In the last post, I commented that the
resolution of difference in men and women was to be found in true
love/compassion. Or for that matter. it is as if any difference as
our mind distinguishes A and B (Yin and Yang: dualism; as well as
ego's fight for its existence), is to be resolved in oneness-
connection with the source at the core of our existence, i.e., true love, or
nature's way, Tao, whatever you call IT. When this is realized, our
mind ceases its futile effort to solve problem it has created by
itself as if in a vacuum. This is awakening, or insight/wisdom, as
well as compassion to release any pain and suffering mind creates. This is beyond the realm of human mind/logic.
So, with regard to limbic system or
karma, our fixed mindset, or habitual way of looking at the world,
there is no end to the search for solution if it is in the realm of
our mind. --- unless, we transcend mind. That is from being caught
up in the logic, which is the search for solution through mind's own logic, but as if to see us from the source, be one with the
source, or Tao, the Way, way of nature, absolute, or whatever way we call IT. (This search was the process of Buddha's way of enlightenment - as I
see it. Also, this process is discussed in the post on Tolle's spiritual experience compared to mine)
Here is my translation from Daisetz Suzuki's book, re: Buddha's Enlightenment:
When searching for the truth,
typically, we start from philosophy. Then, we notice what wise guys
said on this subject in the past, noticing that this difficult
problem is also what made them wondered or suffered. Buddha did this
as well. But this did not help him. By its own nature, philosophy
cannot put us back to where before the questions were yet raised. It
is the limit of philosophy. It may give a faint view of existence.
But most likely, as we try to reach closer, it will fade away. So,
Buddha eventually left these people.
Next, he attempted a hard training. For
some reason, we generally think that if we restrain our desire from
our body, our mind will be cleansed and can see the truth as it is.
Yet, such restraining of desire will see self, the one that ask the
question of truth, more like an enemy. Then, this enemy is seen as
something to conquer, or overcome. And this enemy stands always at
where the man having question. No matter how hard this questioner
tries his best to defeat the enemy with his all might, the enemy will
not be conquered. So far as the self, the questioner, exists, he will
create new enemy and have to fight continuously.
Defeating the enemy does not mean
saving our self nor answering the question. This is because self can
only exist by having non-self, and this non-self is the enemy. The
self is the creator of enemy. The questioner will be a questioner no
matter how far he goes. He remains to be the creator of questions.
In the hard training, the questioner is
the self. There, the self is confronted to non-self, i.e., enemy.
This enemy has to be defeated no matter what. Yet, so far as we have
self, there is no way this enemy is defeated. Self cannot exist by
itself. It always try to express the self, prove the power, and
desires to have someone to prove that he is that important existence.
When self find that there is no others to prove, or to be proud of
itself, it loses its self-nature. Restraining one’s own nature is a
way of expressing its own self.
One cannot go beyond its own self
through restraining one’s desire or to follow the moral
disciplines. Unless we go beyond the self, however, we will not find
the opportunity to solve the problems that is related to searching
our existence. Our self has to be thrown out totally. There should be
no trace of conflict between self and non-self.
Buddha realized this point from his own
experiences. One day, he tried to raise from sitting but he could
not. As he did not have enough food to eat, he was weakened to the
point where he could not sustain himself. …. He then thought, "If
he who has the question has to die now, he will leave the question
unresolved and die." So, in order to search this major problem
that encompasses everything, he started to eat and attempted to
recover his health and energy.
But, how can he move forward from
there? Intellect did not bring solution. Hard training did not help
much. He had nothing to do. Yet, he wished to resolve the problem
much more than before. If his mind was smaller, and weakened, it may
have been crushed under the heavy pressure of this problem. Being
cornered to its extreme, his whole existence responded. He now felt
that there was no more questions to ask, and there is no self to
fight against the enemy. His self, his intellect, his whole existence
was thrown into the question. In other words, he became the question
itself. The distinction between questioner and the question, self and
non-self, is vanished and one undivided "unknown" was left.
In this "unknown,’ he was absorbed.
If we picture the scene in our mind,
there was no Buddha left to ask questions, no self to realize the
ego, and there was no question responding to the intellect that
threatens his existence. There was no sky above his head nor no
ground under his feet. If we could stand besides Buddha at that time
and be able to look into his existence, what we may have found there
would be a big question mark that covers the whole universe. If he
had any mind, if we could say so, such was the state of his mind. He
was there in such a state for a while. And.. when he looked up the
sky, he saw the Venus in the early morning sky. The light of the star
went straight into his eyes. This event brought his whole
consciousness back to the previous/normal state. There was no
question that was so strong, so persistent and caused him suffering
left anymore. There was a whole world shining under a new light with
new meaning.
(Note: See:
http://web.archive.org/web/20030814014304/http://suzaki.has.it/ under
the file name: Daisetz Remembered Also Note: Daisetz
Suzuki(1870-1966) dedicated his entire life to practice Buddhism/Zen
and share its essence in his own way with the world.)
==
Of course, this is an explanation
of Buddha's enlightenment by Daisetz. Yet, as
explained before, I can see what is described here is linked to
the process that took place in Tolle (and if I may say so... in
myself as well as in Daisetz). However, I say this; the
practice in daily living is not that simple as indicated in the
previous post, which means I am yet to clean up my karma, the past
conditioning as I move on in my journey.
As mentioned, I went through years of
check and balance re: my spiritual experience as Tolle did. Having
done that (as posted in my English and Japanese homepage from 2000 to
2012), I found so amusing and encouraging that many of those who went
through this path point to the same "Experience" /
"Understanding" without doubt.
As an example, when you read, Tao
Te Ching - Lao Tzu - chapter 16, you should, if not now, eventually come to see/experience that the words may look different, yet, the core message is the same:
Empty yourself of everything.
Let the mind rest at peace.
The ten thousand things rise and fall
while the Self watches their return.
They grow and flourish and then return
to the source.
Returning to the source is stillness,
which is the way of nature.
The way of nature is unchanging.
Knowing constancy is insight.
Not knowing constancy leads to
disaster.
Knowing constancy, the mind is open.
With an open mind, you will be
openhearted.
Being openhearted, you will act
royally.
Being royal, you will attain the
divine.
Being divine, you will be at one with
the Tao.
Being at one with the Tao is eternal.
And though the body dies, the Tao will
never pass away.
==
Ikkyu, a Zen monk and a poet, said,
Many paths lead from
The foot of the mountain
But at the peak
We all gaze at the
Single bright moon
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