Your life becomes what you imagine your life to be

Picasso said, "People don't realize what they have when they own a picture by me. Each picture is a phial with my blood. That is what has gone into it."  I find his painting as the manifestation of his life.   If so, I wonder if this blog may be the manifestation of my (image of) life.  Or, in a broader sense: one's life becomes the manifestation of the image of oneself...  with other areas of manifestation being work, hobby, relationship, health, finance and living truthfully (see Life Profile)  Since we are living beings, our life may be seen as a creative process of coming up with a New DNA (LIFE) by combining different elements (or seeds, ideas, images) and for that to grow.

Going through various experiences in my life brings a seed/insight for my blog.  More ideas pop up and writing this blog can become a manifestation of creative process, i.e., my life.  If one wonders how various topics are integrated as a whole, I see they are like a tree growing with various branches and leaves, all contributing to the growth, yet somehow balanced as a whole.  In other words, this blog is like a canvas to exhibit my paintings (experiences of life = creative process), manifesting my image of  LIFE!  

BTW, I met few people who are expressing their talents to create an image or vision for clients as well as for themselves.  One lady is doing a business of creating an image for clients such as actors or business man through matching clothes, appearances, values, etc.  Another lady is counseling individuals to overcome life's hurdles as therapist with the heart at the center.  One man is an instructor of Aikido to instruct the Ki (life energy) to manifest in students'daily life with compassion at the base.  Another is a man involved in making deals to transform companies, through mergers and acquisitions, which ultimately may develop better flow of life energy, providing better life experiences, if this is done right.

So, as much as I write this blog and try to live life truthfully from the heart, there are quite a few new heroes - who strive to manifest their image or dream in what they do.

If our image may become reality, let me revisit what the Dalai Lama said in his foreword to my book, Results from the Heart:

"As human beings, the one factor that differentiates us from other species is our intelligence which both expresses itself and trains itself through education.  However, the development of the brain, the intellectual side of our nature, and the development of a good heart, a warm heart, must complement each other in a more balanced way.  This is why, wherever I go, I always try to promote human values, the good qualities of the human mind, the good qualities of human beings.  They are the source of happiness, and happiness is ultimately what each of us wants.

I believe we have both the ability and the means to solve our problems and improve our world.  Perhaps the most important factors that inhibit us are short-sightedness, narrow-mindedness, and selfishness.  Yet, to look after yourself is not wrong.  Without a strong sense of self we cannot develop self-confidence, determination and will power.  But, we must be careful, for there is also a narrow -minded selfishness that can lead to self destruction.  To counter that we have to realize that in reality our own interest is closely linked to the interests of others and the benefit, happiness and interests of others are our own."

As new heroes, we are to confirm the core value, live by core principle - perhaps to create new DNA (LIFE) to express compassion and wisdom, while utilizing our talent, helping each other as well as being the master of our own desitiny.  To me, this journey is as if I am to re-invent myself as I move on and face and overcome hurdles and difficulties one step at a time.  The real test is in LIFE itself.

Reflecting back, I was a kid aspiring to be like Thomas Edison, later I wanted to become an engineer to contribute my talent to the society. Then, I found myself as an nucelar safety analyst for Fukushima plant for few years.  Later, I got an MBA to expand my skill base, and satisfy my curiosity.  Working as consultant to develop corporate strategy, and operational improvement for companies, I also honed my skill to address human psychology to find a path for organizational transformation.  Years of my Zen practice and mediation have helped a great deal for me to maintain calm and quiet mind under difficulties.  Yet, there is no complacency to be had as life brings various traps we can easily fall into.

So, there are always new challenges to be met and new images to be created as I moved on in this journey.  As I turn the corner, there are more new difficulties or opportunities waiting.  The front page of my book points the image of what this journey is about, where a man is painting a stairs as he move up the stairs he painted previously...  (Note: I did not know there was someone who came up with such a great idea and put it on the front page of my book!!!)

Yes, image may manifest on its own - if we let it.  Here are my words from Results form the Heart (p.164):

"Wherever we are and whatever our past, we can paint on the canvas of our universe the total existence  of our life and see how it may unfold.  And in this journey of our life, may we hear our heart continue to whisper, "When we give up, that is when we fail.  If we do not give up, there is no failure."

In life, just like painting, I have an image, and as I paint... more ideas may flow...as if many things want to be expressed in their own unique way, expressing who they really are...

One of my paintings 

A CEO in Japan, Hikoji Suzuki said, "Jinsei ha ime-ji zoukei nari"

My translation is:

- Life is an image creation (direct literal translation)

- Life is the form created by our own imagination

- Our life becomes the manifestation of what our our image of life

May you let your life to be the manifestation of your imagination?!

Life is the manifestation of your image (My Calligraphy)

Funny, but a talk with a person on "life is image creation" brought an idea for me to write this post.  To me, such encounter (exchange of image-potential) is as if to confirm the spark in life and be able to share with someone or anyone while keep exploring the joy in our adventure in what we call this thing as LIFE.

Living truthfully..is my image re: my life!! I have been working on this since my awakening experience in 2,000.  This is the same as Tao, or following the law of nature (or, live according to God's order).... and to do that is the New Hero's Journey.

To end this post, I would like to offer few more quotes:

"Imagination is power" (Einstein)

“When the answer is simple, God is speaking.” (Einstein)

"He can who thinks he can, and he can't who thinks he can't. This is an inexorable, indisputable law." (Picasso)

"As he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 25:7)

Best wishes on your journey,
Kio

Money... Power.. and LOVE!

Everything is connected to everything else.  So what do we do?  Trying to say something about money and related to that, about power, I struggled a while to what message may be most pertinent to convey.  After a while, I came up with the short list which also points to how to live our life. They are:

-  Be aware of Impermanence.. nothing lasts forever
-  Have small desire and learn to be satisfied (as mentioned in the last post)
-  Find things you really like to do, and if that help the society, that will give a good reason that you will be happy in what you do in life (connection to ten-mei: or order form heaven)
-  Use money/brain but not to be used by it.  Also know that, asking what is important is more important than just doing the task. So, re-visit this every now and then.  Never lose the longing for the endless sea

Each item in this list may require more explanation but, instead of doing that, I would like to share the following essay by Daisetz Suzuki, on "Love and Power."  Why?  Because this essay points the essence of our life as I see it, and will give a full explanation of all the items in the list above tied to money, power, life and love.

Back in 1993, I was invited to a YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) University held in London, where I presented the idea of mini-company, waste elimination and unleashing the human potential in three lectures. This paper of Daisetz T. Suzuki, Love and Power, was attached to my presentation with a hope that presidents gathered from around the world might gain what I believed to be an inspirational message.  What is shown below is an abbreviated version of this paper.  (Note also that this paper has a direct link with my book, Results from the Heart with foreword from the Dalai Lama - Kegon* or interepenetration is at the foundation)

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Never in the history of mankind has there been a more urgent need for spiritual leaders and for the enhancement of spiritual values than there is in our contemporary world. We have achieved many wonderful things.. in the past century toward the advancement of human welfare. But, strangely, we seem to have forgotten that our welfare depends principally upon our spiritual wisdom and discipline. ... Of all the spiritual values we can conceive and wish to be brought out before us today, none is more commandingly needed than love.  It is love which creates life. Life cannot sustain itself without love. My firm conviction is that the present filthy, suffocating atmosphere of hatred and fear is generated through the suppression of the spirit of loving-kindness and universal brotherhood, and it goes without saying that this suffocation comes from the non-realization of the truth that the human community is the most complicated and far-reaching net work of mutual dependence.

The moral teaching of individualism with all its significant corollaries is very fine indeed, but we must remember that the individual is nonexistent when he is isolated from other individuals and cut off from the group to which he belongs, whether the group be biological or political or cosmological. Mathematically stated, the number one can never be one, never be itself, unless it is related to other numbers which are infinite. The existence of a single number by itself is unthinkable. “Morally or spiritually, this means that the existence of each individual, whether or not he is conscious of the fact, owes something to an infinitely expanding and all-enwrapping net of loving relationship, which takes up not only every one of us but everything that exists. The world is a great family and we, each one of us, are its members.

I do not know how much geography has to do with the moulding of human thought, but the fact is that it was in the Far East that a system of thought developed in the seventh century which is known as the Kegon* school of philosophy. The Kegon is based on the ideas of interfusion, or interpenetration, or interrelatedness, or mutual unobstructedness.  When this philosophy of the interrelatedness of things is rightly understood, love begins to be realized, because love is to recognize others and to rake them into consideration in every way of life.  To do to others what you would like them to you is the keystone of love and this is what naturally grows out of the realization of mutual relatedness.

The idea of mutual relationship and consideration excludes the notion of power for power is something brought from outside into a structure of inner relationship. The use of power is always apt to be arbitrary and despotic and alienating....  Love is not a command given us by an outside agent, for this implies a sense of power. Excessive individualism is the hot-bed in which power-feeling is bred and nourished, because it is egocentric in the sense that it asserts itself arrogantly, and often violently, when it moves out of itself and tries to overrule others. Love, on the contrary, grows out of mutuality and interrelationship and is far from egocentric and self-exalting. While power superficially strong and irresistible, is in reality self-exhausting, love, through self-negation is ever creative for it is the root of existence.  Love needs no external, all-powerful agent to exercise itself.  Love is life and life is love.

Being an infinitely complicated network of interrelationship, life cannot be itself unless supported by love,  Wishing to give life a form, love expresses itself in all modes of being....Love is affirmation, a creative affirmation; it is never destructive and annihilating, because unlike power it is all –embracing and all-forgiving. Love enters into its object and becomes one with it, while power, being characteristically dualistic and discriminative, crushes any object standing against it, or otherwise it conquers it and turns it into a slavish dependent.  Power makes use of science and everything that belongs to it. As long as science remains analytical and cannot go beyond the study of infinitely varied forms of differentiation and their quantitative measurements it is never creative.  What is creative in its spirit of inquiry, which is inspired by love and not by power.  Where there is any co-operation between power and the sciences, it always ends in contriving various methods of disaster and destruction.

Love and creativity are two separate aspect of one reality, but creativity is often separated from love. When this illegitimate separation takes place, creativity comes to be associated with power. Power really belongs to a lower order than love and creativity. When power usurps creativity, it becomes a most dangerous agent of all kinds of mischief.  The notion of power as aforesaid grows inevitably out of a dualistic interpretation of reality. When dualism neglects to recognize the presence of an integrating principle behind it, its native penchant for destruction exhibits itself rampantly and wantonly....

Power is always arrogant, self-assertive, and exclusive, whereas love is self-humiliating and all-comprehensive. Power represents destruction, even self-destruction, quite contrary to love’s creativeness.  Love dies and live again, while power kills and killed.  It was Simone Weil, I understand, who defined power as a force which transforms a person into a thing. I would like to define love as a force that transforms a thing into a person.  Love may thus appear to be something radically opposed to power, and love and power may be regarded as mutually exclusive, so that where there is power there cannot be any shadow of love, and where love is no power can ever intrude upon it.

This is true to a certain extent, but the real truth is that love is not opposed to power; love belongs to an order higher than power, and it is only power that imagines itself to be opposed to love. In truth, love is all-enveloping and all-forgiving; it is a universal solvent, an infinitely creative and resourceful agent. As power is always dualistic and therefore rigid, self-assertive, destructive, and annihilating, it turns against itself and destroys itself when it has nothing to conquer... What is blind is not love but power, for power utterly fails to see that its existence is dependent upon something else. It refuses to realize that it can be itself only allying itself to something infinitely greater than itself. Not knowing this fact, power plunges itself straight into the pit of self-destruction. The cataract that blinds the eye must be removed in order that power may experience enlightenment. Without this experience everything becomes unreal to the myopically veiled eye of power.

When the eye fails to see reality as it is, that is, in its suchness, a cloud of fear and suspicion spreads over all things that come before it. Not being able to see reality in its suchness, the eye deceives itself; it becomes suspicious of anything that confronts it and desires to destroy it. Mutual suspicion is thus let loose, and when this takes place no amount of explanation will reduce the tension... Those who are power-intoxicated fail to see that power is blinding and keeps them within an ever-narrowing horizon. Power is thus associated with intellection, and makes use of it in every possible way. Love, however, transcends power because, in its penetration into the core of reality, far beyond the finiteness of the intellect, it is infinity itself. Without love one cannot see the infinitely expanding network of relationships which is reality. Or, we may reverse this and say that without the infinite network of reality we can never experience love in its true light. Love trust, is always affirmative and all-embracing. Love is life and therefore creative. Everything it touches is enlivened and energized for new growth. When you love an animal, it grows more intelligent; when you love a plant you see into its every need. Love is never blind; it is the reservoir of infinite light....

To conclude: Let us first realize the fact that we thrive only when we are co-operative by being alive to the truth of interrelationship of all things in existence. Let us then die to the notion of power and conquest and be resurrected to the eternal creativity of love which is all-embracing and all-forgiving. As love flows out of rightly seeing reality as it is, it is also love that makes us feel that we—each of us individually and all of us collectively—are responsible for whatever things, good or evil, go on in our human community, and we must therefore strive to ameliorate or remove whatever conditions are inimical to the universal advancement of human welfare and wisdom.

 ( by Dr. D. T. Suzuki in the Hall of the International Exhibition at Brussels on 28th May, 1958, at the Conference “In Defense of Spiritual Values in the Contemporary World."  The Awakening of Zen, Shambhala, p.66-70)

* Kegon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatamsaka_Sutra
Also at my Japanese home page on Ten Stages Sutra, or Jyu-ji-kyo (sorry in Japanese)

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Hope you found this an inspirational peace of work as I felt with tears in my eyes years ago.  In short, and connecting what we shared so far in this blog, the fundamental principle in LIFE (as I see it) is, Confirm True Love (through intimacy/oneness) while creating new DNA with the idea that there are infinite ways to express who we are. I would like to address this in the next post.


Good day,
Kio

Happiness, Creativity, and Playfulness

Playfulness and happiness; Playfulness and creativity; Happiness in creative state.  I feel they are almost synonymous among themselves.  In other words, in that state, don't we feel a good utilization of our talent as if it is meant to be so?  Don't we feel like being really "alive"?  Don't we feel bliss, no words can describe?  And if so, how important is it to be connected to that state of playfulness, creativity and happiness?

Observe children in the sandbox.  Are they happy, playful and perhaps creative?  What about me writing this blog?  Am I playful, creative, and happy?  How about you immersed in your work or hobby which you like, or perhaps having a playful moment with your kids?  And of course, how about having a moment of intimacy with the loved one when the time has lost its meaning?  Don't you feel playful, creative, genuine and lively in such a moment?  

We do not have to be children to be "qualified" to play in the sand box...

OK there may be "hurdles" to overcome before getting there- like making a living, or address concerns of this and that.  Yet, as paradoxical as this may sound, are we not often dictated by those play of our own mind, to the point of blocking us from accessing those states where our senses are hightened, i.e., bright sunshine in the blue sky, vivid sense of colors of all surroundings, and smell and fresh breeze in the air.  In other words, intimacy with all!

What if we lose inquisitive eyes of children but to live in fear and anxiety?  What if we are caught up in our mind way too often and simply live as if according to the script from the TVs, and magazines and idiosyncrasy of the society?  Lost soul, lost paradise, lost intimacy with all...fun and pleasure of eternal children are no where to be found?!  Yet, I wonder, how can it be the case, especially when we are born as playful, creative, and happy children to start with?   Why not to be with the bliss, or follow the bliss and let the unknown future (new DNA) to unfold?  Or, whatever the task we may have, be engaged in it, forget time and space, or our self-identity.. just merged with the task at hand?

I want to propose to define happiness as the state when we are in the "zone" to express who we genuinely are?  And, may we also define "zone" as us connecting to the primary (the source, heart, law, order from God)?  If so, is it not absolute - beyond right and wrong of human mind?!  In other words, mind has little to do with what we may 'really' and 'truly' enjoy.  Yes, very subjective, is it not?  Although I recognize there are certain "rules" to follow, but they seem to be more of common sense, which is like not to hurt others and if possible, help with each other.  Yes, I propose, we can be playful and creative and happy alone, or with others - if we choose to be.

Desire less and be satisfied (from Buddhist sutra)

Then, I also see the connection to awakening or ultimate happiness (The free state) where Lester Levenson said five elements to characterize it, i.e., imperturbability, desireless, actionless, effortless, and witnessing.  And of course, there is no room for ego. 

Happiness is tied to liveliness, and it is about creativity, playfulness, fun, love, enjoyment!!!  Happiness is physical and biological!!! Also, it is tied to channeling the energy well toward new DNA whereas all cells are jumping!!!   And one more to add: body/muscle is totally relaxed when you are in that state.  These are the essence of LIFE, is it not?!

To end this post, here are some words of wisdom from those who walked ahead of us:

"To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me."  -  Issac Newton

When Pablo Picasso was 85, he was asked how his later paintings could be so innovative - could have the boldness and fire of a young artist's work.  Picasso's reply:"It takes a long time to become young."  -  Pablo Picasso

"Man is a thinking reed but his great works are done when he is not calculation or thinking. 'Childlikeness' has to be restored with long years of training in the art of self-forgetfulness. When this is attained, man thinks yet he does not think. He thinks like showers coming down from sky; he thinks like the waves rolling on the ocean; he thinks like the stars illuminating the nightly heavens; he thinks like the green foliage shooting forth in the relaxing spring breeze. Indeed he is the showers, the ocean, the stars, the foliage. "  -  Daisetz Suzuki

* Related Posts:
Bliss, Ecstasy and Ultimate Happiness
Have Fun and Express Who we are

Have Fun and Express Who We Are

I see playfulness, open mindedness, curiosity, following the bliss, intuition, creativity and wisdom are all related to each other.  Then, our hobby offers such a quality especially when we do not put emphasis on time or results.  If we are playful, we simply follow the bliss.  And, I hear in my heart that I should live like children in the sandbox.  Also, my intuition tells me that happy state of being is in tune with the songs of the nature and everything we do in living life can be seen in this fashion.  This is what I believe Confucius meant by saying: "at age 70, I followed my heart's desire without overstepping the boundaries of law."

What I also found profound is that even swordsmanship where life and death are at stake, this liveliness and playfulness can exist (at least many writings of masters of Zen and swordsmanship and my humble experience in Aikido indicate that).  So, from casual hobby of playing tennis (however, there is a moment when I put my 110%), to championship in golf, to management to swordsmanship, I see there is something in common as if finding creativity, liveliness and even love and compassion even in the extremity such as facing death.  I believe such experience leads to this saying when we break through the conventional wisdom: Man's extremity is God's opportunity.

Of course this is a paradox.  Playfulness and creativity while facing death - or never losing smile at any instance!  Or perhaps we may find that because of the state of extremity, we finally realize creativity, source of our existence, life energy, heart, love or compassion, etc. in its true sense - not any more in words or concept.  And such experience is what I like to call, the connection to the source so that our life is expressed in its most genuine manner!  There, we may find comfort and happiness in any situation we face, thus transcending the paradox.  The idea is not so much about the form of how we live, but whether or not we connect to the essence, which is invisible but essential to be truly and genuinely alive.

In hobby, we have light-hearted attitude.  Also, if we do what we like to do, there is more energy flows and liveliness felt - again when we follow the bliss.  When my son was about 17, I gave him my last advice, "Do what you like to do, and if that is to contribute to the society, perhaps you find a way to live while having fun. "

After all, don't you agree that quality at the source or heart, which everybody has, is utmost important?  And if or when we lose that connection, guess what?  You know the answer.  I sense a definite limit in our tendency toward instant gratification that I see more common these days.  We want to live truthfully.  I believe such is the path for our New Hero to take.

Good day, good journey,
Kiyoshi Suzaki

The Impossible Dream, Creativity and NHJ

Is New Hero a modern day Don Quixote - The Man of La Mancha?  I remember in my younger days, I visited La Mancha one summer with the book of Cervantes in my hand, strolling around the hill, and listening to the guitar someone was playing in a courtyard in a small hotel I stayed.  Perhaps, the idea of impossible dream became embedded in my DNA form those days...

Whatever the case is, I love this song very much, "the impossible dream":

To dream the impossible dream

To fight the unbeatable foe

To bear with unbearable sorrow

To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong

To love pure and chaste from afar

To try when your arms are too weary

To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest

To follow that star

No matter how hopeless

No matter how far

To fight for the right

Without question or pause

To be willing to march into Hell

For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true

To this glorious quest

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm

When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this

That one man, scorned and covered with scars

Still strove with his last ounce of courage

To reach the unreachable star

Hero is to challenge the obstacles for good.  The challenge is to be creative and to keep the dream alive as in the longing for the endless sea (Antoine Exupery).  Also, since life is, by definition, a fight against the law of entropy which is the tendency toward chaos if left alone, it is nothing but a creative process itself.  Thus, an impossible dream.

Then, I found this comment on the net: 

psychologist Gary Fitzgibbon says an ability to "suspend disbelief" is one way of looking at creativity.... When you suspend disbelief you are prepared to believe anything and this opens up the scope for seeing more possibilities..... Creativity is certainly about not being constrained by rules or accepting the restrictions that society places on us."--Creative minds 'mimic schizophrenia'   By Michelle RobertsHealth reporter, BBC News

So, here is a paradox.  There should be rules for order but to go beyond the rule is the creative process for a better life - thus, a never ending journey.  Then, the law of entropy is a law of nature whereas our life itself  is nothing but the nature's way.  So, there is another paradox.


Then, having a dream may be akin to being creative - as if to reach out to the unknown potential within or without.  Don Quixote says "unreachable star."   Einstein says, "Imagination is power."  Then, may we say if we keep on living in our dream throughout our life, we may be quite happy especially if such a dream connects to our heart - to promote happiness within oneself and without with others?


There are many positives of having a dream:  Liveliness, open-mindedness, child-likeness, insight and wisdom, warm fuzzy feeling / love and compassion...  Connected to the dream and infinite potential, I would like to keep my smile and life's dream of always going beyond.  At the end, life may be a process of manifesting our dream, never-ending dream that is.  


* BTW, Without death, there is no life.  Death is like a law of entropy.  Life is like a phoenix.  So, follow your bliss!  You may then ask, why so much suffering?  Yet, through suffering, there may be a bright shining star born.  In fact, that unreachable star may be you!  Otherwise why do you want to reach that unreachable star?  After all, where the question arises is the answer. The blue bird you seek for is with you - all the time.  To see that is the primary.  (To point this, some may say, God be with you....although interpretation and expressions may vary.)