Listening to the Masters - 2

"If you cannot dedicate all your works to the Divine, then do the work without the desire of the fruit. " (Bhagavadgita)

"Let the mind flow freely without abiding anywhere. " (Diamond Sutra)

"All living being, be peaceful, gentle and happy. Whether animals, plants, big or small, long or short .... All living being be happy." (Buddha [Suttanipata 145-147])

I think many phenomena became a reality as it was deemed desirable and right...

Is this my delusion?  Perhaps...  or perhaps not?!

"Unless the world as a whole can achieve happiness there is no happiness as an individual. ... The consciousness as a person will progress from individual to group to society to the universe." (Kenji Miyazawa)

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." (Antoine de SaintExupery)

"Use the light that is in you to recover your natural clearness of sight. " (Lao-tzu)

"There is a treasure in every person." (Sufism)

" ... the truth is the subject's transformation within himself." (Kierkegaard)

"If you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of being, I warn you that you will be deeply unhappy for the rest of your life." (Abraham Maslow)

"If you do not have a dream, you might as well be dead." (Dixie Rose)

"I have a dream." (Martin Luther King)

"I think I can, I think I can." (The Little Engine That Could)

"May I have the strength to change the things I can, the patience to accept the things I cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference. " (Saint Francis)

==

I do not remember any more how I collected these words in 2001 for the book, Results from the Heart.  Yet, I see many living in me as I re-read them now.  Then, I noticed that the word I should have include above was the word given in 1983 by the president of a company called, "San-esu" in Japan, Mr. Hikoji Suzuki; "Life is the manifestation of our image we create."  I recently realized that this word lived with me and my life became in fact as he suggested.  Amazing!

It may be that there is this unknown connection among childlikeness, creativity and image.... as we will discuss more in the next post.

Wishing you the best,
Kio

Listening to the Masters - 1

Here are some words of wisdom I took from my book, "Results from the Heart."  They address the essence of human nature.  yet, whether or not we can make these words come alive is up to each of us.  If we do not get the message readily (perhaps disconnected from one's own experience), it may indicate that our eyes are not quite open.   May we listen to these words with open minds to discover the secret of our lives with calm and quiet mind?

"Seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." (Matt. 7:7)

"What goes out to the world market is' not the product. It is the philosophy, the brain of that company. " (Soichiro Honda)

"If you want to be a better friend, a richer person, a better parent, a better athlete, a more successful businessman, all you need to do is find models of excellence. " (Anthony Robbins)

"What is desirable and right is not impossible." (Henry Ford)

"Man is made great or small by his own will." (Schiller)

"So how can I set myself free?" "Who has bound you?" (Zen Koan)

"I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. " (Thomas Edison)

"When the solution is simple, God is answering." (Albert Einstein)

"The life which is unexamined is not worth living. " (Plato)

"I did not wish to live what was not life." (Henry David Thoreau)

"Truth above all, even when it upsets and overwhelms us." (Amiel)

"Youth is youngness at heart. Youth is eternal for those who are full of faith and hope, and greet the challenges of each new day with courage and confidence." (Konosuke Matsushita)

Some words of masters are like the shining light in the dark sky 

- clearing up the unknowns or cutting through the ambiguities

"Those who mistake the unessential to be essential---and essential to be unessential, dwelling in wrong thoughts, never arrive at the essential. " (Buddha Dhammapada II)

"If we do what we have always done, we will get what we have always got. " (Found at the wall of a factory floor in the Midwest)

"Life clears itself to the degree that we understand how the mind works." (Vernon Howard)

"Beware of dissipating your powers; strive constantly to concentrate them." (Goethe)

"There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit. " (Truman)

"If we cannot find contentment in ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere. " (La Rochefoucauld)

"If your heart is right, your world will be right. The beginning of all reform must be in yourself. ... The power released from within yourself will change your outward life."  Found at the wall of the Library of Congress (October 16,1789)

"To be happy means to be self-sufficient." (Aristotle)

"Unless a person find a mission to devote himself, he cannot find the true happiness." (Found at a Rinzai-ji Temple in Japan)

"A happy life is joy in the truth." (Augustine)

"0 wonderful, wonderful, and most wonderful wonderful! And yet again wonderful ... " (Shakespeare)

"Man is a thinking reed but his great works are done when he is not calculating and thinking. 'Childlikeness' has to be restored with long years of training in the art of 'self-forgetfulness. '" (Daisetz T. Suzuki)

"Truth is too simple for us; we do not like those who unmask Our illusion." (Emerson)

"Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away." (Hakuin)

"Everyone wants to understand art. Why not try to understand the songs of a bird?" (Picasso)

"Intelligence comes into being when brain discovers its fallibility. " (Krishnamurti)

"Suffering is always the effect of wrong thoughts in some direction. It is an indication that the individual is out of harmony with himself, with the Law of his being. " (James Allen)

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." (Kris Kristofferson)

"A free mind has power to achieve all things. " (Eckhart)

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace." (Gal. 5:22)

- ( to be continued ) -

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.

Life Profile 1: A Powerful Tool to Navigate Our Life

This simple tool, I call Life Profile (LP), will help guide our path while better utilizing our talent, enjoying and appreciating life.   Specifically, it will enable us to manage our life better in such areas as work, hobby, relationship, health, and finance, while orienting us to live truthfully.  Also, it helps us to balance various activities in life as if plant grows in an organic fashion given its setting, e.g., sun, wind, insect, water, etc.  Then, through engaging in various activities and relationships with LP as a tool, we engage our life toward new possibilities (New DNAs) with partner(s).  

Essentially, through the use of this tool, we start to realize how our life energy flows in a balanced manner even to find us engaging in the manifestation of dynamic energy flow of the whole universe.  So, we can call LP linked to primary relationship, connection to the heart, law of universe.  Or, if I use religious terms, this may correspond to Tao, following the order from heaven (ten-mei), live in the kingdom of heaven.  (Note: the concept of mini-company is a representation of such a dynamic process in a company setting to self-manage while LP is applied for each person to live as the master of destiny. We can do this by; listen to the heart, use our brain, and follow the bliss.  Or, live truthfully.  This is the hero's journey)

If there is a strategy to live our life to the fullest, LP is a tool to assist that.  It can help "monitor" what is happening and how the strategy is working.  Then, it will help "come up with insight", and "find the course" (or strategy) into the future so that we can chart our way in the direction that makes sense, perhaps, as we follow the bliss.

Now, let's take a look at where we are. Thanks to technology and marketing among others, many of us may have developed a habit of seeking for instant gratification, i.e.,quick for everything or blindly reacting to stimuli.  More this, more that; we develop a bad habit. Then, "quantity" become more important, e.g., money, fame, title (may I add sex here as well?). I remember one friend when he was in his thirties he was counting the number of sex he would have in the rest of his life. Fine. But what about quality, or genuine intimacy to "Life"? Without understanding the meaning are we to live as if being chased to do various tasks? If so, do we really feel "alive," appreciating each day, each moment?  Do we hear the song of a bird, see a flower blooming at the roadside, and discover all the miracles happening around us, even to realize that we are the miracle?!

Certainly, we need to have a clear and balanced perspective in life. If we are caught up with small stuff or swung by stimulation, we waste our energy, lose balance, and quality in life will deteriorate. More untruthful actions we take, more wired our brain will be with bad closed circuit. Eventually, we will have to pay it back. All action has consequences if our mind eyes are closed. But if so, what do we do? How do we live our life? I believe the answer is found by having a calm and quiet mind. In other words, with quality in our mind, and observing things as they really are and coming up with insight, we can lead a quality life. Without clear mind, we are blindfolded, unable to see what is going on, and what we are to do in an intelligent and compassionate manner.

If the above point is clear, then how do we use our mind?  Einstein said, "Ask the right question." I think one good question may be to ask, "What is going on?" or "So what? (What is the meaning?)" to get to the core and clarify the meaning. In other words, connect to the heart to find why we are here for (mission) and what we are to do. This is new hero's journey. Ultimately, it is a moment to moment practice. However, we can use LP as an important tool to orient us. More we use this tool, we can balance our life better and find the real meaning.

In the following post, we will look into the specifics of this tool, I call, Life Profile (LP).

Results from the Heart - You are your Own Master

In my book, Results from the Heart, I proposed the idea of "Mini-Company" where everyone is viewed as the president of his or her own mini-company.  This is an idea pointing to self-management, to become the master of destiny, no matter what the situation we face is.  If we can manage our own mini-company well and prove that to ourselves and others (we form a customer-supplier relationship with each other as we interact in our life) - knowing the process and aim to accomplish the mission, we are on the path of new hero's journey.  Whether in a business setting or in personal life, the idea applies the same.  It is to live well and be happy no matter what situation we may fall into.

But, what is "self" in self-management, anyway?  In its truest sense, it should be the true self - not our ego.  It  is the heart, the divine, the law of the universe, the absolute - beyond human comprehension.  Does this sound too vague or incomprehensible?  Yet, I know we can appreciate such connection once we have experienced that precious moment, the moment of bliss (as we may have had it when we are very young for example).  That is the connection to the primary (true self, heart, etc.).  Yet, knowing is not the same as doing.  We cannot live in the concept, we are to prove in life from moment to moment.

Here are few memories from publishing, "Results from the Heart" (Simon & Schuster):

1)  Foreword from the Dalai Lama; Steven Covey, et. al.
 “I believe we have both the ability and the means to solve our problems and improve the world​.....But we must be careful, for there is also a narrow-minded selfishness that can lead to destruction.....I agree with him (Suzaki) that if we all learned to use the brain but at the same time listen to the heart, we could make our world a happier, more peaceful, and successful place.”  - The Dalai Lama

​

Steven Covey, the author of Seven habits of effective people (over ten million copies sold) said: “Suzaki... teaches  brilliant ideas ...how to connect the mind and the heart in unleashing human potnetial.” 

2)  Picture of front page - man climbing up the stairs
I like the front cover of the book where a man is painting the stairs on his way up to the unknown future.  Although I never contacted the person who came up with this front page, when I saw it, I felt happy that he/she understood the message of the book.  It is to open up your own future.

You are your own master, you make your own future.  Therefore discipline yourself as a horse dealer trains a thoroughbred.  - Dhammapada, XXV.21 (380)

Reference:  FAQ on Mini-company

Over the Hurdles, and Realize our Dream...

Over years, there are many words that brought inspiration and spirit of conviction to me.  They include,

Imagination is power -  Einstein

If you can imagine, you can make it - Walt Disney

What is desirable and right is not impossible - Ford

There are infinite ways (into our future) - Matsushita

Or how about this one by Edison, Genius is 1%inspiration and 99% perspiration.  I believe if there is no  imagination to benefit the people of the world, he would not have reached to such a statement.  So, I would say, if there is needs there are ways. No question! Such is the law of nature.  And, what is life if there is no spirit to explore to the unknown?  I see this is in our DNA as Living beings.

This applies to individual as well as the group of people who share the dream:

From P.234 New Shop Floor Management (by Kiyoshi Suzaki)

In my book, New Shop Floor Management, I brought a new way of  managing the shop floor and to develop an integrated, coherent process of management throughout the company - with the idea I called; "min-company" (aiming for self-management).  As this name suggests, in mini-company, everyone is seen as the president of his area of responsibility.  Actually, whether managing the company or managing one's personal life, the process is essentially the same.  One can apply the idea even to relationship, hobby, health, etc. It is the vision toward that imagination that matters.  Then, we can figure our way to achieve that dream.

"If you want to build a ship, don't gather your people and ask them to provide wood, prepare tools, assign tasks, ... Just call them together and raise in their minds the longing for the endless sea." 

- Antoine de Saint Exupéry  (p.13, NSFM)

SAILING IN TODAY'S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT (from p.16, NSFM)

Today's world is filled with change and uncertainty....In fact, changes happening in the business world may have a traumatic impact if they result in sudden layoffs or bankruptcy. If we are foresighted and prepared, however, these changes can provide increased opportunities for utilizing our potential. Instead of riding in stormy seas, we can alter our course and find a clear path through them...

"Even if we cannot change the direction of wind, we can trim our sails to get where we want to go." [We are] to prepare ourselves for such turbulent times by developing skills to manage the situation better and explore a better work life.

Meeting with Mr. Ohno (Known as the Father of Toyota Production System (TPS))

In one meeting with Mr. Ohno, we walked around the shop floor, and discussed various points related to TPS - now a renowned system or I should say philosophy, recognized by the whole world.  To end our meeting that day, he gave me two calligraphy, using a traditional Japanese ink brush.  One of them read, "Challenge." The other, "Beyond conventional belief."  To this, I thanked and mentioned, that I like these as I like Don Quiote's spirit of reaching the unreachable star.  Mr. Ohno immediately pointed, "But you have to bring out the result."  I will never forget this meeting with Ohno.

NHJ - The Beginning

To start a new hero's journey, I explained my view on youtube.  The best way to get the message is to see me speaking on youtube together with the following quotes as reference.

New Hero's Journey - The Beginning

In short, I see NHJ (New Hero's Journey) a journey of exploration and finding our destiny while utilizing our talent and potential fully.  Yet, the process may be similar to a camel going through the eye of a needle, especially most of us carrying some fixed mindset developed over years of living our life.  Even though they may have been developed for necessity, if we are not "liberated" from the past, they may limit us from exploring the world fully. Such is the challenge for us and therefore, the term, New Hero to go beyond these hurdles.

Going over the hurdles:

- The path of enlightenment is a path covered by thorn bushes (Daisetz)

-  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God! (Mark 10:25)

By the way, I am not the guru, or teacher in this journey.  Those interested in this journey are all co-travelers of life.  My hope is to share views and ideas as we move on, perhaps we may share your story for everybody's benefit.  What is required to launch this journey is: willingness and passion like a longing of the endless sea - our life.

In order to prepare us at this starting point, I would like to share some more quotes.  Many of them may look puzzling, paradoxical or even conflicting.  Yet, as I see it, it is a part of this road less traveled.  In zen saying, this is a gateless gate.  But we do not need to be fearful, annoyed, or puzzled for such word now.  We are to move step at a time and confirm many basics as we remain curious, open, willing and even passionate about what is going on in our life.  There are many expressions that may guide us.

On Beginner's mind:

- A child's mind is a rather open thing.  Adults tend to restrict themselves... Adults have closed minds.  They think they are watching everything.  They aren't watching.  They have got a routine way of looking. (Erickson, p.181)

-  It takes a long time to become young. (Picasso)

Be the master of your own destiny:

-  There is no teacher, the job has to be done by each person

-  We hear but we do not hear.  We see but we do not see.

-  Everyone wants to understand art.  Why not try to understand the song of a bird? (Picasso)

-  When the student is ready, teacher will appear (Sufi, Zen, also Erickson p.113)

-  Everything is a teacher (Yoshikawa)

-  Meet Buddha, kill Buddha! (zen saying)

-  It is the patient who does the therapy (Erickson p.106)

We find our own solution:

-  You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink (Proverb)

-  In the water, they cry for water. (Hakuin)

-  Gateless gate (Zen)

-  You cannot sleep?  Good. (Carry on.) (Goenka on meditation)

-  If you search for it, you will not find it (Yuima)

-  I do not search, I find (Picasso)

Find the answer in the middle of problem:

- In the middle of the delusion, find nirvana (Syoshinge)

- Training and enlightenment is one (Shysyouichinyo)

... and those above may point the character of this new hero's journey!  We are here to explore the meaning in our own life's experiences.

Welcome to the new beginning!