thenatureofmind

A Papaya Mandala: The Implicate Order

Often when I see things like this I am reminded that this order arose by chance, not the blind chance that we usually think of when we use the word chance, but something far deeper and more profound. When I was studying engineering in college, every semester we had to take some form of Calculus and Differential Equations. As we got into our other courses: Engineering Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Circuit Analysis, etc. two things became obvious to me. One was that the development of these branches of mathematics were actually older than the disciplines that made use of them. These equations were developed entirely in the abstract by mathematicians who did not have a thought as to there being a practical application for these equations. The second thing was that in various applications as different as a tuned circuit in an electronic application, the springs and shocks of an automobile and the stress on a beam, the same type equations would describe what was happening.

No Self, No Other

There are no sentient beings to be delivered by the Tathagata. If even self has no objective existence how much less has other-than-self! Thus neither Buddha nor sentient beings exist objectively. -Huang Po, Wan Ling Record

The Circle of Awareness - The Phenomenal and the Noumenal

Just looking, notice that in the circle of your awareness there are many things which constitute the world of your awareness. Notice also that in your circle of awareness there is also something else and that is an awareness of what you call your own body, what you call yourself. So your circle of awareness contains both what you call yourself and what you call all that which is other than yourself. There is also in the circle of awareness something that you can't see but which is the basis and that something is awareness. Notice that no matter how you search for that awareness, you can't find it, yet it is the basis for the experience of this circle of awareness. Also notice that although the circle contains both self and other, there is no boundary between them, all co-exist inseparably in the circle of awareness and in fact if you were to identify with the awareness everything in the circle of awareness would seem to be other. The awareness however no matter how hard you search can not be found. The reason is that the awareness is the Noumenal. But what is the Noumenal?

The Noumenal is by definition without characteristics so we can't define it except to say just that. It is that which exists apart from our thinking. Having no characteristics, it has no location spatially or temporally. It does not exist in time and space but rather time and space exist in it. Having no characteristics, it has no boundaries and hence has no outside or inside thus it encompasses everything we call the phenomenal world. So in this circle of awareness, the awareness is not separate from anything in the circle. The Phenominal and the Noumenal are inextricably woven together.

There is only this. This circle, whole, undivided. No self, no other, just intrinsic awareness. No future, no past, no present, just this. There is no one looking!

When you return, the only thing that you can bring back with you is the excruciating love and compassion for this glorious whole. All beings wandering in a dream.

Thought <---> Thinker

In our ordinary way of thinking, if a bad thought arises in our mind, one that is unpleasant or is offensive in some way, we might also think: why am I thinking this? If a great thought arises, one that seems insightful or brilliant, we might say: I'm really smart for thinking this. Invariably, however it seems that one lets call it a primary thought arises and that is that I am thinking this. There is always the thought that if a thought arises, there is a corresponding thinker, but "I am thinking" is just a thought. In fact "I am" codependently arises with thoughts, persists in the presence of thoughts, but disappears when the thoughts disappear. When there are no thoughts, there is no thinker. In fact, there never has been a thinker, the thinker is just another thought that arises.

Where are we now?

I am reminded of the title of a book from the late 60's entitled: "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me". I never read the book, but the line captures the feeling that this time invokes. With world financial markets in free fall, there is the feeling that the chickens have finally come home to roost. The feeling of the pervasive ugliness of greed, self interest, hatred and other crimes of passion that have been not only condoned, but held up by political dogma as the highest reaches that we all can aspire to, have come crashing down in a collapse that these generations have not seen in their lifetimes. The bottom is still dropping away and finally the good citizens of this United States are asking themselves if indeed the past years have not been terribly wasted.

We have seen an economic ideology masquerading as science emanating from the Chicago School of Milton Friedman inspired by the likes of Ayn Rand that have glorified self interest, telling us that if self interest is pursued, that the group welfare will be adequately taken care of as if by some mysterious magic. That they were not only misguided, but horribly wrong is now obvious for all to see. Just as the Communist ideology was exposed by the failures of the Soviet Union and others, the right wing philosophies free market capitalism have brought the whole world to the brink of economic disaster. Luminaries such as Allan Greenspan who for so long hid behind reams of obscure language that dazzled his Congressional and Presidential audiences and hypnotized them into surrendering their fiduciary responsibilities to oversee and regulate the financial sector to protect the citizens that they were elected to represent now are discredited and will forever have their tombstones stamped with the finality of the word "Failure".

It is ironic to see the Republican candidate for president, John McCain continue to proclaim the free market ideological dogma as if he were unaware that the electorate at large, at least those who are intelligent enough to understand, finally see that this is a failed ideology and to re-elect another of its representatives is to ensure that this disaster will become the permanent state of the Unites States of America.

Wake up citizens! I don't know if the hole we have been dug into is too deep for us to dig out of or not, but if you don't wake up and try with everything you've got, your children and your grandchildren will live their lives in economic slavery. Vote! But don't just vote. Correspond with your elected representatives and tell them what you want, demand it, hold them accountable if they secumb to corporte interests. Corporations do not vote, they are not represented in Congress, you are. Take back your right to a government that represents you.

The United States of Higher Consciousness

we pledge allegiance
to our universe
and the united states
of higher consciousness,
and to the creator by whose
love we stand
one creation,
under one consciousness,
indivisible with
inner harmony and
unconditional love for all.

words by Kevin John Higgins © 2003
Santa Fe, New Mexico

To Light One Corner

Now and then Suzuki Roshi would make this point: "In the Lotus Sutra, Buddha says to light up one corner—not the whole world. Just make it clear where you are"

—Suzuki Roshi from "To shine One Corner of the World"

Enlightenment and the Extinction of 'Me'

By Weiwuwei from "All Else Is Bondage" Non-Volitional Living

Doing away with the I-notion is the same as not desiring the personal attainment of enlightenment.

Not desiring that (the 'last desire', the 'last barrier') is 'having it', for 'having it' is in any case merely being rid of that which concealed what is forever that which alone we are.

Therefore not desiring personal attainment of that is at the same time the elimination of the I-notion which constitutes its concealment.

The idea of liberation automatically inhibits the simple realization that we are free.

Note: Free, we are not number One, the first of all our objects, but Zero--their universal and Absolute Subject. This is illustrated by the famous 'TENTH MAN' story.

Mind

   What is
Mind like,
   I wonder.
It's invisible, and
As large as the universe.

               - A Zen Harvest,
                 Japanese Folk
                 Zen Sayings

Helplessness

"The answer to helplessness is not so very complicated. A man can do something for peace without having to jump into politics. Each man has inside him a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a man to listen to his own goodness and act on it. 'Dare we be ourselves?' This is the question that counts."

- Pablo Casals