are in reality two complementary dynamic aspects of the universe. With this in mind, the Sequence of the Stones represented here depicts the inner temple as a changing Yin Yang symbol of the Mind-Body-Iill. This evolves into a larger Yin Yang symbol representing the external world and eventually the universe, or nature.
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NINE MANDALAS AND THE PRACTICE OF NO MIND The following nine mandalas depict the stages of development in the practice of No Mind. Their source is nearly a millennium old. They depict the levels of enlightenment in an illustrative, as opposed to textual, format. They are put together from the remaining fragments of the Sequence of the Stones.
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1
ONE ... Before the Iill, At Birth
Figure 15-1. A newborn baby does not distinguish between self and non-self. Everything is spiritual awareness, or the pure awareness of the first look at a world without meaning and identity. There is no fragmentation, and the external world and the mind-body are blurred into the same essential identity, represented here by the dashed lines. Awareness is disrupted only by physiological needs, such as comfort, food, and excretion. We come into the world without identity of an “I,” without developed Iill, only with the genetic map of tendencies and potentialities, which may be modified one way or the other through conditioning and reinforcement. All subsequent experiences merge into the emotional, physical, and intellectual mind-body dynamic, which becomes the “I.” We develop the awareness of our “I” as a separate entity between the ages of 3 and 6. Long ago in Japan, charting the heavens was closely tied to divination. The star maps in the background of the mandala represent the celestial bodies of the universe as a part of our mind and body.
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2
TWO ... Formation of the Iill, Searching for the Ox
Figure 15-2. The Iill is developed through the processes of conditioning, reinforcement, modeling, and categorical formation rooted in the brain’s associative neural networks and genetic mapping. These mechanisms establish our dualistic thinking, confirming the existence of “I.” Perception and behavior are limited through defense mechanisms, memory, emotions, motivations, expectations, regrets, and worries. This limited awareness of perception and behavior is represented by the large gap between mind and body (inner shaded Yin Yang symbol standing for the inner temple). The Iill stands between the mind and body, interfering in their dynamic flow through expectations and self-criticisms. The Iill limits the full capacity of the mind-body dynamic. We also have an acute sense of time in terms of future and past (represented by the plus and minus signs on our cognitive axis through which we orient ourselves towards the world, and which here resembles a well-known technical contraption—the compass). Our concept of present-moment experience—the Now—is limited. The thoughts, “I am my body, I am my mind” dominate awareness and reaffirm the identity of the Iill. The outer circle is the external world of phenomena that blocks spiritual awareness from being realized. The illusory world of separate things reinforces the Iill’s perception of alienation and undermines our underlying unity with nature—spiritual awareness.
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3
THREE ... The First Level of CAt, Finding the Tracks
Figure 15-3. The first level of CAt when passive awareness is attained, represented by the grey shading. It expands the limits of perception and begins to de-condition actions and reactions. There are moments of being objective and watching the stream of thoughts and bodily movements; the sensation of the initial stages of detachment is experienced. The first steps of deautomatization are taken. In the mandala, the Iill is slightly reduced in size, squeezed out as the mind-body dynamic comes closer together in order to function more efficiently. This “squeezing” suggests that the Iill’s control over awareness is slowly diminishing, while awareness of the external world grows by about 25%. The shift of awareness away from the Iill and toward the inner and outer worlds translates into a more direct perception of reality. There is still an acute temporal sense of past and future, of the Iill, and of self-awareness; we are still aware that we are aware.
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4
FOUR ... The Second Level of CAt, Seeing the Ox
Figure 15-4. The second level of CAt further expands awareness, which pushes the limits of perception and the deautomatization of our conditioned actions and reactions. These moments when we objectively watch the stream of thoughts and bodily movements become longer and longer. Now spiritual awareness is in sight across the “mysterious abyss,” even though the Iill and the worldly phenomena continue to obstruct the path. We are constantly aware of how foolish the acts of the Iill are. In the mandala, the Iill shrinks again, as the mind-body dynamic comes closer together through less self-criticism and less self-talk. Thus, moving closer to peak performance. This squeezing suggests that the Iill’s control over awareness diminishes while awareness grows into the external world and toward spiritual awareness by about 50% (represented by grey shading). The expansion of awareness away from the Iill and toward the inner and outer worlds continues to produce a more direct perception of reality. Ingrained personality patterns are now recognized as fragments of the Iill. There is still an acute temporal sense of past and future, of the Iill, and of self-awareness.
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5
FIVE ... The Third Level of CAt, Taming and Riding the Ox Home
Figure 15-5. The third level of CAt; through continued practice of the techniques of No Mind, the ability to maintain CAt through daily tasks and routines increases to where we can practice it about 75% of the time. Although awareness can be distracted by thoughts, it can be brought back under control quite easily. CAt penetrates through the veil of the external world and into No Mind, as awareness of spiritual awareness has grown. Constant maintenance of CAt is required to continue past this step and into the level of No Mind. Dualistic thought patterns begin to break down as the deautomatization of actions and reactions starts affecting behavior. Thus, the Iill’s trap of awareness loosens as a new perspective begins to emerge, grasping the greater dynamic unity beyond the Iill. The Iill in this mandala has been reduced to a fraction of its original size, as awareness further expands toward spiritual awareness. Simultaneously, the awareness of past and future has been replaced by increased present-moment awareness.
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6
SIX ... The First Level of No Mind, Ox Forgotten, Self Alone
Figure 15-6. In the first level of No Mind, awareness flows between thoughts without clinging or getting stuck. The mind “before” the thought is grasped and experienced. Awareness is focused 100%, although subtle shifts and recognition of the Iill still remain. The awareness is identified with the present moment and perception reflects as a mirror without losing itself in the interpretation of external phenomena. The external world dissolves into spiritual awareness. The essential aspect of spiritual awareness is grasped, and the doubt that once burned in the mind has been extinguished by the realization that the sense of identity is an illusion. The insight that Being and Nothingness arise codependently means that the essential underlying substance of nature originates in emptiness. Identity is realized in terms of the social human practice of describing and relating to things through language, and spiritual awareness is beyond this; it can’t be described using a dualistic language. The insight that all paths lead to the same place is a common experience of No Mind; it is the realization that all differences stem from the languages of the practitioners. The mind-body dynamic is in harmony and free from the Iill. This is the “zone” experience of athletes and actors; the experience of peak performance without the self.
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7
SEVEN ... The Second Level of No Mind, Both Ox and Self Forgotten
Figure 15-7. Awareness is no longer aware of itself, all traces of the Iill have vanished, and the external world merges with spiritual awareness into one essential awareness. A doer no longer exists in the doing; the mindbody is without essential identity. There is no observer— only the observed exists. All action is performed through non-action as an effortless flow of energy without any self. Time is transcended and the present moment is omnipresent. The mind-body dynamic is synchronized into action as an inseparable whole. All categories disappear, as meanings and interpretations of events and phenomena are held in awareness as part of a total whole. There are no separate elements in nature; all things are seen as the manifestation of a basic underlying essence and as emptiness. The external world of phenomena no longer blocks spiritual awareness. The experience of the universe is transformed into one experience of action and reaction; there are no longer individual actions and reactions, as they are all meshed into one reality of existence. This is essential Being, the experiencing that “awareness is the only universal constant.”TM
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8
EIGHT ... The Final Level of No Mind, Returning to the Source
Figure 15-8. The Iill is completely gone, and all that remains is the awareness of the underlying essence of nature (a.k.a. god-consciousness, or oneness). All things exist only as manifestations of their source. The experience of spiritual awareness is the underlying essence of the universe becoming aware of itself—this is the level of mystical experience, of looking into the emptiness ... looking directly into nature’s essence. It is an unshakeable experience that transcends all descriptions of reality and phenomena; it is the direct experience of the flow of nature, of the Tao. All boundaries are dissolved into the undifferentiated oneness that comprises all things in the universe. One acts without self-consciousness, yet realizes that all life is a sacred element of the underlying spiritual awareness; all acts are considered with ultimate compassion.
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9
NINE ... Entering the Marketplace
Figure 15-9. The person without an Iill is selfless and sees all things as manifestations of being, nature, Tao, or God. The mind no longer condemns, justifies, or analyzes people; there is only total acceptance of “what is.” The enlightened person knows how to flow over the obstacles of the social world, seeing illusion as illusion and recognizing the plots of those who try to achieve something at the expense of others. This person cannot be deceived. Looking through the Iill of others, he sees the self-deception of their identity. Helping others with ultimate compassion is the way of nature, and so it comes spontaneously, there is no need for effort. The best use of the practice of No Mind is in the sharing with others and helping those who can be helped. And so the enlightened person knows that through daily tasks or work, the mind-body is fulfilled, and in that fulfillment spiritual awareness is realized as the universe becomes aware of itself. The very expression of nature is through the honest work that we perform in the social world.
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The Ten ParadoxesTM are derived from the ancient philosophies of the Tao and Zen, as well as from modern scientific and medical research. The ancient masters discussed similar codes with their disciples and followers of the Way. The codes ensure that we choose the right action in our everyday lives, and they facilitate the further development of CAt to gain insight and to negate the automatism of the Iill, thus removing the roadblocks on the way to full mind-body synchronicity and potential. The Ten Paradoxes is a contemporary Zen or Tao code, with modifications that merge modern psychology, the Power of No Mind, and psycho-therapeutic language into one comprehensive program. Chapter 16 introduces The Ten Paradoxes, which cultivates Right Attitude and Right Awareness.
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Chapter 16
The Ten Paradoxes
I
n No Mind 301, we integrate the understanding of the mind with the understanding of No Mind. Without the knowledge you have acquired so far in this program, the technique presented here would mean nothing to you and you wouldn’t be able to apply it to your daily life. In light of the modern context and its implications for the adaptation of the principles of No Mind, it is imperative that we understand mind and No Mind in order to understand the purpose of the technique. This guiding knowledge enables the development of the Right Attitude and Right Awareness (CAt), which will be discussed in the following chapters. Now you have everything you need. You are in charge on this journey—no one can help you realize No Mind except for yourself. You may be guided, but it is you who must practice and maintain the correct attitude. All one can do to help you is to point the way. The right door has been identified for you, so open it and begin the journey. 312
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Spiritual awareness is yours already. Nothing needs to be found or gotten. When Right Attitude and Right Awareness (CAt) start working in unison, No Mind takes over and the insight of spiritual awareness is grasped. Then you experience god-consciousness, or the essential aspect of nature. The process is different for each person, and “breakthrough” experiences vary; yet, the result is always the same. Each person requires a different mix of knowledge of No Mind, practice, CAt, and Right Attitude. Overpowering the Iill calls for diligent behavioral deautomatizations. When we concern ourselves with the concept of “Who” (as in “Who is watching?”), we find it impossible to locate an actual entity called “I.” As we move away from the Iill, we are increasingly skeptical about the concept of “Who.” Doubt emerges because No Mind and the insight of spiritual awareness cannot be understood from the perspective of the Iill. Our intellectual and analytical capacities come to a screeching halt at the edge of the abyss of nothingness. We begin to doubt the perceived core of our existence, the Iill. All meanings and attachments appear empty, but the effect is oddly life-affirming. We are most likely to experience a flash of No Mind in the midst of such doubt, when spiritual awareness rushes in and we experience direct perception of reality. At this point, you can grasp the Ten Paradoxes. No Mind is grasped though direct insight of nature, where all things exist and flourish interdependently within a single reality. This mystical insight illuminates the paradoxes of No Mind, which will be discussed in No Mind 401. A study published in Psychologia in 1975 details the author’s experience trying to hold an image still. The author describes how meaning was stripped from symbols, words, and images, and only the actual explicit meaning remained:
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Repeated efforts over many months met with failure until finally, for a split second, all bodily responses remained completely still, while I looked on at the image and the thought associated with it ... with all bodily reactions stopped at the moment of looking, images become neutral and language is reduced to a truly abstract symbolic system. (Grim, 1975)
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The Ten Paradoxes cultivate Right Attitude and Right Awareness. They are partially derived from the ancient philosophies of Tao and Zen and partially from the modern scientific and medical findings detailed in the No Mind program. The ancient masters discussed similar paradoxes with kings, queens, ministers, priests, Samurai warriors, disciples, and other followers of the Way. In addition, similar teachings are common to many other religious and philosophical traditions, such as Christian Mysticism, Sufism, the Kabbalah, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Yogism. The paradoxes nourish the right action in everyday life and enable CAt to counteract the automated Iill, thus enhancing the mind-body potential and true happiness. The Ten Paradoxes help us to get through life’s challenges and to maintain Right Attitude and Right Awareness. We face a world of perpetual change, where apparent truths or realities can crumble overnight. We are constantly exposed to human pathologies and to societal ills. We keep filling our plates, assuming that this leads to happiness, yet we end in sadness, despair, or confusion. Society and media condition us to believe that more is better, and we never take the time to question this paradigm. We are concerned with the goal, with the end result, with the fruits of our labor, and the youthful process of effortless play fades in the background. But the ancient masters say, “without effort all is done”; in other words, without the “conditioned” Iill affecting every aspect of doing, all is done as there is nothing left undone. When our efforts arise from conditioned behavior to achieve a conditioned goal, then we are in the “effort” of the Iill, and not in the effortless process of No Mind. Mental preparation is key to mastering the adaptation skills necessary to flow with daily changes and to overcome seemingly impenetrable obstacles. This keeps us focused on the path and armed with a keenly perceptive sense of humor. We understand the workings of our own Iill and of the Iills of others and of
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society as a whole. This understanding is humorous when we know that the web ensnarling us is only a constructed illusion and that we hold the keys to our own prison. This key unlocks the “door of intuition” we need to enter in order to grasp the essential nature of our spiritual awareness. The middle path is always the best. When you are caught up in the extremes and believe them to be reality, then you have further entangled yourself in the web of the Iill. These types of entanglements make it harder for you to escape the Iill and to grasp No Mind. You realize that opinion, conceit, value, pride, belief, and religious and social extremisms are all products of the individual and social Iill. Their source is empty conditioning, reinforcement, and association, so they have no intrinsic reality of their own. People who do not understand the middle path fight and even die for the Iill. The golden median, on the other hand, is characterized by balance, contentment, and peace, even during turbulent times. The secret is in transcending opposites and extremes and in seeing all things within the dynamic unity of an intrinsically playful nature. The practice of No Mind is not limited to focusing your attention for twenty minutes a day. Instead, it is a practice of integrating Right Attitude and Right Awareness in your daily lives. The paradoxes are a reference guide we can use routinely and apply to a variety of situations. Some of the paradoxes may appear more illogical than others. But spiritual awareness reconciles all inconsistencies and opposites. With spiritual awareness, you experience reality directly. The Ten Paradoxes are related to the six factors of No Mind discussed in No Mind 201. The six factors are fundamental to a solid grasp of the philosophy and technique of No Mind. The paradoxes may appear nonsensible at first, but this is only because you approach them via the relative mechanisms of the Iill; regardless, they offer the best path to No Mind. Here they are, the Ten Paradoxes:
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Paradox 1
Act. React. But never try.
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Paradox 2
Act. React. Always in play.
Paradox 3
Seek mind with no thought.
The Ten Paradoxes
Paradox 4
With thought, intention. With intention, karma.
Paradox 5
Perform. Do. But never think.
Paradox 6
When mind is as a mirror, everything is revealed.
Paradox 7
With thought, no flow. Without thought, flow.
Paradox 8
With attachment, work. Without attachment, play.
Paradox 9
Think. Think not. There is no thinker.
Paradox 10
Untrain the mind, be empty. When empty, you are full.
We will discuss how each of the Paradoxes contributes to the development of the Right Attitude and Right Awareness. In No Mind 501, we learn how to use The Ten Paradoxes on a daily basis in business, sports, relationships, and stress management. The Iill is a tough nut to crack, but with patience and constant awareness you gain control over its elusive aspects. Auto-actions, auto-reactions, and auto-perceptions produced by the mechanisms of the Iill (Figure 7-1) dissipate when we apply No Mind and the paradoxes to events in our daily lives. We then perceive everything more clearly and directly. This awareness allows us to make choices based on our holistic “knowledge” of the situation without having to break things down into fragments. The mind’s natural tendency is to “see” the parts and not the whole; in the practice of No Mind, however, you expand your horizons and interpret reality without fragmenting it into categories. The Ten Paradoxes are crucial to developing Right Attitude in daily living, while the awareness techniques discussed here develop the more important aspect of Right Awareness. The Ten Paradoxes will be referenced frequently throughout No Mind 501, Living No Mind:
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Paradox 1
Act. React. But Never Try. Action and reaction are the products of behaviors, motivations, thoughts, perceptions, and emotions we experience throughout the day. Acting and reacting are essential to our daily functioning. The Ten Paradoxes teach that we don’t need to apply conditioned effort to our actions and reactions in our pursuit to fulfill conditioned expectations, desires, hopes, egocentric goals, and so on. When we “try” in an action, we identify with the effort and become attached to it. The harder we try, the more we identify, whether we are successful or not. We become the “try” and our self-image is conditioned
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on the success or failure of that “try.” If you “try” for the sake of outdoing others or for ego gratification, then the “try” originates in the Iill mechanisms. It is self-fulfilling and empty, as it has no real existence of its own—only mingled conditioned associations within the mind. An empty and unsubstantiated source can never bring true happiness and contentment, as it is ever-changing. The action of non-human animals is natural and effortless, as it isn’t conditioned on the “I.” Animals respond and move in a way that is free of ego-gratifying conditions. They can be trained and conditioned, but that goes beyond the instinctive “natural” motions of the animals. This is relevant to peak performance in sports, where the Iill releases its hold on the mind-body and allows it to do what it has been trained to do. This releases a mind-body dynamic that is free of Iill-imposed blocks, such as expectations, fears, performance anxieties, worries, and motivations. The ancient Chinese texts of the Tao are very clear on this point: The most extensive knowledge does not necessarily know it; reasoning will not make men wise in it. The sages have decided against both these methods ... By non-action everything can be done. (Tzu, 1968)
Through play and effortless action, all gets done without being forced. Natural and effortless actions are more effective. The ancient Tao masters called this phenomenon wu-wei, or non-action. Non-action happens spontaneously, allowing the mind-body dynamic to perform of its own accord without the interference of “shoulds.” While non-action is the flow of the moment that fulfils the nature of the person, “try” is a mere manifestation. If one is trained as a runner, her mind-body nature is to run; to “try” to run would be redundant, and it would interfere with her natural ability. If the runner “tries” to run as fast as she can in order to win a race, the thoughts of being the best and winning actually obstruct the peak performance of the mind-body dynamic. It is more natural to “let go” and to run with Clear Attention, or CAt. So the runner
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is mindful of the mind-body during the run, as opposed to being mindlessly swept into seductive thoughts of winning. Her reaction is quicker, natural, and resolute— without self-awareness and self-corrections. When you are in the moment, you are grounded and moved by your nature without anxious expectations of the future or guilts of the past.
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A focus on the process and intrinsic qualities of an activity reduces the likelihood of anxiety and depression (thus eliminating their negative impact on performance), increases the pleasure of joy during the process, and thus increases the likelihood of achieving the extrinsic outcome. I have to let go of a desired outcome in order to acquire it. (Borkovec, 2002)
This paradox enables the mind-body to do what it does naturally, without “forcing.” The insight here is that if you are “trying” on behalf of the ego, the effort is tainted by the mechanisms of the Iill. Try therefore becomes conditioned, false, and unnatural. The incessant self-talk we perform during an action reduces our capabilities and performance, even if it is positive. Again, the words of Lao Tzu, “by non-action everything can be done,” appear paradoxical at first, but with understanding and practice we learn that “everything is done” refers to the natural order of things fulfilling itself without individual effort or the Iill. We do not need to teach a tiger to hunt or a rose to blossom; we all have natural talents and abilities, and if we allow them to unfold spontaneously, we are fulfilled and “everything is done.” In the more advanced levels of No Mind, there cannot be any conditioned “try” or effort. Action arises spontaneously only when conditions are right. While the technique certainly requires effort, concentration, and persistence, it should be practiced as naturally as pouring a cup of tea during a tea ceremony. There is no “try” entailed in pouring a cup of tea. With No Mind, we simply pour and enjoy.
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Paradox 2
Act. React. Always in Play. The concept of play relates to the concept of never try. Play is the natural flow of the universe. It is purposeless and unintentional, which does not mean that it is disordered, un-patterned, or unstructured. If you believe there is an underlying purpose to everything, then you might also believe that this purpose was assigned. In this case, we conceive of “purpose” loosely within the natural chaos of the universe. “Play” here does not refer to recreational or entertaining activities, such as sports, games, movies, and so on. Instead, play
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is improvisation without “Iill” intention throughout the routines of our lives. It is going through the day with humor and mindfulness. We play out actions and reactions and have fun. To become attached to outcomes, results, and decisions that are outside our control is to set ourselves up for failure and unhappiness. We perform best by following our natural ability through play, without conditioned effort. Play negates the seriousness of the Iill’s conditioning and defensive mechanisms. Only few people understand play in daily life, and they exemplify happiness. No Mind is a playful reflection of the universe. We all have met “high-strung” people who spend every moment gratifying their Iill. They are stuck suffering in their own web of illusion. “Play” here does not mean a lackadaisical, half-hearted effort toward a particular project, task, or routine. You still perform to the best of your natural ability. But in doing so, you do not become attached to particular outcomes that you cannot control, and you do not focus on ego gratification or on fulfilling self-worth prophecies. Be mindful of the task, and do not focus on the thoughts of the task, on the expectations of the task, on the intentions or motivations of the task—just the task itself. Do not dwell in the attitude that has been forged by the Iill and get past it by utilizing Right Awareness or CAt, where all work is play. When all work is play, all work is relatively the same—an exercise of the mind-body dynamic that brings simple joy. Perform the task in play and you will never be at work. Focus in the present, like you did when you played as a child. There is nothing more that needs to be done. Ego gratification is irrelevant in No Mind because the Iill has been surpassed. There is nothing to fulfill in that sense, nothing is threatened, so everything is play. Practicing No Mind, you easily distinguish playpals with freedom and spontaneity from people who have Iill issues; yet, with No Mind we feel compassion for the latter types, who are still trapped within their own illusion. You also know that you have a natural edge in your dealings with them. From this perspective, we see that interpersonal conflicts stem from the natural order of the social world
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composed of numerous Iill realities. They do not constitute a personal attack, as there is nothing personal about No Mind. It is an awareness that is beyond the personal. It is the awareness of the unity of all parts and pieces of reality. So concern yourself less with the playpen, with the toys, and with the Iills of your playmates; instead, your primary concern should be the play—improvisation without intention.
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Paradox 3
Seek Mind with No Thought. This paradox represents one of the oldest concepts of Zen and Eastern philosophies. Recently, it has also become the focus of modern psychotherapy. Without two mirrors, how can you ever see the back of your head? It is as impossible as discovering No Mind with mind. Mind cannot grasp No Mind because it blocks itself from “seeing.” The analytical, intellectual, associative, categorical, filtering, and defensive processes of the compulsive Iill stifle Clear Attention of No Mind. When the mind has been untrained from its neural networking physiology, the awareness of
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No Mind arises. From that point forward, it can be practiced and deepened until it becomes part of our daily life. In an article published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology, Emanuel Berger of the University of Minnesota suggests that the Zen technique of “no thought” (No Mind) is a process used to overcome dualism (subject–object relationships): It is to allow the mind to function freely without thought of environment or objects of consciousness, or ideas of good and bad, free of behaviorism. Behavior then is more spontaneous, freer without pre-supposed ideals or habits. ‘No thought’ can be applied to the counseling relationship, allowing the counselor to act on his own, to respond and to act without any attempt to achieve any special effect without standing outside the relationship and viewing either the client or self or the relationship objectively for the purpose of analyzing, manipulating or evaluating what is being done ... Language is used to refer to everything outside oneself, and thereby objectifies everything that is ‘not self’ by giving it names and classifications. Zen says that this duality is not real, that both the self and non-self are part of the totality of the individual’s experience. The self is not an entity separate from our experiencing, but a part of that experience. (Berger, 1962)
The practice of “no thought” can be used in professional, business, educational, and creative settings, as well as in relationships, sports, and stress management, as detailed in No Mind 501, Living No Mind. The practice of “no thought” is the practice of No Mind—the mindful attention of the moment as it is, not as it “should” be. Seeking mind with no thought is seeking the insight of spiritual awareness discussed in Chapter 11. This insight grasps the direct reality of spiritual awareness and applies No Mind to push the Iill’s program into the background of awareness (in a multitasking metaphor). There is a shift from auto-perception to direct perception of reality. No thought is a prerequisite to insight, and the two are co-dependent. With CAt, the mind becomes void of
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thoughts, the mechanisms of the Iill stop, and the gates of insight open. No Mind is holistic awareness of the direct perception of reality. By contrast, dualism is the expression of language and of the neural associative networks. Thought manifests itself in a world of identity, where it fragments and categorizes reality into parts, obscuring its natural unity and interdependence. It establishes the Iill as a discrete entity that sets itself against the external world. When we set ourselves apart from the external world, we create our own world of desire, fear, good, and evil. It is written in the Dhammapada: The Path of Perfection (from the third century BCE):
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He whose mind is in calm self-control is free from the lust of desires, who has risen above good and evil. He is awake and has no fear. (Mascaro, 1973)
To be awake is to be enlightened about the essence of nature, which is imperishable. It isn’t flesh, nor bones; instead, it is the underlying, ever-lasting essence of flesh and bones (and everything else). Fear is irrelevant to what cannot be destroyed, and this realization comprises the warrior’s sense of No Mind. It is infinite awareness above the Iill, the mind, or the body, which are fragile. You are the spiritual awareness which permeates the universe. You seek mind with absolute, as opposed to learned or relative, knowledge. The ancient masters have repeatedly warned that the more you study No Mind intellectually, the more you depart from the direct path. When the Iill’s mechanisms, defenses, and thoughts subside, the Iill is overrun by insight. The process of “no thought” opens the gates to this paradox, and the practice of No Mind stops the process of thought.
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Paradox 4
With Thought, Intention. With Intention, Karma. Our lives are determined by karma until there is enlightenment, but karma is a widely misunderstood concept. Karma does not refer to the good and bad “credit” you accumulate through positive and negative actions (“what you put out is what you get back,” or “it all comes back to you”). Karma begins with the seeds of intention in the Iill. As long as we have intentional volition and remain in the illusion of the Iill, we are bound by karma. When we act within the Iill’s fragmented dualistic reality, we are independent, self-serving entities
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that manifest “individual” intentions but remain blind to the unity of spiritual awareness. The Iill is a selfish illusion and an evolutionary self-protective mechanism that usually favors itself over all else. Thus, when we act on a basic intention, we release the energy of the Iill’s desire into the world. As we discussed in the context of Paradoxes 1 and 2, intentions, expectations, desires, and motivations are not pure; they are based on the automatisms of the Iill. We are not acting free as long as we act based on “conditioned” motives. With No Mind, there is no intention and the manifested actions are pure and selfless, triggered by pure perception (see Figure 19-1). As long as there is an aspect of the Iill in your intention, you are bound by karma. In No Mind, the simple act of eating is driven by pure intention that is not originating from the Iill. Thus, it is untainted by karmic energy. When you eat, just eat, try to be mindful of the eating and of the taste only. Do not complicate the act of eating with prejudice or with interpretation of the food. Our taste buds can get very conditioned, and eating “correctly” through No Mind can uncondition them. Just eat and enjoy. But if the act of eating is polluted by the intentions of the Iill (for example, if we are concerned with being seen in a certain restaurant, or indulge cravings for a particular type of food, or overeat in order to politely “finish everything”), it comes with karma. They produce karmic energy because of their Iill origin. When you eat for the simple sake of eating, without intention, your taste is open and unconditionally reactive. Don’t worry about where, what, and why. Just eat! Without karma, you are free from the contingencies of your actions and reactions. Act. React. But never try. When you act naturally in accord with your spiritual awareness, your actions and reactions are merely expressions of the mind-body dynamic without interference from the Iill, without self-corrections, without evaluation and analyses, without the desire to impress others. It is simple and pure. Practicing No Mind enables you to recognize the Iill’s influence on your experiences. Being
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mindful, you understand the karmic auto-actions, autoreactions, and auto-perceptions of the Iill. Traditionally, we think of karma in simplistic terms of cause and effect. The general idea is that we have “bad” karma if we hurt somebody and we have “good” karma if we do something philanthropic. But this is not how the ancient masters conceived of karma. Karma relates to the “active” aspect of the universe. It describes the dynamic interrelationships among Iill-realities. Even the Iill originates in spiritual awareness, the essential aspect of nature. The spectrum of karma, spanning from evil to love, includes the multitude of social actions and interactions based on the Iill’s intentions. Karma does relate to the essential nature of perceptible cause and effect, but it is more than that. When a negative or a positive action is performed intentionally, it may not have immediate apparent effects, and it may even go undetected forever. The karma of these types of “unseen” events is not that a similar effect will bounce back to its originator, but that the originator is still bound by the positive and negative karmic aspects of his action via his mental web. Each intentional action has a reciprocal pattern in the mental web of the Iill, and it remains there until it is liberated through enlightenment. These actions originate in the Iill and remain within its confines, therefore they become embroiled in the karmic chain of cause and effect. So a negatively charged karmic event is not only introduced into the world, but it stays and festers within the originator’s mind. In other words, when you think karma is coming back to you or to someone else, it is you or the originator who is producing the “rebound” effect. No Mind is beyond the opposition between positive and negative. Action and reaction are seen as parts of the same dynamic cycle of events, and positive and negative acts are the ends of the same pole—one contains the other and cannot exist without it. You wouldn’t know a positive action unless you knew a negative one. And these discriminations are related to the propensity of the Iill to categorize; in No Mind there are no discriminations.
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These terms are relative to the karma originator. He is bound by karma as long as he thinks that positive and negative are two different realities. This does not mean that positive and negative actions have the same consequences in the social world; obviously negative actions can hurt and positive actions can help in the context of the social realm. The important point here is that actions are interdependent of each other and they arise together. Negative actions are the ones whose positive attributes we may not always perceive. Even the most intelligent of non-human animals do not commit evil or negative acts. They simply exist in the flow of their environment, employing skills and abilities acquired in the course of evolution. When they go about their daily routines, there is no negative or positive intention driving their actions. They do not kill for greed, hate, jealousy, revenge, or enjoyment. They do it to survive. The act is purely instinctual. Human actions are more likely to be driven by the Iill, as opposed to true nature. In this way, karma is a purely human, as opposed to natural, attribute. Karma results from the neural associative networks of our brain. Each time we invest intention in an action, we initiate a chain of events. Karma does not exist in the universe by itself. There is no intention in nature. If a star explodes in a distant galaxy and annihilates all planets in its vicinity, it does not accrue “bad” karma. The same holds for a tree that falls of its own and destroys something in its path. As long as “you” perceive an action as positive or negative, it accrues karma. As mentioned previously, this does not mean that positive and negative actions are the same. Each action has different implications within the social or natural worlds, and the degree of impact of each act carries a related potential karmic charge. Karmic energy is relative to the consequences of the action. No Mind actions are free of karmic energy. They are beyond the dualism of being and not-being, or of opposites in general. In this placeless place, cause and effect do not exist.
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Intention is caught within the chain of cause and effect. By definition, intention implies that something needs to be changed or completed in order to fit into a goal or plan. If an intention is fulfilled, you may be happy; if it fails, you may be sad. Therefore, intention drags you into the karmic world of cause and effect. You do not need to intend to drink the tea. There is the pouring, there is the drinking, and there is enjoyment; none of these require intention. No Mind suspends the Iill’s intentions, so that karma ceases to exist. The pure act of drinking tea is free of karma. Living in the moment is free of karma.
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Paradox 5
Perform. Do. But Never Think. Paradox 1 teaches about “no try,” also known as non-action or action without intention. If one over-thinks while performing an action, he might miss the moment conducive to optimal results. Much cognitive science research over the last two decades suggests that performance increases when you think less. In the book Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind, psychologist Guy Claxton demonstrates that over-thinking hurts the performance of daily tasks, especially under pressure: People working under pressure, whether environmental or psychological, tend to
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select out and focus on those aspects of the situation as a whole which they judge to be the crucial ones. And this judgment must to a certain extent, as Freud realized, be a prejudgment. You make an intuitive decision about what is going to be worth paying attention to. If this ‘attention gamble’ is correct, people may learn the task, or figure out a solution, quicker, but at the expense of a broader overview. They see in terms of what they expect to see. (Claxton, 2000)
So we focus selectively at a price. Claxton also argues that deliberated choices are less likely to produce satisfactory results than intuitive choices that aren’t overanalyzed. We need to learn to intuit between the opposites of good and bad, and we need to do this beyond thought. Insightful decisions are not “weighted” in terms of the conditioned Iill, so they are unconditioned insights. Over-thinking also hurts performance when doubt overruns us in the form of crippling thoughts that lead to failure. Self-deprecating or self-inspiring thoughts present similar obstructions since they originate from myriad conditioning cues, reinforcement patterns, defense mechanisms, filtering sequences, and categorical representations. Thinking “I must succeed, everyone is counting on me” at the moment of optimum performance may be truly counterproductive to the full mind-body potential. As previously discussed, thought interferes with No Mind’s insight of the whole in a single moment. No Mind trains us to suspend categorical representations of a given situation and to hold all categories in awareness at once. Many studies have demonstrated that mindfulness is a powerful tool to open the perceptual pathways and to increase intuitive understanding. There are many documented cases and personal accounts describing experiences where people performed actions without thought. For a moment, or for a series of moments, they were totally absorbed in the act, as the self and self-consciousness disappeared. They trusted the mind-body dynamic to perform as it was trained, exposing talents and abilities to the fullest. Samurai warriors allowed their instinctive mastering of the sword to dominate
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their actions as they fought superbly without thought. In the movie The Last Samurai, a younger warrior advises the Western protagonist, who was overburdened with thoughts and could not perform at his peak potential, to “let go” of thoughts and to “have No Mind” in order to really master the sword. Real Samurai warriors had no intention, no fear, and needed no “try.” Their actions were as natural as the lizard’s tongue flicking the fly off the petal of a flower. No try. No intention. Just pure action. As manifestations of the Iill, thoughts are often deceptive and unreliable. We do not need to act on them. In an article published in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Teasdale makes a distinction between metacognitive knowledge, which is “knowing” that thoughts are not always accurate, and metacognitive insight, which is “experiencing” thoughts as events in the field of awareness. Teasdale’s studies are related to preventing depression relapse by helping patients change the way they relate to their inner experience:
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Facilitating a metacognitive insight mode, in which thoughts are experienced simply as events in the mind, offers an alternative preventative strategy. Mindfulness training teaches skills to enter this mode, and forms a central component of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy ... A primary focus such as the breath can serve as ‘anchor’ which can be used to return awareness to the present moment and limit the extent to which one becomes ‘lost’ in the ‘reality’ created by the thought streams in which we are so often immersed. Mindful observation of thoughts allows us to recognize familiar, recurring patterns in the thought content, so facilitating further the ability to see them as patterns of the mind rather than as necessarily valid readouts on reality. (Teasdale, 1999b)
In clinical settings, mindfulness is used to emphasize that thoughts are mind creations and not direct readouts on reality. Thoughts are fallible, and we must learn to see the patterns of the Iill by being mindful of mental processes. We have a tendency to get lost in the process, but
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Clear Attention (CAt) remedies this. As discussed in greater detail in Chapter 28, No Mind Sports, the essence of no thought in performance is the total absorption in the action and the awareness that thoughts do not necessarily constitute the correct interpretation of reality. The loss of self-consciousness allows for pure focus on the act and not on the preconditions of the thoughts. In other words, all thoughts and cognitive influences that you may have experienced prior to the performance of an action are no longer affecting this performance, so that we can say that it is unconditioned performance. Conditioning here does not refer to training the mind-body to perform an activity. What we mean is that it’s not conditional on any thought of “shoulds” and “whys” we may have had prior to or during an activity. You simply perform without thought in the moment, or in the flow. You are mindful of the body performing until the moment you reach peak performance, when self-consciousness evaporates. No Mind exists only in the present moment, where thoughts of past or future cease to exist. Thoughts of failure or success are of no consequence to your performance. They are seen as mere thoughts and nothing more. Only the act in the present moment exists and everything else is the illusion of the Iill and its defenses. The experience of No Mind in action cannot be forced. It must arise of itself, through the practice of CAt technique.
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Paradox 6
When Mind Is as a Mirror, Everything is Revealed. One of the vital components in the practice of CAt is mirroring the external and internal worlds. In mirroring, sensory data is reflected mindfully without interpretative input from the Iill and its mechanisms. In other words, we do not get “lost” in the autoperception of the internal and external worlds, but we are objectively aware of what is occurring. In this way, your attention acts as a pond reflecting everything that is cast upon it without the intention to reflect anything. The practice of CAt leads to the
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development of No Mind, which leads to the insight of spiritual awareness. At the moment of No Mind enlightenment, we realize spiritual awareness and everything is revealed. We become aware of the essence of nature, which ties us to the universe. At this point, there is a perceptual shift that must be experienced to be understood. You realize that the mind is a mirror, and all ideas and interpretations about reality are suspended in a moment of time. All paradoxes merge and dualistic identity is resolved in non-dualistic universality. The path of No Mind starts with experiencing the direct perception of reality through the practice of CAt, proceeds to realizing No Mind, and culminates with the insight of spiritual awareness. The training of the mind as a mirror requires energy, patience, knowledge, and practice. This is why Right Attitude is crucial in the training process. Without it, you can lose confidence and patience to continue the practice of No Mind. The journey takes us back to spiritual awareness, the pure seed of consciousness, the essence of nature. The newborn’s first perception of the external world is the empty awareness or the prenatal No Mind (see Chapter 15, Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones), where mental objects are not yet formed. Mental objects are thoughts, feelings, and perceptions held on the screen of the mind. CAt reinforces this original state of mind, which is crucial to developing the ability to mirror mental objects. The process of returning to spiritual awareness is a detoxifying cleansing of the mental objects in the web of the Iill. We cleanse our state of awareness and focus on the external world with CAt, deautomizing the perceptual filters and defenses. It purifies our perceptual system so we may begin to see the direct reality of the external and internal worlds. Attachments arising from the perceptual filters, defense mechanisms, associations, and categorical referencing are broken and awareness expands. In normal perception our thoughts move very quickly, which casts the illusion of the “I.” From the perspective of this illusion, the automated meanings of the mind objects generate auto-action and auto-reaction. We look at an object
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and instantly identify its relation to our conditioned self. We respond appropriately, based on what we’ve learned to be appropriate and according to how we’ve been trained to act. We might “feel” that we look at the world in a free state of mind and that we have a choice to act and to feel as we wish. But when we become “mindful” of internal dynamics, we realize that we have been seeing the world through filtered glasses. It is not a direct perception of what is really there, it is our interpretation of what we think is there. Free will is in fact circumscribed by years of perceptual and behavioral conditioning. We already know that our brains respond to events prior to our becoming aware of the action. We are acting before we know that we are; and when we become aware of the action half a second later, we assume it is our chosen action (Libet, 2002). Mindfulness halts this automated cycle, so that we discern a broader range of possible reactions to a particular event. We gain freedom through insight of our own perceptual mechanisms, and everything is revealed as it really is and not as it should be or as we think it is. When the mental objects are mirrored during the practice of No Mind, the interpretation that the Iill imposes on the object is removed and the object is seen in its natural state. At one level we comprehend the object as it was interpreted by the mind, and at another level we grasp it without interpretations. As the process deepens, the object is seen not as a separate entity, but as a part of the unified whole of nature, as an essential aspect of our spiritual awareness. The process and technique (discussed in Chapter 19), lead to non-dualistic, intuitive grasping of the world. At this point all paradoxes and riddles are solved. Understanding the paradoxes requires a shift of perception—a shift that is mindful of the Iill. When we act contrary to the nature of a mirror, we no longer reflect what is there; we interpret it and miss the essential quality of pure reality. Remember, the bird has no intention to cast its reflection upon the pond, and the pond has no intention to reflect it. It is as natural as the sound a tree makes falling in the forest when there is no one there to hear it.
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Paradox 7
With Thought, No Flow. Without Thought, Flow. Thought plays a vital role for the decision-making process in our daily lives and for our survival in general. The practice of No Mind does not seek to abandon thought altogether. However, No Mind cannot be accomplished through the thought process the same way you would try to figure a solution to a problem. When the thought process stops, the Iill ceases to exist and No Mind arises. No Mind is a higher level of functioning achievable through consistent practice and knowledge, but thought can interfere with it, as documented by research.
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Thinking can hamper various cognitive functions, including memory, decision-making, intuition, and insight (Claxton, 2000). Sometimes we over-think problems and try too hard to match decisions with prior knowledge, as opposed to intuitively grasping the right course of action or intuiting the right answer. When we analyze in term of the Iill, we follow conditioned cues and behavioral patterns, which narrows our range of options. This limits our ability to flow in the activity, as we are stuck in the Iill’s web. We see occurrences in terms of “I,” and we feel we must react in a way consistent with our illusionary self-image. To flow without thought is to move like water. When the mind is stuck on a thought, it is like ice. When the mind is overwhelmed by too many thoughts and confusion, it is like nebulous steam you cannot control—it simply floats away. Ice and steam represent extremes, while the liquid state of water represents a balanced mind, or Tao. When we practice No Mind, we become calm like a deep lake. We all have the experience of getting “lost” in a thought or of getting overwhelmed by too many thoughts; yet we also know intuitively that awareness control is healthy and crucial to peak performance. The Iill cannot flow. It is essentially a thought process— thoughts of past memories or anticipations for the future. A thought always has a time component, while flow is of the present moment only. In order to flow, we must learn to intuit the given situation in its entirety, as opposed to perceiving fragmented and filtered pieces of information through the Iill, which obstructs the flow of the moment. When we “let go” and just become the activity without the self-consciousness of what we are doing, our performance improves dramatically. This is different from using visualization for the purpose of mental training. We do not visualize in the moment we are performing. We just perform. The ancient masters emphasized the value of acting without deliberation. When the mind and body synchronize without the interference of the Iill, then we get into
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the flow of peak performance. Practicing No Mind in various situations develops the mind-body dynamic without the Iill, which enhances the flow of the present moment. The flow of action can be applied to many aspects of our lives, including business, sports, relationships, education, and stress-management. When taking an important exam, for instance, stress and fear of not getting a preconceived grade can block the brain’s ability to produce the correct answer. The more you think of not doing well on the exam, the worse the problem becomes. Once you have learned No Mind, testing will be easier and performance can be greatly enhanced. Thought is a tool you use to solve problems; CAt is a tool you use to flow. CAt can also be used to solve problems by developing insight and intuition, versus analytical skills. We develop analytical skills in grade school, but most of us never develop awareness-training skills; thus our intuitive mode of perception is impaired. No Mind enables you to function outside the web. Developing the ability to see the whole, rather than the sum of the parts, facilitates creative and intuitive solutions. We experience the dynamic whole, not just the part. To understand a problem in its entirety requires understanding how it fits into the bigger picture of lifeevents and seeing the interrelationships of effects as opposed to causes. Then we understand that effects and causes are inseparable elements of a circle of activity, where action and reaction are both cause and effect. When we become mindful of life-events in this way, we can step out of the world of cause and effect, of autoaction and auto-reaction. For example, when we are “lost” in an argument, we typically swing back and forth between action and reaction, between cause and effect, and we fail to see the whole issue because we are too busy upholding our stance. With CAt, we escape the onesided perspective and grasp all sides. You are no longer attached to your opinion; it is just another thought. You realize that you are upholding an aspect of the Iill, a learned value you are protecting; and the same holds for
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the one you are arguing with. You understand that being right is relative to one’s conditioning and experience. There are many ways to be right, and usually both people are right in their own way. The freedom of not being attached to any particular point is very uplifting—it makes you independent from the confines of the Iill. We believe we are free to choose our opinions; yet, in many instances “free will” is merely a conditioned reflex. We have the censoring capacity of free won’t, but even those thoughts originate from the web of the Iill. Mindfulness through the practice of No Mind brings freedom in action. The practice of No Mind can be applied to all aspects of life, as discussed in No Mind 501, Living No Mind. Many professional athletes reach a level of no thought, where they are aware of the mind-body flow while executing a specific movement. This kind of peak performance, or being in the “flow” or the “zone,” is an aspect of No Mind. Some may call it pseudo-enlightenment because it does not entail the insight of spiritual awareness. Still, it is an initial mystical experience rivaling those of the ancient masters. In sports, business, relationships, stress management, and academics, the disengagement of awareness from the Iill and entering the flow of No Mind allows you to reach your full mind-body potential and to perform outside the Iill’s confines. Using CAt to limit and to eventually stop thoughts allows understanding problems and solutions at a deeper and more intuitive and holistic level. For millennia, people have been chasing after the benefits of “no thought” and of “the flow” like seeking gold; yet understanding the flow of the stream is more valuable than the gold on its bed. If you know the stream, you can always find the gold.
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Paradox 8
With Attachment, Work. Without Attachment, Play. The ancient masters knew that attachment was the bane of the Iill. The Iill identifies and seeks to possess what it thinks would make it whole. As a fragment that laments its present state of alienation, the Iill constantly seeks to complete itself through material and ideological means. The ancient masters spoke of attachment as the root of human suffering for thousands of years. In fact, it is the primary cause of human suffering, as documented in ancient scripture. It is easy to understand the implications of attachment.
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We become attached to different personality or behavioral markers, which we can call points of attachment of the Iill. These points could be a thing, a person, a habit, a feeling, an animal, a place, an idea, a thought, a belief, an expectation, a regret, and so on. We identify with and become attached to many aspects of our personality and to behavioral patterns that originate from the mental web of the Iill. For instance, we identify ourselves by saying, “I am shy,” “I am smart,” “I never do that,” “I am not good at that,” and so on. Each time we identify with a particular point, we reinforce our fragmentation. We are composed of many identifications and attachments that make up the Iill. Each point fragments us into parts of an identity, and we can never be whole or free as long as we are attached. In this case, we become the illusion rather than the underlying reality, the matter rather than the essence. So every attachment is a point of fragmentation that keeps us from seeing the non-dualistic spiritual awareness of No Mind. We attach to and identify with many points over the course of our lives. The dilemma is that we have not learned how to control the origin of attachment, so we are vulnerable to the consequences of these points. A useful metaphor is a spider’s web. Every intersection of the sticky silk threads is a “point” where an insect may be trapped. Our own mental web is similar, but far more complex, as the “intersections” can change through neuroplasticity. We go through life making attachments, severing them, making new ones all over again, and so on in a continuous cycle. Each time we attach ourselves to something, we become conditioned by that attachment. We find ourselves on a roller coaster of ups and downs, of actions and reactions. This occurs whenever our point of attachment changes, for good or bad, sickness or health, success or failure, joy or sadness, destruction or creativity, and so on. Attachment holds us back from tranquility. Most people argue that attachment is good, yet there is a healthier and a more satisfying way to experience compassion, love, and god x.
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Many people mistake non-attachment for not caring or not loving. However, the old saying, “If you love someone, let them go,” is the reality of true love. This is unconditional love, one of the highest emotional attainments of humans. Unconditional love (see No Mind 601, Unconditional Love) is not the theatrical version of hot romance between “soul mates”; it is the experience of oneness with another person that does not originate from need or desire, but from the intense compassion for that individual, in a way that your choices are conditioned for that person’s benefits and not for your own benefits. This is unconditional compassion, where the full gamut of the emotional responses of the body, the feelings of the body, are intense and independent of the conditioning of the Iill. We become attached to someone when we want to fill a perceived void in ourselves. We may need him or her for various psychological, physical, or environmental reasons: financial, emotional, sexual, companionship, parenting, etc. So we “love” someone conditionally even though we rarely know why. We will discuss this further in Chapter 31, No Mind Relationships. So most of our attachments are bound by unconscious and conscious conditions. If you were to analyze the reason why you acquired many things (such as cars, or pets, or spouses) you may discover a pattern of conditions originating from the mental web of the Iill. But to decipher the underlying intentions of the Iill takes honest detachment, nothing short of self-psychoanalysis. Remember, in No Mind there is no need to act deliberately as all things are done without intention. And even if we do not reach this level, we can become objective to our attachments, which allows us to make freer choices. No Mind frees us from the conditional attachments of the Iill and opens the path for unconditional love and independence from the points of prior attachments. And so Without Attachment, Play—which is freedom from attachment to things, outcomes, goals, expectations, people, animals, ideas, ego gratifications, and habits. Play is the essential dynamic of nature—it governs the stars, the
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planets, the organisms, and the natural flow of all things. Tao is play, and when we live in accordance with it, we become interdependent expanded “fields” of energy, rather than condensed “forms” of energy. Then, the real nature of attachment points is revealed and unconditioned acceptance sets in. Play is the foundation of No Mind. You should be at play, unattached to fulfillments of conditions. When you “let go” you perform at your optimal ability, and are enjoying play. Remember, No Mind is spontaneous play; break the points of attachment and be free.
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Paradox 9
Think. Think Not. There is No Thinker. A century ago William James, a founder of modern psychology, said, “Thought is itself the thinker, and psychology need not look beyond.” The paradox of No Mind is that there is no thinker. This point has been belabored extensively, but no matter how much we think about it, it is impossible to grasp within the Iill. When we transcend the Iill, we do so without thought. The “thought” of No Mind is itself a paradox, as No Mind is no thought and cannot be attained through thought. It functions as an advanced aspect of CAt, or
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mindfulness, where awareness is beyond cognition. The ancient masters said, “do not think and it will be realized.” W. T. Stace, philosophy professor at Princeton University, writes:
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... the self-transcendence of the experience is itself experience, not thought. It is the experience of the dissolution of individuality. The disappearance of the ‘I’ ... the fact that self-transcendence is a part of the experience itself is the reason why the mystic is absolutely certain of its truth beyond all possibility of arguing him out of it. (Stace, 1960)
All living organisms are inseparable from their environment—they reflect their environment as codependent entities. Quantum theory no longer studies separate “Newtonian” parts, but an interconnected web of events where the connections are as important as the points they span. In No Mind, the internal and external worlds are merged into one dynamic field of awareness, where the mind and its objects are inseparable and codependent. In an article published in Review of Existential Psychology and Psychiatry, Peter Koestenbaum describes three levels of subjectivity, or self-identification: One is the body which is practiced by health-conscious people. The second is the psychological self or identify with ‘life-world.’ The third is the transcendental ego, or the unobserved observer that lies behind all experience whatsoever. Here one can identify with the totality of being, identification with [their] personal god. (Koestenbaum, 1962)
There have been many psychiatric terms seeking to describe the reality of No Mind and spiritual awareness over the last century, from Freud’s “Transcendental Ego,” to Jung’s “Collective Unconscious,” to Maslow’s “SelfActualization.” As psychiatrists and psychologists try to categorize No Mind, we need to focus on the realization of the experience and disregard all labels, including “No Mind” itself. The process of understanding No Mind itself generates a great doubt as to who and what we really
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are. We fear that no amount of “trying” and “thinking” will help us realize spiritual awareness. The practice of No Mind leads us to spiritual awareness, the essence of nature, and god x (whatever you believe that is). As we learn the techniques of No Mind, we detach from the Iill and get closer to the intuitive grasping of our spiritual awareness. The cognitive process is carried out by our neural associative brain, which relates cues to our mental web, telling us what is important to us at any given moment of perception. Thinking occurs through the associative and categorical response networks, the ego (Iill), and the perceptual defense mechanisms that shield the Iill from selfthreatening emotions, thoughts, concepts, and so on. This narrows the perceptual field to a more self-pleasing, manageable array of data. Even though cognition can be creative, imaginative, or abstract, the thinking process is essentially concerned with the preservation and the management of the affairs of the Iill. The pure awareness of No Mind is obscured by the flood of thought. Awareness is trapped in the cycle of thought, producing the illusion of an entity that is thinking—a thinker. When we learn to see thoughts as mere objects passing through awareness, we release the latter from the cycle. We can do this with the practice of CAt. Therefore, it is imperative that thinking ceases for the awareness of No Mind to arise and for a perceptual shift to occur—a burst of Satori, or enlightenment, when the mind is in the midst of extreme existential doubt about its own illusion. The normal thinking process colors the direct perception of reality and keeps us from reaching our full potential. Many factors affect the perceptual process, and each of them biases the sensory input from the external and internal worlds. The filtered perception of reality is framed by the Iill, which governs the mind-body dynamic as an illusionary entity overseeing and owning the thoughts and the subsequent actions. There is thought, there is thinking, but there is no thinker. The thinker is only a shadow cast by a sequence of rushing thoughts, as paradoxical as this may sound (Wegner, 2002).
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Paradox 10
Untrain the Mind, Be Empty. When Empty, You Are Full. For the most part, we operate on auto-pilot and auto-perception. We suffer from auto-action and auto-reaction. We do things and then we often regret them. We have not learned to perceive reality directly, and we have not learned to function in a mode that is not automatically governed by the mental web of the Iill. We act according to conditioned cues. So we must untrain the mind and deautomatize our behavior. As long as we see reality through the lens of our present conditioning, freedom and play
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are out of reach. We untrain the mind through applying the techniques of No Mind. The Clear Attention (CAt) opens the doors to the direct perception of reality and to freedom from auto-action and auto-reaction (see Figures 7-1 and 9-1). In the more advanced levels of No Mind, awareness extends to experience the essence unifying all things; this is spiritual awareness. A key trademark slogan of No Mind is: “the only universal constant is awareness,” as detailed in No Mind 401. Through the practice of the techniques of No Mind, you can experience this directly. Thousands of years ago the Tao taught us: Whoever knows does not speak; whoever speaks does not know. So stop the senses. Close the doors. Ignore the riddles. Subdue the light. Be one with humble dust. This is the mystic unity. ... It is beyond love and hate, beyond profit and loss, beyond honor and dishonor. Thus, it is the most valuable treasure in all the world. (MacHovec, 1962)
The Tao talks about the fullness of emptiness as a paradox; yet we know that this riddle originates in the limitations of dualistic language that identifies things in terms of what they are and what they are not. We relate to reality in terms of language, and it is language which suggests that there is a contradiction in the concept of a pregnant void. No Mind is not only the stream, but it is at once also the rocks in the stream and the ocean into which the stream flows. The rock is the Iill being carried in the stream. When we untrain awareness to break away from the Iill, we stop identifying with the rock and become the stream. As awareness deepens, we become the ocean. This interconnectivity of all things produces universal awareness, or a cosmic ocean experienced as the underlying essence of nature, true spiritual awareness. Again, the only universal constant is awareness. The essence of a daisy is also the essence of the galaxies and of a cockroach. The fabric of nature is the same throughout the universe. It cannot be different; we do not exist in separate universes. It is simply one essence which has been called many
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names, including the Tao. It is empty of the Iill and its mental web of interpretations, yet it is linked to all things. It is empty and full at the same time—as it is empty of all things, yet full because it is all things. It has no identity, yet manifests all the identities of the universe. It is daunting to understand this from the perspective of the Iill because we have learned to understand in terms of our language of identity and form. From the perspective of No Mind, observer and observed become inseparable and co-dependent, which leads to non-dualistic awareness. At this level of awareness, all the paradoxes are experienced, and there is no need to comprehend them. While the realization of spiritual awareness is an attainable goal with lofty spiritual aspirations, the untraining of the mind has practical implications in all aspects of people’s lives. Untraining the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms requires developing Clear Attention (CAt) of mind objects. The first task is to fix the awareness on a single object, realizing that there are a multitude of mental objects in awareness, each with its own identity. These mental objects arise in awareness through the mental web of the Iill. We do not see each object as it exists in its pure state because it is always associated with an entourage of attachments. Associated qualifiers and identities arise with it, such as beauty, ugliness, good, bad, hostile, color, value, kind, significance. This triggers emotional attachments such as anger, love, greed, resentment, annoyance, anxiety, and so on. The list is endless, and there are a multitude of possible identities for each object you perceive. This is the nature of our brain’s neural associative network, which the ancients knew as co-dependent and co-arising perception. We see everything in terms of our conditioned associations—nothing exists independently, just as it is, until we learn to untrain the mind to perceive the object in its own state using the techniques of No Mind. In No Mind 101, we learned the mechanisms of associative and conditioning patterns of the brain and the resulting perceptions and interpretations. CAt negates these mechanisms; with practice you can eliminate layers of
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identities and arrive at a clear, direct perception of the object with an empty awareness. You are full and realizing the emptiness of No Mind; yet, the experience of fullness will pervade the mind-body. So through emptiness you experience the fullness of reality as it really is and not as you have interpreted it to be. Remember, all things come from emptiness and emptiness contains all things. Emptiness and fullness are the same. The sixth factor of No Mind (see Chapter 13) teaches us that the ultimate reality must be equal to one (Being) and zero (Nothingness) simultaneously. These are The Ten Paradoxes for the development of Right Attitude and Right Awareness. Right Awareness and Right Attitude will be discussed further in the next two chapters, as well as techniques and references to scientific literature detailing the benefits of awareness training. The crux of developing No Mind is to still the mind and to stop the mental web of the Iill during internal and external perception. It is not a difficult task, just one that requires patience and practice, together with the Right Attitude. Study the Ten Paradoxes and apply them to your daily routines, as demonstrated in No Mind 501. The knowledge you are acquiring in the No Mind program will make the journey quicker and more efficient.
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Right Awareness means mindfulness, stillness, and receptivity. Try as it might, the Iill is incapable of right awareness. In fact, the less the conditioned mind tries to attain right awareness, the more likely it is to succeed. Many people have experienced enlightenment while walking, working, washing the dishes, or just sitting still. It often occurs in a flash, when one least anticipates. In stillness, No Mind is remembered. In No Mind, the incessant internal chatter of the Iill recedes. Only awareness remains, like a serene ocean whose calm depths we remember. Chapter 17 teaches that Right Awareness calls for a playful approach, where effort and intent are suspended. We are mindful of our pure action.
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Chapter 17
Right Awareness
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on Kabat-Zinn of the University of Massachusetts Medical School defines mindfulness as follows: The awareness that emerges through the paying attention of purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment ... and mindfulness, it should also be noted, being about attention, is also of necessity universal. There is nothing particularly Buddhist about it. We are all mindful to one degree or another, moment by moment. It is an inherent human capacity. (Kabat-Zinn, 2003)
Right Awareness is maintaining Clear Attention (CAt), or mindfulness. It stops the incessant chatter of the Iill by asking, “Who is watching?” “Who is thinking?” “Who is mindful?” or “What is there?” Zen calls this the hua-t’ou (pronounced wah-tow) method, literally translated as “the source of words”; it is the mental state before the mind is disturbed by thoughts. Right Awareness is based on the techniques of CAt, mirroring, and breath control. The stream of thoughts, 354
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feelings, and perceptions rushing through our minds in a given minute is amazing and frightening; yet, our task is to gain control over it. World-renowned Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh discusses the simple task of washing the dishes:
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While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means that while washing the dishes one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes. At first glance, that might seem a little silly: why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that’s precisely the point. The fact that I am standing there and washing these bowls is a wondrous reality. I’m being completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions. There’s no way I can be tossed around mindlessly like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves. (Hanh, 1987)
We are used to engaging in inner dialogue with ourselves. We discuss details of a situation as if we are fragmented into multiple Iills conferring among themselves. You might take a jab at yourself, “I knew I shouldn’t have come to this party,” and then reply back, “Whatever, just try to enjoy it.” Our mind is a master trickster. With insight, we come to understand this internal monologue as a succession of thoughts expressing and responding to inner desires, feelings, and expectations. The thoughts give us the illusion of a self due to the nature of language.
THE INSIGHT OF THE EAST We think in terms of language. Most people perform basic mathematics in the language they spoke in grade school, even if they have mastered many more languages since then. Language is an integral element of the human condition. Thinking in terms of language reinforces the “I” in our behavioral patterns. Learning to be mindful while watching the screen of awareness deautomatizes us in preparation for No Mind. According to Harold Kelman, M.D. and Dean of the American Institute of Psychoanalysis,
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two of the greatest Western psychologists owe their insight to Eastern wisdom: Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious reveals his indebtedness to Oriental religions. Sigmund Freud, with his method of Free Association and Dream Interpretation, directed Western man to look inward. The techniques encourage life at rest, closer to the ground, contemplation and an increasing interest in depths, in feelings, in what is fundamental to all human beings and in each individual as a unique human being. (Kelman, 1959)
Many of the leading psychologists and psychiatrists of the last hundred years incorporated Eastern ideas and mindfulness methods into their psychotherapeutic practices and research. They were discovering what the ancient masters already knew thousands of years ago— that one of the secrets to contentment and fulfillment is in the ability to be mindful. They studied ancient religious and philosophical teachings and developed scientific psychological techniques of mindfulness. Over the centuries, Buddhist scholars have formulated elaborate and sophisticated theories about many subtle aspects of conscious experience, which are likely fertile sources of inspiration for cognitive scientists ... the first results indicate that evidence from meditative practices will be valuable component of any future science of consciousness. (Capra, 2002)
The No Mind program is similarly based on psychological and physiological research and quantum physics, as well as on the ancient masters’ teachings. The main characteristic of the ancient masters was that they made the clear distinction between direct knowledge and direct experience. In the Tao of Physics, Fritjof Capra says: The most important characteristic of the Eastern world view—one could almost say the issue of it—is
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the awareness of the Unity and mutual interrelation of all things and events ... In ordinary life, we are not aware of this unity of all things. But divide the world into separate objects and events. The division is, of course, useful and necessary to cope with our every day environment. But it is not a fundamental feature of reality. It is all abstraction devised by our discriminating and categorizing intellect. To believe that our abstract concepts of separate ‘things’ and ‘events’ are realities of nature is an illusion. Quantum theory forces us to see the Universe not as a collection of physical objects, but rather as a complicated web of relations between the various parts of a unified whole. This, however, is the way in which Eastern mystics have experienced the world, and some of them have expressed their experience in words which are almost identical with those used by atomic physicists. (Capra, 1976)
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MINDFULNESS AS A MENTAL SPORT We want to learn how to still the mind for the purpose of the No Mind technique. You approach the process from the standpoint of play, as described in The Ten Paradoxes. If you become attached to the knowledge or to the method itself, you trap yourself. Humor and play are most useful when we seek to escape the confines of the Iill, and any attachment would be on the way. Mindfulness is a mental sport that requires training, just like any other sport does; we will discuss this in detail in No Mind Sports and how to apply it to your favorite activity (Chapter 28). But you do not play to win, to compete, or to accomplish anything except for proficiency. You strive to become mindful of your mind-body dynamic in any activity or sport. The most important thing is to have fun in the process; forget the competition. You are in competition with yourself, and this duality is what you are trying to overcome. Mindfulness allows you to achieve peak performance, but you need not force anything. Apply effort to continue practicing,
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but then let yourself go and play. Remember, “Act. React. But never Try.” What is most impressive about this newly emerging system of Western Yoga is that its applications and implications seem unbounded. Research and applications of this new psychotherapy offer an exacting, precise, involving, and exciting means for an unprecedented exploration of human consciousness. By allowing individuals to experience the most subtle levels of their psychological and physiological processes, this psychotherapy enables them to truly know themselves as fully functioning units of mind and body. Since all transcendent, inspiring experiences seem to be characterized by a sensation of unity and wholeness, perhaps Western Yoga will make this profound experience more readily accessible. This experience is cited by all systems of meditation as a prerequisite for the marked transformation of the individual personality. What ultimately matters is not the experience of wholeness, but the fact that such an event is the basis of self-actualization. To live with controlled spontaneity in accord with the highest ideals of man is, perhaps, less of a vision and more of a reality now than ever before in recorded history. (Pelletier & Garfield, 1976)
When we are mindful, we don’t look for the Iill. Where would we look? We have never identified the neurophysiological location of the “I” in the brain. Dr. Penfield of Montreal Neurological Institute has demonstrated that complete recall of past life events occurs in patients when specific areas of the brain are stimulated with electrical probes. He revealed that information and emotions related to the past event are stored in the form of “final common paths” in the neurological structure. The experience felt completely real to the patient (Penfield, 1955, 1959). Similarly, the “I” illusion originates from the neural associative networks of the brain. The “I” has no location, as it is a reflection of mental processes. Thoughts stem from the mental web of ego and perceptual defenses, associative and categorical links, filtering biases, and emotional
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traumas from the past. The “I” is reflection of the thought process, a mere mirage. Mouni Sadhu, European disciple of Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi and teacher of concentration techniques says:
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It is impossible for any human mind to harbor two or more thoughts at ‘exactly the same time.’ Sometimes less experienced students of concentration mistakenly affirm that they are able to think about two different things at the same moment. The error is that, in reality, such a person allows the arrival and departure of thoughts to occur so quickly, one after another, that he believes he has had two thoughts together. It is like an alternating electric current. The changes of the cycles and direction of the current are so fast that the human eye is normally unable to record them, and sees the light created by such a current as a homogeneous or continuous one. The psychological impression is similar in the case of the two thoughts mentioned above. (Sadhu, 1977)
THE REALITY OF THE MOMENT In No Mind, there are no thoughts; there is only watching the thoughts from the stillness of the present. A still mind is focused on the present moment and unconcerned with the past or future. If thoughts of the past or future arise, they are watched in the present, where they have no value. All things, the entire universe, occur in this moment. Humans, as relative observers, impose a temporal dimension on that which we observe. Together, observer and observed define the construction of time and space. Richard Moss, M.D., writes in The Mandala of Being: This practice of opening our awareness to the present— attending fully to what is, rather than fleeing from it via me, you, past, and future stories—is the crucial work, but whether we actually experience Self-realization is not the point. (Moss, 2007)
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If you build a box, then you have defined an area of space enclosed within its walls. When you take the box apart, that space is no longer bounded and clearly distinguishable from the rest of the universe. Time occurs in the same way, where the memories and expectations of the observer delimit the time line and even how long or “dense” in terms of eventfulness a time period feels (Zerubavel, 2003). Time is measured differently throughout the universe (for example, the cycle of our solar year is specific to our planet). The timeless and space-less present moment of No Mind is paradoxical. Humans perceive time-structured existence in three-dimensional space. Things progress and grow, and we associate time with this process. Things are also located in space, triangulated based on the environment, the Earth, the stars, etc. Reality has three-dimensional characteristics that change over time. Thus, for the perceptions of most people, the concept of the timeless and space-less present moment is paradoxical. Our sensory system has evolved to see threedimensional space and to count the passings of the Sun, and for the most part it works exceptionally well. To experience timeless and space-less reality, we need to move beyond the observer and the observed, and therefore there just is. This is the present moment of No Mind. Our perceptual mechanisms feel time and space, but they are defined by the learning, conditioning, interpretive, associative, defense, and filtering mechanisms of the Iill. We learn to tell time and to measure space. Without the Iill, time and space become an illusion relative to our perception. In other words, depending on where we are in the universe, our perception of time changes based on our sensory apparatus, which uses light to see space. The speed of light determines our present concept of time. Because light travels at extremely high speed (186,000 miles per second), things near us appear to happen instantaneously. The German philosopher Edmund Husserl, founder of Phenomenology, emphasizes how often people ‘see’ things that are not there and ‘hear’ remarks never made:
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Husserl felt that our minds are so filled with ideas and theories about how things should be that we seldom experience them exactly as they are ... Suppose that a traveler in New Guinea discovers a new flower. If he is a phenomenologist, he will banish from mind for the time all names, memories, preconceptions, and theories and not even reflect on whether or not the plant exists. His whole attention will be focused on ‘the thing as he experiences it’ and only this ... he will come closer and closer to an understanding of its true nature. (Severin, 1973)
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REMOVING THE OBSERVER So we give space and time reality through our limited perceptual system. It is like being hooked up to a virtual reality machine. Our perception of reality as interpreted by the Iill is analogous to virtual reality. When we halt the Iill through the practice of CAt, we turn off the virtual reality machine and the direct perception of reality comes forth. It is now clear that space and time exist only relative to the observer’s position. If the observer is removed, time and space vanish, just as the space within the disassembled box is no longer defined. Because of the speed of light, we “see” the Sun as it was eight minutes ago, we “see” some stars as they were a million years ago, and they all appear to be there simultaneously, but they are not. Space and time are ideas essential to dualistic identification, and No Mind is beyond dualistic identities—no observer. In The Science of Yoga, I. K. Taimni writes: According to Yogic Philosophy the seemingly continuous phenomena in which we cognize through the instrumentality of the mind are not really continuous, and like the cinematographic picture on the screen consist of a series of discontinuous states ... The yogi can become aware of the ultimate reality only when his consciousness is liberated from the limitations of this process which produces time ... As the perception of phenomena is the result of the impressions produced in consciousness by a succession of mental
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images it is the number of mental images which will really determine the duration of the phenomenon which we call time. (Taimni, 1967)
Our perceptual mechanisms are not equipped to “see” the four-dimensional space-time paradoxes, but they can be experienced through No Mind. The paradoxes are resolved in the deep stillness of the mind and only in the fleeting present moment. The present moment is embedded in a succession of constantly unfolding present moments, which we can grasp intuitively through the practice of No Mind. The diagram below illustrates the distortion of time through the image of an hourglass. The tight neck of the present moment spans between the weighty past at one end and the looming future at the other. These areas represent the degree of awareness that we apply to the past and to the future because of the way the Iill perceives time. We spend most time focusing on the past or the future and allow it to shape the present. We need to remove our focus from the past and from the future and to locate awareness in the mindful present. This No Mind model of time represents the tiny neck of the hourglass as the largest area representing the present moment. Awareness is applied to the present moment, and thus, the past and of the future lose prominence. In other words, we simply focus too much on the past and future and not enough on the present. With No Mind, we focus more on the present and less on the past and future.
Figure 17-1: Time Distortion—the left hourglass shows very little awareness of the present. We focus mainly on the past and future. The right hourglass is the goal of No Mind, to focus awareness on the present.
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This illustrates the unfortunate misapplication of awareness and how we focus our attention on everything except the present. The conditioning factors of our society over-emphasize the future and the past. So we lose our awareness of the present moment while focusing on the future of what can and should be and on the past of what we were. The practice of No Mind roots us in the present moment—the past and future are only thoughts watched in the now through our awareness. This is an endless moment of infinite happiness and contentment, as “you” escape the bonds of time.
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THE OCEAN OF NO MIND No Mind is mastered at various levels of mindful awareness. Here, we can use the analogy of water currents on and below the surface of the ocean. When awareness is trapped in the conscious Iill, it is ceaselessly tossed back and forth on the ocean surface by the waves of thoughts, perceptions, motivations, and feelings. Awareness is trapped in the unconscious state of the Iill also—for example, sleep can be restless and dominated by dreams. If we say that No Mind is the ocean, then the surface of the ocean is the conscious state of No Mind, where we are still aware of the mind-body. Now imagine a boat afloat on the ocean of No Mind—a highly sophisticated, computerized vessel with auto-navigation, like the Iill. This boat practically runs itself; it can adjust its speed and course in response to approaching weather conditions and to other vessels. The Iill, together with its mental web of thoughts, feeling, motivations, and perceptions, is the “program” for the boat on the ocean of No Mind. As long as we believe we are the Iill, we only know the waves and ripples tossing us up and down on the surface. And as the boat keeps traveling, it will produce even more turbulence. The boat is not programmed to stop; it is designed to keep running on auto-pilot. As long as it does, it is unaware that it is part of something bigger, deeper, and more powerful.
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The ocean of No Mind keeps the boat of the Iill afloat. In reality, the conscious aspect of No Mind gave rise to the Iill originally. When awareness comes into contact with the external world at infancy, the formation of the Iill begins. As the Iill gains control over awareness, the ocean is forgotten for the waves and ripples. For awareness to remember, the Iill must be stopped and the waves and ripples quieted. In practice, CAt freezes the water around the boat. At this point, the waves and ripples subside back into the ocean, and we remember that originally it was the ocean of No Mind. Albin Gilbert discusses the experience: As only mystics are susceptible to this experience, they must possess an appropriate medium of apprehension. The Super-conscious common [person] has only differentiated experience, which is conveyed at the conscious level. [Their] Super-conscious is dormant ... the mystic conditions, and counter conditions his life assiduously with the permanent sense of the One. They attain Illumination. Roaming in space, man will grow more mystical. In a simile, the waves, dancing on the ocean, will gain an increased awareness that they have as the ocean, in common. (Gilbert, 1969)
The ocean analogy captures several levels of No Mind awareness. The first level is the conscious aspect of No Mind, where awareness is trapped within the Iill (see mandalas in Chapter 15). At the second level, the boat of the Iill stops and there is intuitive remembering that awareness is part of spiritual awareness, or a conscious aspect of No Mind that is free from the Iill. The third level of No Mind, discussed in No Mind 401, is the unconscious aspect. The ancient masters called it Returning to the Source (also see Chapter 15). Here, “the source” is analogous to the depths of the ocean, where the interdependence and unity of all things are experienced and selfawareness is fully absorbed. Time and space no longer exist and the ocean of No Mind extends to every aspect of nature, or the Tao. The highest kind of knowledge that can be attained is:
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‘knowledge born of the awareness of reality’, or better translated, ‘awareness of the ultimate reality’... [It] integrates into one comprehensive whole all aspects of manifestation—matter, mind and consciousness, because it has discovered by its special methods that these are intimately related to one another. (Taimni, 1967)
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CHAPTER 17
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Right Awareness is Clear Attention. The boat of the Iill must be taken off auto-pilot and anchored, so that awareness remembers its roots in the depths of No Mind. 2. The stiller the mind, the easier it is to remember. Remembering can occur suddenly. Many people experience this Returning to the Source while walking, talking, working, or just sitting still. 3. Tensions and doubts run so high that the Iill loses its hold, the boat stops, and the ocean is remembered. But once we remember, it is like water remembering its “wetness”; water’s intrinsic property is that it is wet, yet it “forgets” its wetness. 4. We forget we are born enlightened. This remembering is not really remembering as much as it is seeing into our own nature.
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Right Attitude comes from integrating The Ten Paradoxes into your daily activities with Right Awareness (Clear AttentionCAt). The practice must flow on its own accord, without goals or a timetable. Apply the technique and allow it to work without force. Achievement and performance come if “you” forget about them. The notion that our most cherished daily activities and motivations are empty is a difficult concept to grasp from within the Iill. It is like trying to see the exact color of the sky through red-tinted glasses. Chapter 18 begins by acknowledging the challenge of integrating the Right Attitude into our daily routines, and it reveals a middle path that makes the practice of No Mind more accessible.
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Chapter 18
Right Attitude
W
e can look at the No Mind program as a therapy that brings liberation from the Iill and re-discovers spiritual awareness. A full range of capabilities unfold, and we can “see” reality as a newborn entering the world. This moment of intense joy has been experienced by many, as evidenced in countless accounts. Through this program, the reversal of the conditioning process of the Iill begins, and the psychological health of the person is restored. For our purposes, we are speaking of the normal psychological issues that plague us all, as opposed to severe pathological, neurotic, or psychotic disorders, which require further therapy from trained professionals. Our minds rush from one thing to another, refusing to settle down, and it might be challenging to take time from our busy daily routines to start the training of mindfulness. The No Mind program is more accessible and does not require extreme dedication. This system, together with our newly acquired knowledge of the Iill, produces results and attitude shifts that usually take 368
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much longer with ordinary meditation-based techniques. To have the Right Attitude is to simply integrate The Ten Paradoxes into your daily life. It develops the detachment required to walk the middle path between extreme attachments. Detachment is also key to Right Awareness, as it opens the way to mindfulness. In order to develop Right Attitude, we must accept that all opinions, judgments, and perspectives are empty neurochemical processes in the brain. If their origin is the mental web of the Iill, then they were conditioned in the process of socialization; we were not born with them and they are not an aspect of spiritual awareness. This doesn’t mean that we need to discard our values or opinions, but we need to develop non-attachment to them, so they don’t define and bind us. We use them as guidelines rather than strict rules. And that is not to say that they are wrong, right, or don’t exist; we only need to be able to be free of them if we can. After all, there is no real “I” who owns them. So we maintain our opinions and respect those of others, while knowing that they are all constructed guides for the individual’s chosen social life. Like cars, we follow the lines on our paved roads as guidelines and avoid crossing them in order to avoid accidents; yet the roads provide a means to an end, a way for us to get where we want. They are not in themselves concrete tubes in which we are trapped with our cars. Some people treat opinions, beliefs, and judgments as constricting and concrete tubes, but this is a mistake. We must recognize that these are constructed guidelines we learn to follow through conditioning. They structure and ease our social lives, but they are not real in the sense that they are devoid of universal substance; they are not maps to enlightenment or universal constants. Remember, the only universal constant is awareness.
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WITH ATTACHMENT, WORK. WITHOUT ATTACHMENT, PLAY. When the Iill identifies with opinions and beliefs, these become roadblocks in the process of developing No Mind. Statements like, “I believe ... ,” or “My opinion is ... ,”
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or “The way I see it ...” are all empty, as they are predicated on the “I.” In simple math, anything multiplied by zero is zero; similarly, the empty “I” empties everything that is predicated on it. This is the basis of the middle path of the ancient Buddhist master Nagarjuna. He knew that we, or the Iill, give meaning to things and that these meanings are all relative to the Iill: Things derive their being and nature by mutual dependence and are nothing in themselves.
Remember the paradox With attachment, work. Without attachment, play. It is important to understand play with respect to opinions and beliefs, otherwise we become attached. A Zen master would make the world’s greatest diplomat—he would say little, understand all sides of the issues, and resolve the conflict by saying that all sides are essentially the same—empty and correct from their respective perspectives. Opinions, beliefs, judgments, views, and so on determine the structured subjective reality of a person that frames everything and gives it meaning. Remember that mind objects arise codependently. Language gives identity to form, but it also falls short of explaining the ultimate reality. It can approach enlightenment only in paradoxical terms. The basic structure of our subjective reality stems from the Iill, and the Iill itself is based on language that defines the world relative to the “I.” To perceive reality directly, we must “see” it outside these empty structures. This is critical for the development of Right Attitude. Our mental web makes our experience of reality comprehensible. The opinions and perspectives we have developed determine what makes sense and how we “see” the world. But life is not meant to be lived entirely through and for the sake of the Iill. By now we should have the critical understanding that most mental objects arise from the Iill, including those associated with thinking, analyzing, interpreting, intellectualizing, and so on.
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And we understand that different Iills approach reality from different perspectives. What is fine to one can be offensive to another. The Right Attitude is in applying this knowledge to our daily actions and in treating all views that come from the Iill as empty. They are merely conditioned views with false identities attached to them. Iills bond together to form families, communities, corporations, cultures, and societies, and within such groups, Iills tend to be relatively similar, given that they function within a “shared reality” characterized by shared opinions, perspectives, and beliefs. Subsequently, many conditioned identity traits can be deduced from group membership. Obviously, some individual Iills may disagree with a particular stance of the larger Iill, but political and communal structures require some general consensus. Identifying with the normative beliefs of a society, community, or family is also empty, because the collective Iill is just as illusionary as the individual one. When we evolve past the nature of Iill, we will eventually attain a global, collective spiritual awareness, which may be the only hope for humankind.
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WHEN THE MIND IS EMPTY, EVERYTHING IS REVEALED The Right Attitude entails intuiting the emptiness of identifying with opinions, perspectives, and judgments. This is important for one’s psychological health because most Iills are not entirely harmonious with the communal Iill. Within groups, we often experience conflict, anger, resentment, and so on. So communication among individual and communal Iills is important, and in negotiating conflicts, the middle path is easier to see from a point of non-attachment. Attachment makes it harder to “see” the other’s perspective and to negotiate a mutually agreeable outcome. Remember, when the mind is empty, everything is revealed. With a quiet mind, you will really
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“hear” other Iills, individual or communal. Being able to hear what someone else has to say is a very important ability for negotiating. Abraham Lincoln was known for kindly agreeing with his discussants during their negotiations, and then, after assuring the other person that they were on the same side, he would present his opinion. In this way the other person was sure to “hear” him by remaining more receptive. The ancient Zen master P’ang Yun says: Whatsoever comes to eye leave it be. There are no commandments to be kept, There is no filth to be cleansed. With empty mind really penetrated, The dharmas have no life. When you can be like this You’ve completed the ultimate attainment (Besserman & Steger, 1991)
This is cleansing perception of the Iill. Individual and communal Iills may also be in agreement on many opinions or perspectives. To identify with a common opinion may be easier since it is reaffirmed by another Iill. Still, a shared opinion is no more real than an individual one—it is just as empty, coming from the same source. Whether there is harmony or conflict between individual and communal Iills, their opinions or perspectives are simply reflections of the mental web which is their source. This reveals the middle path between opposite extremes, as in absolute identity and non-identity. This path is the relativity of reality. From this vantage point, reality changes as the observer or the observed changes. The communal reality is based on consensus expressed in a shared language. Whether an Iill deviates from this consensus is a legitimate concern of polities, but outside the scope of No Mind. The point is that to identify with an individual or a communal “I” introduces attachment, which
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leads to unhappiness. We comprehend other opinions more directly, completely, and without prejudice when we are not attached to our own. This sets the stage for real, unfiltered communication.
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BETTER COMMUNICATION THROUGH NON-ATTACHMENT An important issue we encounter when dealing with multiple Iills is communication. How do we know if communication with another Iill is successful or that we all got the same meaning out of it? Exchanges between Iills can be hit or miss. Even if someone implies that he understood with a nod or with a smile, you cannot be sure about his interpretation. Remember from No Mind 201 that Clear Attention, or mindfulness, is greater than automated perception, behavior, and memory taken together. We practice CAt to achieve non-attachment in order to improve the quality of our communications in business and relationships, for example. Without direct perception, all you have is your Iill’s interpretation of the other Iill. Miscommunication, or rather misinterpretation, happens all the time in everyday life. In order to communicate perfectly, two Iills would need to share the same mental web, which is impossible. They may share aspects of certain meanings through a group Iill, but there is never perfect overlap. Another way two people can communicate perfectly is if they both detach from their Iills and watch the interaction in enlightened play, without expectations. This is Right Attitude with Right Awareness. As you cling to a dualistic identity, you fragment universality into individuality and lose the true meaning of communication. When you realize that you are not attached and that your Iill is empty, you see other Iills in a state of becoming and their behaviors as karmic actions. From this compassionate perspective, you no
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longer identify with opinions and you are not in opposition to anybody. When you are B, you are also not C, D, and E. When you identify a flower as being yellow, then you also imply it is not purple, blue, or green. When you apply No Mind, then you are B and not B at the same time. In fact, you are everything from A to Z, and nothingness too.
UNTRAIN THE MIND, BE EMPTY. WHEN EMPTY, YOU ARE FULL. From an universalistic perspective, there is never a point where you can be one thing and not all other things. It is also dualistic to say that the mind is empty and imply indirectly that it is not full. Here, empty is full and full is empty. They exist simultaneously together and one engenders the other, so they are co-dependent. Applying this understanding to events and circumstances in daily life is the Right Attitude. Again, according to master P’ang Yun, The conditioned and name-and-form are all flowers in the sky. Nameless and formless, I leave birth-and-death. (Besserman & Steger, 1991)
Dualism separates and alienates us from the universal essence of nature. In a comparative analysis of Zen teachings and psychoanalysis, one researcher discusses the fluid nature of spiritual experience and the paradoxical coexistence of ultimate and relative realities. The experience of momentary state of awareness is central for both Zen and psychoanalysis (Cooper, 2001). In the relative reality of the Iill, we experience alienation, which causes many psychological disturbances. Life that is premised on identity is plagued by problems. It is always in potential of becoming. It is the becoming which brings the great doubt—of what you will become. It is important to understand this prior to experiencing No Mind, at which point this reality will be experienced as a shift of awareness. Then you can
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communicate with other Iills from a different perspective; that is, one of non-attachment.
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Identity comes not only with separation anxiety, but also with finalization anxiety, or fear of death (discussed in Chapter 25, No Mind No Death). The Iill is inherently incomplete, dependent, and searching for desires to fulfill. Again, it is always in potential of becoming. But fulfilling desires to buy bigger and better toys or to be sexier and prettier is as futile as pouring sand through a sieve. This type of satisfaction is immediate and temporary; as soon as these desires are fulfilled, new ones arise. No Mind provides the grounding for experiencing something greater than the trap of the Iill’s identity. In No Mind, desire is a natural aspect of the mind-body and not a requirement to be fulfilled. When desire constantly needs to be fulfilled, it brings with it the potential of unhappiness. Desires should be effortless, just like trying and achieving. Bigger, better, sexier, and prettier are not inherently negative. The source of the desire is important, not the material outcomes. If it is done on behalf of the Iill (as in “keeping up with the Joneses”), then it is driven by endless desire. If there is no attachment to achieving bigger, better, sexier, and prettier, then we would not be upset if we didn’t succeed or get what we want. In No Mind there is no attachment to desires, so they can be enjoyed fully and completely. They are like fruit which grows naturally on a tree and needs no desire or intention. There is much to be learned from nature. We evolved to eat fruit; therefore, it is our intrinsic nature to eat and to enjoy it. We do not contradict our nature when we desire to eat the fruit. While we are mindful of the desire to eat the fruit, we are not attached to it, and its source is not the Iill—it is just the expression of a natural tendency of the mindbody dynamic—simply eating fruit. Desire, expectation, and attachment do not make the fruit grow naturally any
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faster or sweeter, although they might alter the perception of the taste or the smell of the fruit. In this case, you miss the direct experience of the taste and smell of the fruit. Without desire and expectation, your enjoyment is pure. Fruit, like desires and expectations, is temporary and not to be clung to. When we lose the source of egotistic desire, we end the unnatural effort to fulfill desire and remain in potential. When conditions are right, fruit takes form naturally. If our happiness is forced and pursued with desire-intention, then it is tainted by fear of loss, which leads to greed and regret for the sacrifices made to achieve it. When things occur naturally, as the outcome in the pursuit of one’s true potential without attachment to goals, then they appear like the fruit on a tree. When you are true to your nature and successful because of it, as opposed to the Iill, then success is like a natural fruit. You cannot tell the tree how to grow its fruit; it follows its natural tendency, which is based on the underlying essence of the universe. The fruit is the natural, unintentional outcome of the tree’s growth. If all the fruit were taken away, the tree would still be a tree, and it will bear more fruit again following its intrinsic nature; it does not cling to the possession of its fruit. Unintentional fruit is pure enjoyment. Think-less and desire-less, you will have your natural fruit.
WITH THOUGHT, INTENTION. WITH INTENTION, KARMA. No intention or intervention of the Iill is needed in order to fulfill your natural mind-body ability. Psychological problems related to identifying with the Iill may be tackled through the program of No Mind. The unfulfilling and self-defeating illusion of identity can be recognized through the application of Right Awareness and Right Attitude. We usually live as we were conditioned to
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and never realize our true potentials, which can come so naturally to us. Our nature is overwhelmed by what should happen, how one should live, what one should look like, and what one should do—all of these are questions stemming from the duality of meaning. In other words, what we think our desire is originates from the conditioned Iill. There isn’t much freedom at this level— just some degree of free won’t. Dr. Langer, psychology professor at Harvard, says:
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Out of an intuitive experience of the world comes a continuous flow of novel distinctions. Purely rational understanding, on the other hand, serves to confirm old mindsets, rigid categories. Artists, who live in the same world as the rest of us, steer clear of these mindsets to make us see things anew. (Langer, 1989)
The mindsets of the individual Iill are relative to the mindsets of the communal Iill (that of the community, society, family, etc.). The individual Iill is conditioned to fulfill itself according to the expectations of the larger Iill. If it succeeds, it is happy; if it fails, it is unhappy. And even if it is successful, happiness is temporary, as “new” shoulds are mandated and the cycle begins again. We never can fulfill desire potential. Mindsets determine specific goals and aspirations. Some might seek fame, power, wealth, religious and philosophical ideals, etc. Some might follow the familiar patterns of parents, family, or ethnic traditions. In any event, these are conditioned aspects of the Iill, as opposed to the freedom of No Mind. They all have the same relative value to No Mind—the empty set. Remember, this is not to say that having goals is wrong, but being attached to the intention of the goal can bring continuous unhappiness. Assigning a relative value to goals or shoulds substantiates the illusion of the “I,” and it is counterproductive for the No Mind program. Again, we do not jettison our mindsets—we are simply mindful of them in a way that
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allows us to be detached, so our actions are not overwhelmed and dictated by the Iill. Each Iill believes that the realty it perceives is absolute, placing itself at the center of everything. But reality is relative to the external and internal input the Iill receives and interprets. Again, this does not mean that we should lack goals and inspirations, but we shouldn’t cling to them and “try” unnaturally. This is unlearning the need to fulfill conditioned goals and learning the freedom of natural fulfillment of potential. Just as the tree is in potential to bear fruit, there is natural fulfillment when the fruit appears. We must perform any goal in play in order to nurture psychological well-being, happiness, and health. The Right Attitude is accepting the plurality and emptiness of ego-centric goals, desires, and strivings. We do not need to force the fruit to grow, we just need to allow our inner ability to perform without expectation or intention, which inhibit us otherwise.
ENLIGHTENMENT IS SIMPLE A mindful person interprets the language of the Iill easily, as opposed to slipping into misinterpretations. The Right Attitude is understanding that perfect communication and unconditional love happen without the Iill. When we finally experience No Mind, the Right Attitude must be applied to the practice of Right Awareness to prevent it from claiming ownership of the fruits of the No Mind technique. Otherwise, you are trapped within the Iill again, imagining that you have succeeded and achieving pseudo-enlightenment. Eliminate the “I” from the description of the experience and from the actual experience itself. The ancient masters claimed that enlightenment is simple. The shift of awareness from individuality to universality is all that is attained; but it is scary—in fact, they often compared this to jumping over a great abyss—looking into nothingness. The Iill holds
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us back in fear of losing itself, so it will attempt to maintain power in the process of realizing No Mind. Being mindful of this problem helps—be careful when “you” recognize that the I-illusion has hijacked any efforts to realize No Mind. This is discussed further in the next chapter.
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CHAPTER 18
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. The Right Attitude is understanding and applying The Ten Paradoxes to your daily activities, work, play, relationships, business, and so on. This requires practice and being mindful, but the subsequent freedom and unconditional mode of life you achieve is well worth it. 2. Comprehending that our cherished personality traits are empty is difficult from within the Iill. It is like trying to see the blue of the sky through red-colored glasses. The Iill fights to maintain its hold over personality, and it takes pure awareness to stop the Iill. 3. In No Mind, the concept that all things are empty and lacking essential identity is grasped. All things derive their meaning from our interpretation of them. When we cease to interpret and just “watch,” then we “see” clearly and directly that the interpretation is not the reality. 4. The practice of No Mind must be allowed to flow on its own accord, without wanting results in a timely manner; let the techniques do their work without force. There are no specific goals in the practice of No Mind—they will come if “you” forget about them.
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The Power of No Mind
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Figure 19-1: The Clear Attention Matrix-Level 3 In the diagram above, we build upon Figure 7-1 and Figure 14-1. Now the line connecting memory and behavior is expanding out in four directions to indicate the expansion of awareness beyond the normal web of the Iill. The processing of the perceptual and behavioral channels based on memory and behavior remains, but now there is awareness of the behavior and of its origins through the practice of Clear Attention. The dashed line connecting memory input and behavior output in Figure 14-1 is removed to indicate that awareness is becoming free of mindless actions. This is the second shift toward mindful action and reaction and represents another step toward liberation from the automatisms. The result is an expanded and more direct perception of reality and
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freer action and reaction as a consequence of the de-conditioning of the neural networks. The inner circle representing the Iill’s dominance over the mind-body dynamic becomes a lesser factor in your behavior; mind and body have a more direct relationship. You become more aware of the factors of No Mind, as awareness perceives reality more directly. As awareness expands through the practice of Clear Attention, the mind moves toward No Mind and eventually to the insight of spiritual awareness shown in Figure 26-1 at the end of No Mind 401.
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You cannot conceptualize No Mind or force yourself to experience it. You experience No Mind directly by practicing a three-step technique: breath control, Clear Attention, and questioning, “Who is being mindful?” or “Who is it that realizes No Mind?” This doubt neutralizes the thought process by pitting thought against thought to practice No Mind. This ancient Zen method is known as the hua-t’ou device, which literally means “the mind before a thought arises.” It is pure awareness. Chapter 19 describes the comprehensive technique of The Power of No Mind and provides detailed guidance for how to perform the three-step practice most effectively.
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Chapter 19
The Three-Step Practice of No Mind
According to Dr. Frank Caprio and Joseph R. Berger, The ability to concentrate is something you can develop and cultivate—something you can learn. Many of us handicap ourselves by harboring the fallacy that we simply are unable to concentrate. We believe, erroneously of course, that our difficulty in concentrating is due to something we cannot explain. We rationalize and tell ourselves that some people are just naturally gifted that way as if they were endowed at birth with special powers of concentration. (Caprio & Berger, 1963)
The Power of No Mind program cultivates the powers of concentration. It is founded on the knowledge presented in No Mind 101 and No Mind 201, as well as in the Ten Paradoxes, the Right Attitude, and the Right Awareness (discussed in No Mind 301). So far we’ve covered the theoretical and practical application of No Mind. Now we finally focus on the technique—the method of 385
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applying Clear Attention and shifting awareness from the trap of the Iill to the freedom of pure awareness. First, we will discuss a few remaining aspects of the Right Attitude and the importance of doubting the “I.” Hopefully, by now you know enough to have started questioning yourself: “Who is the one being mindful?” and “Who is it that realizes No Mind?” When we contemplate this, we use thought against thought, or poison against poison, to practice No Mind. This ancient Zen method is known as the hua-t’ou, which means the mind before a thought arises. Here, we experience pure awareness, which the ancient masters called the Self-Nature (We used the term spiritual awareness in the No Mind program discussed further in No Mind 401); but first we must understand the mechanisms of mind and the nature of No Mind detailed in No Mind 101 and 201. We study mind so we can ask “Who?” We study No Mind so we understand that the Who is an illusion. And in No Mind 301, we study No Mind techniques so we can experience awareness without the Who. This whole pursuit is driven by the doubt generated in asking about the Who. Pure awareness is simply being mindful of the state of mind before thought originates. We discuss how to apply pure awareness to all aspects of lives in No Mind 501. The technique consists of three steps: 1) Breath control, 2) Applying Clear Attention, and 3) Questioning, “Who is being mindful?” (hua-t’ou). First, we study breath control as a mechanism to regulate unconscious activities. Breathing is an automated body function which can be controlled relatively effortlessly. Throughout the practice of the technique, remember the paradox Think, Think not. There is no thinker. You can understand this in terms of the Who. There is no thinker, so we practice detachment from the Iill. After a brief review of each of the three steps, we will discuss the technique as a whole.
UNDERSTANDING THE MINDFUL BREATH Deep breathing invigorates the body and enhances concentration, making it easier to be mindful. Your awareness should mirror the rhythm of the breath. Inhaling and exhaling
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sharpens awareness as you gently control their rhythm. At first, try to slow down your breathing into a pattern where it takes you twice as long to exhale as it does to inhale (ratio of 2:1). Eventually, you should be able to increase this ratio to 4:1. Do not exert any unnatural effort to accomplish this; the breathing should be slow and relaxed, and you should observe it with passive, detached awareness. Focus Clear Attention on breathing and on the rhythm. Fill awareness with the breath and allow any thought, perception, motivation, or feeling that comes into awareness to pass without subjecting it to conscious activity. Don’t chase the thoughts with more thoughts, just allow the thought to rise and fall while watching. There is no strained “try” in this activity—just the natural flow of the breath, which fills up the awareness. It always takes conscious effort to control the breath at the beginning, when you are using the 2:1 ratio to guide the process of counting and setting the rhythm. After some practice of applying awareness to the rhythm, the pattern will become automatic and the exhaling-inhaling ratio will increase naturally. The exact ratio and pattern are unimportant—we are using them as an arbitrary measuring device to acquire the discipline of maintaining a pattern. With time, your mind-body will find and maintain its own comfortable pattern during practice. Dr. Alexander Lowen describes the effects of deep breathing:
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Deep breathing charges the body and literally makes it come alive. And one of the self-evident truths about a live body is that it looks alive: the eyes sparkle, the muscle tone is good, the skin has bright color, and the body is warm. All this happens when a person breathes deeply. (Lowen, 1975)
The health benefits of proper breath control have been documented extensively in the medical literature. What concerns us here is its effect on developing Clear Attention. The goal of Raja Yoga, a “kingly” form of yoga practiced in the East, is to develop one’s full potential and spiritual awareness: Yoga may be regarded as a process for attaining perfection, the goal of normal evolution ... In Raja Yoga,
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control of breath is limited to the harmonizing of the rhythm to a slow steady pace, in which the body’s automatic processes can continue without any effort of the will. Its object is to cleanse the blood and feed the nerves. And to assist in the control of the mind, thereby producing serenity and an inner calm. (Slater, 1968)
Try to practice breath control during your daily activities. You don’t have to be in a meditative position; No Mind is action and life-style oriented. The mind-body responds to the rhythm and to the extra oxygen by relaxing; subsequently, this focuses attention and develops mindful awareness. Breath control, like any other disciplined activity of the mind-body, develops the ability to be mindful, not mindless. The ability to focus on a single point will occur when we can focus on the breath in an instant. Breath control is used to stop the Iill’s automated actions, reactions, and perceptions (see Figure 7-1). When awareness is filled with breath, the Iill’s mental web is suspended. So a mindful breath before undertaking an important action or reaction clears the mind and “monitors” automatic decisions or judgments. By filling the awareness with breath, you can manage stress by focusing inward during trying times. Many therapists prescribe breathing exercises for stress management. It is common knowledge that deep and attentive breathing relaxes the body and controls the mind, which makes it the easiest No Mind technique to master.
BREATH AS THE VITAL ENERGY Breath control is essential to Taoism. The ancient masters said that the breath should make no sound. A favorite technique was to exhale slowly and steadily, allowing the air to pass through the mouth gently and without a sound. The Taoist term for “sitting with blank mind” is tso-wang. It entails “slackening limbs and frame, blotting out the senses of hearing and sight, getting clear of outward forms, dismissing knowledge and being absorbed in that which pervades everything. It is said in the Tao, ‘only he that rids himself
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forever of desire can see the Secret Essences. He that has never rid himself of desire can see only the outcomes’” (Waley, 1958). When we breathe, we must desire nothing but awareness of the breathing. We experience No Mind when we are no longer concerned with outcomes and when we are mindful of our breath only. According to the ancient Tao, breath is the life force containing the vital energy of Chi used in acupuncture, acupressure, and breathing exercises:
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The art of breathing control is one of the oldest arts in China. Beginning long before written history, reaching its Golden Age of development during the Chou Dynasty 112-255 B.C., Chi means the flowing of the unseen life force defined as internal body energy. Chi is the main influence in bringing greater physiological vitality and psychological stability. The flowing energy of Yin and Yang is called Chi. Their rest and motions are controlled by the Tao ... The harmony of Yin and Yang is necessary to the body for perfect health. Thus the practice of acupuncture and respiratory control is necessary for the connection of the vital energy. Motion and concentration are used to influence correct breathing and thus affect the activities of vital energy. The importance of inhaling and exhaling correctly cannot be overstressed. Breath control is necessary for the conduction of the Chi or vital energy. Vital energy is both mental and physical energy. Correct breathing allows the vital energy to flow naturally with practice. One can control the flow of Energy and direct it to different parts of the body. (Siou, 1975)
Shallow, rapid breathing usually happens during times of stress or fear, and it is unhealthy. Many people breathe in a rapid, shallow pattern unconsciously, without realizing that they are not giving their mind-body sufficient oxygen. The lungs sometimes spasm for a deep breath in the midst of shallow breathing, or your body may yawn in an attempt to bring in more oxygen. These are requests on the part of the mind-body for more oxygen. When you redirect your awareness to the breath, shallow breathing
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subsides. Breath control is the prequel to the practice of No Mind. Carlson Wade, a medical-research reporter who authored over 30 books, says that using the stomach muscles to expel air forcefully “helps recharge your internal organs.” He writes of the benefits of the 2,500-year-old technique of breath control: The rhythmic breathing sends oxygen, via the hormones, to your body tissues. The oxygenated hormones nourish the hemoglobin of the red blood cells. The oxygenated hormones are then carried through a great vascular network to the microscopic capillaries which permeate the tissues at that point. They diffuse from the blood across the capillary membrane to the tissue, in proportion to the rejuvenating needs of that specific tissue. (Wade, 1972)
THE SECRET OF ABDOMINAL BREATHING Dr. Tomio Hirai, professor of Medicine and Psychiatry at Tokyo University, explains why abdominal breathing relaxes the body: The parasympathetic nerves, which form a network in the lower part of the body, are responsible for the constrictor of the eye, the slowing of the heart beat, and certain digestive functions. Stimulating these nerves— as it is possible to do by tapping a frog or a chicken on the abdomen—results in a condition resembling sleep. After-lunch drowsiness and total body relaxation are results of the stimulation of the central part of the parasympathetic nervous system. Tensing the abdomen, as one does in abdominal breathing, represses the sympathetic nervous system, which, acting in opposition to the parasympathetic system, stimulates response to alarm by speeding the heart rate, raising the blood pressure, and so on. In other words, tensing the abdomen makes it possible to control the effects of the excitement causing parasympathetic nerves to channel their effects indirectly toward the goal you have set for yourself. This enables you to remain calm in the face of danger and trouble. And this is the reason why abdominal
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breathing generates mental composure and enables you to make maximum uses of your energies. (Hirai, 1975)
Abdominal breathing stimulates the nerves in the abdominal cavity, which relaxes the body. The abdominal breathing technique (detailed at the end of this section) can be used prior to performing tasks or activities and when applying No Mind to daily routines. This simple technique purifies awareness and makes us more capable of dealing effectively with the issue at hand, such as business decisions, negative reactions, stressful situations, or relationship problems. The process of the Iill can be deautomatized for the sake of gaining a clearer, more direct intuition of the situation through the intuitive sixth sense (see Chapter 11).
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APPLYING CLEAR ATTENTION (CAt)—MINDFULNESS Breath control at the beginning of No Mind practice generates Clear Attention. Clear Attention is a gentle effort, similar to pushing a toy boat into a stream and then letting it go. Stay focused on the current with passive persistence. When you begin to discover improvement in your daily activities and solving daily problems, you are encouraged to continue the practice. Designate a time and a place to practice at the beginning, but later you should practice everywhere, during every activity, at least for a moment or so. Start practicing Clear Attention slowly in a quiet place; but once some level of Clear Attention is reached, integrate the practice into work, school, relationships, business, sex, play, sports, and so on. Allow the technique to unfold by starting to practice and then letting it go. When you become overwhelmed by thoughts, do not force them to stop; simply ask, “Who is trying to control the thoughts?” Ram Dass, professor of Psychology at Harvard University, says: Every time a thought arises, observe the thought without judgment, without reaction to content, without
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identifying with it, without taking the thought to be I, or self, or mine. The thought is the thinker. There is no one behind it. The thought is thinking itself. It comes uninvited. You will see that when there is a strong detachment from the thought process, thoughts do not last long. As soon as you are mindful of a thought, it disappears. (Dass, 1978)
Most people can easily learn the technique and open the gates to intuition, which is the “un-Iill-filtered” knowledge we all have, as opposed to learned knowledge. The practice of emptying the mind starts with applying Clear Attention to the act of breathing. As the ability to concentrate and to maintain empty awareness grows, you then can apply it to other activities. When applying Clear Attention, we mirror the direct perception of the senses. This is being mindful of the operations of the mind-body in the present moment. We try to notice the source of mental work, the mechanisms of the Iill. Being mindful of the mind-body allows us to experience the pure awareness before the thoughts— hua-t’ou. We allow the succession of thoughts to unfold without attending, acting, or reacting to them. Each perception, thought, feeling, prejudice, and motivation is a “mind object,” and all mind objects are assigned equal importance. Clear Attention moves awareness from the breath to the body, to the mind, and then back to the breath. In the process, we train ourselves to become more mindful, not mindless. You may notice more thoughts than usual, but this is because now you are more aware of them, as opposed to being lost in them. Clear Attention is the passive watching of the mind objects. John Blofeld, author of The Secret and Sublime: Taoist Mysteries and Magic, says: No words can describe the full benefit of such exercises; of themselves they make one immune to many ills. Combined with meditation, they purify the body, promote accumulation and circulation of the Chi [vital or cosmic energy], and enable one to enter at will into a profound state of inner stillness. From
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which one emerges each time to find the world ever less disturbing, because something of that stillness lingers, bringing serenity and dispassion ... Posture requires attention, as wrong posture may inhibit the flow of Chi ... A swordsman or an archer’s aim is surest when his mind, concentrated on the work in hand, is indifferent to failure or success. Stillness in the heart of movement is the secret of all power. (Blofeld, 1973)
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“THE HEART OF MOVEMENT”—CLEAR ATTENTION Stillness in the heart of movement is unmotivated, unintentional, and effortless movement. It is executed with the pure awareness of Clear Attention, like the peak performance in activities such as sports, dance, acting, or simply walking. It is No Mind performing the learned motions of the mind-body dynamic. Awareness is empty, pure, and receptive. In business, relationships, and education, the skill to absorb information fast is vital, as is the ability to understand others through direct perception, without distorting the meaning of what they are trying to communicate. Clear Attention is key to “open” and clear communication. If we stop the perceptual mechanisms of the Iill to “listen” to others, we understand much better. Clear Attention un-trains and deautomatizes the mind in order to separate awareness from the Iill. It takes time to re-train the mind to perceive directly, but Clear Attention allows perceptual input to follow new, as opposed to old, response patterns. In this way, old mindsets are changed and habituated categories are replaced with new ones, eventually suspended altogether. Clear Attention opens the door to the unconscious aspects of the Iill, so that you become aware of your underlying motives and mental mechanisms, as in psychoanalysis. Clear Attention focuses on the immediate present and overlooks past or future, which is where the Iill resides. This alleviates thoughts of worry, resentment, hope, desire, expectation, and so on. Arthur Deikman, M.D.,
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trained in psychiatry and neurology at Harvard Medical School, argues: On the biological side, the elements of the person system range from such low-level elements as chemical entities to the higher-order, more strictly biological elements of muscles, nerves, bones, and skin, and to the still higher-level components of respiratory, digestive, vascular, and motor systems. On the psychological side, ideas, affects, and sensations are at one level, and memories, thinking, and self-concepts are at a higher level. On the biological side, the organization of these elements is life; on the psychological side, the organization is awareness. I mean to say that awareness is the complementary aspect of organization, it is organization, itself, in its mental dimension ... awareness depends on the state of the [mind-body dynamic], or bio-system; thought functions are the organization’s activity. There is no experiencing agency; the ‘experience’ ‘is’ the state or the activity. (Deikman, 1973)
Being mindful or practicing Clear Attention allows you to experience the natural state of awareness, where the Iill is no longer the agent of experience, there is only the experience. The awareness of No Mind can be applied in all aspects of life—from the direct experience of reality, to peak performance in sports, to unconditional communication with others, to experiencing spiritual awareness.
Clear Attention Releases Attachment Another important aspect of No Mind is following the middle path between opposites and extremes; we discussed this in the context of talking about the Right Attitude and the Ten Paradoxes. Attachment creates internal conflict and disrupts the flow of life. Remember, opposites are only two aspects of the same reality and not two separate realities of their own. All things and events in nature are interdependent elements of one single process.
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Figure 19-2: Opposites are circular, not linear
CLEAR ATTENTION TECHNIQUE OF ABDOMINAL BREATHING The beginning of the Power of No Mind program requires some reduction in the number of perceptual stimuli and thoughts, because this makes it easier to concentrate. Controlling the breathing process brings awareness to a normally unconscious process. Therefore, breathing is a helpful beginning object of Clear Attention. The objects of Clear Attention are the mind-body processes. In order to monitor a host of body and mental functions, we require practice in being mindful. We simply train ourselves to be aware of the correct breathing method, and thus re-train ourselves to breathe properly during our daily activities. During normal activity, we do not expand and contract the breath to its full capacity; this proper method of abdominal breathing oxygenates the blood and efficiently depletes the carbon dioxide.
The Mindful Breath We are used to automated breathing, so forcing the breath into a particular pattern may be uncomfortable and cause mental and physical straining, additionally obstructing Clear Attention. Just remember that this is a gentle, passive effort, without the “I” trying to succeed at anything. Simply follow the breathing exercise that you are learning without over-controlling the breath. Abdominal breathing
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stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which soothes the sympathetic nervous system, relaxes the body, and focuses the mind. The proper technique of abdominal breathing is to use the abdominal muscles to lower the diaphragm upon inhalation, allowing a deeper intake of air, and to contract the abdominal muscles upon exhalation in order to pull the abdomen in tightly and expel the air. This is relatively simple breathing action and should not be forced. It is a gentle expansion of the abdomen and then raising the chest during inhalation, and a gentle contraction of the abdomen, with a slight tensing of the abdominal muscles at the end of the contracting movement during exhalation. The abdomen should contract enough during exhalation to push the diaphragm up and to squeeze the chest slightly, emptying the lungs. You should not be overly concerned with the perfection of your technique, as this is not as important as the application of Clear Attention during the process. Breathing should be natural, so train it for short periods of time, five or ten minutes, and then let it go. When the abdomen is used this way, the solar plexus of the parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated and relaxes the mind-body. The inhalation-exhalation rate should be at 1:2 ratio at first, with the exhalation being twice as long as the inhalation. With practice, the inhalation-exhalation pattern could increase up to 1:4 ratio. However, everyone is different and you should find your own comfortable ratio that flows easy and without effort. Again, these are guidelines and not rules; it is most important that you find a pattern that stills your mind without causing discomfort or strain.
Developing Mindfulness of the Body Applying Clear Attention to abdominal breathing requires being mindful of the successive body changes. So we watch each step in the breathing cycle with passive awareness, and we extend that observation to the rest of our body, noticing all kinds of sensations. The order of the process is as follows: 1. awareness of the abdomen expanding 2. awareness of the air filling the lungs
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3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
awareness of the upper chest filling with air awareness of the rest of the chest filling with air awareness of the abdomen contracting awareness of the air leaving the lungs awareness of the abdomen contracting inward and tightening slightly 8. awareness of the cycle starting all over again
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Avoid having a thought about being aware of the abdomen rising or falling; you are just being aware of the abdomen rising and falling. Thoughts are mind objects and should just be allowed to dissipate. With time and practice, the exercise becomes automatic. In the example above, the process is broken down into seven parts. As your skill increases, you could break it down into two parts—the rise and fall of the abdomen as a continuous, smooth swell similar to that of the ocean waves. A natural rhythm develops with practice, and when you become aware of your breathing, you will resume this rhythm of breathing as an aspect of the bodymind conditioning process.
AWARENESS IS LIKE A MIRROR REFLECTING THE LIGHT As thoughts, feeling, and perceptions disturb Clear Attention of abdominal breathing, they are turned into mind objects that are watched so that they cannot consume the awareness. If we get distracted, we are patient and begin again without worrying about not doing it right; it’s all right as long as you are mindful of what you are doing. For example, if you think, “I need to go to work,” then become mindful of that thought, and it will dissipate. If it doesn’t and another thought comes into awareness, like, “I forgot to call Bill about that meeting,” then apply Clear Attention to that thought and repeat until your attention fills with the rise and fall of the breathing pattern. If a sound enters your awareness, the sound itself becomes a mind object of Clear Attention, a perceptual sensation to be watched passively until it dissipates; then allow awareness to be filled with the breathing pattern once again.
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Remember, this exercise is to be mindful of your breathing. You already know how to breathe, but you haven’t learned how to “watch” your breath. You need to fill awareness with the breath. Keep repeating this pattern as many times as required without forcing yourself to focus back on breathing. In other words, you are a mirror and you reflect everything going on inside and outside of your mind and body, the light that illuminates the mirror is your awareness. Without the awareness, the mirror cannot reflect. When there is no light and just darkness, the mirror reflects nothing. Every aspect of the body, mind, and perceptual field is an object of Clear Attention. We start with the abdominal breathing pattern in the beginning of the awareness training program, and then we incorporate various activities of our daily life as objects of Clear Attention also. So we become mindful during our daily routines and interactions with others. As the practice progresses, you remain aware of the fluctuations of the abdomen. Practice this any time you have the opportunity: in the car, at work, waiting in line, talking on the phone, etc. The Clear Attention of breathing is a very powerful exercise that stills the mind and allows a moment of quiet detachment in situations when you need a break to contemplate what to do or how to handle an issue. Breathing in this way deepens your concentration and ability to focus on the mind objects, diverting your attention from the stream of thoughts in the mind to the direct attention of the object. The breath also stimulates, sharpens, and revitalizes the brain and the body, which heightens the ensuing mindfulness activity. Nyanaponika Thera, a German-born Buddhist monk, scholar, translator, and founder of the Buddhist Publication Society in Sri Lanka, describes mindfulness as “bare attention”: Bare attention is the clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us, at the successive moments of perception. After the practice of bare attention has resulted in a certain width and depth of experience ... it will become an immediate certainty to the meditator that ‘mind’ is ‘nothing beyond its
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cognizing function’. Bare attention is concerned only with the ‘present’. It teaches what so many have forgotten. To live with full awareness in the here and now. It teaches us to ‘face’ the present without trying to escape into thoughts about the past or the future. By pausing before action, in a habitual attitude of bare attention, one will be able to seize that decisive, but brief moment when mind has not yet settled upon a definite course of action or a definite attitude. But is still open to receive skillful directions. Bare attention shows us, by our own experience, the possibility of finally winning ‘perfect’ detachment and the happiness resulting from it ... Only by training oneself again and again in viewing the presently arisen thoughts and feelings as mere impersonal processes, can the power of deep-rooted, egocentric habits and egotistic instincts be broken up, reduced and finally eliminated. (Thera, 1965)
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MIND OBJECTS AND COMMUNICATION We can group the mind objects of Clear Attention into four categories: body sensations, emotions, thoughts (motivations, intentions, and expectations), and perceptions. When awareness is trained to reflect thoughts, emotions, perceptions, or sensations, there is a deeper understanding of these mechanisms and of their source. This applies to your dealings with other people also, so that you become intuitively aware of what they are really trying to tell you, verbally and non-verbally. Once you’ve mastered this technique, you realize that your only roadblock is your Iill, which is the true source of misinterpretation or misunderstanding and the hardest obstacle to communicating with another. If we describe an opinion of ourself in a conversation with someone, we immediately set up a relative point of view, or a mindset. That other person must see our relative point of view to understand us. The problem is that he has his own relative point of view, so you end up with two mindsets trying to communicate. Power of No Mind trains us to have an objective and universal point of view and also helps in analyzing others,
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as discussed in No Mind 501. From this perspective, we communicate unconditionally, without filtering. It is always easier to analyze others than it is to analyze ourselves. Our perceptual and ego defense mechanisms protect the Iill from stress, discomfort, anxiety, embarrassment, shame, humiliation, and so on. But we can easily “see” these mindsets before we see them in ourselves. If we apply Clear Attention, without interpretation, we perceive the Iill of the other person directly and use this insight to guide our actions appropriately. When you apply Clear Attention to others, you are simultaneously doing so to your own thoughts arising from the mental web of the Iill. The associative and conditioned internal responses that cross the screen of awareness need to be treated as mind objects that are watched passively as they pass by. Utilizing Clear Attention to perceive others and their intentions directly allows you to uncover other motives, reasons, and desires. As long as you practice Clear Attention of the other person during communication (receding your Iill into the background), you “see” clearly their intention by comparing the present situation with your unbiased awareness. We will look at this in more detail in Chapter 29, No Mind Business. Clear Attention treats internal and external mind objects with the same level of intensity and value. The Power of No Mind teaches us that all things of which we become mindful are equal, which makes it easier for us to detach from them. Before the mind objects form, we experience hua-t’ou, or the state before the Iill has interrupted the empty mind. This is the non-dualistic awareness of No Mind developed in time and with practice. The mindfulness of mind objects encompasses not only the thought of the object itself, but also its associations in the mind. This opens our awareness to the inter-dynamics of the mental web of the Iill, as “you” passively watch the associations that co-arise. This is Clear Attention of the co-dependent nature of our own brains, watching the neural associative network perform its job—producing codependent meanings and interpretations and thus more mind objects co-arise in the process.
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Our purpose is to separate the awareness from the Iill’s mechanisms and, in doing so, gain direct insight into reality. Furthermore, this aspect of non-attachment to these mind objects will be reinforced during practice as they are seen not as a part of the awareness, but a part of the Iill. When you passively watch an internal or external mind object, you are aware of its formation within awareness, as well as of its leaving awareness. Thus, we become aware of the inner chatter and eventually can control it. This exercise develops the understanding that there is no “I” as the originator of the thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and perceptions. These processes occur of themselves, rather than as part of an entity called “I.” A fundamental breakthrough in our progress is when we realize this simple fact of nature and we are closer to understanding our spiritual awareness. The fruits of this labor are very satisfying. Gaining insight into the Iill and its emptiness brings comfort, serenity, and a new-found strength. Clear Attention of mind objects discovers potentials hidden behind the Iill and the many layers of defense mechanisms we’ve built since infancy.
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MIND OBJECTS 101
1. Body Processes as Mind Objects The four categories of mind objects—body processes, emotions, thoughts, and perceptions—are usually part of the mental activity to which we do not pay attention. The exercise of Clear Attention trains us to pay attention to the things we ordinarily forget. For instance, when you walk somewhere, you pay attention to the body’s movements, the sensations of pressure or pain in the limbs, the temperature of the skin, the feeling of the wind against the face. Usually while you walk, you are preoccupied with thoughts about being on time, your purposes, planning ahead, etc. However, when you are caught up in past and future thoughts, you do not experience the journey in the present. You can exercise Clear Attention while you are walking, running, sitting, lying down, getting up,
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pouring coffee, brushing your teeth, drinking, excreting, and so on. Fill the awareness with the movements and sensations of the body, the body’s position, the arms, the feet, etc. If you are walking, stare at a point on the ground about eight feet in front of you to limit visual distractions, watch the breathing pattern, and walk normally, becoming aware of the sensation throughout the body. Watch any intruding thoughts of the past or future. Be mindful of the sensations in the feet, the length of your steps, the rhythm of your breath. Breathe from the abdomen and walk in awareness of your incredible body performing its tasks. When your focus wanders off, patiently re-focus on the breathing, let go, and just play. Clear Attention increases your enjoyment of all physical processes and sensations, including sports, massage, sex, hugging, and so on. It allows pure bodily expression without the “shoulds” and “whys” conditioning the Iill what it should do and why. Next time you hug someone, do so without intention or motive and fill your awareness with the sensations of the body—the touch of skin and clothes, breathing, thoughts, sounds, feelings in the stomach, smells, etc. There are myriad sensations associated with a hug, and they all become mind objects of Clear Attention. Many athletes and celebrities have to be keenly aware and in control of their posture during performance. With practice, the body naturally assumes the posture it has been trained to maintain. Clear Attention helps to modify certain characteristics or positions of the body. You notice when you are slouching during an important meeting, for example. Be mindful when you correct your posture. Instead of saying, “I am slouching,” think of it in terms of “the body is slouching.” It is not as an aspect of the Iill, such as, “I need to correct my posture.” There is just the effort of the correction and the awareness of that effort without the reference to the “I.” The goal of Clear Attention is to develop nonattachment to the body processes, so references to the “I” in relation to the body are no longer needed, except for
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verbal interactions that require pronouns. Remember, it is mind-body, or “mind with body sensation,” not “my” body. Detachment helps the mind realize the full capacity of the body in expressing itself without the limitations of the Iill. Becoming aware of the mechanical nature of the body as a whole and of its individual parts develops this detachment. In other words, we do not say, “I am in a lot of pain,” which would mean that we are dealing with an “Iill with pain”; in this case, awareness is trapped in the sensation of pain and the “I” has identified with it. Identification is clinging, and as we learned in one of the Ten Paradoxes: With attachment, work. Without attachment, play. We want to see the pain passively as a thought, as a sensation of the mind without identifying with it: “there is the thought of pain,” or “mind with pain.” In other words, we experience that the pain in itself, not the “self being in pain.”
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2. THE EMOTIONS AS MIND OBJECTS One of the most important goals of practicing Clear Attention is to achieve healthy emotional detachment, where we experience emotion without being consumed by it. Becoming mindful of our emotions is one of the hardest aspects of Clear Attention, as it is very difficult to be objective about feelings and emotions. As we discussed in No Mind 101, emotions can quickly “hijack” mental and physical responses. Surging hormones and neurotransmitters can take over the brain and cause us to react unconsciously and uncontrollably. This is the fight-orflight survival mechanism manifesting itself. Emotions are typically generated by the Iill through conditioning; in other words, our emotionality is partly genetic but also learned to a large extent (Hochschild, 2003). With the practice of No Mind, you can be mindful of your emotions. For the most part, emotions are generated from the mental web of the Iill as complex biochemical responses to internal and external stimuli. We learn not only how, but also how much, to respond (Lutz, 1998)). On top of
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this, some people are naturally overly sensitive, while others are overly reserved. Some people respond out of context to the given situation, while others act as expected. But we learn how to “handle” someone who is too emotional and how far we can go with people who inhibit their emotions. We learn how to act in order to maintain some sense of social cohesion. Emotions can be perceived in the same detached mode as sensations coming from the body. We described pain as “mind with pain,” so here we talk about “mind with anger,” or “mind with feeling of happiness.” It takes practice to develop the detachment necessary to apply Clear Attention to emotions, and this is more difficult to do than it was with the body. Again, breath control is vital for emotional stability. When experiencing uncontrolled emotions, try to interrupt your normal automatic reaction with Clear Attention of the breath. Temporarily fill the awareness with the rise and fall of the abdomen, with the breath, and in that moment you can become detached from the emotion. Then apply Clear Attention to it and just passively watch it dissolve or pass across the screen of awareness. Understand that emotions are part of the Iill and that we often lose our awareness in the emotional response. This is the Iill’s identifying with the emotion, such as, “I am so angry,” instead of “mind with anger.” As discussed before, the “I” exists only as a successive thought process; it is empty and has no substance. “I” cannot be angry, but there can be a thought about the mind being angry, or a thought about the mind-body being angry; and within the trap of Iill, that thought is misinterpreted as coming from an “I.” Emotional detachment can be exemplified in the case of three basic types of emotional responses: pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral—we either like something, dislike it, or have no preference either way. Regardless of the type of emotion, it should be treated the same, with detachment. Otherwise, the Iill will influence the choices on how to handle emotions. We all prefer happy to sad emotions, but if we do not learn how to untrain the mind to let go of the happy emotions, we won’t know how to let
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go of the sad or angry emotions either. We let go by being mindful of the emotion in a neutral way. Besides, when we untrain the mind to let go of the happy emotions, we experience even more intense, unconditional happiness. It is about the unconditional way in which we experience the range and depth of the emotion without any “happy” conditions being fulfilled. We tend to believe that there are certain conditions that need to be satisfied in order to be happy. But happiness can be conditional (with Iill) and unconditional (without Iill—No Mind). We learn to be objective to each mind object by untraining awareness from being attached. Instead of losing the awareness in the mind object, we separate it from the mind object. Through Clear Attention, we watch emotions passively, controlling them without applying effort. In other words, avoid drifting into a pleasant emotion and losing awareness of it; treat each emotion without any bias as you watch it arise and dissipate. In the case of a negative emotion, such as anger, the goal is to stop the emotion from arising or from manifesting itself uncontrollably. This brief gap of mindfulness can make all the difference in the way the emotion unfolds. Remember, Think. Think not. There is no Thinker. This momentary gap splits the “I” away from the emotion, so that we no longer feel, “I am angry,” but we observe, “there is anger arising,” or “mind with anger.” We don’t need to attach a thinker to a thought, just like we don’t need to attach an “I” to an emotion; there is just the emotion. Emotions arise codependently based on internal and external stimuli; they are associated, conditioned, reinforced, and filtered by the mental web of the Iill as reactions to events or cues. An event or cue could be a thought, feeling, perception, situation, or threat, either external or internal. Clear Attention develops insight into the nature of the codependent arising of emotions, thoughts, and perceptions. Nothing is independent and nothing exists separately; all mind objects arise codependently within our neural associative network, which defines the defense and interpretive mechanisms. This is important to understand, as it provides insight into the
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inner workings of the Iill. With the practice of Clear Attention, emotional mind objects begin to lose their ability to trap awareness in the cycle of emotional action and reaction. The mind objects lose their Iill counterpart and their codependent mechanical nature, so that detachment to the emotions is developed. In this way you avoid addiction to enjoyable emotions, which may cause unhappiness and the unhappiness caused by unlikable emotions. You are aware of enjoyable emotions as simply enjoyable, without any other attachments or qualifications; likewise, you are aware of unlikable emotions as simply unlikable, without the associated complex of over-thinking why there is the unlikable emotion and how it affects your life. You learn to experience unconditional emotions by realizing that an emotional response is really “mind with emotion,” and not “I am emotional.” For instance, if you experience unconditional love, you have experienced pure love without the normal qualifications of love and relationships. In this case, you are outside such Iill-conditioned love; Clear Attention allows you to experience pure emotion. This brings balance and spiritual awareness.
3. THOUGHTS AS MIND OBJECTS With thought, no flow. Without thought, flow. In order to suspend the thought process, Clear Attention must be mindful of the codependent associations of the thoughts. Thoughts trigger other thoughts, and with Clear Attention, we can see the chain forming. Thoughts are a little easier to watch than emotions because usually they do not trigger the complex physiological mechanisms emotions do, as described in No Mind 101. When we are mindful of the space between the thoughts, as opposed to the thoughts themselves, we recognize the start of the thought, or the hua t’ou. We try to avoid getting trapped in the thought sequence of one thought after another. Returning the awareness back to breathing interrupts a thought chain and reintroduces mindfulness. Maintaining detachment of the Iill from the thought is difficult at
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first, but becomes easier with practice. Avoid “I am thinking about ...” and be aware of “there is a thought about,” or “mind with thought.” This removes the “I” reference and separates the awareness from the mind object. It is a powerful exercise.
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Thoughts are Fruits of the Mind; Some are Tasty, Some are Rotten. Clear Attention facilitates the process of removing the “I” from the thoughts and of suspending the mental web mechanisms from intellectualizing and analyzing thoughts. The thought can exist as a thought for its own sake, without reference to other topics or issues. Thoughts occur in the mind as mind objects; they do not have an independent nature of their own, and they are empty in the sense that they have no real identity source. Thoughts are mere fruits of the mind; some are good and some are bad. We enjoy the good and ignore the bad, but remain detached from both, as they are only the fruit and not us. Even a great thought is only great in relation to the individual or to the social Iill. The Iill’s conditioning assigns greater value to one thought compared to another. So treat all thoughts without prejudice, as equals. In Chapter 11, No Mind 201, we learned to distinguish intuition from thought, which originates in the Iill. Intuition is free of the Iill, and it might bring unexpected helpful messages to us. While practicing Clear Attention, all thoughts have the same relative value, being equally empty. Thoughts direct us through our daily routines, from making breakfast to doing work, to choosing our highway exit. When we perform these daily routines mindfully, we learn to distinguish the thought from the identity of the “I.” “I need to get off the freeway here” versus “Freeway exit here now.” Again, these are basic linguistic exercises we are doing to separate awareness form the Iill (see chapter 15, No Mind 301). Mindfulness triggers more insightful thoughts as it releases the thought from the expectations, shoulds, and desires of the Iill. Thus, the development of intuition opens a new channel for inspirations,
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self-knowledge, and self-analysis. Detached, passive awareness reveals the codependent nature of the thought process. Watching the thoughts, you become aware of the associative pattern of thinking and of its habitual relation to the Iill’s interpretation and conditioning. In an article published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, Joseph Reyher describes the uncovering of information through a similar process: We have found that eye-closed free association, with an emphasis upon visual images, also is a powerful (therapeutic) technique. The enhanced possibility that C (the client) may gain access to repressed material which supports his defenses is of critical significance, the desensitization and integration of this material clarifies and weakens the whole defensive organization and assists the expression of new emotional reactions and patterns of behavior. (Reyher, 1963)
To paraphrase, becoming aware of the origins of thoughts and behavior, especially those that support the ego defense mechanisms, helps to weaken associations and to begin “new” behaviors and thought patterns. Psychoanalysis is based on uncovering such links to the Iill. The practice of Clear Attention can reveal the source, purpose, and nature of the behavior. Remember how the Buddhist monk Hanh said while performing mindfulness, “Oh, hi Dad!” or “Oh, hi Mom!” as he recognized behaviors he learned from his mother or father earlier in his life. In a letter to one of his patients, the famous psychologist Carl Jung suggests: The point is that you start with any image, for instance just with that yellow mass in your dream. Contemplate it and carefully observe how the picture begins to unfold or to change. Don’t try to make it into something, just do nothing. But observe what its spontaneous changes are. Any mental picture you contemplate in this way will sooner or later change through a spontaneous association that causes a slight alteration of the picture. You must carefully avoid impatient jumping from one subject to another. Hold fast to the one image you
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have chosen and wait until it changes by itself. Note all these changes and eventually step into the picture yourself, and if it is a speaking figure at all then say what you have to say to that figure and listen to what he or she has to say. Thus you can analyze your unconscious. But also give your unconscious a chance to analyze yourself, and therewith you gradually create the unity of conscious and unconscious without which there is no individuation at all. If you apply this method, then I can come in as an occasional adviser. But if you don’t apply it, then my existence is of no use for you. (Jung, 1973)
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The most powerful ancient secret of Clear Attention is in distinguishing the mechanisms of the Iill. Namely, these effects consist of being mindful of the inner workings of the mental web and of using these to develop new behavioral and thought patterns. In becoming aware of the associative or codependent thoughts and emotions of the Iill, we comprehend their source and gain deeper knowledge of ourselves and of others. This is especially important in understanding what others are really telling us. We will discuss this in detail in No Mind 501. By becoming aware of the source of a negative behavioral pattern, we can use practice, repetition, and patience to eradicate it. Yet, Clear Attention is the passive watching of the thoughts and not analyzing the thoughts; so you should be careful not to engage in retrospective analyses of the process, as this would defeat the technique. We don’t analyze; we passively watch the thoughts without interacting with them. In mindfulness, we see ourselves as we really are. So we lift the veil of our defenses protecting our self-image and see deeply into our true nature. The way we desire to see ourselves becomes a mind object to watch in itself. This is an honest account of who and what we are, of our capacity to accomplish a given task. We fear “seeing” our faults, problems, weaknesses, shortcomings, and imperfections, but if we don’t, we cannot grow, resolve inner conflicts and dilemmas, and reach non-attachment and spiritual awareness. We can “see”
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these aspects of ourselves through the detachment that develops from the practice of Clear Attention.
4. PERCEPTION AS MIND OBJECTS In No Mind 101, we spoke of the numerous sensory inputs through which the brain receives external cues consciously and unconsciously at any given time. At least twenty-four of these deal with tactile and internal stimuli. Sensitive areas, such as the lips and the genitals, receive more cortical space than the shoulders, for example. Similarly, muscle groups involved in speech and hand movements have greater cortical space than those controlling shoulders or elbows. Interpretation of perceptions stems from cortical processing, as the neural associative networks deliver sensations and interpret their meanings for us. Touch is a primary sense essential to human functionality. We are constantly bombarded by a great deal of information, and most of it remains unconscious for a purely pragmatic reason—the information is simply too much. The conscious mind selects information relative to the immediate need of the organism in terms of biological survival, and to the immediate need of the Iill in terms of social survival.
“Mind with Sensation” When Clear Attention is applied to mind objects of perception, we are mindful of the five primary senses in the present moment. We focus on the immediate perceptual cues, such as sensations of touch, pressure, pain, discomfort, sound, sight, taste, and smell. The perceptual cues pass through awareness as they arise and dissipate, just like thoughts and emotions do. Perceptual cues come from the body, and they usually trigger codependent associations in the mental web. The amount of cortical space allotted to each sensation determines the extent of emotional and cognitive interpretations which occur through the neural associative networks.
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If you are sitting quietly practicing Clear Attention, you should be mindful of your breathing, of the points at which your body comes into contact with the chair or the floor, any discomfort in the legs, the coolness or warmness of the skin, the sensations of the hands, the sound of cars outside, the rise and fall of the abdomen, the smell of an apple pie. When you become aware of the smell, you interpret it as a thought of apple pie, which may trigger a succession of thoughts about your mother or grandmother baking. This could be a long or a short sequence, but the task of Clear Attention is to follow the thought without analyzing, thinking, or intellectualizing. If the string of thoughts interferes with the application of Clear Attention, return the focus to the breathing. Also, to disrupt the thought with another thought, you may practice hua-t’ou and focus on the “Who.” Thus, you introduce a new thought, such as, “Who is smelling?” or “Who is tasting?” Even though it was “I” who was there smelling grandma’s pies, we realize that this is “the memory of smelling Grandma’s pies.” This thought is enjoyable, so there is “the mind with enjoyment of the smell of Grandma’s pies,” and then, “mind with emotion of loving Grandma.” We proceed in this way in order to un-train the awareness from becoming trapped by perception or thoughts, enjoyable or not. Again, although this exercise may seem a little mechanical, it is an extremely effective technique to begin to grasp our spiritual awareness. When we focus inward to find the “Who” in the beginning stages of practice, we usually decide that the “Who” is the mind. Eventually, the thought of “Who” becomes a mind object of Clear Attention, until there is no “Who” and we realize that the question itself is irrelevant and replaced by No Mind, the universal constant of awareness. The goal of Clear Attention is the eventual fruition of the insight into No Mind. However, this is the realization of enlightenment. In the meantime, we benefit and grow from the practice itself. (See No Mind 501.) Clear Attention handles all mind objects in the same way. They arise in awareness and dissipate, while keeping the
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mind clear and still. Perceptual cues arise in awareness and are allowed to pass without interpretation or analysis; the same holds for the associations relative to the cues. Clear Attention circumvents the daily emotional mental up-anddown mood swings. What was experienced as mechanical action and reaction is now re-interrupted with awareness and freed from automatisms. We un-train the mind so we are no longer the automatons described in No Mind 101. Our actions are free and the experience is unconditional. This is the essence of Clear Attention, and with practice it is a powerful tool to use in all our daily activities.
SUMMARY: THE SIMPLICITY OF THE POWER OF NO MIND The daily life of a No Mind practitioner entails the integration of The Ten Paradoxes (Right Attitude) the application of Breath Control and Clear Attention (Right Awareness), and the constant questioning of “Who,” or the hua-t’ou. The practice is simple; we simply practice. It takes time to undo our conditioning. Do not think that it is anything complicated or out of reach. In No Mind 101, we described the mind as a filtering, associative, interpretive, analytical, ego-defensive, perceptual, categorizing, and conditioned mechanism. This understanding is supported by modern neuroscience. We also understand that the “I” originates from these mechanisms. In No Mind 201, we understood No Mind by learning how to look at the mind while knowing that there is no “I,” that the Iill mechanisms function automatically, that free will is really nothing more than free won’t, that we can untrain automatic behaviors through mindfulness, that enlightenment is the realization of spiritual awareness through the insight that the “I” is an illusion, and that our intuitive channels open when we realize the essential meaning of emptiness. These understandings, together with the practice of the technique described here, are the essence of the Power of No Mind program. In No Mind 401, we discuss the parapsychological and spiritual aspects of
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No Mind, but these are not important for our daily practice. Zen writings of the last century may be a complex philosophy to many, yet, the Power of No Mind strives for simplification and pragmatic applicability.
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Practice Clear Attention while performing your daily tasks in business, sports, relationships, communications, sex, chores, education, stress management, etc. You should be able to perform Clear Attention anywhere and at any time—not only in a quiet room or in a Zen garden. The goal of this program is to teach you to apply the technique in any activity, enhancing performance and perception, unconditional action and reaction, communication, and so on. Postures in the beginning when practicing the technique help to stimulate mindfulness and help develop the ability to focus. Take shooting baskets in a basketball game, for example; if we do not practice, then we won’t be able to apply this useful skill when we need to score in the middle of a game. If we only practice occasionally, then thrown into a professional game without warning or time to practice, we would not do so well. This is why we practice any sport or activity; we must practice off the court, so that the skill is there when we need it. When you need Clear Attention the most—say, in the middle of a heated business meeting, you will not be able to apply enough skill to succeed. So a little daily practice is important. Postures help us control the mind because we channel our awareness to controlling the body and the breathing.
Sitting on a Chair A good posture should be comfortable. If it causes discomfort to the body, then the thoughts of the discomfort need to become mind objects of Clear Attention, which introduces noise. Sitting on a chair is suitable for shorter periods of practice, as it tends to get uncomfortable after a while, but it may be good in the beginning stages of practice. Keep the spine straight; this will help you maintain
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active and sharp awareness so that you do not drift into sleep. Place a hard pillow underneath the buttocks to lift it off the chair a few inches. This allows the weight to shift forward and reduces the tendency to slouch backward. In this position, it is easier to keep the spine straight and perpendicular to the floor (see Figure 19-3). If it is uncomfortable, adjust the pillow to your liking by raising or lowering it. If you find yourself drifting off, begin again with straight posture and mindful breathing. A chair that is too comfortable may put you to sleep, especially if you are tired. We want to remain sharp and focused, so find the median in terms of comfort. Stay alert and maintain a straight spine.
Figure 19-3: Sitting on a Chair.
The Half-Lotus Some prefer the half-lotus posture—sitting cross-legged, with the left leg bent and on a floormat and the right leg placed on top of the left leg, where the right foot is nestled into the area where the left calf and thigh meet, or you can reverse leg positions if that is more comfortable (see Figure 19-4).
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Figure 19-4: The Half-Lotus
This posture feels best with two small, hard pillows underneath the buttocks, raising it a few inches above the floormat. The pillows shift the weight of the body from the lower back to the knees, which rest upon the floormat. The spine should be straight and perpendicular to the floor. Fold the hands in the lap; you can put the right hand on top of the left, or place both hands on the knees, but do whatever is comfortable. With practice, this posture can remain comfortable for forty-five minutes to an hour, or longer. If the legs fall asleep, stretch them and resume the posture. Sometimes bending the upper part of the body forward and down over the legs a few times provides some stretching relief. The body should be balanced and find its center of gravity with the spine straight. You can train yourself to maintain this posture even when you are not practicing the technique (for instance, while watching TV). If you habituate the body into this posture, it will be of benefit later when you perform the technique for longer periods of time.
Lying Down When we cannot maintain a posture or walk, we can practice lying down. Lie on one side, keeping the body straight, and bend one arm so that the hand can support the head. Be mindful of the body sensations as you focus on the breathing pattern. When you are lying down, the diaphragm is somewhat constricted, so you need to adjust the breath control to do what is comfortable, as long as you are monitoring the breath by the 2:1 ratio. It is easy to fall asleep in this position, so use it only when you have no
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other alternative. This technique is very effective for people suffering with insomnia; as you lie in bed, try to clear the mind by focusing on the counting of the breath. With some practice you will find yourself drifting asleep as soon as you begin to “get into the rhythm” of the breath.
Walking We can also practice Clear Attention successfully while walking if we focus on what is occurring in the present moment. Walking may also be alternated with sitting if you practice for longer periods of time. When you get tired of sitting, resume walking, and vice versa. Find an open area of a backyard, park, or a safe and quiet walkway. In the beginning, stand erect and begin breath control, filling the awareness with the breath. Then move your awareness to the body sensations, pressure on the feet, arms hanging, knees, stomach, sounds in background, and so on. Be mindful of the body standing as you take your first step, then be mindful of the first step together with all the feelings in the legs, and so forth. Fix your gaze on the ground about eight feet in front of you, and as you walk, maintain awareness of focusing eight feet out from you; but also be gently mindful of everything else that’s going on. Try not to get caught up in thoughts or associations of sounds or events. If this happens, return the awareness to the breath and focus your attention there.
Figure 19-5: Walking
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Walk slowly along a path at whatever pace is comfortable and normal for you. Do not try to maintain a certain speed. Focus on the body and breath. Stop as necessary to refocus on the breath and to regain becoming mindful. Walking outdoors can be difficult for beginners, as it involves countless environmental distractions. With practice, car horns, voices, and other noises should become “mind objects” in your awareness. You will watch them pass without becoming angry or upset that they disturbed your concentration. Use them to your advantage and become mindful of them to strengthen Clear Attention. Feel each step and the distance between the feet, the sensations in the body and of the foot bending, and follow the breath. Walking is a great way to supplement your sitting training and to energize your practice. Feel the flow of the exercise, (see Chapter 28). We have allowed our awareness to stay trapped in the cycles of the Iill’s mechanisms for a long time, so now we need to untrain it with practice and patience. The inner thought chatter will be annoying at first, but will gradually lessen; it just take patience. You cannot shoot baskets in a basketball game or play golf the first time you play; it takes a little practice. Use your discretion to select a posture that is comfortable and allows you to focus clearly and undisturbed. Soon you are walking, running, eating, talking, listening, and studying while simultaneously practicing Clear Attention. Keep in mind that postures should be straight, not slumping. Allow the abdomen to breathe easily without forcing the stomach too far, keep shoulders back and relaxed, check the body for stress spots and relax any tense muscles. Being mindful of stress spots helps when you apply Clear Attention. Be objective to the tense muscles, allowing them to become only mind objects. Let it flow naturally and without trying.
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SUMMARY OF THE THREE-STEP TECHNIQUE The technique described here may seem more complicated than it really is. It is important to keep it simple. This is not an intellectual or analytical exercise—if it were, it would
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defeat the purpose of the one of the paradoxes, Seek mind with no thought. We do not think during the process. Granted, at the beginning it is hard not to analyze what you are doing; but as you gain some proficiency, you should let go of thinking and just “watch” with Clear Attention. Don’t worry about the breath control; let it occur at its own rate once you have gained some proficiency at it. Do not worry about thoughts entering the mind; watch them. And if they overwhelm the awareness, ask yourself, “Who is watching?” and doubt the existence of the Iill. Remember, everything you are and have achieved is still there; you are only learning to become objective to it so you can reach a higher level of awareness. You can apply this technique anywhere. Efficiency comes with practice. In the beginning, it is best to find a quiet place and limit distractions as much as possible.
Figure 19-6: In the top image, we see that awareness can be taken by thoughts, emotions, sense-inputs, imagery, and desires, in which case we are mindless. In the top image, the arrow represents the awareness being drawn to the mind objects. The awareness “sticks” to the mind objects. In the bottom image, when we are mindful, the awareness “un-sticks” itself from the thoughts, emotions, sense-inputs, imagery, and desires, allowing us to be objective to them and not become absorbed by them. Here the awareness draws the mind objects to it and is not absorbed by them.
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Remember the hypothetical monkey in the room with the windows discussed in No Mind 101? When we are mindful, it is as if the monkey has stopped chasing whatever occurs at the windows. When we are mindless, we chase whatever occurs in the windows and the images absorb our awareness. When practicing Clear Attention, we simply “observe” the fragments of reality we get through the windows.
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THREE-STEP METHOD OUTLINE
Step 1. Find a comfortable posture, where your weight is balanced and the spine is relatively straight. Practice breath control for five minutes. Count to five while expanding the abdomen, lifting the rib cage, and filling the lungs (five is an arbitrary number; you need to discover your own comfortable rate of inhalation). Then exhale counting to ten (the beginning ratio should be 2:1); bring the abdomen in as far as you can, and feel a slight tensing (without forcing) as you exhale completely. The rib cage naturally lowers as the diaphragm gets pushed down on the next breath, and is pushed up again when the rib cage is lifted and the upper lungs are being filled. Don’t hold the breath. After inhaling, begin to exhale immediately, as the abdomen is being pulled, pressing the diaphragm up into the lungs and expelling the air. If the cycle is imperfect and the count is off, don’t worry; try to maintain them on subsequent inhalations and exhalations. It takes practice and patience. Try to control the breathing for about five minutes and then let the breath continue on its own, without conscious effort to monitor it. With practice, the breath will maintain itself, the mind will quiet automatically as you teach the mind-body “new” patterns. The body will then relax, so you can begin Clear Attention in step 2. The breath-control exercise can be applied while walking, sitting, reclining, or standing. Try it when you are tense, in a meeting, or even watching television.
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Step 2.
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Let the breath go and resume its natural flow. Allow the rise and fall of the abdomen to fill the awareness. Be mindful of it as a mind object of Clear Attention. If another aspect of the body comes into awareness, like pain in the legs, then approach the feeling with Clear Attention: “mind with pain in legs.” Return to the rise and fall of the abdomen during breathing. If other mind objects enter your awareness, like the sound of a car, allow that perceptual cue to become a mind object too—“mind with sound of car,” or even better, “mind with sound”—without thinking or analyzing. If the thought of the description of the car still enters the awareness (for instance, if you recognize it’s your neighbor’s car and then you have a thought of the neighbor or a visual image of the car), turn that thought into a mind object also: “mind with image of car,” or “mind with image of neighbor.” This process goes on throughout the exercise, every body aspect, every thought aspect, every emotional aspect, and every perceptual aspect becomes a mind object. They are all equal for the purposes of this exercise; do not be distracted by one over the other and apply Clear Attention in a non-attached, dissociated sense, as if the mind objects are separate from the awareness of them. Emotional aspects should be recognized as either enjoyable, unlikable, or neither, and then let go. This develops the ability to be mindful of the emotions—not mindless. Do not focus on any of the mind objects, just watch them passively like you would watch the trees in a park. As you practice, the flood of mind objects slows down until the point of pure awareness, or No Mind, comes of itself.
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Step 3.
When the flood of mind objects is overbearing and Clear Attention wanders from one mental object to another, or you find yourself thinking about the mind objects or about the technique, then try the hua-t’ou method and introduce a new mind object—the thought of “who is
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watching?” “Who” is now the primary object of Clear Attention, so additional thoughts about it might surge, but try to maintain the focus on just the “Who”: “Who” is sitting, walking, breathing, and so on. This uses thought against thought in order to focus the mind on: “There is no thinker.” Here, your goal is to generate doubt as you investigate the “who.” Do not use reasoning or try to answer any questions, just relax, be mindful, and the answer will come when you are ready. Eventually, you will realize that there is only doubt and no “who” to feed it. This is a pure mindful moment, when the doubt is lost and the issue of the “who” is cleared. In Zen, they call this Samadhi, or enlightenment, as described in Chapter 13 and No Mind 401. There is complete resolve in this state and no need to question. If you try to find the “who,” you will end up with the answer that the “who” is the Iill, which cannot exist in No Mind. When you arrive at the point of pure awareness, the “who” is no longer a doubt or a thought; it vanishes in the experience of No Mind. Hua-t’ou seeks to cut off all thinking and to avoid making distinctions between opposites. The emptiness of the “who” is the source of thought and the pureness of No Mind. The beginning of thought is mind, or the Iill, and the beginning of mind is No Mind. Spiritual awareness is when you find the answer to the “who” of the hua-t’ou, for the “head of thought” and no thought is No Mind. When you arrive at the point of pure awareness or No Mind then the “who” is no longer a doubt, thought, or a mystery, it vanishes in the experience of No Mind. The hua-t’ou is to cut off all thinking and not make distinctions or opposites. But the thought of “who” should be a passive doubt that shouldn’t be forced; if forced, it would overwhelm the practice of Clear Attention. If it is uncomfortable to think in terms of the “who,” then do not practice it for now and return to being mindful of mind objects. It is simply another thought about the nature of mind and of the Iill. Hold the “who” in Clear Attention and then let it go when the mind is still again.
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Since you are unsure as to “who” is watching or tasting, this has the tendency to create a doubt, which is the point of hua-t’ou. We can say “the eyes are watching,” or “the mind that is watching,” but we remain uncertain about the “who.” The physiological mechanics of the eye and of the brain are clear, as is the perceptual cue of the image and its interpretation. Yet, there is no physiological location of the “who”; therefore, you are in doubt about the very essence of your “I.” Now, this doubt should become a mind object of Clear Attention, and you should be mindful of it whenever possible in order to block other thoughts. It is imperative that you do not analyze, intellectualize, or think about the doubt, as this will reintroduce the Iill into the thought process. Do not seek or expect to get anything; this would be “trying,” negating the Ten Paradoxes. Just practice Clear Attention, watch it passively and do not enter into an analytical debate about its source or meaning. You know that the doubt exists and instinctively you know why; allow insight to fill this void. It will manifest itself throughout your daily activities. When you speak, you may question, “who is speaking?”; or when you run, you may ask, “who is running?” This is part of the practice and of the development of No Mind. Embrace doubt. The practice takes patience. Do not force yourself or stress out if it takes time to have only one thought in your awareness. This is not something that you are used to, and the mind needs to be un-trained and re-trained. It is a habit to be thinking all the time. For example, children ask and talk constantly, verbalizing all their thinking processes; but when we get older, we realize we must suppress the urge to verbalize everything and begin to internalize the thought processes. Now we have to un-train this process too, so that we may have a clear and tranquil state of awareness. It won’t happen overnight. After several weeks of practice, the doubt of the “who” will remain with you still. When spiritual awareness is realized, doubt vanishes. You lose the dualistic identity with the Iill and realize that you are the non-dualistic pure awareness of
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No Mind. No Mind is more than just a state of no thought, it is an insight into the ultimate nature of things, into nature itself. It is impossible to accurately describe this experience to others through the limited means of language based on opposites. It is empty, yet everything. It is here and everywhere. It overcomes the mind-body confines of the Iill, and releases the full potential of the individual.
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THREE-STEP METHOD OUTLINE (FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE) Step 1.
The breath control has become natural by now, and you have been able to apply it easily while walking, standing, running, reclining, sitting, eating, working, driving, and so on. You are aware that when exhaling and inhaling, the center of gravity is in the abdomen, and that’s where Clear Attention focuses. The inhalation and exhalation is smooth, the diaphragm moves freely up and down, and the chest is relaxed when the rib cage is lifted on the inhalation. The breath is smooth and continuous, without much need for guidance or effort. At this point, you should have found your comfortable rhythm, whether the ratio of inhalation to exhalation is 1:2, 1:3, or 1:4. Both feel natural in the posture that you have chosen to practice. The breathing is almost inaudible and therefore does not become a sound mind object, which reduces the clutter of mind objects for Clear Attention. You are not concerned with the length of the practice; time passes of itself without any attention being paid to it.
Important Points to Keep in Mind: 1. The breath will be shorter at the beginning of practice and longer when you have gained some proficiency. Do not over-force the breath, as it will gradually lengthen in time and become more natural. 2. The breath should be inaudible, without humming or whistling, and adjusted so that it is smooth, full, deep, and reaching the lower abdomen. If you can hear the
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breath, become mindful of the sound as you would of any other mind object. 3. The air should be taken in through the nostrils and released slowly through the barely open mouth. 4. Practice the technique of breath control for five to ten minutes, and then let it go and breathe naturally and without control; refocus on the breath as necessary to limit the amount of thought activity. 5. The diaphragm needs to move up and down freely to avoid stiffness in the abdomen. The posture must be comfortable and the spine straight. It gets easier with practice. 6. Relax the chest and the abdomen during the exercise. Do not tense up, as this will cause discomfort and obstruction. 7. The center of gravity of the body is the abdomen; concentrate on the navel when trying to feel the body’s center of gravity. Step 2.
Clear Attention has now been successfully applied to the rise and fall of the abdomen, and the mind is stiller than it was in the beginning of practice. We are now more focused on the present moment and can distinguish thoughts of the past or of the future for what they are. Thoughts, perceptions, and emotions come and go, but now there is a detached objectiveness to them. With Clear Attention, you are able to watch the rise and dissipation of these mind objects. While some mind objects may still produce clinging and cause further association of thoughts and feelings, the majority of the mind objects don’t “stick” to the awareness, which is free to watch them pass on the screen of awareness. At this point, you are able to be mindful during your daily activities outside the training postures. You start noticing things like the fragrance of the roses, colors of the sky, clouds, and trees, birds singing, of which you are normally unaware during
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your daily routines because the mind is too busy with thoughts of the past or the future or what it is “stuck” to in the present. The primary purpose of the No Mind program is to be applied during daily activities while we keep the awareness in the present moment. Let’s walk through a morning scenario of practicing a mindful meditation: A desire for coffee arises, and with Clear Attention, you are aware of a “mind object of desire for coffee.” You walk to the kitchen, aware of the movement of the body as it maintains the walking posture— “mind objects of sensations of walking”—of the feeling of the legs, of the floor’s temperature, of the pressure on the bottom of your feet, and so on. You see the coffee maker, and you are aware of the visual cue arising in awareness: “mind object of image of coffee maker.” You go to the coffeemaker (assume the coffee is already made), reach for a cup, and pour the coffee: “mind objects of body movements of hand and arm, posture, touch sensation, and image of filling coffee cup.” If a thought unrelated to coffee-drinking arises in awareness, say, of your boss, then apply Clear Attention: “mind object of thought of boss.” There may be negative or positive associations with this mind object, depending on whether it is enjoyable, unlikable, or neutral. So “mind object with thought of boss” is followed by “mind with anger” or “mind with enjoyable feelings.” Here, you apply Clear Attention to the enjoyable or unlikable emotions also. At this point, try to refocus Clear Attention back to the coffee and complete the sequence of adding sugar or milk; follow through the body postures and sensations until you taste the coffee: “mind object of enjoyable coffee taste.” But really taste the coffee, let it flow over your tongue, then to the back of your mouth, and then swallow; savor the taste before your mind is interrupted by another daily thought. During this exercise, at the beginning, try to leave as many distractions out as possible, like watching the morning news or talking on the phone. It is important to enjoy this little bit of mindfulness at some point during the day. If not in the morning, then try to repeat the pattern at night; for instance, when
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you walk the dog or make dinner or savor a glass of wine. After some practice, Clear Attention will flow smoothly: “mind with taste,” “mind with anger,” “mind with lust,” “mind with desire,” “mind with body posture,” and so on. You may enjoy your coffee much more after this exercise and even experience clearer, more direct perception of the taste of the coffee. Clear Attention is simply becoming aware of daily activities, and it is easier to practice on the simple things like pouring coffee, taking a shower, watering the grass, washing the dishes, etc. Then we can apply it to more complex areas: business meetings, decision-making, sporting events and competitions, relationship communications, and stress management. We need to focus and to practice this method in order to untrain the mind from its habitual thinking patterns. This is a powerful method of breaking old patterns and reestablishing new ones which allow you to become aware of things that were previously outside the scope of awareness. This stops the automatic processing of the mind objects and the associative and conditioning mental web, so that you can respond with new intuitions and with a direct perception of reality. The practice of Clear Attention enhances awareness of the activities of the mind-body. Follow those activities for as long as you can without interruption. This will strengthen your ability to focus and to still the mind. If time allows and you have completed a sequence of these exercises for 15–30 minutes or longer, you can continue in the sitting posture and return to Clear Attention of the rise and fall of the abdomen, being aware of the mind objects of the sitting position and of the many points of tactile sensations where the body touches the chair or the floor (you can start with the breath and then focus the awareness on the different points of touch sensations). Continue the practice for another 15–30 minutes, depending on your comfort level. You can alternate these activities throughout the day. While sitting at your desk, you can become mindful of your breathing. While standing by the water cooler at the office, you can become mindful of the mind-body motions of getting a cup of
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water and drinking it. Using the techniques throughout the day will benefit you the most in terms of training you in the practice of No Mind. This teaches us presentmoment awareness of living in the here and the now, which is the only concern of Clear Attention. After some practice, you will start noticing when you fall back into the automated behaviors of the Iill, and you are able to circumvent it. It is a back-and-forth switching of awareness. In the more advanced levels of practice, you lose awareness and become completely absorbed in the action of the mind-body. You should have experienced loss of awareness before, as in driving down the highway and suddenly realizing you have no recollection how you got there. Most of the time we are similarly lost in awareness and on auto-pilot; we now know this as mindlessness. Practicing No Mind turns off the auto-pilot and develops mindfulness.
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Important Points to Keep in Mind: 1. Do not allow yourself to be annoyed or discouraged by thoughts during the practice. This is normal, and you should try to make such thoughts mind objects of Clear Attention. If you are too anxious or cannot relax, just breathe. If the breath control fails, try to practice at a different time, when you can focus. With practice, you are able to focus and to reduce the number of mind objects. Do not engage in an “inner chatter” about the mind objects already in the mind. 2. If you begin to feel pain from the posture you have chosen, treat the sensation as a mind object and try to maintain the posture a little longer. When the discomfort becomes too overwhelming, try to practice again another time, or take a walk, maintaining Clear Attention of the movements of the body and of its posture, of the sounds, smells, sights, and so on. This is an alternative if a posture becomes uncomfortable. Walk slowly and be aware of your breathing and body. 3. Any distracting sounds, scents, or images that enter the field of awareness should be treated as mind
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objects. Dissipate them with Clear Attention and then return your focus to the original object of Clear Attention. If this does not work or the mind objects are too divertive, then try the hua-t’ou method and add the mind object of “who is having these disturbing thoughts?” Remember not to rank mind objects in terms of preference; you should be aware of them equally, whether they are enjoyable or not. All they are is mind objects, and you should be detached from them. 4. Do not force, strain, try, push, over-think, or do anything that would constitute an “effort” toward results. This is a watchful awareness of the flow of the mindbody. Watch the flow and do not interfere with it, except to bring your awareness back onto the mind objects of Clear Attention. The only slight effort made should be to maintain the focus on the mind objects; but do not choose, just watch. When there is a break in the thoughts or perceptions, return the awareness back to the body objects, like breathing or the sensations of the sitting posture. 5. At the beginning, you may want to dedicate a free weekend or a day to practice the techniques and to get familiar with focusing Clear Attention on different aspects of your daily activities. Some quiet time at the beginning allows you to strengthen the focus in less time, as opposed to practicing during activity or work. Step 3.
The advanced stage of hua-t’ou is the same as the beginning stage. The difference is that now we comprehend the “who” through the insight of spiritual awareness. The “who” either exists or does not exist. The Iill is experienced as an illusion, or it is understood to be an illusion. Many students confuse the understanding of the experience with the experience itself and reach pseudoenlightenment. The ancient masters have repeatedly emphasized that there is either experience or there is not;
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no middle ground can be found here. There is no path with a goal at the end, there is nowhere to go and “no one” to accomplish it. Everything you can attain in The Power of No Mind is already within you and around you. This is a non-dualistic awareness beyond the fragmented identity of the “I,” without attachments—possessing, yet not being possessed. No Mind is pure spiritual awareness, which has always been there with you, only in an unrealized state of confusion with the Iill. The key aspect of the advanced practice of No Mind is looking into the “who,” or as the ancient masters have said, “If spiritual awareness is never born, then ‘who’ was born?” or “Who are you if not this Iill?” These are traditional Zen koans that were frequent objects of Clear Attention. They cast away old ideas and beliefs about the self. The paradoxical koans are meant to exhaust and to stall your analytical mind, so that you can experience No Mind. Then all mind objects are seen as equal and without bias or distinction in the flow of nature. No Mind 601 provides unique No Mind insights and riddles that you can use as objects of Clear Attention in your daily reflections about No Mind.
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No Mind 401
The Secrets of No Mind
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For millennia, humans have been seeking to reestablish their unity with the universe by studying the nature of the soul. The experience of being one with the universe is a healthy component of the No Mind program, since we instinctively feel the need to complete ourselves spiritually and to get in touch with our primordial origins. In their pursuit of understanding the soul, the ancient masters used techniques like No Mind to transcend ordinary reality and to see into the nothingness of Being. Physicists are now verifying the ancient masters’ teachings about the mechanics of the universe. We need to transcend the Iill to perceive reality directly and to realize our spiritual awareness, which is the Universal Awareness expressed through our own awareness when we have neutralized the Iill. When we experience this aspect of ourselves directly, our basic spiritual craving is satisfied. Our individualistic, self-conscious perspective cannot grasp the concept of the universe in the present moment, as opposed to focusing on the past or on the future in Iill time. We experience the flow of nature and apply it to our daily routines and tasks; the essence of being one with the Tao. The experience of the spiritual awareness is boundless, joyful, and impossible to describe in any language. Chapter 20 explores the need to experience spiritual awareness directly in order to satisfy our spiritual yearnings.
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Chapter 20
Secrets of the Soul
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o Mind is incomplete without the experience of some level of spirituality, or of feeling oneness with nature and the universe. Our conditioned, dualistic worldview obscures our essential core. Rediscovering that core amounts to rejoining nature and attaining spiritual awareness. Discovering and realizing this aspect of ourselves is important for achieving No Mind. Otherwise, we may feel painfully alienated from nature. Most of us love the outdoors: nature hikes, camping, beautiful beaches, luminous sunsets, and the stars ... We want and need to feel a part of this underlying essence. Experiencing this dynamic oneness with the universe can be more satisfying and life-changing than anything else we’ve ever done, and this is why people have been seeking enlightenment for thousands of years. To feel whole and healthy, it is vital to pursue understanding of spiritual awareness as part of the No Mind program. When we have trained our awareness to overcome the Iill and its mechanisms, we are ready to expand this awareness into the depths of the essence of nature and the soul. 433
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THE ANCIENT MASTERS COULD TRANSCEND ORDINARY REALITY The search for the soul has defined the human condition for thousands of years. The compulsion of the Iill to sustain itself, even after the mind-body has expired, has been a subject of religious and philosophical discourse since the dawn of civilization. We have looked to the heavens for answers to the mysteries of the soul’s existence. The soul is most commonly conceptualized as a spirit that carries on even after we are dead. The enlightened ancient masters often experienced deep states of mystical pure awareness—No Mind. The enlightened masters readily intuit the secrets of nature and of the mind. They experience oneness with the universe and nature. The ancient masters did not ask their disciples for faith, belief, or devotion; they simply asked them to just sit, to practice the techniques, and to experience; and if they did not experience anything, then they asked them to sit some more. They knew that any attachment to a specific belief would be detrimental to the practice. So the course of action was to discard all beliefs for the sake of pure awakening. The experience of the unity of all things reveals the non-dualistic aspect of No Mind that transcends the Iill. The “only universal constant is awareness,” which we might even call nature’s cosmic soul. Lawrence Henderson, professor of Biological Chemistry at Harvard University, finds the cosmos in our own biology: The properties of matter and the course of Cosmic Evolution are now seen to be intimately related to the structure of the living being and to its activities; they become, therefore, far more important in biology than has been previously suspected. For the whole evolution any process, both Cosmic and organic, is one, and the biologist may now rightly regard the Universe in its very essence as bio-centric. (Henderson, 1913)
The feeling of “I,” which binds us to the world of identity and dualistic thinking, is not easy to lose or forget. In this world of “I,” one cannot “see” the unity of all things;
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but with No Mind, one can experience it instantaneously. Then we perceive the flow of nature and its cosmic soul. No Mind, which makes no sense to the calculating mind (the Iill), is understood in the flash of enlightenment, as the “I” is realized as an illusion and the empty awareness is no longer contained by the mind-body, but reunites with nature’s cosmic awareness. This is the universe becoming aware of itself, or spiritual awareness realizing itself again. These advanced stages of No Mind are attainable for anybody; with diligent practice, we can do what countless others have already done over the last 2,500, or even 5,000 years, which traces Taoism to Emperor Huang Ti around 2597 BCE. Psychiatrist Thomas Hora was inspired to look beyond conventional medical practices for better solutions to human pain and suffering through direct realization of reality:
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The intellect knows only that which has come through the senses. The Self is then built up from what appears to be and what should be. Moreover, what ‘should be’ insists on ignoring what really is. Concepts are statements ‘about’ reality. They have no reality of their own and their location is in that unknown place which is called memory and mind. Thus the Self, or the ‘I AM’ can neither be localized nor does it have actual reality of its own. Yet ordinary man spends most of his life in an unceasing effort to confirm this abstraction as a concrete reality ... If all that is unreal is essentially sensory and conceptual, then true Reality must be that which is beyond the sensory and the conceptual. In it there is neither ‘self’ nor ‘other’; there is only the All-Transcending timeless process manifesting itself in that field of phenomena ... Enlightened [people] transcend [themselves] in ‘seeing the Truth of what is.’ In this process of losing [themselves they] find that which is Real ... when man becomes aware of the suffering inherent in idolatry of the self, or the other, or of what ‘seems to be,’ and what ‘should be,’ he discovers that ‘self realization’ is an altogether misleading idea, both in art as well as psychiatry ... Health is contingent not on self-realization, but on realization of Reality. (Hora, 1962)
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In the quote above, the self is synonymous with the Iill, and realization of reality is spiritual awareness, which is beyond the Iill or the self. In other words, we do not seek the self or the “I,” but spiritual awareness through the release from the “I.” So far, we have been learning about the practical applications of No Mind in our daily lives, about its psychotherapeutic benefits, and about its affects on performance (discussed extensively in No Mind 501). Here we focus on another application of No Mind that involves “looking into our true nature” or “looking into our spiritual awareness.” The ancient masters described this experience as the feeling of being alive as an integral piece of the universe; in other words, the universe itself is alive through the human mind and body, which contain the natural forces of the cosmos. So spiritual awareness acts through you in the performance of the most trivial tasks. It brings pleasure and happiness to realize that your mind-body condenses the essential aspect of nature and that you are an integral part of the es- “To look into the nature of mind” sential flow of the universe.
EXPERIENCING THE ESSENTIAL FLOW OF THE UNIVERSE All life is a reflection of the universe, where everything is interdependent on everything else. The Earth is not an isolated planet supporting isolated life forms. Even contemporary physicists are coming to the same conclusion as the ancient masters did thousands of years ago, as
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they watch subatomic particles collide and new ones form out of nothingness. These dynamics occur under our noses on Earth and throughout the universe, in galaxies millions of miles away. William Tiller, Ph.D. of Stanford University, who studies energy fields in nature, says:
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From experiments of energy field observations of plants, animals and humans, evidence is mounting that there is an interconnectedness, at some level of substance in the Universe, between all things in the Universe. (Tiller, 1973)
The interconnectedness of the universe has been the subject of many best-selling books in quantum physics (Capra, 1976; Pagels, 1982). Throughout our daily lives, we rarely take notice of the flow of the universe; we are concerned with our physical and social survival. We feel we have limited time here, so we strive desperately to “enjoy and keep up” in the social world of the Iill. We feel alienated from people and from the natural world around us; we are always eagerly chasing something we do not have yet. We feel finite because we identify with the pains and illnesses of the body and we know that this complex system of flesh and bones will inevitably grind to a halt. We know that the sense of “I” will dissipate upon our death, or, as many believe, it will go somewhere else where it might get rewarded or punished for eternity. All of these feelings originate from our identification with the Iill, and for many people, living and dying are experienced in terms of the Iill. But there are also those who intuit the existence of another reality beyond the mental web of the Iill. To get there, one needs to open the gates of insight. Cosmic awareness is not just “out there,” it is right here, right now. Lama Govinda, a German-born Tibetan monk, says in The Way of the White Clouds: Individuality is not only the necessary and complementary opposite of universality, but the focal point through which ‘alone’ universality can be experienced. Why should the Universe evolve individualized forms of life and consciousness if this were not consistent with or inherent in the very spirit or nature of the Universe? (Govinda, 1974)
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WITHOUT THE IiLL, WE DISCOVER SPIRITUAL AWARENESS The only universal constant is awareness.tm The basic premise behind this axiom is that the awareness of human beings is directly related to the awareness of the universe, and that the awareness of the universe becomes aware of itself in human beings. This does not mean that the awareness trapped within the Iill is the same as the awareness of the universe. The latter cannot realize itself from within the Iill, so the techniques of No Mind seek to liberate the awareness from the confines of the “I.” At the deeper levels of awareness in No Mind, we reach a total absorption of awareness, where the mind-body is no longer conscious of itself; and if we have the insight of spiritual awareness, we experience the awareness of the universe. But the essential awareness of nature is not aware of itself, as we are. There is no awareness of itself, just awareness, just godconsciousness, an energized field of consciousness that is not self-conscious or self-directed. This kind of awareness is a field of energy, a force that permeates the form and emptiness of the entire universe. We have a difficult time understanding the concept of pure awareness because we understand everything in terms of the Iill’s self-awareness. Without self, there is no self-awareness—instead, there is simply awareness and nothing more. Even this wordy attempt to describe the nature of pure awareness falls short of perfection, as it is embroiled in the limitations of language and of identity. It is hard to verbalize a nondualistic something without identity using a dualistic language based on identity. But as the poems of the ancients suggest, it is a matter of experience that makes Universal Awareness real or unreal, which is why they insisted on just “sitting and not thinking about such things.” Paul Brunton, a British-born journalist who wrote influential books on philosophy and comparative religions, says: Finally it happens. Thought is extinguished like a snuffed candle. The intellect withdraws into its real ground; that is, consciousness working unhindered by
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thoughts ... the brain has passed into a state of complete suspension, as it does in deep sleep, yet there is not the slightest loss of consciousness. I remain perfectly calm and fully aware of who I am and what is occurring. Yet my sense of awareness has been drawn out of the narrow confines of the separate personality; it has turned into something sublimely all-embracing. Self still exists, but it is a changed, radiant self. For something that is far superior to the unimportant personality which was I, some deeper, diviner being rises into consciousness and becomes me. With it arrives an amazing new sense of absolute freedom, for thought is like a loom-shuttle, which is always going to and fro, and to be freed from its tyrannical motion is to step out of prison into the open air. (Brunton, 1934)
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Stepping out of the confines of the Iill is what Brunton describes as the moment of enlightenment, when awareness returns to its origins. This is the seminal shift of awareness that results from the practice of No Mind, as illustrated in the Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones (see Chapter 15, No Mind 301). This shift has been studied through extensive research on parapsychological and psychic phenomena, altered states of consciousness, immortality, and spiritual attainment. Without review and discussion of the literature on these topics over the last fifty years, the study of No Mind would be incomplete, as we would miss the most essential secrets necessary for attaining deeper levels of awareness. Most of us are concerned with our mortality, or with the finiteness of our present state of awareness as discrete individuals. We strive to succeed and to survive in the world as individuals, the way that we were conditioned to do. We are caught up in the making of a life for ourselves and for our families, and we forget that in the process we can still remain connected to everything else. We are so attached to the end results that we forget the journey and miss out on enjoying the ride. The practice of No Mind allows us to stand back and observe ourselves running on the rat wheel, going nowhere while getting older and sicker. Yet, with No Mind, we realize
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non-attachment to the sequence of time called “our life,” which exposes a meaning of existence that is much deeper than what society preaches. From the perspective of the individual, we see only one side to the infinite reality of existence. Stanislav Grof, M.D., research fellow at Johns Hopkins University and chief of psychiatric research at the Maryland Psychiatric Center, writes: Identifying with the consciousness of the Universal Mind [No Mind], the individual senses that he has experientially encompassed the totality of existence. He feels that he has reached the reality underlying all realities and is confronted with the supreme and ultimate principle that represents all Being. The illusions of matter, space and time, as well as an infinite number of other subjective realities, have been completely transcended and finally reduced to this one mode of consciousness, which is their common source and denominator. This experience is boundless, unfathomable and ineffable; it is existence itself. Verbal communications and the symbolic structure of our everyday language seem to be a ridiculously inadequate means to capture and convey its nature and quality. The experience of the phenomenal world and what we call usual states of consciousness, appear in this context to be very limited, idiosyncratic and partial aspects of the over-all consciousness of the Universal Mind. This principle is totally and clearly beyond rational comprehension and yet even a short experiential exposure to it satisfies the subject’s intellectual, philosophical and spiritual cravings. (Grof, 1976)
Even small experiential exposure to the practice of No Mind fulfills spiritual cravings sufficiently for one to become aware of his essential universality, as contrasted to his learned individuality. It is healthy for our psyches to get in touch with the pure empty awareness of the flow of nature, which paradoxically encompasses all things. When you identify with the rushing stream and not with the rock on its bottom, you acquire unparalleled freedom, joy, and spirituality. This experience is even more profound when the stream finally becomes the ocean and you identify with the vastness of its blue infinity.
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CHAPTER 20
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. For millennia, humans have been searching for their link to the universe by seeking to understand the nature of the soul. The experience of universality is healthy for the human psyche, and it is an essential component of the No Mind program. We crave spiritual completion that puts us in touch with our essential source.
Chapter 20 Secrets of the Soul
2. In their pursuit to understand the nature of the soul, the ancient masters used techniques similar to No Mind to transcend ordinary reality and to find a deeper meaning in the Nothingness of Being. Many contemporary physicists are confirming the ancients’ teachings about the mechanics of the universe. 3. We need to transcend the Iill to perceive reality directly and to realize spiritual awareness. 4. Spiritual awareness is the Universal Awareness expressed through our own awareness when we have removed the trap of the Iill. This is an aspect of ourselves that we can only experience directly, and this experience satisfies our intrinsic spiritual cravings. 5. Our individual point of view may expand into a universal perspective, shifting its focus from the future and the past of the Iill to the Now; from self-consciousness to mindfulness. We experience nature directly and incorporate that experience into our daily activities; that is what is meant by being one with the Tao. 6. The experience of spiritual awareness is boundless, joyful, and eludes verbal description due to limits inherent in the dualistic and identity-based language.
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Nature abounds with examples of species whose members exchange information without engaging in noticeable forms of communication. They just “know,” or instinctively understand, what to do in a given situation. Plants, insects, birds, fish, and mammals all seem to communicate outside the ordinary scope of verbal and body language. Ancient masters also reported “telepathic” exchanges with their disciples. Some argue that such types of inexplicable communications constitute so-called Psi phenomena. Psi (pronounced “sigh”) is the twenty-third letter of the Greek alphabet, and it represents both extrasensory perception (ESP), such as clairvoyance and telepathy, and psychokinesis (PK). Western researchers have studied Psi for over seventy years now, and Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious may provide one explanation for how Psi transfers collective knowledge within the human community. No Mind, like other mindfulness-training programs, increases human Psi functions, as documented in many scientific studies. Chapter 21 reviews evidence of Psi in humans and how mindfulness-training techniques improve it.
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Chapter 21
Secret of Psi
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ature is filled with examples of species whose members communicate with each other without exchanging any noticeable signs. They just “know,” perhaps instinctively, what to do in certain situations. When a bee or a termite queen is removed, frenzy descends on the nest; a sequence of orderly events then takes place, producing a new queen. Ants’ colonies and communications similarly defy the normal mode of human communication. Birds, fish, and sea mammals all communicate outside the ordinary scope of language as we know it. These aspects of communications may be forms of Psi. The term Psi was proposed in 1946 by the British psychologists Drs. Robert Thouless and W. P. Weisner. While Psi development is not the focus of No Mind practice, there is a relationship between them that is worth exploring in order to complete the study of the No Mind program.
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Psi—AN ANCIENT FORM OF COMMUNICATION
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All cultures in human history account for Psi phenomena. Many traditions—such as Hinduism, Buddhism, the Tengsoba of the African Mossi society, the Sakalava tribe of Southwest Madagascar, the ancient Chinese, the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, and the Egyptians— have indicated that some of their members demonstrated Psi abilities. As far back as recorded history goes, there is evidence of humans’ desire to accomplish feats beyond their physical abilities. Various cultures have devised techniques for finding lost objects, foretelling the future, ensuring good harvests, and killing enemies (Angoff & Barth, 1974). The Crow Indians believed that success in life was based on the individual’s ability to secure visions or dreams. People who had visions were considered blessed, especially those who received painless visions (Long, 1953). The Cuna Indians in Panama also placed great value on psychic abilities (Van De Castle, 1974). The Parapsychology Laboratory of Duke University conducted ESP experiments as far back as 1933; they focused on the study of mental telepathy, or the direct communication between minds, circumventing normal perceptual mechanisms. These types of experiments used the ESP symbol cards—they were randomly shuffled, the experimenter would look at one and “think” about it, and the subjects would guess the symbol. Such studies confirmed many occurrences of unusual psychic phenomena amongst human subjects. Yet, many mainstream scientists have ignored this branch of psychology, even though it has had significant implications for psychology, psychiatry, education, and medicine. More research followed in telepathy, clairvoyance (the extrasensory perception of objects or events), psychokinesis (moving objects without touching them), and precognition (the extrasensory perception of a future event), and this scientific discipline became collectively known as Psi (Smythies, 1967). In 1933, Freud contended that telepathy might have been the original method of
The Secrets of No Mind
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communication that receded into the background as better methods of communication developed—namely, speech and signs processed by the sense organs (Servadio, 1968). Psi takes place between an organism and its environment, or between two organisms, and in most instances it entails a non-physical mode of communication. The exact mechanisms are not yet understood. We should clearly distinguish this type of ability from Occultism or Spiritualism. Occultism is a form of “black magic,” and Spiritualism is the religious belief that we can communicate with the dead through a medium. These are unrelated to Psi, at least in terms of the practice of No Mind. In fact, Spiritualism is antithetical to No Mind, since No Mind is premised on the belief that the Iill (or the persona) is an illusion that needs to be transcended through enlightenment, and Spiritualism holds that Iills (or the personas) continue after the mind-body expires. From the perspective of No Mind, such belief would be adding illusion to illusion. And as we will learn later, there cannot be a dualistic nature to the soul; you would then have billions and billions of eternal essences in the universe. There are no ghosts in the practice of No Mind, as the ancient masters practiced diligently to rid themselves of all ideas of ghosts by seeing deeply into the reality of nature and releasing themselves from the trap of the expectation of the Iill to live forever in terms of an eternal personality. In his discussions of cultural psychiatry, Carl Jung explains spirit phenomena as manifestations of the unconscious (Koss-Chioino, 2003). In the book Magic and Mystery in Tibet, mystic and explorer David-Neel discusses disciples’ telepathic communications with their masters in the course of training:
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The Lama [Master] will check to see if they correspond with those he mentally suggested to his disciple; as telepathic perception increases so does the distance between Master and disciple ... Telepathic transmissions, either conscious or unconscious, seem to occur rather frequently in Tibet. (David-Neel, 1971)
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EXPERIENCING A SIXTH SENSE OF COMMUNICATION The ancient masters were said to be capable of Psi. Practices like No Mind that train the total absorption of pure awareness may unleash these abilities. The development of insight and the skill to understand others may indicate that, to some degree, Psi operates as a sixth sense, as intuition does. The masters might have known little about some of these mechanisms, while understanding others clearly enough to develop them systematically. In A Search in Secret Egypt, after a long journey through the Libyan mountains, Dr. Paul Brunton describes meeting a yogi seated on a boulder atop the loftiest peak of the Theban Hills: We looked at each other in silence for a full two minutes. There was such authority and distinction in his face that I thought it almost impertinent to address him first. What his first words to me were I shall, alas, never remember. For my mind seemed to haze over even before he spoke. Some hidden glands of latent clairvoyant vision inside my head began to stir into a sudden function. I saw a radiant spoke wheel of light revolve before me and slightly above my head at high speed. With its working there was a receding of my physical moorings, and an entry into some supernormal and ethereal state of consciousness.
Upon revealing this experience to the Master, he told “Paul” that he deliberately wanted him to have that experience. Furthermore, he knew his name! I drew back with a start. How had he ascertained my name? But, of course, the [Masters] were famed for their extraordinary powers of mind reading, even at a long distance. (Brunton, 1935)
JUNG’S COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS— A SOURCE OF Psi? Carl Jung, Freud’s famous student, was best known for his theory of the collective unconscious and its possible relation to Psi phenomena. In studying different cultures,
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he was struck by the universality of many themes, patterns, stories, and images. These same images, he found, frequently appeared in his patients’ dreams. From these observations, Jung developed his theory of the collective unconscious and of archetypes as a kind of latent memory in the mind and in the universe. Except for certain genetic aspects, the Iill is environmentally determined, as we detailed in No Mind 101. The theory of the collective unconscious is different. That theory postulates that humans have inherited the historical experiences of past generations, and this knowledge storehouse remains latent in a collective unconscious until retrieved, perhaps through Psi. This knowledge is encoded in us like our DNA—it is inherited, beyond our control, and independent of environmental experience or conditioning. It is a field of information that you in particular and our species as a whole share with the universe. We all have access to this collection of human unconscious experience, as it is passed down genetically through an evolutionary mechanism that links us to a universal unconscious and to our primordial roots. Jung accounted for the role of the psyche in the evolutionary process:
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According to Jung, in a synchronistic situation the psychic events are mediated by the archetypes, which are dispositions of the collective unconscious. The archetypes are not themselves in consciousness, but are represented in it by archetypal images and symbols. As mediators or vehicles, the archetypes themselves are insufficient to account for the content of the synchronistic psychic event. The true source is located at the deeper levels of our psyche—the psychoid level. At this level the psyche, a microcosm, ‘reflects’ the universe, the macrocosm ... Jung is led to assume that our unconscious in a significant sense is capable of absolute knowledge which on occasions becomes available to conscious experience through archetypal images and symbols. The emergence of these images
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into consciousness may be simultaneous with, prior to, or after the occurrence of the related external event. So we have contemporaneous precognitive or retro-cognitive Psi experiences ... Thus, there is no distance to travel or no time to scan between the subject and the target. Every subject is a microcosm, potentially capable of reflecting the whole cosmos. This potential is not realized because we are habitually and constitutionally given to respond to and interact with our environment, rather than probe within to discover hidden knowledge. (Rao, 1977)
We usually do not utilize this potential, as our awareness is continuously trapped within the Iill, which is one of the reasons why the un-training of awareness is so vital. The practice of No Mind may unleash the ability to perceive more of this latent information. Perhaps we tap into the collective unconscious during deep absorption in No Mind, or perhaps this is one of the sources of insight that we experience as genuine intuition. Jack Schwarz, a modern yogi who has demonstrated remarkable voluntary controls of his body, describes a very similar phenomenon, which he calls the para-conscious. By willingly inducing specific brainwave states, Schwarz has been able to control the pain of physical trauma; to regulate his blood flow, blood pressure, and heart rate, and to heal his body within hours after injury: There are less dense aspects of the Universe, subtle energies that carry a different kind of information to us. They bring us the message of the nature of the whole; whereas our physical senses inform us only about the parts. Para-conscious mind partakes of the Omniscience of Universal Mind. When the para-conscious is clogged through our lack of creative expression and our denial of our intuitions, we suffer from imbalance ... you can learn to interact with the para-conscious mind. Then you will begin to direct your rational mind to implement the intuition provided by the para-conscious. (Schwarz, 1978)
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MODERN WESTERN SOCIETY DISCOURAGES Psi
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Modern Western society doesn’t offer a conducive environment for Psi. According to Hans Kreitler, professor of Psychology at Tel Aviv University,
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The use of technologies like telephone, letter, cable and other devices lessens the need ... and the general disbelief in ESP acts as a negative inhibiting factor. Education does not promote situations conducive to Psi functions. The western culture holds reason, logic and intellectual functions high in merit, while intuition seems to be inhibited. Even if ESP is demonstrated, it is categorized in an explanation of western scientific thinking. (Kreitler & Kreitler, 1974)
We are motivated by the future and dependent on the past, and we rarely have a moment to relax and still the mind and focus on the present. Our busy days at work and our hectic pace are counteractive to developing a still mind, although some companies and corporations around the world are starting to support meditative wellness programs for their employees (discussed in No Mind 501). Many office workers miss lunch or shorten their breaks to keep apace with work demands. This is not a conducive environment for stilling the mind, and further emphasizies the need for programs like No Mind at the workplace. Practicing Clear Attention during normal working hours and as an integral part of our daily routine is a powerful exercise for grasping more effective “intuitions” during work and developing peak performance. We do not necessary need a “time-out” to practice, we can do it on the fly. However, even in our busy modern lives, Psi finds various venues to surface. For example, there have been some interesting studies relating Psi to psychotherapy. Emilio Servadio, president of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society of Rome, Italy, has found that some patients have paranormal dreams that link them with their analysts: It is a sort of unmasking by the patient of emotional material pertaining to the analyst’s mind, material
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thrown in the analyst’s face, so to speak ... the dovetailing of the analyst’s and the patient’s emotional patterns in a specific phase of the analysis seems to be strong precondition for the appearances of a telepathic dream or other paranormal phenomena. (Servadio, 1968)
NO MIND INCREASES Psi FUNCTIONING The practice of No Mind has been recognized by the ancient masters as a means to Psi mastery. Stories of masters communicating with students through telepathic exchange have been a fascinating aspect of Eastern meditative traditions. Advanced ancient masters were said to possess psychic powers that were not ordinarily seen amongst the common people of the time. Gertrude Schmeidler, past president of the Parapsychological Association, reports significantly higher ESP scores in subjects after instruction in meditation and breathing exercises by Swami Madhavananda Saraswati, compared to testing before the instruction (Schmeidler, 1970). Charles Honorton, director of the Division of Parapsychology and Psychophysics at Maimonides Medical Center (Brooklyn, New York), reports similar results in using the relaxed and focused state of hypnosis to increase ESP scores: ... results appear not to be due to the suggestibility of subjects, or suggestions for ‘high scores,’ but rather seems as a result of intentional and relaxation factors. (Honorton, 1974)
ASCs, or Altered States of Consciousness, are typical of the meditative state (discussed in Chapter 22, No Mind 401). The meditative state is also known as the “alpha state,” referring to the brain-wave frequencies recorded by the electroencephalograph (EEG) in that state. Experiments suggest that there is a relatively strong relation between Alpha activity and ESP performance, indicating that the relaxed, passive, and mindful state that characterizes a meditative mind is conducive to heightened ESP performance (Honorton, 1969). In another study, Charles
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Honorton and Sharon Harper report that one common factor which seems to “characterize Psi-conducive states is the withdrawal of attention from external sensory [noise] ... Dreams are the most frequent state in which a person is isolated from a sensory environment and account for 37–65% of ESP cases in four international surveys. Meditative disciplines reduce sensory-somatic ‘noise’ and are conducive to Psi and imagery states” (Honorton & Harper, 1974). When we practice No Mind, we re-focus awareness away from being lost in external sensory noise, and focus awareness internally on the mind objects, without becoming absorbed in them. We are no longer analyzing and categorizing external information, which opens our receptivity to other types of information that we would have missed otherwise. In this state, we are more open to Psi information, which may appear as intuitions in our field of awareness, or as images in dreams. The deeper levels of No Mind clear the path to attaining advanced levels of Psi functioning. In Psi and Altered States of Consciousness, Ramakrishna Rao discusses yogic techniques developing Psi capabilities:
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In Yoga teaching, there is an inhibition of cerebral activity. Then there is an activation of the psyche in the state of concentration. Then the expansion of concentration sought in the final stage, reversing the pole of the psyche from one of receiving impression, through the senses, to one of entering into direct relation to external objects ... If your mind is set on another individual, you might obtain telepathy ... The modus operandi involved in creating hallucinations and in receiving extrasensory perception might be similar even though the sources may be different. (Rao, 1968)
DEVELOPING Psi THROUGH NO MIND The effect of a mood-less, detached state, which is characteristic of No Mind, may enhance Psi. Like other species, humans have the ability to perceive communication through Psi. When enhanced through mindfulness-training
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techniques, such as No Mind, this ability helps us to process important information we need to make decisions in many aspects of our lives: business, sports, academics, relationships, and so on. Gertrude Schmeidler, former president of the Parapsychological Association and professor of Psychology at City University of New York, conducts experimental psychology research in perception and memory: The major finding from Psi (i.e., from ESP and PK) research is that ESP and PK occur. There seems by now to be unequivocal evidence for each, and the evidence is especially strong because it is contributed by investigators in different laboratories who work with different methods ... [Early studies] were relevant to psychology only in showing that humans had potentialities beyond those ordinarily listed in the introductory psychology texts ... Later investigations began to investigate the relation of Psi scores and the subjects’ mood or attitude. (Schmeidler, 1977)
The potential for Psi functioning may be in a person from birth, but it still must be sharpened by No Mind techniques, where the person learns to be free from the ego and perceptual defense and filtering mechanisms of the Iill. In No Mind, the mind is liberated. Again, while the practice of No Mind is not necessarily aimed at developing Psi, research and ancient texts indicate that enhanced Psi is a product of meditative states: There is evidence from a number of experiments that subjects can use ESP unconsciously and unintentionally to fulfill their own needs or the needs of others ... [A] review of over 700 references ... shows many researchers replicating their own results of previous experiments. Even independent replications have been reported ... The idea that ESP abilities can be enhanced by entering a so-called altered state of consciousness (ASC) dates back at least to the Indian Sage Patanjali (2nd Century B. C.), and it was a dominant concept of 19th century Parapsychology. Contemporary Parapsychologists have shown a renewed interest in techniques that help one
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to withdraw attention from the external world. The most extensively studied of such techniques have been hypnosis ... Other techniques or states are meditation, dreams, and perceptual deprivation. (Palmer, 1978)
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After reviewing 700 references to Psi, Palmer came to the conclusion that an Altered State of Consciousness is conducive to the Psi function. A number of studies during the 1970s used progressive relaxation and measured its positive effect on Psi function (Braud & Braud, 1973). Similar results were reported by Oasis and Bokert, who found that subjects trained in meditation had higher scores; by Breitstein, who found that ESP scores were highest right after meditation; by Green, who studied Swami Rama’s psychokinetic abilities; and by Schmidt and Pantas, who reported that Pantas, being experienced in Zen, had unusually high ESP scores (Schmeidler, 1970, 1977). These results have been reproduced and documented in the literature. Developing these abilities is no news to the experienced Zen practitioner or to those who have developed the ability to separate awareness from mind objects, such as No Mind practitioners. The Psi function taps into subtle information which exists in the environment and in the primordial mind; but to recognize this information, the mind must be still and empty, without the interference of the defense mechanisms of the Iill. Practicing the techniques of No Mind cleans and sharpens the ability to grasp Psi information either through intuition, through the sixth sense, or through another mechanism. The exact specifications of such a mechanism are not as important as the fact that the ability exists and can be enhanced through the various practices like No Mind, hypnosis, and meditation. Reasonably good concentration seems to be a necessary condition for hypnotizability (Van Nuys, 1973). Meditation and hypnosis involve the focusing of attention; thus, there are similarities between Zen meditation and hypnosis, as demonstrated by Akira Onda of Tokyo University:
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Hypnosis and meditation involve focus of attention, neither are related to the psychophysiological state of sleep and have a closer relation to the waking mental state. Both involve passive concentration and each state cannot be forced as in active concentration. (Onda, 1967)
A “GUT FEELING” OR Psi? We have all had the “gut” feeling that something is wrong, or that we must undertake a course of action because it feels right; this may be an example of Psi and intuition. We only need to become aware of these subtle messages by stopping the insistent flood of thoughts and by clearing our awareness. Data collected by parapsychologists in the course of a century of scientific research has become increasingly reliable and hard to ignore, even if other sciences have questioned the validity of Psi. Psi does exist and is responsible for abnormal communications that elude explanations provided by mainstream scientific theories. By practicing No Mind, we allow this information to arise in awareness. Psi may not be an aspect of the mind, as it functions beyond the normal sensory channels, just like No Mind does. Yet, No Mind is awareness whose source is the underlying essence of nature. Perhaps the practice of No Mind stimulates an internal alchemy, which opens mystical intuition, taps into the source of the collective unconscious, and illuminates the essential laws of the universe. This occurs when we wipe away the dust of the mind (“I” or Iill) and see the subtle insight that was overwhelmed by the noise of life and the constant chatter of thoughts. When we still the mind, we open the doors of intuition. One cannot take possession of this and claim it as his own. After the delusion of our individual separateness dissipates, it is clear that the illuminated path goes nowhere; it is a symbol of the encompassing universe which manifests itself all around us in the present moment. Is enlightenment a function of Psi, an insight into the reality of nature itself, the universe
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becoming aware of itself, or an aspect of the collective unconscious becoming conscious? To answer this question, let’s quote the ancient masters: “All of this is dung, those who speak do not know and those who know do not speak, just sit and experience that the only universal constant is awareness.”
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CHAPTER 21
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Psi may be a form of communication used by species that do not exchange information through sounds and symbols. Numerous human cultures throughout history have left us records of Psi phenomena, often regarded as a higher form of insight and knowledge. Western researchers have studied Psi in depth since 1933. 2. The ancient masters experienced a sixth sense of communication with their disciples, which was a developed Psi skill. 3. Jung’s “collective unconscious” may be a source of Psi. The concept stands for a latent memory storehouse of all humanity’s experience throughout history, which is stored in the DNA of individuals and manifests itself through archetypical images in dreams, altered states of consciousness, and Psi. The archetypes contain knowledge of the universe, and we all have the potential of becoming aware of them. 4. No Mind, like other mindfulness-training, meditative, and relaxation programs, increases Psi function in humans, as documented by many scientific studies. Removing attention from distracting external and internal objects enables subtle insights to come into awareness. Studies have demonstrated that attention-training methods, such as meditation, hypnosis, altered states of consciousness, and dreams, heighten receptivity to Psi function, as the ancient masters have taught for thousands of years. 5. Our “gut feelings” may be an aspect of the Psi function in cases when we are receptive and in passive, detached awareness.
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An altered state of consciousness (ASC) is an induced mental state that we generally consider “abnormal.” For purposes of the No Mind program, an altered state of consciousness is defined as a state of consciousness that differs from normal waking awareness. An ASC can be induced artificially through drugs (such as LSD or mescaline) or naturally through meditation and relaxation techniques. ASCs are common among athletes who reach “peak performance,” or the “zone.” Chapter 22 explores the connection between ASCs and No Mind and describes the ASCs that many practitioners experience in a deep state of mindfulness. This type of experience is not uncommon, and while many consider it “unusual,” it is a natural state of expanded awareness achieved through awareness-training techniques, such as Clear Attention.
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any remember Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs) as mental states induced from the use of LSD, mescaline, or other mind-altering chemicals, especially during the 1960s. While such chemicals may induce a kind of ASC, they are far from the pure awareness developed from No Mind. ASCs have also been associated with paranormal, psychic, supernatural, and para-scientific phenomena. For the purpose of the No Mind program, altered states of consciousness are defined as states of consciousness that differ from normal waking awareness. For example, ASCs happen to athletes when they reach peak performance in the “zone.” In many cases, such states involve the loss of self-awareness, or the release from being encapsulated in the Iill. This is the oceanic feeling of being intricately linked with everything, yet “objectively” watching the performance of a specific mind-body dynamic. The expansion of awareness beyond the Iill in more advanced practice of Clear Attention is an ASC. In the deeper levels of No Mind, you may feel connected 458
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to the universe, as if you were a microcosmic reflection of a greater macrocosm. This is a natural state of expanded awareness achieved through the practice of No Mind. Altered States of Consciousness have also been associated with dreams, hypnosis, out-of-body experiences, Psi phenomena, and even advanced levels of yogic meditation. The practice of No Mind, more specifically, uses psychological technology that applies mindfulness to open our receptivity to a more direct experience of reality. The development of Psi is not a primary goal of No Mind, but a secondary side-effect, or some of the metaphorical fruit of a tree. Our main goal is to be mindful of the tree, and if it flowers and a fruit drops in our lap while we are mindful, then we are mindful of receiving the fruit. Then, there is fruit! The ancient texts are filled with examples of students who imagined enlightenment and spiritual awareness; masters carefully questioned students and often discovered that these were delusions of the Iill. In other words, the students were still allowing the “I” to control the accomplishment of a task: “I have grasped spiritual awareness.” But the “I” cannot grasp spiritual awareness. It actually obstructs it and needs to be suppressed for spiritual awareness to arise. And there really is no accomplishment per se, as there is no “who” to claim accomplishing anything. It is like bees taking credit for building hives, or a flower being praised for flowering, when both acts are mere manifestations of the essence of their true nature.
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NO MIND DEVELOPS ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS As the ancient masters taught, the “I” cannot accomplish enlightenment and spiritual awareness, but it can imagine and have intellectual knowledge of them. These are altered states of consciousness, where one “clearly feels a qualitative shift in the pattern of mental functioning” (Tart, 1972). In the 1970s, Charles Tart, Psychology Ph.D.
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at the University of California, Davis, speculated that yoga and Zen states were altered states of consciousness, or a gateway to higher mystical or spiritual awareness. A more recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis concludes that ASCs are an essential part of the experience of hypnosis and meditation (Holroyd, 2003). Zen practitioners seek mental fitness and enlightenment through the untraining of the Iill using a brand of psychological technology similar to No Mind. The practice of Clear Attention untrains and suspends the Iill’s mechanisms, leading the mind into an altered state of consciousness. If an ASC is a by-product of the technique, then it is just another fruit from the tree we receive while we remain mindful. And while the pure awareness achieved with the practice of No Mind may be an ASC, if we use Tart’s definition of a “qualitative shift in the pattern of mental functioning,” then we are dealing with the development of the ability to change the pattern of mental functioning from the normal realm of the Iill to a detached sense of awareness. Altered states of consciousness have also been identified with alpha brain wave activity, which characterizes focused and attentive states, such as Clear Attention. Again, these states have also occurred in athletes as they reached peak performance and experienced the sense of losing the “I,” being completely immersed in the flow of the sport without any conscious direction. Actors have experienced the same state of losing the awareness of the “I” during theatrical performances, as the mind-body moved without any interference from the Iill. These are ASCs that may be developed through the practice of No Mind (see also No Mind 501, No Mind Sports). This state of awareness is detached from the sense of the “I,” and it passively watches the performance of the mindbody. The state is induced by naturally becoming mindful of the mind-body activity; this is when the mind-body dynamic functions at peak performance (see The First Level of No Mind mandala in No Mind 301, Chapter 15).
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MYSTICAL STATES AND THE BRAIN’S NEUROLOGY
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According to recent medical research, altered states of consciousness are traced to the brain’s temporal lobes, which are involved in awareness. One of the first experiments in the field was Penfield’s famous neurosurgical operation, where the surgeons electrically stimulated a portion of the patient’s cerebral cortex while he was awake and conscious. The cortex partially covers both temporal lobes. While the electrode was stimulating one point, the patient recalled a past experience in great detail, one that he had previously forgotten. The recollection stopped when the electrode was removed. Recollections came in the form of visual, auditory, and olfactory hallucinations, as well as emotional reenactments of fear, disgust, sorrow, loneliness, etc.
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We may say that the interpretive cortex has something to do with a mechanism that can reactivate the vivid record of the past. Patients heard music, saw people, images and felt sensations of emotions ... Therefore, it is concluded that, under normal circumstances, this area of the cortex must make some functional contribution to reflex comparison of the present with related past experience. It contributes to reflex interpretation or perception of the present. (Penfield, 1959)
The patient literally felt as if he were re-living the experience—to him, the sensations felt as if they were really happening in the moment. The brain’s ability to fire neurons and to re-live experiences that appear real brings into question mystical experiences that also appear real, but may be produced by the brain. Hallucinations are usually associated with ASCs. Subliminal perception, hypnotic regression, dreams, LSD visions—all of these show that the ability to fabricate realistic pseudo-reality is common to humans and an aspect of their brains’ neurology. In later experiments, Michael Persinger electrically stimulated the temporal lobes of patients and they
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reported the sense of leaving the body, mystical feelings of oneness, and a sense of presence (Persinger, 1987). At the Geneva University Hospital in Switzerland, Dr. Olaf Blanke reported that stimulating the juncture of the temporal and parietal lobes triggers the perception of “out-of-body” experiences. Such altered states of consciousness can be compared to religious or spiritual attempts to unite with a Supreme Being or to lose awareness of the body and of the “I”; yet, it is important to note that these are brain experiences without spiritual origins. Are some mystical experiences nothing more than a mechanism of the brain that evokes ASCs? Another study at the Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory of Georgia State University concludes that Altered States of Consciousness result from transient prefrontal cortex deregulation. The study reviews evidence from dreaming, endurance running, meditation, daydreaming, hypnosis, and various drug-induced states, and describes consciousness as a higher-order cognitive function that occurs in layers of functionality (Dietrich, 2003). Yet another study at the University Hospital of Psychiatry in Zurich reports that the right front-temporal lobe is the area where self-induced meditation dissolution and the experience of the self take place (Lehmann et al., 2001). And the Research Institute of Physical Culture in Russia reports that a study in which 61 subjects who underwent mental training for a period of seven weeks were tested using digital EEG (brain wave monitoring) and computerized Kirlian photography (gas discharge visualization that detects changes in moisture reflecting shifts in emotions, barometric pressure, voltage, etc.) found that there was a “harmonization of the biopotential field of the brain, the psychic state, and the bioenergy fields” during ASCs. The research team’s conclusion was that systematic mental training affects the psychophysiological states of the mind and body and may have relevance to psychosomatic medicine:
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These studies indicate that the experience of an ASC and its effects on the mind-body are neurological and cognitive in nature. In other words, mystical states may be the brain’s way of inducing pseudo-reality or even pseudo-enlightenment. Out-of-body experiences may be hallucinations triggered by the stimulation of certain brain parts. ASCs may constitute higher functioning of the brain, and with training, can affect the psychophysiological states of the mind-body. We may be in a better position to heal ourselves during altered states of consciousness. Discovering a neuro-anatomic map of the brain and ASC locations may contribute to psychiatry and future research. The practice of No Mind may provide the mental training necessary to induce such states of mind and to produce feelings of unity, oneness, and the realization of spiritual awareness.
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ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND SUBSTANCE-ABUSE THERAPY Humans have sought altered states of consciousness since the dawn of time, through meditation, hypnosis, and intense focusing, or through substances, such as drugs or alcohol. The human desire to attain altered states of consciousness comes naturally to most of us. A 1991study at the Beech Hill Hospital in New Hampshire noted that ASC therapy may benefit the treatment of drug and alcohol addictions (Mcpeake, Kennedy, & Gordon, 1991). Instructing drug and alcohol abusers in meditation, for example, significantly reduces the likelihood of relapse. Mindfulness meditation has helped addicts to “let go” (Kavanagh, Andrade, & May, 2004). Many substance abusers turn to spirituality to substitute the religiously induced “highs” of drugs or alcohol. Mcpeake argues that if ASCs were introduced as an alternative to classical drug- and alcohol-abuse therapies, the patients would learn to manipulate their ability to achieve a new consciousness (Mcpeake et al., 1991).
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ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS OR ENLIGHTENMENT? There is a notable difference between enlightenment and altered states of consciousness, even though an ASC may be an aspect of the experience of enlightenment. As mentioned previously, enlightenment is the point of suspension of the Iill and the realization of spiritual awareness, or the essence of nature. It is the realization of this universal aspect of awareness, rather than the individualized form of awareness we use on daily basis. The shift is dramatic, and there are psycho-physiological changes in the “experiencer” similar to ASCs; yet, the impact is permanent. Experiences of ASCs are impermanent and can change depending on the nature of the ASCs. They are more like temporary feelings of elevated awareness, or temporary mystical experience. Enlightenment shifts awareness away from the entrapment of the Iill, and with practice and time, the shift becomes permanent. But even the initial experience of oneness with nature and the universe is so potent that it shakes up the fragmented dualistic perspective of the Iill and produces a unified direct perception of reality. It is hard for students to gauge their level of attainment, and this is why masters are often needed to distinguish between altered states of consciousness (purely mental phenomena) and true enlightenment. The student may experience the illusion of enlightenment through brain-induced ASCs, or she might be misled by a pseudoreality projected by the Iill attempting to understand enlightenment. But enlightenment is the profound awakening which changes and shakes the very roots of one’s life. At that point, the master can tell that the student has passed through the gate and that the riddles have been answered. The Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones in Chapter 15 illustrates the progress toward enlightenment through which students must pass.
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MANY PATHS TO ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS Altered states of consciousness are fairly common. Many people experience states of consciousness that differ from ordinary day-to-day levels of awareness. Practicing No Mind and the Right Attitude, as specified by the Ten Paradoxes, makes it easier to arrive at these states and to experience the god-consciousness, or the union with the universe experienced by the mystics. Some look to religion and spirituality for ways to experience altered states of consciousness; but this usually requires upholding the entire system of beliefs of that particular religion, even though some aspects of the system might clash with one’s lifestyle and preferences. We can rely on our own mindfulness to find our essential link to nature and the cosmos; and most important, we eventually realize that this moment is an altered state of consciousness. Most people are intrigued to discover that ASCs present a way to find unity and interdependence with nature. Focusing on our cherished individuality does not bring the same deep, gratifying connection as focusing on our universality does. In ASCs, we discover our true identity in the flow of nature (or the Tao) and in the direct perception of the essential reality of the universe. In these states, the Iill’s delusions are peeled away layer by layer, until the core is revealed and spiritual awareness is grasped. This is not to be understood as something esoteric—it is an intrinsic aspect of human nature. We can understand intellectually that we have been programmed, trained, conditioned, manipulated (by the mass media, for example), and alienated by the complex construct of the Iill. We know that even though there are genetic factors that shape the personality traits and characteristics of the Iill, our identity does not satisfy our spiritual cravings. We need to look beyond our identity, to non-identity, to find our essential nature and our link
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to the rest of the cosmos and our fellow humankind. We find it when we discover that the only universal constant is awareness. The Sun remains the same whether we see it shining or covered by clouds. Our perception of the Sun changes, but this has no effect on the Sun itself. The same holds for spiritual awareness; it exists essentially constant with or without our experience of it. Whether we live imprisoned by the Iill or free in enlightenment, we remain the same essential core—the constant universal awareness. After diligent practice, one day you have an ASC, where you experience the oneness of nature. You may believe this to be spiritual awareness in No Mind enlightenment, but will the effect last when you are no longer experiencing the ASC? What will be the effect on your entire being and on your life? If the experience affects your life profoundly, then it is true; but if it passes away like a ship vanishing past the horizon, or a dream disappearing upon waking, then you know that the experience is merely an ASC. You will know the difference in your bones. Paul Reps published the first three parts of Zen Flesh, Zen Bones in the 1930s. He writes, The problem of our mind, relating conscious to preconscious awareness, takes us deep into everyday living. Dare we open our doors to the source of our being? What are flesh and bones for? (Reps, 1998)
The No-Mind altered states of consciousness must be pure and not induced by any means other than the techniques described here. As mentioned, intellectual knowledge of No Mind, while pleasurable and important, does not have the impact of an actual experience of the direct perception of reality or “seeing into nothingness.” We must suspend the mechanisms of the Iill, which allows us to experience the insight of spiritual awareness. This is attainable by natural methods, such as No Mind. In our increasingly complex world, the simplicity of the method and applying the Ten Paradoxes is priceless. After applying thought control, British surgeon Kenneth
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Walker discovers that pure awareness is spirit or spiritual awareness: We may then be able to reach the silent area which is the dwelling place of the Spirit. For I know of no better definition of the word SPIRIT than that; it is pure consciousness devoid of all thoughts and words. (Walker, 1972)
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CHAPTER 22
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Altered states of consciousness have been associated with paranormal, psychic, supernatural, and para-scientific phenomena. For the purpose of the No Mind program, altered states of consciousness are defined as states of consciousness that differ from normal waking awareness. For example, ASCs happen to athletes when they reach peak performance in the “zone.” 2. In the deeper levels of No Mind, you may feel connected to the universe, as if you were a microcosmic reflection of a greater macrocosm. This is a natural state of expanded awareness achieved through the practice of No Mind. 3. Altered states of consciousness have been identified with alpha brain wave activity, which is related to focused and attentive states, such as Clear Attention. These states also occur in athletes as they reach peak performance and experience the sense of losing the “I,” being completely immersed in the flow of the sport without conscious direction. 4. Studies indicate that ASCs and their effects on the mind-body are neurological and cognitive in nature. In other words, mystical states may be the brain’s way of inducing pseudo-reality or even pseudo-enlightenment. 5. There is a notable difference between enlightenment and altered states of consciousness. The shift is dramatic and there are psychophysiological changes in the “experiencer,” similar to ASCs; yet the impact is permanent.
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Spiritual awareness is the ultimate reality, where one attains union with nature’s cosmic soul, nature’s Essence, or god-consciousness; Taoism describes this as the nameless undifferentiated flow, which oscillates from Being to Nothingness and back. This experience is described as mysticism in the ancient texts of most religious traditions. Spiritual awareness is the union with the pure awareness flowing through the universe and manifesting itself as Being and Nothingness. In Tao, things are in a constant state of change between their opposite states, which complement one another. Whether spiritual awareness is god-consciousness or nature’s cosmic soul is only a matter of differences in belief. Regardless of the intellectual framing, you experience pure awareness of quantum consciousness, and the universe experiences itself through your mind-body. Chapter 23 reveals the secret of spiritual awareness and presents scientific and philosophical evidence that supports the notion of the essential unity of Being and Nothingness.
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Chapter 23
Secret of Spiritual Awareness
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niversal oneness and interdependence have been demonstrated empirically. There are patterns in nature that exist throughout the universe. Fred Hoyle, professor of Astronomy at Cambridge University, argues that galaxies similar to our Milky Way exist throughout space. Despite differences in size and shape, all of them are essentially enormous clouds of gas and 100 million to 100,000 million stars. Heavier elements are built up from hydrogen via nuclear processes that take place within the stars. Supernovas are energetic explosions marking the end of a star’s life. Once the star’s nuclear fuel is exhausted, its core may collapse and release a huge amount of energy. This causes a blast wave that ejects the star’s material into interstellar space: The common metals—iron and nickel for example—and the rockforming elements magnesium and silicon owe their origins to the supernova. The presence of supernovas in other Galaxies implies that these materials are present also in other Galaxies just as they 470
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are in our own. The chemistry of the elements will be much the same everywhere throughout the Universe. Of special importance, planets will have similar compositions everywhere. Particularly, there will always be small rock and iron planets like the Earth in the inside regions of all planetary systems. (Hoyle, 1960)
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QUANTUM PHYSICS AND NATURE Einstein’s principle of relativity postulates that wherever you are in the Universe, the same mathematical equations will suffice to describe your observations. More recently, quantum physics has been popularized as a means to find our intrinsic link to nature. Contemporary quantum physics suggests that the entire universe is a dynamic play of particles being created and destroyed constantly. Nature isn’t static; there is no end to the motion of its particles. But even the “natural play” of sub-atomic particles colliding with each other follows a basic order. All matter is made up of three basic particles: proton, neutron, and electron. The photon is a particle without any mass—it constitutes the electromagnetic radiation, or light. All matter is involved in the ceaseless creation and destruction of a chaotic, yet ordered, universe. Religions ask, “Who ordered the universe?”; scientists want to know, “How is order an intrinsic aspect of the universe?”; and mystics seek to “experience” the order of the universe. James Jeans, an early-twentieth-century mathematician, who won honorary doctorates from universities such as Oxford, Manchester, Benares, Aberdeen, Johns Hopkins, St Andrews, Dublin, and Calcutta, writes: Each individual brain cell cannot be acquainted with all the thoughts which are passing through the brain . . . Creations of an individual mind may reasonably be called less substantial than creations of a Universal Mind. A similar distinction must be made between the space we see in a dream and the space of everyday life. The latter, which is the same for us all, is the space of the Universal Mind. It is the same with time, the time
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of waking life, which flows at the same even rate for us all, being the time of the Universal Mind. Again we may think of the laws to which phenomena conform in our waking hours, the laws of nature, as the laws of thought of a Universal Mind. The uniformity of nature proclaims the self-consistency of the mind. (Jeans, 1976)
Many have described the Universal Mind as the intrinsic order of the universe; it is the essence of nature experienced as spiritual awareness. This concept of essence is captured by the word prana in yogic philosophy and Chi in Chinese philosophy, which stand for “the natural energy of the universe.” Swami Panchadasi describes the substance of the human aura as the Sanskrit ‘prana,’ or Vital Essence. Understood as the Principle of Energy in nature present in all life forms, prana is not a material substance but an ethereal essence underlying the substance of energy, or force, in nature. The prana-aura is: ... filled with a multitude of extremely minute sparkling particles, resembling tiny electric sparks, which are in constant motion. Perception of the aura is a matter of trained ordinary sight—not clairvoyant vision ... Its presence indicates life—its absence is lifelessness. (Panchadasi, 1912)
Recently, sub-atomic particle physicists have “seen the auras” of the universe in vacuum chambers (chambers where all particles have been theoretically removed but still exist in constant motion and emerge from nothingness). It is said in ancient Chinese philosophy that the Tao is the endless flow of energy, which creates and destroys the natural world. Life and matter are the manifestations of the flow we perceive with our limited perceptual system. The masters knew thousands of years ago what quantum physicists are discovering now—that the universe is engaged in a cosmic play where everything is interconnected, including the observer of the universe. The physicists know that observing the universe is not a
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passive act (as it was once understood), but an interdependent, dynamic act, where the observer affects the observed. The oneness experienced in No Mind is the insight into what the ancients called “spiritual awareness.” But they knew that liberated pure awareness and spiritual awareness were relatively the same thing, only two aspects of one reality. It cannot be broken down into individual parts, events, or things; it is the cosmic flow of nature. Its material manifestations are just condensed forms of spiritual awareness. So even as matter is manifested by the assembling of subatomic particles, the underlying essence of the particles is still spiritual awareness. All things, including humans, contain spiritual awareness.
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SPIRIT AND SPIRITUAL AWARENESS The ancient practice of Hinduism dating back to 3000 BC and brought to India by the Aryan nomads originated the ancient scriptures known as the vedas. An essential part of the teaching is the belief that a [person] can by personal effort and use of inner knowledge attain union with an Ultimate, indescribable reality. The true self unites with this Ultimate Reality. Though seemingly apart, they are, in actuality, one and the same substance. (Ross, 1966)
This is the core of Eastern philosophy, Christian mysticism, Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), and Sufism (Islamic mysticism). We are not parts of the whole, but the whole itself. We are not independent parts caught in the flow of nature, but the boundless nature itself. The flesh and bones of the body are just that, flesh and bones. When we realize and experience this reality, there is no turning back and forgetting. It will change our perception of ourselves dramatically, so that any enlightened person can see it in our eyes and know that we have passed through the gate and “experienced” spiritual awareness. French Existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre describes the liberated awareness as a transcendental field:
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The transcendental field, purified of all ego-logical structure, recovers its primary transparency. In a sense, it is a ‘nothing’, since all physical, psycho-physical, and psychic objects, all truths, all values are outside it; since my ‘me’ has itself ceased to be any part of it. But this nothing is ‘all’ since it is ‘consciousness’ of all these objects ... we must bear in mind that from this point of view my emotions and states, my ego itself, cease to be my exclusive property. (Sartre, 1957)
There are many ways to depict this experience, yet “all roads lead to the same source.” The ego Sartre describes is the Iill, and when it no longer dominates awareness, the “transparency” of the Iill can be “seen” and spiritual awareness is remembered, just as water remembers its “wetness.” The conscious aspect of No Mind is aware of the whole of the fabric; whereas the unconscious aspect of No Mind is the fabric unaware of itself; they are both the same parts of one reality, only one is more fine and subtle than the other. When you have realized spiritual awareness, spiritual awareness becomes aware of itself. According to Robert Hume’s 1921 classic The Thirteen Principal Upanishads: Translated from the Sanskrit: It is the very consciousness of ‘this’ and of ‘I’ which is the limitation that separates one from the unlimited ... As the flowing rivers in the ocean disappear, quitting name and form (individuality), so the knower, being liberated from name and form, goes unto the Heavenly person, Higher than the High. (Hume, 1921)
The Iill can only perceive a conceptualized fragment of reality, due to its mental web of conditioning, learning, reinforcement, filtering, defense, associative, and categorical mechanisms. The mind only “understands” the ultimate reality as a beloved conceptual image of what it “thinks” that reality is. This is how the brain functions, and we always “see” reality in terms of our mental web’s interpretation. Spiritual awareness grasps what really is there, without the need to analyze it in terms of what you think might be there. This is “seeing” into spiritual awareness—the essence
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of nature. It is said that the mind that returns to the source becomes the source, or the universe, itself. This is the “secret of No Mind.” Confusion, fear of death, doubt, anxiety, and worry vanish as you realize that there is one universe and you are the universe. There is nothing to fear, nowhere to go, and everything is done. In the classic The Synthesis of Yoga, Aurobindo writes:
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Our supreme Self and the Supreme Existence which has become the Universe, are One Spirit, One Self and One Existence. The individual is in nature one expression of the Universal Being. For if he finds his Self, he finds too that his own True Self is not this natural personality, this created individuality, but is a Universal Being, in its relations with others, with Nature, and in its upward term, a portion or the living front of a Supreme Transcendental Spirit. (Ghose, 1955)
DISSOLVING THE BORDERS OF THE IiLL The ancient yogic texts are filled with references to the Supreme existence, Universal Being, or Supreme Transcendental Spirit; in Zen texts, these are subsumed under the concept of the Self-nature (what No Mind refers to as spiritual awareness). Our essential link with the universe is rediscovered through the experience of spiritual awareness. The purpose of the meditative arts is to experience spiritual awareness through enlightenment. When we realize this, we can live in joy and humor, and nothing can change the reality of this realization. The enlightened see the present moment as the only time in existence and they live through that moment in time as if it is the only moment. They know death as losing nothing and gaining nothing, there is no passage or gate to go through, for they are already there! They are the substance of the universe, they are the substance of a blade of grass and they are the substance of the stars millions of light years away. There is no place where you can find them, yet there is no place where they can hide. They live in a dynamic reality (not fixated on the Iill’s reality)
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interconnected with the stream of the universe and the flow of nature. Yet when you look at them, they appear as ordinary people, only they experience the essence of nature and they know the key to the mental web of society. They do what they need to do with good performance and have no regret or worry about it. There is also a profound level of compassion for the environment, as well as for other people. These are the characteristics of the enlightened person (see Figure 26-1). W. G. Roll, professor of Psychical Research and Psychology at the State University of West Georgia and 2002 recipient of the Dinsdale Memorial Award by the Society for Scientific Investigation, writes: If the borders between self and environment can be made to disappear, this is likely to have profound effects on [people’s] attitude to [their] environment, both social and physical. If the Self is experienced as actually embracing other people, Self-consciousness becomes social consciousness. Race and generation gaps and the other divisions which keep people apart and in angry confrontations cannot then be easily sustained. So also with the physical environment: pollution and other acts defacing nature will be more difficult to commit if they are seen, literally, as acts of self-destruction. (Roll, 1972)
Albin R. Gilbert, the Harvard “Enlightenment guru” similarly describes the enlightened individual as one who constantly thinks of the absolute during daily activities in the form of passive concentration: By practicing this mode of ‘egoless’ living, the experiment acquires over time a sense of being enfolded and guided by the transpersonal absolute ... to him life will be a string of actions, each integrated with a sense of spirituality. (Gilbert, 1978)
THE ANCIENT SECRET OF NO MIND Taoism is best translated as the way of nature. Taoist philosophy influenced the development of Zen to a great extent. In the ancient The Way of Life, Lao Tzu describes the life of the enlightened person:
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The wise man does what he has to do for everything and everybody. But remains independent of them all. Long living alone with nature, they knew nature and knew its way ... Their solution came with protracted observation of the world of nature and their conclusion was that the way of nature is the Ultimate Reality that gives birth to all things and regulates them. The way of nature is the Universe of Being, with this difference. It is process and not static. The way is not a path which nature might take but is the movement of nature itself; it is an effortless movement. But nonetheless a movement, like the annual rhythm of the season. (Tzu, 1955)
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Chuang Tzu was an influential Chinese philosopher around the fourth century BCE, who further developed the mystical Taoist teachings of Lao Tzu. He expressed the simple thought of Being: To think that beings with bodies can all go on existing along with that which is bodiless and formless. It can never happen! A man’s stops and starts, his life and death, his rise and falls. None of these can he do anything about. Yet he thinks that the mastery of them lies with man! Forget things, forget Heaven, and be called a forgetter of Self. The man who has forgotten Self may be said to have entered Heaven. (Tzu, 1968)
Chuang Tzu’s “Self” is what we call the Iill in No Mind. When one forgets the Iill, he enters spiritual awareness and is in harmony with nature. Chuang Tzu’s concept of heaven is not the Judeo-Christian paradise awaiting our arrival upon death. The heaven of Chinese philosophy is the “placeless” essence of nature, which is everywhere and nowhere simultaneously. It is the fundamental aspect of the universe, which can be experienced through No Mind. In The Highest State of Consciousness, John White states: All are agreed in calling the highest state of consciousness a Self-Transforming perception of one’s total union with the Infinite. One’s socially conditioned sense of
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‘me’ is shattered and swept away by a new definition of the Self, the I. That definition of Self equals all mankind, all life and the universe. The usual ego boundaries break down, as the ego passes beyond the limits of the body and suddenly becomes one with all that was Being. (White, 1972)
The ancient Hebrew book of mysticism, the Kabbalah, speaks of a negative existence underlying all positive existence (Luzzatto, 1970). Negative existence bears hidden in itself positive life. In other words, the tree is hidden in a condition of potential existence in the seed, but it does not need to be defined or identified in order to exist in potential. That is, it is negatively existent. Nothingness contains and nurtures Being. Positive existence has a beginning and an end, while negative existence is latent in the potential of the emptiness that is filled with positive existence. Without the concealed negative, positive existence is unstable (Golzalez-Wippler, 1977). The ancient wisdom, the Sacred books, taught that we cannot understand Matter without understanding Spirit, that we cannot understand Spirit without understanding Matter, that Matter and Spirit are only opposite poles of the same Universal Substance. (Mathers, 1968)
CONSCIOUS STATES OF SPIRITUAL AWARENESS No Mind has unconscious and conscious aspects, but these two states of consciousness should never be understood as two distinct states of awareness. Their source is the same—spiritual awareness, and the only difference is that the unconscious aspect is finer or subtler than the conscious one. The unconscious state of No Mind can be compared to putting on a pair of sunglasses; at first, you feel the touch of the glasses on the skin, but after a while, the sensation fades from awareness and you no longer feel the glasses at all, you’ve lost awareness of them. With a side-glance at the frame, you again become aware of
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the glasses on your face. There is a subtle shift that triggers conscious and unconscious awareness of the glasses on your face. Similarly, the unconscious aspect of No Mind is the loss of awareness of the mind-body in relation to spiritual awareness; spiritual awareness is all that exists. But with a simple shift of perspective, as in the case with the glasses, you can become aware of the mind-body state from the conscious aspect of No Mind. The difference in the unconscious aspect of No Mind is that you are no longer aware that you are aware, there is just pure awareness. This deep absorption state of No Mind is the mystical experience of Oneness. In the unconscious state, all that exists is spiritual awareness or the ultimate reality of the universe. In that moment, “you” exist as the universe, pulsing with the stream of nature and open to the flow of intuition. This joyful moment has profound and enduring effects. In the conscious state of No Mind, we are aware of spiritual awareness while being detached from the mindbody dynamic. This state does not originate in the mental web of Iill (see Chapter 15, The Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones). In No Mind, the Iill is like the glasses on the face; it is there, but no longer in awareness. Still, you can shift the awareness back to the Iill and make it reappear at any time. Awareness remains detached. As we go through our daily activities, we usually “forget” our awareness and act mindlessly. In No Mind, we practice maintaining awareness and not surrendering it back to the Iill, so we remain mindful. Thus, we train awareness to avoid being forgotten until it remembers its origins: that awareness is the only universal constant. So the conscious state of No Mind remembers its source, spiritual awareness, yet it remains aware of the mind-body dynamic. The unconscious state, on the other hand, forgets the mind-body dynamic in the total absorption of spiritual awareness. Conscious and unconscious states of spiritual awareness are not separate; they simply lay on a continuum of density and subtlety. The ancient sage says, “The Heaven, the Earth, and I, share the same root. All things and I are all but of One Body.” In The
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Well and the Cathedral, Ira Progoff, a psychotherapist who studied with Jung and Suzuki, writes that the expansion of consciousness is like the unconscious aspect of spiritual awareness: It expresses the profound paradox that the more we move inward into our privacy and individuality, the more we become connected to the wholeness and richness of the Universe. At its deeper levels we experience an expansion of consciousness that enables us to feel we are not limited to being only ourselves. (Progoff, 1977)
ENLIGHTENMENT AND SPIRITUAL AWARENESS This basic premise of enlightenment and the “remembering” of spiritual awareness is reiterated in literature dating as far back as 3000 BCE and as late as today. Pursuing enlightenment is a primordial instinct that dwells deep within our psyche and propels our craving to attain interconnectedness in order to be whole again. We need to practice and strengthen this interconnectedness to attain No Mind. There is no merging between individual and spiritual awareness, as some assume, as they are one and the same. The awareness is simply freed from the confusion of the Iill. There is nothing mystical, esoteric, or magical about the ultimate reality experienced via direct insight. We may have the intellectual understanding that the universe is an interconnected fabric, and that we are threads in that fabric. But the Iill experiences itself—through its own illusion—not only as a thread, but also divided as a completely separate piece of fabric. Then it paints the illusion of its own identities: designer fabric, plain fabric, plaid fabric, paisley fabric, bright-colored fabric, softcolored fabric, striped fabric, polka-dotted fabric, and so on; but it never recognizes that it is just the universal fabric without any identity. We can intellectually grasp the whole fabric metaphor, but what is more difficult is that we are not only the fabric, we are also not the fabric.
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That is, we are also the source of the fabric, the emptiness that is all things. The fabric exists as the positive potential of the negative aspect of the universe. Like the seed and the tree, the nothingness or emptiness of the universe is really the negative aspect from which the positive potential of the fabric is created. So remember that Nothingness is positive life in potential and that spiritual awareness is both aspects.
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THE NON-DUALISTIC PARADOX Remember our previous discussion of the limitations of linguistic identities based on dichotomies. Dualistic reality is full of identities; non-dualistic reality is void of identity, as it cannot be described by identity-based language. If we say “we are something,” then in the same sentence, we also mean that “we are not nothing.” When we describe one thing we simultaneously describe its opposites; they co-arise. So taking the example of colors, if we say something is red, we have also said that it is not blue or yellow; then, it is also not the secondary colors—orange, green, and so on—and, also, it is not the tertiary colors, such as brown, sea-green, fuchsia, and so on. It is difficult to describe spiritual awareness as one thing or another, as it must be all things and yet nothing, both negative and positive aspects of potential. Spiritual awareness is the void and the manifestations of nature, both matter and non-matter, positive potential in negative. It must be both essence and organic and non-organic matter. It is the flow of nature and that from which nature is manifested. It cannot be identified, as that would apply dualistic thought to something without identity. This paradox of being everything and nothing simultaneously is understood only through direct experience. In quantum physics, the unification of opposites occurs at the subatomic level. In The Tao of Physics, Fritjof Capra says, “particles are both destructible and indestructible; matter is both continuous and discontinuous, and force and matter are but different aspects of the same
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phenomenon ... classical concepts are transcended by going to a higher dimension, the four-dimensional spacetime ... where objects are also processes and all forms are dynamic patterns” (Capra, 1976). So if we seek spiritual awareness as a goal, we must also understand it as a process and as a pattern. Seeking must accompany non-seeking and action must accompany non-action; we seek without expecting and we act without trying. This is the only way in which we remain balanced and in the flow of nature and outside of identity. From the perspective of a two-dimensional map, the world was once believed to be flat; from the perspective of a threedimensional globe, the world became known as round. Time adds the relativity of the speed of light and the position of the observer in the Universe; hence, it adds another dimension to reality. Light needs time to travel; therefore, the occurrence of an event and the perception of that event do not necessarily happen at the same time to the observer. Our perceptual mechanisms can perceive three dimensions, but to “experience” the four-dimensional reality of space-time, we need to perceive without the senses. We grasp this ultimate reality only through intuitive knowledge. We see the Sun as it was eight minutes ago (the time it takes for light to travel to the Earth). The Solar System exists in a four-dimensional space-time continuum. Depending on where you are in the Universe, events are not occurring at the time you perceive them. It could be a million years later. If the Sun exploded, we would not know it for eight minutes. Nothing in the universe is absolute. Space and time are interconnected and cannot be regarded separately, as we normally do. Space-time becomes a unified concept that cannot be understood from the perspective of the Iill, which exists in the past or future. The present moment transcends time and offers a glimpse into spiritual awareness, yet spiritual awareness is not subject to space and time. You cannot locate it anywhere, because it is everywhere; it didn’t exist in the past, nor will it exist in the future, because these are
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relative states and spiritual awareness is not relative. It is only to be found now. Physicists see subatomic particles emerge from the emptiness: Space looks empty only because this great creation and destruction of all the quanta takes place over such short times and distances ... Everything that ever existed or can exist is already potentially there in the nothingness of space ... a quantum could, in principle, come into existence in empty space and then quickly disappear. Such a quantum that goes in and then out of reality is called a virtual quantum. (Pagels, 1982)
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CHAPTER 23
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Contemporary quantum physics suggests that the entire universe is a dynamic play of particles being created and destroyed constantly. Nature isn’t static; there is no end to the motion of its particles. But even the “natural play” of subatomic particles colliding with each other follows a basic order. 2. The masters knew thousands of years ago what the quantum physicists are discovering now—that the universe is engaged in a cosmic play where everything is interconnected, including the observer of the universe. 3. The oneness experienced in No Mind is the insight into what the ancients called spiritual awareness. But as they always knew, liberated pure awareness and spiritual awareness are relatively the same thing, only two aspects of one reality. It cannot be broken down into individual parts, events, or things; it is the cosmic flow of nature. Its material manifestations are just condensed forms of spiritual awareness. 4. It is said that the mind that returns to the source becomes the source, or the universe itself. This is the “secret of No Mind.” Confusion, fear of death, doubt, anxiety, and worry vanish as you realize that there is one universe and that you are the universe. There is nothing to fear, nowhere to go, and everything is done. 5. Negative existence bears hidden in itself positive life. In other words, the tree is hidden in a condition of potential existence in the seed, but it does not need to be defined or identified in order to exist in potential. That is, it is negatively existent.
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Nothingness contains and nurtures Being. The tree is hidden in the seed; its potential existence rests there without the need to be identified. 6. The conscious state of No Mind remembers its source, spiritual awareness, yet it remains aware of the mind-body dynamic. The unconscious state, on the other hand, forgets the mind-body dynamic in the total absorption of spiritual awareness. Conscious and unconscious states of spiritual awareness are not separate; they simply lay on a continuum of density and subtlety.
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7. There is no merging between individual and spiritual awareness, as some assume, as they are one and the same. The awareness is simply freed from the confusion of the Iill and we remember our “wetness.” 8. To attain spiritual awareness as a goal, we must also understand it as a process and as a pattern. Seeking must accompany non-seeking and action must accompany non-action; we seek without expecting and we act without trying. This is the only way in which we remain balanced in the flow of nature and outside of identity.
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Mysticism is the “direct experience” of the “ultimate reality.” Depending on your system of philosophy or belief, you might conceive of this as god x (whatever higher being you believe in), nature’s cosmic soul, the Tao, or a supreme being. The mystics have connected to the ultimate reality through awareness, and the training of awareness has been essential to them. The ancient masters talked about the universe metaphorically as being an infinite ocean— everywhere and everything is in the ocean. There is nothing that is not wet. But we lose sense of our “wetness” when we develop egos and conceive of ourselves as separate from the ocean. This separation is an illusion, for the entire universe is filled with water and nothing is left “in the dry.” And so, in mysticism, we re-discover our “wetness” by expanding our awareness beyond the confines of our present reality. The practice of No Mind expands awareness, so that you may experience your “wetness” again, as you did naturally when you were born. Chapter 24 explores mysticism from several perspectives and discusses how the practice of No Mind provides yet another path to the mystical experience.
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Chapter 24
Secret of Mysticism
E
astern and Judeo-Christian mystics have sought a state of God, as opposed to god x itself, for thousands of years. In JudeoChristianity, the existence of a God is fundamental to the practice of religion, and God is typically worshiped as a being that is out there, or up there in Heaven. The perception of the relationship between God and the worshipper is dualistic, involving two separate entities. It seems that God is always out there somewhere and not in here. And even when we admit that God is inside of us all, we still look outside of ourselves to discover God. On final Judgment Day the soul is said to be united with God, but in the meantime it is just hanging out somewhere. The question is, “Where?” The problem in such doctrines is that god x (whatever higher being you believe in) and the worshipper cannot really exist separately; if we are the offshoot of a Holy Spirit and Body, there must be an aspect of god x in every worshipper. We are not computerized machines with an independent existence; we are alive and share a living essence with our source; the source from which we 487
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draw our energy. Nature is a reflection of the “ultimate reality,” and god x is present in all life forms, matter, and nothingness. Ancient mystics and modern quantum physicists equally uphold the dynamic interconnectedness of life and matter. The essence of nature is everywhere and nowhere simultaneously, so god x can never be separate from you. In fact, most religious traditions account for this paradox to some extent. According to Judeo-Christianity, an omnipresent God sustains and penetrates every aspect of life, and the majority of believers agree that God is in the mind-body; God in the tree; God in the dog; God in the bird; God in the cockroach, and so on; an eternal God must be in all life for the life to continue indefinitely. But the difference between religious dualistic worship and spiritual non-dualistic worship is that the former still emphasizes two separate entities, while the latter assumes only one. In mysticism, there is no you and god x, there is just the one ultimate reality. The soul is not a separate unit, but an interdependent aspect of the universal soul, or god x, or Tao. Some believe that the soul is an aspect of the mind, but if the mind expires when the brain dies, then we are left with a “mindless” soul, or at least a soul without an Iill. In this case, the soul is merely energy, or a condensation of the greater energy of the universal soul or god x. This is the difference between being self-aware and pure awareness. In pure awareness, you are in the consciousness of nature—within nature’s cosmic soul; within god-consciousness.
EXPERIENCING THE ULTIMATE REALITY All spiritual experiences described by people account for a moment of “awareness” of the spiritual experience. They all share an awareness of a god x, or nature, as the unifying principle of the universe. The ancient masters knew that awareness is the only universal constant. This ultimate reality can be experienced through pure awareness only—without the Iill. This is called the journey of spiritual awareness, as illustrated in the Discovery of the
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Sequence of the Stones in Chapter 15. James Redfield, author of The Celestine Prophecy and The Celestine Vision, describes this new awareness as a series of revelations: Living the new spiritual awareness is a matter of passing through a series of steps or revelations. Each step broadens our perspective. But each step also presents its own challenges. It is not enough to merely glimpse each level of expanded awareness. We must intend to live it, to integrate each increased degree of awareness into our daily routine. (Redfield, 1997)
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The condensed form of universal awareness is how god x, or nature, becomes aware of itself through humans. Yet, it is not “self” awareness; it is pure awareness that can be experienced in many ways, including the practice of No Mind. In Chapter 22, spiritual awareness, or what the ancients called the Self-nature, was described as the source of all things and as the essential emptiness that permeates all matter in the universe. No Mind is an element of spiritual awareness, not different but a less subtle aspect of the same reality. It is the direct experience of the One, of the Tao, of god x, or of whatever you call the ultimate truth. This “direct experience” is the core of mysticism. Dr. Ira Progoff reviews the works of Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, and Otto Rank, all of whom talk of a larger reality where man’s psychological nature transcends itself: Beginning with Freud’s analysis of the repressed personal material, the study of the unconscious steadily deepened as Adler, Jung and then Rank penetrated the historical levels of the psyche. Their psychological investigations led them to a realization of the fundamentally spiritual nature of [humankind] and this introduces a new dimension to their work. This led to the foundation of which Depth Psychology is developed ... in harmony with [humankind’s] deeper needs and nature of the human being. (Progoff, 1956)
Mystical states of immediate union with god x characterize every religion, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Islam, and Yoga. Even the
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Mayans and the North-American Indians talked about an exalted state of Oneness with the ultimate reality, or with the essential substance of nature. In Eastern philosophies, the immersion into universal oneness by purifying awareness is the goal of enlightenment. Many Christian mystics understood that intuition provided a “vision of eternity.” The ancient Judaic Kabbalah outlines the path to enlightenment through the even older texts of the Torah. The Koran of Islam discusses a series of mystics who achieved union with the Sole One. The ultimate reality is experienced via pure awareness. In this receptive level of consciousness, the reality of spiritual awareness is revealed, but not to the “I” or to the individual soul. The essential aspect of nature does not need to discover itself any more than water needs to make itself wet. But when awareness is pure of the Iill, it remembers its essence. This is not a religious goal as much as it is “experiencing” the spiritual awareness aspect of your religion. And while we are mainly concerned with the psychological benefits of the practice of No Mind, the discussion would be incomplete without addressing its mystical elements. No Mind seeks health, fulfilling life, and spirituality as a single unified nexus. Psychology professor David Marks discusses the mystic state of awareness: In a review of Buddhist, Indian and Christian mysticism, it is shown that the mystic unites with the One, in which thinking, motives, actions and emotions are issued from the One, which occurs at a Super-conscious level. A Unitive perception arises in the initiate, in which psychological normal functions undergo a complete transformation. (Marks, 1972)
THERE IS NO “I” IN THE ULTIMATE REALITY The Iill blocks the perception of the ultimate reality, which might be another one of its clever defense mechanisms. The Iill fights the shift of awareness to “remembering” what we experienced at birth—pure awareness.
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The paradox of our nature is that while we all possess the defense mechanisms necessary to guard the “I,” we simultaneously long for the essential underlying aspect of nature, of the universe itself. We need to feel connected at some spiritual level; we long for “something more.” In the struggle to reach enlightenment and to merge with the ultimate reality, the “I” must be abandoned or detached from consciousness. The empty conscious No Mind thus transcends to an unconscious No Mind, where the “I” is forgotten in a totally absorbed state of pure awareness. Here, spiritual awareness is all that exists. The total absorption into both Being and Nothingness simultaneously is fundamental to mysticism, as it re-establishes our link with nature. The direct perception of the ultimate reality does not involve the “I.” Statements such as “I don’t experience the One,” or “I am part of the One,” or “I am the One” do not reflect the true mystic experience. It is why the masters did not speak when asked about the ultimate nature of reality, or they used obscure riddles (Zen koans) to demonstrate that as long as the student needs to ask, then he needs to continue practicing. Any reference to the “I” would split the ultimate reality into subject and object, producing a dualistic, finite interpretation out of a nondualistic, infinite reality. There is no “I,” there is only enlightenment that cannot be named. Otherwise, the ego would mistakenly identify with the ultimate reality, risking psychological delusions of supremacy. The masters have warned repeatedly against the danger of the “I” confusing itself with an “interpreted” experience, as opposed to grasping the “actual” experience itself. The actual experience shatters the “I” altogether in the moment of realization, and although it takes practice to maintain that state, the person has broken through the veil of illusion.
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ACTUAL VERSUS PSEUDO-ENLIGHTENMENT It is important to distinguish actual from pseudoenlightenment, where the individual may have “imagined” or “hallucinated” the desired state. The guidance of a master
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mitigates such risks, but the lone practitioner must be keenly aware of any remnants of the “I.” If one claims any such experiences as his own, involving the ego in any way, then the experience is a projection of the mind. In other words, the statement, “I am one with nature” is absurd, as there is no “I,” just oneness. Simple: there just is the essence of nature. The “I” must be abandoned and the idea of an everlasting soul with an Iill must be replaced by an everlasting soul without an Iill. LeDoux makes this point in Synaptic Self, How Our Brains Become Who We Are: If the soul is indeed physical in nature, part of the dilemma about how to sustain a belief in both physics and God would be solved (the part about how the soul meshes with the body). However, the thoroughly modern theologians would still be in a bit of a quantum pickle. If the soul is equivalent to the mind, and the mind depends on the functioning of the brain, how can God interact with people without physically affecting their neurons and, thus, intervening? (LeDoux, 2003)
If the soul is physical, then it would die with the death of mind and brain. But the ultimate reality of the universe cannot be physical; otherwise, the universe would not be able to “re-create” itself from nothingness after all Things have vanished into a black hole. And yet the universe possesses the ability to recreate itself. If this essential substance is indeed the soul of the universe, then it is the soul of us all. And it is without an Iill. If the soul is beyond the mind, it is also beyond the Iill—an “Iill-less” soul. A non-dualistic soul would be the whole and not a fragment of the whole; or if you prefer to think of the soul as separate, then at least recognize that the whole sustains it. It is part of the fabric of the universe. Our clinging to the “I” gives the soul the illusion of a separate existence. When the “I” is removed, the soul is the ultimate reality and the ultimate reality is the soul. In this quantum awareness of nature, or god x, our spiritual connection is experienced with the underlying religious or non-religious belief of the person.
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GOD’S COSMIC THOUGHTS
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Being comes from nothingness, and nothingness is an aspect of being, and being and nothingness occur simultaneously in the Now. In this very instant, time does not exist. There is no chronological path from being to nothingness or from nothingness to being. They exist together in the now and give rise to the objects of the universe. Our brains project a dualistic reality, but the universe and the flow of nature are holistic. If there is a thinking god x, his or her thoughts must not be from a neurological brain with associative patterns such as ours, since they must be based on a universal language without identifiers and labels. In this cosmic thought, all things would exist at once in the moment, and there is no need to distinguish anything. God x is not subject to time, as an omnipresent god x exists everywhere at once, across both space and time. Time is relative to the observer and the speed of light, and god x is subject to neither. So god x’s cosmic thoughts must be non-dualistic, timeless, and without identity, similar to the mystics’ experience of the ultimate reality. Prior to the object there is nothingness, and from nothingness comes being of the object. So nothingness and being are co-dependent and co-existent. They are not each other’s opposite; they are two dynamic aspects of the ultimate reality. All objects, including life forms, are being in their form and nothingness in their essence. But quantum physics asserts that nothingness is not nothing, it contains all things. It only appears empty due to the short life-span of the particles. In actuality, there is no true emptiness. The cup, in reality, is full and empty at the same time. And just like a cup is never half full, we cannot talk of a reality that is half full and half empty— half is only relative to the cup. Without the cup as a containing boundary, there is no definition possible. Without boundaries, there are no defined entities; everything exists in terms of denser or finer forms of being and nothingness. Tao mystics know this ultimate reality as the “nameless.” Being and nothingness are not dualistic concepts,
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like Heaven and Hell or good and evil. Nothingness does not negate being, and being is not the absence of nothingness. Being is in potential of nothingness, and nothingness is in potential of being. All dualistic identities must be discarded to “see into emptiness directly.” We must go beyond our analytical brain to perceive this reality. We must grow beyond ourselves and stop seeing everything in terms of the “I” or of other “I-created” independent entities.
THE ILLUSION OF FORM—MAYA In quantum reality, the multiplicity of objects is illusory. They exist only as mind objects, as an interpretation of meaning and identity in the mind. As long as we are bound to the illusion of the multiplicity of objects, the Iill exists. When the multiplicity is no longer experienced as objects but as being, the direct experience of nothingness is grasped as the ultimate reality. The ancient masters called the forms maya, or the illusion. As long as we are attached to the multiplicity of forms, we cannot experience the emptiness that manifests the forms. This illusion comes from the attachment to the idea that forms have some permanent, static, and unchanging reality of their own. And this idea is the interpretation of the Iill. When we experience the pure awareness of No Mind, we realize our mistake. In the awareness of No Mind, all forms are seen as essentially Being which arises in Nothingness. We become aware of their intrinsic nature, and although we see the forms, we also see the nothingness of their being. We no longer see them as independent and static forms of the Iill, but as dynamically interconnected aspects of the flux of the universe. The forms are impermanent, except for the underlying reality of Being and Nothingness. In this light, to “see” the forms as denser aspects of the underlying essential reality is enlightenment, and maya is said to be cast away.
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When we pierce through the illusion of phenomena, we simultaneously eliminate our separate identity and become the universe. There is spiritual awareness of our essential religious belief, whatever it may be. In mysticism, all roads lead to the same reality—the re-immersion into the stream of nature and into the flow of the cosmos, or god x. To reiterate, everything in the universe is dynamic and moving; nothing is static. All things vibrate with the swirling subatomic particles oscillating unintentionally in rhythm within the pulsing entirety of the cosmos. The myriad forms of being are only denser vibrations of nothingness. The essential aspect of being is in vibration with the vibration of nothingness. In Human Energy Systems, Jack Schwarz speaks of the para-conscious mind:
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And what is the para-conscious mind? Like the other parts of the mind, like the soul and the body, it is a vibration. When it is functioning properly it operates at the same vibrational level as the mind of the universe, and it is through the para-conscious that we come into contact with the universal mind. It brings us our consciousness of the divine; through it, we experience aspects of the universal mind. We call these experiences intuition, insight, and inspiration. At these awesome moments, we glimpse the meaning and purpose of existence. So the para-conscious mind is very important to us; in fact, all our actions should be directed by it. Sadly enough, I have found that people rarely understand the para-conscious mind. Without such an understanding, we can operate on only the conscious and subconscious levels; very seldom—only by default, as it were—can we operate at a para-conscious level. Most of us function exactly that way. That is why we are in disharmony. We are lopsided; we are using only two-thirds of our minds. Because of our upbringing and education, we have become rigid and don’t even believe our own para-conscious mind when it flashes information to us. Even then, unless we subject such data to rationalization and analysis, we do not use the contributions of the para-conscious mind at all. (Schwarz, 1980)
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WE ALL HAVE THE SEED OF GOD X POTENTIALITY It is important to not mistakenly go too far and interpret the Ultimate Reality as an ultimate goal in absolute terms, as this throws us back into the vicious cycle of identity. We identify with the goal and not with the path. If described as only “one,” reality cannot be two or ten thousand; and the ultimate reality is “the ten thousand things,” the one, and the zero simultaneously. Things and events exist, but they are interdependent, codependent, interrelated, and do not have separate existences. Many religions conceive of god x, or the ultimate reality, as a supreme ruler who holds dominion over the entire universe. If the ultimate reality is an absolute ruler, then this ruler is not limited and finite in the forms which derive their being from him or her. Most people see the forms as separate from the ruler of the forms, which presupposes “intention” behind their creation on the part of the creator. In other words, the ruler must have the “intention” to create the forms. But the universe needs no intention to exist. Intention and desire are manifestations of the Iill, which is biological in origin, and “cosmic thoughts” must be independent of a neurological brain; therefore, it is non-biological. If we know that we, as humans, can reach a level that is beyond thoughts, like the mystics, then we must realize that thoughts would not be an attribute of a superior being, or the ultimate reality of the universe. With respect to enlightenment and the ultimate reality, thoughts are lower-level neurological processes. The point here is that all extreme views of trying to split the Ultimate Reality into parts boil down to dualism and involve identity. Identity is the offshoot of our synaptic brain, a physical aspect of the associative network, which seeks to make meaning of a non-physical reality. In Western mysticism, (the Judeo-Christian) God is everywhere as a non-being sustaining the forms of Being; thus God creates the world through non-being. But the forms have an intrinsic, or latent, potentiality to return to
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the One, or to non-being. In other words, like a seed holding the “tree potential,” humans have the “god x potential” to become aware of God; in essence, our awareness constitutes “seeds” of the essential universal awareness, or spiritual awareness. We can blossom into enlightenment and god-consciousness, and see into nothingness.
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THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD Most of us seek spiritual unity either through religion, through philosophy, or through the ultimate union with god-consciousness. We yearn for connection to something greater than ourselves. But as long as our awareness is trapped in the Iill, spiritual union evades us. In non-dualistic experience, both “being” and “non-being” are realized as having the same reality. Neither is more significant than the other or the cause of the other; they are each other’s seed, or potential. Being and non-being exist simultaneously in everything. Non-being is in the process of becoming, and being is latent in non-being. They are not outside but contained within each other. According to the best-selling Tibetan Book of the Dead, which was derived from old Buddhist manuscripts, ... The human form (but not the Divine Nature in man) is a direct inheritance from the sub-human kingdoms; from the lowest forms of life it has evolved, guided by an ever-growing and ever-changing life-flux. Potentially consciousness, which figuratively may be called the seed of the Life Force, connected with ... each sentient creature, being in its essence psychical. As such, it is the evolving principle, the principle of continuity, the principle capable of acquiring knowledge and understanding of its own nature; the principle whose normal goal is Enlightenment. As to the processes affecting the life-flux, which the human eye cannot see. The esoteric teaching coincides with that of the Ancient Greek and Egyptian Mystics: ‘As below, so above’; which implies that there is one harmonious ‘karma’ law governing with unwavering and impartial justice, the visible as well as the invisible operations of nature. (Evans-Wentz, 1957)
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In the act of nature, the process of becoming realizes itself through the consciousness of its forms. In other words, the essential aspect of nature becomes aware of itself through spiritual awareness experienced by human beings. This is not self-awareness; it is a pure, unified awareness. The essential emptiness (or “nothingness” of nature) realizes itself through the process of being or becoming. Since nothingness (or non-being) is the potential of being (or forms), then being has the potential to realize non-being through itself without the need to “look” anywhere else. There is nowhere to look for the ultimate reality; it is, as the ancient masters have said, “right under your own nose.” Each cell’s DNA contains the information of the whole organism and how it developed; this is a fact of microbiology. Similarly, every fragment of being can identify itself with the whole. While trapped in the Iill, awareness is a fragment waiting to realize its spiritual form. When a drop of water is removed from the ocean, held above the water, and then dropped back, it is a fragment of the original ocean as it falls. It only “knows” itself as the “fragmented” drop during its life in the air above the water, but as it merges with the ocean when it returns to its origin, it loses its reality as a drop and now “knows only the ocean.” As long as we have identity, we cannot grasp spiritual awareness. When the grip of identity loosens, we open and identify with spiritual awareness, or the Ultimate Reality (or in the case of the drop—the ocean). This is a non-dualistic, non-absolute, relative identity that co-arises codependently and simultaneously with other identities. In other words, it is not really an identity; we only use our limited language to describe this experience. Absolute or essential identity is an illusion—an abstract idea that the Iill projects onto the forms of life and matter, so that it can understand and interpret reality in terms of independent entities, as it sees itself also. It may “imagine” a non-dualistic reality, but it cannot experience it and therefore remains fragmented and
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separate from its source. In other words, the drop can “imagine” being merged with the ocean as long as it is separated from the ocean, but it is not until the drop “experiences” the ocean that it “grasps” that is it the ocean and not a drop. In reality, there is nowhere where we can be above the ocean, as we are immersed in the ocean throughout the universe; there is no escape from it. But our mind, through the Iill, creates the illusion that we are above or separate from the ocean, and we lose our essential “wetness.” If the individual Iill tries to interpret the meaning of a non-dualistic reality, it will fail. Essential identity fragments the universe into pieces and remains blind to the whole. In religion, we typically refer to everything in terms of ourselves; everything is performed in relation to the “I.” For instance, “I pray,” “I worship,” “I feel god x,” and so on. We need to develop a universal grammar to communicate the mystical experience of the universe. Thus, we can say that there is experience of the One, or that there is praying as a reciprocal process of worship. Praying is god x becoming aware of itself through the prayer without intention or desire.
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THE IiLL CANNOT UNDERSTAND GOD As long as we “see” the One, god x, or the Ultimate Reality in terms of ourselves, it is impossible to experience real spiritual awareness. There cannot be any unifying point of reference, especially in religious beliefs, between all the different values of “I’s.” If the One is the Many, then the Many can experience the One because they share the same source. All cultures and almost all religions practice some form of mysticism, but the secrets of that practice are hushed and hidden because a possible “sinful” confusion may occur: the relative “I” could identify with the One, causing a host of mental disorders. Subsequently, forms of mysticism discussed in key ancient texts have been banished from many mainstream religious doctrines. The threat is the possible confusion of the Iill
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and god x. Ignorance is safe, so the taboo against mysticism in most religious doctrines can be understood as a form of protection. But in many Eastern religions and philosophies, the union with the Ultimate Reality has been embraced and practiced for thousands of years, because they upheld that their god x was the essential essence of nature, or the Tao, and separate from it. Through discipline and exercise (as with the practice of No Mind outlined here), people have been able to transcend beyond opposites and dualistic identities to experience the universe.
THE ONE, THE MANY, AND NOTHINGNESS The reality of the One, or Being, must also include the reality of zero, or nothingness. If the two are not included in relative reality, this would constitute a dualistic interpretation. When we say “the One,” we also mean the Many and the Zero—one essence, many forms, and nothingness in potential. Language runs into a deadlock when dealing with something and nothing that is nameless, that exists everywhere and nowhere simultaneously, and that is the emptiness which is all things. For this reason, the ancient masters refused to discuss the flow of “being” and “nothingness” with the students and asked them to sit and to focus on a riddle that would make sense only when enlightenment was attained (for instance, “Where does the One return to?” or “What face did you have before you were born?”). The experience of the One, the Many, and Zero as the same essence is enlightenment, when the Iill is transcended and true spiritual awareness is realized. Humans are the “seeds” of the essence of nature, and we are in “potential” of blossoming into spiritual awareness when awareness transcends the Iill. It doesn’t matter what we call it, what religious metaphor we use to interpret it, or what our religious background is—the direct spiritual awareness of god x, or nature, is the same. Mystics from many different religious traditions have
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experienced the same universal union, tranquility, and absence of “I.” This is the merging with the essence of the universe, or god x. The interpretation of the experience may be through any religious metaphor, but the transcendent attainment of union is the same. There is unification of all interpretive meanings of the Ultimate Reality in the experience, so that seeming contradictions and differences lose their identity. In other words, true spiritual awareness transcends and unites all different religious meanings; it’s pure “awe.” We all know how awe feels, yet we have many different ways to get there, and we express our experience of it differently, depending on our language and culture. But in the final analysis, the “experience of awe” is relatively the same.
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WHEN ALL THINGS BECOME ONE At this point of spiritual awakening, we see that relative identity arises codependently with the identity of everything else; there are no longer separate individual things. Everything is seen in its relatedness and interconnectedness to everything else and to universal identity. All things share the same underlying universal constant. Without the Iill, identity loses its meaning into spiritual awareness. The literature is filled with accounts of the mystical experience of the Ultimate Reality, and when we cut through the metaphors, they are pretty much the same at the core. Whether one calls it “divine becoming,” “simple liberation of ignorance,” “supreme summit,” or “realization of spiritual awareness,” one refers to a state beyond the Iill where one has direct awareness of and unification with the essence of the universe (or god x). It is difficult, even impossible, to intellectualize or to conceptualize the reality of mysticism, especially from the perspective of the Iill. The ancient masters instructed their students to stop wasting their time on trying to comprehend this reality and to concentrate all effort on training the awareness. The human psyche has an instinctual drive to pursue this realization as an intense potential to
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universalization. We all want to somehow reach spiritual unification, in life and/or in death. The development and integration of spirituality into everyday life is a crucial aspect of the No Mind program—the aspect of becoming spiritually aware of our link to the universe, nature, or god x. It nurtures unconditional acceptance and compassion for nature and people. All things are seen in light of the essential aspect of being and not as separate external objects, but as indivisible parts of the same reality of nothingness, or potential.
MYSTICISM IS UNIVERSAL SPIRITUAL AWARENESS Metaphorical riddles and koans help to discover the underlying meaning in mysticism and the Ultimate Reality (see No Mind 601). Mysticism itself belongs to no particular religion because it is the essential non-dualistic aspect of all religions. The experience of a Christian realizing non-dualistic Christ-consciousness is similar to the Buddhist attaining Nirvana and union with the Ultimate. The Taoist’s becoming one with the Tao is no different from the Jewish mystic’s union with God-consciousness. Jesus taught that the ego, or “I,” must die if one is to be spiritually born again. There is “no one” attaining the reality of Christ-consciousness; it is attainment without the “I.” To say “I am one with Jesus” is dualistically premised on separate subject and object. The pure awareness of No Mind is the omnipresent consciousness that pervades the universe, just like Christ-consciousness does. There is no “I” demanding that it is self-righteous, there is just pure consciousness. Jesus said, He who rules his spirit has won a greater victory than the taking of a city. [and] The kingdom of God is within you. (The Bible)
The reality of mysticism is that regardless of social and religious background, when one attains enlightenment, one experiences the same pure awareness of the
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universe. If you brought all mystics together, they would have the same story to tell, as if they experienced it together. But their story of enlightenment is not how most religious doctrines typically describe the ultimate union with the One. They usually maintain the dualistic concept of subject and object, of “I” and Him, and thus perpetuate the illusion of the “I” and cause the kind of spiritual alienation that afflicts so many young people today. People do not want to worship, they want to participate in the Ultimate Reality, and they want to “experience directly”—not await commands from a controlling entity. Healthy holistic faith nourishes freedom and spiritual awareness, and blind faith breeds identity and ignorance. The point of this chapter isn’t to condemn any religious doctrine. It seeks to explain mysticism and its function in the world’s religions today. If one aspires to spiritual awareness in the context of his or her religion, mysticism provides a useful vehicle. The true masters can be detected easily because it is clear that they have nothing to gain, nothing to lose, and show no sense of egoism. Such people are humble, simple, and modest in their approach, and teaching is done through them, not by them. They are not divine, nor do “they” become divine, there is only the divine.
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CHAPTER 24
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. In mysticism, there is no you and god x, there is just the One Ultimate Reality. The soul is not a separate unit, but an interdependent aspect of the Universal Soul, or god x, or Tao. 2. All spiritual experiences described by people emphasize a moment of “awareness” of the spiritual experience. They all share an awareness of a god x, or nature, as the unifying principle of the universe. 3. The condensed form of Universal Awareness is how god x, or nature, becomes “aware of itself through humans.” Yet, it is not “self” awareness; it is pure awareness that can be experienced in many ways, including the practice of No Mind. 4. Mystical states of immediate union with god x characterize every religion, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Islam, and Yoga. Even the Mayans and the NorthAmerican Indians talked about an exalted state of oneness with the ultimate reality, or with the essential substance of nature. This constitutes one of the most fascinating ancient secrets we’ve inherited from our ancestors. 5. The masters have warned repeatedly against the danger of the “I” confusing itself with an “interpreted” experience, as opposed to grasping the “actual” experience itself. The actual experience shatters the “I” altogether in that moment of realization. Although it takes practice to maintain that state, the person has broken through the veil of illusion. 6. Time is relative to the observer and the speed of light, and god x is subject to neither. So god x’s cosmic thoughts must be non-dualistic, timeless,
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and without identity, similar to the mystics’ experience of the ultimate reality. 7. If described as only One, reality cannot be two or ten thousand; and the ultimate reality is “the ten thousand things,” the “one,” and the “zero” simultaneously. Things and events exist, but they are interdependent, codependent, interrelated, and do not have separate existences.
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8. In Western mysticism, (the Judeo-Christian) God is everywhere as a non-being sustaining the forms of being; thus God creates the world through nonbeing. But the forms have an intrinsic, or latent, potentiality to return to the One, or to non-being. In other words, like a seed holding the “tree potential,” humans have the “god x potential” to become aware of god x. 9. As long as we “see” the One, god x, or the ultimate reality in terms of ourselves, it is impossible to experience real spiritual awareness. There cannot be any unifying point of reference, especially in religious beliefs, among all the different values of “I’s.” 10. Humans are the “seeds” of the essence of nature, and we are in “potential” of blossoming into spiritual awareness when awareness transcends the Iill. It doesn’t matter what we call it, what religious metaphor we use to interpret it, or what our religious background is—the direct spiritual awareness of god x, or nature, is the same. 11. Most religions maintain the dualistic concept of subject and object, of “I” and Him (or Her), and thus perpetuate the illusion of the “I” and cause the kind of spiritual alienation that afflicts so many young people today. People want to “experience directly”—not await commands from a controlling entity.
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One of the best-known Zen koans says, “All things return to the One. What does the One return to?” It brings to the fore the question of death and dying, which terrifies most people. It is especially frightening for the Iill, which yearns to preserve its identity even after death through the illusion of an Iill-soul. The ancient masters spoke of an Iill-less soul—one that can be realized though spiritual awareness while we are still alive. If we use the ocean metaphor again and say that the universe is filled with water and we are a drop in that ocean, then there is nowhere for us to go. We are already in the ocean. In fact, the drop can never really be a drop if the universe is filled with water, there would be nowhere for it to form into a drop. It is only through illusion that the drop can exist. Awareness is the only universal constant and it realizes no death. Pure awareness is like the ocean; it is everywhere in the universe. Most religions postulate that the ultimate reality, or god x, is everywhere. It must be everywhere for the universe to sustain itself. As we discussed, if god x were a separate entity, we would have a dualistic reality, and nature, according to No Mind, is non-dualistic. Even physicists agree that there are no separate things, only interdependence and codependence. Like the universe, spiritual awareness cannot die. Chapter 25 discusses how the practice of No Mind comforts and alleviates fears of death through the achievement of enlightenment.
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Chapter 25
No Mind No Death
All things return to the One. What does the One return to? The above is one of the most famous Zen koans. As discussed, spiritual awareness is the ultimate reality, where one attains universal union. As described in Chapter 24, in ancient religious and philosophical texts, this is called mysticism. This is the ultimate union with the infinite consciousness, or energy, governing the universe. Taoism describes this as the nameless flow, which oscillates from “being” to “nothingness” and back. The Tao is the undifferentiated flux, in which all things are constantly changing. The experience of this ultimate reality occurs in the present moment, as it has no past or future sources. Being and nothingness interpenetrate subtly and naturally in all matter and life. So in the undifferentiated No Mind, there are no separate realities, universal awareness is realized, and everything exists here and everywhere simultaneously.
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AWARENESS AS A QUANTUM RELATIONSHIP
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Awareness is a quantum relationship with the universe and nature. The universe affects awareness and awareness affects the universe. Beyond biological materialism, physicists and scholars in neuroplasticity are turning to quantum theories and the quantum Zeno effect to describe consciousness without identifying any locality in the brain as the source of awareness. The existence of universal awareness undermines our dualistic, mechanical view of humans. Awareness is a universal constant, which allows us to experience our intrinsic quantum relationship with the rest of nature. And it is to be distinguished from self-conscious awareness that we experience daily. We are floating in an undifferentiated sea of spiritual awareness. In No Mind, we become one with this sea, similarly to the Christian mystic who realizes Christconsciousness or to the Sufi who attains transcendental union. This is the realization that the flux of God awareness is everywhere and we are not the Iill, ego, personality, or self. In fact, we “realize” we are the universe itself, pulsing through the awareness of the enlightened mind. With this in mind, we answer our opening question: “All things return to the One, Where does the One return to?” There is nowhere to return to; we are already there. All things are aspects of nature’s essence, or the One, which is the ultimate reality as infinite finality. It can only go somewhere else if there are other infinite realities, which would create a dualistic multiplicity of infinite realities. Can you have more than one infinite universal substance? Could the nothingness of space be filled with two or more universal substances? And if so, what purpose would more than one serve? Remember the drop analogy, and imagine that you could somehow identify a drop of water floating in the ocean (which would be an illusion, as there are no drops) and then extract that drop as a separate entity from the ocean. When you return it, where would the drop go?
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You may identify a particular drop of water if it were falling through the air because the substances of air and water are different; but when the drop is within its own element, then it is already part of the ocean (water), and it is impossible to discern a particular drop when looking at the ocean. The answer is that there are no individual drops in the ocean; there is just the ocean, a vast body of undifferentiated water. So if the universe were filled with water, say, as a metaphor for the universal substance or nature’s essence, then it would be impossible to be a drop of water anywhere. And if the Iill had the illusion that you were a drop of water, then upon the death of the Iill, the drop (you) would have nowhere to return to, as it would be already part of the ocean of the universe. Similarly, in the realm of life, there are no real individual entities of life forms; individual life forms are illusions created by our perceptual systems. There is only the flow of nature, god x, the ultimate reality, spiritual awareness, or whatever it is that you believe in. While we do perceive individual forms of matter and life and we do experience having a distinct mind-body, these are the properties of being, or of form, and enlightenment is seeing beyond the normal perceptual system and into the nothingness of the universe—the core of nothingness that is “being.” We become “spiritually aware” of the ocean, awake from our separateness as a drop of water, and “remember” that all things are the ocean and not the drop.
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WHERE WOULD YOU GO? So when we “see” the individual forms, the enlightened really “see” the underlying interconnectedness of the reality of which the forms are a part. We “see” individual forms, even though they are not really there. In Sanskrit, this perception of forms is called maya, the illusion. They are all aspects of the ocean of the universe. Once we intuitively grasp the ultimate reality of the forms, maya
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disappears and we “see” the underlying essence of nature. In the realization of this, death takes on a different meaning, as there is nothing to die except the flesh and bones, and even that doesn’t really die—it just transforms back into sub-atomic particles, which then can be redistributed in nature. When we remember our unity with nature through spiritual awareness, we realize that death lies in the finite, material aspect of our being—our form. As we understand the emptiness of nothingness that engenders the continuous cycles of being, we understand that this aspect of nature cannot die, as it is infinite. The essence of spiritual awareness is infinite. There is no individual soul, just as there are no individual drops in the ocean; there is nothing that needs to leave the body when it is dead and nowhere for anything to go. It is already here right now, in the present moment. Just as drops of the ocean are the ocean and there is nowhere for them to go, they are already there. But again, imagine this ocean not as the contained body of water encircling our planet, but as a boundless ocean that fills the Universe, stretching deep everywhere into the corners of the farthest galaxy. Now, where would you go? If god x is everywhere in the Universe, as it must be in order to sustain all being, where would god x go? There is nowhere to go, god x is already everywhere.
UNBORN SPIRITUAL AWARENESS The Pali Canon is one of the ancient collections on which Theravada Buddhism is based. Its English translation adds up to several thousand printed pages. It says that “even in dying the last in-breaths and out-breaths will pass consciously, not unconsciously,” which refers to mindfulness at the time of dying. We are mindful of our last few breaths, which is reminiscent of the spiritual awareness of our birth. The Tao Te Ching, written by Lao Tsu, circa sixth century BCE, has been translated more frequently than any other book except the Bible. Tao is the flow of nature, and Lao Tsu says:
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Heaven and earth last forever Why do Heaven and earth last forever? They are unborn, So ever living. The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead. He is detached, thus at one with all. Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment.
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This is the mystics’ true spiritual awareness. In Heaven and Earth, the essence of nature permeates the entire universe, it exists always and therefore has no beginning, or moment of birth. This is the infinite ultimate reality, which generates and sustains all forms. The master attains enlightenment and becomes one with all. For the master, there is no longer the Iill and all action is without effort, without try; therefore, the action itself is a manifestation of spiritual awareness. The master follows the Ten Paradoxes, which constitutes an act of spiritual awareness itself. Spiritual awareness is unborn and undying; it is the cosmos realizing itself through our own spiritual awareness. There is no death here, only the ceaseless ebb and flow of the universe. Identity is finite, and no-identity is infinite through its “seed potential” of spiritual awareness, and this is far greater than any accomplishment we can imagine in ordinary human terms. When we realize our true spiritual awareness and our union with nature’s ocean, then we experience our “seed potential” of enlightenment.
NO PLACE FOR DEATH TO ENTER The Iill constantly remembers its impending death and its limited life span. This is the source of the deep-seated anxiety we have about death. Egocentric life knows and always maintains its opposite, death, in clear view. This leaves most people insecure and worried about the end and what it may bring. The Iill must be surpassed if No Mind is to be realized. The ancient masters died without doubt or anxiety, because they experienced enlightenment of life and death through the direct awareness of the essential substance of the universe. They “knew” that
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death was only transformation of the flesh and bones. They released all attachments to the mind objects of desires, expectations, hopes, thoughts, and emotions. And they realized liberation and spiritual awareness through non-identity. They knew that fear of death was only a matter of attachment. The Samurai warriors fought with No Mind awareness and with the insight of “no death”; they knew there was nothing that could harm them spiritually. The Tao Te Ching says, “Being divine, you are at one with the Tao. Being at one with the Tao is eternal. And though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away.” It is also written in the Tao, He who knows how to live can walk abroad Without fear of rhinoceros or tiger. He will not be wounded in battle. For in him rhinoceros can find no place to thrust their horn, Tigers no place to use their claws, And weapons no place to pierce. Why is this so? Because he has no place for death to enter.
Like the Samurai warrior, the ancient sage does not identify with the mind-body, only with spiritual awareness through No Mind. The infinite and the eternal cannot be harmed, so death has nowhere to enter. The “direct experience” of the eternal essence of the ultimate reality, the experience of enlightenment, changes the perception of death. There is no fear of the Grim Reaper, as there is nothing for the Reaper to take. If “you” are eternal substance, then where can you go? What can he take that is not already there? The eternal essence of the ultimate reality cannot be split into Heaven and Hell, as these are dualistic identities created by the maya of the ignorant Iill. There is only the One and Zero—Being and Nothingness. Believing in a reality of multiplicities throws us into the trap of existential suffering, from which the only escape is in releasing awareness from being trapped by the Iill. Humans are complex; nature has an underlying simplicity that is realized through the insight of No Mind. Intellectualizing and over-analyzing complicates the simplicity
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of the flow and takes us further away from this experience. The ancient masters said it was better to “walk lightly,” so why the need to explain the universe in volumes and volumes of religious doctrine? The mystery emerges only when the doctrines are put aside, the mind’s fog clears, and a new awareness is experienced.
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THE UNINTENTIONAL EFFORT OF NOTHINGNESS In No Mind, nothingness is the living, dynamic, ethereal, flowing, void, ego-less, and undifferentiated essence that permeates all. In Zen and Eastern philosophies, this is not to be understood through reading volumes of books; it is only to be “experienced through the direct awareness of reality.” This does not require faith in a religious doctrine, you do not need to believe; you simply practice until you experience enlightenment. There is first doubt, and there is attainment, which banishes the doubt. It is difficult to imagine such a reality, and even if you did, it still could be the Iill “playing tricks” on itself. The ancients believed that anything that is imagined with respect to this reality is an illusion of the Iill. You are spiritual awareness, the ultimate reality, the ebb and flow of the cosmos, nature’s essence. And humankind’s ultimate accomplishment is to realize the original source of all things and to act in accord with nature—as a vehicle fueled by the cosmic energy, or as a tree naturally growing from its seed and unintentionally bearing fruit. This is the essential unintentional effort of nothingness. In nothingness lays hidden the potential of being through unintentional effort. It is pure cosmic intention, as opposed to desire-driven intention. When you understand pure cosmic intention, death has no place to enter. It is like the drop of ocean that is always the ocean and can never really be separated. The experience of the reality of nothingness confirms the essential reality of Being, because the countless forms have no permanence. There is nothing to cling to or to become attached to, as forms are impermanent. All forms are only temporary, and therefore any attachment to
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them will be subject to time and finite. In other words, you cannot find ultimate happiness in attachment to forms as they come and go. If we are unattached, then there is nothing to let go. The more we cling to objects, feelings, hopes, and expectations, the more we regret and fear death. Material objects have no real permanence, and emotional mind objects only have the transient Iill as their source. Our ultimate potential as humans is not to live in fear and regret of death. Fear and regret bind us, and we cannot fulfill our potential. In this light, objects are maya and they are revealed as illusions. They are not the ultimate reality, but its physical, finite, and impermanent manifestations. And while these objects exist in the four-dimensional space-time continuum, they are limited and vulnerable. The ultimate reality is not contained in the four-dimensional spacetime continuum; it sustains that continuum.
REMEMBERING OUR “WETNESS” All mind objects, to which we are attached, are mere reflections of the external world, and as long as we are attached to these objects from the perspective of the Iill, they are mirages that conceal the underlying reality of being and nothingness. When you “see” these objects in spiritual awareness, you see that they are only the manifestations of the ultimate reality. Our mind, body, and the Iill are also the manifestations of the ultimate reality. This realization allows the fear of death to vanish, as “you” now experience that the end of the mind-body is not the end of the underlying being and nothingness, which sustain the mind-body. Since “you” no longer identify with the mind-body, death is no longer a threat. And, of course, “you” do not exist; the Iill is not “you.” Dying is as impossible as discerning an individual water drop in the ocean. From the perspective of the Iill, you are the drop. But from the perspective of No Mind, you are the ocean. Now, once again imagine that the ocean fills the entire universe, so that you could no longer see anything but
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water. In this case, not only can we not discern a drop, but there is nowhere to place it—every possible location is occupied by the ocean, so any drop would still be in the water at any point. Spiritual awareness is that ocean, and we are all “wet” with universal essence, even if we do not know it yet. But we have the potential of remembering our “wetness,” and through enlightenment we realize there is no need to go anywhere, because we are already there. The mind-body is born, and it dies. Life of forms takes place between birth and death. Death occurs everywhere and all the time. One dies and another is born; the relationship is cyclical, as birth and death are two aspects of the same reality. Life is living as we know it, and when there is no longer life, then there is death as we know it. When we are born, we feel our “wetness,” we remember being the ocean, and we haven’t yet started forming a separate identity. But as life unfolds, we develop a separate “dry” Iill, and become even “drier” as we get older, until we forget our “wetness.” We forget because we encapsulate ourselves in individuality—like the drop of ocean—which separates us from spiritual awareness. We forget the ocean that we are. We lose the spiritual awareness with which we are born in favor of fulfilling the desires of the individual and societal Iills. There is nothing wrong in fulfilling desires, as long as we can maintain spiritual awareness of what we are doing. Desires are natural. Being mindfully unattached allows us to enjoy our “wetness” through our actions. Subatomic particles are constantly created and destroyed in the universe. They move in and out of existence throughout the nothingness of space. They move through being and nothingness, through life and death. With this understanding, there is nothing to fear. You live life to the fullest and accept your present life situation regardless of the form it takes. There is no past and no future, no mental web of an Iill to say what should and should not have happened; there is only the reality of your present life situation. And you exist now, in the flow.
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“Everything is as it should be.” You can change your present-moment situation, but accept where you are prior to initiating any changes. The universe flows constantly and life is in a continual state of change and adaptation, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, relatively speaking. This does not mean that you cannot change the present situation; but you accept the reality of every step on the way without complaints or irritability. Focus on the flow, not on the perceived roadblocks. If you understand death as change, you will understand how to live life to its full potential. We need to embrace change and to get “wet” more often. But remember that death only changes the material aspect of you, not the spiritual aspect which always remains “wet.”
WHO IS IT THAT DIES? In the moment of death, if you asked, “Who is it that is dying?” this would be the final hua-t’ ou, the final question of Who. Then you might look into every cell of your being to determine where and who is dying. When the mind is completely still and thoughts no longer fill the awareness, the loud emptiness of silent thunder will strike a chord in you that will resonate with the hum of the universe. The vibrations of the cosmos will overtake “you,” and eventually there will be a single vibration resonating everywhere and within everything. At this moment, you will grasp the intuition that the “who” of this dying never existed; only flesh and bones are dying, while the resonance of the cosmos continues. This is the realization of spiritual awareness. Confucius said, “If one sees the Way [Tao] in the morning, one can gladly die in the evening.” Such people realize that there is only continuity in a much finer, subtler degree. They know that there is no “who” and that the only universal constant is awareness. The ancient masters said that if you don’t come to enlightenment in this lifetime, then you may do so in the next. This does not mean that your “I” or Iill moves
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supernaturally into another mind-body in the next round of lifetime. This would constitute spiritualism and not No Mind or Zen. This means, instead, that the universe (or spiritual awareness, nature, god x) attempts to realize itself through another human form, and this is enlightenment—the “seed” consciousness of spiritual awareness becoming aware of itself. If the universe does not realize itself and there is no enlightenment, then you remain subject to karma until your death. And there may be realization “next time.” But think of this as not “your” next, just the next time through another life. The universe, nature, god x, has no more “intention” to realize itself than the stream has any intention to run downhill— this is just the flow of nature. We are subject to karma until our actions shed all trace of intention and of the Iill. We may realize the first level of enlightenment— No Mind—but we must continue with our practice until we are truly free from the Iill’s intentions. As long as our activities revolve around the intentions, desires, and hopes of the Iill to any degree, whether small or large, they cannot be pure “non-action” or “no-try,” and they remain subject to karma and the cycle of birth and death. When we have eliminated the Iill from action, there will be no “who” to die.
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MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES SEVER THE ROOT OF FEAR When you persist to sever the root of the Iill and the cycle of birth and death in the realization of the unconscious No Mind, you reach a transformational experience. This is when karma ceases to exist and fear releases its grip, for it has nothing to grasp on to. A study of the neurological aspects of transformational experiences reports: The near death experience is one of the most compelling experiences that human beings can encounter. Those that have undergone NDEs frequently report major life transformation, including less fear of death, and more compassion and altruism. (Richards, 2002)
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Mystical experiences have similar life-transforming effects, including less fear of death. For example, Kundalini Yoga meditation has reduced intense fear in breast cancer patients (Shannahoff-Khalsa, 2005). Neurological studies have theorized that mystical and religious experiences are evoked deep inside the temporal lobe of the brain, which projects the self in relation to time and space and the affective components of anticipation (Johnson & Persinger, 1994; Persinger, 1983). A study at the UCLAReed Neurological Research Center reports: Investigations of the neural substrates of religious experience are in their infancy. Humanity has been called homo religio—the religious animal. Behavioral neuroscience must encompass a fully realized account of the neural substrates of religious experience if it is to achieve a systematic understanding of the brain basis of all human behavior. The task before neuropsychiatrists and behavioral neurologists is to fully understand brain disorders that promote, intensify, or alter religious experience—unique clues to the neural basis of the spiritual nature of humanity. (Saver & Rabin, 1997)
People who have had near-death experiences report transcending the boundaries of the ego and the confines of time and space. A common experience is disassociation, where the person’s identity becomes detached from the body (Greyson, 2000). Near-death experiences may constitute an evolutionary protective mechanism that enables us to overcome states of extreme stress in order to initiate a fight-or-flight response. Dissociation from the Iill may be a means of “keeping our cool” and increasing our chances for survival by reducing our terror of dying. Regardless, in dissociation, we perceive a different reality, the illusions of our attachments, and our awareness expands to spiritual awareness.
Living in the Flow Without Attachments Non-action is the natural expression of spiritual awareness through the mind-body dynamic without self-gain
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and self-attachment. It is the purest mind-body state acting through the flow of No Mind. It is the living poetry of a lizard snatching a fly from the air, or of a dolphin playing in the waves. Non-action is the natural potential of your innermost abilities. Animals do not need to think or to try when they use their natural talents; they simply perform. One of the Ten Paradoxes says, “Perform. Do. But never think.” Just follow your inner nature, regardless of whether you are a businessperson, a sanitary engineer, a doctor, a teacher, a housekeeper, a gardener, a carpenter, or royalty; whatever skill or knowledge you possess must be expressed without intention of the Iill. Perform for the sake of the work, not for self-centered returns. Just do what you do without effort and with mindfulness, and then you are expressing the wisdom of the universe through your mind-body dynamic. It is a spontaneous action that fulfills what is needed in the present moment. Free from anxiety and premeditation, the work flows and doesn’t strain the mind-body. Enjoy the ride, and do not focus on the goal. There is no true enjoyment of the past or of the future, as they are not real but temporal projections of the Iill. You can plan, but do not become attached to the plan. Life in the detached present moment is healthy, joyful, and free. No Mind No Death is premised on the same freedom; when we are unattached, we learn to enjoy the awareness of the present, which evolves into spiritual awareness. Living in the flow rarely gets taught in schools and universities, as students prepare to enter a society focused on success, self-preservation, wealth, materialism, sex, looks, and so on. Can we enjoy these things without sacrificing and losing our selves? The more we accumulate, the more apprehensive of death we become. When these motivations are tempered with non-attachment and non-action, they provide much more stable bases for the No Mind lifestyle. As long as we do not need, require, force, compel, or demand, the “tree of our life” bears fruit from the wholesome and egoless labor of the mind-body dynamic and we can enjoy it just as it is. As long as we are detached from the fruit and are not caught up in
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accumulating fruit, we can become aware of the tree and of the seed potential that sprouted it. Given all the fruits society offers us, it is no wonder that we find it is so hard to die. In death, we leave behind many things and people we love and identify with. We cling and cannot let go, which causes chronic anxiety of death. In many cases, humans spend their entire lives catering to the Iill, which acts like a carnivorous plant that cannot get enough and keeps getting bigger and bigger, demanding more and more food, stimulation, toys, adrenaline rushes, and, of course, the latest and greatest in this year’s model (last year’s is “so last year!”). We need to let go of attachments and enjoy the ride, not only the toys we come across on the way.
DEATH AS AN IiLL The death of an Iill is painful, whereas death without the Iill is painless. There is just the ocean. Nothing is lost, just a cycle of transformation takes place. This is nature’s way recognized by the ancient masters thousands of years ago. People identify death with the mind-body, and they experience great grief when the mind-body expires and all that’s left behind are memories. Once they are gone, the attributes of the mind-body can no longer be accessed and enjoyed. People come to know the Iill in terms of the special qualities (personality and character) which constitute its unique mind-body dynamic, and that is what they miss when a person dies. But we must also recognize that each person is a manifestation of the essence of the universe, which eventually remembers its origins. The ocean brings forth countless life forms, and then reassimilates them, but the truth is, they were always part of the ocean in the first place. People hope that their spirit will return to Heaven, yet they do not realize that their spirit never left Heaven and it doesn’t need to return to anything. Heaven is all around us; it is the source of everything we see and touch. So after death, we normally celebrate the spirit on its ascent
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to Heaven, following the traditions of our respective religion. The ancients, however, celebrated every day, as they realized that Heaven is everywhere and that we walk amongst “god” while we are alive. There is no need to die in order to experience the ultimate reality. The age-old argument is: How can we know what death is when we need to die in order to know it? The immediate insight into our spiritual awareness allows us to experience what it means to die. But how can this be confirmed? It cannot, except through the experiences of countless people who attained the unconscious aspect of No Mind and had the same insight over several thousand years, regardless of the languages they spoke or the historical periods they witnessed. The ancient masters never asked for blind faith; they didn’t say, “This is how it is and you have to believe it!” They insisted that one must experience enlightenment first, before it can be discussed; otherwise, if one discusses before experiencing it, one would only be more confused. From the standpoint of quantum physics, particles are never static or spatially fixed; they come into being and vanish in a continuous play of movement and energy. Using vacuum chambers, physicists have observed particles come into being from nothingness and then disappear back into nothingness. Matter is dynamic energy, and all the forms we see and cling to in the world are transient energy clusters that constantly disappear and regroup, usually involving other particles somewhere else in the universe. In The Cosmic Code, Pagels writes:
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A remarkable feature of the present-day universe is that if you add up all the energy in the universe it almost adds up to zero. First there is the potential energy of the gravitational attraction of the various galaxies for each other. This is proportional to the mass of the galaxies. Since one must supply energy to push the galaxies apart, this counts as a huge negative energy in our energy bookkeeping. On the positive side of the ledger is the mass energy of all the particles in the universe. This adds up to another huge number, to about a factor
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often smaller than the negative energy. If the two numbers matched, the total energy of the universe would be zero and it wouldn’t take any energy to create the universe. (Pagels, 1982)
Energy continuously condenses, expands, and reorganizes in the flow of matter and life. Again, as we discussed, there is no nothingness, as it is in potential of being, just as being is in potential of nothingness. There is nowhere to go, as everything is already right here, nothing is independent and everything is interrelated. If we expand this insight to death, then what is there to be afraid of, where can we possibly go? Life does not have to be diseased with the poor prognosis of a fatal outcome. All equations equal one and zero at the same time; therefore the essence of nature was never born and it will never die. The condensations of nature appear to us as matter and form, and they follow the cycles of birth and death in the universal flux, and it is all performed in the natural play of the universe.
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IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Awareness is a quantum relationship with the universe and nature. The universe affects awareness and awareness affects the universe.
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2. We are the universe itself, pulsing through the awareness of the enlightened mind. With this in mind, we answer the question, “If all things return to the One, where does the One return to?” There is nowhere to return to; we are already there. All things are aspects of nature’s essence, or the One, which is the ultimate reality as infinite finality. 3. Imagine an ocean not as the contained body of water encircling our planet, but as a boundless ocean that fills the Universe, stretching deep everywhere into the corners of the farthest galaxy. Now, where would you go? If god x is everywhere in the Universe, as it must be in order to sustain all being, where would god x go? There is nowhere to go; god x is already everywhere. 4. The ancient masters died without doubt or anxiety, because they experienced enlightenment of life and death through the direct awareness of the essential substance of the universe. They “knew” that death was only of the flesh and bones. They released all attachments to the mind objects of desires, expectations, hopes, thoughts, and emotions. 5. In nothingness lays hidden the potential of Being through unintentional effort. It is pure cosmic intention, as opposed to desire-driven intention. When you understand pure cosmic intention, death has no place to enter.
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6. The ultimate reality is not contained in the fourdimensional space-time continuum; it sustains that continuum. 7. In the moment of death, the enlightened person might ask, “Who is it that is dying?” This is the final hua-t’ ou, the final question of Who. Then you might look into every cell of your being to determine where and who is dying. When the mind is completely still and thoughts no longer fill the awareness, the loud emptiness of silent thunder will strike a chord in you that will resonate with the hum of the universe. 8. When you persist to sever the root of the Iill and the cycle of birth and death in the realization of the unconscious No Mind, then karma ceases to exist and fear release its grip, for it has nothing to grasp. 9. People hope that their spirit will return to Heaven, yet they do not realize that their spirit never left Heaven and it doesn’t need to return to anything. Heaven is all around us; it is the source of everything we see and touch.
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Mysticism, Psi, altered states of consciousness, and the experience of god-consciousness are all alluring benefits of the practice of No Mind, but its real effects are felt in our daily routines. We are no longer imprisoned by the Iill or by the psychological and social structures that have been conditioned and reinforced in us throughout our lives. The burden of fulfilling the false needs and desires of the Iill is lifted, and we can redirect energy and awareness to other pursuits. Living No Mind reduces the wear and tear we impose on ourselves because of the Iill’s determination to fulfill demands from society, work, school, family, community, religion, and so on. Escaping the conditioned mind and its illusionary world (maya) is the greatest freedom one can attain. Chapter 26 reveals that we are destined to be tossed around on the waves of life as long as we choose to stay separated from the ocean of life; when we become the ocean, the waves play with and through us.
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Chapter 26
Secret of Living No Mind
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e are born with the “unrealized seed” of spiritual awareness, or god-consciousness. To nurture the seed, we must practice awareness training, such as No Mind. If it isn’t nurtured, the seed will not blossom, and it will remain in “potential.” Potentiality is inherent in being and nothingness, which is the primary aspect of spiritual awareness. The potential needs to be cultivated, as grapes are planted, fertilized, watered, pruned, harvested, and then finally made into wine. With practice, we can harvest the insight of spiritual awareness and develop its unconscious aspects, where the secrets of No Mind are realized—from where the “old vine” wine is made. The experience of the Christian mystic is very similar to that of the Zen mystic. The realization of god x is the spiritual realization that you are not a separate entity in the universe but an indivisible component of the cosmic ocean. The unconditional wisdom and love of the universe saturates all life and matter. In the final analysis, spiritual awareness is nothing but unconditional love and compassion, which exists everywhere in the 526
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universe, but is realized through our own enlightenment. The entire realm of creation and destruction sustains the universe and the flow of nature. In Studies in the Psychology of the Mystics, Father Joseph Marechal, SJ, writes that St. Francis of Assisi experienced the “exquisite feeling of nature and universal brotherhood,” which is one way to capture the joy of spiritual awareness (Marechal, 1964).
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LIVING NO MIND IS LIVING FREE Mysticism, Psi, altered states of consciousness, spiritual awareness are all alluring benefits of No Mind. However, the real secret of No Mind is in the day-to-day freedom from the psychological and social structures that have been conditioned and reinforced in us throughout our lifetime. Living within the Iill and fulfilling its needs and desires has been a subversive form of imprisonment, but now we have the keys to freedom. Living No Mind reduces the wear and tear of the daily requirements that are imposed on us by society, work, school, family, community, religion, and so on. Escaping the discriminating mind and the illusionary world of maya is the greatest freedom we can attain. Seemingly irresolvable suffering, conflicts, and problems suddenly find simple resolution in the attainment of No Mind. Living No Mind is not passionless and dull; it’s living without the attachments of the Iill. Here, the source of passion and desire is not in the social influences of the media, peers, and celebrities, but in the pure non-action of the moment. The mental web of the Iill is run by conditioning viruses and programs that are activated by certain stimuli and cues. Uncontaminated passion and desire are fulfilled with an unconditional sense of choice, which has not been already made for us by others. This unconditional sense of choice originates in No Mind. In other words, you live the full colors of the rainbow, not just the limited spectrum you know. Living No Mind is unconditional passion and desire, whose fulfillment is not necessary and outside the realm of Iill needs, shoulds, and expectations.
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LEARNING UNCONDITIONAL ACTION
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We assume that “free will” is free, but in many instances our choice is based on a conditioned pattern, such as habit or ritual. If you trace the source of free choices, you may recognize a family pattern or an influence from society or the mass media. For the most part, acting is like breathing—we are usually unaware of the breath, but when we are mindful of it, we can control it. We become mindful through the practice of Clear Attention. Similarly, we are unaware of our actions and reactions during our daily activities, but when we become aware, we can control our desires. Yet, even with the concept of “free will” (or, as science now says, “free won’t”), we must be able to recognize the source of our desires—the mental web of the Iill. Our personality is a complex program. Our choices are often predetermined, even when we think we are acting freely. But are we really choosing, or is choice lost in the set of parameters that make up the Iill? This is the reality of our lives and our minds. The mind grows and matures in a unique fashion, just as a tree develops its unique growth shape. No two trees are identical in the way their branches grow and take shape; similarly, there are no two minds that develop exactly the same. Experiences, genetics, conditioning, reinforcements, beliefs all determine how the branches grow and develop. Just as a gardener cultivates a tree to grow in a certain manner, we too are trained to perform and to grow in a certain manner. Thousands of environmental factors shape the mind daily. So every “mind-tree” is different, yet the underlying essential reality of spiritual awareness is the same. Is not the essence of every tree the same, even though its form may be different? One of the secrets of No Mind is in the realization of the ultimate reality. It lies beyond the illusions of the mind and beyond the desires, passions, wishes, and hopes of the Iill. All things are relative to our thoughts, whose negativity, positivity, or neutrality shape the quality of life. All we can do is stop or suspend the process. Psychology
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teaches us how to fix, mend, and heal the process, so we can function within social structures; No Mind teaches us how to heal the process by realizing the mechanisms of the mind and by watching its patterns objectively. The practice of No Mind and the application of the Ten Paradoxes tackle problems encountered on a daily basis. They eliminate the compulsions that accompany the decisions we make. Sometimes our decisions seem so urgent, as if the world’s survival depended on them. But this urgency is revealed as illusory once we put it into the context of the whole. We simply need to perform a process of unconditioning, so we may perceive and learn more fully and holistically.
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THE PEACEFUL WARRIORS Society enforces a state of self-alienation and repression. The expression of the ultimate reality in daily activities may turn us into unorthodox “strangers” to others. In Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warriors, Dan Millman describes such “strangers” as peaceful warriors driven by an instinct to help others (Millman, 1991). The state of society is both a collective state and the state of the people, or of the “I’s” composing it. Most members of society today are self-absorbed with personal outcomes. They live in the “me-world,” or “I-reality,” and fail to see the “I-illusion.” Yet, when we pause to listen and to understand some historical aspects of society, we might find ourselves surprised, thinking, or even entertained. Many great men and women have turned the tide of humankind by introducing new ideas; but that’s only because other people took the time to stop, listen, and believe. They were able to transform the “me-world” into the “we-world.” The ancient masters asked only that you listen to the inner mechanisms of your mind and body to find the truth, for only through your own eyes and in your self-knowledge will you find the answer to all the koans ever spoken. The attainment of essential freedom is the freedom from one’s own mind, where the chronic anxiety and fear of spontaneity in life is
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replaced with play and action that is unconditional and unintentional.
OVERCOMING DISTURBANCES OF MIND Death is transformed from an enemy to an ally, and we no longer fight a war against our body. If we focus on death, we die in the present and cannot enjoy this moment of life. In No Mind No Death, play and spontaneity saturate every moment of our life. In the intuition of the moment, we finally understand the ancient masters and their paradoxes. Many people get frustrated as their attempts at doing things fail. In No Mind, frustration is irrelevant, because it stems from the unnatural act of “trying” relative to the Iill’s intentions. Remember the first Paradox, “Act. React. But never try.” There is no frustration in the blossoming rose or in the flowing stream; they just happen without effort or self-driven motivation. Frustration obstructs the flow of non-action. When action is non-deliberate and flows without trying, and when the mind-body performs in balance, frustration has nowhere to take hold. Applying Clear Attention to the actions of the day keeps frustration in check. When you expect less and see the natural flow of action, frustration evaporates. Living No Mind is free of anxiety, regret, or worry. The mentally constructed chains of the Iill and its demons are ineffective in the case of pure awareness, When awareness is focused, there is no room for anxiety to enter, as the source of anxiety are typically thoughts that float across the screen of awareness with their potent associations with memories of the past or anticipations for the future. Thoughts flourish and the mind is scattered and unfocused where anxiety prevails. The anxious mind is like a stormy sea whose waves toss us around relentlessly. We do not “see” the spring from which anxiety emerges, yet we get wet. We learn to go below the waves and reach the calm depth of the ocean; we can release anxiety’s hold. In No Mind, there is nothing for worry to
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cling to, there is nowhere for regret to come from, and there is nothing for restlessness to stir up. The demons of anxiety have been exorcised and the Iill is suspended in time. Hate is another disturbance of mind that is incongruent with living No Mind, as enlightened people have learned that the essence of hate stems from the Iill. Hate, like evil, exists in humans only and nowhere else in nature. Hate emerges from the mental web of the Iill, as the product of mental conditioning. When you surrender values, traditions, prejudices, discrimination, reason, and intellect, hate vanishes. When you remove the source of hate, the “I,” you are free to move about the world without alienation, as you instantly bond to everything. When you master the practice of No Mind and attention focus becomes as normal as breathing, your demons have no power over you, for there are no vulnerabilities for them to exploit. The dark energy of hate dissipates along with the Iill, and the pure, joyous freedom of spiritual awareness brakes through the fog.
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PLAYING WITHOUT INTENTION When we apply Clear Attention in our daily lives, we are mindful of our (as well as other people’s) intentions and motivations. Social “games” can be played without feeling like we are stuck in do-or-die situations; there is no attachment to the outcome, only the play of the game is important. The rules of the game remain the same—by definition, rules have to be followed if the game is to be played correctly—but we play with a new perspective. We use the rules as mere guidelines, not as rigid controls. Players no longer see the game as a force from the outside that controls their lives; instead, they and their actions are the game, which is played through them. All actions are “Iill-less” and therefore the game is played through the mind-body dynamic. Action in this case is unintentional, so one cannot lose or win. The prize of the game can be won or lost, but “you” cannot win or lose: you
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are the game, not the outcome. Actions are pure and selfless, performed for the game’s sake. Children play for the sake and for the fun of the game; they have nothing else to gain. But as we mature, games become more competitive, and they compel the participants to play against the game and against others, for the sake of winning. There are now rewards and honors in winning, so the innocence and freedom of the game are lost. Children should be allowed to spend as much time playing “Iill-less-ly” in the present moment as they possibly can, without the constraints of social structures, results, and ego. Let them enjoy the ride before they start developing the illusion that there is a goal at the end and lose their innocence.
OPENING THE ENERGY CENTERS IN THE BODY The ancient masters used No Mind and advanced meditative practices to perfect their Psi abilities and to unleash the potentials of the human psyche. They practiced moving the vital chi throughout the body, and they performed exercises to open the chakras (energy centers) in the body. The term chakra is Sanskrit for “wheel” or “disk,” and it refers to one of the seven energy centers in the body. These centers constitute major junctions of nerve ganglia that branch from the spinal column. They are used by acupuncturists in the art of healing and balancing the life force, or chi, within the mind-body. In the past, they used heat generated during meditation and during the burning of moxa placed at the end of the acupuncture needles; this would remove obstructions of the energy and restore vital balance. Sometimes the illness would disappear quickly; other times it took longer. The power of the body comes from the abdomen, where chi is stored; this is the source of strength for martial artists, swordsmen, and athletes. Reportedly, the ancient masters warded off wild beasts with their psychic abilities and spiritual power, as the intense focus of their energy was enough to throw any attacker into confusion. These ancient masters could rejuvenate the body and
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maintain good health for many years, and they could die at any time they wished, remembering their mystical union with the ultimate reality.
THE GOAL OF TOTAL LIBERATION
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No Mind can be attained on many levels, from brief insight to deep intuitive understanding and the awakening of dormant human abilities (see Chapter 15, The Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones). Even the smallest awakening has profound effects that last a lifetime. The Zen saying goes, “The greater the doubt, the greater the enlightenment.” Doubt puts the mind in a state of apprehension about the nature of the great mystery, not unlike a balloon being filled with air—the more air, the bigger the pop. Yet, usually traces of the Iill remain at every level of awakening, until deep, unconscious No Mind is attained. An article in The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology discusses the stages of meditation: Such unusual and far-reaching transformations of perceptual organization and character structure could not possibly be the work of three months or a year, nor could they be attained by short-cuts without adequate foundation being laid first ... it is said to be an extensive path of development that leads to a particular end: total liberation from the experience of ordinary human suffering and genuine wisdom that comes from true perception of the nature of mind and its construction of reality. (Brown & Engler, 1980)
Understanding the mind’s interpretation of reality is understanding the Iill. Yet, at the deeper levels of enlightenment, the Iill dissipates into unconscious awareness of the universe, and spiritual awareness is realized. This is called satori in Zen training, or when the mind expands with the cosmos, nothing is unknown, and everything is “seen.” Boundaries are shattered, and there is only the potentiality in being and nothingness. Matter, space, and time amalgamate in the cosmic flow of the nameless.
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The final intuition arises that there is only the flux and that all forms and identities are mental illusions. But recognition of the illusions of the mind is as natural as recognizing that moss grows on the shady side of a river stone. The Judeo-Christian concept of eternity overemphasizes the thereafter and “forgets” the here and now. Many spend their lives fighting sin and expecting angels to guide them through the gates of Heaven, where God awaits. This is a beautiful vision of the afterlife, but life should be about living while alive, not about living after death. Alan Watts argues that the church should be a means for people to “experience” God, instead of being merely a place of worship, In any case, prayers for this, that, and the other put God at a distance, when even a great theologian has said that God is nearer to you than you are to yourself. They [Church] likewise distract attention from the many ways of meditation or contemplation which introduce us to mystical experience, or immediate realization of our union with God. (Watts, 1973)
Life should emphasize attaining blissful union with the ultimate reality while living here and now; not dying in order to live dead. It is a tragic gamble for one to sacrifice his entire life “hopefully” pursing the afterlife of one’s religious doctrine and to sacrifice “seeing” the ultimate reality while living in the process. Live life and don’t let it slip by! The reality of life and death is now. From the perspective of the ultimate reality, both exist in the present moment, as there is nowhere else for them to exist, except the human mind. The universe exists in the present moment; there is nowhere and no time for anything else to happen in the cosmic flow. The secret of No Mind lies in the realization that you do not need to die in order to see the eternal light. This truism is seen as clearly by the enlightened as the light of the stars is seen by everyone else. Yet, some people, when they look up at the stars, still can’t see the light.
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Figure 26-1: Secrets of No Mind This diagram of No Mind builds upon Figure 19-1. Here, the Iill no longer separates mind and body, and the dynamic flow of peak performance is attained. The mindful, direct perception of reality is beyond old categorical memories and behaviors. New behavioral categories are set up in this state of enlightenment, where spiritual awareness and insight of the ultimate reality are grasped directly. These new categories are delineated by dashed lines, indicating lack of attachment to them; they do not govern our behavior. In this sense, direct action and reaction are without effort. Awareness is experienced as the only universal constant. Now, behavioral and memory attributes have changed into more unified characteristics which represent the enlightened person.
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Living No Mind
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For thousands of years, mystics have known that meditation and other mindfulness techniques change brain metabolism, improve sensory perception, optimize health, and reveal the oneness of Being and Nothingness. Over the last fifty years, however, we have accumulated many medical or scientific research studies to back up those claims. Now doctors and scientists have elaborate tools and methods to peer into the brain and to record its activity during meditative states. Many clinical studies extol the positive effects mindfulness training has on stress, on stress-related physical ailments, and on widespread health conditions, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sexual dysfunction, etc. Chapter 27 reveals past, recent, and ongoing medical research and data that document the healthy symbiosis between the mind-body dynamic and mindfulness.
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Chapter 27
No Mind Health & No Mind Academics— The Research
... many individuals in one way or another have become aware of ‘an inner landscape,’ of an experiencing of ‘self ’ of far greater expanse than the outwardly observable ‘behaving organism’ of recent academic psychology. (Green & Green, 1969)
Meditative techniques have been an integral part of Eastern cultures for the past 2,500 years, where mindfulness (or what we call Clear Attention in the practice of No Mind) has been used to attain enlightenment, to train attention, and to relieve psychological “dis-ease.” The symptoms of many diseases have been alleviated through the application of mindfulness, and this has been recognized by medical professionals and psychologists during the last century. “Both experience and literature that have been obscure to the average Westerner have long suggested that these methods are powerful and carry significant health benefits to those who practice them. Although still in preliminary phases, modern cognitive science seems to corroborate some of these claims” (Otani, 2003). 539
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MEDITATION IS WIDELY USED IN MEDICINE
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The complex mental task of meditation is one of the most important research areas currently pursued by science— specifically, much energy is directed into the investigation of the physiological, cognitive, emotional, and psychological effects of meditation and its relationship to human awareness. Recent technological advances into functional neuroimaging—such as positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI)—have allowed researchers to study the processes unfolding in the brain during meditative states. These complex processes include changes in cognition, sensory perception, hormonal levels, and autonomic activity. Also, meditation has become widely used in psychological and medical practices to manage stress and to treat a variety of physical and mental disorders:
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... the neurophysiological effects that have been observed during meditative states seem to outline a consistent pattern of changes involving certain key cerebral structures in conjunction with autonomic and hormonal changes. (Newberg & Iversen, 2003)
THE EARLY YEARS OF RESEARCH Systematic medical research on meditation dates back to 1957, when a renowned team of scientists conducted experiments in India and concluded that “... physiologically, yogic meditation represents deep relaxation of the autonomic nervous system without drowsiness or sleep and a type of cerebral activity without highly accelerated electro-physiological manifestation” (Bagchi & Wenger, 1957). An experiment involving two advanced yoga and Zen practitioners revealed that “alpha waves of practitioners’ EEG increased remarkably, even if their eyes were kept open” (Kasamatsu, 1957). In 1961, researchers at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi placed a yogi in an airtight box underground to discover
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that he “could reduce his oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output to levels significantly lower than his [normal] requirements during the period he remained inside the box.” His oxygen level fell nearly 50 percent below his normal requirements. This type of control could be performed only by conditioning the nervous system. (Anand, China, & Singh, 1961b)
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During meditation, Yogis showed a persistent Alpha activity with well marked increased amplitude modulation. During normal awareness, two Yogis were exposed to ‘external’ stimulation (strong light, loud bang, touch of hot glass tube and vibration). All stimuli blocked the Alpha rhythm and changed it to Beta frequency (indication of higher cognitive activity in the brain), although none of these stimuli produced any blockage of Alpha rhythm when the Yogis were in meditation. Yogis claim to be oblivious to their external and internal environments during meditation, although the higher nervous system remains in a state of ecstasy. (Anand, China, & Singh, 1961a)
In eight more studies measuring voluntary control and alpha-wave activity, Wenger, Bagchi, and Anand investigated three Indian subjects who deliberately slowed down their heart rate (Wenger & Bagchi, 1961a, 1961b). The use of meditation in psychotherapy helped patients to obtain expanded and impersonal consciousness during therapy sessions, thus enabling more objective analysis of their symptoms and problems (Kretschmer, 1962). In a study by Kasamatsu and Hirai, the EEGs (electroencephalogram) of 48 Zen priests and disciples were continuously recorded: Zen meditation is purely a subjective experience completed by a concentration which holds the inner mind calm, pure and serene. And yet Zen meditation produces a special psychological state based on the changes in the electroencephalogram. Therefore, Zen meditation influences not only the psychic life, but also the physiology of the brain ... relaxed awakening with steady responsiveness. EEG changes could be classified
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into 4 stages; appearance of Alpha waves, increase of Alpha amplitude, a decrease of Alpha frequency and the appearance of rhythmical Theta Train. (Kasamatsu & Hirai, 1966)
We learn to train our attention during meditation and to control what are normally autonomic behaviors, such as breathing. It is an exercise that demands practice, like any other physical or mental activity. The “pros” can control their attention with no effort, while the “novices” often lose their focus because of a single distracting thought—that is normal and to be expected. Attention training (also called mindfulness or Clear Attention) is crucial to our ability to perform at full potential.
Mindfulness Increases Focus and Creativity Clear Attention limits the involvement of the Iill through deautomatization, a term introduced by Arthur Deikman, M.D., certified in psychiatry and neurology. His subjects built intra-psychic barriers against distracting stimuli and improved their focus. “All subjects agreed that meditation was usually pleasurable, valuable and rewarding. Subjects were instructed to concentrate on an object, not while analyzing or thinking or associating ideas about it, but rather, trying to see the object (for instance, a vase) as it exists in itself” (Deikman, 1963). Almost forty years later, the physiology of the relaxation response during meditation was studied at Harvard Medical School. Signals mapped by functional magnetic resonance imaging indicate that the practice of meditation activates neural structures involved in the control of attention and of the autonomic nervous system (Lazar et al., 2000). J. C. Malhotra, M.D. demonstrates the beneficial applications of yoga to psychiatry. He argues that the limitations of the Iill can be reduced and eventually overcome through the training of attention and the deautomatization of habits and ritual behaviors. This is a consistent theme in the literature on meditative arts, which found its way into
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Western psychological research in the late 1950s and thereafter. Yoga is not merely a system of therapeutics, but a way of life. Its preventive value is well recognized. It dispenses with medicinal treatment. Yoga is an ancient Indian psycho-biological discipline which has given promising results in the treatment and prevention of functional psychosomatic and neurotic ailments. Yoga does not believe that a person is wholly at the mercy of his unconscious drives, strivings, and impulses. It reinstates in people their sense of responsibility. (Malhotra, 1963)
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As discussed in No Mind 401, the practice of Clear Attention has been used to induce altered states of consciousness, which open the gates to intuition. When the restricting and conditioned Iill is quieted, the senses filter less, allowing a more direct perception of reality, thereby opening new creative and intuitive channels. Creative people often refuse to accept ordinary reality. In Creativity and Personal Freedom, Frank Barron says: There is reason to believe that many creative individuals deliberately induce in themselves an altered state of consciousness in which the ordinary structures are broken down ... Characteristically, the creative individual refuses to be constant with the most easily established perceptual schematic or perceptual constancy. Even such obviously adaptive ones as the discrimination between what is inside the self versus what is outside the self. Or the conviction that there are things in the world which are absolutely unmoving. Or the notion that all effects have causes. Or that time passes moment by moment in a succession of states rather than in an unstoppable flux. (Barron, 1968)
Arnold Ludwig speaks of insights and creative inspirations in an article published in the Archives of General Psychiatry: The relaxation of critical faculties is one way to produce an altered state of consciousness, such as those attained
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through passive meditation. The function of such an ASC may allow people to acquire new knowledge or experience; and that ASC has been applied throughout history in healing arts and practices, such as those of the Egyptians, Greeks and Shamans of Africa. People have often sought to induce an ASC in an effort to gain new knowledge, experience and as a source of creative inspirations, insights, problem-solving and sudden illumination. (Ludwig, 1966)
Professors John Mann and Herbert Otto recommend meditation for the purpose of unfolding individuals’ potentialities. As life becomes increasingly complex, humans become aware of their need for peace and contemplation. A quiet zone of tranquility and strength is readily accessible at the core of our being, and we can get there via meditation (Otto & Mann, 1968). A study at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Manchester, England, confirmed superhuman abilities in yogis, one of whom “broke a strong chain, snapped a wire around his chest by forced inspiration and cut a beetle leaf by scissors movement of his right index and middle finger” (Hoenig, 1968).
THE 1970s RESEARCH Control over voluntary functions (such as attention) and autonomic functions (such as bleeding, pain, breathing, and heart rate) has been demonstrated by many martial artists, who have a long history of practicing meditation as part of their advanced training. They learn to become aware of the subtle autonomic processes in the body and to apply concentrated attention in order to control them. Studies prove that such control can be applied to decrease oxygen consumption and heart rate (Wallace, 1970; Wallace & Benson, 1972) and that Zen and yoga practitioners show continuously high levels of alpha brainwave activity during meditation (Lynch & Paskewitz, 1971). Many psychological illnesses may, in fact, be disorders of attention. A study on attention and meditation
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measured incidents of thought distractions in the cases of 47 male students and concluded, The prolonged focusing of attention, whether in meditation or hypnosis, often leads to an altered state of consciousness. Possible reinforcement of concentration might well have therapeutic value since it is possible to conceive of obsessions, phobias, schizophrenias, hysterias and so on as disorders of attention ... reporting on inner experience turned out to be an effective measure that could be significantly related to behavior. (Van Nuys, 1971, 1973)
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Meditation as Behavioral Modifier In a study published in the Journal of Behavioral Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, Boudreau discusses meditation and yoga as behavioral modifiers in two case studies. The first one involves an 18-year-old student suffering from claustrophobia who showed no improvement after systematic desensitization (a common form of treatment for this kind of disorder). He was instructed to practice meditation for thirty minutes a day and to imagine fearevoking situations thereafter. Within a month, the phobia was gone. A 40-year-old schoolteacher who experienced profuse perspiration took a summer yoga course. She practiced thirty minutes each day. After three months, perspiration rates fell below one hour every day, from twelve hours every day (Boudreau, 1972).
Motivations and Expectations Affect Meditation Outcomes Motivation and expectation influence the outcome of meditation practice. In a study using 27 college students divided into three groups, experimental meditation improved concentration, enhanced perception, and heightened awareness of the present moment. “It is undoubtedly true that an individual’s motivation and expectations are crucial variables in affecting meditation practice and effects (Kubose, 1976). In a similar study, advanced
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practitioners agreed that an open mind was prerequisite to obtaining one’s full potential. Dr. Pelletier, clinical professor at Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, and Erick Peper, Ph.D. and president of the Biofeedback Research Society, studied three subjects who had unusual control over their involuntary functions, such as stopping pain and bleeding in different parts of the body and resisting infection from injuries caused by un-sterilized spokes. The subjects insisted that anyone could learn such control through the practice of meditation. The important psychological factor that characterized the subjects was an “ability to transcend fear and enter into the unknown.” The limit of experience was the limit of their belief, and willingness to maintain an open mind concerning their fullest potential enabled them to develop abilities which had been considered unlikely or impossible (Pelletier & Peper, 1977).
Going Beyond the Limits of Intellection The two major types of meditation are based, respectively, on concentrative and mindfulness techniques. Zen training utilizes both. In the concentrative technique, the practitioner is asked to focus on a koan—a paradoxical riddle which cannot be solved intellectually. The practitioner focuses on the koan until it is “absorbed” in awareness and becomes an inseparable part of him. At this point, the practitioner may be exhausted from attempting to resolve the koan, creating enough tension and doubt to break through the illusion of the Iill and into the realization of spiritual awareness. It is like a string being pulled to the point where it breaks—at this moment, detachment from the Iill is realized. The koan in Zen is used by the disciple to stop all intellection. A statement that cannot be logically answered; for instance, What are your original features you have even prior to your birth? ... technically speaking, the koan given to the uninitiated is intended to destroy the root of life, to make the calculating mind die ... to root out the entire mind that has been at work since eternity.
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This may sound murderous. But the ultimate intent is to go beyond the limits of intellection. And these limits can be crossed over only by exhausting oneself once and for all, by using up all the psychic powers at one’s command. Logic then turns into psychology, intellection into cognition and intuition. (Suzuki, 1956)
Koans cannot be understood by the Iill. When the cognitive state is transcended, the riddle becomes part of the experience of the external and internal worlds. Magic appears magical when we don’t know the secret to the trick; but when we discover the secret, we realize that the magic was only an illusion. Concentrative and mindfulness meditation both train attention to stay focused despite distractions. Perceptual stimuli, thoughts, and emotions can snatch our attention when we lose awareness in the mental objects of the mind. Awareness tends to float away with thoughts at every opportunity, but Clear Attention remedies this. Numerous studies have confirmed that mindfulness improves the ability to focus attention, which has numerous therapeutic and self-improvement applications.
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MINDFULNESS BRINGS MENTAL STABILITY AND HARMONY The practice of mindfulness is an ancient technique that appeared over 2,500 years ago in India. Being mindful is a potent psychotherapeutic technique for improving all aspects of your life. The healing effects of watching the thoughts and emotions in the mind, of gaining insight into the illusion of the Iill, and of experiencing spiritual awareness are well documented in ancient texts, as well as in the modern psychological, medical, and neurophysiological studies. Master Shunryu Suzuki discusses Zen in his book Zen Mind, Beginners Mind: The most important thing is to forget all gaining ideas, all dualistic ideas. In other words, just practice zazen [meditation] in a certain posture. Do not think about anything. Just remain on your cushion without expecting anything. Then eventually you will resume your own
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true nature. That is to say, your own true nature [Selfnature] resumes itself ... You may feel as if you are doing something special, but actually it is only the expression of your true nature. It is the activity in which appears your inmost desire. (Suzuki, 1970)
Tomio Hirai, M.D. and professor on the faculty of Medicine of Department of Psychiatry at Tokyo University, says, But all people, whether they are believers in Zen or not, can employ the scientific aspects of the techniques of Zen meditation to bring about changes in their awareness and thus find mental stability and harmony. Furthermore, this can be done by the individual himself ... The major effect of Zen meditation is the way in which it enables the individual to preserve self-esteem, strengthen himself, and develop an attitude that helps him to live in harmony with others. (Hirai, 1975)
MEDITATION IN PSYCHOTHERAPY AND SPIRITUALITY G. Bogart of the Saybrook Institute reviews the use of meditation in psychotherapy in an article published in the American Journal of Psychotherapy: ... meditation could be of great value, however, through its capacity to awaken altered states of consciousness that may profoundly reorient an individual’s identity, emotional attitude and sense of wellbeing and purpose in life. (Bogart, 1991)
The Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones (No Mind 301) begins with the birth of the mind and body. Here, we are the closest to spiritual awareness, unless we achieve enlightenment, which is the realization of what was originally lost, or—as Suzuki says—spiritual awareness resuming itself after it has been masked by the development of the Iill. The ability to control the attention and to focus through the application of Clear Attention is essential in the practice of No Mind and in the realization of the spiritual awareness. Merging with spiritual awareness, as
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opposed to identifying with the Iill, is an important early step toward enlightenment. An article in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis describes losing the source of identity with the object: During a Nirvana state, the mind retains only its formal structure, and is devoid of contents. With pure consciousness, the mind can concentrate on any sense organ and experience specific sensation in a sublime fashion. For example, concentration on the tip of the nose can bring the experience of sublime smell ... the sense organs are withdrawn from their specific objects and become inactive. Then the mind, as it were, is brought to focus within a very limited region such as the tip of the nose. With practice the mind can attain unison with object and loses consciousness of its own identity. As compared in dreams, or in daydreams. Subject becomes one with events and loses consciousness of ego, not an observer, but participator. (Das, 1963)
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Nirvana, or No Mind, is the total absorption of awareness in the object. But you must break the bond between awareness and the Iill in order to experience spiritual awareness directly. When we lose awareness of the event or object, we are at play. Remember the Second Paradox, Act. React. Always in play. When we are mindful of our activity, we are, in a sense, deconditioning our behavior, so that we act more freely and with greater perception of reality. We discussed the role of deautomatization for achieving No Mind in No Mind 201; there are many studies that investigate the effects of Clear Attention and the psychotherapeutic benefits of its consistent practice. Clear Attention breaks the habits and automatisms of the Iill and goes beyond the intellectual structure so we are more creative and intuitive. At the Department of Psychology, University of West Florida, meditation was studied as a unique state of consciousness, and the results suggest that “concentration and mindfulness ‘meditations’ may be unique forms of consciousness and are not merely degrees of a state of relaxation” (Dunn, Hartigan, & Mikulas, 1999).
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A 1976 article in Psychologia by John Radford reviews the literature on Zen meditation and its relation to psychology: Enlightenment is not, as is sometimes thought, achieved all at once. Rather there is a flash of insight, followed by further hard work, and so on. The disciple’s intellectual structure is overturned. In some cases, Zen is itself a variety of psychology. It is at least a psychological technology: an apparently effective method of bringing about very specific changes in experience and behavior. (Radford, 1976)
MEDITATION INCREASES AWARENESS No Mind is a psychological technology for improving many aspects of people’s lives by overcoming the Iill. It has been practiced for thousands of years, and it simply requires stilling the mind and being mindful of your activity. Many professional therapists use Zen to un-train the conditioning and defense mechanisms that we have acquired through the development of the Iill. The practice of No Mind dissolves the chains of the Iill. Dean Shapiro Jr. of Stanford University describes formal and informal Zen meditation for clinical and research purposes: Meditation may help to increase the awareness to internal occurrences, such as thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears, while also increasing awareness of occurrences outside of you. Studies have shown that Zen Monks during meditation are significantly more aware than ordinary subjects to the sounds that are going on around them ... Clients are normally instructed to practice formal meditation at least 10–15 minutes, two times a day. (Shapiro, 1978)
Children’s Test Without Anxiety Using Meditation In a 1973 study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, William Linden shows that
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meditation increases children’s ability to test without anxiety and to concentrate or relax when needed. Ninety children were randomly organized in three groups: the control group received no special attention; the second group was offered traditional guidance on study skills and on problems children typically encounter in the learning process; and the third group was provided instructions on breathing, mind control, and focused attention:
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All results were over an 18 week period. The results indicated that meditation practice trains one to focus attention and to resist distraction, thus enhancing field independence [environmental stimuli] as measured by children’s embedded figures test. And results showed subjects learned to relax and to cope with anxiety responses in testing situation by voluntarily changing their attention from failure to moment by moment flow of ongoing and primarily bodily experiences. (Linden, 1973)
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been an effective stress-management intervention for medical students confronted with academic and psychosocial stressors throughout their training (Rosenzweig, Reibel, Greeson, Brainard, & Hojat, 2003). And the book Super Learning details yet another revolutionary learning technique—suggestology—which is founded on music. It was developed by Russian scientist Dr. Georgi Lozanov on the basis of Raja Yoga, and it applies altered states of consciousness to learning, healing, and intuitive development. It involves entering a calm, relaxed, meditative state, usually while listening to slow baroque music measuring sixty beats per minute. This slows down the body and mind rhythms, and then the educational material is presented in slowly paced rhythm over the music. Deep relaxation utilizes Raja Yoga breathing exercises and improves concentration. Some tests showed that people absorbed up to 3,000 words per day (Ostrander, Ostrander, & Schroeder, 1979).
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BUDDHIST MONKS CAN CHANGE THEIR INTERNAL STATES As discussed, studies on yogis in the 1960s revealed their unique ability to control involuntary physiological functions. Meditative techniques bring awareness to the subtle processes in the body and enable control over these processes. Practitioners are in command of bleeding, pain, infection, heart rate, breathing, and oxygen consumption, along with the maintenance of alpha brain rhythms associated with calm and focused states of mind. Jack Schwarz, who demonstrated control over a host of autonomic functions under laboratory conditions, says: The voluntary control of internal states, a term frequently used today, refers to the ability to become aware of these unconscious functions. When you can focus your attention on these subtle physical processes, you can correct debilitating reactions such as the physical effects of hypertension, stress and anxiety. (Schwarz, 1978)
In recent studies on meditation, Buddhist monks willingly raised their resting metabolism to 61 percent above the baseline, and similarly lowered it by 64 percent (Benson, Malhotra, Goldman, Jacobs, & Hopkins, 1990). A quarter century after Voluntary Controls was published, researchers are suggesting that Buddhist monks use mental training to induce short- and long-term neural changes (Lutz, Greischar, Rawlings, Ricard, & Davidson, 2004). Regional cerebral blood-flow patterns change during meditation, which indicates that the superior parietal lobe induces an altered sense of space during meditation (Newberg et al., 2001) These abilities require practice, as does any other type of mental or physical skill, and the proper motivation is imperative in the process. The effort required to apply Clear Attention is similar to that needed to learn any other skill—you are progressively re-training your attention to be mindful of your immediate activity. The years of Iill conditioning require deautomatization. But proper motivation and expectations in the form of the Right Attitude (discussed
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in No Mind 301) are one reason why the No Mind program has been structured in the sequence presented here. Preconceptions and expectations influence the development and use of mindfulness skills (Mason & Hargreaves, 2001). Right Attitude, as outlined by the Ten Paradoxes, is as important as the technique itself. Studies have shown that meditation not only develops control and attention training, but also awakens energy centers in the body, altered states of consciousness, spirituality, and enlightenment.
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EXPERIENCING UNCONDITIONAL EMOTIONS IN MEDITATION One researcher performed a study whose results demonstrated the experience of unconditioned Iill-less emotions. Goodman performed advanced practice in Kundalini Yoga, the Doei Shabd Kriya, as an experiment for 40 days. During that time, he drew the following conclusions: Altered states of consciousness are significantly different from normal waking consciousness, which seems to have a motivating quality to inspire one’s behavior in everyday life. There was the experience of vivid and coherent dreams, which distinctly had the quality of being real experience. And prolonged hypnotic state, emotional outpouring, i.e., intense joy, feeling of interpersonal communion. These emotions far exceed normal levels in waking life. Vibratory and sound energy sweeping over the entire body was experienced and possibly connected with activation of dormant energy in the nervous system. (Goodman, 1978–79)
Others have reached similar insights. Richard Albert, once a psychology professor at Harvard University, became Ram Dass after meeting his spiritual teacher in the Indian Himalayas. There, he learned how to reach his inner being through meditation: Meditative awareness has a clarity that lays bare both the workings of your mind and the other forces at work
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in a situation. This clarity allows you to see the factors that determine your choices from moment to moment. In this inner stillness and clarity you are fully aware of the entire gestalt, the whole pictures. With no effort your response is optimal on all levels, not just mechanically reactive on one. The response is in tune, harmonious, in the flow. (Dass, 1978)
Albin Gilbert describes the enlightened individual as somebody who constantly thinks of the absolute during his or her daily activities, a state called ‘inert concentration’: “By practicing this mode of ‘egoless’ living, the experimenter acquires over time a sense of being enfolded and guided by the transpersonal absolute ... To him life will be a string of actions, each integrated with a sense of spirituality” (Gilbert, 1978).
MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION AND DEPRESSION The application of mindfulness meditation (or Clear Attention) to therapy has been studied extensively recently. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. It uses controlled breathing and mindful awareness of present-moment activities, such as watching moment-to-moment changes in the mind-body, as discussed No Mind 301. The program utilizes the same kind of traditional mindfulness meditation that has been used in the East for over two millennia (Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Kabat-Zinn, Lipworth, & Burney, 1985). Research by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale shows that meditation sustains post-depression well-being and that mindfulnessbased cognitive therapy significantly reduces depressive relapses (Teasdale, Segal, & Williams, 1995). Such programs help patients see the automated patterns of the Iill and the auto-action and reaction cycles of negative behavior. The practice of Clear Attention breaks the chain of negative mood and critical self-talk (e.g.,
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“I am a loser,” “I cannot do it,” “I am weak,” “It will never end,” “I am useless,” etc.) that characterizes the depressive behavioral pattern. Patients watch negative thoughts and body sensations, such as fatigue, passively, without having to fight them. Then they apply mindfulness techniques to recognize that negative behaviors and thoughts are part of the mind’s contents (Scott et al., 2000) and focus on the present, avoiding past and future orientations of thought patterns that may produce relapse.
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Clinically, results support the usefulness of training recovered depressed patients in adaptive experiential forms of self-awareness, as in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. (Watkins & Teasdale, 2004)
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has also been shown to reduce over-general memory in depressed, suicidal, and post-traumatic-stress-disorder patients. Research has shown that such patients tend to retrieve generic summaries of past events, as opposed to specific occurrences, which open a broader range of “trigger” cues for relapse. In other words, a wide variety of external circumstances have the potential to cause negative reaction, as opposed to a small array of very specific events. Mindfulness training in psychological treatment significantly reduces the number of general memories (Williams, Teasdale, Segal, & Soulsly, 2000). Teasdale identifies three modes of emotional processing in the prevention of depression relapse: “mindless emoting,” “conceptualizing/ doing,” and “mindful experiencing/being.” Only the third facilitates learning to switch processing modes by intentional deployment of attention, which constitutes effective therapy (Teasdale, 1999a).
MINDFULNESS ENCOURAGES BETTER DOCTOR-PATIENT INTERACTIONS With the widespread and growing use of mindfulness meditation in hospitals and academic outpatient centers treating chronic stress and pain, it is important to address
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the biological mechanisms through which meditation affects somatic, cognitive, and affective processes. A shortterm program in mindfulness meditation has demonstrable effects on brain and immune function (Davidson et al., 2003). Zen mindfulness practice and internalized attention have been shown to initiate a psychophysiological reaction of the nervous system that relaxes the mindbody while remaining fully alert physically and mentally (Takahashi et al., 2005). Mindfulness practitioners have demonstrated a unique quality of consciousness and well-being constructs—even in cancer patients, mindfulness was related to declines in mood disturbance and stress (Brown & Ryan, 2003). Mindfulness can also be applied to doctor-patient interactions, which are crucial to understanding the patient’s symptoms: Critical self-reflection enables physicians to listen attentively to patients’ distress, recognize their own errors, refine their technical skills, make evidence-based decisions, and clarify their values so that they can act with compassion, technical competence, presence, and insight. Mindfulness informs all types of professionally relevant knowledge, including propositional facts, personal experiences, processes, and know-how, each of which may be tacit or explicit. Mindful practitioners use a variety of means to enhance their ability to engage in moment-to-moment self-monitoring, bring to consciousness their tacit personal knowledge and deeply held values, use peripheral vision and subsidiary awareness to become aware of new information and perspectives, and adopt curiosity in both the ordinary and novel situations. (Epstein, 1999)
In clinical settings, the patient’s narrative may be limited by the physician’s tendency to control the interaction dynamics, a tendency that can be limited or eliminated through mindfulness practice: If the patient’s narrative is not fully heard, the possibility of diagnostic and therapeutic error increases, the
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likelihood of personal connections resulting from a shared experience diminishes, empathetic opportunities are missed, and patients may not feel understood or cared for. The practice of mindfulness as moment to moment, non-judgmental awareness opens the doorway into the patient’s story as it unfolds. Such mindful practice develops the physician’s focus of attention and offers the possibility for a meaningful and important narrative to arise between patient and physician. (Connelly, 2005)
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Being in the present moment can help doctors and other professionals to overcome distractedness. Applying these skills in everyday practice rewards the physician with renewed energy, fresh perspectives, and increased strength while reducing stress and harm caused by distracted practices (Connelly, 1999). General and psychiatric nurses have also used mindfulness-based therapeutic interventions to relieve mental distress in patients and to promote their physical health (O’Haver & Horton-Deutsch, 2004; Proulx, 2003). Meditation has been tested in clinical pediatric practice as well (Ott, 2002).
MINDFULNESS REDUCES ANXIETY AND STRESS DISORDERS The list of applications continues. In two clinical studies of menopausal women, researchers trained the subjects in paced respiration and encouraged them to practice for 15–20 minutes once or twice a day. Hot flashes decreased by 50 percent, as measured objectively by skin temperature, compared to the control group that received no training. Some women discovered that the breathing technique circumvented imminent hot flashes. Other studies suggest that mindfulness is equally helpful in controlling PMS symptoms (Ferrari, Kagan, Kessel, & Benson, 2004). A study of women with heart disease suggests that anxiety contributes to developing the disorder and that mindfulness-based stress reduction had beneficial effects (Tacon, McComb, Caldera, & Randolph, 2003). Mindfulness meditation brings about long-term improvements for people with anxiety disorders (Miller, Fletcher, & Kabat-Zinn,
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1995) and has been shown to clear the skin of psoriasis patients four times faster than the use of phototherapy alone (Kabat-Zinn et al., 1998).
MINDFULNESS CAN CHANGE BRAIN FUNCTION THROUGH NEUROPLASTICITY Among the most groundbreaking research in mindfulness and its ability to change brain functions has to do with what is called “self-directed neuroplasticity” (Schwartz & Begley, 2002). Studies using brain imaging demonstrate that mindfulness-based treatments are associated with major brain changes. For example, people are capable of re-wiring brain circuitry associated with obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD) and of changing brain metabolism when they apply basic mindful awareness. Patients are taught to become active agents in their treatment process through the practice of self-therapy. “The use of mindfulness has potentially profound implications for the clinical application of therapies that acknowledge the importance of spirituality in the practice of modern scientific medicine” (Schwartz, Gulliford, Stier, & Thienemann, 2005). The brain can remodel itself throughout life to accommodate passive demands, like learning to play an instrument or detaching from a negative behavior that is identified with the Iill. The consensus among neuroscientists is that internal states shape the structure and function of the brain (Lutz et al., 2004) with the potential to modify neural circuitry associated with anxiety disorders, for example. Thus, changes made at the mind level within a psychotherapeutic context functionally “rewire” the brain (Paquette et al., 2003). The brain can create new neurons through a process called neurogenesis, and this enables learning tasks in the hippocampus, which is involved in the formation of directional memories similar to mental maps of the environment (Shors et al., 2001). The adult brain, which is known to repair itself poorly, might actually harbor great potential for neuron regeneration (Kempermann & Gage, 1999). Scientists have demonstrated that the hippocampus
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changes in the course of learning or memorizing through repetition. Neurogenesis suggests that the brain not only re-wires itself to meet the mind’s requirements, but also adds new neurons as needed to enhance the neural networks and to alter behaviors (Kempermann, 2002). “Humans have the capacity to influence the electrochemical dynamics of their brains, by voluntarily changing the nature of the mind processes unfolding in the psychological space” (Beauregard, Levesque, & Bourgouin, 2001). The ongoing research into human neurophysiology involves a significant number of studies that focus on the effect mindfulness has on the activity of the prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain is responsible for planning and self-initiated responses, and, subsequently, for emotional self-regulation strategies. The implications for mental health are tremendous (Schwartz, Stapp, & Beauregard, 2004). Clear Attention regulates one’s responses while they are actually being performed, so that one is passively aware of self-regulating behaviors and can induce change. When we divert attention from thoughts that trigger negative behaviors, and when we recognize that negative behaviors have psychobiological sources, we can change the autoactions and reaction of the brain. We recognize that thoughts are merely thoughts without a reality of their own, so that when we apply attention, we become detached from habitual and learned behaviors. We do not have to act our thoughts, and using Clear Attention to see the thought in a detached mode has significant neurophysiological effects which can alter negative behavior. Remember, they are just thoughts, not calls to action. The brain can be trained and physically modified through the mental practice of mindfulness. Researchers at Harvard and Princeton universities and Richard Davidson of the W. M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior have established that the left prefrontal cortex is the area where activity associated with meditation is especially intense (Kaufman, 2005).
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It takes effort for people to do this because it requires a redirection of the brain’s resources away from responses
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controlled largely by the lower brain centers towards higher level functions which are associated with parts of the brain unique to human beings. This cannot happen automatically. Rather, it requires willful training and directed effort ... And as advances in scientific understanding have demonstrated, it is an act of the mind that is capable of rewiring the brain ... the crucial point is that even for medically caused neuropsychiatric symptoms the insight gained through the proactive use of mindfulness has significant effects both psychologically and biologically. (Schwartz et al., 2005)
THE BRAIN’S UNIVERSAL COMPONENT Negative behaviors can be turned into cues reminding us to use mindfulness techniques in order to reprocess the behavior and subsequently rewire auto-actions or reactions. Brain changes reflecting stable shifts in the processing of negative emotions under stress have been observed in novice meditators (Davidson et al., 2003). Self-directed neuroplasticity remaps the neural networks to produce more adaptive behavior. “There are now numerous reports on the effects of self-directed regulation of emotional response, via cognitive reframing and attentional re-contextualization mechanisms, on cerebral function” (Schwartz et al., 2004). But neural mechanisms using mindfulness to change one’s own mental processes are inadequately described by brain mechanics alone. Henry Stapp has been working in conjunction with Schwartz and Beauregard to explain neuropsychological processes from the perspective of quantum physics. They have applied the Quantum Zeno Effect, which postulates that being mindful of an experience holds in place the “brain’s state” of that experience in the moment. For instance, when you apply Clear Attention to alter a specific negative behavior, the “brain state” to deautomatize that behavior is held in place in that moment, and the mechanism of neuroplasticity has higher probability of rewiring the brain (Schwartz et al., 2004). The mind performs quantum
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action on the brain through mechanisms that are not only cerebral in nature. Quantum mechanics convincingly describes the mind-brain continuum as a reflection of the nature of the universe, which suggests that the mind has a non-cerebral component that is an aspect of the universe.
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MINDFULNESS EXPANDS OUR PERCEPTION OF REALITY Awareness training based on mindfulness techniques can be used to overcome a host of negative behaviors, to manage stress and anxiety, to enhance business and personal relationships and achievements, to increase education proficiency, to encourage positive behaviors, and to achieve full potential in sports and competitive events. The important point is that “you” are not trying to still the mind. It is not a technique the Iill learns the way it learns other conditioned techniques. You “let go” in the moment and passively observe the experience without exerting any “conditioning” effort. After some practice, you will be able to apply Clear Attention without engaging in inner dialogue, such as, “I’m going to practice Clear Attention,” or “I know I can do this.” Passive doing without thinking or trying is as important as the technique itself. Remember the fifth paradox: Perform. Do. But never think. An important component in the practice of No Mind is the ability to perceive a greater reality than was previously unnoticed; in time, you even experience reality directly beyond the interpreting mechanisms of the Iill. When we live inside the Iill, we see only the small sliver of reality that relates to the Iill and to its conditioned needs, desires, expectations, goals, hopes, and so on. Most people are dissatisfied within their ego prison even if they have the material resources to do anything, because they intuitively sense how limited their life is. There is always something missing, so people turn to religion, philosophy, poetry, music, science—anything that might
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reunite them with spiritual awareness and break the dualistic illusion of separateness. We dwell in the past or future and miss the present, and this makes us hungry for more, but no matter how much we get, we remain dissatisfied. This insatiable aspect of human nature can be overcome by the experience of non-dualistic No Mind, when we re-discover our “wetness” in the ocean of the universe. This implies waking up to the full spectrum of our experience in the present moment, which, as we engage in mindfulness practice, we rapidly discover is severely edited and often distorted through the routinized, habitual, and unexamined activity of our thoughts and emotions, often involving significant alienation from direct experience of the sensory world and the body ... Mindfulness-based programs are offered in hospitals and clinics around the world, as well as schools, workplaces, corporate offices, law schools, adult and juvenile prisons, inner city health centers, and a range of other settings. (Kabat-Zinn, 2003)
As we learned in No Mind 301, it is important to maintain the Right Attitude and Right Awareness in our daily lives, remembering and applying the Ten Paradoxes whenever we can, so that No Mind eventually becomes an effortless and habituated behavior. People have been practicing these techniques for thousands of years and the results have been consistently invaluable. In today’s fast-paced and chaotic society, finding serenity is as important as getting nutritious food. We don’t have the luxury of time that people in the distant past had, but this is exactly what makes the No Mind program so useful and accessible. The format and sequencing of the information presented here are designed to help you accomplish in months what took years for the ancient masters. But you must take the first step on the journey by practicing No Mind in your daily life.
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CHAPTER 27 IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Meditative techniques have been an integral part of Eastern cultures for the past 2,500 years, where mindfulness (or what we call Clear Attention in the practice of No Mind) has been used to attain enlightenment, to train attention, and to relieve psychological disease.
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2. Meditation has become widely used in psychological and medical practices to manage stress and to treat a variety of physical and mental disorders. 3. Systematic medical research on meditation dates back to 1957, when a renowned team of scientists conducted experiments in India and concluded that “... physiologically, yogic meditation represents deep relaxation of the autonomic nervous system without drowsiness or sleep and a type of cerebral activity without highly accelerated electrophysiological manifestation.” 4. Numerous studies have confirmed that mindfulness improves the ability to focus attention, which has numerous therapeutic and self-improvement applications. 5. Many professional therapists use Zen to un-train the conditioning and defense mechanisms that we have acquired through the development of the Iill. The practice of No Mind dissolves the chains of the Iill. 6. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been an effective stress-management intervention for medical students confronted with academic and psychosocial stressors throughout their training. 7. Meditation increases children’s ability to test without anxiety and to concentrate or relax when needed.
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8. In recent studies on meditation, Buddhist monks willingly raised their resting metabolism to 61 percent above the baseline, and similarly lowered it by 64 percent. Regional cerebral blood-flow patterns change during meditation, which indicates that the superior parietal lobe induces an altered sense of space during meditation. 9. Meditation sustains post-depression well-being and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy significantly reduces depressive relapses. 10. Meditation can help doctors and other professionals to overcome distractedness. Applying these skills in everyday practice rewards the physician with renewed energy, fresh perspectives, and increased strength while reducing stress and harm caused by distracted practices. 11. Among the most groundbreaking research in mindfulness and its ability to change brain functions has to do with what is called “self-directed neuroplasticity.” Studies using brain imaging demonstrate that mindfulness-based treatments are associated with major brain changes. For example, people are capable of re-wiring brain circuitry associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and of changing brain metabolism when they apply basic mindful awareness. 12. The ongoing research into human neurophysiology involves a significant number of studies that focus on the effect mindfulness has on the activity of the prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain is responsible for planning and self-initiated responses, and, subsequently, for emotional selfregulation strategies.
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13. Awareness training based on mindfulness techniques can be used to overcome a host of negative behaviors, to manage stress and anxiety, to enhance business and personal relationships and achievements, to increase education proficiency, to encourage positive behaviors, and to achieve full potential in sports and competitive events.
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You can integrate No Mind into every aspect of your life, but some of its benefits are especially valuable in the realm of sports, including peak performance, great joy, effortless ability, total absorption, and intense concentration. Top athletes often describe metanormal experiences and peak moments, where they effortlessly jump higher, run faster, lift incredible amounts of weight, fly through the air as if they were weightless, and completely transcend their Iill to become one with the game. This experience is called being “in the zone.” Chapter 28 applies No Mind to the sports arena and reveals the benefits one can reap in physical activities through its practice.
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Chapter 28
No Mind Sports
T
he Iill cannot experience flow; to say, “I am in the flow” is incorrect. The flow exists and is achieved by transcending the “I” during the sporting activity. So, as if we enter a river, we simply enter the flow by removing awareness from the Iill. As our bodies experience the flow of the currents when we are in a river, we experience the flow in sports as a peak performance of the mindbody with the awareness no longer being aware of itself as an “I.” When a river merges with the ocean, it loses its river form and becomes the boundless ocean. The ancient masters taught the mental training techniques and the Ten Paradoxes of No Mind in the martial arts, swordsmanship, archery, and other sports of the time. There are those who have used the techniques for inner relaxation and increased focus, and then there are those who have gained mystical insights and excelled beyond the normal from more comprehensive practice. They reached No Mind through total absorption in their sport. By moving past the Iill and into spiritual awareness, the experience 567
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of selflessness, no matter how complete, leaves its mark on the practitioner, touching a universal chord within him. Many traditional books on Zen have related the practices to sports performance. The emphasis is usually on concentration, relaxation, and focus. While these goals are worthy in themselves and extremely helpful to an athlete, they are not the core of No Mind Sports. Applying the Ten Paradoxes constitutes a more profound goal here. The Right Awareness and Right Attitude, as detailed in No Mind 301, are required for the true experience of No Mind in the performance of a sport. In modern society, it is tempting to seek a shortcut, or an easy way, to obtain the fruits of the No Mind practice; however, while there are many benefits along the road, the path to enlightenment through realizing No Mind is a longer one.
ATHLETES CANNOT VERBALIZE THE EXPERIENCE Iill-less actions are extremely potent and efficient. In the realm of sports, they induce superior performance, great joy, effortless movement, total absorption, and intense concentration. Recently, sport psychologists and training specialists have been studying a phenomenon called “flow” by Csikszentmihalyi, “peak experiences” by Maslow, “peak performance” by Privette, or “zone” by others. In a literature review, McInman and Grove discuss the elation and rapture experienced by athletes and their unwillingness to articulate these feelings because they don’t have the knowledge to make sense of them. Some athletes find it difficult to verbally describe the experience, even though for many it is the main reason to engage in the sport. And others feel uncomfortable talking about it because it feels very personal, yet ambiguous. Still, there are thousands of references to such meta-normal experiences and peak moments in the literature (Murphy & White, 1995). McInman and Grove review the different interpretations of various altered states of consciousness experienced in sports and suggest that they all should be subsumed under the term peak moments. A peak moment is an
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expression of No Mind. In both cases, the experience supersedes our dualistic language and we find ourselves unable to find the words to describe it. Peak experiences involve non-dualistic transcendence of self in the performance of the activity, and identity-based language does not lend itself to capturing the phenomenon. Remember, once you describe what something is, you are simultaneously saying what it is not. And the peak moment is a totality of experience that includes everything and nothing, being and nothingness, simultaneously; it is the player and the sport unfolding as one. You are playing the game, but then, again, “you” are not, as the Iill is transcended. So the mind-body dynamic is in the flow of the sport. The player does not perform the sport; there is just the performance of the sport, or the sport performing through the player. The peak moments of athletes are fundamentally similar to No Mind experiences, except that No Mind practitioners are trained to understand the significance of No Mind insight in its relation to the Iill and spiritual awareness. Athletes are not usually trained or educated to mentally comprehend the relative significance of these peak moments, which may render such experiences confusing, deeply personal, and beyond articulation. Major commonalities between peak and No Mind experiences include total absorption, transcendence of self or identity, not trying, not over-compensating with conscious effort, non-dualistic experience of oneness, releasing the Iill’s control over the mind-body dynamic, bliss, intuition or insight, great joy and illumination, and altered spacetime perception (McInman & Grove, 1991). Interviews with 16 national-champion figure skaters revealed that “the factors perceived as most important for getting into flow included a positive mental attitude, positive precompetitive and competitive affect, maintaining appropriate focus, physical readiness and for some pairs/dance skaters, unity with partner” (Jackson & Roberts, 1992). In other words, a positive emotional attitude, focus, and being physically ready for the competition led the athletes to peak performances. When you are prepared properly, you
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have to “think” less and are more apt to get into the zone, compared to novices who would have to concentrate on what they are doing. The superior performance of athletes in peak moments has also been observed in people undergoing crisis and survival situations, brainstorming and intuitive intellection, artistic or creative outpouring, emotional highs through sexual expression, and intense joy (Privette & Bundrick, 1987).
BREAKING THROUGH SELF-LIMITATIONS TO ACHIEVE FLOW The total concentration required for extreme sports, such as mountain climbing, snowboarding, and car racing, becomes addictive; the sense of going beyond the Iill and into the essence of No Mind is in itself very powerful. In one study, focus emerged as the key element for getting into the flow (Kimiecik & Stein, 1992); other factors include confidence, optimal motivation and arousal level, and how the performance felt and progressed (Jackson, 1995). Flow is the sense of performance that shatters the athlete’s concept of self-limitations and brings him or her to a new realization of peak performance. Most athletes, regardless of gender or type of sport, have experienced this without knowing exactly what was happening, and sports psychologists have been interpreting and attempting to systematically understand these occurrences so that they could be duplicated (Russell, 2001). However, these experiences cannot be duplicated intentionally. They must occur without any effort.
ACT. REACT. BU T NE VER TRY. The First Paradox, presented in Chapter 16, No Mind 301, captures the ancient wisdom of non-action. Without trying, all is accomplished, and this holds especially true in sports. Intention, expectation, and conscious effort defeat some actions before we even begin to execute them. Well-trained athletes who have learned through rigorous
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repetition and become keenly sensitive to unconscious perceptual cues have conditioned a mind-body dynamic that does not require conscious attention to perform. In other words, athletes are so highly conditioned that they perform with relatively minimal conscious effort, which allows them to “let go” more easily than a novice can. The “letting go” of all psychological mechanisms that make up the mental web of the Iill has positive effect on the performance. Trained athletes simply learn to “think less” and to trust their mind-body. As the Fifth Paradox says, Perform. Do. But Never Think. They do not need to guide their performance any more than a tiger chasing its prey needs to consciously manage its legs or to ponder the outcome of a successful catch. The best performance is the simple delivery of a mind-body dynamic, which has been trained for this activity or has an inherent potential for it. In one study, mental-training techniques, such as meditation, were practiced by military personnel for eight months, after which their performance on concrete tasks and on mental tests was “significantly better than the control group” (Larsson, 1987). Learning to let go and to trust the mind-body is very difficult and in itself needs to be conditioned. We have to be “untrained from trying so hard” and “trained in not trying and letting go.” Take, for example, learning to swim. Most people who don’t know how to swim could probably do it if they just stopped thinking about their inability to swim, which, in turn, causes fear, panic, excessive energy usage, stupor, and eventually sinking. If they didn’t panic, they would discover that their body floats easily, and with a little effort and a doggy paddle, they could make it to safety. It’s a matter of trusting the mind-body to do what it can do without “trying to interfere.” Tim Gallwey, author of The Inner Game of Tennis, reveals:
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Our biggest problem is ego, trying too hard. We know how to play perfect tennis. Perfect tennis is in us all. Everyone knows how to ride a bike, and just before we ride for the first time, we know we know. The problem
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with ego is that it has to achieve; we are not sure who we are until by achieving we become ... Ninety percent of the bad things students do are intentional corrections. (Smith, 1975)
WE LOSE PERFORMANCE WHEN WE PAUSE TO THINK In sports, the dualistic thinking of the Iill poses an obstacle for an athlete to overcome. The Iill is full of intentions to play correctly and to win. In athletes’ peak moments, the self is transcended in an almost mystical feeling of oneness. The Sixth Paradox says, When mind is as a mirror, everything is revealed. At the point of being aware of transcending the self, the mind is intently focused on the activity of the mind-body. The awareness “mirrors” the performance, just objectively watching the mind-body. The gate of “letting go” is opened and the mind-body is free to act as it has been trained—effortlessly, faster, and more powerfully. The ancient techniques of the martial arts, especially swordsmanship, integrated the practice of No Mind—mindfulness was always an important part of their training routine. Those who could fight without conscious attention and direction were faster in sensing unconscious perceptual cues coming from their opponents and responded instantaneously, without taking any time to think. For the martial artist, contemplating or over-analyzing a move or a block during a fight could be fatal. As mentioned in No Mind 101, experiments on reaction conducted by neurophysiologist Benjamin Libet, as well as by others, have shown that the brain unconsciously prepares to act a measurable length of time before a person consciously decides to act. The brain starts acting on perceptual cues up to half a second before awareness of the cues emerges. While the brain is acting on the response, a thought is being generated about it, causing delay in the action. The delay provides time to consciously censor the action and to cancel it if needed. The point here is that in the course of a sporting activity, the
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brain has already prepared the move or counter move before we become aware of it. In professional tennis, the ball crosses the court in a quarter of a second, which gives the player no time to “think”; to be able to return the ball, the mind-body must already be in position by acquiring cues from the opponent before he or she even hits the ball its way. Those who have experienced this powerful feeling of the mind and body acting and reacting during a performance, sport, game, or fight have experienced No Mind without knowing it. This is not being lost in the action mindlessly, but having full awareness of being mindful of the mind-body dynamic, without directing it. Libet’s experiments have significant implications for our understanding of the Iill. We usually equate the willing of an action and its causation by the Iill; yet, according to the scientific evidence, they are not the same, and we only confuse them because of the mechanisms of the Iill. The generation of the action occurs before the thought of action and the awareness of that thought take place. In other words, the brain determines its response to stimuli and begins the actual movement to carry out that response up to half a second before we become aware of the thought and of the movement. By the time we start thinking of the action, it is already underway. So let go— With thought, no flow. Without thought, flow. This ancient wisdom has finally become accepted by the modern scientific community and many sports psychologists; perhaps the ancient masters intuitively understood the mechanisms of neurophysics.
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CLEAR ATTENTION DEVELOPS FLOW We know instinctively that if we need to “think” about an action, it is delayed relative to its unconscious performance. Top athletes have confirmed this in interviews with researchers after peak moments (McInman & Grove, 1991). This experience produces a strong sense of freedom—it is liberating to trust one’s natural abilities and to allow the mind-body to act without interruptions and distractions
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from the Iill. Clear Attention during the performance of a sport allows conscious control to be suppressed, while the instinct of the mind-body dynamic takes over. ... every change in the physiological state is accompanied by an appropriate change in the mental emotional state, conscious or unconscious; and, conversely, every change in the mental emotional state, conscious or unconscious, is accompanied by an appropriate change in the physiological state. This principle, when coupled with volition, allows a natural process—psychosomatic self regulation—to unfold. (Green & Green, 1969)
The natural process of psychosomatic self-regulation allows the mind-body dynamic to harmonize itself, and when you introduce the intentions of the Iill into the mix, you disrupt the flow. The detachment experienced by athletes during peak moments has been documented extensively in scientific literature. They describe performing unaware of their surroundings, of their task, or of themselves; they are totally absorbed in the moment, yet they are aware of that moment. No Mind happens in the flow, and any shift in awareness—even happiness or excitement about the moment—may cause us to lose the flow. This is why complete absorption is critical (Jackson, 2000). Becoming aware of the sensation of happiness during a peak moment is an aspect of the Iill, and it shifts awareness back to the self again. Top swimmers have said that they became “one with the water” (Jackson & Roberts, 1992) or that they “fused into a total moment of awareness”— happiness is an after-effect of the peak moment. Detachment, or non-attachment, has already been described in this program as one of the key secrets of No Mind. Non-attachment to the Iill through non-dualistic awareness of the present is also referred to as presentmoment mindfulness. Athletes’ peak moments are identical to the experience of No Mind. One Olympic athlete reported “separating my body from my mind and letting my body do what came naturally” (Orlick, 1980). Perhaps they are not aware that these experiences are beyond the
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Iill, and therefore do not have the insight of spiritual awareness which can accompany these experiences. The Iill dominates and appropriates experiences, which puts it outside the realm of insight. April Clay describes how focusing on the present moment makes a rider fully engaged in the act of riding and in the horse’s body language. Meditation and relaxation heighten attention to the horse’s subtle cues, which prevents accidents:
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Imagine that you and your horse are fused into one entity. There is no past, no future, only you and your horse, here and now. (Clay, 2001)
ACT. REACT. BU T ALWAYS IN PLAY. The intention to win originates in the Iill’s mental web, where it is entangled with past and future needs, hopes, desires, expectations, fears, anxieties, and so on. “Patterns of relationships were found between flow and perceived ability, anxiety, and an intrinsic motivation variable” (Jackson, Kimiecik, Ford, & Marsh, 1998). The game should be played solely for the sake of the game, which releases one’s true athletic abilities. Those who play for the peak experiences of sports are playing for higher purpose than the drive to win. Society’s Iill is a powerful force that influences athletes through group expectations. Many athletes have discovered the hard way that “overconcern with the outcome, reflecting a competitive orientation was often associated with their worst performances” (Jackson & Roberts, 1992). So being caught up in the “winning” reduces performance; we need to learn to play for the sake of the game and to express the natural ability of the mind-body dynamic. The release of the mind-body dynamic brings about an experience that some may consider mystical, while others might anticipate it to be a normal aspect of the performance. Regardless, playing for the sake of playing is the most natural kind of play and an aspect of the practice of No Mind.
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Sports psychologists and trainers use meditative techniques to help athletes get into the zone or the flow and the associated peak performance. This brings to mind the methods of the ancient masters, who taught that the path to enlightenment and to the complete mastery of martial arts, yoga, swordsmanship, and archery is one and the same. An article titled “In the Zone” and published in U.S. News & World Reports claims: When the body is brought to peak condition and the mind is completely focused [though] unaware of what it’s doing, an individual can achieve the extraordinary ... through focusing and relaxation techniques. (Tolson, Kleiner, & Marcus, 2000)
Performing without thinking takes an athlete beyond her mental limitations. Such peak moments constitute addictive natural highs. The experience of No Mind in sports expands the mind-body dynamic into the realm of the mystic warrior, such as the Samurai. Without self and intention, the mystic warrior is the most feared and venerated opponent. The experience is analogous to the poetic movements of a cheetah running across the African savannah. It requires much training, focus, and discipline to propel the mind-body dynamic beyond its established boundaries; and every time the limits are exceeded, new ones are set for the next level. In the case of runners, when the self is transcended and there is only the mind-body moving in the present moment, the only experience left is the effortless, smooth, powerful bliss of No Mind. If they have experienced it once, runners usually yearn to do so again and again, and sometimes even injury or pain can’t stop them from running. There is nothing special you need to do in order to achieve No Mind Sports, only practice the techniques of transcending the Iill as outlined in this program and apply them to your life. There is no “I” behind the archer’s bow, only the nexus of mind-body, arrow, bow, and target. There is no “I” behind the golfer’s swing, only the dynamic of club, ball, course, hole, and the pure action of mind and body.
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NO INTENTION IS PEAK PERFORMANCE
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Remember, no thought is a better game and no intention is peak performance. It is best to trust the mind-body when it “knows” what to do because it has been trained to do so. Thinking, whether positive or negative, only gets in the way. Releasing the idea of trying so hard is all that is required; this is the Zen of sports. There is no “I” performing, only the performance. “I” am not releasing the ball; the ball is released at the perfect moment by the proficient mind-body, and it follows its path towards its unintentional goal. Intentional goals are deterministic aspects of the “I”; when you play using the Ten Paradoxes, there is No Mind of the goal—only natural action and reaction of the process. We do not need to intend for the ball to go into the hole; our mind-body dynamic “knows” the ball is supposed to go into the hole. Every thought is an obstacle to No Mind, including self-congratulatory thoughts of success. Whether the ball hits the target or not is of no consequence; the synergy of the mind-body performs the ritual of releasing it along a path without intention or purpose, in pure play. Only Clear Attention is required for the right movement at the right moment.
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WI TH AT TACHMEN T, WORK. WI THOU T AT TACHMEN T, PLAY. When one is attached to the outcome of an event or competition and to his or others’ expectations or hopes, his effort stops being play and becomes work. Attachment is detrimental to the performance of sports for professionals and enthusiasts alike. The mind-body dynamic is interrupted by the Iill’s intention regarding a specific outcome, and this additional pressure hinders the ability of the athlete and prevents peak moments. Experiencing No Mind in sports requires the release of attachments to outcomes, so that peak moments are achieved and the universe plays through the mind-body dynamic. In play, we open the gates to these rare
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moments of peak experience. The fact is that athletes who compete professionally go through relatively the same amount and kind of training on average, just as all NASCAR race cars are built to run alike. What makes some athletes succeed over others (besides some minor physical differences) is the mental edge, the quantum difference in awareness. This quantum awareness is the expression of the perfect moment in time during the play of their sport. And if in this peak moment they experience No Mind, then they have experienced true flow, the same flow experienced by the cheetah running across an African savannah. Setting goals, projecting outcomes, forming expectations, sustaining hopes, and harboring wishes are all natural parts of being human, as is becoming attached to them. But when we practice Clear Attention, we let the attachments go, as in the old proverb that says, “If you love someone, set them free.” Then we remember that expectations and coveted outcomes are projections of the Iill. We do not necessary need to discover the source of attachments, but we need to be mindful of them. Attachments arise naturally in competitive and in most non-competitive sports. Recognizing and releasing the attachments require mental training. Cleansing the mind with the help of the practice of No Mind enhances mental and physical performance. No one performs well under the pressure of intense expectations, and recognizing these tendencies of the Iill is the first step in the process. Expectations hinder not only one’s athletic performance, but also one’s life as a fully functioning person. Most of us know that the constant stressful pursuit of high expectations takes a toll on the mind-body. Athletes who relentlessly push themselves to the limit and fail to see the significance of peak moments may be harming themselves psychologically and physiologically. They may become top athletes, but they would miss the play aspect of the game altogether, as well as the healthy joy of spiritual awareness that can be achieved through sports. We perform better in play than in work. Whether we are
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going to experience stress and anxiety or effortless and smooth total absorption is up to us, especially since we now have the technique and the knowledge to make the right choice.
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ATHLETES EXPERIENCE EGO-LESS ONENESS In most athletic peak moments, there is an element of “not having to think about it,” and this aspect of No Mind is when intention and expectation disappear. At this point, the play is perceived and winning or losing fade away like the shoreline melts in the distance as one sails into the ocean. There is just the emptiness of the ocean and a sense of unity with it. Many athletes have had the intense experience of nothingness and of ego-less oneness with their environment. They know that worrying too much about the perfect game is counterproductive, as it disrupts one’s focus. Developing a no-thought approach releases the flow and develops natural peak moments. Humans have a more difficult time than animals returning to the natural flow, but they can. We simply need to understand the Tenth Paradox: Untrain the mind, be empty. When empty, you are full. One Olympic bicyclist describes how the feeling of body, bicycle, track, wind, and the surroundings merge into a mystical sense of oneness. This is a state of complete internal calm and mastery, but to be in this state, one must realize that there is no entity that has mastered anything, there is just the moment. Champion archers say that the accuracy of a shot hinges on being anxious versus staying in the moment with the arrow (Orlick, 1980). With the insight of oneness in No Mind, there is also the insight that there is no self to claim mastery, there is just the oneness. Thinking about “who” is feeling this oneness reintroduces the Iill to awareness, and the moment is lost. No Mind Sports is learned through the techniques presented in No Mind 301. These techniques develop focus and attention, and the rest follows of its own.
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The experience of peak moments in sports requires that we separate the “I” from the play of the sport. We are then aware of merging the “mind-body” (not the “I”) with the elements of the sport, such as the golf club, bicycle, bat, racket, car, ball, and so on. This act of merging without the Iill is the key to peak performance. The bat, for example, is an extension of the mind-body, and together they execute a smooth, effortless motion that involves the ball also. One archer describes concentration as: blocking out everything in my world ... the bow becomes an extension of me. All attention is focused on lining up my pin with the center of the target. At this point in time, that is all I see, hear or feel (Orlick, 1980).
TIME-SPACE SHIFTS IN PEAK MOMENTS In No Mind 301, Chapter 17, we discussed the relativity of the observer to the time-space continuum. The timespace continuum does not exist in No Mind, since the observer disappears in the awareness of the entire time-space continuum of a single moment. Everything becomes undifferentiated being and nothingness. Remember, space and time are always relative to an observer; without the observer, space and time do not really exist. One famous Zen koan asks, “What sound does a tree make falling in the forest, if there is no one there to hear it?” Some baseball athletes report having lost perception of time during a pitch, as “the ball seems to slow down prior to a swing” and they are in perfect unison with the ball without intention or effort. Many football players have similarly experienced the ball slowing down, as if everyone were moving “in a movie or a dance in slow motion.” The altered perception of time and space in peak moments eliminates the relativity of the observer, not in the sense that one is lost or missing in space and time, but in the sense that the awareness of the illusion of “I”
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in that moment releases the observer from the boundaries of space and time. The ancient masters knew that space and time are relative and illusionary concepts. In a moment of insight, when the athlete merges with the activity, the normal sequential mechanism of temporal perception changes in order to grasp each moment more slowly, distinctly, and in detail. Focus your mind on the moment, and the feeling of bliss, joy, freedom, and intuition follows. Clear Attention allows the athlete to focus on the present moment, abstracting the action from the past and future. One NBA coach credits mindfulness practice with giving his championship teams a special edge (Keeva, 2004). Again, expectations, hopes, desires, and projected outcomes are past-oriented, and worry, anxiety, fear, and anticipation are future-oriented. Clear Attention keeps awareness in the present moment, where peak performance can occur. Thinking delays us—perform in the moment without thought. You cannot force peak performance. It comes when you “let go” and allow the mind-body dynamic to follow its natural flow of the activity. We practice so that the execution of an action comes naturally to us. It is the same with the illumination of No Mind; it is spontaneous, like a flash of lightning.
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NO MIND LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE Sports psychologists use different techniques and methods to enhance the mental performance of the athlete, including meditation, relaxation therapy, visualization, breathing, etc. No Mind Sports also requires training in order to experience the flow of the moment without effort, intention, or expectation. The experience cannot be willed, because this would constitute an attempt by the Iill to claim something it cannot grasp. No Mind occurs unexpectedly; the seeds are planted and their germination is unpredictable. The ancient masters could point
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the way, but could not move the disciples’ feet. Some effort is required in the preparation, but the rest happens of its own accord and without “trying.” The No Mind program lays the foundation for peak performances and moments, but it is up to the practitioner to follow the course. In sports, having skill through training, natural talent, and discipline enables full absorption in the activity without having to consciously direct and correct every movement, as the novice needs to. The point when the mind-body dynamic can perform uninterruptedly is when peak moments are likely to occur. Without interruption from the Iill, that is. There is a point in the practice of No Mind where mental tranquility and pure awareness are achieved automatically once the practiced meditation position is assumed. In other words, Clear Attention can be conditioned and we can become mindful upon certain trained cues, like assuming the meditation position, or getting up to swing the golf club, or preparing to perform ballet. Mindfulness, or Clear Attention, is key to success in sports and essential for the novice who wants to learn efficiently and quickly. When you practice the movements of your sport, do so by being mindful of each sensation of the mind-body as it goes through the motions of training and action. In this way, you keep the expectations of the Iill at rest and performance is pure. Once the Iill has lost control over awareness, the insight of No Mind may be experienced. Apply Clear Attention and the Ten Paradoxes on and off the court, and this will foster peak moments not only in sports but also in life. Attaining total absorption and the insight of No Mind in the present moment was the Zen master’s prescription to a Samurai warrior centuries ago.
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IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. The “flow” in sports has been well documented and is achieved by transcending the “I” during the sporting activity. Analogously to entering a river, we simply enter the flow by removing awareness from the Iill.
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2. Iill-less actions are extremely potent and efficient. In the realm of sports, they induce superior performance, great joy, effortless movement, total absorption, and intense concentration. 3. Some athletes find it difficult to verbally describe peak moments, or “the zone,” even though for many it is the main reason to engage in the sport. And others feel uncomfortable talking about it because it feels very personal, yet ambiguous. 4. The peak moments of athletes are fundamentally similar to No Mind experiences, except that No Mind practitioners are trained to understand the significance of No Mind insight in its relation to the Iill and spiritual awareness. Athletes are not usually trained or educated to mentally comprehend the relative significance of these peak moments, which may render such experiences confusing, deeply personal, and beyond articulation. 5. Athletes are so highly conditioned that they perform with relatively minimal conscious effort, which allows them to “let go” more easily than a novice. The “letting go” of all psychological mechanisms that make up the mental web of the Iill has positive effect on the performance. Trained athletes simply learn to “think less” and to trust their mind-body. 6. In professional tennis, the ball crosses the court in a quarter of a second; the player has no time to
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“think” and the mind-body must already be in position by acquiring cues from the opponent before the opponent even hits the ball. Those who have experienced this powerful feeling of the mindbody acting and reacting during a performance, sport, game, or fight have experienced No Mind without knowing it. 7. Athletes’ peak moments are identical to the experience of No Mind. One Olympic athlete reported “separating my body from my mind and letting my body do what came naturally” (Orlick, 1980). 8. Many athletes have discovered the hard way that “over-concern with the outcome, reflecting a competitive orientation was often associated with their worst performances” (Jackson & Roberts, 1992). 9. The experience of No Mind in sports expands the mind-body dynamic into the realm of the mystic warrior, such as the Samurai. Without self and intention, the mystic warrior is the most feared and venerated opponent. 10. Remember, no thought is a better game and no intention is peak performance. It is best to trust the mind-body when it “knows” what to do because it has been trained to do so. Thinking, whether positive or negative, only gets in the way. Releasing the idea of trying so hard is all that is required; this is the Zen of sports. 11. Some baseball athletes report having lost perception of time during a pitch, as “the ball seems to slow down prior to a swing” and they are in perfect unison with the ball without intention or effort. Many football players have similarly experienced the ball slowing down, as if everyone were moving “in a movie or a dance in slow motion.”
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12. Clear Attention allows the athlete to focus on the present moment, abstracting the action from the past and future. One NBA coach credits mindfulness practice with giving his championship teams a special edge (Keeva, 2004). Again, expectations, hopes, desires, and projected outcomes are pastoriented, and worry, anxiety, fear, and anticipation are future-oriented.
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13. Clear Attention can be conditioned and we can become mindful upon certain trained cues, like assuming the meditation position, or getting up to swing the golf club, or preparing to perform a pirouette.
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Many people think of meditation or mindfulness as diametrically opposed to business, but only until they see the overwhelming evidence of mindfulness’ benefits in all aspects of business: innovation, productivity, health, collaboration, negotiation, etc. Many companies that have realized the advantages of mindfulness training encourage employees to meditate or to center themselves during the day using various relaxation techniques. Some businesses even institute mandatory retreats and mindfulness breaks during the workday. Chapter 29 presents evidence of the positive effects of No Mind Business. Some of the studies presented here may aid the implementation of No Mind in your career or business.
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Chapter 29
No Mind Business
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ost business people would immediately assume that No Mind and business are unrelated, as one belongs in the monastery and the other in the cold, swift corporate world of money. If you told your customers, clients, or associates that you were using a technique called No Mind, their response might be, “I am paying you to use your entire mind, not no mind.” Paradoxically, studies demonstrate that you actually increase your intelligence and creativity when you think less (Claxton, 2000). Through the study and practice of No Mind, your brain solves problems more efficiently, more intuitively and more creatively, and it grasps solutions which lay outside the scope of your normal over-thinking mind. So No Mind Business is not lack of mind but enhanced mind with superior performance. The ancient masters said that Zen practice was pointless unless it was brought into people’s daily routines to improve their lives through their work, sports, relationships, education, etc. 587
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Meditation is no longer just a practice of the prayer-bead and Birkenstock crew; now a number of corporations are offering it to their white-collar workers. Business professionals worldwide have accepted meditation as a tool in the management, production, and sales of their business program. Its benefits include alleviating lower back pain, headaches, and arthritis ... [it] decreases absenteeism, tardiness, and loss of talented workers, increases brain-wave activity, juices intuitive decisionmaking, optimizes concentration, enabling workers to multitask more efficiently. (Der Hovanesian, 2003)
Many studies have substantiated the positive benefits of meditation on creative thinking, as mentioned in No Mind 201, No Mind Intuition. Five months of meditation practice significantly raised creative-thinking test scores of Cornell University undergraduates (Travis, 1979). According to a Harvard Medical School study published in Barron’s, nearly 20 percent of Americans practice at least one mindbody technique, and meditation is at the top of the list (Blumenthal, 2003).
THE SECRET OF NO FEAR Zen and the practice of No Mind have had their place in the monastery, on the battlefield, and in the marketplace. Statesmen studied and practiced these techniques in order to rule wisely and compassionately. On many occasions, ancient masters were summoned by royalty for advice. Armed with the techniques of No Mind, the Samurai were feared as the elite sword fighters of their day. They had no fear, as they transcended the Iill and identified with the essential substance of nature or spiritual awareness. The ultimate pursuit of ancient martial arts was to experience enlightenment through the expression of the mind-body dynamic. All the skills of the greatest martial artists who practiced for years to perfect their mind and body could never match the invincible control and unshakable force of the enlightened warrior. Analagously, eliminating fear from the business professional has its obvious benefits and increases performance.
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No Mind and other meditative techniques increase the ability to deautomatize behavior, which, in turn, breaks the binds of the Iill. These techniques also develop recognition of intuitions and insights of which we may never become aware otherwise. Furthermore, they hone the focus and the ability to empty the mind of thoughts, which has clear benefits in the business world. No Mind 401, Secrets of No Mind, explains how the program nourishes psychic abilities and enlightenment (including the insight of No Mind No Death). The Samurais’ freedom from the Iill, transcendence of the self, and insight of No Mind No Death made them a formidable and challenging opponent. The practice of No Mind in the modern business world holds immense potential for success not only in terms of wealth and prestige, but also in terms of producing a fully fulfilled human being—compassionate, happy, and unfettered. One of the most important benefits of the techniques is stress reduction, which is discussed in Chapter 30. The stress reduction that comes from the daily application of these techniques is indispensable in the business world.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT AND INTUITION In 2004, Conlin published an article titled “Meditation” in Business Week explaining why top executives of major corporations have sought meditative practices to enrich their leadership abilities and to reduce stress in their environments. One CEO, who interrupted his meditation practice for a few years, recalls after looking at the remains of his company, “If I had stayed disciplined, I have a feeling I would have been able to see some of the harbingers and perils that I didn’t see at the time.” Corporations, law firms, and others have initiated employee meditation classes to reduce stress which is the most significant factor of employee performance and absenteeism. For decades, researchers at the National Institutes of Health, the University of Massachusetts, and the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard
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University have sought to document how meditation enhances the qualities companies need in their human capitol: sharpened intuition, steely concentration, and plummeting stress levels. (Conlin, 2004)
Conlin also indicates that neuroscientists are finding that the neurophysiology of the brain changes during meditation in a way that allows people to detach from their emotional reactions, so that they can respond more appropriately. At the beginning of No Mind 501, research is presented on this effect. The science of neuroplasticity shows that the brain can change its function and structure by expanding, reducing, and redirecting neuron circuits. The Wall Street Journal published brain scans of Buddhist monks; the monks, especially those who had practiced for decades, exhibited extreme gamma activity, which suggests greater level of consciousness. The left prefrontal cortex, known as the “happiness center,” was much more active than the right prefrontal cortex. “The most hours of meditation showed the greatest brain changes, [which] gives us confidence that the changes are actually produced by mental training” (Begley, 2004). These tests have immense implications. They suggest that through training, we can alter the mind-brain dynamic using its inherent ability to rewire itself. In Japan, the diligent use of zazen, or meditation, in companies over many years has led to higher levels of insight, consciousness, and even enlightenment, or Satori. Dozens of Japanese corporations apply meditation to train executives and employees. Every year, Fujitsu sends 700 employees on a two-month management training course, which includes a two-day meditation training at a Zen monastery to deautomatize ingrained behaviors (Gross, 1990). In one of Japan’s largest manufacturing companies, over 600 managers have learned meditation techniques. One 51-year-old CEO who has practiced meditation regularly for thirty years shares that it brings him “clarity and focus to start the business day, and refreshes [him] for personal life.” Practice allows others
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to be more responsive and less reactive, as it provides the extra moment to relax and to address a situation more clearly (Henricks, 2003). More than 7,000 North American physicians practice the [meditative] technique, and many prescribe it to their patients. The effects on health are substantial: normalization of blood pressure, lowered cholesterol, improved sleep, faster recovery from stress, to name a few. (Wilson, 1991)
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EXECUTIVES ARE MORE INTELLIGENT WITH LESS STRESS Meditation improves attention and the discrimination capacity related to decision making (Kuna, 1975). Thousands of executives who practice meditation have experienced “increased efficiency in work, better relations with others, decreased tension and anxiety, increased intelligence and improved learning ability, faster reaction time, and improved health” (Burns, 1975). Another study shows that after five months of meditation practice, the treatment groups experienced significantly higher stress-reduction compared to the control group or to the progressive-relaxation group (non-meditative progressive relaxation is performed by tensing and relaxing groups of muscles in a particular sequence). The rate of compliance for the meditation groups was seen whether the subjects practiced frequently or occasionally. “Meditation training has considerable value for stress-management ... in organizational settings” (Carrington et al., 1980). Many Fortune 500 companies have implemented meditation classes for employees in light of losses associated with absenteeism, tardiness, and the exodus of talented workers. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, stress-related disorders cost companies about $200 billion a year—70–90 percent of employee hospital visits are linked to stress (Der Hovanesian, 2003).
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More than half of the Fortune 500 companies that downsized reported that productivity deteriorated in response to employee stress related to longer hours and fewer resources. Many of these companies have implemented wellness programs, but employees must be encouraged to take advantage of the programs and to balance work and life. There needs to be an “office mentality” of positive reinforcement to stimulate workers to initiate these programs and subsequent steady reinforcement for the workers to maintain them. Another problem for the initiation of the programs is the fear and denial of admitting that one cannot cope with the stress and the process of working through the stress-related issues in the work environment (Robin, 2003). Legal firms are finding that mindfulness meditation, like No Mind, is receiving widespread support from their employees who report “a sense of conscious calmness, a sense of equanimity.” According to lawyers, mindfulness brings “clarity and mental spaciousness that allows for purposeful action, rather than mere reactivity” (Keeva, 2004). Reactivity decreases when we deautomatize the neural associative networks, which enables the brain to re-map problem areas in them, thus allowing you to become much more effective and productive in the work environment. Attachment to outcomes in any particular situation skews the ability to see all solutions clearly, as we discussed in No Mind 201. In other words, attachment and expectations of outcomes in any particular scenario prejudice our ability to “see clearly the correct solution.” De-automatization provides us with a method of being objective to problems in our lives and of being able to “see through” our attachments. It pauses the normal perceptual routines of association and categorization of incoming sensory information long enough to enable the internal “objective” understanding of such information. Through its misapprehension of reality, the Iill constantly fails to understand other people’s needs, perspectives, and beliefs; thus, it alienates others if it cannot analyze, evaluate, and understand the other person in
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terms of itself. Simply, when something does not fit our normal way of thinking and feeling, we tend to find it strange or even threatening, and we push it aside. This applies to a wide range of difference markers—unusual skin and hair colors, unorthodox body decoration and apparel, alternative cultural practices or religious and philosophical beliefs, and even foods we’ve never tried. We find it hard to evaluate such sensory input properly with the limited knowledge we have, so we write it off as something inherently foreign and incorrigibly incomprehensible. No Mind 201- Chapter 9 emphasized the importance of freeing our behavior from the automatisms of the Iill. The practice of No Mind and deautomatization have invaluable effect on conducting creative business, where one sees beyond norms and stereotypes in dealing with “different” people and novel situations.
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WI TH AT TACHMEN T, WORK. WI THOU T AT TACHMEN T, PLAY Stress reduction in the workplace is key to professional and personal success, as it facilitates creativity, open interoffice dialogue and relationships, fluent interactions with customers, constructive mental attitude in the context of dispute resolution, and intuitive business decisions. The practice of No Mind helps working people to cope creatively with an array of everyday stressors, which is invaluable for business growth. Stress is everywhere we look—both inside and outside the workplace. The cost of living—including housing, insurance, health care, utilities, and so on—has been increasing everywhere, particularly in metropolitan cities, forcing many to struggle in order to “catch up” and get into the game, especially since the income gap between executives and average employees has been widening. Savings levels in the United States and across developed countries are the lowest in history, which translates into widespread financial insecurity and personal anxiety.
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We are often unable to change our environment with a blink of an eye, but we can practice No Mind to overcome the constructed expectations, desires, and needs of the Iill. The societal Iill powerfully shapes our expectations and desires—we are conditioned to believe we need certain things and often pursue them through unhealthy behaviors and stressful situations. It helps to recognize that life is movement and change and to adopt the healthy perspective that nothing stays the same, thus avoiding stressfully obsessing about our present situation. When we apply No Mind in our daily lives, we embrace the flow of change. The technique and philosophy of No Mind reintroduce the dynamic of play into the realm of business. Remember, With attachment, work. Without attachment, play. Stress researchers have shown how ... psychosocial stresses can produce illness through neuroendocrine and immune system responses ... various forms of exercise and meditation are effective for many individuals. (Rosch, 1992)
CORPORATIONS ENDORSE MEDITATIVE PRACTICE One innovative company in Colorado rings the mindfulness bell at 11 a.m. every day to signal the start of fifteen minutes of group meditation. For the employees, this is time for developing “the art of paying attention and seeing things in a fresh way.” They say that mindfulness has sparked change and brought about impressive business results (Lachnit, 2001). Another mega-company in Canada has set up dimly lit meditation rooms, where no talk or food is allowed. In these havens of tranquility, employees can “escape the noise, slow the pace, and find some inner peace ... the idea is to give the workplace a feeling of serenity and a sense of higher purpose” (Preville, 1999). Many companies are finding that keeping workers happy and healthy increases productivity and business success. Companies have invested in company gyms, support
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groups, motivational speakers, stress-management and communication workshops, meditation training, counseling services, nutrition coaching—all in the name of workplace wellness, or the “notion that people who are happy at home and happy at work are more productive in the workplace.” Sadly, middle managers, who may be less inclined to take advantage of wellness programs, usually bear the brunt of work-related stress (Robin, 2003). An article in the Journal of Occupational Psychology reviews many studies that have been conducted to analyze the benefits of meditation in the workplace (Murphy, 1984). A 1996 study suggests that developing the inner value of consciousness has practical implications for business and industry by improving well-being, job satisfaction, efficiency, and productivity, which in turn influences absenteeism and financial performance (Schmidt-Wilk, Alexander, & Swanson, 1996). In Japan meditation has been shown to combat stress and fatigue while fostering positive attitudes and creativity. Japanese companies are using meditative disciplines along with traditional exercises with much satisfaction. Some other benefits include calmer and less irritable employees, reduced blood pressure and anxiety levels, better physical health, and reports of more relaxed sleep (Subramanian, 1989). Scientific studies have shown that a twenty-minute practice per day is effective in doubling the rate of relaxation during sleep. A study at the Department of Business of Stockholm University analyzed the effects of meditation on two topmanagement teams and noted that the effects on the individuals influenced the performance of the group as a whole, including managers who were not participating in the meditation program.
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The findings in the research indicates increased energy and alertness in the meditating managers, which influenced the group towards a more dynamic climate, and at the same time increased the demands on the group and its leadership ... Another trend was that the managers were able to express more subtle levels of their
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personalities, such as emotional life and intuition of decision making. (Gustavsson, 1990)
The participants in two more studies on meditation practice and work attitudes experienced substantially higher job satisfaction, performance, and rapport with supervisors and co-workers (Friend, 1977). Companies are sending key managers and personnel to meditation courses in hopes of promoting their productivity, creativity, and health (through reduced heart rate, blood pressure, and stress, as well as through increased alpha brain waves). Executives are seeing increases in productivity and creativity due to the practice of meditation, and are becoming more open to new ways of doing business and seeing problems as ways to improve, not as issues to be stressed-out about (McCuan, 2004).
PERFORMERS FIND THAT MEDITATION ENHANCES THEIR PERFORMANCES Many actors use forms of meditation to enhance their stage performance and careers. In 2003, Back Stage published an article on “method mentality,” which incorporates relaxation and concentration that allow the actors to perform truthfully and realistically without “freaking out” on stage (Stimac, 2003). In another Back Stage article, Shellan Lupin describes six basic tactics, including “reflection,” for the acting professional to stay fit and healthy in this extraordinarily stressful business. “So you need strength and stamina, and that means taking care of yourself inside and out, both physically and psychologically” (Lubin, 2003). These altered states of consciousness have been of substantial benefit to performers: [Today, there is a] developing movement in actor training to incorporate ASCs into textbook theories and classroom exercises ... Thus, a knowledge of ASCs may aid actors in becoming more competent performers as well as promoting a potential new stage of evolution
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for the craft of acting, which honors its ancient relationships to trance and reflects a larger societal phase. (Klein, 1996)
Elements of Zen have been employed in Western acting schools for a while now:
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[Zen inspires] a desire for spontaneity and creative freedom that has caused our teachers of acting ... to look to Asia for help and guidance ... In actor training the focus of the work on the craft of acting begins with relaxation. The quiet allows students to listen to themselves and their bodies. This marks the beginning of learning, of self-awareness. (Forsythe, 1996)
Broadway actors are testifying to the positive effects of meditation and have learned to use the techniques to focus on stage. One actress credits meditation for her transformation from an “average” to a “good” performer in seven years. These nontraditional methods are helping actors to perform better and to maintain spiritual health (Simonson, 1996). The practice of No Mind in acting eliminates the constant self-correction and selfevaluation, so that one can transcend oneself in the role. Through the practice of No Mind, the rigid structures of the Iill are surpassed. Learning to control and suspend thoughts allows the mind-body to perform without thinking and evaluating. The Ten Paradoxes could help many actors understand that With thought, no flow. Without thought, flow. Practicing the ability to mirror using Clear Attention can be of significant value in the acting profession and instrumental in finding a balanced middle ground between the extremes of the rigorous demands of performing.
THE DEAUTOMATIZATION EFFECT IS KEY FOR SUCCESSFUL RELATIONS The practice of No Mind and other types of meditation has a deautomatization effect, which clarifies the perception of the present situation. In No Mind 201 - Chapter 9,
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this effect was discussed in terms of suspending the mind from processing sensory input automatically. The standard defense, filtering, categorizing, and conditioning mechanisms are neutralized when we truly see an object, feel an emotion, or become aware of a thought. We look through fresh eyes that discern things as they really are without definition or prejudice. The Tenth Paradox says, Untrain the mind, be empty. When empty, you are full. Obviously, objectivity in the business world has many implications for the successful conduct of transactions. The practice of No Mind can be applied to a wide variety of business situations in which one would benefit from “stepping outside the Iill” to conduct better business. This provides a fresh perspective without the subliminal tendencies of the ego to manipulate outcomes for selfish reasons that have nothing to do with the present business situation. We spend more than half of our waking hours working, especially if we count commuting. To live happily and healthy, people must be able to rid these hours of stress, anxiety, hate, jealousy, pain, suffering and expectations endemic of today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment. The practice of No Mind nourishes higher job satisfaction and patience, better communications and performance, and happier and healthier lives. Mindfulness breaks the mental web of the Iill and frees perception and thought. Strong emotions might get in the way of sound business decisions, and the practice of No Mind controls one’s emotional energy by helping him become more objective. As objects of Clear Attention, emotions do not evoke automatic reaction, which has obvious benefits for any working person.
THE ILLUSORY BATTLE OF THE IiLL The automatic nature of the Iill is the primary cause for human suffering. Its harm is intensified in business environments by the complicating factors of financial gain, power, greed, ego-fulfillment, competition, and disregard for consequences. Most business is run by warrior types
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who believe that and behave as if they are truly waging a war. They are fighting against the competition, against time, against unrealistic budgets, and against themselves. They seek to fulfill the expectations of the Iill, which was conditioned to demand success. If success fails to materialize, one might experience nervous breakdowns, health disorders, anxiety, relationship problems, substance abuse, and general unhappiness. And all of that is the result of the Iill’s hunger for material accomplishments fulfilling desire potentials (outlined in No Mind 201), which never seem to be filled. Awareness of this insatiable hunger of the Iill diffuses its unhealthy effect in one’s personal and professional life and facilitates effortless peak efficiency. The Samurai was a formidable opponent because he had no “self” invested in the battle—only the flow of the mind-body dynamic “selflessly” fighting for king and country. Similarly, a businessperson could act without direction by the Iill and for the greater benefit of coworkers and society. With the practice of No Mind, business executives, middle managers, and employees can succeed in life and in business when they learn to operate from a perspective that does not fulfill conditioned demands of the Iill, but rather fulfills the natural ability and need of the mind-body to work and express itself through work without the intention of ego-fulfillment. The learned or trained skills and capabilities of the individual can express themselves naturally without the obstacle of the “I.” The Fifth Paradox: Perform. Do. But never think, advises individuals to allow their trained skills to express themselves naturally, without obstacles stemming from the ego. The practice of No Mind unravels the conditioning and reinforcing processes acquired over many years and reframes the reality of life and its relation to the business world. As Dr. Harung concludes in Invincible Leadership, “the development of consciousness is the key to improving individual and collective performance” (Harung, 1999).
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USING CLEAR ATTENTION IN THE ART OF NEGOTIATION Negotiation is an important part of doing business. However, being attached to expectations about the outcome of negotiations is a key hurdle to overcome in the process. Applying the practice of No Mind to the art of negotiation remedies this problem. Negotiation is influenced negatively by stress, assumptions, anticipations, insecurities, frustrations, doubt, and greed; what benefits the process of negotiation is the comprehension of the others’ actions, knowing how much both sides are attached to particular outcomes, the ability to play without getting stuck, and that “intuitive knowing” of when is enough and the negotiation has reached its balance point. The balance point is vital, as you do not want to tip the scales to produce anger, resentment, or withdrawal from the other person. The most important benefit of No Mind practice is the realization that there is no real “I.” Instead, the associative neural network, or the mental web of the Iill, creates a dualistic “I” that identifies a person as a separate individual. But this separateness causes alienation and antagonism in the process of reaching compromises. When you empathize with the others’ needs and desires, negotiation becomes the re-assessment of the situation through a mutually beneficial solution. When one “sees” the illusion of the “I” in the negotiating process, it becomes apparent that there are no separate entities negotiating, as in “me” against “them.” Remember, extremes, or opposites, are revealed as poles of a closed circle and not as the distinct ends of a line; they are essentially interconnected. In this light, the negotiation is understood as a dynamic circle, which holds all solutions in itself. Framed in this way, the process is free of stress and doubt, as we are clear about everybody’s intentions. When the “I” is suspended, Clear Attention burns the fog of confusion and reveals valuable insights. No Mind 201 discusses No Mind Intuition and sixth sense. Some people can recognize through intuition when the timing
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is correct and when it is not, what to say and what not to say, but most important, they must know when the action or reaction is an aspect of the Iill or not. So when one understands that everything that happens in the negotiation process constitutes an open circular dynamic—one entity (not two or more) trying to make a deal—the mind opens to intuition and the transactions are fair and satisfactory for all involved. This is non-dualistic negotiation, when the needs of the whole outweigh those of the individual. The balance point of the negotiation is the fine point where the “essence” of the deal is being fulfilled. We abandon the extreme position of the Iill to understand the dynamic circle of interrelated events that make up the deal. Instead of worrying about the parties’ expectations and desires, one should become sensitive to a natural balance point in every deal where there is an objective consensus, and even though each desire of the “I” may not have been fully fulfilled, the negotiation is successful. Analogously, a good court judge hears both sides and renders a decision objectively and without interjecting aspects of the judge’s Iill into the judgment. If the judge is influenced by personal bias, then there is imbalance. People can usually arrive at a mutually satisfactory outcome when they have taken their emotions and attachments out of the deal. Remember, When mind is as a mirror, everything is revealed.
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PLAY IN NEGOTIATIONS The Ten Paradoxes discuss the concept of play. Play is essential in negotiation; when people are too serious, they are too attached to act for the benefit of the deal, as they focus only on the parts and not on the whole. They do not see opposites as parts of the same entity but as distinct and separate realities. Play in business enables humor and freedom from clinging to any one perspective. Rigidity is counterproductive in negotiations because extremists see only one perspective and reject others as lies and deceptions. It is impossible to negotiate with someone who holds the tight illusion of his Iill as the only reality.
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Play is key to keeping negotiations open and alive: Act. React. Always in play. There should be no selfish intention or expectation in negotiation, just allow the mindbody to act as it has been trained to. If we conceive of the negotiating parties as multiple separate programs pursuing individual plans and agendas, then we need to approach the process from the perspective that these are not separate programs, but constituent parts of one greater program. Practicing Clear Attention develops the insight to grasp the greater program, which streamlines negotiations and reduces the emotional bias of the involved parties and their separate programs. When you are negotiating, try to intuitively see the greater program as an aspect of the many separate programs and help the person with whom you are negotiating to achieve the same. Identify parallel and overlapping issues and how they relate to the greater program, or “the final deal.” When the greater resulting program can be identified, it will be easier to negotiate the aspects of the separate programs that will eventually comprise the greater whole program. The benefit of practicing Clear Attention is the development of insight to grasp the greater program prior to the negotiation process, which could expedite the process with less emotional involvement. When you see past the selfish Iill, you see a more universal benefit than an individual one. It is then easier to deduce programs and to achieve holistic ones. Of course, if the other person is not practicing being objective and becomes selfishly fixated on a certain position, it is your position to try to allow him or her to “see” this fixation without causing humiliation and while maintaining a level of respect. For instance, during negotiation, ask the other party why this particular position is so important, which may bring new information to the table—one of which you may not have been previously aware. In some cases, people may not know why they seek to maintain a particular position; they simply know that this is what they want. In other cases, they know why they seek a certain position but do not offer their rationale. In this case, you may begin to fulfill as much of
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the program as possible, understanding that they are less likely to see the total program until it is presented to them. Give them what they want, perhaps in a different wrapper that may enable them to see an alternate position. But, maintain the play in the negotiation; play is crucial for success. It allows you to be natural and not forceful, and to enjoy the development of a greater holistic program.
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NEGOTIATE FROM EMPTINESS The practice of No Mind empties the mind of thoughts which may block the subtle intuitions that occur just below the conscious level. The calm mind is more apt to develop intuitive awareness. For example, most of us have had the experience of being frustrated in trying to remember something—the harder we try, the more the answer evades us, but when we let go and think of something else, the answer comes naturally. Creative thoughts form when Clear Attention is applied to the situation in the present moment. Tapping into the essential emptiness of No Mind awareness increases creative insight. The No Mind program has powerful applications in business practices and negotiations. Being able to deautomatize is a key aspect of “seeing” things more clearly. An article in Barron’s cites a Chicago day trader who uses meditation to clear his mind and to get into the rhythm of the markets (Blumenthal, 2004). The sense of play prevents attachment to intentions or expectations that may stall the negotiation or the participants’ decision-making ability. Clearing your thoughts reveals all sides of the negotiation and allows you to see more easily the other “viewpoints,” revealing the “bigger picture.” This is the insight that the world of opposites is merely two parts of the same reality, which is an important point for developing a “final deal.” Finally, the practice of No Mind deautomatizes the processing of sensory information through the normal channels of perception, which opens the gates of No Mind Intuition. In this way you will be able to grasp
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subtle cues and reactions from others, which may be interpreted in a new perspective, with new meaning and information that can be valuable to the understanding of the others’ intention and expectation of the negotiation. These subtle cues and insights are invaluable in relationships with business associates, employees, managers, and clients.
UN TRAIN THE MIND, BE EMP T Y. WHEN EMP T Y, YOU ARE FULL. Mind games in the office and gossip “around the water cooler” have a dramatic impact on the psychological comfort of employees. Others’ opinions of us greatly influence our well-being and stress level—we crave the acceptance of our peers, co-workers, employees, associates, and even customers. Ridicule, scorn, deceit, bickering, power struggles, and selfishness take place in most work environments around the world regardless of industry type, company and office size, employee status, or location. This is natural human behavior related to the protection and preservation of the Iill, which makes it difficult to overcome; yet it can be overcome through the practice of No Mind and through following the universal drive to find spirituality and the state of awareness we experienced at birth. The Iill develops in order to relate to its social environment, but within this environment, it is also vulnerable to attacks by other Iills. As long as we are an Iill, we are truly ill. No Mind 101 describes the ego’s mechanisms and perceptual defenses and explains how they maintain an illusion of a self. The experience of No Mind reveals the essence of reality—awareness as a universal constant and the concurrent emptiness and fullness of nature. The cessation of clinging to old ideas and self-images translates into profound freedom that isn’t illusionary but deeply rooted in the essence of spiritual awareness. Sometimes the best defense is no defense. In defending something, we give it value, which becomes a potential target for even more attacks. To devalue someone else in
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hopes of elevating one’s own self-worth constitutes a mind game employed by many who are “climbing up the ladder” ruthlessly. This can be easily recognizable by company management and it can backfire in the promotion seeker’s plan. If we perform selflessly and without greed, we do better, just like when we “think” less we perform better and more efficiently. History venerates selfless heroes, leaders, and other people who have performed for the good of the many rather than the few or the “I.”
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THE IiLL’S UNHEALTHY DESIRES FOR MONEY AND FAME The practice of No Mind provides a detached perspective for the resolution of most problems. The techniques of No Mind outlined in No Mind 301 bring serenity and contentment independent of the environmental context in the workplace. You are no longer having your strings pulled in unwanted directions, like a puppet. The Iill’s “need” for money, success, or power generates unhealthy states of mind. Unconscious desires, conditioning patterns, reinforcement models, hopes, expectations, and so on drive us to keep pushing even when we have already arrived, yet we don’t know it. It is like escaping on vacation to relax, but realizing that our mind nevertheless remains plagued by thoughts about all we tried to leave behind. We all know the experience of doing mental work while attempting to take a break. We get so caught up in the past or future that we miss the present, even when we have actually arrived at our destination. In moments of success, we often start thinking of our next destination or dwell on where we came from, losing the joyful awareness of the present “arrived-at” situation. As in a time warp, we are here, but our thoughts are not. Money tends to breed the mentality that we are always in need of fulfilling our desire potentials, driving us to struggle further and to keep fulfilling more and more desire potentials as they arise. In the end, one often
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realizes that despite all of the energy that was spent in fulfilling desires, one still remains spiritually empty and unfulfilled. Psychological, emotional, and spiritual balance is as important in the business world as material success is; we need to engage in practices like No Mind to experience spiritual awareness, so that we “know” when we have arrived and are satisfied in the moment; not in dreaming about future acquisitions. Also, material success usually comes with more responsibilities, which means less freedom and time to slow down and enjoy the moments of life. Many businesspeople are trapped in the brutal pursuit of more achievements, money, and power; but for “who?” and for “what?” Some may even allow selfish intentions to become the source of dishonest practices that spawn resentment, worry, and guilt. When you fulfill your mind-body potential mindfully, nothing is left undone. This is the wisdom of the Tao: Through non-action, nothing is left undone. The best reward is when your talent is naturally realized and genuinely appreciated; money follows accordingly. Whether we are inherently talented or have worked hard to develop the mind-body through training, we perform at our peak when we do so with no intention.
SUSPEND THOUGHTS AND LET THE PLAY FLOW When you enjoy what you are doing without intention and expectation, the thought of where you should be is redirected to the awareness of where you are in this present moment. In business, we need planning to chart a direction and to identify what is required on the way; however, this formal component of doing business is essentially different from the self-oriented intentions of the Iill. We need to work and to excel at the skills and crafts in which we are trained and experienced. But like the many spokes that make up the wheel and allow it to keep stable while serving its purpose, we too are the components that stabilize our societies and families. Yet, we
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also need to remember that it is the emptiness of the hub which makes the wheel useful. Tao Te Ching puts it as follows: Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub; It is the center hole that makes it useful. Shape clay into a vessel; It is the space within that makes it useful. Cut doors and windows for a room; It is the holes which make it useful. Therefore profit comes from what is there; Usefulness from what is not there. (Feng & English, 1972)
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When we work selflessly toward higher goals, we are more efficient and successful. Freedom brings creativity. In the midst of ego-driven power struggles, we miss the usefulness of the hub’s emptiness and lose our center, because we focus on the spoke and not on the totality of the wheel. Awareness is inundated with thoughts about results, consequences, and demands. We become resultand not process-orientated. If Clear Attention is applied to the task at hand or to the situation in the moment, stress dissipates together with all expectations and intentions. Just work and success will follow. Just act and joy will follow. Act. React. But never try.
LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY The authors of Mindfulness and Money, who are successful businesspeople, note “that one of the greatest causes of suffering in the wealthy West is our love/hate relationship with money: No matter how much we have, we don’t feel it is enough, or we fear losing it, or we mourn the way we are forced to earn it.” The problem in the way we think about the material aspects of our lives is that we use money to make us feel complete; however, most of us eventually realize it cannot. The authors offer an alternative—the Path of Abundance that shows us how to earn and spend creatively, which is key to living peacefully
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with money. The Path leads us away from suffering based on material obsessions and toward discovering our true nature and purpose (Houlder & Houlder, 2002). The practice of No Mind reveals the impermanence of material phenomena and teaches us how to disconnect from the Iill and to overcome bad habits. Professionals who have used the techniques notice that they experience less anger and more compassion and understanding for other employees, as well as more personal happiness in general. “A large number of businessmen ... are discovering that Vipassana [mindfulness] enables them to run a profitable business without having to suffer the inevitable ... tension and anxiety.” One company noted a 21-percent increase in productivity and a 68-percent increase in sales per year after the introduction of meditation practice (Sekhar, 2000). This shows that No Mind Business can dramatically improve any business or professional career, or help deal with a problematic love/ hate relationship with money.
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IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. Our brains function more efficiently when trying to solve a problem when we think less. We are more intuitive, more creative, and we grasp solutions which lay outside the scope of our normal over-thinking mind. So, No Mind Business is not lack of mind but enhanced mind with superior performance.
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2. The practice of No Mind in the modern business world holds immense potential for success, not only in terms of wealth and prestige, but also in terms of producing a fully fulfilled human being— compassionate, happy, and unfettered. 3. Thousands of executives who practice meditation have experienced “increased efficiency in work, better relations with others, decreased tension and anxiety, increased intelligence and improved learning ability, faster reaction time, and improved health” (Burns, 1975). A study shows that after five months of meditation practice, the treatment groups experienced significantly higher stress reduction compared to other experimental groups. 4. Attachment and expectations of outcomes in any particular circumstances prejudice our ability to see the correct solution clearly. De-automatization provides us with a method of being objective to problems in our lives and being able to see through our attachments. 5. According to one study, the effects of meditation on the individuals influenced the performance of groups as a whole, including managers who were not participating in the meditation program. 6. Executives are seeing increases in productivity and creativity due to the practice of meditation,
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and they are becoming more open to new ways of doing business and to see problems as ways to improve, not as issues to be stressed-out about. 7. The practice of No Mind nourishes higher job satisfaction and patience, better communications and performance, and happier and healthier lives. Mindfulness breaks the mental web of the Iill and frees perception and thought. Strong emotions might get in the way of sound business decisions, and the practice of No Mind controls one’s emotional energy by allowing him or her to become more objective. 8. Being attached to expectations about the outcome of negotiations is a key hurdle to the process of negotiating. Applying the practice of No Mind to the art of negotiation remedies this problem. 9. Extremes, or opposites, are poles of a closed circle and not the distinct ends of a line; they are interconnected. In this light, a negotiation is understood as a dynamic circle which holds all solutions in itself. 10. Play is essential in negotiation; when people are too serious, they are too attached to act for the benefit of the deal, as they focus only on the parts and not on the whole. They do not see opposites as parts of the same entity, but as distinct and separate realities. 11. The practice of No Mind empties the mind of thoughts which may block the subtle intuitions that occur just below the conscious level. The calm mind is more apt to develop intuitive awareness. 12. With No Mind, you grasp subtle cues and reactions from others which may be interpreted in a new perspective and with new meaning and information that can be valuable to understanding the
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others’ intentions and expectations of the negotiation. These subtle cues and insights are invaluable in relationships with business associates, employees, managers, and clients.
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13. The best reward is when your talent is naturally realized and genuinely appreciated; money follows accordingly. Whether we are inherently talented or have worked hard to develop the mind-body through training, we perform at our peak when we do so with no intention.
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Stress is a killer. Psychologists know it. Doctors know it. Even the insurance companies know it. And you are probably well aware of it yourself. During times of stress, your immune system suffers; you are prone to experience symptoms of a compromised autonomic nervous system, including heartburn, ringing in the ears, and night sweats; your bones and muscles may begin to ache or tighten up; and your brain, the control center of your body, may begin to show signs of being overtaxed. Hundreds of medical studies, physiological tests, and clinical reports have proven that meditation and relaxation techniques reduce stress and control pain and other stress-related conditions. Chapter 30 reviews the evidence and the many ways that No Mind can help you manage stress and improve your physical and mental well-being. The more hectic and stressful your life, the more you need to practice the techniques of No Mind.
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Chapter 30
No Mind Stress Management
F
or a while now, the medical profession has recognized meditation’s role in stress management. Stress has been one of the most common complaints that doctors hear. Over one hundred million Americans report stress-related symptoms. Some of these affect the autonomic nervous system and include migraines, dry mouth, frequent colds, rashes, heartburn, problems swallowing, ringing in the ears, blushing, rapid heart rate, cold chills, difficulty breathing, panic attacks, chest pain, night sweats, pain in the extremities, constipation, diarrhea, decreased libido, and inability to orgasm. Secondly, there are symptoms involving the skeletal muscles, such as tension headaches, jaw pain, stuttering, trembling, neck and back pain, and grinding teeth. Thirdly, there are the mental symptoms of stress, such as anxiety, moodiness, anger, depression, increased appetite, nightmares, problems concentrating, confusion, forgetfulness, crying, suicidal thoughts, loneliness, and inability to control thoughts. Finally, behavioral 613
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symptoms of stress include indifference to one’s appearance, tardiness, overreacting, social withdrawal, inefficiency, mumbling, defensiveness, substance abuse, smoking, overspending or gambling, weight gain or loss, and constant tiredness. As we can see, stress has a long list of physical symptoms of the autonomic nervous system and of the skeletal system, as well as psychological and behavioral symptoms, all of which frequently manifest themselves in the form of heart, mental, or gastrointestinal diseases, sleep disorders, learning disabilities, infertility, decreased immune function, cancer, asthma, diabetes, PMS, drug and alcohol addictions, headaches, and backaches. Stressrelated disorders are obviously an important factor in our lives that we need to control.
MINDFULNESS REDUCES STRESS AND PAIN In a study at the Department of Psychiatry of Chang Gung Memorial, Taiwanese researchers found that the subject learned to control headaches through the practice of mindfulness meditation and concluded that meditation may be a superior and more cost-effective alternative to painkillers (Sun, Kuo, & Chiu, 2002). And in another study, mindfulness meditation produced statistically significant decline in present-moment pain, negative body image, moodiness, anxiety, and depression. The use of painkillers decreased and self-esteem increased (Kabat-Zinn, Lipworth, & Burney, 1985). The consequences of routine stress and the importance of reducing its levels in most people’s lives compelled the National Institute of Health to endorse alternative therapies for chronic pain and insomnia, including meditation. They encouraged and emphasized broader use of alternative therapies in conjunction with conventional medical care for such disorders. Subsequently, “Enrollments have soared at meditation workshops, and the practice has become mainstream” (Kalb, 2003).
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Not only do studies show that meditation is boosting their immune system, but brain scans suggest that it may be re-wiring their brains to reduce stress ... Ten million American adults now say they practice some form of meditation regularly, twice as many as a decade ago ... Meditation is being recommended by more and more physicians as a way to prevent, slow, or at least control pain of chronic diseases like heart conditions, AIDS, cancer and infertility. It is also being used to restore balance in the face of such psychiatric disturbances as depression, hyperactivity, and attentiondeficit disorder (ADD) (Stein, 2003).
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... it has effectively decreased mood disturbance and stress symptoms in both male and female patients with a wide variety of cancer diagnoses, stages of illness, and ages (Speca, Carlson, Goodey, & Angen, 2000).
The growing recognition of alternative therapies compelled Congress to create the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) with its own research and design authority. In 2000, Congress increased funding for the agency in response to growing public interest. Stress-related disorders remain widespread throughout the world, and meditation practice offers an effective primary, secondary, and/or tertiary prevention strategy (Bonadonna, 2003). We live in a fastpaced world characterized by urban crowding, economic problems, career pressures, and marital discord. This is the face of society created by the mass media, communities, and families. But where are we all going so fast, and why? Alas, all we have done is allow the Iill monkey to run around in its cage, looking through each window, but never really seeing what is out there. The monkey keeps looking and looking without getting anywhere, like a rat running on its wheel. In the 1980s, Time magazine named stress the numberone health problem in the country ... Until recently, that is, when scientists delivered the good news: All you have to do is sit there. Findings from the National Institutes of Health, the University of Massachusetts, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of
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Technology (MIT) all credit meditation with not only reducing blood pressure and encouraging relaxation but also enhancing concentration and productivity. (Amer, 2003)
Living No Mind
RECOGNIZING OUR STRESS CUES Stress is the product of a primordial arousal system that is activated whenever the mind-body perceives something as an intimidating, frightening, threatening, challenging, or demanding situation. Stress is expressed differently by different people, except for the basic survival maneuvers required in life-threatening situations. Our mental web determines what situations and perceptual cues get branded as stressful. Our mental web has countless Iill stress cues that were conditioned, reinforced, learned, modeled, associated, trained, or habituated into our associative neural network. Everyone has a very different set of stress cues; each cue requires different levels of reactive stress. For instance, a disgruntled office worker who is upset about the broken elevators faces milder levels of stress compared to the panicked tourist who spots a dorsal fin while swimming in shark-infested waters. The severity of stress cues depends on the patterns of the mental web of the Iill. Some have learned to swim with sharks without giving it a second thought, while others panic, as they have no experience with this type of stress cue. Even Christmas, a joyous holiday theoretically, is stressful for many. Party planning, gift shopping, religious ceremonies, travel, meeting relatives and inlaws, children’s lists, and the associated spending compel some to forego the entire “merriness” and to seek escapes from these stressful holiday days. The main problem is the Iill’s reaction to the stress cues and the stress level that each cue can induce, from mild to severe panic. Hundreds of studies confirm that meditation has a calming effect and that regular practitioners are immune to more stress cues and react to a
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lesser degree compared to those who don’t meditate. In Chapter 27, we reviewed studies indicating that Zen monks were not distracted by loud or stressful noises during meditation, which was confirmed by the monitors recording their brain waves. Mindfulness-based stress reduction has enhanced the quality of life, improved hormone levels, and decreased stress symptoms in breast- and prostate-cancer patients (Carlson, Specca, Patel, & Goodey, 2004). Recently, mindfulness practice has been introduced into mental health treatment as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. The techniques have been used to reduce symptoms and to change behaviors in the context of various disorders, including anxiety and borderline personality disorders (Bondolfi, 2004; Linehan, 1993; Solomon, 2003). The practice of No Mind has a dramatic effect on the operation of the Iill. Mindfulness prevents the Iill from reacting uncontrollably by allowing one to veto or to pause the reaction, if required. This pause disrupts the automatic reaction to a stress cue, and it frees you from feeling like a pawn in a game which isn’t played by you but being played for you and through you. Mindless acting and reacting, as opposed to mindful reacting to stress cues from a point of no control incurs physical trauma on the mind-body, especially in such nerve-wracking situations as swimming with sharks. True, what looks like a shark to one person is a dolphin to another, but we all have our scarecrows.
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At the University of Wisconsin, it was reported that students with mindfulness training had increased activity in their left prefrontal cortex which is associated with happiness and optimism. ... These individuals ... were also producing more antibodies than the controls ... Mindfulness also proved to be effective among patients with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and other behavioral and emotional disorders. Mindfulness helps binge eaters realize when they are full and to recognize the urge to eat without succumbing to it. It has been proven to be more effective than a psychoeducational
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approach for obese women. For patients with obsessive compulsive disorder, it has helped them learn to look at their thoughts and feelings in a more detached way. Brain imaging showed that mindfulness treatment dampened overactivity in brain areas associated with obsessive compulsive disorder. In addition, with mindfulness, patients with depression were only half as likely to relapse compared to patients who underwent standard counseling and medication (“The Benefits of Mindfulness,” 2004).
Practicing No Mind gives us power to focus awareness away from stress cues. Without practice, this is extremely difficult. Absorption in expectations, hopes, desires, and worries causes stress. Living in the past and in the future takes our focus away from the present moment, where stress cannot exist. In the Now, there is no stress. If we dwell on the past, we regret; if we dwell on the future, we worry. Stress cues always relate to what will happen or what has happened, so mindfulness of the moment renders most of them irrelevant. If we are surrounded by sharks, our survival mechanisms trigger concerns about what might happen if we don’t get out of there quickly. Even though shark attacks are rare, our anticipation of possible aggression triggers panic. As in life, not all shark encounters are fatal; so we must learn to be mindful of our fears, and we might even get to pet a dolphin, but only when we no longer “see” the sharks. Sometimes fear makes us see what is not there, and the practice of No Mind allows us to see what really is there.
THOUGHTS ACT AS STRESS CUES Anticipations and intentions produce stress in our lives. They give us direction, but we need to “let go” of our fixation with the results and focus on the process. When our intentions and anticipations are not fulfilled, we are forced to deal with a reality that is different from what we had “hoped” for. Anticipations and intentions give us direction, but we need to learn to “let go” of anticipating the
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results. We cannot become attached to any one particular intention or expectation, as this leads us to a stressful outcome. Whether or not the intention is fulfilled is not the issue; the problem is in trapping our awareness into the “future-tense of anticipation”—waiting for the outcome, rather than enjoying the moment. An important benefit of No Mind is the ability to be aware of the present and not allow past and future events to tax the mind-body dynamic with stress cues. Stress cues are codependent and co-arise with thoughts, which makes thoughts potential stress cues. Stress usually comes while you are thinking about an event, expectation, or something threatening the mind-body. Once thoughts of recalled or anticipated tragedy flood our awareness, stress escalates into panic. Negative thoughts only worsen the situation and can no longer help to mitigate the stress cue. We can usually control stress when we can control our thoughts. The Iill generates reactions and thoughts in response to a perceived stress cue and its intensity level. With Clear Attention, we can become mindful of the Iill’s response to the stress cue and realize that it is a reaction on which we do not need to act, just as we do not need to act on our thoughts. Thoughts are only thoughts, not reality. The practice of No Mind is about focusing attention on the immediate present to become objectively aware of thoughts and to then control them by not allowing ourselves to get mindlessly lost in the string of codependent thoughts that lead to stress. Stress cannot exist without the codependent thought of “what will happen” or “what has happened.” Understanding and practicing this technique leads to emotional health and balance.
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At a conference at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), neuroscientists and Buddhist scholars discussed attention, mental imagery, emotion, and collaborations to test insights gained from meditation. It has been shown through a study called Cultivating Emotional Balance Project that meditation training can promote emotional health in Westerners. Fifteen schoolteachers
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underwent a 5-week intensive course in meditation, and they showed more positive emotional responses after the training than before. (Barinaga, 2003)
USING NO MIND STRESS MANAGEMENT Through the practice of No Mind, we become mindful of our automatic stress responses and of our emotional imbalances, which allows us to diffuse them through awareness. We become aware of a fearful thought through an objective mindful process and redirect awareness to the task at hand. No Mind 301 discusses the technique—how we become aware of the thought and let it pass. We recognize it as a mind object and nothing more, so it cannot run its codependent chain of associative thoughts, which usually make things worse. We simply watch the mind objects of thoughts and emotions by continually refocusing on our breath and on what is happening in the immediate present. It’s a tug of war with the Iill over control of awareness, so we need to just keep focused. When we become mindful of stress as thoughts generated by the Iill, we can diffuse them. For example, imagine you are waiting in line at the café and the person ahead is taking longer to order than you think he should and you are in a hurry because you think you will be late. Your first reaction is anger at the person, followed by frustration with the lack of time. Both are stressful and based on thoughts that co-arise with our thought about time, of which we never have enough. When awareness is trapped in these thoughts and stressful reactions, you lose your focus on the present and the ability to stay calm. When you apply Clear Attention to the thought of the person taking too long, you realize that this is only a thought generated by the Iill based on conditioned assumptions about the “proper length of time” it takes to order. However, regardless of what you “think” the right amount of time to order “should” be, some people need more time because the Iill in which they are trapped may require it to make decisions. You realize that this is an auto-reaction and
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you identify the thought that triggered it. As you refocus on the present and on your breathing, the reaction diffuses. You do the same with the thought of being late. Anger and stress are not the best appetizers, so it is better to “watch” your thoughts and to be mindful of the joyful present moment. There is nothing better to do. Being angry and antagonistic makes things take even longer and causes enough stress for all on the scene to kill everybody’s appetite, including yours. And “thinking” you will be late suggests that you didn’t have enough time in the first place and should make better arrangements in the future. It is important to understand that our reactions to stress cues are codependent with thoughts and emotions. And we can mindfully observe thoughts in the present moment, which is a very powerful protective technique against stressrelated cues when practiced properly. Reactions based on our thoughts and emotions do not have to become reality, as we can veto them.
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MINDFULNESS IS A POWERFUL COPING STRATEGY With practice, one can learn to control one’s thoughts, actions and reactions in everyday life and to stop being subjected to whims of the Iill. During an eight-week stressreduction training program, John Astin of the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior of the University of California, Irvine, found increased sense of control over one’s cognitive, affective, and behavioral experiences: The techniques of mindfulness meditation, with their emphasis on developing detached observation and awareness of the contents of consciousness, may represent a powerful cognitive behavioral coping strategy for transforming the ways in which we respond to life events. They may also have potential for relapse prevention in affective disorders. (Astin, 1997)
No Mind is a powerful behavioral coping strategy that helps us control the Iill’s reactions and actions. With practice and discipline you will develop the ability to slow
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down or even stop the stormy waves of thoughts responsible for mindless behavior. In fact, most people can “see” the difference in their reactions and stress levels at the very beginning of practice (Roth, 1997). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which was developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School by Jon KabatZinn and Saki Santorelli, has helped elderly patients and their caregivers to take better care of their health and to enjoy their activities more fully (including reading, listening to music, meditation, silence, solitude, and dream work) (McBee, 2003). Since 1979, over 15,000 people with a range of medical and psychological conditions have completed MBSR programs at the Stress Reduction Clinic and over 5,000 health-care professionals have participated in MBSR training programs in the United States and Europe. More than 200 clinics around the world are offering programs based on its model. According to studies, the program helps a broad array of individuals to cope with their clinical and nonclinical problems, including heart disease (Grossman, Niemann, Schmidt, & Walach, 2004; Tacon, McComb, Caldera, & Randolph, 2003). One study used mindfulness meditation to successfully relieve depression and anxiety caused by a surge of physical ailments in an elderly patient who was also terrified of having to undergo a tracheotomy (Sun, Wu, & Chiu, 2004). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is especially efficient in preventing relapse in patients with three or more depressive episodes in the past (Ma & Teasdale, 2004). Most practitioners of mindfulness techniques have fewer headaches, colds, infections, insomnia problems, and back pains due to lowered stress and greater control of negative thoughts. Meditation treatment as applied to pain is useful because each thought, feeling, idea or perception involves some type of physical or physiological response. Uncontrolled and unregulated thought process of the mind can create (and through habitation maintain) offensive physiological conditions. Examples include angina, hypertension, and tension headache. (Rockers, 2002)
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The ability to flow with life is vital to weathering the inevitable and constant change of circumstances that is endemic to it. When you are too serious, you are attached, and attachments cause stress and block the flow. Practicing Clear Attention develops the ability to flow in any situation, thus bringing the play back into life. When you learn to recognize expectations, intentions, and anticipations as thoughts that demand no action, you experience “letting go” and giving in to the flow of the situation. Allow yourself to become the water that can flow around obstacles, recognizing the obstacles as simple changes of direction and not as disruptions in your chosen path. The flow of water holds formidable strength and endurance.
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ACT. REACT. ALWAYS IN PLAY In play, we give in to the moment and do not dwell on the anticipated outcome. Life is in balance, as you recognize the sameness in all situations. There are good times and bad times, but if you see their essential sameness, there is no stress over associated gains or losses and you are less likely to be pulled out of balance by one problem over another. Some problems may need more work to resolve, but work does not equal stress. Whether we swim through deep or shallow water, the effort is the same. If you fixate on the depth and on the possibility of having to rest without being able to reach the bottom with your feet, you will cause yourself unnecessary stress, which will hinder your swimming performance. By understanding the concept of playing in the flow, you balance your stress cues by watching them mindfully and giving each one the same proportional value. You don’t inflate one over the others based on conditioned anticipations of their relative value. Obviously, some cues require more attention than others, given the context. But in either event, a stress response does not help you to perform and to make the best decisions. Nearly all people assign disproportionate significance to minor events on occasion and experience stress when there is no real
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threat. This happens when we follow the patterns of the mental web of the Iill because we have not yet learned to flow around the boulders in the stream of life. The practice of No Mind not only prevents stress and stress-related diseases, but also shortens stress recovery time after experiencing emotional turmoil. Meditation has even been shown to increase fertility by reducing stress. Leading medical programs teach relaxation techniques, including meditation and yoga (Petersen, 2004).
INCREASED STRESS RECOVERY Chronic stress sufferers continue to experience anxiety even after the stress cues are removed. The body remains tense, which increases the chances of stress-related disease. The longer the state of stress is maintained, the more likely it is that the next stress cue we come across will have a more severe impact, since we haven’t recovered sufficiently and we are primed to overreact. If the stress cues follow each other in a close sequence, as often happens in life, the level of stress grows exponentially. At this point, some may “throw in the towel” and go home for the day, or take a walk to calm down, or even seek comfort in substance abuse. It is important to learn to regather the energy spent and to calm down quickly, so that you do not keep building upon previous levels of stress. In school, we are subjected to repeated tests, which gives many students continuous anxiety about the next test. Mindfulness practice has been shown to reduce and prevent test anxiety on a continual basis. In a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, William Linden of New York University trained 26 schoolchildren in meditation practice. The students demonstrated the ability to perceive and to think more articulately and became less test-anxious, as measured by the Test Anxiety Scale for Children (Linden, 1973). The practice of No Mind increases the ability to recover the energy spent in the first bout of stress and to prepare calmly for future ones, should they occur. The
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old notion that some stress is good for performance has been rejected by most businesses, athletes, educators, and people in general. Stress dramatically reduces performance. More important, stress is unhealthy, especially if the energy it creates in the mind-body is not properly channeled and released.
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Teaching mindfulness meditation is a nursing intervention that can foster healing. The consistent practice of mindfulness meditation has been shown to decrease the subjective experience of pain and stress in a variety of research settings. Formal and informal daily practice fosters development of a profound inner calmness and nonreactivity of the mind, allowing individuals to face, and even embrace, all aspects of daily life regardless of circumstances. By emphasizing being, not doing, mindfulness meditation provides a way through suffering for patients, families, and staff. This practice allows individuals to become compassionate witnesses to their own experiences, to avoid making premature decisions, and be open to new possibilities, transformation, and healing. (Ott, 2004)
Mindfulness meditation performed by clinical patients has consistently reduced stress and alleviated depression, anxiety, disease, and emotional imbalance. Dr. Jon KabatZinn used mindfulness and meditation to aid the rehabilitation of a patient who suffered partial brain damage and spent two weeks in a coma after being raped and severely beaten. The practice of mindfulness played a significant role in restoring her emotional and physical functionality (Meili & Kabat-Zinn, 2004).
BEYOND NO MIND STRESS MANAGEMENT The practice of No Mind may reduce stress reactions in those who understand the techniques. But sometimes stress is caused by imbalanced spiritual awareness and by our poor attitude toward mortality. No Mind 401, The Secrets of No Mind, describes a spirituality that expands from the mind-body awareness to grasp the essence of
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nature or to directly experience enlightenment. When we experience this level of spiritual awareness, we know our true nature. In metaphorical terms, we feel the calm depths of the ocean of energy that surrounds us. We move our awareness from the stormy waves on the surface to the tranquility that lies below, making us immune to the turmoil above. After surpassing the stress of our fast-paced modern life, many have discovered a deeper sense of meaning and profound awakening through enlightenment. This discovery cannot be forced or “willed”—it comes as an insight with the practice of No Mind. When athletes reach peak moments, they may feel overwhelmed with joy, but without a method of understanding and maintaining these experiences, they can’t grasp them in terms of spiritual awareness or as enlightened sports. With sustained practice, No Mind develops such experiences until there is non-dualistic understanding of reality that is beyond the Iill. This is the ultimate healthy state for a human being, where stress cannot exist, as there is no intention, expectation, regret, or worry to feed a stress cue; there is only pure action. And that is enlightened living. To cultivate this state, one needs to first understand and then experience the non-dualistic state of enlightenment, when the Iill dissolves into the unity of everything and deep joy permeates our being. Such states are reached by practicing the Ten Paradoxes and by integrating these insights into your daily life. Here, we conceive of stress cues as mere mind objects and remain objective to their arising and dissipating. The constant practice of the Right Attitude and Right Awareness (see No Mind 301) keeps the mind focused on acting and reacting accordingly. Often an enrollment in intense ten-day Zen training or mindfulness courses helps to break through the gate of intuition and insight. There are deeper levels of enlightenment than the initial insight into spiritual awareness (see Chapter 15, The Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones). The goal is to move from mindful awareness of being aware of a given situation to No Mind, where there is no self-awareness but only pure awareness of
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everything as an act of spiritual awareness. Here, spiritual awakening is found through the flow of mind-body. Objective awareness of the mechanisms of the Iill brings lasting peace and serenity. Experiencing enlightenment, we lose nothing, and yet we are never the same. We do not lose our personality—we “see” through personalities. The illusory nature of our personalities, the Iills, becomes crystal clear. What was once opaque and solid has become transparent and fluid. We are no longer stuck in stressful responses, as we see their impermanence. We overcome the fear of leaving the habitual world of the Iill, the dualistic nature of pain and suffering, and enter the non-dualistic world of being and nothingness, which is the source of all the Shangri-Las of the imaginations of human beings throughout history: the ultimate level of stress-free life and joyous and meaningful illumination.
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CHAPTER 30
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. The medical profession has recognized meditation’s role in stress management. 2. Researchers have found that people can learn to control headaches through the practice of mindfulness meditation and concluded that meditation may be a superior and cost-effective alternative to painkillers. 3. The National Institute of Health has endorsed alternative therapies for chronic pain and insomnia, including meditation. 4. Our mental web determines what situations and perceptual cues get branded as “stressful.” This web has countless Iill stress cues that were conditioned, reinforced, learned, modeled, associated, trained, or habituated into our associative neural network. 5. The main problem in stress management is the Iill’s reaction to the stress cues and the stress level that each cue can induce, from mild to severe panic. Hundreds of studies confirm that meditation has a calming effect and that regular practitioners are less susceptible to stress cues and react to a lesser degree, compared to those who don’t meditate. 6. Mindfulness prevents the Iill from reacting uncontrollably by allowing one to veto or to pause the reaction. 7. Living in the past and in the future takes our focus away from the present moment, where stress cannot exist. In the Now, there is no stress. If we dwell on the past, we regret; if we dwell on the future, we worry.
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8. With Clear Attention, we become mindful of the Iill’s response to the stress cue and realize that it is a reaction that we do not need to act on if we don’t want to. We do not need to act on our thoughts. Thoughts are only thoughts, not reality.
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9. Our reactions to stress cues are codependent with thoughts and emotions, and we can mindfully observe thoughts in the present moment, which is our combative technique to stress-related cues. 10. No Mind is a powerful behavioral-coping strategy for controlling the Iill’s reactions and actions. With practice and discipline, we develop the ability to slow down, or even stop, the stormy waves of thoughts responsible for our mindless behavior. 11. When we are too serious, we are attached, and attachments cause stress and block the flow. Practicing Clear Attention develops the ability to flow in any situation, thus bringing play back into life. 12. The practice of No Mind increases the ability to recover the energy spent in the first bout of stress and to prepare calmly for future ones, should they occur. 13. Mindfulness meditation performed by clinical patients has consistently reduced stress and alleviated depression, anxiety, disease, and emotional imbalance. 14. In No Mind Enlightenment, we do not lose our personality—we “see” through personalities. The illusory nature of our personalities, the Iills, becomes crystal clear. What was once opaque and solid has become transparent and fluid. We are no longer stuck in stressful responses.
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In most relationships, the individual partners have their own entrenched Iills developed over many years of conditioning. The Iill generally functions defensively in its own self-interest, using subjectively interpreted data. When two Iills come together at first, when restraint is at its highest, they might get along fine, but at some point they typically engage in a conflict, which is often beyond resolution from the Iill’s limited perspective. The No Mind program renders the Iill obsolete. From this point of view, the relationship is treated as a whole, and its needs are paramount to the perceived needs of either individual. Negotiation pursues the best interest of the relationship, as opposed to the best interest of either party’s Iill. But conflict-free negotiation is only one way though which No Mind enhances relationships. The program also deepens the connection in intimate relationships, improves romance, and even enables couples to approach sexual encounters as a means of developing spiritual awareness. Chapter 31 applies No Mind to relationships and reveals how its practice can help remove conflict, deepen compassion, open the channels of communication, develop unconditional love, and even enable the experience of enlightenment through Zen sex.
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he practice of No Mind enhances awareness and perception of cues from other people. We are more open and receptive, and we process sensory information with less filtering and categorization. We see reality and people as they really are. Issues to which we were oblivious before may be alarmingly obvious now. While applying Clear Attention to daily routines, we discover a new sense of interconnectivity among our mind-body, family, community, nature, the universe, and our loved ones. We have learned how to apply the Ten Paradoxes to routine situations in terms of non-action or no-trying; remaining in play; understanding and being mindful of expectations, desires, hopes, anticipations, and worries; reflecting as a mirror in a non-dualistic mode of awareness while trying to resolve conflicts or misunderstandings; allowing the natural flow of the relationship to take place through less analysis; releasing attachments and reducing clinging to our individual perspectives; and achieving spiritual awareness by 631
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transcending the “I” and experiencing unity with partners through touching, closeness, and sexual ritual. The Ten Paradoxes helps us maintain a path of action that will make our relationships better—for us as individuals and for both partners as a couple.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF TWO IiLLS In a relationship, each partner brings a set of beliefs, values, defense mechanisms, conditioning patterns, reinforcing cues, biases, and judgments through his or her formed categorical and associative mechanisms and habitual modes of performing daily routines. It is difficult to fully understand your mate’s needs and desires all the time. And what may have been strong attraction and love at first tends to weaken, instead of intensify, as the relationship itself becomes increasingly habituated. Hence, over half of the marriages don’t last. As discussed previously, the tendency of the Iill is to get locked into distinctive perspectives. The Iill constantly needs to maintain its viewpoints to reconfirm its dualistic identity. The Iill always relates to reality in terms of “I” and “they,” or simply “I” and “you” in relationships. This maintains the illusion of two separate entities trying to relate to each other, as opposed to becoming spiritually aware of their “oneness.” In a relationship, we are expected to work together as one entity to solve problems, build a financial future, raise children, share joyful activities, and so on. We tend to act most selflessly when we raise children; for their “needs” always outweigh ours, and we sometimes mistakenly suppress our own needs in favor of providing for those of the other partner. When we over-suppress our own needs, we can actually block our own spiritual growth, which harms our relationships in the long run. It is natural to have needs, desires, intentions, expectations, hopes. They are the bases of our sense of personality, or ego. We learn to become aware of these needs through the practice of Clear Attention. We do not suppress but recognize them for what they are—mental
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objects. We may choose to act on some, but not on others. A balanced life calls for fulfilling needs that are consistent with the Right Attitude and the Right Awareness (see No Mind 301) and with the needs of the relationship. If we suppress these needs and desires, they can manifest themselves in the form of interpersonal conflicts. Objective awareness through the practice of Clear Attention helps us realize which needs are important, which are trivial, and which are conditioned reactions. Putting the needs of the couple above the needs of the individual paves the path to true spiritual awareness. Balance and harmony are brought to a relationship by transcending the needs of the Iill and by realizing love as an essential universal need of the couple. If the relationship does not have the selfless interest of the couple at its foundation, then it is doomed to imbalance and may even end in discord. When we are “selfless” and less attached to our own needs, the relationship flows. Yet things must be balanced, as both partners remain selfless and pursue the greater goal of the needs of the relationship, as opposed to the needs of the self. When our priority is love in the relationship, our perspectives are flexible and we are more likely to “see” the other side of the story. Similarly, when a couple has a child, both partners put the interest of the child above their own; this makes it easier to agree on what is best for the child. When parents truly love their child, they usually can agree on how to fulfill the child’s needs, whether they are together or not. Yet, when parents are selfish, conflicts related to raising a child are more likely.
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ATTACHMENT BRINGS CONFLICT Conflicts occur when we are attached to opinions, values, ideas, beliefs, habits, and so on. Everyone has been in a situation where one is not flexible on a certain issue and when one makes a stand and is resolved to “fight to the death” to protect the perspective of the Iill. The ego defends its identity and the things that define it, as discussed
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in No Mind 101. It is sad, but also humorous, to step outside the anger of the moment and to watch a meaningless argument escalate into a full battle. Sometimes these types of arguments suggest the existence of more serious issues that seek opportunities to come to the surface. Clear Attention is very useful in such situations, allowing you to be objectively mindful of your thoughts and more intuitively aware of your partner’s real motives. When we stop “trying” to make the other person “see our point,” we can engage in more open communications though the application of the First Paradox: Act. React. But never try. When partners practice non-action (or wuwei, communication without trying to prove anything or to impose a point of view), the mind opens to the free flow of flexible communication. Clear Attention develops such a detached, non-dualistic mode of awareness by suspending the Iill’s effort. Developing this form of communication requires practice by both partners, but even if only one of them practices the technique, it may open the perspective of the other partner as they both begin to “see” their own faults through the actions or reactions of the other partner. When we remain mindful and do not engage in argumentative behavior, the other partner has nothing to fight against. Being non-argumentative can be the most effective way of allowing someone to truly “see” their own faults.
WITHOUT EFFORT, COMMUNICATION IS OPEN Communicating without “trying” suspends the effort of judging the other person’s actions. Passing judgments between partners is a futile exercise that strains the relationship. In judging someone’s actions, opinions, or values, you use your own experience to “try” to understand what the other person is attempting to communicate, even though your experience most likely cannot grasp the other person’s meaning and feelings adequately. Still, to judge, you must make reference to the perspective of your own Iill, which automatically implies that
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you are the absolute point of reference regarding what is “right,” while others may be “wrong.” In other words, someone has to assume the “right” position and the other has to assume the “wrong” position, which immediately separates the couple into polar opposites. In a healthy relationship, nobody is right or wrong—they are both right and they are both wrong. In reality, there are only different perspectives that need not be right or wrong. And these different perspectives are merely two sides of the same goal of maintaining the relationship. When the goal changes, the relationship usually fails. Relationships unite two “I’s,” but both of them regard themselves as right “according to their own points of reference” and neither likes to recognize that they are wrong or to admit fault. Remember, from the perspective of No Mind, both partners are equally right and wrong during disagreements—the verdict only changes relative to an Iill’s point of view. In any disagreement, everything is relative, which is important to remember while having “heated” discussions with your partner. When couples practice Clear Attention, they reduce the Iill’s urge to continually defend and alienate itself. We can stop the cycle of reactive verbal exchanges between partners by becoming mindful of thoughts as mind objects. Of course, this is difficult to do once emotions have taken hold of the mind. When there is “no try,” there is no judging, and the other’s needs are more readily seen and understood. Act. React. But never try to prove your partner wrong or yourself right. Simply accepting what the other is saying is an act of non-action. To listen without intention and expectation is non-action in communication. When all effort to “prove” who is right and who is wrong ceases, the partners feel more connected, as they are more open to expressing their feelings freely. They no longer judge, analyze, intimidate, threaten, ridicule, or mock each other. The couple develops and experiences unconditional acceptance, which is an essential aspect of true love. In this way, partners relinquish their quest to dominate and overshadow each other. Through the practice of No Mind, they learn to be mindful of the Iill and to avoid
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trying to shape their partners based on their expectations of “what one should be” and “how one should act.” In addition, they are released from their own “selves” in the process. By becoming mindful, they change their own behavior tendencies of trying to change their partners. The unconditional love of full acceptance connects the partners in a fluid communication stream which builds over time. This type of flowing communication knows no arguments, as there is nothing to argue about when no position has been taken; there is nothing to defend or to attack. Truth is relative to the arguer, just as space and time are relative to the observer—so all truths are conditionally relative.
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS When we share unconditional love with our partner, arguing with him or her “feels” as if we are arguing with ourselves. Unconditional love is a true feeling of spiritual oneness; thus, we accept our partner’s beliefs and values and we experience spiritual awareness in love; in a mystical sense, one is the other. Abraham Maslow writes: There is little question about the tendency to more and more complete spontaneity, the dropping of defenses, the dropping of roles, and of trying and striving in the relationship. As the relationship continues, there is a growing intimacy and honesty and self-expression, which at its height is a rare phenomenon. The report from these people is that with a beloved person it is possible to be oneself, to feel natural, ‘I can let my hair down.’ This honesty also includes allowing one’s faults, weaknesses, and physical and psychological shortcomings to be freely seen by the partner. Self-actualizing love, or b-love, tends to be a free giving of oneself, wholly and with abandon, without reserve, withholding, or calculation of the kind exemplified in the following statements collected from college women: ‘Don’t give it up easily.’ ‘Make it hard to get.’ ‘Make him uncertain.’ ‘He should not be too sure of me.’ ‘I keep him guessing.’ ‘Don’t give yourself too fast or too completely.’
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‘If I love him too much he’s the boss.’ ‘In love one must love more than the other; whoever does is the weaker.’ ‘Let him worry a little.’ (Maslow, 1954).
In addition, Maslow argues that an individual can be much healthier in his environment when he is not attached: ‘Living by his inner laws that he sensed within him rather than follow cultural pressures’ (Maslow, 1954). Whether or not two partners have distinct lives and careers, they can be united through spiritual awareness of unconditional love. They can discover this through the practice of No Mind. They understand the relationship between work, play, and love, and they experience an intrinsic bond with one another, as well as true freedom from one another. Their love is not based on conditions or desire potentials that need to be fulfilled: “If she only did this, I would love her more,” Unconditional love is universal love, or god x’s love, experienced by both partners at the same time; it is universal like a great pool of water where they come to play, refresh, recharge, and “get wet.” The roots of such unconditional acceptance and love are in spiritual awareness. Partners recognize that they are spiritually the same and that their love is not individualized; it is the essence of nature that manifests itself as love. Couples who share such enlightenment (in the sense of experiencing oneness beyond the Iill) grasp the essential love that permeates the universe and expresses itself in the natural world. Two lovers manifest unconditional love when they look into each other’s eyes and are no longer aware of themselves. In losing oneself into the other, they have “gained everything” in the total absorption of the moment. Unconditional love is the mystical union with the infinite.
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MYSTICAL UNION THROUGH SEXUAL RITUAL The attainment of enlightenment through sexual ritual is discussed in the ancient Tantra scriptures. Tantra means integration—the integration of two mind-bodies through spiritual awareness. Tantra is best described as spiritual sex; spiritual awareness is achievable though the practice
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of correct sexual ritual that enables transcending the mechanisms of the Iill. Tantra practitioners seek enlightenment through sexual techniques that facilitate spiritual development and freedom from the “I.” In attaining oneness through the practice of No Mind, we must relinquish thoughts and forget expectations. We must un-train the mind to practice selfless, instead of selfish, sex. This transcends the Iill and dissolves the separateness between our own self and that of our partner. The partners merge in Being and realize the universal nature of awareness: enlightenment. The way of Zen is to allow nature to express itself through all of our actions without intention, similar to the way the cherry blossom blooms naturally in the spring. The practice of Zen through the sex ritual is almost six hundred years old, and Tantra is millennia-old. Ikkyu Sojun (1394–1481), one of the most revered Zen masters in history, said that sex deepened the experience of enlightenment. This theme reverberates in a recent book on Zen sex: “So many of us go through life searching for sex, bored with sex, ashamed of sex, addicted to sex, never realizing our potential to awaken and change” (Sudo, 2000). When the techniques of No Mind are applied to the sexual technique, we experience the expansion of our awareness from individuality to universality—awareness is the only universal constant. An essential aspect of the universe is its propensity to continually recreate itself, and this aspect is the basis of life. Above anything, even survival, life seeks to recreate itself. In humans this essential desire runs deep and its suppression is unhealthy. The integration of mind, body, and spirit is important for a healthy and enlightened individual. It is the Red Thread of Zen of which Ikkyu speaks and which connects us all and links us to spiritual awareness. There are four basic practices to Tantra, or Zen sex: motionless intercourse, synchronized breathing, sustained eye contact, and sexual exchange without orgasm (Voigt, 1991). These differ from most couples’ normal sexual habits; therefore, in order to practice these methods, one
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must un-train the mind and become empty of the Iill’s expectations, desires, worries, and doubts. We un-train our conditional reality, “let go” of selfish desires to be pleased, and open to selfless desires to please the other. It is a subtle integration of the two mind-body dynamics exchanging energy in a reciprocal process. And yet, it is more than just pleasing the other partner selflessly; we expand our awareness beyond the Iill’s mechanisms of self-centeredness into the pure awareness of unity with our partner. The practice of No Mind can become a transformational process for couples and help them reach deeper spiritual levels.
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When we, as therapists, grasp the meaning of the collective essence of these experiential parameters, a new context for our work with couples can emerge. It becomes possible to make a deliberate choice between working to promote symptom remission, as with conventional approaches to sexual problems, and a commitment to transformation of a couple’s sexual experience ... We can, on the one hand, view orgasm as resulting from proper stimulation and effective technique and, on the other hand, understand orgasm as a product of deep relaxation and a profound level of contact between partners ... the self of a couple that manifest in subtle realms. (Voigt, 1991)
Intimacy with one’s own self is an essential step to achieving intimacy between partners. In a paper titled “Bringing Zen Practice Home,” Joan Hoeberichts, a Zen priest and psychotherapist, says, Intimate relationships are great partners in the path of meditation practice. Meditation practice lowers our defenses and allows us to see and feel aspects of ourselves we might not have access to otherwise ... Admitting to myself my feeling of stupidity was being most intimate with myself. It was stepping into not knowing. Allowing myself to look and feel stupid in front of someone else is, indeed, most intimate in relationship. (Hoeberichts, 2004)
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TRANSCENDING THE “I” AND AWAKENING THE VITAL ENERGY Taoist Yoga describes a generative force (chi) which can be controlled and regulated through proper breathing and awareness. The couple can practice these techniques before sexual union to increase the flow of energy throughout the body. This also stimulates the lower chakras. The second chakra, located in the abdomen and sexual organs, brings sexual fulfillment, fluidity, and the ability to change the flow of energy. [Deep breathing] reaches the lower abdomen to arouse the inner fire and then bring pressure on the generative force already held there, forcing both fire and generative force to rise in the channel of control in the spine to the head. This is followed by an out-breathing, which relaxes the lower abdomen, so that the fire and generative force that have risen to the head sink in the channel of function in the front of the body to form a full rotation, ‘the microcosmic orbit.’ This is to cleanse and purify the generative force so it can be transmuted into vitality. (Luk, 1970)
A similar (but more popular) Tibetan practice called Kundalini Yoga speaks of a spiritual force behind all mental and physical activities. It rises from the lower nerve plexus to unite with consciousness in the pineal gland in the brain with the help of breathing techniques and Yoga. Kundalini Yoga creates overwhelming unifying energy. Erotic impulses can stimulate Kundalini energy to rise along the spine to the highest center of power above the head. Couples can experience this unifying energy through the practice of Kundalini Yoga as it applies to sexual union. The Kundalini is neither a biological nor a psychic principal, it is a spiritual concept. There is no objective proof of her existence. But, she can be ‘seen’ intuitively ... The discovery of the Kundalini and the esoteric process of awakening is a prehistoric achievement of human ingenuity. It is one of the priceless treasures of Indian culture. (Singh, Lalan, & Prasad, 1976)
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Modifying your sexual practices to include the four basic techniques of Zen sex (motionless intercourse, synchronized breathing, sustained eye contact, sexual exchange without orgasm) and using the practice of No Mind can help you and your partner reach spiritual awareness and experience higher energy states. In this expanded awareness, we transcend the individual “I” to achieve universal unity that releases us from the bonds of the Iill. We experience directly the non-dualistic integration of the partners’ sexual energies. Nature flows through the sexual act when the Iill is released. This leads to enlightenment by reprogramming the learned automatisms of sexual practices and expectations. These automatisms prevent us from relating to our partner because they tend to make us get stuck on ourselves. True intimacy comes from suspending perceptual and defense mechanisms and from “seeing” our partner as a spiritual source.
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No longer so tossed about by thoughts, we become capable of a more unbroken perception of each other and ourselves. We pass through the gates of cynical and demystified certainties toward suggestive ambiguity. We hear the songs of inflection beneath the speech. We feel the greater whole coming together, previously obscured by our habitual fragmenting preoccupations. Drawing back from the rush, we feel the quieter emotions of shyness, charm, and trepid vulnerability as the graceful but uncertain romanticism of life. (Sovatsky, 2000)
PERFORM. DO. BU T NE VER THINK. The sexual ritual requires no thought, no effort, no intention—just a passive “letting go” and trusting the mind-body to reach peak performance. Be “mindful” of the technique and the process, as opposed to the intentions and goals. The experience is analogous to watching a toy boat being gently released into the stream, carried by the current, and joining the flow of the stream. Remember, any thoughts, even positive and encouraging ones, detract from the experience of No Mind during the sexual ritual.
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While we want to enjoy these experiences, we must be equally mindful of all thoughts if we are to reach spiritual awareness. No thought is superior to right or wrong thoughts. Focusing awareness using Clear Attention and breathing is the path to reaching spiritual unity through the sexual ritual. When we shed all judgments and expectations, the gates of mystical ecstasy open to the couple. Letting go of the complex maze of mechanisms that sustain the Iill allows non-action (or no-trying) as there is no purpose, no intention, and no goal to fulfill. There is only the present moment. Attempting to “will” the moment disrupts the gentle flow that is required for purposeless action. Un-training the mind is needed to stop trying to force outcomes, to just let go like a toy boat in the stream. Neither partner should attempt to manipulate “the toy boat in the stream”; they should just let it follow its own natural course. The partners must succeed as a “couple,” but not in the sense of being attached at the hip; rather, they should see each other as an aspect of their own spiritual awareness, where their “I’s” are irrelevant. In spiritual awareness, we are all the same, we lose our individuality to the cosmic flux of Being, and if a couple can experience this, they know an enlightened relationship. Clear Attention and breathing develop the detached and non-dualistic perception that is required for peak performance. There is no “I” responsible for actions here, as these actions cannot be possessed by anyone. We perform best by trusting nature as the source of essential knowledge that permeates every cell of the body. Nature, or spiritual awareness, acts and becomes aware of itself through the mind-body, just as we become spiritually aware when the mind-body is in peak performance. This is No Mind; we act with expanded awareness that realizes its universality. Individuality has been transcended and personality has subsided without effort. Subsequently, we exist only in the present moment; if the partners remain focused on the present moment, they are open to fully experiencing unconditional love.
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Mindful awareness is the ability to clearly see what is happening from moment to moment without being colored by past or future events ... When partners have an argument or conflict they usually are not aware of themselves in the present moment and normally argue about past events that are still causing them pain. Practicing mindful awareness helps them to stay open to their pain and allows them to connect deeply with each other ... whereby each partner cultivates his or her journey, while at the same time cultivating the growth of the relationship and the journey of the other. Partners help one another to find their true self. (Yau, Bley, & Dea, 1994)
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WE CAN LOVE CONDITIONALLY OR UNCONDITIONALLY The Iill is the greatest obstacle to the development of spiritual awareness and to the unity between partners. Our mental web of behavioral patterns may serve ourselves, but it certainly may not accommodate our partner. We may be completely different, from beliefs and opinions to how we clean the dishes. Through the practice of No Mind, we learn to recognize these patterns in ourselves and in our loved ones as aspects of the mind, so we can handle differences and understand the other through understanding the other’s Iill. Everyone enters a relationship with ideas, mental maps of how they want it to unfold, fantasies, hopes, expectations, and future goals. When the reality of the relationship clashes with what we thought it “should be,” we must adjust our personal plans to accommodate the other partner. We often blame him or her for putting us in this position, as the Iill considers itself too perfect and can rarely recognize self-fault; hence, we have karma. When one of the partners has expectations of the other, this brings karma into the relationship. In general, relationships from the perspective of the Iill are extremely difficult, and even those who succeed struggle with issues from the start;
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only the couples that accept issues unconditionally move on with the relationship painlessly. We all have heard old people say, “He was always like that, but I love him anyway,” or “There she goes again; it’s best I just let her be and have her moment.” These are examples of people who have learned to love conditionally. They accept the other because he or she fits other conditions they need to feel fulfilled. Such an accepting relationship doesn’t really sound like a great romance or like an enlightening love affair. We accept the other for many reasons besides love—fear of loneliness, children, financial security, religion, cultural or family values, shame, guilt, and so on. The relationship isn’t based on true, unconditional love, but on conditional reasons. We may not even be aware of the reasons, but we stay with our partner, even though our insight dictates that we should leave to find true love. Unfortunately, most relationships are conditional. We learn to love and accept what matches our Iill preferences. Projecting needs, intentions, and expectations onto our partner in order to fill existing voids in our own personality can be destructive to the relationship. For instance, calling your partner selfish in certain situations when it is really you who feels selfish amounts to projecting your inner self-feelings. Similarly, it is counterproductive to say you are tired when your partner wants to have sex if the truth is that you are losing sexual interest in your partner. The same goes for silently accepting things your partner does, when deep down you resent them. Such deceptive behavioral patterns spawn a couple “I,” where we become habituated to our partner’s habits and fail to see them anymore. Similar to the social “I” discussed in No Mind 101, the couple “I” is an illusion shared by the partners. They are bound together by a set of expectations, desires, patterns, and sexual habits, but those may actually stand in the way of true unity and enlightenment. Partners need to “let go” of their attachments to the couple “I” and to release the dependence on mutual routines and patterns. The formation of the mutual “I” is not a conscious
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or willful act; it happens surreptitiously over time. Partners can get channeled into stereotypical patterns of action and reaction without ever finding self- or mutual fulfillment in the relationship. This usually happens when the partners are not whole in themselves, making the relationship incomplete also; they are fragments coming together in hopes of producing one whole through the relationship. Such couples, where the partners have not experienced their own individual spiritual awareness, are common. In them, partners cannot experience spiritual awareness through the sexual union either. When they become whole and spiritually aware, they may expand their relationship to one of unconditional love.
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MINDFULNESS-BASED RELATIONSHIP ENHANCEMENT The technique of mindfulness has been scientifically shown to enhance a couple’s relationship. In a study evaluating the effects on mindfulness-based relationship enhancement, designed to enrich the relationships of relatively happy, non-distressed couples, results suggest that there was a favorable impact on the couples’ levels of relationship satisfaction, autonomy, relatedness, closeness, spirituality, relaxation, and psychological distress. The results further showed improved levels of relationship happiness, relationship stress, stress coping efficacy, and overall stress. (Carson, Carson, Gil, & Baucom, 2004)
Practicing Clear Attention, partners realize new aspects of their individual and couple Iills. They begin to recognize whether their behavioral patterns are healthy or not and to develop those conducive to the practice of No Mind. Being objective allows them to recognize the binding power of behavioral patterns on the relationship; then they are free to communicate openly their real emotions. The trigger cues of each partner determine the emergence of a mutual set of relationship cues for the
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couple’s behavior. It is important for every couple to explore the mutual “I” of their relationship and to understand its trigger cues. For instance, intimate partners often have a set of behavioral patterns they adopt as a couple only when they are around other people (e.g., touching, not touching, formal dialogue, being pleasingly accepting of the other, bickering about certain subjects, and so on). In this case, the trigger cue is other people (or it may be a certain friend, a relative, coming home after work, and so on). Understanding these patterns sheds more light on the individual Iills and on the couple Iill. With mindfulness, we can monitor our own actions and reactions within the relationship and adjust our behaviors based on “Iill-less” actions. Therapists who counsel couples can monitor their client interactions using the same techniques that couples use to monitor themselves. Thus, mindfulness helps the couple therapists to create an optimal healing environment for their patients. Mindful counselors ... use multidimensional models of personality. They also carefully analyze the complex and dynamic interactions occurring within themselves, within their clients, and between themselves and their clients. They mindfully monitor the shifting dynamics ... in the counseling process. They recognize that their clients, like themselves, are complex adaptive systems who do not simply adhere to simplistic and linear models of behavior ... the mindful counselor is one who approaches the challenge of this complexity and uncertainty with a high level of creativity. (Leong, 1996)
An accepting, mindful, and compassionate relationship to the self is essential for the process of healing. The practice of the Right Attitude, which forms the basis of the Ten Paradoxes, develops mindfulness, unconditional love, compassion, and spiritual awareness. Mindfulness develops unconditional compassion and emotional connection, which is a source for healing within the relationship (Schmidt, 2004).
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NEVER WORK AT THE RELATIONSHIP, ALWAYS REMAIN IN PLAY We forget how we used to play and have fun. When you are mindful and watch other couples fight, you begin to understand that the arguing is a condition of the Iill, and you may even find some humor in it all. People fight about the silliest things—leaving the lights on or the toilet seat up, not cooking something “right,” picking the wrong check-out line, and so on. Yet, it’s all about defending our identities. If the fights continue or escalate, a couple may even require professional intervention to help them find the source of the problem. And if the problems remain unresolved, they may opt to end the relationship, as they may have lost the original love. At what point in the relationship did everything get so serious and desperate that nothing seems to work anymore? There was play at the beginning of the relationship, but eventually it turned into work; we felt like kids at the beginning, but then we grew up into adults and lost our ability to play. Many couples experience the relationship as “so much work all the time,” and this is unhealthy. Relationships should not feel like toil but like loving play. Unconditional love calls for no effort—it is an “unintentional” experience shared by both partners. Becoming spiritually aware allows us to experience unconditional love, but it must be shared by both partners. If only one partner does, the other cannot understand, which creates imbalance. Many couples and individuals experience spiritual awareness through unconditional love without understanding or identifying the experience (we’ve already discussed the athlete who experiences the flow, or the zone, but doesn’t have the knowledge to identify it as spiritual awareness or No Mind and how he is at a loss of words regarding the experience). When we love unconditionally, we experience selfless awareness that transcends the needs of the Iill. We would do anything for our partner, even at the cost of harm or death to ourselves. This is ultimate compassion, and the practice of No Mind develops it.
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NO MIND REDUCES CENSORSHIP OF SELF AND PARTNER Couples practicing Clear Attention can more readily become objective to their mind objects and understand the meaning of their partner’s actions and thoughts. They are more objective and see reality more clearly, which allows them to see these mind objects as thoughts and not as mandatory plans of action. They do not try to interpret their partner’s meaning in terms of their own Iill. “Watching” mind objects (like anger, guilt, resentment, and jealousy) diffuses their intensity before we act on them automatically. Through the application of Clear Attention, we gain insights into the source of mind-object patterns. In a therapeutic sense, understanding these emotions may help to overcome them; however, when we self-analyze our mind’s contents from within the Iill, the interpretation reflects the Iill’s understandings of those emotions. We must not use mind to understand mind. We use clear awareness to “watch” the mind objects. Remember the Third Paradox: Seek mind with no thought. We intuitively understand our partner better the less we think and analyze him or her. Applying Clear Attention to emotional mind objects develops an understanding of the associated behaviors and can reduce the frequency of such emotions in the future. The practice of No Mind helps to treat these emotions as mind objects with our partner and to let them go without over-thinking. In the Journal of Religion and Health, Rubin discusses how meditation reveals the meaning of thoughts, feelings, or fantasies psychoanalytically: The focus of authentic meditation is not to make anything happen, like quieting one’s mind, sedating oneself, or achieving higher state of consciousness or ‘spiritual experiences,’ but to be with whatever is happening (including inner turmoil) in a very different way—with a spirit of self-friendship rather than self-censorship. We engage our experience directly and empathetically in real meditation, with no separation between the observer and that which he or she observes, and without
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any agenda or a priori conclusions about the essential nature or value of what we experience. (Rubin, 2001)
When we transcend the “I,” action and actor merge together. It is no longer, “I am angry,” but, “there is anger,” or “just being aware of the anger.” We adapt a perspective beyond the automatisms of our behavior—we deautomatize. It is easier to decipher the meaning of negative thoughts or feelings outside the context of the Iill. Selfdoubt, lust, anger, anxiety, and apathy are major recurring issues in relationships. Many therapists opt for psychoanalytics when dealing with inter-ego conflicts, whereas a transpersonal (spiritual) approach works best when couples have resolved such conflicts and want to work on mutual spiritual growth (Boorstein, 1979). We need to grow individually in order to reach an enlightened relationship with our partner. We need to find the “conditions” of our relationships which prevent us from reaching “unconditional” love. Practicing Clear Attention allows us to become aware of conditional behaviors and attitudes, as opposed to being mindlessly consumed by the meaning of feelings and thoughts. It is a useful method for understanding inner turmoil and discomforts with regard to relationships. From the perspective of No Mind, we maintain objectively that these feelings are an empty source of the Iill. They offer nothing toward unconditional love and spiritual awareness. It is important for a couple to realize the shortcomings of the Iill and to transcend them for a loving and unconditional realization of who they really are. The universal essence is love, and god x is love; the couple experiences universal love through their own sexual union by letting go of all attachments.
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LETTING GO OF YOUR ATTACHMENTS—TOTAL ACCEPTANCE Becoming intensely attached to a particular process in the relationship may cause many problems. Insisting on “We have to do it this way” is a common recipe for relationship conflict, where one partner clings to a viewpoint and won’t
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let it go. But being right is relative to the Iill; everyone is “right” in a relationship, as they have always done things their way, which has worked for years. So why change now, even if it is to please our partner? The dominant partner typically wins, but the other partner may feel unimportant, ignored, intimidated, frightened, unnoticed, or withdraw into a submissive role. Such negativity introduces even more conditions into the relationship. Feelings and thoughts generated by the victory of one partner are destructive to the deep intimacy required for unconditional love and spiritual awareness through sexual union. These types of actions only hinder the ability to reach sexual heights and intimate sharing with one another. We need to understand the reality and futility of “winning.” For every winner there is a loser, and you shouldn’t want the one you love to be the loser. There is no possible gain at this point, only loss. The middle path between clinging to attachments is always more conducive to flow in the relationship. After all, opposites, such as right and wrong, are part of the same reality and not autonomous entities. If you seek right, then there must be something wrong. As with any linguistic duality, as long as you say someone is right, then, by default, you concurrently say that something or someone else is wrong (on the dualistic nature of language, see No Mind 101). The actions of one partner are codependent with the reactions of the other; thus, an interdependent relationship is realized through dynamic exchange and not through one-way action. This same principle governs nature and the universe. One-way communication cannot happen; whatever you say triggers a response in the other party, whether he or she expresses it or not. When someone constantly pushes to be right, the relationship can be become very taxing on the other partner. Attachment to ideas and beliefs is work. With less seriousness, the work finds its way back to the playful times when the couple had fun in each other’s company. There are many couples who complain in bemusement, “Why do we have to work so hard at this relationship?” They have lost the essential play that probably brought them together in the first place. Lovers often have a list of things they love
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and hate about their partners; “I love it when you do this,” or “I hate it when you do that,” describing all the rights and wrongs of the partner’s individual Iill. Instead of accepting the other person in totality, we continually defend our “I” and dwell on the differences of individuality, as opposed to dwelling on our mutual compatibility. You cannot accept your partner in totality until you accept that your interpretation of him or her may be entirely wrong and inadequate. Accept the fact that you may be wrong, and you will transcend the barriers between yourself and your partner. Every time we analyze our partner, we do so from within a predetermined “codebook” or “Iilllog” of engrained experiences. We need to move past this limited range and see the person without preexisting definitions, undefined, just as he or she is. It is important to pay attention without always trying to interpret the other’s actions. We accept, rather than question or analyze. Interpreting our partners’ actions continually categorizes them so that we can no longer “see” them in their own spiritual light and beauty. Intimate sharing, interpersonal spirituality, and open communications require understanding our partners in their own terms, not in terms of our own experience. Total acceptance equates to unconditional love. An article titled Re-Organizing the Experience of Self and the Spouse discusses interpersonal conflicts caused by the selfishness of each partner:
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In short, love and relationships in this world are in reference to one’s own self and not for the sake of the other ... But, when one or both partners have some unresolved issues regarding their own selves, the conflict tends to escalate. (Singh, 1992)
Obviously, our unresolved issues will strain our relationships. It is up to us to move past the selfishness of our own perspective into seeing our partner as a spiritual source, as a way in which we can experience universal love. In the grip of attachments, we lose the aspect of play through constantly attempting to be right; insisting that there is only one correct way to do something— our way; clinging to notions of self superiority (and the
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associated inferiority of the partner); and defending the pride of the “I” by hiding our feelings of guilt, shame, remorse, and anxiety. Pride is a defense mechanism that hurts relationships, among other things. Why do people fight those they love? We should be able to let our guards down with our loved ones and to trust them without ever feeling threatened. We get attached to the defenses of our identity. Pride is the by-product of defending our identity. In “play,” there is no pride to protect, no imposing expectations and intentions, no barriers to open communications, and the moment dictates the flow. That’s how young children play, in the moment. Similarly, romantic partners do and feel as they wish because they have achieved an uninhibited relationship. Play involves action that is unpurposeful, without expectations, and without intentions of winning something. When young children play, they portray these characteristics in their play. Enlightened relationships, just like Zen sex, are process-orientated rather than goal-oriented. Losing yourself or transcending the Iill in the process is the key to developing spiritual awareness with your partner. Spiritual transcendence requires recognizing the source of the self—the Iill’s mental web of neural associative networks. Each partner can help the other recognize his or her conditioned patterns of desires, expectations, anticipations, and anxieties. Thus applied, Clear Attention guides the partners in the spiritual process of achieving true intimacy at a selfless (Iill-less) level of expression, especially in sexual ritual. Understanding the other’s normative perceptions and behavioral antics opens opportunities for collaboration. Play must be kept up, as once anybody becomes attached to a particular issue, the problem of choosing sides between winners and losers returns. As people become aware of their partner’s idiosyncrasies, they can deal with them in a detached manner, without projecting their own behavioral and wish patterns onto the partner. Projecting stunts the couple’s growth. Recognizing one’s own problems and taking responsibility for them is healthy for the relationship, as it fosters intimacy and spiritual growth.
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THE MAGIC OF CLEAR ATTENTION IN A RELATIONSHIP Applying Clear Attention in conflict situations illuminates our attachments and those of our partner. Play moves the couple toward greater compassion for each other. Unconditional love is like a seed in potential; all loving relationships have the potential to experience unconditional love through spiritual awareness and sexual union. One of the most common problems in building healthy relationships is stress. Stress can originate from a variety of sources: money, children, in-laws, school, work, scheduling, jealousy, guilt, anger, resentment, and so on. Stress that manifests itself in each partner’s individual life can attack the couple’s well-being at its roots. One key to stress management is using the techniques of the No Mind program. It is important to maintain awareness of the present moment and not to relate stress cues of the couple to the future or the past. It is important to become aware of the temporal aspects of stress and how its cues relate to past regrets or future worries. No Mind Stress Management (Chapter 30) provides a helpful discussion on stress management. Clear Attention is a powerful technique for stress reduction that can be used by couples to enhance happiness in the relationship. It can be practiced together and as part of the sexual ritual. Couples can learn to naturally flow together around stress cues without blame, ridicule, and guilt. A couple must put their intentions and expectations of the relationship into perspective and understand that any expectation or intention is a mind object of the Iill. Like the wind blows in a general direction without intention, or a stream flows downhill without intention, a couple too can have a natural direction that is shared unintentionally through the couple “I.” A couple needs to find its natural direction that works within the confines of the two individual Iills and the couple Iill. Once the couple realizes deeper unconditional love through spiritual awareness, this flow will occur naturally without trying to “find it.” It will find itself.
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Clear Attention is a good platform from which to launch their “relationship boat” into the stream of life by gently releasing it and allowing it to flow with the current. This is the Right Attitude learned through the Ten Paradoxes that a couple must maintain if they are to develop spiritual awareness and experience enlightenment through sexual ritual. The couple must “let go” and trust their joint mind–body to stay in the flow; then the boat will not crash into the rocks or get beached upon the shore. Like an athlete trusting the mindbody to reach peak performance by transcending the “I,” the couple must trust that they have enough skill and understanding to develop an enlightened relationship. There are always obstacles along the path and many boulders in the stream to flow around, but with gentle direction and non-action, the couple can grow and experience oneness and unity. If the partners hit the rapids between the boulders, they must trust the “relationship boat” to make it through to calmer waters, knowing that all things in nature occur in cycles. Change is another constant we need to accept as part of life. Clear Attention supports fluid connections within a couple that are not skewed by the expectations and desires of either partner. There is no right or wrong, no winners or losers, no set ways of doing things; the field is open and the play can begin anew. There are no limits to the kind of love that is the unconditional expression of spiritual awareness. The ultimate realization that the universe plays through all of nature can be experienced directly in our relationship—through acts of communication, the sexual ritual, moments of intimacy, and mutual spiritual awareness. This is a beautiful mystical experience based on an intimate spiritual union with another human being. Rinzai’s disciples never got the Zen message, But I, the Blind Donkey, know the truth: Love play can make you immortal. The autumn breeze of a single night of love is Better than a hundred thousand years of sterile sitting meditation ... (Ikkyu, 2003)
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CHAPTER 31
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE CONTINUING
1. In a relationship, each partner brings a set of beliefs, values, defense mechanisms, conditioning patterns, reinforcing cues, biases, and judgments through his or her formed categorical and associative mechanisms and habitual modes of performing daily routines.
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2. The Iill always relates to reality in terms of “I” and “they” (or “I” and “you” in the context of relationships). This maintains the illusion of two separate entities trying to relate to each other, as opposed to becoming spiritually aware of their “oneness.” 3. Putting the needs of the couple above the needs of the individual paves the path to true spiritual awareness. Balance and harmony are brought to a relationship by transcending the needs of the Iill, and realizing love as an essential aspect of the universal needs of the couple. 4. When we stop “trying” to make the other person “see our point,” we can engage in more open communications though the application of the First Paradox: Act. React. But never try. Then partners practice non-action, or wu-wei—communication without trying to prove anything or to impose a point of view. 5. Never try to prove your partner wrong or yourself right. Simply accepting what the other is saying is an act of non-action. To listen without intention and expectation is non-action in communication. 6. Unconditional love is universal love, or god x’s love, experienced by both partners at the same time; it is universal, like a great pool of water where they come to play, refresh, recharge, and
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“get wet.” The roots of such unconditional acceptance and love are in spiritual awareness. 7. Couples can experience enlightenment through sexual techniques that facilitate spiritual development and freedom from the “I.” In attaining oneness through the practice of No Mind, we must relinquish thoughts and forget expectations. We must un-train the mind to practice selfless, instead of selfish, sex. 8. There are four basic practices to Zen sex: motionless intercourse, synchronized breathing, sustained eye contact, and sexual exchange without orgasm. 9. Couples can reprogram the learned automatisms of sexual practices and expectations. These automatisms prevent us from relating to our partner. They keep us stuck on ourselves. True intimacy comes from suspending perceptual and defense mechanisms and from “seeing” our loved one as a spiritual source. 10. In spiritual awareness we are all the same, as we lose our individuality to the cosmic flux of Being; if a couple can experience this, then they have known what an enlightened relationship really is. 11. Couples practicing Clear Attention can more readily become objective to their mind objects and understand the meaning of their partner’s actions and thoughts. 12. We need to find the “conditions” of our relationships which prevent us from reaching “unconditional” love. Practicing Clear Attention allows us to become aware of conditional behaviors and attitudes, as opposed to being mindlessly consumed by the meaning of feelings and thoughts.
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13. Conceptual opposites, such as “right” and “wrong,” are part of the same reality and not autonomous entities. If you seek right, then there must be something wrong. This is crucial to understand in a relationship: as long as you say someone is right, you simultaneously say that something or someone is wrong through the codependent nature of language.
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14. Intimate sharing, interpersonal spirituality, and open communications require understanding our partners in their own terms, not in terms of our own experience. Total acceptance equates to unconditional love. 15. The couple must maintain the Right Attitude (learned through the Ten Paradoxes) to develop spiritual awareness and to experience enlightenment through the sexual ritual. The couple must “let go” and trust their collective mind-body, so that the boat of their relationship stays in the flow without crashing into the rocks or getting beached upon the shore.
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No Mind 601
Insights of No Mind
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The Ten Paradoxes teach us that when we think less, we perceive more. We are more creative, intuitive, and intelligent. We understand what the great masters meant when they said that the Iill, intellect, and logic cannot comprehend nor experience No Mind, consciously or subconsciously. When we practice Clear Attention, we can reach a mindful states of awareness, when we may experience No Mind and the awakening that shifts the perspective of the “I” to cosmic spiritual awareness. The expanded awareness we reach with correct breathing, Clear Attention, and the use of the hua-t’ou can be applied in all domains of one’s life, including business, sports, relationships, education, and stress management. The numerous psychological and physiological benefits have been documented here and in the literature; they include better attitude, clearer mind, more endurance, increased strength, fewer phobias and fears, control over habits, healthier sleep patterns, and so on.
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It Never Ends, It Only Begins Anew
T
he ancient masters regarded the accumulation of knowledge and understanding of the No Mind principles and practice as treasure more valuable than any gold or precious stones. The application of this invaluable knowledge to your life has profound benefits. Hence, it has been so sought-after by many throughout recorded history. The “experience” of spiritual awareness opens insight that cuts through the intellectual and reasoning apparatus of the mind. When we suspend socialized values, concepts, prejudices, theories, preconceptions, biases, and social standards, we can perceive reality directly—without the filtering, associative, and categorizing aspects of the mental web of the Iill. We expand our awareness beyond the perspective of the Iill and into its source— spiritual awareness, or the universal essence of nature. This state is beyond language, which is based on the concept of identity and which is embedded in our neural associative networks. Language often fails us when we attempt to describe reality truthfully. As long as we remain in the I-illusion, we are ill in the sense that 661
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we cannot function at full capacity and we remain split from our spiritual counterpart in the universe. We are discrete units, as opposed to inseparable elements of the whole, and we understand concepts but not meanings. The process of No Mind involves un-training the mind and deautomatizing our behaviors, perceptions, actions, reactions, and memories.
STOPPING THE MIND THROUGH ZEN KOANS Zen masters used their proverbial koans to stop the students from using reasoning to try to determine and understand enlightenment. Koans are basic statements which make no sense until one “sees” the spiritual awareness aspect through them. The goal is to see all things in their original wholeness without breaking them down into their separate parts, as opposed to our normal tendency to break down everything and analyze it. It isn’t enough to understand everything in its original wholeness; you must “experience” the original wholeness for awakening to occur. Popular koans include the following: • What is the sound of one hand clapping? • What is your face before your birth? • What is the sound of a tree falling in the woods if no one is there to hear it? • What is your own mind? • The world is vast and wide. Why do you put on your robes at the sound of a bell? • If you call this a short staff, you oppose its reality. If you do not call it a short staff, you ignore the fact. Now, what do you wish to call this? • How does an enlightened one return to the ordinary world [given that] a broken mirror never reflects again [and] fallen flowers never go back to the old branches?
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One Zen story tells us about a student who asked his master, “What is it that transcends everything?” and the master replied, “I will tell you after you have drunk up the waters of the West River in one gulp.” Upon hearing this, the student was instantly enlightened. There are over a thousand koans, and a few hundred of these are used by Zen masters as the basis for training students. Koans render intellect and reasoning weak and obsolete. The student finds himself exhausted after contemplating them repeatedly until they are seared into his mind. Eventually, he grows so frustrated and doubtful that it may only take a shout or a tap on the shoulder to awaken (or enlighten) him. His mind has to be ready and at the verge of bursting for awakening to happen. The problem is that students are different: some realize enlightenment more easily than others, depending on the range and extent of their attachments and on the dominance of their Iill. Breaking free of the Iill is a feat of practice and concentration; it requires breaking the habits of the mind through deautomatization and applying Clear Attention to “watching” the mind, so that awareness can expand to No Mind (see Discovery of the Sequence of the Stones, No Mind 301).
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HEALING THROUGH INSIGHT The Insights of No Mind is presented here in the form of thirty-nine insights which grasp the essence of No Mind, of the universe, and of enlightenment. The insights are sometimes logical, sometimes illogical, and always both. They complete the study and practice of No Mind. With Right Awareness and Right Attitude (see No Mind 301), you can grasp the basic meaning of each enigma. Then the limits of your logical mind become obvious and the answers emerge. Alas, the problematic dualistic nature of language is inherent in these insights. They try to describe spiritual awareness, which can be misunderstood if it is conceptualized in terms of fragmented concepts and meanings. Therefore, when we transcend the Iill and
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expand our awareness from the mind-body to the universal, we grasp the meaning of the insights. When we try to identify and to understand everything in terms of our separate selves we lose the essential underlying aspect of being and nothingness. Through the practice of Clear Attention we detach from the identity of the “I” and adopt a spiritual cosmic perspective. If being and nothingness are the bases of universal awareness, then we are experiencing the universe becoming aware of itself through our mind and-body, which is a healing process of the psyche. The essence of nature is experienced as spiritual awareness or as quantum consciousness. And it is quantum consciousness which experiences itself. Society treats and heals the “I” through many forms of psychotherapy which try to strengthen the ego and its self-image for the sake of smoother social integration. The ancient masters knew that the best form of therapy was not about healing the identity, but about expanding awareness to transcend identity and to become an integrated whole. They knew that all individual suffering and social ills originate from the Iill and its maintenance and preservation. This is why it is important to understand that all observations are empty and all observations are relative to the mental web of the “I.” Well-being follows naturally when one understands the basic principles of No Mind.
TRANSCENDING DUALITY TO ENLIGHTENMENT When we transcend the duality of our existence, existence itself evolves into non-dualistic being and nothingness, which we experience simultaneously. This is the transcendence of the “I” into No Mind, of the individual into the universal, and of the social structures into spiritual awareness and the blissful liberation from the bondage of the self. This spiritual liberation has been pursued by all major religious traditions of the world. It is important to avoid understanding these concepts as being limited to Zen or Eastern philosophy; one can understand
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them in terms of any religious background, regardless of classification or labeling. They are accessible to all of humankind and belong to no particular formal religious or philosophical discipline. The practices discussed here constitute a holistic and universal psychotherapy. The Insights of No Mind help us to loosen the grip of the “I.” Without the “I” filter, we continue to “see” the same image through the same eyes, but now things are much clearer. The Insights hold no hidden meanings. They only describe an aspect of life that is inaccessible to logic or reasoning alone and difficult to explain. They should not be studied and analyzed like a problem in a science class; instead, if a certain aspect of an insight grabs your interest, make it an object of Clear Attention. Pour your entire being into grasping its meaning, because most of them contradict how we were trained to perform and to think in our daily life. Family and social conditioning runs contrary to the healthy approach to most of our daily problems. Constantly overthinking everything renders us emotional wrecks.
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AWAKENING TO THE MEANING OF THE INSIGHTS There’s an interesting story about a surfer who described the exhilaration of riding a wave as follows: “I love getting on top of that wave, it’s just like kicking old Mother Nature right in the butt.” Master Nomi replied, “To kick Mother Nature in the butt is to kick yourself in the butt; perhaps you should seek to become one with the wave.” The surfer looked up in puzzlement, then doubt, and finally awe. He awoke to the realization that we are not parts acting against parts, but the whole of nature itself living interdependently. On that day the surfer experienced his most exhilarating ride without even getting on a wave. The goal of No Mind 601 Insights is to provide a similar experience for the reader. They should be broken into two- or three-line segments that appear particularly paradoxical, and those segments should be used as objects
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of Clear Attention. Hopefully, they will focus the mind for the purpose of attaining spiritual awareness. For most people, the most challenging concepts are the principles of non-action, no try, and no intention, as they run contrary to traditional training and conditioning. However, it is important to understand that these concepts do not preach lethargy or apathy—they simply explain the act of “doing” that does not originate from Iill intention; its source must be natural and flow around obstacles like a stream following the path of least resistance and not getting stuck on its way to the ocean. We can apply natural motion and energy to social situations. For example, when we are not confrontational, we flow without getting stuck. False intentions weigh us down, so jettison all intentions of the Iill and remain buoyant. Unlike linear reasoning, the insights do not always flow sequentially, just like a river never flows in a straight line. They require “letting go” of logical and intellectual thoughts to clear the way for intuitive perception without overthinking it. To be effective, the practice of No Mind should be an integral part of daily routine. Spiritual awareness comes suddenly when the mind is immersed in the oneness of all things and the illusion of the “I” is experienced. This insight through awakening may come instantly, but the application into your daily life and the “deepening of the levels” of enlightenment may take many years. Still, it is the most important part, as it brings contentment and happiness and dissipates our struggles into simple life processes. The awareness of the world around you will change into a more harmonious cycle of events as you recognize more and more the underlying motives and intentions from others that you may not have been aware of before. In addition, one recognizes with ultimate compassion the underlying motives of others as they struggle in the trap of their own Iills. You begin to grasp the underlying oneness of all things and people; they are of the same universal fabric. When you practice the Right Awareness, Right Attitude, and the Ten Paradoxes intently,
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you demonstrate the effects of No Mind, and every day is the perfect day.
GETTING PAST YOUR PRESENT REALITY Once you have experienced No Mind, everything, including “you,” is grasped in terms of the oneness of the universe. All things around you are the same; they are equal aspects of being and nothingness, of No Mind, of spiritual awareness, of the Ultimate Reality. Everything is the same, though manifested through more or less subtle or dense aspects of nature. To achieve No Mind, all you need to do is to stay on the path of practice. This program has been designed to present a 2,500-year-old tradition of techniques and teachings in a way that makes these ancient and secret traditions specifically accessible to modern people. Unfortunately, achieving No Mind is probably harder today than it was a millennium ago, when human intentions and desires were limited to the basic necessities of life, at least for most people. In today’s consumerist society, we are bombarded by information from every direction; we constantly want more things, even if they have nothing to do with our basic survival needs; we are constantly working to acquire more, to do better, and to accumulate prestige in the social environment, which leaves no time to spare for anything else; and we are concerned with ourselves and our immediate family only. All of these have widened the abyss between our reality and the reality of enlightenment. We are blinded by insubstantial ideas about what society thinks should be important (houses, cars, toys, elite education, entertainment, gourmet food, and so on), and we lose our selves in this state. Without “seeing,” we “pick up a dime and step over a dollar.” Blame it your own neural networks. When you realize that every other person is “you,” you realize that you are sacrificing your true nature every time you pursue the desires of the “I.” Regardless of one’s religion or worldview, we all share a primordial shred of oneness on a most fundamental level. We all
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seek spiritual awareness consciously or subconsciously, in one way or another depending on our cultural context. This drive might be encoded in the human DNA, and it has found expressions in a slew of religious, philosophical, artistic, or scientific teachings. The old masters know that those who are enlightened are truly “one with everything” and see spiritual awareness everywhere—“In the petal of a rose, in a bird, in a dolphin, and even in a beetle.” It is easier for some, and more difficult for others, but it is natural for all to find this “oneness in all things.” The notion of oneness generates great existential doubt about who we are at our core, as human beings. The confusion and mystification force us to seek answers on an existential level. Thus, we need such great doubt to achieve No Mind. The ancient masters said, “The greater the doubt, the greater the enlightenment.” Many people avoid asking these kinds of questions and live their entire lives in the Iill—fearing death and poverty, suffering anxiety, running out of time, so obsessed with social success that anything can be compromised in its pursuit—including honor, dignity, and respect.
THE GREATER THE DOUBT, THE GREATER THE ENLIGHTENMENT Those who seek contentment and harmony and have genuine respect for nature and people need to question who we are and why the world is inundated with suffering. This is analogous to the doubt you might have experienced on occasions when you left your home and wondered whether you’d locked the front door or not; this doubt and the anxiety about what you will discover upon returning home keeps you on your toes throughout the day. It nags you even while you deal with other things, making you uncomfortable. Such great doubt is essential to achieving No Mind. It will push you forward in the practice, just as the person who thinks he left the door
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unlocked itches throughout the day to return home to find out whether it was locked or not. We all need a push sometimes; the greater the doubt, the greater the push, and the greater the enlightenment. Understanding all this is important to attaining deeper levels of No Mind, but it is not necessary to gain the physical and mental benefits of the technique presented in this program, as exemplified by the voluminous scientific research on the issue. All aspects of the practice of No Mind—as applied to one’s daily life in business, relationships, stress management, sports, education, etc.—is vital for the successful attainment of one’s full potential. The meaning of all thirty-nine insights can be understood only by experiencing the illusionary nature of the “I” or the Iill which then pierces the veil of true spiritual awareness, allowing the experience of the underlying oneness of the cosmos. These are grasped directly, as opposed to being comprehended from an intellectual perspective, which would constitute “imagining” the experience. There is nothing you are gaining; you’ve had it all along, but you’ve simply “forgotten” it when the Iill became dominant in awareness. Now, you can again realize it through No Mind enlightenment. The insights provide a tool to help solve many psychological problems we encounter on daily basis. You can extract segments of each insight that appeals to you and apply Clear Attention to make the insight an object of awareness. When you are frustrated, try focusing on the phrase “There is no resistance in the flow of water,” or pick a line from the thirty-nine insights that suits you better. When you are applying Clear Attention, remember that you are harnessing cosmic awareness, whether you have already attained insight into No Mind or not. As you continue with the practice, the co-origination and interdependence of nature will become clearer and clearer and the oneness which is inherently hiding beneath the Iill will become apparent. You will lose nothing. You will gain nothing. Yet, nothing will ever be the same again.
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669 It Never Ends, It Only Begins Anew
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Frustration There is nothing frustrated In the blossoming of a rose, There is no disappointment In the song of a bird, There is no resistance In the flow of water, There is no difficulty In an innate try, There is no dissatisfaction In non-action
Flow produces current Current produces energy Energy travels in direction; Abrupt changes in direction Aggravate the energy, Frustrating its flow; No thing can aggravate the flow When effort is without trying; Accept innate abilities Accept natural tendencies Accept a rose blooms un-deliberately; Therefore act in accordance with non-action And frustration ceases to exist
All things seek their balance point Where a steady flow is maintained; Obstruction of the flow Disrupts the balance, Frustrating the mind’s attempt to maintain the flow; Deliberate attempts Only frustrate the flow, One cannot act natural when frustrated; When there is no attempt There is no try And balance is un-deliberate When balance is understood, the mind flows
Action must be try-less Maintain the flow Accept its current and energy Focus its momentum carefully, And all efforts are encouraged Achieving No Mind 670
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Anxiety Restlessness is but a scattered mind Worry is but an unfocused mind Manifesting the energy of anxiety; As dust is blown and scattered So too is awareness; Trapped within a brutal circle Of past and future Arising within, unwelcomed thoughts Disturbing entities causing unrest True rest achieved only through this arising Awareness penetrates the disturbances Straight to its source Bringing to the surface Seeking to unleash their grasp; There is no need to seek, For all disturbances within find us in time In moments we least expect The sword of awareness Severs the chain of thoughts Extinguishing the entities and their power; Only this leads to spiritual awareness
Enjoy all objects through investigation Both within and without Being pliant of mind Subtle awareness leading to perfection; The path of self-purification Of penetrating into deep understanding Of Right Attitude and Right Awareness Emerging pure equanimity Pure awareness
Accumulated over life They hide within until summoned; Tendencies of the personification of the senses Sometimes evil in their attempt; But without these tendencies Freedom is not possible For it is the passing of this stage Through the gates of the underworld Which defines our freedom; Greater the attempt Greater the release from bondage
Accumulated memory cleansed Intellectual grasping suspended Where can worry cling to; What can restlessness unrest? There is no well from which Anxiety can draw its life; The brutal circle broken The cosmic instinct realized And the cosmos is now aware of Itself The deities of anxiety Are powerless 671
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Crying Crying is but a disturbance of calm It is an eruption of emotion An extreme and unbalanced act There is no cry in the universe Even when a sun explodes in time
Nowhere, somewhere, everywhere is calm It fills the universe It fills the mind It fills everything Leaving no place to cry
Crying is but a surface disturbance It tosses one about a stormy sea An act of losing course and orientation A sailor’s nightmare
And when all things manifest from emptiness No cry can be heard Nowhere in the universe Somewhere in the universe Where no cry can be heard
But below this stormy sea Is the calmness of emptiness And all-thingness, For all things come from this calm Where no cry can be heard 672
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Hate Hate is but a disturbance of mind A state of extreme energy Yet pale in comparison to a sun, Solar flares of the self; Reaching into the space of illusion For here there is nothing to burn, Except the sorcerer, the self A demon appears and destroys Yet the self remains The most evil of demons; From here all demons come forth Into the illusion of a space Which exists never—never Except within as the self A violent mind Fabricates agitated states within And in the fabric of hate All pureness is caught Like a dolphin in a tuna net, An unfortunate mistake Those who never count the cost But are willing to pay the price
Focus attention without thought Within a moment in time Reflect on this violent state Through clarity of insight Births of demons will be known And as such A magical disappearance of self And without a first step There is no path for Ten thousand demons to take And so it ends ... No Mind begins.
The price is of the utmost highest A demon that hides a moment in time From an unknowingly, yet unaware All for an illusion of a self Which has no existence Many have penetrated the self And exorcised the illusion Those free and fully aware; Demons of hatred Demons of ill-will All banished without trace, how? 673
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Desire When a desire arises in mind Look at its source There are two sources of desire That of the “I” And that of No Mind The desire of “I” is poison The desire of No Mind is sacred Desire brings false action Opposed to the sanctity of nature Desire is an endless path It can never be truly fulfilled Because illusion of “I” is empty Life is process Life needs no action And therefore no desire
Freedom of desire Leads to a full life; Perpetual seeking of desire Brings disharmony and unhappiness; There is nothing real to satisfy; Desire can be arrested But only under a watchful third eye This eye is cosmic in origin Where desire does not exist Yet all things are done
Life is a celestial dance of particles Each particle within the flow Each particle without desire Mind creates desire And as such creates suffering Desires cannot be fulfilled by the mind Of what origin is desire? It is not of the cosmos Nature seeks no satisfaction If action is pure There is nothing to satisfy
Life without desire is Life that is eternal And for eternity in a moment of time; Desire exists in time Yet in a moment, desire vanishes Where then is your desire? In the illusion of time Or missing in this moment 674
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Greed When mind is out of balance Greed is planted When the appetite is insatiable Greed is cultivated When there is deceptive supremacy Greed is maintained; When one is content There is no desire When one’s hunger is satisfied Then there is no appetite When one’s life is simple There is no intention, Yet everything is accomplished; With each need of the one It must never outweigh the needs of the many Because the ten thousand things are equal
Life presents many opportunities; Make use of them, yet remain detached Life presents many disappointments, Learn to have no intentions Life presents many obstacles, Flow like water around them Greed exists everywhere, Be nowhere Desires and intentions unfulfilled, Be happy, they are illusions How is this so simple? Practice Clear Attention And No Mind arises
Within the natural world Living is enough Within the social world Living is never enough; More and better are ways of social life Yet the essence remains the same Accept present life, and greed vanishes Understand family And all is rewarded; Right living is effortless Without effort, life flows When moderation develops All is accomplished And life lives to fulfill itself 675
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Energy Apathy is but a disturbance of the spirit Tiredness is but a disturbance of mind Laziness is but a disturbance of body Who can distinguish between mind and body? Being constantly aware of the source Extinguishes all apathy Gentle awareness is as powerful As the forces of cosmic instinct
Energy within mind and body Is never lost It is merely displaced and dispersed Awareness is but a life-force manifestation Therefore awareness dispels apathy Watch closely mental and physical processes With insight comes movement of particles Energizing the system Condensing the cosmos within And with such boundless energy Only those who are ignorant Can die of thirst While drowning in a body of fresh water
The natural elements run down A sun extinguishes itself over time Mind and body have limits Spirit is limitless The instinct of the cosmos is eternal; Energy is but an interchange of the cosmos Thought is but an interchange of mind A step is but an interchange of body All derived from cosmic energy A source which is inexhaustible Where then lies exhaustion? Manifestations are but condensations Of a cosmic field In time they dissolve into the cosmos Losing their separate character And so their energy is never lost It simply is reabsorbed Condensing and dispersing Transient manifestations of cosmic essence Both aspects of the same reality Transforming themselves endlessly In an eternal cosmic dance 676
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Destiny Death is the fate of living Beyond contest Of no argument All things begin and end; Definite patterns Time is always relative The cosmos ends in 100 trillion years Sun ends in ten billion years Earth ends in one billion years A hundred billion galaxies Disappear forever Absolute destiny
Mind-ego creates destiny Inspired thoughts Of eternal guidance Of eternal life Intended existence; A destiny of limits Governed by thought By imagination and word; Within destiny exist boundaries Without destiny Boundless possibilities
No thing is eternal Within all the cosmos Lies being, That which is eternal Within all things Lies nothingness; Yet the cosmos has no destiny Except to end as it began As being and nothingness Have no destiny Outside fate Outside karma Outside birth Outside death The end and beginning is destiny
Accept the limits Of Heaven and Earth, Or pierce the threshold Of existence Of boundless spirit Of ultimate reality; Elect destiny Death will follow Reject destiny Living will follow Absolute being 677
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Doubt Uncertainty exists everywhere Intrinsic in matter is doubt Matter is particles, Particles are waves in chorus Their positions are undetermined; Celestial bodies are born Four billion years past Galaxies become black holes 10,000 trillion years hence, No thing is certain All is transient Life and death is no doubt
Society fills itself with doubt Goals uncertain Relationships unsure Sense of identity unclear A future undecided; All things exist in doubt A cosmic code Of the social world Of the world of self; Knowing doubt Is knowing certainty Doubt exists in certainty
Probabilities fill the universe Probabilities fill a life All follows a doubtful existence; The flow of nature A complex web of relationships A vague existence, Eyes hold its form as real, Without doubt; yet Empty space outweighs solid matter Within an atom An electron’s position Constantly remains in doubt
Understanding doubt Is to acknowledge life; Unsympathetic to doubt And all is lost In futures and pasts; Doubt is a mere thought A conceptualization of mind; In the cosmos, All things exist in probability An infinite array of possibilities And so too in life There is no doubt Merely endless possibilities
The branches of a tree are uncertain Their origins unpredictable Never two identical; A flower blooms in doubt The place generally a mystery The random nature of life Is a certainty In the atom, in the elephant Doubt is a cosmic rule Acknowledging the magic The wise have no doubt 678
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Hope and Expectations Hope is but a disturbance of life It brings rigidity; it binds It opposes the flow of nature A moment in time puts an end to mere hope For it cannot exist in the present; Hope is but a dead-end path Paths never end in the universe Not a single expectation exists in the universe No hope brings freedom No hope brings clarity No hope brings balance True love is without hope There is nothing to expect With true love all is absolute; The universe is absolute Therefore, It flows fully alive
Fatal is sometimes the trap For in the overwhelming hope All is lost and all Expectations cease to exist; For only the unknowingly There can be no life without hope, But only for the unknowingly; Everywhere else in the universe There is no hope
With hope life is suffering Without hope life is ecstasy A few are happy without end, Are free as celestial bodies All is perfect Hope brings naïve expectations And with it, sets a trap For the unknowing
In their world of illusion A moment of time cannot exist; But there are those for which Only in a moment of time is life; It is unmistakably pure life Seek to know absolute life To know hope is absolute death 679
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Evil Evil is but a disturbance of mind It interrupts the flow of spirit A manifestation of mind, It has no source past a thought It is deeply rooted in emotion, Originates from hate Originates from jealousy Originates from prejudice Evil originates from the extreme An uncontrolled finite state; Instinctively the cosmos Knows no good and no evil Evil is the original sin The ego in all its glory Attempting to dominate That which is external That which is good That which maintains value; It upsets the primordial freedom The instinct of God The instinct of cosmos, A source necessary to life; A mystery beyond all logic
Evil violates essential freedom Freedom existing in the void The source of all things; Nothing good or evil exists Only an intrinsic nature, Light and darkness Equally identical Only a thought separates The mind constructs An evil thought A good thought Powerless against a cosmos Which knows no distinction
Opposites give life to each other Good must exist with evil, In the absolute universe Both have only one source, Both have only one existence Only in a thought Only within the mind Nowhere in the cosmos; There is no purpose Good and evil have none Only as a finite reality 680
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Good and evil are relative Revealed by the finite ego Unknown to primordial freedom Of the infinite, That transcends evil and fear; Fear exists only in the mind Enlightenment occurs without mind; The Infinite has no mind The Infinite has no fear The Infinite has no evil, Realization of the infinite Dissolves ego Now one blood of life Possessing God Possessing the infinite Is a state of ego-mind The root of evil; Love for finite things Possessing finite things Motivates evil thought; In realization of the infinite The infinite nature of things The infinite illusion of ego-mind The finite nature of evil All is attained Evil now unattainable
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Conditional Love For some, love is imagined For many, love is accepting For the few, love is unconditional. Love born of desperation is imagined Love born of family pressures is imagined Love born of loneliness is imagined, And so for many, imagined love is better than no love Accepting love is conditional love When the expectations and desires are satisfied And patience and hope exist, And the other is happily tolerated Then love is accepting But with true love there are no conditions, There are no expectations, no desires, no hopes There is nothing that needs to be accepted Because the needs of the “I” have vanished Into a mystical union of energy; Without the presence of self, True love exists in a timeless dance of infinite power More sacred than the most precious jewel
True love is an act of selflessness, An act beyond the “I” An act of No Mind. Through the practice of non-thought The lovers’ bond deepens, And into a cosmic union the lovers are joined The act of making love is no longer physical, For now, the lovers are hurled upwards in a spiral, Intertwined and eternal Perpetuating Being and Nothingness, In an endless cycle of interpenetration. 682
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The ancient Tantric mysteries are finally realized All matter and non-matter are born This love is beyond the realm of mind and body For this love is dynamic and non-static. In their peak, the No Mind arises And now spiritual awareness seen in its original face, This is enlightenment This is unconditional love Two are no longer two, but One Although there are two distinct qualities, It is still One with two distinct qualities. For they are bound together in eternal bliss There is no hurt and no pain As any intention to inflict pain and hurt is self-inflicted. Many understand love and hate as opposites But unconditional love is beyond opposites; It is beyond the circle of love and hate It is the unifying essence of the cosmos which is inseparable, And knowing no separation, Even after thousands of years Love will be as if you never met.
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Unconditional Love Love is an extreme elevated state Of cosmic proportions, In the realization of non-thought The bond deepens within Reaching selflessness, Boundless love; Bound together as one is to oneself A union moving through separateness Self-extending beyond the realm Of mind and body, To the furthest reaches of the infinite Love is pure union Where are two entities in union? But everywhere in the universe; With love we are aware Of our interdependence Of our mutual selfless actions Mind and body pale in comparison, A sacrifice of no consequence; Boundless love Emotions surge in a spiral upwards Intertwined and eternal Cosmic instinct perpetuating itself
Boundless love is selfless Beyond expectations Beyond self fulfillment A perpetual radiating energy Is of infinite power; Overcoming all mistrust, It calms the essential core All Things existing in themselves For no Thing Seeing though manifested form Though illusion of character Piercing into essential being Union in pure love
Matter is continuous and discontinuous A dynamic interaction of one essence Probability patterns living In a space-time continuum, All Things are but a process and a form Oscillations in time One “is” the other simultaneously Without one the other vanishes, Love is dynamic and nonstatic; The cosmos perpetuating itself Beyond opposites Boundless love
Love and hate Two parts of one whole Inseparable yet opposite; Boundless love is beyond opposites; Desire maintains The circle of love and hate Beyond desire is boundless love One is shallow and one is deep One is transient and one is eternal Knowing no separation, Even after thousands of years Love will be as if you never met 684
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Compassion The cosmos overwhelmed A mother caressing her infant Compassion be plentiful All things seek this unity Of harmony and oneness Of the enlightened Nothing separate All things whole Nature nourishes its infants Through deep compassion In the spirit of a true master Powerful compassion Nourishes the weak and feeble The wise accept and embrace
Seeking other than self-nature Realizes passion of sorts Propels away from compassion Colony of ants carrying its wounded Compassion of a part Or compassion of the whole? No individuality exists Compassion of the colony Absolute compassion The compassion of a god.
True compassion No self exists Devoid of separateness Compassion is infinite As mother and infant One cannot destroy itself True compassion is cosmic instinct Of a whole Of the universe All gravitate toward One another As celestial bodies As undeluded minds Ultimate compassion is absolute 685
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6/6/08 3:52:59 PM
Play The flow of nature is play, This is the dance between Being and Nothingness. Play is wind blowing a blade of grass. Play is a hummingbird kissing a flower. Pay is a dolphin flying through the surf. Play is when a tree falls in the woods and no one hears. Play is when a galaxy is born. Cosmic instinct is but play An indefinite number of roles Played simultaneously Without effort Without necessity Without purpose Beyond time The finite is manifested The play of the cosmos
All actions come forth Without necessity Lack of a future goal Herein lies the try of non-action; In the infinite of the absolute Everything exists Lacking nothing Acts that come from pureness Without potential exist as The ultimate form of play The play of the cosmos The dance of infinite spirit In constant flow and exchange The fleeting nature of the finite; Celestial bodies are play Light and darkness are play Life is play Death is play All play of the Ultimate Reality All without purpose In the cosmic sense The play of the cosmos
Trying not Doing nothing All is done Without work; Organic and inorganic things From a cosmic absolute source, Need no goal All finite things are inherent In the play of the absolute The play of the cosmos 686
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In an infinitesimal moment of time Everywhere the absolute infinite Is but a non-dualistic flow, Enlightenment is understanding All is play in Heaven and Earth; Boundless possibilities of the infinite A pure and simple living reality Life flowing from its source, Manifested in a moment of time; Unknown to those who see only forms Yet within the eternal Now The play of the cosmos continues In this infinite point of view All is play; In this finite point of view All is joy and sorrow All is love and anger All is pleasure and pain All is dualistic Abandoning the infinite to the finite; Finite time is successive Infinite time is simultaneous The play of time The play of the cosmos Play is beyond dualistic thought There is no logic; Is this not the great love? Of the infinite for the finite, A perfect relationship One is the other All within a moment of time; Living separate from the infinite Life is in chaos; Living as the infinite Life is a creative medium, A mechanism of play The play of the cosmos
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6/6/08 3:53:02 PM
Death A star burns out in a galaxy Energy dispersed within the system Its finite aspect dies Its infinite aspect remains always; The Sun grows hotter as it dies Its planets die within the system All finite things exist within time The infinite aspect is beyond space and time Understanding finite things Realizes death Understanding the infinite Realizes no death And no rebirth
Death has no promise Everlasting tranquility or torture Belong to the realm of mental objects; Within the void lie the unanswered Realization clears absolute certainty; The Book of the Dead unwritten, Through all the metaphors of death All the karmic states transcended All illusions of after-death surpassed And their source recognized as mental objects; Beyond mental objects, reality is grasped The deities vanish in the void Death is revealed
On the seventh day The body returns to the five elements The mind returns to the five elements Both of finite matter and substance, Yet the real Self has nowhere to return Infinitely of cosmic essence A drop of water within the sea Yet, never realizing its dropness Only illusion creates boundaries of the drop The drop and the sea know no separateness; Ignorance urges the rebirth In the perpetuation of time and space; All things are manifested
In the forgetting of self, The ox forgotten Realization of birth and death, As identical occurrences; Realization of karmic existence As the circle of birth and death Realization that self is not only the circle It manifests the circle Beyond birth and death; Cosmic instinct realizes it-Self Oh! Enlightenment, riding the ox With the ox and self forgotten Death vanishes 688
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Cosmic instinct is eternal All things are not; Cosmic instinct is the source of all things All things return to the source; Ignorance perpetuates the return The karmic cycle of rebirth; Enlightenment ends the rebirth Ends the return, One cannot return upon itself No more than water can run uphill; The ten thousand Things Know birth and death The enlightened only know the One and None Death includes no beauty Death contains no ugliness These belong to manners of death; Evil deaths exist only in human societies Good deaths exist only in the human mind; In the natural world, death is final There is no cry There is no laugh; In the cosmic world, death does not exist, There is no structure of perception; Death is a matter of perception If there is no one to perceive death One cannot ever die
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Crisis and Freedom True freedom A path chosen by few, Within the finite realm There is limited freedom Determined freedom Conditioned freedom A freedom of deception The self as a deceiver Unaware of true liberty Mind relishes in free will In a freedom of illusion The five hindrances Within a deterministic world Manipulate freedom Bind and control Limit free will; Constantly choosing Among an infinite variation Of consequences Of external actions Of internal actions What then is truly free?
The formation of the self Built upon the external world Has no deep roots Therefore can easily fall, Reaffirmations from others From material things The mask of status All without meaning Remove one Crisis follows Without freedom
Social systems mold Positive and negative reinforced Freedom within behaviorism, Habits conditioned Freedom socialized; Defenses elevate Responses reflexive Emotions determined Living unknowingly Within restricted patterns; Contained freedom 690
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Limited freedom Exists until crisis Danger and opportunity Jolted from routine Ultimate questions arise Answers beyond thought Beyond conceptions Beyond good and evil Everything is not anything Awareness engulfing totality Deep well of freedom flows
Goals attained Happiness once celebrated Now empty Of no meaning Rewards attained Hard work celebrated Now empty Of no meaning In the process of attainment True freedom dies A crisis point arises A loved one lost Attachment once cherished Now sorrow Freedom loses meaning Goals confused A crisis of disorientation; Death is destiny Freedom is living Living freely Beyond the five hindrances Ultimate freedom is infinite
[Written the day after September 11, 2001]
Satori is sudden A shock Out of an existentialist crisis Ultimate freedom, Ultimate crisis Who am I There can be no answer, From dualistic thought From socially constructed selves; Through pureness of spirit Ultimate freedom arises
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Zen Attitude Inspired by the cosmos Inspired by the natural world Developed for the human world Perfection of human-ness Is the whole as a part; Potentiality that is inherent In all those of strong will All those who pursue the Way; Seeking liberation Seeking release from bondage Seeking one’s own destiny Followers in the Way Where all masters have passed There are no sins Evil is strictly the act of mind, There are no prayers Ultimate desire and hope are within, There are no graces One must sanctify oneself, There is no faith Other than one’s own determination, There are no prophet’s words Attachment to ideas hinder the path There is freedom of faith Yet there remains only doubt Satori! Now there is no doubt
Nothing is hidden In the sacred teachings, There are no special orders No esoteric doctrine No mystical powers No eternal supremacy; Nothing to cling to Only one’s determination In the realization of truth; Realization of enlightenment A quite laughable state, Nonsense riddles all grasped With all humility of the accomplishment 692
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World religions exist simultaneously The world created a hundred ways History has many stories Wherein lies the absolute truth? Condemning one, condemns another, This is truth and that is false Exists only as an independent belief; Absolute truth needs no source Absolute truth needs no label, Labels manifest prejudices And as such are hindrances; Recognizing truth as truth Appears as a mystical inner journey A question of faith A question of belief When ones “sees” Faith and belief disappear; Yet truth is simple Found everywhere, yet nowhere Like dying of thirst While in a sea of fresh water; Attitude is thought Attitude is feelings Attitude is a state of mind Zen dispels with all attitude So ... Zen attitude is its very absence
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Undying Humor Moonless night sea is vast darkness No moon glimmers No guidepost is lit Evil deities appear Offspring of thoughts; A wave shifts perspective Light within illuminates The sky and sea are one Evil deities vanish In a moment of time Eternal humor found
Reflexive will Reflexive choice The mechanism acts Is it left? Is it right? Matters of perspective; Aware every moment No perspective exists Unfolds wit of cosmos Absurdity everywhere Undying humor
Preconceptions blind Conditioning reality Senses misled Dim ordinary humor; Focus awakens Focus unleashes Focus every minute Actions now mindful Conditioning now apparent Instant reality All is cosmic humor
Imperfections abound External dilemma assaults Piercing the skin A few tough A few thin A few of no consequence; React in humor, Humor shields That which destroys; Perfect coat of arms An undying smile 694
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Karma Karma originates by action of will Having willed, one acts Action of mind and body, Karma is beyond justice Beyond rewards Beyond punishment Beyond right Beyond wrong; Within cause and effect Within action and reaction By virtue of its own nature Karma is revealed Thought results in effect Good results in good Bad results in bad Neutral results in neutral Through action of will, A natural law of karma; Desire and thirst are Energy in a directed path Blind to good, bad or neutral, Action is karma Effects are not
Karma is energy of will Energy is process A dynamic movement of particles Changing into other forms Karma reborn; Thought energy endures A thousand lifetimes, Destructive thought Generates destructive energy a haunting force Rebirth of evil deities
Mental objects form karma Having willed creates motion Motion creates energy Energy of desire Energy of hate Energy of expectation Energy of conceit Energy of self All produce karmic effects; Will of a focused mind Essential for good karma Freedom from the false self Essential for no karma
A Master acts Yet accumulates no karma, Free from ego-mind Free from desire Free from expectations Free from impurities Free from thought Living within a moment of time; No try and non-action Generates action without karma Then, there is no rebirth Karma ends 695
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Leadership Change is but social chaos Order and chaos exist everywhere in the universe, Emerging as an interaction of processes Of individuals Of society The internal structure of the process Governed by cosmic law Transforming in a natural and spontaneous way; All things arise out of change The energy and momentum of a society Patterns of change can be great Leaders do not initiate change Change is inherit in the chaos and order Societies initiate change Great leaders are receptive to transformation; In the impulsion of a society Through interconnections of social matrix, Leadership and direction are manifested A pattern is defined; A society constructs an external world Conditioned by its discrimination
A leader is a construct of social order A tool through which change is made Great leaders never exist for their own sake Great social needs bring great change Great change causes great leaders Assistants of the social matrix; Leading out of the uncertainty of chaos Order is restored As an ant colony has one mind Social movement seeks balance Between chaos and order 696
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Time is the essential dimension Leadership occurs in time If not this time, another time Out of the seeds of the old Disappearing in right time; In time if no leader exists Then another time will be; A time will come A process of reactions Leadership is manifested An effect of a time and a place Never the effect of a leadership
Time creates all great leaders A time of a society’s readiness A time when chaos and order are not balanced A change in a social interaction By process not isolated events A leader arises The unified voice of a society, Yet great leaders never exist They have no reality of their own Mere drops of an ocean; The changing tides require no leader There is direction inherent in the drops Multiplicity exists only as illusion The drops of the ocean are not defined As ants move as an amorphous being Leaders seek this fluidity Yet a society seeks individualism Chaos amongst order Change seeks totality Effecting a direction to manifest itself A true leader is receptive to this process Therefore the essential element A response to society momentums Societies are constantly in transient stages In an ongoing process of change transformation must occur; An inner tendency of social order In a moment of time, Yet change occurs without unique leaders Only in a different time Another leader arises
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Friends (written for Allix)
We cannot choose, Our parents Our family Our genetics Our universe And sometimes even our lives; But we can choose Our friends. Yet, even with the freedom to choose We sometimes bind ourselves; We trap ourselves In what we think is right To what is really wrong. We choose without wisdom We choose to be accepted And in the search for approval We lose the closest of friends; We lose ourselves.
True friendship is not mimicking deeds, True friendship lies in acceptance In forgiving In compassion In camaraderie In trust In sacrifice. Without these We have no friendship We have only acquaintance We can choose our friends. We must choose wisely, Either extend ourselves in truth Or lose ourselves in illusion.
We become what we are not In order to become what we think we should We do what we should not In order to be with whom we think is right All the while becoming what we are not. We can choose our thoughts of friends, We think of them as this We think of them as that But perhaps our thoughts betray us, And they are not friends at all. 698
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Personality Two ash seeds germinate side by side A half-century passes Their forms utterly different The personality of each tree Expressed through its varying branches Its individual form, Each tree responds to its environment; Subtle influences everywhere Nowhere are two alike Yet everywhere they are alike, Messages from the seed parallel Responses from the environment, Dissecting each tree reveals no differences
Bio-electric motives within the cell Structure symmetries and polarities The mechanism of organization Inherent in the part and in the whole Contained within the universe and the cell Individual patterns determine Orbits of charged particles A living dynamic exchange of energy Between environments and organisms The personality forms, A unique pattern of interaction Mirroring a response to the environment Trapped within a genetic code; And as the tree, and as all advanced life No two will ever be the same While the outer form remains unique The inner essence is always universal
699
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De-automatization Ordinary perception contaminates reality It classifies reality It discriminates reality It selects reality It categorizes reality It filters reality It separates the observer from reality, A mechanism of biological origin Relating desires Relating fears Relating interests In an effort to organize and understand Reality is perplexed Mindful perception unifies reality A process of de-automatization Structures of perception broken Structures of cognition immobilized Intellection halted; A pure vision of reality, Untainted Unbiased Unprejudiced; Untrained perception, Breaking the patterns of thought, And between the thoughts Ho! that which is unidentified
Active rather than passive, Egocentric rather than selfless Ordinary perception requires memory; What is, is based on what was; Habit formation Automatization of behavior Unaware of the process of deciding; Choosing biological survival, Choosing personality survival, Cognitive patterning governs Ordinary perception; All Things exist as identified Not as they are; 700
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Mindful perception is Original Mind The face before you were born, Primordial perception Before emergence of ego Before the grip of individuality Before the need for survival; Categories and subcategories Are now without purpose Suspended in awareness All Things exist in reflection, Mirrored without desire; Mind’s limitations realized Mind’s contents unrealized There is no one to realize. Mindful perception Achieved by practice of Clear Attention The outcome of pure happiness, Perfect detachment; Egocentric habits broken Egocentric instincts eliminated Full awareness of present The mechanism immobilized; A pure perception of reality In all its grandeur The cosmos realized in an ant Absolute compassion in the colony All Things exist as they are
701
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The Mechanism As wings to a bird Flowers to a tree Ego-mind to an individual, Millions of impressions Countless choices Discriminating itself Of what it is and not Manifesting its illusion Of separateness To every other thing “I” am lived
Subjective and objective All things divided One spirit split in two realms Dualistic existence Knowing no unity Within a world drawn upon itself Confused and mystified, The mechanism establishes Identity opposed to unity opposites and multiplicity “I” am lived
A database comprising mind-ego Categories of subjective events Past remembered Past forming future; Billions of neurons Establishing links Dividing and combining In search of meaning Of relatedness Of survival “I” am lived
Within a definable world Within a definable existence Things are understood The mechanism creates Definable love Definable desire Definable hope Definable expectations Definable hate Seeing and feeling in definition “I” am lived 702
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The mechanism protects, Narrowly imprisons Unknowingly it prevents The essential core of being; Throw love aimlessly And the being manifests Outside the mechanism Guiding its actions Dwelling in the heart of existence In being and nothingness Living is never lived
The mechanism conceives That which is definable The intellect reasons That which is reasonable All within a constructed world Of form and function Of beauty and ugliness Of love and hate Of opposites and multiplicity Understanding without insight “I” am lived Beingness and nothingness Are not definable Outside the mechanism, Living spontaneously Radiating from being, Beyond individuality Every thing a part Akin to all Outside the mechanism, Bursting through the bondage Living there is Boundless and infinite Are not definable Yet they exist, Boundless joy Boundless love Boundless desire Boundless hope Love for all life Beyond calculation Beyond reckoning Living there is
703
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6/6/08 3:53:24 PM
Clear Attention—CAt Winds of thought Cloud the mind, Obscuring the substance; Substance like water Exists within all living things; Cosmic truth is reflected In absolute perfection Within a drop of water Only with mind clear and calm, Clearer water, greater reflection Ordinary mind is muddy Mind lost in delusive thought Disturbs the waters of truth Thoughts obstruct light Whether seen or not Cosmic truth shines eternally
Escape is achievable As winds of thought cease Fog is lifted Muddy waters become clear Cosmic truth perpetually reflected Only now can be understood, In a moment Prison walls vanish Finally, the walls are only an illusion
Thought is fleeting Thought is impermanent Thought has beginning Thought has end Thoughts are Iill Streams of life and death; Easily distracted by thoughts Accumulation of ideas Of beliefs, opinions Attachment to thought Empower the waves Increase loft and strength The stormy waters Eclipse cosmic truth
Ancient methodology Discipline of body-mind Posture wide and stable Ears to shoulders Nose to navel All in line; Immobilize body Eyes opened slight Lowered gaze, Left hand top of right Suppress active right brain, Below navel Center of gravity All now is breath Now body aside Mind persistently seeks focus
Restless thoughts muddy water Stirring that which has settled Diminishing the reflection Day by day the turbulent waters Life is empty and frustrating Casting true freedom aside Living with stormy mind, Imprisonment without walls. 704
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Intensity of focus Day in and day out Is required Breaking the bounds of ego, Lose focus Two steps back Eyes riveted down Guards against thoughts Roots of ego are deep In the depths of unconscious Beyond reach of intellect Uprooting the ego realm Requires only strength of focus A powerful concentration Is the ultimate weapon No thought can pierce it No emotion can overwhelm it There exists nothing that can be harmed
Force required Unremitting concentration Lifting the boulder of delusion Mind is heavy; Boulder cannot be lifted slowly Only in a sudden boost Enlightenment is revealed Duality is pierced Universe and self die together Undifferentiated and differentiated Never existed separately One changeless, other ceaseless transformations Are of the same reality Sitting-pain subsides Delight in overcoming pain Constant energy Unshakable determination Concentration good quality Now unify the mind Sustain concentration One-pointed The rays of the sun When focused are intense Create a state of well-being Regardless of objective
With mind perfectly still Phenomena may appear: Illusion and insights Fantasies and visions Sensations and revelation, Unlimited in nature All to be disregarded Potential danger if spellbound; Seeking insight in meditation Inherently of no harm Beyond them lies true goal; These temporary phenomena From depths of mind Have no reality Have no meaning Consume energy in foolish pursuits; Great strength in focus Overcomes all phenomena
In a moonless dark sea A sliver of moon Barely illuminates A glimpse of the truth; As moon becomes full Light shines brilliantly Awakening at last; All that is known disintegrates Moon, cosmos, self, are the same
705
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Extreme force of focus Removes the boulder of ignorance The boulder of discriminative thought Of discriminative mind What lies under? Another aspect of the universe Of No Mind You will die and The universe will die with you All things exist relative to you All things interdependent Nothing exists in a void And void is not empty And you do not exist “I”-ness dies in the subconscious mind Duality is vanished Unthinking who am “I” Unitellectualizing the cosmos Realized no thought of realization
Center the six sense-realms When thinking only think When touching only touch When smelling only smell When seeing only see When hearing only hear When tasting only taste; As in the mind-state of a lover No other thing exists, only the beloved Herein lies the master’s secret; As mind constantly distracted Fatal acts of realizing the self-nature, Reasoning mind always comes to an impasse Void of all thought Within the unconscious mind Roots of “I” and not-“I” broken Losing individuality Nothing external exists Darkness falls upon the mirror Nothing reflects No light of reason or knowledge Within the darkness lies wisdom The way to self-realization No longer in dualistic thought Boundaries melt away Cosmic instinct fulfilled “I” and not-“I” disappear Their strong roots severed In the essence of no-sense riddles Extinguishes the reasoning intellect Who am I? No answer can be told
A sphere is dependent on its center A wheel is dependent on its hub An atom is dependent on its nucleus The universe is dependent on an observer; When no observer exists The universe ceases to exist What remains? No thing exists in isolation A tree is dependent on soil and sun Soil dependent on earth Sun dependent on cosmos All things are relative Each observer defines a universe Every perception creates a reality Reality is relative to state of mind Realization is not relative to states of mind You exist due to perception All things generate perception Perception manifests the differentiated The undifferentiated manifests all things; One is in constant transformation The other cannot be transformed 706
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Peak Performance (Non-Action) All true artists All true athletes Have but one commonality, They have No Mind from which to grasp No Mind from which to think Act, React. But never try. Mind and body perform unexpectedly; From the wells of emptiness Actions flow smoothly Toward a goal-less beginning. Boulders and rocks in the stream, The water rushes by; Intensity increases as the rocks are close together Remove the rocks and the water slows; Thoughts as rocks speed the flow of mind Remove them and there is nowhere for mind to cling After some time thoughts easily disappear. The mind that is caught in the rapids Has less potential The mind that is thought-free Is unbounded.
Mind as mirror allows events to flow As the mind becomes form it is localized Producing a discriminating self; Without mind, Sense perceptions have no discrimination No association No categories No distractions Non-dualistic No premeditations Illusory self disappears Then mind and body perform without effort; Without direction from judgments Without direction from fear Without direction from hope Without direction from expectations Without the intent of direction, Without intent of performing, Mind achieves peak performance
With no clinging the mind cannot turn to ice Producing frozen mind-pools in the flow, Feelings freeze the mind Memories freeze the mind Thoughts freeze the mind Wishes and expectations freeze the mind Resulting in frozen actions; Overcompensating techniques freeze mind, When the mind is clear it has flow; Performing spontaneously The thinker is not present The performer no longer needs to perform. 707
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The Mirror Within a drop of water a cosmos reflects a mirror echoes a moment in time; Free from the dust of discrimination, It is empty It is accepting It is detached All is reflected in the universe Yet nothing remains in the mirror The mirror reflects.
The mirror is empty Clean from dirt and stains It holds no desire, no thought No discrimination Reality is ever present Crystal clear without distortions Once again as a newborn Once again wiping the mirror clean Full, yet empty The mirror reflects.
A mysterious keyless door Leading beyond the eighteen sense-realms No teacher can open the door A teacher can merely point In the direction of the door Standing before it, it is reflected Standing under it, it is reflected Passing through it, it is reflected Now the insight is clear The mirror reflects nothing For there is nowhere to pass through, We are here before we get there. The mirror reflects.
It clings to nothing Attaches itself to nowhere A nondiscriminatory act; Act freely within action Admit all things equally Yet possess nothing; A cosmic undertaking Receiving yet not keeping Giving yet not expecting The mirror reflects.
708
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Wisdom exists in the mirror Accepting everything Yet accurately distinguishing Big from small Strong from weak Danger from safety Differences observed Everything equal Beyond the realm of opposites The mirror reflects. Reflections without comment Reflections without evaluation Reflections without judgment Acceptance without test A clean mirror must reflect Polished to brilliance All is radiant in cosmic sparkle A sun within a mirror A mirror reflecting a sun A cosmos reflecting upon itself Becoming aware of itself The mirror no longer exists.
709
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Time Time is relative, absolutely Relative to the observer; Relative to an observer’s position in the universe Relative to the observer’s speed Relative is the illusion of instantaneous reality Relative to constant c, the speed of light Relative to a particular celestial system, Relative to the curvature of space The ten thousand things mutually exist, In space and time; Inseparable and co-arising Linear time transcended in a moment; A million years within a moment of time In the end when all time has passed Will space cease to exist?
Attachment to time brings sorrow; In the grasping of an hour The moment is lost, This is relative to the observer; A struggle to reach a critical goal Is of no consequence to another, Dissimilar goals, fragment time The secret lies within the pieces For time never passes There is nowhere for it to pass Therefore it remains as it is; All things take place in time and space Yet wherein can time be found? All attachments exist in time All desires exist in time to come All sorrows exist in time of the past Time is socially structured, Yet Right Attitude is timeless; The infinite present is tranquility For the distressing passing of time Is a relative state of mind; The passing of time is an illusion Each event exists in space and time There is nowhere for it to pass It exists and then does not exist Only the observer “sees” relative movement. 710
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A thought appears to move forward A movement appears to have direction in space The universe contracts The universe expands Which direction is forward? Relative to a position in the universe All things are interconnected, All things are relative What then has no space and time? No relativity No position in space Yet interconnected to all It is no-thing It cannot be observed Yet there is enlightenment How then can one change perspective? Become free from cause and effect, Beyond karma; A simple realization beyond time Within a fleeting moment The flow of the cosmos Shatters the limits of time Freedom pours through one’s veins As the streams descend to the sea Losing its form into another; Without form there is no space Without space there is no time Without the observer, There is nothing to observe; Therefore be formless and timeless
711
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Opposites Words and intellection unknowingly Manifest that which is opposite Intelligence exists Due to non-intelligence, Every designation is relative To another designation And no two exist Without their counterparts; Describing one thing Its opposite is described Language binds itself upon itself, Absolute reality cannot be described Beyond words of any language
The way of transcending opposites The way of unifying opposites The way that lies beyond, Thought and intellection Language and concept; A new reality emerges Whereas space and time Force and matter That which is this And this which is that Mutually coexist as a unity; Solving the riddle of the None and One Lies in resolving the opposites
The creation of one concept Creates its opposite So then the two are linked One exists due to the other When one comes into being The other is manifested There is no separate existence; A fundamental rule of nature, All things are interdependent All things coexist All things are codependent All things are non-linear Opposites exist as a circle Poles apart, yet connected 712
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The mind grasps and categorizes A process by which opposites appear, Seeing the object outside this process Leads to multidimensional aspects; Uncertainty emerges about the object Breaking the linear model of thought All Things exists in probability The observer defines things The observer defines reality The observer defines separateness No thing exists without an observer; When there is no observer The universe ceases to exist So opposites complement each other One emphasizes the other One defines the other One balances the other As Yin and Yang Both exist in all things At times one is dominant At times one is not Yet both are vital Ice cannot exist in a blaze of fire, Yet, water can extinguish fire; Where can darkness and light exist? On the dark side of the moon, When both are the same, Where there can be no observer
713
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Patterns Cosmic instinct manifests void Inherent in the void is all things Patterns are inherent in all things Within a flower Within an apple Within a melody Within a Greek temple Proportions within the patterns, Unfolding an archetype A pattern that mirrors all life A primordial essence reveals itself
Essential cosmic nature is unity A union of all things, Manifested in patterns of their form Worlds in the movement of an atom Worlds in the movement of a galaxy Creating patterns of harmonious wholeness Beyond intellect and reason Beyond apparent opposites Beyond Heaven and Hell Into the spiral of life
Cosmic patterns move in spirals Logarithmic spirals structure Life governed by the Golden Section Moving in opposite directions Complementing and unifying Generating form beyond opposites A sunflower is born; A cosmic essence manifested as life A universe within a seed Infinity in the void A source of evolutionary energy Instinctive desireless action Motion inherent in all particles
Those know true holiness Understands non-dualistic love Within the stars and planets Are but one essence A love that renders the universe Limitless patterns of form From a void so full of life Beyond the fragments Into wholeness Entering a calm pond A pebble creates cosmic patterns; A universe awaits
Preserving identity, Yet a unification of the whole An infinite number of patterns From an anonymous cosmic source Existing everywhere And nowhere True wisdom exists somewhere; Within diversity is wholeness Within a void is all elements Galaxies reflect in a sunflower 714
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The Unity of All Things At birth the unity is broken A part arising from the little whole A little whole manifesting a part A part which becomes a little whole Nothing is broken Only in the illusion of separateness; But all is not lost For even a part can recognize its interdependence The Great Whole, which determines the part, And transcends time and space; Yet the little whole cannot see the Great Whole Blind to its source The little whole determines its separateness
The Great Whole underlying the parts Is the origin of all parts and little wholes, Therefore the Great Whole manifests the parts, So the Great Whole is within the parts The Great Whole is inside and everywhere; All things are but the Great Whole There is unity in all things So then, there is no reality in the parts They are but arrangements of the Great Whole An inseparable interconnectiveness Why they see themselves as parts Is but a mystery to the Great Whole For it knows itself to be a unity A unified whole of interrelated relationships
Some have seen the Great Whole And their separateness lost forever A state of non-duality Parts and little wholes dissolved Into undifferentiated unity All things are now forgotten And the Great Whole at birth Is remembered 715
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Evolution Evolution is but life in motion Life is the universe’s activity Adapting and changing The ten thousand things evolve By means of creation or theory It is of no consequence; Still, the ten thousand things evolve Yet natural selection predominates Over random selection and chance events Through an organized underlying pattern At its core, its very essence Life’s primary directive is survival Therefore, life is in transformation
DNA proteins complexly bind together Environmental forces evolve segments A haphazard act of trial and error There is never a perfect life form; Only life fulfilling its primary directive: Survival Within hours generations are born Thousands of generations later Combating the onslaught of chemicals Bacteria organisms evolved; The mystery of life is held in the stars Life is in continual motion The universe is in continual motion Unforeseen motion required to survive
Life of four billion years past, Adaptation and change set in motion An asteroid path ends at Earth Sixty five million years past Yet another transformation Reshaped and modified Sculpting into the environment Altering the master switches Genes slightly mutated Modifying the mechanics of life; But not its essence The mutations continually evolving A superior organism realized Only seven million years past, Humanity still evolving 716
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Intelligent design or Genesis The design of organisms, truly mysterious How does the blue fox become the snow? The warning bright colors of poison frogs The Costa Rica moth appears as a fallen leaf The nymph mantis is identical to fern leaves The chameleon mimics the substratum quickly The Brazilian grasshopper is a blade of grass The crab spider turns yellow on a yellow flower The frogfish disappears against the Red Sea coral A Venezuela crocodile is the floating algae The eye’s complex 11-cis-retinal molecule All mysterious evolutionary feats
Every rationalization is a physical aspect Every thought is a physical aspect Any explanation is as irrational as The Moon demanding the Earth to release it It is; life is The universe’s non-physical aspect Manifests its physical counterpart Creation unnecessary Intelligence unnecessary Life is an integral aspect of the universe itself As the Moon, stars and the planets All intricate aspects of galaxies As the building blocks of life Spread everywhere in the universe Not a subject of materialism It is spiritualism; it is enlightenment Atheism and evolution equated It lies in the mysticism of all religions Beyond the compelling stories Beyond the dogma beliefs Beyond blind faith The essence of the universe reveals itself The universe requires no intervening It is complete
Banish preconceptions the mystery appears Mimicry and camouflage Exposing secrets of life Organisms unknowingly adapting in nature Somehow perfect effortless communication between an organism and the environment; Evolving precision interdependence Without effort, without thought Without creation, without intelligent design Life is an inherent aspect of the universe The universe exists; life exists Life is the dance of universe’s physical aspect The puzzling instinct of the universe Manifesting itself without reason
Where masters, gurus, and saints have passed Free from concepts one realizes the mystery Filled with concepts, The ten thousand things arise; Obsessed by concepts, The ten thousand things cannot be explained; The universe comes full circle The ten thousand things arise The ten thousand things return When one cannot see the mystery One creates existential doubt When one sees the mystery There is no need for words 717
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Cosmic Instinct An indescribable instinct, As color is indescribable to the blind Cosmic instinct reveals the infinite As light exposes objects in the dark That which is always there is illumined
The incomprehensible infinite Defines the knowledge of the finite Knowledge is not static The finite is in perpetual motion; The infinite has nowhere to go Therefore appears as a motionless void Yet, within the void All finite motion is contained;
The unconscious play of the infinite Manifests the finite 718
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Its essential nature is the void These are effects of cosmic instinct, Consequences of the flow; Penetrating every atom and particle As great as infinite space Everywhere and nowhere Here and there Looked for, it cannot be found, Yet wherever one looks, it is
Therefore exists as two parts of itself, A non-dual reality The instinct of the infinite Generates the finite aspect Without purpose or intention; Transcending the spiritual God has never been more apparent The fog has lifted The sea and sky are indistinguishable A seagull’s cry indistinguishable The instinct of the cosmos
Light exists as a multitude of rays The character of the rays results in sight, Cosmic instinct fills the universe Human awareness is a ray of cosmic instinct The character of awareness results in enlightenment, Cosmic instinct aware of itself through a ray; Ignorance results when the ray is clouded by ego The process of identification and duality The finite aspect of the infinite; With ego and mental objects suppressed, The ray becomes aware of itself The infinite aspect of the cosmos The cosmic instinct is infinite And therefore, all things are infinite
The root that all things connect The root that no things connect The cosmos from one root; Inherent in the root, Are all life forms and consciousness Manifesting all things Root revealed in consciousness; Microcosm is the macrocosm Macrocosm is the microcosm The cosmos individualizing its own nature; One can walk among snakes with no fear, For a snake will not attack its own kind The cosmic root is indestructible Body, mind and spirit are part of one root There are no separate entities As drops in the vast ocean, Its essential nature is the ten thousand things
719
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Seven Enlightenment Factors Aware of conceptions Aware of the ten thousand Things Becoming and disappearing Within oneself; Correct understanding is crucial Yet enlightenment has no understanding
Mindfulness arises Or sometimes absent Awareness is an absolute state Aware of body Aware of sensations Aware of feelings Aware of thoughts 720
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Investigation of mental objects Arises and sometimes not Investigate source of evil Investigate unwholesome conditions Investigate arising goodness Investigate wholesome conditions Knowing their nature is wisdom Appearing and disappearing Their suppression and destruction Mental objects have no form No reality Existing in space and time Yet enlightenment has no space and time Pure unbounded energy Arises and sometimes not Energetic will for right effort Free from defilements Free from deluded mind Free from unwholesome desires Free from mind-ego Free from birth and death No place for energy to bind Energy continuously transformed Through all things Energy is conserved, never lost Yet things are impermanent Few know absolute joy Contrary to the pessimistic These smiles have depth From a source beyond opposites Becoming pure bliss To delight in the spring of life A hindrance to realization Is the gloomy attitude of mind; With broad grin The enlightened enter the room No mental agenda exists Inner radiance of light and being Yet appearing as a beggar
721
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The Five Aggregates In each moment of time Never the same twice From moment to moment All states change; As a mountain river Never still for a moment Never the same twice In continuous flow Of impermanence and change Disappearing and reappearing A series of cause and effect, As are the five aggregates Aggregate of perception Sometimes comprehending Sometimes ignorant Sometimes doubtful Of the six sense-organs Of eighteen sense realms Recognizing objects Both of mind and body Knowing pleasure and pain Experience of sensations Liberation in knowledge
Aggregate of matter Of elements Solid, fluid, heat, motion Of sense-organs Ear, eye, body, nose, tongue Of sense-objects Sound, form, touch, odor, taste Of mind-objects Thoughts, ideas, conceptions Ever-changing energies Instruments of pleasure and pain Liberation in suffering
Aggregate of mental formations Karmic actions of good or bad Mental constructions of desire Of determination Of conceit Of ignorance Behaviors of will All of the six sense-organs Within the eighteen sense realms Impermanent and ever changing Instruments of self-ego Liberation in self
Aggregate of sensation Now and again pleasant Now and again unpleasant Now and again neutral Vehicle of sense-organs Of sense-objects Of mind-objects Moment-to-moment change Fruits of pleasure and pain Clinging to sensations Liberation in attachment 722
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Aggregate of consciousness Arising out of the six faculties Awareness of a sense-organ Aware of the eighteen sense realms; Of perceptions Of sensations Of objects Of mental formations, Each feeds the fire of consciousness Without which there is no fire Consciousness everchanging Liberation in the fire dying Five aggregates of the self-ego All impermanent and changing, All basis of attachment Of pleasure and pain Accepted of the finite realm Never the same twice From moment to moment As a mountain river The flow is constant and swift; Step out once from the river Liberation Suffering exists Yet there is no sufferer If a thought is removed No thinker can be found; Life is continuous motion A cycle of continuity Without beginning or end Its roots in ignorance Cessation of the five aggregates The happiest of beings Liberation in ultimate truth
723
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Pure Vision All Things exist by virtue Of what they are not A proton A neutron An electron Building blocks Of every atom in the cosmos, All matter within nonmatter; Yet with absolute certainty Every particle’s reality Exists within a Great Reality Of nothingness Of emptiness Of dynamic voidness
Within the undifferentiated suchness Lies true spiritual vision, Witnessing infinite space Beyond cosmos Beyond celestial bodies Beyond fields of grass Beyond grains of sand Unchanging character of the whole Reaching extreme vagueness Nothing exists to witness Yet every thing is realized Paralleling a perceptual shift A Pure Vision 724
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Relaxation of mind Relaxation of body All stiffness vanished Calmness of thought Calmness of action Calmness of speech Calmness in battle There are no bonds to bind No pressure to succeed Anxiety vanished All is done here and now Relaxation is intrinsic Yet, enlightenment requires great effort
All things equally important An absolute value Within a Great Reality Their transparency realized Manifestations of “being” Patterns of their origin; In a single blow of enlightenment All beliefs and expectations Suspended in time-space continuum, No meaning No understanding No comprehension Realizes a moment in time Of Pure Vision
Right concentration is attained Four stages before the gate Begin purifying emotions and desires Joy and happiness maintained Then intellection suppressed One-pointedness achieved Next all things exist equally Tranquility and balance are omnipresent Finally pure awareness remains “I am” exists nowhere All things endlessly change A journey back to the origin Yet, enlightenment requires no voyage
In a flash of primordial attainment A grave loss, All things lose their separateness In this selfless vision; Finite existence is “as it is” In the light of their being All is illuminated equally, A wholly intimate contact At the edge of finite and infinite Grasping of complete union The inconceivable nature of things Each part of a greater reality Proceeding from one source
Pure equanimity remains Emotions dissipated Intellections seized Thoughts observed As boats on a calm sea; As though blind and deaf Seeing with no eyes Hearing with no ears Mechanisms of perception immobilized Ideas of holiness vanished All things belong to emptiness Everything is understood for what it is Yet, enlightenment comes from what it is not
Transparent now the ego-mind With the third eye awakened The original face before birth Is now clear; As a pure child All things exist without purpose Within the realm absolute No longer an observer But a true participator, All questions and answers vanished In an eternal moment in time The whole of the process Is the rhythm of one’s being Vision as source of all things Yet, enlightenment does not require seeing. 725
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Insight to Enlightenment Degrees of enlightenment Exist within many From shallow tides To unbound depths; At first insight Mind’s eye opens A vow to save, Those unawakened; Defects of character Appear in the shallows, Someone still “seeing” Concepts remain Thin sliver achieved; Perfect enlightenment Adds nothing True enlightenment Ten thousand days ahead
Absolute fearlessness In the face of evil There is nothing that dies; Empty handed Nothing is gained Individual spirits and minds Have no meaning Have no existence; Shallow peace of insight Washed away forever; Compassion for every living being, Within pure radiance Reaching perfection Through a harmonious daily life; Cosmic instinct resurrected Fundamental wisdom acquired Mind is grasped
Great enlightenment Grasping the mind No delusion exists, No Mind is here What was taught, now experienced The face before birth Now so ever clear, Unmistaken diamond’s clarity; Boundless freedom Deep inner peace Unknown to those of insight, All opposites All contradictions Have no meaning Great vow fulfilled All thoughts of enlightenment Are simply absurd 726
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Penetrating more deeply Realizing spiritual discipline Is eternal; Perfecting the personality Within a vow To save all sentient beings Without self-consciousness, Of enlightenment; No one can own it No one can claim it No one can sell it One can live and realize it, That which is already there; Now live in harmony Without strain or compulsion All things are as they are Even after ten thousand days Just listen when listening Just see when seeing Absolute absorption Illusions of Self dissolved Emotions purified routinely Unremitting practice required No distinguishing End or means In a world of emptiness There are only Things Yet enlightenment has no existence
727
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The Eighteen Sense-Realms The self defines itself by senses The senses defined by perceptions Each sense and each sense-object Brings forth each sense-perception Each manifested from moments of past Distorting moments of future But what of moments of present Beyond definitions of senses? There is no sense endowed To know a moment in time Of body is touch Of tongue is flavor Of ear is sound Of nose is smell Of eyes is sight Of mind are entities; The six senses each with objects A perception fulfills the pair The eighteen sense-realms are formed An autonomous arsenal to protect In its intelligent mutiny Becomes the self
Concepts relate to the senses And as such to logical categories There is no right answer Correct thinking is without thought Is without sense A sense cannot see a moment in time A sense cannot feel a moment in time
In the domination of the senses The essence is confined The original undefiled awareness Of the first moments of life Its brilliance dimmed By the assault of the sense-realms A strategic maneuver to conquer Establishing the monarchy of Self Forever lost in the ocean of primordial ick Shutting out true wisdom
The arsenal is not so advanced For it cannot apprehend a moment in time The original source of all things Is achieved through spontaneity Of mind and body When the monarchy has fallen A moment in time everywhere And a cosmic order returns Once again Ending the rebirth 728
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God’s Trap The evolution of the soul The evolution of the universe Of primordial substance Without change throughout time; Change is not inherent in the soul For it is unchangeable As the essence of the universe The essence of God Change is inherent in the manifestations Manifestations of the universe Manifestations of the mind God’s manifestations Thy will be done on Earth As it is in Heaven Thy kingdom come The manifestations have limits; Of time Of space The multiplicity and complexity of the finite. The infinite has no limits Simplicity and unity, But why do we personify the infinite soul, The magic of God, The essence of the universe, In the identity of the finite body and mind?
Undeniable simplicity eludes Exhausting searches Dedicated disciples Spiritual accomplishments; Ego-hood sustains the trap Self evades Self The ultimate paradox of God realizing godself Hindered by its own materialization The Way eludes the most intelligent When thoughts cease Emotions at rest Ego-hood is transcended God arises within Now “god-consciousness” Becomes non-dualistic spiritual awareness Finally enlightenment!
No answer exists in theology No answer in philosophy Yet the answer remains within Entrapped by the mind and body The essence of the universe The essence of God It remains elusive in all discussions It is as if the soul of the universe Were trapped within the superior beings; Humans, God’s ultimate achievement God realizes itself in time and space Through the finite nature of humankind Humans are spiritual beings Although unaware while in the trap 729
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730
APPENDIX ONE
No Mind 601
We present below the method of Taoist meditation practised by Yin Shih Tsu as related in his first volume published in 1914. Yin Shih Tsu received many letters from those who followed and practiced his method of meditation. Here are some of their questions and the author’s answers.
Insights of No Mind
Q. “Should one close the eyes while sitting in meditation?” A. “To close the eyes is to ensure stillness of mind. When one feels tired after a day of hard work, one can open them a little to avoid falling into drowsiness. But it is advisable to close the eyes and direct them inwards to look into one’s inner self.” Q. “What should I do to get rid of rising thoughts that prevent me from sitting in meditation?” A. “Count your breath to control your thinking process.” Q. “When I began my practice in early February, my thoughts were very numerous, but a few months later, I made some progress and was sometimes entirely free from them for a full minute during which I felt as if I had entered the great emptiness. But now I cannot control myself and am assailed by thoughts; I do not feel at ease and am almost to the point of stopping my practice. What should I do?” A. “If while sitting in meditation you can free yourself from thoughts for a full minute, this is a very good sign and you should strive to preserve this state. If you persevere in your practice, you will be able to rid yourself of them. The best way to achieve this is to turn inward your meditation to contemplate the source of these thoughts and when you realize that there is no fixed place where they arise, you will attain the state of thoughtlessness. Q. “My legs are always numb after I have sat in meditation for thirty minutes. I am unable to get rid of this
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numbness which now seems more unbearable than before. What should I do to be free of it?” A. “This numbness is unavoidable. It is like physical exercise which causes one’s limbs to ache at the start. There are two ways of getting rid of it: firstly, when it is unbearable, move and stretch your legs to relax them, and secondly, try to bear it until it becomes imperceptible, for it will vanish of itself. If you can bear it in this way for a few sittings, your legs will be no more numb and you will then be able to sit for one or two hours without further difficulty.”
731 It Never Ends, It Only Begins Anew
Q. “Is it harmful to lengthen the duration of a meditation?” A. “You can lengthen it if you can bear with it, but you should avoid strain.” Q. “Each time I sit in meditation, I feel very impatient and the more I strive to suppress my impatience, the more unbearable it becomes. What should I do?” A. “Do not try to suppress it. You should lay down everything by visualizing your body as being dead; this is tantamount to killing it in order to resurrect it.” Q. “If the two thighs do not rest comfortably on the cushion, is it advisable to add padding under the buttocks?” A. “The buttocks should be raised two to three inches above the knees so that the thighs incline downward and rest on the cushion; thus the legs will also be relieved from numbness.” Q. “According to (Taoist) books, the method of turning inwards the contemplation does not mean the forceful stoppage of thoughts, but looking into their rise and fall to clear them away; for instance, returning the first thought to itself, the second thought to itself, and so on. What does ‘returning’ mean?” A. “All false thoughts are but the mind’s clingings which succeed one another endlessly. When contemplation is turned inward to look into their rise and fall, the purpose
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732 No Mind 601 Insights of No Mind
is to isolate these thoughts, thereby cutting off their links and connections. Thus the first thought cannot reach the second one, and this is ‘returning’ (the first thought to itself without allowing it to be linked with the second one). This is only possible when the rise of every thought is looked into.” Q. “Why, when something that is of no real concern enters my mind, I cannot get rid of it?” A. “This is because you cling to it. If you look into the unreality of your body which is a union of illusory elements, you will realize that there is not a thing that is worth your attachment; thus you will be able to lay down everything (and so quiet your mind).” Q. “During my meditation, although I practice the counting method, my mind still wanders outside; should I leave it alone?” A. “If your mind continues to wander in spite of your practice of the counting method, you should, each time you notice it wandering, bring it back under control so as to ‘freeze’ it. If you continue so doing, you will prevent it from wandering.” Q. “Last night, during my meditation, I gradually felt something quite unusual. It was as if I was in a floating state which was only temporary. As soon as I felt it, my thoughts returned again but I succeeded in stopping them and it reappeared. Thus my thoughts alternated with this state for a few times. At last, while in this state, suddenly the inner heat came down from my nose to my mouth, throat and chest, and the pores all over my body seemed to open up. I was so surprised that I did not notice where this heat stopped. Then I composed myself and felt another inner heat in the backbone between the kidneys which went up to the top of my head. All my body was hot and wet with perspiration. My surprise gave way to fright and then to alarm and I was unable to compose myself. The heat disappeared and the perspiration stopped. My head was wet with sweat and drops of it ran
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off my cheeks. This experience was very strange to me; what does it mean?” A. “These are the best signs of an effective meditation. Your perspiration removes impurities accumulated in your body. Don’t be frightened. Let this state take its own course. If the heat is intense, lead it by visualization up the backbone to the top of your head and then down to the lower belly, thus ensuring its continuous flow.”
733 It Never Ends, It Only Begins Anew
Q. “Every morning when I sit in meditation, I feel vibrations in my belly, first in its upper part and then under the navel. The more it vibrates, the more the vital principle flows freely and the more comfortable I feel. In my meditation in the afternoon and in the evening before going to bed, I do not feel vibrations in my belly. It seems that the flowing vital principle reaches the lower belly more easily when it is empty than when it is full. Are vibrations caused by this flow into the lower belly or are they only accidental? What do you mean by settling the lower belly; do you mean expanding it without allowing it to contract?” A. “Vibrations show the free passage of the vital principle. As it passes through the stomach and intestines, it vibrates when the belly is empty. But when the belly is full, it ceases to vibrate. The breath reaches the lower belly more easily when the latter is full. Vibrations are not accidental but come from the vital principle circulating in the belly. As times passes, when your meditation is more effective and the vital principle flows freely, then these vibrations will cease. To settle the belly is to expand it at all times without allowing it to contract. This can be attained only after a long training and cannot be achieved by beginners.” Q. “What do you mean by using a single thought to overcome numerous thoughts?” A. “When you concentrate on a single thought without loosening your grip of it, you will sooner or later succeed in putting a stop to all thoughts.”
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734 No Mind 601 Insights of No Mind
Q. “What do you mean by turning inwards the contemplation, and by returning every thought to itself?” A. “By turning inwards the contemplation is meant closing your eyes to look into the innermost; this can put a stop to false thoughts which will thus be disengaged from one another. This is returning each thought to its origin so that it cannot be linked to the following one, but actually there is no real return to anything.” Reprinted by Permission from The Secrets of Chinese Meditation by Charles Luk, Samuel Weiser, Inc., New York, 1964.
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NA M E IN DEX A Aarts, H., 34, 88 Adler, Alfred, 489 Albert, Richard. See Dass, Ram Alexander, C. N., 595 Amer, S., 615–616 Anand, B. K., 541 Andersen, N. J., 248 Andrade, J., 463 Angen, M., 615 Angoff, A., 444 Arcuri, L., 87 Asch, S. E., 198 Astin, John, 621 Augsburg, T., 94–95 Aurobindo, Sri, 33, 475
B Bagchi, B. K., 540, 541 Bandura, Albert, 72, 75 Barron, Frank, 543 Barth, D., 444 Baucom, D. H., 645 Bauman, A., 88 Beauregard, M., 559, 559–560 Begley, S., 558, 590 Benson, H., 544, 552, 557 Berger, Emanuel, 324 Berger, Joseph R., 385 Besserman, P., 372, 374 Blanchard, E. B., 75 Blanke, Olaf, 462 Bley, G. R., 643 Blofeld, John, 10, 392–393 Blumenthal, R. G., 588, 603 Bogart, G., 548 Bonadonna, R., 615 Bond, M., 111 Bondolfi, G., 617 Boorstein, S., 649 Borgeat, F., 67 Borkovec, T. D., 319 Boudreau, L., 545 Bourgouin, P., 559 Brainard, G. C., 551 Braverman, A., 296, 299
Brenman, Margaret, 186–187 Brones, M. F., 108 Brooks, C. V. W., 14 Brown, D., 48, 185, 533 Brown, Daniel P., 234 Brown, K. W., 556 Bruner, Jerome, 95 Brunton, Paul, 226–227, 252–253, 438–439, 446 Bundrick, C. M., 570 Bungener, C., 87 Burke, John, 205 Burney, R., 554, 614 Burns, J. E., 591, 609
C Caldera, Y., 557, 622 Capra, Fritjof, 124, 133, 153, 173, 242–243, 356–357, 437, 481–482 Caprio, Frank, 385 Carington, Whately, 220 Carlson, L. E., 615, 617 Carpenter, J. T., 189 Carrington, P., 591 Carson, J. W., 645 Carson, K. M., 645 Castaneda, Carlos, 271 Castelli, L., 87 Cavill, N., 88 Chabot, R., 67 Chaloult, L., 67 Chen (Zen master), 208–209 China, G. S., 541 Chiu, N. M., 614, 622 Christian, J., 111 Claxton, Guy, 36, 38, 137–138, 331–332, 339, 587 Clay, April, 575 Clore, G. L., 91 Confucius, 516 Conlin, M., 589–590 Connelly, J. E., 556–557 Conze, Edward, 10, 17 Cooper, P. C., 374 Corbetta, M., 270 Csikszentmihalyi, M., 568
771
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772 Name Index
D
G
Dale, A. R., 112 Das, J. P., 549 Dasgupta, S. N., 20–21 Dass, Ram (Richard Albert), 392, 553–554 David-Neel, A., 445 Davidson, Richard, 559 Davidson, R. J., 552, 556, 560 Dea, T. P., 643 Dean, S. J., 60 Deikman, Arthur, 184–185, 188–189, 227–228, 393–394, 542 DeNike, L. D., 39 Der Hovanesian, M., 588, 591 DeRopp, Robert, 169, 207–208 Deutsch, D., 61 Deutsch, J. A., 61 De Vries, P., 34 Dietrich, A., 462 Dietz-Waschkowski, B., 283 Dijksterhuis, A., 34 Dobmeyer, S., 270 Downing, P., 37 Dunn, B. R., 549 Dyer, Wayne W., 269, 270 Dysart, M., 48, 185
Gage, F. H., 558 Gallwey, Tim, 571–572 Gardner, S. T., 111 Garfield, C., 358 Geffen, Gina, 7 Ghazzali, Al, 214 Ghose, A., 33, 475 Gil, K. M., 645 Gilbert, Albin, 364, 476, 554 Gill, Merton M., 186–187 Gleason, C. A., 40 Goddard, Dwight, 151 Goffman, E., 241 Goldberg, C., 267 Goldman, R., 552 Goleman, Daniel, 132 Gollwitzer, P. M., 88 Golzalez-Wippler, M., 478 Goodey, E., 615, 617 Goodman, G. S. K., 553 Gordon, S. M., 463 Govinda, L. A., 437 Green, A. M., 539, 574 Green, E. E., 539, 574 Greeson, J. M., 551 Gregory, R. L., 43–44 Greischar, L. L., 552 Greyson, B., 518 Grice, H. P., 122 Grim, P. F., 313 Grof, Stanislav, 440 Grossman, A. R., 108 Grossman, P., 283, 622 Grove, J. R., 568–569, 573 Gulliford, E., 558 Gustavsson, B., 595–596
E Einstein, Albert, 173, 262, 471 Engler, J., 533 English, J., 607 Enright, J. B., 205 Evans-Wentz, W. Y., 497
F Falkenstrom, F., 149–150 Feng, G.-F., 607 Ferrari, N., 557 Fine, G., 128 Fingarette, Herbert, 19, 26, 267 Fisher, Charles, 67 Fletcher, K., 557 Ford, S. K., 575 Forsythe, J., 597 Forte, M., 48, 185 Francis of Assisi, Saint, 527 Freud, Sigmund, 41, 106, 107, 206, 332, 347, 356, 444, 446, 489 Friend, K. E., 596 Fromm, E., 183–184
210003_00_nmindx.indd 772
H Hanh, Thich Nhat, 73, 355, 408 Hargreaves, I., 553 Harper, Sharon, 451 Hartigan, J. A., 549 Hartmann, Heinz, 186 Harung, H. S., 599 Hassin, R. R., 88 Heintze, Carl, 89 Henderson, Lawrence, 434 Henke, K., 67 Henricks, M., 591 Herrigel, Eugen, 142, 148–149, 153 Hilgard, W. Ernest R., 213–214
6/6/08 1:39:28 PM
Hirai, Tomio, 390–391, 541–542, 548 Hochschild, A. R., 403 Hoeberichts, Joan, 639 Hoenig, J., 544 Hojat, M., 551 Holroyd, J., 460 Honorton, Charles, 450–451 Hopkins, P., 552 Hora, Thomas, 435 Horney, Karen, 219 Horton-Deutsch, S., 557 Houlder, D., 607–608 Houlder, K., 607–608 Hoyle, Fred, 470–471 Huang Po, 9 Hui-neng, 123 Hume, Robert Earnest, 182–183, 474 Husserl, Edmund, 360–361
I Ikkyu Sojun, 638, 654
J Jackson, S. A., 569, 570, 574, 575, 584 Jacobs, G., 552 James, William, 198, 346 Jasper, H., 176–177 Jeans, James, 471–472 Johnson, C., 518 Jung, Carl, 229, 230, 347, 356, 408–409, 442, 445–448, 480, 489
K Kabat-Zinn, Jon, 354, 554, 557, 558, 562, 614, 622, 625 Kagan, L., 557 Kalb, C., 614 Kanwisher, N., 37 Kapleau, Philip, 251–252 Kasamatsu, A., 540, 541–542 Kaser, V. A., 67 Kastner, S., 39 Kaufman, M., 559 Kavanagh, D. S., 463 Keeva, S., 581, 585, 592 Kelman, Harold, 266, 355–356 Kempermann, G., 558, 559 Kennedy, B. P., 463
210003_00_nmindx.indd 773
Kersig, S., 283 Kessel, B., 557 Key, Wilson Bryan, 66, 68 Kimiecik, J. C., 570, 575 Klein, D., 596 Kleiner, C., 576 Koestenbaum, Peter, 347 Kondo, Akihisa, 268 Koss-Chioino, J. D., 445 Kreitler, Hans, 449 Kretschmer, W., 541 Krishnamurti, J., 215–216 Kubose, S. K., 545 Kuna, D. J., 591 Kunimoto, C., 67 Kuo, C. C., 614
773 Name Index
L Lachnit, C., 594 Landis, T., 67 Langer, Ellen, 96, 377 Larsson, G., 571 Lavie, N., 38 Lazar, S. W., 542 Lazarus, Arnold A., 47 LeDoux, Joseph, 12, 35, 45, 57, 58, 61, 71, 85, 492 Lee, Dorothy, 175 Legge, J., 137 Lehmann, D., 462 Leong, F., 646 Leshan, Lawrence, 191 Levesque, J., 559 Levis, D. J., 56 Libet, Benjamin, 40–41, 337, 572 Lincoln, Abraham, 372 Linden, William, 550–551, 624 Linehan, M. M., 617 Linssen, Robert, 150 Lipworth, L., 554, 614 Long, M. F., 444 Lowen, Alexander, 387 Lowie, R. H., 229 Lozanov, Georgi, 70, 86, 551 Lubin, S., 596 Luce, G. G., 242 Ludwig, Arnold, 543–544 Luk, Charles, 640, 734 Lupin, Shellan, 596 Lutz, A., 552, 558 Lutz, C. A., 403 Lynch, J. J., 544
6/6/08 1:39:36 PM
774 Name Index
M Ma, S., 622 MacHovec, F. J., 93, 113, 348 Maharshi, Bhagawan Sri Ramana, 359 Majumdar, M., 283 Malhotra, J. C., 542–543 Malhotra, M., 552 Mann, John, 544 Marcus, D. L., 576 Marechal, Joseph, 175, 527 Markowitsch, H. J., 67 Marks, David, 146–147, 490 Marsh, H. W., 575 Martin, R. B., 60 Mascaro, J., 325 Maslow, Abraham, 15–16, 18–19, 23, 164, 187–188, 206, 247–248, 256, 265, 347, 568, 636–637 Mason, O., 553 Mathers, S. L. M., 478 Maupin, Edward, 202, 215, 270, 276 May, J., 463 McBee, L., 622 McComb, J., 557, 622 McCrone, John, 42–43, 93, 126–127 McCuan, J.e, 596 McInman, A. D., 568–569, 573 Mcpeake, J. D., 463 Meier, B. P., 91 Merrick, J., 248 Michalon, M., 121 Miezin, F. M., 270 Mikulas, W. L., 549 Miller, J., 67 Miller, J. J., 557 Millman, Dan, 529 Mischel, Walter, 45–46, 86, 88 Moss, Richard, 359 Murphy, L. R., 595 Murphy, M., 568
N Nagarjuna, 124, 125, 370 Naranjo, Claudio, 199, 246 Newberg, A., 552 Niemann, L., 622
O O’Haver, D. P., 557 Onda, Akira, 453–454 Orlick, T., 574, 579, 580, 584
210003_00_nmindx.indd 774
Ornstein, Robert, 12, 199 Ostrander, N., 551 Ostrander, S., 551 Otani, A., 539 Ott, M. J., 557, 625 Otto, Herbert, 544
P Pagels, Heinz, 126, 151, 173, 262, 437, 483, 521–522 Palmer, J., 452–453 Panchadasi, S., 472 Paquette, V., 558 Pashler, H., 67 Paskewitz, D. A., 544 Patanjali, x, 452 Patel, K. D., 617 Paul, G. L., 47 Pelletier, K. R., 358, 546 Penfield, W., 358, 461 Peper, E., 546 Perls, Frederick S., 203 Persinger, Michael, 461–462, 518 Petersen, A., 624 Petersen, S. E., 270 Plato, 128 Preville, P., 594 Price, H. H., 230 Privette, G., 568, 570 Progoff, Ira, 147, 480, 489 Proulx, K., 557
Q Quoniam, N., 87
R Rabin, J., 518 Radford, John, 550 Rahula, Walpola, 5–6 Randolph, P;., 557, 622 Rank, Otto, 489 Rao, K. R., 230, 448–449, 451 Rawlings, N. B., 552 Redfield, James, 489 Rees, G., 38 Reibel, D. K., 551 Reps, Paul, 466 Reyher, Joseph, 408 Ricard, M., 552 Richards, D. G., 517 Ritter, B., 75 Roberts, G. C., 569, 574, 575, 584
6/6/08 1:39:44 PM
Robin, R., 592, 595 Robinson, M. D., 91 Rockers, D. M., 622 Rokeach, Milton, 73 Roll, W. G., 476 Rosch, P. J., 594 Rosenzweig, S., 551 Ross, N. W., 473 Roth, B., 622 Rubin, J. B., 649 Russell, W. D., 570 Ryan, R. M., 556
S Sadhu, Mouni, 359 Santorelli, Saki, 622 Saraswati, Madhavananda, 450 Sarbin, Theodore R., 84, 173 Sartre, Jean-Paul, 473–474 Saver, J., 518 Schmeidler, Gertrude, 450, 452–453 Schmidt, S., 622, 646 Schmidt-Wilk, J., 595 Schroeder, L., 551 Schwartz, J. M., 558, 559–560 Schwarz, Jack, 190, 229, 448, 495, 552 Scott, J., 555 Segal, J., 555 Segal, Z., 65 Segal, Zindel, 554 Sekhar, A., 608 Servadio, Emilio, 445, 449–450 Severin, F. T., 361 Shagass, C., 176–177 Shah, Idries, 147, 214 Shannahoff-Khalsa, D. S., 518 Shapiro, Dean, Jr., 550 Shattock, E. H., 192 Shors, T. J., 558 Shulman, G. L., 270 Sigal, J. J., 111 Simonson, R., 597 Singh, B., 541 Singh, Lalan Prasad, 640 Singh, R. N., 651 Siou, L., 389 Skinner, B. F., 85 Slater, W., 387–388 Smith, A., 571–572 Smith, E. R., 87 Smythies, J. R., 444
210003_00_nmindx.indd 775
Soho, Takuan, 26 Solomon, A., 617 Soulsly, J. M., 555 Sovatsky, S. C., 641 Speca, M., 615, 617 Spielberger, C. D., 39 Stace, W. T., 347 Stampel, T. G., 56 Stapp, H. P., 559–560 Steger, M., 372, 374 Stein, G. L., 570 Stein, J., 615 Stier, J., 558 Stimac, E., 596 Streiner, D., 60 Subramanian, M., 595 Sudo, P., 638 Sun, T. F., 614, 622 Suzuki, D. T., 162, 174, 177–178, 208–209, 252, 480, 546–547 Suzuki, Shunryu, 547–548 Swanson, G. C., 595
775 Name Index
T Tacon, A. M., 557, 622 Taimni, I. K., 361–362, 365 Takahashi, T., 556 Tart, Charles, 459–460 Teasdale, J. D., 65, 333, 554, 555, 622 Tempereau, C. E., 108 Thera, Nyanaponika, 398–399 Thienemann, M., 558 Thouless, Robert, 443 Ti, Huang, 435 Tiller, William, 437 Tolle, Eckhart, 201 Tolson, J., 576 Travis, F., 588 Treisman, Anne, 7 Trungpa Rinpoche, Vidyadhara Chögyam, 69–70 Tsu, Yin Shih, 730–734 Tulving, E., 96 Tzu, Chuang, 136–137, 280–281, 477 Tzu, Lao, vii, 129, 134, 318, 319, 476–477, 510
U Ungerleider, L. G., 39 Urban, M. J., 67
7/28/08 12:42:06 PM
776 Name Index
V Vaillant, G. E., 110–111 Van De Castle, R. L., 444 Van Nuys, D., 453, 545 Ventegodt, S., 248 Voigt, H., 638–639
W Wade, Carlson, 390 Walach, H., 283, 622 Waley, A., 389 Walker, Kenneth, 466–467 Wallace, R. K., 544 Watkins, E., 555 Watkins, M. M., 168 Watson, John B., 85 Watts, Alan, 4–5, 171, 237, 239–240, 534 Wegner, Daniel, 8, 13–14, 17, 348 Weisner, W. P., 443
210003_00_nmindx.indd 776
Wenger, M. A., 540, 541 White, John, 477–478 White, R. A., 568 Williams, J., 65 Williams, J. M., 555 Williams, Mark, 554 Wilson, V., 591 Witkin, Herman, 90–91 Wolfe, Joseph, 60 Wood, Ernest, 193 Wright, E. W., 40 Wu, C. K., 622
Y Yau, T. Y., 643 Yun, P’ang, 372, 374
Z Zerubavel, E., 360 Ziskind, E., 94–95 Zogmaister, C., 87
6/6/08 1:40:00 PM
SU BJ E C T IN DE X A Abdominal breathing, 390–391, 395–398 Acceptance, 635, 651 Action of conscious agent, 13 without effort, 137 gap between awareness and, 40–43, 61 See also Non-action; Wu wei (non-action) Actors, 596–597 Advertising, 66, 87, 105–106 Aggregates, 722–723 Alpha brain waves, 540–542, 544 Alpha state, 450, 460 Altered states of consciousness (ASCs), 457–468 actors and, 596–597 in athletes, 457, 460 brain and, 461–463 creativity and, 543–544 defined, 457, 458 enlightenment vs., 464 meditation and, 450 multiple paths to, 465–466 No Mind and, 459–460 phenomena associated with, 458–459 Psi phenomena and, 452–453 substance-abuse therapy, 463 Amygdala, 58 Ancient masters instruction of, 434, 521 and Psi phenomena, 446, 450 Ancient stone, vi, vii Animals action of, 318, 329 communication of, 442–443 and self, 6 Anticipation, 43 Anxiety, 530–531, 551, 624, 671 ASCs. See Altered states of consciousness (ASCs) Association, 198 Assumption, 43–44
Athletics. See Sports Attachment CAt and, 394 communication and, 373–374 death and, 519–520 to desires, 136–137 emotion and, 58–60 “I” and, 4, 9, 55–59, 342–343 paradox of, 342–345 play and, 344–345 points of, 343, 345 relationship conflict and, 633–634 sports and, 577–578 to truth, 76 Attention bare, 398–399 as basis of No Mind, 26 perception and, 38 and the present, 246 psychological disorders and, 545 selectivity of, 37 See also Clear Attention (CAt); Mindfulness Attractiveness, 88 Auto-action brain and, 41, 61 control over, 89–90 defense mechanisms as, 106 emotion and, 60–61 society and, 82 See also Autopilot; Deautomatization Autopilot benefits of, 183, 186 brain and, 41 categorization and, 96 emotion and, 54, 59 environmental responses and, 64–65, 68, 88–89 See also Auto-action; Deautomatization Auto-reaction brain and, 41, 61 control over, 89–90 defense mechanisms as, 106 emotion and, 60–61
777
210003_00_subindx.indd 777
6/6/08 1:41:06 PM
778 Subject Index
Auto-reaction (continued) society and, 82 See also Deautomatization Awareness behavior and, 204–205 CAt and, 200–201, 214–216 distraction of, 68, 165–166 emotion and, 59–60 gap between action and, 40–43, 61 health/happiness and, 15–16 “I” and absorption of, 64–65 of Iill, 167–168 meditation and, 550 of mind objects, 418 f mind vs., 20–22 as mirror, 397–398 non-dualistic, 123, 132 perception and, 68–70 pure, 438, 469, 473, 489 as quantum relationship, 508–509 of reality, 18–19 screen of, 206–207, 209–212, 355 in sports, 578 therapeutic value of, 205 as universal constant, ix, xiv, 23, 350, 369, 411, 434, 438, 466, 488, 516, 638 See also Right Awareness; Spiritual awareness
B Babylonians, 444 Balance point, 600–601 Bare attention, 398–399 Behavior awareness and, 204–205 learning of, 45–46 meditation and, 545 motivation and, 86–87 Behavior modification research and therapy, x, 71–73, 85 Being, and Nothingness, 254, 258, 260, 301, 493–494, 500 Being cognition, 15–16, 18–19, 187–188 Belief/disbelief systems, 73–76, 369–370 Body detachment from, 402–403 energy centers in, 532–533 mental control over, 190, 448, 540–541, 544, 546, 552–553
210003_00_subindx.indd 778
mindfulness of, 396–397 processes of, as mind objects, 401–403 Book of Changes, 300–301 Book of the Way and How It Manifests Itself in the World, The, vii Brain ASCs and, 461–463 brain-wave frequencies, 450, 460 categories and, 96 electrical stimulation of, 358, 461 emotions and, 57–58 emptiness of processes in, 369 happiness and, 590 “I” and, 6–7, 138, 358 identification and, 56–57 meditation and, 552, 590 mindfulness and, 558–560 and neuroplasticity, 60, 558–560, 590 perception and, 35, 358 reality vs. imagination in, 46–47 religious experience and, 518 sensory input and, 65–66 stimulus recognition in, 60–61 stress and, 615 synaptic connections in, 11–12, 35, 44, 55–56, 138 will and, 40 Breath, as energy, 389 Breath control abdominal breathing, 390–391, 395–398 benefits of, 386–387 CAt and, 387, 395–398 in daily life, 388 emotion and, 404 Taoism and, 388–389 technique of, 387, 389–391, 396–397, 423–424 Buddhism and mysticism, 489 No Mind and, 588–589 Psi phenomena in, 444 psychology in, 120–121, 146–147, 356 See also Theravada Buddhism; Tibetan Buddhism; Zen Buddhism Business, 586–611 deautomatization and, 592–593, 597–598 enlightened persons in, 271
6/6/08 1:41:14 PM
Iill and, 598–599, 604–607 interpretation of cues in, 90 meditation and, 588–591, 594–596, 608 mindfulness and, 586 money in, 605–608 negotiation in, 600–604 office environment in, 604 play and, 170 stress and, 591–594
C CAt. See Clear Attention (CAt) Categories, 95–96, 101–102, 182–183 Celestine Prophecy, The (Redfield), 489 Celestine Vision, The (Redfield), 489 Chair, for No Mind practice, 413–414, 414f Chakras, ix, 532, 640 Chaldeans, 444 Change, 263 Chi, 389, 472, 532, 640 Children and meditation, 550–551 reality as experienced by, 95 See also Newborns Chinese, ancient, 444 Christianity. See Judeo-Christian religion Christian mysticism, x, 473 Clairvoyance, 442, 444 Clear Attention (CAt), 196–223, 278–279 attachment and, 394 awareness and, 200–201, 206–207, 209–212, 214–216 behavior and, 204–205 benefits of, 200–201 body and, 401–403 breath control and, 387, 395–398 in daily life, 208, 213 defined, 38, 168, 200 diagram of, 382 f doubt and, 422 emotions and, 403–406 Iill and, 141, 150, 409 Insight of No Mind, 704–706 intuition and, 224, 229 levels of, 304–306 as mirror, 196–197, 278–279 negotiation and, 600–601
210003_00_subindx.indd 779
No Mind and, 141, 168, 176, 196, 200–201, 221, 391–398 peak performance and, 218–220 perception and, 410–412 practice of, 208, 391 and the present, 201–202, 238–239, 284 problem solving with, 340–341 and “reality show,” 208–214 in relationships, 634, 648–649, 653–654 self-observation and, 207–210 sports and, 573–575, 582 thoughts and, 406–410 understanding others through, 400 untraining mind through, 350–351 See also Mindfulness; Right Awareness Co-arising, 137–138, 166 Codependent reality, 37–38 Collective unconscious, 229–230, 347, 356, 442, 446–448 Communication animal, 442–443 mind objects and, 399–400 non-attachment and, 373–374 Psi phenomena and, 445, 451–454 in relationships, 634–636 Compassion, 685 Competition, 9 Complex truth, 75–76 Concentration, 385 Conditional love, 682–683 Conditioning, 46–47, 79–81. See also Reinforcement Conscience, 127 Consciousness, 478–480 Control, 8, 12, 136–137 Coping, 621–623 Cosmic Code, The (Pagels), 152, 521 Cosmic instinct, 718–719 Couple “I,” 644–646 Creativity, 543–544 Creativity and Personal Freedom (Barron), 543 Crisis, 690–691 Crow Indians, 229, 444 Crying, 672 Cuna Indians, 444 Cynicism, 287–288
779 Subject Index
6/6/08 1:41:22 PM
780 Subject Index
D Daily life breath control in, 388 CAt in, 208 mindfulness practice and, xii–xiii No Mind in, 412–417, 424–426, 525–534 play and, 286 Right Attitude and, 367–369 Zen and, 296, 299 Dalhousie University, 120 Death, 506–524, 688–689 attachment and, 519–520 cycle of life and, 515 fear of, 375, 506, 511, 514 Iill and, 437, 520–521 illusion of, 510–512, 522 near-death experiences, 517–518 spiritualism and communication after, 445 who is subject of, 516–517 Deautomatization, 181–195, 278 awareness and, 207 business and, 592–593, 597–598 CAt and, 349–350 deconditioning through, 192–193 explanation of, 187–190 of Iill, 186–187 Insight of No Mind, 700–701 of perceptual experience, 184–185 and selflessness, 190–191 techniques of, 185 Defense mechanisms, 103–117 brain and, 7, 11 changes in, 110–111 and comfort zone, 104–109 denial, 105–106 examples of, 105 fantasy, 105–106 “I” and, 4–6, 9, 13, 103–105, 109–110, 128 identifying, 116–117 perception and, 69 projection, 108–109 purpose of, 104–105 regression, 108 repression, 107–108 styles of, 110–111 Denial, 105–106 Depression, 554–555 Depth psychology, x
210003_00_subindx.indd 780
Desensitization, 46–47 Desires attachment to, 136–137, 169–170 foregoing of, 163–165 fulfillment of, 163–165 happiness and, 134–136 illusion of, 8, 15–16, 134, 177, 285–286, 375 Insight of No Mind, 674 for material success, 605–606 nature and, 375–376 as obstacle to No Mind, 667 play and, 170 in relationships, 632–633 source of, 375 Destiny, 677 Detachment from body, 402–403 from emotions, 404–405 of “I,” 4, 14, 18–19 and reality, 6 from thoughts, 406–408 Determinism, 39 Dhammapada: The Path of Perfection, 325 Dialectical behavior therapy, 617 Direct experience, 356 Direct knowledge, 356 Dissociation, 518 Disturbances of mind, 530–531 DNA, 230 Doctor-patient interactions, 556–557 Doei Shabd Kriya, 553 Dokusan, 252 Doubt CAt and, 422 enlightenment and, 348, 421, 533, 668–669 Insight of No Mind, 678 No Mind and, 313, 421–422, 668 value of, 22–23, 288, 386 Dream interpretation, 356 Drugs, 457, 458 Dualism awareness and, 123, 125, 132, 139–140 “I” and, 5–6, 16, 118, 120, 140 identity and, 481 illusion of, 129–130, 151–152 in Judeo-Christian religion, 487–488 language and, 118, 120, 124–126, 128–129, 132–133, 144
6/6/08 1:41:30 PM
maya and, 172 physics and, 124 problems arising from, 140 rejection of, 130–131 religion and, 139–140, 503 transcendence of, 664–665
E Eastern philosophy, xiv Ego, 33, 85. See also “I” Ego psychology, 186 Egyptians, ancient, 444 Eighteen sense-realms, 728 Electroencephalogram (EEG), 540–541 Electromagnetic fields, x Emotional Brain, The (LeDoux), 58 Emotional Intelligence (Goleman), 132 Emotions attachment and, 58–60 awareness and, 59–60 brain and, 57–58 breath control and, 404 co-arising of, 137–138, 405–406 controlling, 62 detachment from, 404–405 “I” and, 62–64 identity and, 58–59 meditation and, 553 memories and, 57, 59 as mind objects, 403–406 misinterpretation and, 63 as obstacles, 62 power of, 54, 58–61 projection of, 64 understanding, 61–64 Emptiness fullness of, 350, 352, 374 of language, 124–126 “Looking into Emptiness,” 231 f of mind, 371–375 of nature, xi, 152 negotiation from, 603 paradox of, 349–352 perception and, 19 as source of thought, xi understanding, 132–134 See also Nothingness Energy, 39, 640, 676 Energy centers in body, 532–533 Enlightened persons, 270–271, 476–477, 554
210003_00_subindx.indd 781
Enlightenment ASCs vs., 464 awareness and, 23 bloom of, 264–265 capacity for, 252 conditions for experiencing, 353 defined, 22 doubt and, 348, 421, 533, 668–669 equations of, 253–254, 258 experience of, 113, 119, 125, 268, 475–476 first level of, 231, 264 getting to, 22–24 illustrations concerning, 294–299 “I” not capable of, 252, 459 Insight of No Mind, 720–721, 726–727 as nature becoming self-aware, 256–258 need for, 250 No Mind and, 250–273, 282 and objectivity, 269–271 observer absent from, 259 obstacles to, 150, 281 pseudo-, 142, 149, 294–296, 341, 428, 464, 491–492 seven factors of, 720–721 simplicity of, 21, 378–379 spiritual awareness and, 480–481 stress management and, 625–627 time and, 262–264 See also Enlightened persons; Insight Entering the Marketplace, 310 Environmental seclusion (ESR), 94 Equations of enlightenment, 253–254, 258 Factor 1: reality, 162, 290 Factor 2: deautomatization, 181, 290 Factor 3: CAt, 196, 290 Factor 4: intuition, 224, 291 Factor 5: no Iill, 237, 291 Factor 6: enlightenment, 250, 291 ESP. See Extrasensory perception (ESP) Eternity, 534 Evil, 680–681 Evolution, 716–717 Exercises categories, 101–102 conditioning, 79–80 defense mechanisms, 116–117
781 Subject Index
6/6/08 1:41:38 PM
782 Subject Index
Exercises (continued) language, 144 mindful awareness, 81 perceptual filter, 29–30 preferences, 52–53 Exorcist, The (film), 66 Expectations, 679 Experience, 356 Experiment in Mindfulness, An (Shattock), 192 Expression, control of, 89–90 Extrasensory perception (ESP), 442, 444, 450–452 Extrinsic motivation, 86
F Family “I” and, 86, 92, 97 societal values and, 92 Fantasy, 105–106 Federal Communications Commission, 66 Field-independent, 90–91 Finalization anxiety, 375 Five aggregates, 722–723 Flow, vii, 141–142, 567, 568, 570, 573–575. See also Peak performance; Zone Focus, 540–541 Free association, 356, 408 Freedom awareness and, 92, 150–151 defined, 92 doing and, 266–267 illusion of, 25, 92 Insight of No Mind, 690–691 limitations on, 4 No Mind and, 232–233 peak performance and, 573 Free will “I” and, 48 illusion of, 38–39, 528 mind’s usurpation of, 31 No Mind and, 48 See also Free won’t Free won’t, 31, 39–41 Friends, 698 Frustration, 530, 670 Fujitsu, 590 Fulfillment desire and, 163–165 search for, 232–233 See also Happiness
210003_00_subindx.indd 782
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), 540
G Gamma brain activity, 590 Genetic Engineering (Heintze), 89 Genetics diversity and, 34 metaphor construction and, 84 personality and, 45 Genius, 227–228 Gestalt psychology, x Gestalt therapy, 203, 205–206 Ghosts, 445 Goals, 135–136. See also Trying God conceptions of, 496 Judeo-Christian, 487–488, 496 Nothingness and, 260–261 state of, 487 See also God x God-consciousness, 139, 169, 214, 261, 313, 469 “God in everything,” 255, 257–258 God’s trap, 729 God x cosmic thoughts of, 493–494 Iill and, 499–500 mysticism and, 487–488 omnipresence of, 506 potentiality of, in all people, 496–497 as the present, 261 search for, 260 See also God Going Inside (McCrone), 43, 126 Golden median, 130, 289, 315 Grasping, 229, 231 Greed, 675 Gut feelings, 454
H Half-lotus posture, 414–415, 415 f Half-second gap, between action and awareness, 40–43, 61 Hallucinations, 461 Happiness brain and, 590 desire and, 134–136 “I” as obstacle to, 24–25 peak performance and, 574 present time and, 134 true vs. illusory, 130–131
6/6/08 1:41:45 PM
unconditional, 405 See also Fulfillment Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind (Claxton), 331 Harmony, 548 Hate, 531, 673 Health corporate promotion of, 594–595 meditation and, 591 mindfulness and, 539, 547, 554–557, 617–618, 625 Heaven, 477, 520–521, 534 Highest State of Consciousness, The (White), 477 Hinduism, x, 444, 473, 489 Hippocampus, 558 History of Indian Philosophy (Dasgupta), 20 Hope, 679 Hua-t’ou (prethought), x, 354, 384, 386, 392, 406, 411, 420–422, 428, 516 Human Energy Systems (Schwarz), 495 Humor, 287, 694 Hypnosis, x, 453–454, 460
I “I” alteration of reality to suit, 13–14 and attachment, 55–58, 342–343 awareness absorbed by, 64–65 box for, 73–75 brain and, 6–7, 138, 358 condition of, 54–81 and control, 8, 12 couple, 644–646 as detachable, 237–249 and dualistic reality, 5–6, 16, 118, 120, 140 emotion and, 62–64 enlightenment not possible for, 252, 459 equations for, 162 family and, 86, 92, 97 as filter, 7–8, 10–11, 17–20, 24, 26, 43 happiness thwarted by, 24–25 and identity, 8–11, 35, 44–46, 56 as illusion, 5, 18, 21, 47, 121, 138–142, 145–160, 162, 175, 177, 240, 358–359 (see also Iill) illusion of perfect, 109
210003_00_subindx.indd 783
language and, 84–89, 118, 121, 123–124, 126–127 layers of, 147–149 limitations of, 3–4, 7–8, 24, 48–49, 112–113 mindful awareness of, 81 models of, x–xi needs of, 15–16 nonexistence of, xi, xii, xiv paradox of, 4–5 and perception, 7–8 physiological development of, 6–7 pronoun, 123–124 “reality” as perceived by, 5, 8–14, 17–18, 31–53, 112 reinforcement of, 56, 62, 69, 72 and self-limiting interpretations, 33–37 self-policing of, 127 and separation, 5–6, 8–9, 44, 128 society and, 25, 82–102, 127, 171, 369, 371 society as, 97–98, 131, 140 sports and, 576–577, 579–580 suffering caused by, 123 suggestion and, 70–71 synaptic associative network of, 11–12 time and, 284 truth relative to, 76 unchangeable character of, 131 unconscious, 67–68 will and, 47–48 See also Ego; Iill I-Ching, 300–301 Ideas, relative nature of, 54 Identity attachment and, 56 dualism and, 481 emotion and, 58–59 of groups, 371 “I” and, 8–11, 35, 44–46 illusion of, 498 language and, 121–123 levels of, 347 problems accompanying, 137 stability and, 45–46 Iill, 145–160 awareness of, 167–168 boat metaphor of, 165–167 body and, 402–403 business and, 598–599, 604–607 CAt and, 141, 150, 409
783 Subject Index
6/6/08 1:41:53 PM
784 Subject Index
Iill (continued) and communication, 373 control by, 142 death and, 437, 520–521 deautomatization of, 186–187 diagram of, 159 f downplaying, 216–218 emotion and, 403–404 equations for, 162 as false jewel, 147–148 and flow, 567 formation of, 303 and God x, 499–500 insight and, 231 intention and, 326–330 intuition and, 225–226 language and, 174–175 and mind objects, 197–198 and money, 605–608 No Mind and, 240–241, 243–247, 281–282, 479 and probability, 243 problems stemming from, 138–140, 147, 267–268 and reality, 490–491 as “reality show,” 208–214, 216–218 in relationships, 630, 632–633, 643, 647, 649–651, 653 Right Attitude and, 368–371 selfishness of, 190–191 soul and, 492 spiritualism and, 445 Ten Oxherding Pictures and, 296–298 time and, 245–246 transcendence of, 141, 145, 148–150, 153–154, 218–219, 237, 438–439, 491 as trickster, 174 Illusion. See Maya (illusion) Imagination, 43 Implosive therapy, 56 Inner Game of Tennis, The (Galwey), 571 Insight holistic understanding through, 230 Iill and, 231 intuition vs., 226–228 metacognitive, 333 No Mind and, 227, 231–232, 247, 280, 423 perception vs., 257
210003_00_subindx.indd 784
spiritual awareness and, 230–232, 269 See also Enlightenment Insights of No Mind, 660–729, 724–725 anxiety, 671 Clear Attention (CAt), 704–706 compassion, 685 conditional love, 682–683 cosmic instinct, 718–719 crisis and freedom, 690–691 crying, 672 death, 688–689 deautomatization, 700–701 desire, 674 destiny, 677 doubt, 678 eighteen sense-realms, 728 energy, 676 enlightenment, 726–727 evil, 680–681 evolution, 716–717 five aggregates, 722–723 friends, 698 frustration, 670 God’s trap, 729 greed, 675 hate, 673 hope and expectations, 679 karma, 695 leadership, 696–697 the mechanism, 702–703 the mirror, 708–709 opposites, 712–713 patterns, 714 peak performance (non-action), 707 personality, 699 play, 686–687 seven enlightenment factors, 720–721 time, 710–711 unconditional love, 684 undying humor, 694 unity of all things, 715 Zen attitude, 692–693 Intellect. See Mind Intellection, limits of, 547–548 Intention of conscious agent, 13 karma and, 326–330 as obstacle to perception, 36 See also Trying
6/6/08 1:42:01 PM
Interdependence of things, 152–153, 241–242, 436–437, 470–471, 501 Interpretation attachment and, 373 diversity in, 34, 174 emotion and, 63 Iill and, 326–330 perception affected by, 35–37 self-limiting, 33–37 of social cues, 88–91 Intrinsic motivation, 86–87 Intuition, 224–236, 279–281 conditions for, 227–228 grasping of, 229 Iill and, 225–226 insight vs., 226–228 pseudo-, 227 Invincible Leadership (Harung), 599 Islam, 489, 490
J Japan, business and meditation in, 590, 595 Jesus, 502 Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), x, 473, 478, 490 Judeo-Christian religion dualism in, 487–488 God in, 487–488, 496 and mysticism, 489 time in, 534 Jungian psychology, x
K Kabbalah, 473, 478, 490. See Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) Karma, 326–330, 517, 695 Knowledge direct, 356 metacognitive, 333 Koans, x, 133–134, 192, 215, 247, 662–663 Koran, 490 Kundalini Yoga, ix, 518, 553, 640
L Language athletic experience and, 568–570 and dualistic reality, 118, 120, 124–126, 128–129, 132–133, 144 emptiness of, 124–126 experience influenced by, 118
210003_00_subindx.indd 785
“I” and, 84–89, 118, 121, 123–124, 126–127 identity and, 121–123 Iill and, 174–175 No Mind and, 141–142 perception and, 137–138 power of, 355 reality and, 175–176 relativity of, 124, 128–129 society and, 84–89 speaker influence and, 87–89 Last Samurai, The (film), 333 Leadership, 696–697 Legend of Master Nomi, vi–xv Lemon consciousness, xi–xii Light, speed of, 173, 258, 262–263, 360–361 Living Zen (Linssen), 150 Logic, 192 “Looking into nothingness,” 255 Love conditional, 682–683 ordinary, 344 unconditional, 344, 636–637, 642–644, 647, 651, 684 LSD, 457, 458 Lying down posture, 415–416
785 Subject Index
M Magic and Mystery in Tibet (David-Neel), 445 Magic Eye Gallery, 69 Magic Monastery, The (Shah), 147 Mandala, 300. See also Nine Mandalas Mandala of Being, The (Moss), 359 Martial arts, 572, 588 Master Game, The (DeRopp), 169, 207 Matter, Mind and Meaning (Carington), 220 Maya (illusion), 162, 168–172, 494–495, 509, 514 Mayan Indians, 490 Mechanism, the, 702–703 Medicine, self-actualization and, 248 Meditation achievements of, 533 actors and, 596–597 awareness and, 550 behavior modification through, 545 brain function and, 552, 590
6/6/08 1:42:09 PM
786 Subject Index
Meditation (continued) business and, 588–591, 594–596, 608 children and, 550–551 concentrative technique for, 546 emotion and, 553 expectations and, 545–546 health and, 591 mindfulness technique for, 546–547 motivation and, 545–546 neuroimaging and, 540 and perception, 184–185, 234 practice of, 215, 648–649, 730–734 psychology and, 550 psychotherapy and, 548 research on, 540–546, 552–553 settings for, 299–300 state of consciousness during, 450, 460, 549 stress management and, 591 Taoist, 730–734 therapeutic aspects of, 189, 203, 550 types of, 546 Zen, x, 215, 546–547 See also Mindfulness Memories attachment to, 150 categorization of, 96 emotion and, 57, 59 “I” and, 214 Mental objects. See Mind objects Mescaline, 457, 458 Metacognitive insight, 333 Metacognitive knowledge, 333 Metaphors, 84 Meta-therapy, 132 Method of Zen, The (Herrigel), 142 Middle path, 315, 370, 372. See also Golden median Mind awareness vs., 20–22 beyond Iill, 145–160 condition of “I,” 54–81 defense mechanisms, 103–117 diagram of, 159 f disturbances of, 530–531 emptiness of, 371–375 filter of, 26 “I” as filter, 3–30 language of “I,” 118–144
210003_00_subindx.indd 786
limitations of, viii, 246, 547–548 as mirror, 2, 32, 36, 199, 202, 214, 335–337 observation of, 21–22 society and “I,” 82–102 universal, 471–472 untraining, 349–352, 374–375 world according to “I,” 31–53 Mindful awareness, 81 Mindfulness of body, 396–397 brain function and, 558–560 as coping strategy, 621–623 creativity and, 543–544 defined, xii–xiii, 353 focus and, 542 and harmony, 548 health and, 539, 547, 554–557, 617–618, 625 as mental sport, 357–359 and neuroplasticity, 558–560 pain management with, 614–615, 622 perception and, 38 reality and, 561–562 in relationships, 645–646 research on, 554–560 stress management with, 614–617, 621–623 therapeutic value of, 283 See also Attention; Clear Attention (CAt); Meditation; Right Awareness Mindfulness and Money (Houlder and Houlder), 607–608 Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, xiv, 554–555, 617, 622 Mindfulness-based stress reduction, xiv, 551, 617, 622 Mindfulness (Langer), 96 Mind objects, 197–198, 206–208, 336 attention to, 392, 397–398, 400, 418 f, 427–428 body processes as, 401–403 co-arising of, 400 communication and, 399–400 emotions as, 403–406 perceptions as, 410–412 stress cues as, 626 thoughts as, 406–410 Mirror awareness and, 397–398 CAt as, 196–197, 278–279
6/6/08 1:42:17 PM
Insight of No Mind, 708–709 mind as, 4, 32, 36, 199, 202, 214, 335–337 No Mind practice and, 199 and the present, 202 Modeling, 75, 87 Money, 605–608 Morality, 74 Motivation, 86–87 Mysticism, x, 473, 478, 486–505 ASCs and, 461 brain and, 461–463 CAt and, 214 common experiences in, 500–503 and experience of ultimate reality, 488–490 “I” and, 490–491, 499–500 incomprehensibility of, 501 intuition and, 226 and maya, 494–495 and non-dualism, 188–189, 493–494, 498–499 and oneness, 488, 490, 501–502 and pseudo-enlightenment, 491–492 religion and, 489, 499–500, 502–503 as spiritual awareness, 502–503 taboos against, 499–500 transformative effects of, 518 Mystics, 267
N National Center for Complementary and Alternate Medicine (NCCAM), 615 Nature cosmic soul of, 434–435, 469 desire and, 375–376 emptiness of, xi, 152, 255 enlightenment as self-awareness of, 256–258 as indifferent to interpretations, 261 interdependence in, 152–153, 241–242 as non-dualistic, 256 oneness of, 465–466 and play, 171, 288 quantum physics and, 471–472 as Tao, 113, 133 unity and variety in, 152 wholeness of, 241–242
210003_00_subindx.indd 787
Near death experiences, 517–518 Needs, in relationships, 632–633 Negative existence, 478 Negotiation CAt and, 600–601 emptiness and, 603 play in, 601–603 Neural networks, 11–12, 44, 96 Neurogenesis, 558–559 Neuroimaging, 540 Neuroplasticity, xiv, 60, 127, 558–560, 590 Neuroscience, xiv, 41 Neurosis and Human Growth (Horney), 219 Neutral monism, 254 Newborns awareness of, 120 reality as experienced by, 18–19, 210, 336 stage of, 302 Nine Mandalas, 301–310 Nirvana, 549 No Mind accessibility of program, 368–369 action and, 42 ASCs and, 459–460 awareness in, 168, 188 benefits of, 16–21, 38, 48, 525, 527, 660 breath control and, 386–391 business and, 588–589 CAt and, 196–223, 278–279, 391–398 components of, 185 conscious aspect of, 478–480 in daily life, 412–417, 424–426, 525–534 deautomatization, 181–195, 278 description of, xv diagram of, 292 f, 535 f doubt and, 313, 421–422, 668 enlightenment, 250–273, 282 equations of, 162, 181, 196, 224, 237, 250, 290–291 experience of, 169, 243–244, 246–248 Extreme, 282–283 freedom and, 232–233 free will and, 48 “I” as detachable, 237–249 Iill and, 240–241, 243–247, 281–282, 479
787 Subject Index
6/6/08 1:42:25 PM
788 Subject Index
No Mind (continued) insight and, 227, 231–232, 247, 280, 423 Insights of, 660–729 intuition and, 224–236, 279–281 language and, 141–142 levels of, 307–309 mind incapable of realizing, viii, 246, 323 mirror reflection of mind objects in, 199 obstacles to, 283, 667 as ocean, 363–364 oneness of, 479, 667 overview of, 157–158 play and, 287–288 postures for practice of, 413–417 practice of (see three-step practice of) and the present, 201–202, 359–363 Psi phenomena and, 450–454 purpose of, 16 reality, 162–180, 277–278 resources for, 283, 312 secret of, 475 and self-control, 89–90 simplicity of, 146, 412 and space, 360 sport performance compared to, 569, 574–575 stress management with, 620–621 therapeutic aspects of, 189 three-step method outline (advanced) for, 423–429 three-step method outline for, 419–423 three-step practice of, 384–429 time and, 245–246, 362 f, and the present unconscious aspect of, 478–480 who is subject of, 386, 420–422 wholeness of, 241 Zen and, ix, 299 See also Meditation; Mindfulness Non-action Insight of No Mind, 707 in relationships, 634 spontaneity and, 518–519 See also Wu wei (non-action) Non-attachment. See Attachment Nothingness Being and, 254, 258, 260, 301, 493–494, 500
210003_00_subindx.indd 788
experience of, 513 nature as, 255 unintentional effort of, 513 See also Emptiness No thinker, 346–348, 375–376 No thought, 323–325, 331–334
O Objectivity, 269–271 Observer-observed relationship, 171–172, 188, 258, 361–363, 472–473 Obsessive-compulsive disorder, 558 Occultism, 445 Ocean analogy, 124–126, 128, 167, 220, 352, 363–364, 458, 486, 506, 508–510, 514–515 Oneness dissolution of borders and, 476–478 dualism vs., 151–152 mysticism and, 488, 490, 501–502 of nature, 465–466 No Mind and, 479, 667 search for, 497 of source, 152–153 sports and, 579–580 See also Unity; Wholeness Opinions, 369–370 Opposites, 395 f, 712–713 Over-thinking, 331–334, 339
P Pain, 238–239, 403, 614–615, 622 Painting, 266 Pali Canon, The, 510 Para-conscious mind, 229, 448, 495 Parapsychology, x Parapsychology Laboratory, Duke University, 444 Particle physics, 258, 472 Patterns, 714 Peak experience, 247–248 Peak moments, 568–569 Peak performance ASCs and, 457, 460 CAt and, 218–220 conditions for, 569–570, 581–582 description of, 141–142 happiness and, 574 “I” and, 18, 55 inexpressibility of, 568–569 Insight of No Mind, 707
6/6/08 1:42:34 PM
No Mind practice and, 16, 218–220 no thought and, 334 perception during, 187–188 reality perception and, 20 self-talk as obstacle to, 204 stress as obstacle to, 625 thought as obstacle to, 341 training for, 203–204 trying as obstacle to, 248, 318–319 See also Flow; Zone Perception altering, 38–43 assumption and, 43–44 as categorization, 95 comfort level with, 73–75 diversity in, 33–34 filters on, 7–8, 24, 29–30, 73–75 insight vs., 257 interpretation and, 35–37 language and, 137–138 meditation and, 184–185, 234 as mind objects, 410–412 in peak performance, 187–188 physiology of, 35 receptivity and, 68–70 subliminal, 66–68 who is subject of, 411 Perception (Price), 230 Perceptual box, 73–75 Perceptual readiness, 279 Personality, 45–46, 57, 64, 699 Personality and Assessment (Mischel), 43, 88 Personality theories, x Physics, 124, 133, 153, 436–437. See also Particle physics; Quantum physics Play attachment and, 344–345 business and, 170 daily life and, 286 defined, 170, 320–321 desire and, 170 Insight of No Mind, 686–687 mindfulness as, 357–359 nature and, 171, 288 in negotiation, 601–603 No Mind and, 287–288 non-intentional, 531–532 paradox of, 320–322 relationships as, 647, 652
210003_00_subindx.indd 789
selflessness and, 191 stress management and, 623–624 universe as, 472 Points of attachment, 343, 345 Political leaders, 98, 588 Positron emission tomography (PET), 540 Postures for No Mind practice, 413–417 Power of No Mind, vi, vii Power of Now, The (Tolle), 201 Practice daily life and, xii–xiii purpose of, 413 Prana (natural energy of universe), 472 Prayer, 499 Precognition, 444 Preferences, 52–53 Prefrontal cortex, 559, 590 Present attention and, 246 awareness of, 150 CAt and, 201–202, 238–239, 284 flow and, 339–340 happiness and, 134 mirror and, 202 nature of, 262–263 No Mind and, 201–202, 359–363 x and, 261 Prethought, x Pride, 652 Principles of Behavior Modification (Bandura), 72 Prism metaphor, 152 Probability, 242–243 Problem solving, 340–341 Process, 135–136, 149–150 Projection, 64, 108–109 Pseudo-enlightenment, 142, 149, 294–296, 341, 428, 464, 491–492 Psi and Altered States of Consciousness (Rao), 451 Psi phenomena, 442–456 ancient masters and, 446, 450 collective unconscious and, 446–448 communication and, 445, 451–454 experiments on, 444 gut feelings and, 454 history of, 444
789 Subject Index
6/6/08 1:42:42 PM
790 Subject Index
Psi phenomena (continued) modern Western society’s discouragement of, 449–450 No Mind and, 450–454 occultism vs., 445 spiritualism vs., 445 types of, 442 Psychoanalysis, x, 206, 374, 393 Psychoid level, 230, 447 Psychokinesis (PK), 442, 444, 452 Psychology, xiv, 356, 550 Psychotherapy, xiv, 278, 283, 323, 449–450, 548, 664 Pure awareness, 438, 469, 473, 489 Pure vision, 724–725
Q Quantum consciousness, xiv Quantum physics, x, xiv, 152, 188, 242–243, 347, 357, 471–472, 481–483, 521, 560–561. See also Physics Quantum Zeno Effect, 560
R Raja Yoga, 193, 387, 551 Reality alteration of, 13–14 categorization of, 182–183 codependent, 37–38 comfort level with, 104–109 conditioned perception of, 5, 8–14, 17–18, 31–53, 92–93, 112, 168, 184–185 deautomatization and, 191–192 defense mechanisms and, 110–111 direct experience of, 17–20, 48, 92–93, 184–185, 349–350, 361, 489 freedom and, 92 health and, 435 Iill as obstacle to, 490–491 interpretations of, 173–174 language and, 175–176 maya and, 170–172 mindfulness and, 561–562 No Mind and, 162–180, 277–278 partial views of, 48–49 relativity of, 372 search for, 260 sensory deprivation and, 93–96 society and shared, 96–97
210003_00_subindx.indd 790
virtual, 361 wholeness of, 130, 131 “Reality show,” Iill as, 208–214, 216–218 Rebelliousness, 74–75, 97 Receptivity, 68–70 Reciprocal inhibition, 60 Regression, 108 Reinforcement of behavior, 39, 60, 62, 72, 85 brain and, 44 “I” and, 56, 62, 69, 72 subconscious, 65 Relationships, 630–657 acceptance in, 635, 651 attachment in, 633–634 CAt in, 634, 648–649, 653–654 communication in, 634–636 conditional, 644 conflict in, 633–634 couple “I” in, 644–646 enlightened, 642 Iills in, 630, 632–633, 643, 647, 649–651, 653 love in, 636–637, 642–644, 647, 651 mindfulness and, 645–646 needs and desires in, 632–633 non-action in, 634 as play, 647, 652 sexual ritual in, 637–642 stress in, 653 therapy for, 646 as wholes, 630 Relativity of ideas, 54 of language, 124, 128–129 of reality, 372 theory of, 173, 258 of time, 173, 262–264 of truth, 76 Religion(s) brain function and, 518 dualistic, 139–140, 503 mysticism and, 489, 499–500, 502–503 oneness underlying, 261 Re-Organizing the Experience of Self and Spouse (Singh), 651 Repression, 107–108 Research on brain, 558–560 on meditation, 540–546, 552–553 on mindfulness, 554–560
6/6/08 1:42:50 PM
Responsibility, 61, 71 Reverse conditioning, 46–47 Right Attitude, 367–380 and communication, 373–374 daily life and, 367–369 desire and, 375–376 empty mind and, 371–375 Iill and, 368–371, 376–378 and no thinker, 375–376 opinions/beliefs and, 369–371 practice dependent on, 336 Ten Paradoxes and, 312, 314–316, 352 Right Awareness, 353–366 defined, 353 No Mind as ocean, 363–364 play and, 357–359 and the present, 359–361 and simplicity of enlightenment, 378–379 Ten Paradoxes and, 312, 314–316, 352 time and, 361–363 See also Clear Attention (CAt); Mindfulness Rochester Zen Center, 251 Running, 576
S Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warriors (Millman), 529 Sakalava tribe, 444 Samadhi, 421 Samurai warriors, 332–333, 512, 588, 599 Sarcasm, 287 Satori, 21, 270, 276, 348, 533 Science of Yoga, The (Taimni), 361 Search in Secret Egypt, A (Brunton), 446 Secret and Sublime, The (Blofeld), 392 Secrets of Chinese Meditation, The (Luk), 734 Seeds of potential, 496–497, 500, 511, 517, 526 Self. See “I”; Ego Self-actualization, 187–188, 248, 256, 265, 347 Self-control, 89–90 Self in Transformation, The (Fingarette), 26 Selflessness, 190–191 Self-observation, 207–210
210003_00_subindx.indd 791
Self-reliance, 91 Self-talk, 204, 218, 554–555 Self-understanding, xiii–xiv Sensory deprivation, 93–96 Sensory input, 65–71, 728 Sequence of the stones, 300 Seven enlightenment factors, 720–721 Sexual ritual, 637–642 “Should,” as obstacle, 219–220, 376–377 Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), 540 Six factors of No Mind, vi Sixth sense intuition and, 224–225, 227–229 Psi phenomena and, 446 Social conditioning, 86 Social cues, 88–91 Socialization, 82 Social models, 87 Society, 82–102 benefits of, 84 components of, 85–86 conformity to, 86–87 cues in, 88–90 drawbacks of, 84 family values and, 92 as “I,” 97–98, 131, 140 illusion of, 171 “I’s” constituting, 25 “I” shaped by, 82–102, 127, 171, 369, 371 language and, 84–89 models in, 87–88 problems of, 140 reality sharing in, 96–97 rebels in, 97 Soul cosmic, 434–435, 469 Iill and, 492 study of, 432, 434 Space character of, 256 No Mind and, 360 relativity of, 173 spiritual awareness and, 482 sports and, 580–581 Spirit, 467 Spiritual awareness, 469–485 action and, 43 aspects of, 21 attainment of, 473–474
791 Subject Index
6/6/08 1:42:58 PM
792 Subject Index
Spiritual awareness (continued) defined, 469 emptiness and, 124, 139 enlightenment and, 23, 480–481 experience of, 125, 432, 436 insight and, 230–232, 269 and interdependence of things, 501 mysticism as, 502–503 No Mind and, 168, 188 as non-dualistic, 139–140 pure awareness and, 469, 473 search for, 482, 667–668 space and, 482 time and, 482 transcendence of “I” and, 5, 120, 132 See also Awareness Spiritualism, 445, 517 Sports, vii, 566–585 action-awareness gap and, 41–43 action vs. performer in, 217–219 attachment and, 577–578 awareness in, 578 CAt and, 573–575, 582 “I” and, 576–577, 579–580 No Mind compared to, 569, 574–575 and oneness, 579–580 peak performance in, 141–142 thought as obstacle to, 572–573, 576–577 time/space in, 580–581 transcendence of limitations through, 570, 576 trying as obstacle to, 570–572, 575 Zen and, 568 See also Flow; Peak performance; Zone Stability, 45–46 Star Trek (television show), 58, 131 Star Wars (film), 141 Stereogram images, 69 Stimulus recognition, 60–61 Stream of consciousness, 64 Stress brain and, 615 cues for, 616–619, 626 dangers of, 612, 625 performance hampered by, 625 productivity and, 591–592 recovery from, 624 in relationships, 653
210003_00_subindx.indd 792
symptoms of, 612–614 thought and, 618–619 Stress management, 551, 591, 593, 612–629 coping and, 621–623 enlightenment and, 625–627 mindfulness and, 614–617, 621–623 No Mind and, 620–621 play and, 623–624 and recovery, 624 stress cues and, 616–619, 626 Striving. See Trying Studies in the Psychology of the Mystics (Marechal), 175, 527 Subliminal perception, 66–67 Subliminal Seduction (Key), 66 Substance-abuse therapy, 463 Success, drive for, 24 Sufi mysticism, x, 473 Suggestion, 70–71 Suggestology, 551 Super Learning (Ostrander, Ostrander, & Schroeder), 551 Synapses, 11–12, 35, 44, 55–56, 138 Synaptic Self, How Our Brains Become Who We Are (LeDoux), 492 Synthesis of Yoga, The (Aurobindo), 475 Systematic desensitization, 46–47
T Talks and Dialogues (Krishnamurti), 215 Tantric tradition, ix, 637–639 Tao and emptiness, 350 as energy, 472 as flux, 507 as nature, 113, 133 Taoism, x breath control and, 388–389 and mysticism, 489 spiritual awareness and, 469 as way of nature, 476 Taoist meditation, 730–734 Taoist Yoga, 640 Tao of Physics, The (Capra), 133, 173, 242 Tao Te Ching, vii, 93, 112, 134, 176, 178, 510, 512, 607 Tea metaphor, 319, 330 Teenagers, 74–75
6/6/08 1:43:06 PM
Telepathy, 230, 442, 444 Tengsoba, 444 Ten Oxherding Pictures, 294, 296–299 Ten Paradoxes, vi, 311–352 benefits of, 314 derivation of, 311, 314 Paradox 1: no trying, 317–319 Paradox 2: play, 320–322 Paradox 3: no thought, 323–325 Paradox 4: karma, 326–330 Paradox 5: no thought, 331–334 Paradox 6: mind as mirror, 335–337 Paradox 7: flow, 338–341 Paradox 8: attachment, 342–345 Paradox 9: no thinker, 346–348 Paradox 10: emptiness, 349–352 Theory of Forms, 128 Therapy, 205–206 Theravada Buddhism, 510 Thinker, no, 346–348, 375–376 Thirteen Principal Upanishads, The (Hume), 182–183, 474 Thought(s) association of, 408–409 co-arising of, 137–138 detachment from, 406–408 emptiness as source of, xi flow and, 338–341 God’s, 493–494 as mind objects, 406–410 over-thinking, 331–334, 339 paradox of, 323–325, 331–334, 338–341, 346–348 peak performance hampered by, 341, 572–573, 576–577 sensory deprivation and, 93–96 sexual ritual and, 641–642 sports and, 572–573, 576–577 stress and, 618–619 See also No thought Three Pillars of Zen, The (Kapleau), 251 Tibetan Book of the Dead, 497 Tibetan Buddhism, x Tiger analogy, 196, 200, 204 Time attachment to, 150 distortion of, 362 f enlightenment and, 262–264 experience of, 362–363 Iill and, 245–246 Insight of No Mind, 710–711 measurement of, 360
210003_00_subindx.indd 793
microscopic world and, 261–262 No Mind and, 245–246, 362 f relativity of, 173, 262–264 spiritual awareness and, 482 sports and, 580–581 universe and, 257 See also Present “To look into the nature of mind,” 255 f, 436 f Touch, 65 Towards a Psychology of Being (Maslow), 248 Traits emotional, 64 genetics and, 45, 71 labeling of, 46 responsibility for, 71 Transcendental ego, 347 Truth(s), 5–6, 75–76 Trying Iill as source of, 165 paradox of, 317–319 peak performance hampered by, 248, 317–319, 570–572, 575 sports and, 570–572, 575 See also Goals; Intention Tso-wang (sitting with blank mind), 388 2001: A Space Odyssey (film), 12
793 Subject Index
U Unconditional acceptance, 635 Unconditional love, 344, 636–637, 642–644, 647, 651, 684 Unconscious, 67–68, 478–480. See also Collective unconscious Unity, 715. See also Oneness; Wholeness Universal Mind, 471–472 Universal psychotherapy, 665 Universe energy of, 472 individuals in relation to, 437–440, 473, 475, 480, 508–509 interdependence in, 436–437, 470–471 non-physical nature of, 492 order of, 472 as play, 472 recreation of, 256 self-awareness of, 435, 489 time not a property of, 257 U.S. Congress, 615
6/6/08 1:43:14 PM
794 Subject Index
V
X
Vibration, 495 Virtual reality, 361
x. See God x
Y W Walking, 401–402, 416, 416 f Wall Street Journal, The, 590 Way of the White Clouds, The (Govinda), 437 Well and the Cathedral, The (Progoff), 480 Wholeness dualism and, 129 of nature, 241–242 of No Mind, 241 of reality, 130, 131 search for, 118, 139, 432–433 See also Oneness; Unity Will brain and, 40 of conscious agent, 13 explanation of, 8 free, 31, 38–41, 48 “I” and, 47–48 as obstacle to peak performance, 248 Wisdom of the Over Self, The (Brunton), 226 Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious (Freud), 106 Wordscapes, 137–138 Wu wei (non-action), vii, 318. See also Non-action
210003_00_subindx.indd 794
Yin Yang symbol, 300–301 Yoga, 358, 451, 489, 542–543. See also Kundalini Yoga; Raja Yoga; Taoist Yoga Your Erroneous Zones (Dyer), 269
Z Zen attitude, 692–693 Zen Buddhism actors and, 597 goal of, 296 meditation in, x, 215, 546–547 No Mind and, ix, 299 psychoanalysis and, 374 self-understanding in, xiii–xiv sports and, 568 state of mind in, 202 Taoism and, 476 See also Koans Zen Doctrine of No Mind, The (Suzuki), 177 Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (Reps), 466 Zen Mind, Beginners Mind (Suzuki), 547 Zen sex, 637–639, 641 Zone, vii, 42, 141, 218–219, 240, 566, 568. See also Flow; Peak performance
6/6/08 1:43:22 PM
Over the last 30 years, Paul Harrison, a Los Angeles architect, has researched, practiced, and experienced many of the mystical ® teachings of the ancient Zen masters. These secrets of "No Mind " hold knowledge of enlightenment, peak performance, mysticism, and death. Now Harrison has given voice to an alter ego, Master Nomi, to finally share the teachings revealed by the enigmatic Ancient Stone and the old scrolls which contain the Ten Paradoxes. Harrison modeled Master Nomi after the 14th century Zen master Ikkyu (ee-cue), one of the notable Zen rebels and radicals who became known as the Crazy Clouds. Ikkyu was an unrelenting advocate of enlightenment through sexuality—the Red Thread of Zen. Despite his reputation for mischief, he was known to be extremely smart, and is still revered in modern-day Japan as a folk hero. Master Nomi translates the Ancient Stone into a metaphoric compass of enlightenment and peak performance—a step-by-step ® transformational journey to Total Mental Fitness through two important books: the 794-page treatise The Ten Paradoxes and the popular Where's My Zen? parable. The outcome— experiencing enlightenment, living in the Now, and achieving peak performance—is more accessible than ever before. Harrison lives with his daughters, Chelsea and Allix, and their little Boxer, Kokoa, in their Zen-inspired urban retreat.
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www.wheresmyzen.com
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The Science behind the Scrolls of the Ten Paradoxes™, the Ancient Stone, and the Legend of Master Nomi ™ ™
The Ten Paradoxes are derived from the ancient philosophies of the Tao Te Ching as well as from modern scientific and medical research. According to legend, the Tao Te Ching was written around the 6th century BCE and is one of the most read books in the world, second to the Bible. The ancient masters discussed versions of The Ten Paradoxes with Kings, Queens, Ministers, Priests, Generals, Samurai warriors, and their own disciples. The paradoxes ensure that we choose the right action in our everyday lives, and they facilitate the further development of mindfulness to gain insight and to negate the automatisms of the ego or mindlessness. Thus, removing the roadblocks to full mind-body synchronicity and realizing your full ™ potential. The Ten Paradoxes is a contemporary personal fulfillment system, with modifications that merge modern neuroscience research, the Secrets of ® No Mind , and psycho-therapeutic language into one comprehensive program. The Ten Paradoxes may appear non-sensible at first, like a Zen koan, but this is because most people can only understand them via the relative mechanisms of the ego or the neural associative network traps of the mind. ® But, through the practice of the comprehensive Power of No MInd , you will experience and come to understand these paradoxes in a different reality; one that will offer you the most accessible path to enlightenment and peak performance.
