The Four Noble Truths and the Second Law
(1) To suppress ourselves is suffering. This is dukha-satya, the truth of suffering.
(2) This self-suppression, through unduly tightened muscles and held joints, requires physical energy. This is dukha-samdhaya-satya, the truth of suffering as accumulation of physical energy.
(3) This physical energy, according to the second law of thermodynamics, has an inherent tendency to disperse and, unless obstructed from doing so, it will disperse spontaneously. Therefore, if we stop obstructing the second law by doing something to suppress ourselves, the energy required to keep muscles unduly tightened and joints unduly held, will spontaneously disperse. Muscles will release and joints will open up. This is dukha-nirodha-satya, the truth of stopping suffering.
(4) There is a traditional way of stopping suffering, transmitted from the seven ancient Buddhas. It is to sit in the full lotus posture with physical effort, with mental effort, and as the spontaneous shedding of physical and mental effort. This is dukha-nirodha-marga-satya, the truth of the way of stopping suffering.
(2) This self-suppression, through unduly tightened muscles and held joints, requires physical energy. This is dukha-samdhaya-satya, the truth of suffering as accumulation of physical energy.
(3) This physical energy, according to the second law of thermodynamics, has an inherent tendency to disperse and, unless obstructed from doing so, it will disperse spontaneously. Therefore, if we stop obstructing the second law by doing something to suppress ourselves, the energy required to keep muscles unduly tightened and joints unduly held, will spontaneously disperse. Muscles will release and joints will open up. This is dukha-nirodha-satya, the truth of stopping suffering.
(4) There is a traditional way of stopping suffering, transmitted from the seven ancient Buddhas. It is to sit in the full lotus posture with physical effort, with mental effort, and as the spontaneous shedding of physical and mental effort. This is dukha-nirodha-marga-satya, the truth of the way of stopping suffering.
posted by Mike Cross at 8:35 AM
7 Comments:
I see some truth in your interpripation. However I feel you do the four noble truths a diservice by reducing suffering to physical tension. Is buddhism nothing more than a method of overcoming tense muscles and joints?
There are many kinds of suffering, but we hold onto them by holding. Holding is a kind of unconscious doing, requiring physical energy.
Unconscious doing cannot be undone by doing something. Rather, it is opposed by the conscious decision NOT TO DO. (This principle was understood very clearly by FM Alexander.)
By the conscious decision not to do, we allow a spontaneous process of undoing.
The essence of Buddhism is to allow this spontaneous process of undoing to take place, by sitting in the full lotus posture.
Nishijima Roshi wrote on his blog, with reference to me: "A person, who insists that we should think something in Zazen, can never be a Buddhist."
To explain the relation between thinking and action in Zazen, or, in short, the necessity for thinking in Zazen, I would like to use the metaphor of a rubber bull held under water.
The metaphor is taken directly from Master Nishijima’s own teaching -- a fact which supports my contention that the principle I am explaining now Gudo Nishijima already understands on a deep, intuitive, non-semantic level. He is just very bad, extremely bad, at clarifying it intellectually, not only to others but also to himself.
A boy is holding a big beach ball under the surface of the sea. He is very attached to the ball and fears that unless he keeps hold of it, he might lose it. Because the 2nd law of thermodynamics, now when we investigate it, is tending to operate all around, without and within, the boys arms are growing very tired and he is becoming distressed. At that time his father wades up to him and shouts in his ear, “Just act! Just do something!” So the boy redoubles his efforts to keep the beach ball under the surface of the sea. His distress increases further. Then his father shouts still louder: “You need not think about your situation. You need not feel the pain in your arms. Just act!!!”
Finally the boy, almost at the end of his endurance, cries out for help. An old grandmother comes along and explains to him, “If you stop holding the ball down, it will just float up to the surface of the sea. Don’t worry, you won’t lose it.” Then she gently takes the boys hands and guides them, still holding tightly onto the ball, to the surface of the sea. “Do you see?” the old woman asks the boy, “You didn’t need to waste all that energy holding the ball down.” “Yes. Thank you, replies the boy. “Now. I understand.”
I am not happy with the above metaphor, but the point I am struggling to make is that one cannot do an undoing. Undoing is a spontaneous process. But we can learn to initiate this spontaneous process of undoing, by our conscious decision NOT TO DO. And this conscious decision not to do, is a mental effort, a kind of thinking.
A clearer example might be a man holding a heavy ball at the top of a hill. He doesn’t need to do anything to cause the ball to roll down. The ball already has a tendency to roll down the hill. The man only needs to allow it. But in order to allow it, the man has to make the conscious decision not to hold the ball. He need not do anything to initiate the spontaneous process. Just a thought is enough.
Allowing the spine to lengthen in Zazen is also like that. The spine has an inherent lengthening tendency. But in order for us to initiate the spontaneous undoing of the spine into its lengthening tendency, it is necessary for us to decide not to do anything to shorten the spine.
One way or another, I will clarify this point.
mike, thanks for trying to communicate your thoughts on this.. you wrote that master nishijima "already understands on a deep, intuitive, non-semantic level. He is just very bad, extremely bad, at clarifying it intellectually, not only to others but also to himself." you seem to be struggling with the words also. maybe you should reconsider his ideas about thinking/not thinking in zazen. words can tie us up in knots. sometimes less is more. nothing is something.
With your indulgence I have another suggestion. Do not post your blog writings immediately to master nishijima's blog. wait a day or two to see if your words are exactly as you meant them here before reposting them there. This would be a good pr move for you.
This is a very interesting way of contemplating the truths. I've included the 1st NT below for comparison and further contemplation:
MC:
(1) To suppress ourselves is suffering. This is dukha-satya, the truth of suffering.
B:
(1)And what is stress? Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; association with the unbeloved is stressful; separation from the loved is stressful; not getting what one wants is stressful. In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful. This is called stress.
Oxeye,
There is thinking as a means of initiating a spontaneous happening in the real world -- as predicted by the second law of thermodynamics.
And there is thinking ABOUT initiating a spontaneous happening in the real world, as predicted by the the second law of thermodynamics.
Nishijima Roshi knows that the second kind of thinking is not it. He doesn’t recognize the existence of the first kind of thinking.
What you have been witnessing is my utterly inept attempts to do the impossible, to cause him to recognize what he doesn't want to recognize. Your thanks are appreciated.
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