- the Language barrier, - minor point -

קיימת שגיאה נפוצה שישראלים דוברי עברית מחמיצים לעיתים קרובות ולמעלה מכך.

בשימוש בשפה האנגלית במלה "Bible" הכוונה אינה לתנ"ך, כפי שהנזכרים מורגלים להניח ולחשב, - כי אם לתנ"ך ולברית החדשה, יחדיו זאת אומרת. - בשימוש בעולם דובר האנגלית הנוצרי כאשר הכוונה לתנ"ך בלבד יֵאֲמֶר "Jewish Bible". נכון שכאשר מדובר בחוגים יהודיים בינם לבין עצמם ישתמשו במלה Bible לציון התנ"ך בלבד, אבל כאשר נשמעת המלה בד"כ בציבור או בתקשורת שלא מפי יהודים דווקא, וידוע כי מרבית האוכלוסיה במערב אינה דווקא יהודית כמובן, אז הכוונה כמובן מאליו לספר הכולל גם את ספרי-הברית-החדשה. משמעות לדבר בעקר כאשר נשמעים דברים מפי גורמים שאינם נוצרים דווקא כי אם מכיוון דתות המזרח, הינדים או בודהיסטים, - שאז מדמה לעצמו המאזין העברי שהמדובר הוא בתנ"ך או - מכאן, - ביהדות, כאשר הכוונה היא כאמור לַסֶפֶר הכולל יותר. בפרט לאור העובדה שהדמות המרכזית בספר הכולל הינה ישוע הנוצרי, החשוב מאשר משה, אברהם, או אליהו הנביא, והספר החשוב מבין ספריו הוא הבשורה ע"פ יוחנן, ולא ספר מספרי התנ"ך. קרי מרכז הכבד של הספר הכולל אינו בתנ"ך דווקא, והטעות הנזכרת אינה שולית כי אם משמעותית, ככל שחשיבות לדברים ככלל.

The heart

According to contemporary modern so called “science” it apparently may be said all our human mental functions are performed within the head.

The brain is supposed, generally, - to be where everything goes. I have no particular knowledge about relevant issues in biology but the fact is widely known and no secrete.

- After sometime of practice, - spiritual practice or Dharma practice, - one may be able to become aware of the existence of his or her heart. In case you don’t know: - It is not the organ usually called by that name (I don’t know why) in secular society, not that in the left side of your chest, close to the centre, - in charge - so to speak, - of making the blood flow in its vessels. Rather it is in the right side, not so close to the centre, - and a bit higher, normally that is. I recall sometimes feeling it perhaps two or three meters up in the air, outside the body, in time of extreme pain. This is not important here, I am just making the remark.

- There must be at least about twenty people I know personally who know the heart. It is not something you talk about. - Normally, unless any particular reason to, - one does not mention it. And when one does, it often would be in a way or manner in which one-who-is-ignorant-of-it would generally (unless informed otherwise) assume it is just a metaphor, - in the form of speech common and usual among everyone generally. Nothing special. But otherwise it is a thing one generally feels it would not be right to freely speak of in the same manner everyone can refer to any other daily thing. - Those who are conscious of this element of their being are normally also aware of the natural situation in which it is better to take some caution in speech in referring to it. No disaster might occur but one easily feels it is for the better. Sometime it is possible to be aware of a better choice of action without analysis and without detailed knowledge of the practical reasoning behind it.

Anyway, - the main point is there are many who can testify as for the truth of the fact I am relating to here.
- The entire mental functioning is clearly not being performed in the head or the brain. So called materialistic “science” is ignorant. Is practically foolish and amazing, - but this is not the issue here. - Some of your mental functioning takes place in the heart. Emotions exist nowhere else. This does not deny of course some reflection of them in the brain. With development the heart can also learn certain capabilities of thinking. This does not mean mathematical calculations and the like, - but practical issues can clearly and unquestionably be related to. Not everyone will testify to that: - At first it will have nothing to do with it, - as it seems, to me at least. However the fact that your mind is not in any sort of whole-correlation with the functioning of what-takes-place-inside-your-head can be clearly and perfectly viewed.

There is a certain centre (energy centre) in the lower region of your body called “tanden” in Japanese and “dantian” in Chinese. - “Zen” meditation as practiced in the “Rinzai” sect depends on it, perhaps entirely. Master Tendo Nyojo also mentions it. - Serious martial artists could not be unaware of it. It is of primary importance there. I would say, generally, that it is easier to gain awareness of the tanden than of the heart. After that, - after this centre (related to the will and the origin of one’s being) it seems the heart (Some call it the spiritual heart, I generally do not) is the easiest to come to know. Of course the ability would differ from person to person. But it seems much easier to get to know than the chakras you might hear about or read about in Yoga fields or others.

- It is initially felt as if it is a physical organ, but practically it is not. - The functioning of our imagination takes place in the heart. This can be clearly felt. You can also feel that mathematical-like calculation or thoughts would be an action which does take place (partly at least) in your head. The mental sphere would correlate to a structure of more-than-one-element as it seems, that which is inside your head not denied as one of them, - but far from being the whole thing. The connection seems to me like between computers connected as a net, - but this is a matter still to be careful about, though the idea could not be entirely empty.

- So far for the matter. - There is the organ generally not known today taking place in the right side of your upper body, normally, responsible for a considerable and significant (and this is somewhat of an understatement too) part of the functioning of your mind. Most literal expressions referring to the heart originate with this. And are quite accurate too, generally at least. - There are quite many people who are able to directly testify as for this fact. Do notice: - Quite many can be still a very low percentage, - but even if we’d be speaking of something like 1/10%, - (one in a thousand) or even 1/10 of that, - this is no doubt still a very large number of people, - we are not speaking of a scant number where you have to search a lot in order to find every one person, - there are many, and those aware of the phenomenon themselves would generally know others who are too. - The reason the matter is still unknown, as it is, to the majority of humanity [today] and to funny individuals engaged in the study and research of the relevant field through common materialistic methods, - is (to a great extent) that those who possess the ability to acknowledge the phenomenon through personal experience are justifiably reluctant to generally relate to the matter, - both due to an inner notion referred-to-above having to do with the nature of non-physical [fundamentally] by all, and due to the easily predicted response off other individuals in society who might consider them abnormal or question their mental health. - Of course the situation would be different in the case of a few dozens (or a far greater number) making a similar statement where each one is independently relating to his (or hers) personal individual experience. Such a thing should be easily possible. I don’t know why it hasn’t taken place so far. Humanity lives in a funny pit, for a long time, it could not be forever, - but Sawaki Roshi’s words are clearly relevant: “Funny being, man is, - groping around in the dark with an intelligent look in his eyes”.

Just a note

The most important point in Buddhism is what is usually referred to as the “Four noble truths”. More correctly I believe would be “the four principles of Buddhism”. (The word “satya” translated as “truth” would better reflect a principle in the relevant context. It is not a perfect translation but it seems to be the best choice of an English word to bring the original intention as closely to the essence and meaning existing in the original Sanskrit as possible.)

The issue of translation I referred to is just btw. - The point is this, or the four world views Nishijima noticed continually appearing in the writing and preaching of Master Dogen, - form the most important point in Buddhism. It of course does not mean that the study of it or the familiarity with it are more important than the practice of Zazen, - Buddhist meditation, - but in the conceptual sphere relating to the structure of the presentation of things within Buddhism or the Buddhist sphere-or-realm, - this is the place to begin - and this is the point first in its importance. I related to this point in the second post here at-the-blog - Our Mind - Second Post.

The second point in importance is that of the middle way. - Interestingly it seems to correlate in a way with what is known in probability theory as the normal distribution, but again is mentioned here just btw. - I did not write a post about that yet but two posts are related: - Posting as Practice and The Eightfold Path according to Steiner.

There is no third point.

I mean there are of course lots of other things existing within the Buddhist field, - but there is no other particular point or issue to be regarded or classed as #3 - essentially and necessarily - within the Buddhist teaching or presentation of reality and path.

There are these two points which would essentially be in place as the two leading ones, - those which would have a particular special place heading the rest of the world-or-structure relevant here and referred to - which would form the essential structure to begin with and would be most fundamental in the creation and presentation of philosophy and practical-understanding, - and thereafter there is still what is to follow, - but no other third point necessary in the same way for the creation of the initial framework to work with.

April 21, 2018

Lost Post

- There was a post which was to be posted today.

- I wrote it on a “Word” file, but at present the computer on which it was doesn’t work and I can’t have it on.

- My computer has been taken away by the police, and when I got it back it wasn’t working. - I tried to get the stuff out, but could not on time until today. If and when I’ll get it out (there is still a bit of work needed to be done before posting) I’ll put it up here instead of this shit I must have here now.

WWII

I don’t know so much about World War II. I don’t know what made the Japanese team up with the Nazis, (- and the Italians) or under what or which circumstances did this alliance take place or emerge. - What I do know is mainly from William Shirer’s [- “the”] “Rise and fall of the Third Reich”, - which I have never read in full.

I also did not read “Mein kampf” and only have general and common knowledge of it. - Still the general idea here would be roughly the same.

The deeds of the Holocaust were of course not widely known in real time. - The shock only aroused after the war. I think. I don’t really know how much of it spread earlier. - But the ideas presented in the book written quite earlier before Hitler’s rise as it was were never made secret. (- Originally the book was not intended to bear the title of “Mein kampf”, as it did. Hitler had a considerably longer name for it, which would have been made quite significant with time, - but the publisher did not find it commercial and had it changed.) They are generally known, I am not sure how well known all around the world, but clearly here in Israel, for obvious reasons, they are.

- Jews, along with blacks and members of their race, the Semites, meaning all Arabs, plus perhaps some other references I don’t know or don’t remember, - were to be eliminated. Wiped off the Earth, - as - I might mention, - (totally unrelated to the main point here) the Jews did much earlier to others who inhabited their land on conquering it after returning to it from Egypt. It was never made secret either but is documented in the book of Joshua. Still this is just a remark made by the way. Others, according to Hitler’s book, - were fit to serve as slaves to the race to which the Germans belong, - the Aryan race. They were not to be cleared off the way those viewed as the lowest were to, - but their contribution and value - as I understand - were to be in the service they would grant the Germens and Aryans who are valued in themselves, higher at least.

- The book was not written in secret, it was never a hidden document. - It was very popular in Germany. Not just as it was published but after Hitler’s rise. It was not some unknown paper only few show interest in, or some document only particular experts or weird geeks are familiar with. The intention was to ban religion in Germany and to have at every home (or so) an altar bearing only the swastika and “Mein kampf” as the only object on it. This plan was never carried out, since the Germans lost the war, but documents exist relating to it.

Even though Hitler did not necessarily publicly continuously and repeatedly speak of it, again for reasons which may be quite obvious, - it was there in his book which gained popularity as Nazism rose and flourished. - One did not need to occupy any secret service in order to learn of the issue. It was in the open, though, one might guess, in a way, - waiting for its time.

According to the ideas presented off this personality’s particular mind so widely and significantly affecting the German nation in the times of the war, - among those designated to become the poor servants dedicated to the welfare and general needs of the supreme Aryan race, were the members of the Mongolian race, never excluding the Japanese, of course. Obviously, no immediate intention of enslaving the Japanese according to the general plan existed. The Nazis were not altogether impractical. In spite of some most unreasonable conduct at the later stages of the war. There was a practical intention, following the ideas I mentioned, to deprive the Polish of education in order apply the policy, so that they would be only working to feed the Germans; but no plans were in hand as to make their former allies into a lower level supporting their material needs as the book guidelining the conduct suggests.

Still, - (and this is my main point here in this post) the question may be - how pleasant did or would the Japanese find this idea?

- Were they altogether ignorant of the ideas related to, or did they just not care?

What sense might it make for them to team up with, - to join and ally with, - those whose ideals are to make of them as said?

Clearly, this is not their cup of tea.


I might add a note relating to the extent to which agreements were not respected at the time. Perhaps not by the Japanese. I don’t know. But generally.

But this is not the point. It is not about practical danger in near future. It is mainly about the spirit. It may be that the Nazis would some day turn against the Japanese if they would win the war. The question for them would quite obviously be just practical. But relating to the spirit in which the Japanese (I guess) joined in, - how would they like the fact that their allies whom they have joined (who were clearly the main force in the alliance, the Italians and the Japanese were secondary) view their future designation and appropriate place in the world as their inherent servants and slaves. How would the public opinion in Japan accept such an attitude and view? For some reason nobody seem to have thought of it, until today. Food for thought. This only.