True Love and New DNA - LIFE's basic Principle

What is LIFE's basic Principle?  Given the limitation of words to express the inexpressible, the sentence below is my best answer that I can think of at the moment:

Confirm True Love*, (or connection to the heart through intimacy/oneness) and find new DNA (and fully expressing the potential) with the realization that there are infinite ways to do so.

I realize that such is the basic principle of my life that I aim for.  Or, what I call here, The New Hero's Journey!!! And if so, then, how do I confirm the true love (or connection to the base/source/heart - so to speak)? Answer: Through the sense of intimacy... oneness .... Again, given that words have limitation, in the post, Deeper level of Connection and Communication,  I proposed various signs of "connection to the Heart" (shortened as follow):

-  Sense of being present, here and now

-  Vivid sense of inner body sensation, aliveness, liveliness 

-  Calm, clear and quiet mind

-  Body/muscle is totally relaxed

-  No ego/self; desirelessness, effortlessness, no boundaries

-  No doubt, questions, concerns

-  Mind and body are one; I am the universe

-  Sense of serenity, peace, feeling at home

-  Delusions/errors are nowhere to find; If there are, there is no significance.

-  Sense of living truthfully; being absolute

-  Sense of Ki (Life energy) flowing

-  Sense of oneness; non-duality; connection to unconscious/infinite potential

-  Sense of love, bliss, and intimacy to all

-  Sense of time lost its meaning/significance; everything is OK as it is

Then, finding the new DNA (and fully expressing the potential) will be assured as the following points are witnessed:

-  Brain and Heart find a connection

-  Heart to heart communication between people, and everything else is made possible
-  Kegon (interpenetration - everything is connected to everything else)

-  This deeper level communication may be manifested as wisdom and compassion

-  Paradox of human existence is resolved (in oneness)

-  Bliss in various activities, e.g., work, hobby, relationship, health, and the sense of genuine security in any situation 

-  Discover new meaning of intimacy, e.g., sexual union, non-sexual relationship, Aikido, etc.  The list is infinite.

-  All of these corresponds to "living truthfully" - the new hero's journey


To illustrate, here are but a few quotes related to such a state/process:

"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places..." -  Pissarro

"Happiness that does not depend on anything"  - Daisetz Suzuki
"You are the master of your own destiny" - The Buddha

This experience/state/process whatever you may call, to me, is a realization of the whole, where nothing is missing, while all possibilities are being manifested. Yet, us being human, we may go in and out of such experience/state as our mind moves. That is the same as going between duality and oneness. Or, it is like going between mind and no mind. Or, it is like 1) mind, 2) mind but not losing the base ("mirror mind"), and 3) oneness (intimacy/melting into one/no mind). Although such description may be seen as unresolved or incomplete, I see it is so as humans.  In other words, as we go through ups and downs in life, we also appreciate to find the bliss....and find our way in life's journey. Only humans have this privilege. A Myokonin (a group of often poor, illiterate people in Shin sect of Buddhism in Japan) says, "Thank you for not taking all of my delusion away!"  In such words, I see the humble, yet bottomless appreciation of LIFE.

It is interesting when we see our own mind moving.. 

It is like us watching us in the mirror: objects in the mirror moves but not the mirror.

This is what I call the experience of "mirror mind"

Picasso said, "I've reached the moment.. when the movement of my thoughts
 interests me more than the thought itself"  

Taking this occasion, let me also talk about, what I call, the "Mirror mind." With mirror mind, the picture of the world we live in may look like this. We see the contents of the mind moving... as if it is a play on the mirror or movie screen.  Yet, screen or mirror itself does not move.  Interestingly, I found that mind (citta) has a meaning of container or envelope - which is like the image of screen or mirror where play of events takes place.  So, although we can relate to the play in the screen or mirror, it does not have an immediate impact to the watcher (as if he is just watching the movie - calmly and quietly).  There is no significance. This however points to transcending the paradox, where we see not just content, not just  mirror, but as a whole.  (Here, Kitaro Nishida, close friend of Daisetz Suzuki says, "self-identification of absolute paradox." or ”絶対矛盾の自己同一”)


Some call such state as "delusion is enlightenment." Why? Because the watcher see the delusion (mind movement) not as real. It is like a dream, unreal. This is because HE is connected to the source/heart/ground - the very secure ground. There is silence, eternal stillness, and serenity.  (again, the words are just a pointer and not to be scrutinized with mind/logic but to be felt as direct experience).  Again, although it appears that there may be two states, or observer and observed, this paradoxical situation is to be seen as one.  Instead of caught up in the mind, if one can watch his own mind, he is detached, and find the calm quiet mind - mirror mind.    Mr. Levenson said, "You won't be disturbed even if you are killed." This statement points to the functioning of the mirror mind. It is that base, the ground, the heart, true love - or "I am that I am" where "ultimate happiness" is found.

If such statement is not resonating with us now, we may realize that sometime as if from no where... if we keep our inquisitiveness and awareness sharp as if with the mind of new born child with calm and quiet mind....we may find us total openness/release to all of happenings without fear, defensiveness, ego, power, but true love.  (The message of Daisetz Suzuki on Love and Power is, as I believe, nothing but that!)

Perhaps as if adding legs to a snake, here are examples of those moments that may trigger or correspond with such state of being:

In Taichi - inner body sensation...sense the Ki/Chi (life energy) - Ki in Japanese; Chi in Chinese

In Meditation - same as above, mind and body as one, Awareness and equanimity

in Everyday events - sound of guitar, fresh breeze through the window, spider net in the sun - refer to my Poem, symphony of light, joy of life

In Nature - Feel one with nature, sense life energy, or Ki (Ki is Japanese; Chi in Chinese)

In Sex - In pure spiritual experience of intimacy - oneness with the partner, not just in orgasm in the conventional sense but spiritual ecstasy, is the pure moment of creation covered by bliss.

In Aikido - The master uses Ki, the life energy, based on compassion/true love. As if opponents are the extension of his mind and body, the master may read the mind of opponent as if he has a third eye, to resolve the situation harmoniously.  

In Sports, Art, and Business - Some common traits of masters are, effortless, desireless, witnessing, and faith (conscious of unconscious)

Note:

* I plan to write in the next post Re: Characteristics of the Masters (revisiting the Appendix form my book "Results from the Heart")

- True Love*:  I use this expression often, yet I have not defined quite clearly as IT is indescribable, yet to be experienced.  Other terms that may be used as synonym are: God, Law of universe, nature's way, Tao, emptiness, stillness, here/now, presence, ground, absolute, imperturbability, true self, original self before your father and mother were born, I am that (I am), etc.  Or, it may be felt at the moment as one notices one's mistake/delusion.  Or, to see things as they really are and not as they appears in our mind.

Meaning of Spiritual Experience: Buddha and Tao Te Ching

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

This poem is taken from my old English home page (2001)