On Alaya Mind & the Wind of Impermanence

            People are travelers. We travel from yesterday to today. Today to tomorrow. We do this year after year. Japanese poet Ikkyu said that New Year's Day even though on the surface is a cause for celebration is actually just a milestone toward the afterlife. The idea of man as a traveler has been used in songs, poems, and stories for centuries. 

Original Photo by Dru! available on Flickr.com

              Our trip can be sunny, rainy or windy. It can be mountainous or deep into a valley. Or it can be as simple as a walk on a flatland, because so many things can happen on the journey. We have many encounters with various characters throughout our voyage. Misfortune comes our way. Some days are just normal. We say goodbye here and there to many good people we've met. The weather is fine on some days and bad on others.

               The nature of our soul's journey is limitless. It flows in a continual stream from the beginningless past, forward into the eternal future. The journey of this body may be short, 100 years at best. And during this time, not a single person can understand us to the core.

               Sakyamuni Buddha said, "Alone we are born, and alone we die. Alone we come, and alone we depart." Our physical bodies may have company, but our souls are all alone. We have lived our eternal life in complete solitude, and not even family can understand us at the deepest level.

           For example, husbands and wives are separate individuals, even though they are married and may act together as a family. This world may seem like a universal place where we are all sharing a common reality. However, each person is experiencing something different from their own point of view.

           We all have an Alaya Mind (Storehouse Consciousness), and this is also known as our True Self. It represents our eternal life. The Alaya Mind forms its own world from the various deeds of our distant past that are contained within it. The deeds we perform now in the present are stored into our Alaya Mind which then shapes our future.

             So in short, we're all living right now in the world of our Alaya Mind. Putting this into perspective, that means hundreds and thousands, even millions or billions of worlds are existing together in separate Alaya Minds around us. Each one lives in its own unique reality.

             A wife just can't see what life looks like through her husband's eyes, no matter how hard she tries. To understand him completely is simply out of the question. The husband can't even get a real glimpse despite his strongest efforts. A husband and wife can only know their own Alaya Mind. It's not possible to understand another person's world as they see it. It is an exclusive experience to the individual, and that is why it is said that we are born alone and die alone.

             It's also why whether we know it or not, there is a deep, restless loneliness within us. Our soul is yearning for true company. We devise numerous diversions -- joking, singing or dancing -- yet it doesn't wipe away our loneliness. Not for long at least. There still remains a recurring empty solitude, because no one gets us or understands our world completely.

               Children hold secrets from their parents, and parents don't tell everything to their kids. Husbands and wives keep quiet on a lot of issues. That is the nature of our true mind. It is one of complete solitude and hidden darkness. There is no soul that can bare it all, all the time.

              In bustling metropolises like Los Angeles, Tokyo, New Delhi, Berlin, London, or Moscow, we are constantly surrounded by people. How is it that though we are surrounded by millions, we can still feel so alone and desperately lost in the crowd? We just have no true companionship for our soul.

Original Photo by R. Mitra available on Flickr.com

               This doesn't mean we don't need to understand others or shouldn't bother to get very close to people. We must of course try to get to know people and care about them. But it is an oversized ego that believes it can truly get another person completely. It denotes someone who is 100% in the dark about their own self.

                Our Alaya Mind is hurting. There is no way we can figure out how to solve this situation. We long to bare all of our soul and need to be able to understand it. Only by knowing who we really are can we obtain absolute happiness. Listening to Pure Land Buddhism, we come closer to arriving at this life-changing moment. We come to learn our True Self fully, realize the roles of the countless buddhas, as well as fully grasp the role of Amida Buddha and the Pure Land. By listening steadily and knowing these concepts -- not just believing in them blindly -- we can finally celebrate in not being alone for the first time in our eternal life.

                 Until we find the truth, life seems to have a mysterious sadness to it. People will dwell on all sorts of thoughts to distract themselves from it -- yet it returns, again and again. We rely on systems of politics, ethics, morals, laws in an attempt to restore balance to this desperate world. 

                 Every month we have holidays with fireworks and festivals filled with people who want to escape for a while. They want to forget their solitude in the fun, but they can't seem to leave that emptiness behind when it's time to pick up trash after the party. Fireworks don't last, but it's also what makes them wonderful to look at. At best, could they go on for an hour straight, a whole day, or a full month like that? Would it even remain as exciting at that point? The thrill comes from the rareness of the experience.

Original Photo by bayasaa available on Flickr.com

               The various fireworks of our lives flicker quickly, in and out, here and there throughout the years, and a lifetime of even 100 years can disappear quietly into the smoky dark without notice. In the end, the greater the fireworks display, the greater the sorrow.

               Life is the same way. Once it's over, we're left to the hell of our own bitter solitude at death, and the fact that our soul has no accompaniment. Right now, we're billions of lonesome travelers waiting for death while fighting for survival. We hang in this critical balance day to day. 

               Our fate can change drastically just by the choices and actions we make in a single moment. Life-or-death events happen to us and our loved ones all the time, but soon even they just fade away becoming the farthest thing from our mind. We move on to the next challenge. "That's life," we say. But how long can we keep that up for?

"When at last I came to the peak that I had thought would surely be the last,

I turned my eyes to the way beyond -- mountain piled on mountain."

--Anonymous

                The Wind of Impermanence is always blowing along our journey whether we feel it beating down on our backs or not. Nothing lasts; everything changes. The Wind of Impermanence can be compared to a ghastly tiger stalking its unsuspecting prey.

               There is a tiger behind you right now, even as you read this blog. If there is a room with 100 people, there are 100 tigers lurking behind those people. This tiger waits and waits and waits. It creeps up on all of us with the utmost stealth and suddenly attacks when we least expect it. One day -- BAM! -- it has you in its jaws, clenched in its teeth. It's a huge, hungry, and vicious tiger, and it doesn't wait for you, anyone, or anything. You could be washing your face or right in the middle of a sentence.

               A professor of religion at the University of Tokyo, Hideo Kishimoto, battled with a very serious case of cancer. Kishimoto likened the idea of death to "sudden, unprovoked violence" and left a detailed account of his personal struggle with the disease:

"Death always comes suddenly. 

No matter when it appears, the one visited by Death 

looks on its arrival as a sudden intrusion. 

For the mind filled with a sense of security 

is totally unprepared for death. ...

Death comes when by rights it has no business coming.

It goes coolly where by rights it has no business going, 

like a desperado striding with dirty boots into a freshly-cleaned parlor. 

Death's behavior is outrageous. You may ask it to wait a while, but in vain. 

Death is a monster beyond human power to budge or to hold in check."

              The fearsome tiger has no compassion hunts all of us down without a shred of mercy. Its terrifying size and insatiable hunger calmly waits for the perfect opportunity to strike us. When the tiger comes closer, we may try to escape by going to the doctor and taking various medicines in order to prolong our life. But the moment will come when the tiger appears for his final lethal bite. Once we're bitten, our time here as a traveler will be over.  

Original Photo by fpat available on Flickr.com

               All of us must face the Wind of Impermanence.

               This is why we must seek the truth for who we really are and obtain absolute happiness in the here and now. Without sensing that our life is fleeting, we do not feel inclined to move into action. We must seek to know what the afterlife holds in store for us as soon as possible, before it is too late. Listening to Buddhism brings us toward the real solution to these problems. Let us listen to the teachings with sincerity and reflect deeply on the crucial matter of our afterlife.

Law of Cause and Effect -- Past Karma & Conditions

             Now that you have learned the basics on the Law of Cause and Effect, we can go into some of the more technical aspects of how it functions. Let's review an important passage before we go further.

Good deeds bring good results.

Bad deeds bring bad results.

Your own deeds bring your own results.

           Each deed you perform through mind, mouth, and body remains as invisible, indestructible energy called karma, and this karmic power is stored within what's known as the Alaya Mind. 

           Alaya is a word in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India, meaning storehouse. Back in the day, all precious goods from homes were kept outside in storehouses made of strong, fire-proof material. The picture below displays an old storehouse near Tokyo, Japan.

Original Photo by shig2006 available on Flickr.com

            Similarly, good and bad deeds are protected and stored in the Alaya Mind for eternity because this is the part of us that lives on forever, our True Self.

            This karmic energy from the beginning-less past flows to the present moment, carries on into the endless future, and never disappears. 

             Many people think that reincarnation means their personalities have gone through various lives just like in the recent movie, Cloud Atlas. But egos exist only within the physical self which last only from birth to death.

             This physical self can be compared to a bubble that forms on the surface of a great river. It floats just a short while in this Present World and then disappears.

Original Photo by LollyKnit available on Flickr.com

Original Photo by ikewinski available on Flickr.com

                            Our Alaya Mind and the Three Worlds

                                      Birth                                 Death

  --------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------->

Past World (Before Birth)      Present World (This Life)         Future World (After Death)

               Our Alaya Mind (represented by the arrow above) is what travels through various lives of past, present, and future storing all of our deeds.

               Deeds remain stored in the Alaya Mind as causes until they encounter a condition. 

               Every effect requires a condition.

               For this reason, the Law of Cause and Effect could be called:

The Law of Cause, Condition, and Effect

               A condition combines with a cause to develop into an effect. Take rice for example. In order for a rice seed to grow, many conditions are required. 

               These include water, sunlight, soil, and proper temperature. Without them, the rice simply cannot grow.

                Q: So, can a cause without a condition still take effect?

                 A: Nope, it cannot take effect.

                No condition = No effect!

                 It's like planting seeds on a table. There's no way they will grow there without soil.

Original Photo by Phil and Pam available on Flickr.com

                 Let's take a look at another example of how cause and condition combine into an effect.

               
                 Imagine that you were just involved in a serious car crash.

Original Photo by snof_grof available on Flickr.com

                  A reckless driver sped through a red light while you were crossing the intersection with the right of way. There were many other cars in vicinity, but let's say you were the only one badly injured. Why were you hurt while others weren't? You could have avoided the accident if you had left your house just seconds earlier or a few seconds later. Why did you have to be right there at that exact moment?

                  Having received that effect indicates there was some cause for you to be in the accident other people didn't have. 

 

Bad deeds bring bad results.

 

Your own deeds bring your own results.

   Bad Past Deeds  -------------------> Bad Car Accident \ Suffering

                                                   (Cause)                                          (Effect)
 

                  A bad deed from your past brought you to that exact moment of that intersection where the reckless driver was headed. This is the Law of Cause and Effect. Your suffering from the accident was the effect.

                  But an effect can occur only when our past karma combines with a condition. This means the bad driver who ran the red light was the condition.

                                          Cause: Bad Past Deeds ------------------------ Condition: Bad Driver

                                                                                            |

                                                                                            |

                                                                   Effect: Bad Car Accident \ Suffering

                   The cause for your suffering was something bad you did from your past. The Law of Cause and Effect reveals that everything that occurs to us, good or bad, happens for a reason. It occurs because of our own deeds. That means we accept responsibility that our own actions define our destiny. We don't see others as the main source of our misfortune.

                   Of course, the driver who ran the red light must face legal accountability for his actions. But on a karmic level, we accept responsibility that something we did brought us into that situation. 

Original Photo by Anas Qtiesh available on Flickr.com

                   Once you realize how the Law of Cause and Effect really works, you'll begin to see how pointless anger, hatred, envy, and jealousy against others truly is. They only bring about more negative karma for your own future.

                   When one embraces the Law of Cause and Effect, every time good happens it makes you want to do more good. And when bad happens, it becomes a time to reflect and correct yourself. In times of great suffering, tragedy, or misfortune, you focus on just doing as much good as possible in the moment to improve your situation.

                   There is an old story that illustrates the mysterious nature of cause and effect.

                  A rancher had three horses that helped him earn his livelihood. He awoke one morning to find that one of them was missing. This caused him great suffering as his income would now greatly decrease. Then later that day, the horse returned with a wild mustang. To his surprise, the rancher now had four horses! He was brimming with excitement.

Original Photo by A.Davey available on Flickr.com

                The rancher instructed his son to tame the horse in preparation for the expansion of his business. But this mustang was very wild in spirit and it threw his son out from the saddle onto the ground. The son suffered severe injuries to his back.

               The rancher worried for his son and now again for the livelihood of his business. How could he run it by himself?

               Within just a short time, a savage war broke out and all the young men in the kingdom were drafted. Many of the youth ended up being killed in the war, but the rancher's son was spared from duty because of injury. The rancher rejoiced that he could still be with his son.

                    From this fable, we come to understand that their is such a vast, interconnected web of causes and effects in our world. It is impossible for us to fathom them all.

                    But by learning the Law of Cause and Effect, we understand how our actions shape our world. Crimes, war, violence would cease to exist if everyone realized this Universal Truth.

Original Photo by RyanKemmers available on Flickr.com

                     As we continue to listen to the teachings of Buddhism, we'll be closer to discovering more about our True Self. Please continue to read more on this blog about this very profound subject, as it takes much more than just one or two short lessons to master.

Law of Cause and Effect -- Part Three

               When using the term Three Worlds, it means the Past World, the Present World, and the Future World.

Original Photo by puuikibeach available on Flickr.com

      Past World                                            Present World                                        Future World

World before birth                         Human life (80-100 years max)                        World after death

   The Past World and the Future World are both related within the Present World. The Law of Cause and Effect penetrates the Three Worlds, which represents all time.

               Our True Self, our deepest sense of life, is not limited to this physical body. The physical body and its six billion cells disappear at death. Our True Self, our true life, also penetrates the Three Worlds. So once the physical body is gone, this True Self remains.

   The True Self is also referred to as the Alaya Mind or Alaya Consciousness. Alaya means storehouse in Sanskrit. Therefore, it can be referred to as the storehouse mind. It is like a safety deposit box, or a storage unit.

Original Photo by toolstop available on Flickr.com

                 Buddhism teaches that there are eight minds within human beings. Seven of them disappear at death with the physical body, but the Alaya Mind is the part that remains.

                The Alaya Mind is our self since the countless ages past. It lasts forever, long after our death. It flows from the beginning-less beginning and into the never-ending future. It is the invisible flow of life present in every moment.

                 Throughout life, we perform various deeds and actions that fall into three categories. They are also known in Japanese as Go, or karma.

Go \ Karma

Mind - Deeds

Mouth - Deeds \ Actions

Body - Deeds \ Actions

 

       We perform countless deeds with our mind, mouth, and body. These are the seeds which create our fate. The mind is performing them the most and has the strongest power. What moves the body and mouth is the mind.

                       My mind caused me to write out my notes on this lecture on Law of Cause and Effect from Takamori-sensei, the current living master of Pure Land Buddhism. Then I decided to put the content online to share the teachings. You are now reading this because your mind encouraged you to look into Buddhism, and you then found Mirror of Dharma Blog by searching Google or you clicked a link to this page. This example demonstrates a chain of causes and their subsequent effects.

       In our life, the mind always remains the strongest of the three, because it invisibly drives all our choices. Because of this, wrong thoughts can't be enforced at this level from outside forces. Mouth and body can of course be regulated.

                  For example in criminal cases, people discuss and debate whether or not the act was premeditated. The law examines what the murderer had in his mind. The mind has this strong energy, so a greater emphasis must be placed on it.

Original Photo by JohnE777 available on Flickr.com

                We have learned about good causes, bad causes, and own causes. So what kind of seeds do we have in our hearts and minds?

                 Even without knowing these causes or the Law of Cause and Effect, the actions of the mind, mouth and body are converted into invisible karmic power. The terms karmic power and seeds of karma are interchangeable. These energies are what is stored in the Alaya Mind. All our actions are recorded invisibly and stored within this storehouse mind. The karmic power within it flows throughout all the Three Worlds (past, present, future).

                    Karmic power thus becomes the cause, but cause alone cannot bring an effect. It requires a condition. You reap the effect only when the condition arrives. Karmic power lasts forever and never disappears. This means all our thoughts, words, and actions become invisible power stored into our Alaya Mind for all time.

                   The Chinese characters for the word "input" translate to "entering the power." When we use a word processor, we are "entering the power" of our thoughts to be stored into data onto a hard disk.

Original Photo by boredwithacamera available on Flickr.com

                    Putting weight on the keys of the keyboard is the condition that allows the process to take place. The commands or words we see on the monitor are the effect.

                   It’s also like the the call log on a cell phone, and there are so many other examples. Society and our world become more familiar when integrated with Buddhist fundamentals.

                    So Alaya Mind flows through the past, present, and future. This is why at birth, we receive the effects of certain characteristics like being American, Japanese, Male, Female, etc. These effects had to be determined before the result took place.

                   But how were they determined? They were made as a result of our past choices in the past life. This is why though we are all human beings, no single person has received the same experience. The different effects we all have were determined by each and every one of us in the past life and the past world.

                     It is not by accident. Our fate does not occur without cause. Different causes mean different effects. Karmic power from the past flowed into this present life. Our parents were the condition.

                     Some may claim the father is the cause and the mother was the condition. But then why do siblings have different effects? It must be the karmic power from each child's past.

                      A cause itself doesn’t result in birth as a human. It must combine with a condition in order to make the effect. This is how we came to be born, but it is not only in this life. We have repeated birth and death ceaselessly. 

      Past             Present                 Future

                    Cause    --- >   Effect

                         Cause       --->     Effect

           To know the causes of the past, look at the effects within the present. To know the effects of the future, look at the causes being made at present. This concept remains constant within the Three Worlds.

If you're happy now = that's a good effect = which means you’ve done good things

If you're miserable now = that's a bad effect = which means you’ve done bad things

                 What we are suffering from is the deeds of our own past. So what about our future? How about after we die? Look at the cause in your present through the actions of your mind, mouth, and body. If you’re doing bad things, you must then suffer in the Future World.

                   If there is no past life, then there is no cause to be born. Without a past, there is then no future.

                                 If someone kills one person, they can be executed once. But if they kill ten people, they can still only be executed one time. Karma dictates that if you kill ten people, you will be executed ten times. What about the other nine offenses? They must be reaped in the future life. All the pain the killer caused must occur to them in their afterlife.

                  If the Law of Cause and Effect were false, it would not be able to span the Three Worlds and Ten Directions. This Law of Cause and Effect of Three Worlds remains valid for all time and all existence. The teachings of Buddhism are all based on this principle making understanding of this concept extremely crucial.

                  Your future is contained within the causes of your present. Look deeply at yourself and the actions of your mind, mouth and body. Look closely into the image that reflects back to you.

Original Photo by nattu available on Flickr.com

                

What is your body doing?

What is your mouth saying?

What is your mind thinking?

                   Listening to the words of Buddha in this way shows us our True Self. Without knowing the Law of Cause and Effect, this cannot be clear.

                    Look within the Mirror of Dharma at present. This is why listening to Buddhism is so essential.