Calming the mind and three short comics
Essay by Tai Han Min & Comics by T. Shuxia
Late last year, I asked my father if he would like to collaborate with me on an article for BAM. He would write an essay while I would make comics inspired by his essay. He readily agreed. My father wrote with the general public in mind and used metaphors from everyday life to explain concepts. I decided to use these metaphors in my comics. They were also inspired by old Zen comic strips which my father got for us when we were kids. These comics often have unexpected endings and many left me scratching my head in puzzlement, although they were still fun to read. I hope you will enjoy this piece from us!
Calming the mind (An article on Buddhism)
Among the myriad of living beings in this world of existence, the human race stands out above all. Due to their unique physical attribute possessing a delicate structure of intricately interconnected brain cells they are able to cognize, discriminate and dispense activities through the body, speech and mind. Thus, create deeds of the doer. The 6 sense organs that establish functions of seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, touching and consciousness act as an intermediary of relating the external world to the inner self, that is our mind. From here we establish a world that is uniquely called as our own, yet we have to share the consequences of our actions with others. The establishment of such world comes about through our dualistic outlook of self and others that discriminates and then defines the action to be carried out. And that action if carried out with defilements (such as anger, desire, ignorance, miserliness or jealousy etc.) through the body, speech and mind arises new karma. Propelled by an intricate network of linking, the activities of interdependent arising establish another sequence in our life experiences. As we live on, we create piles after piles of these karmic links forming habitual tendencies and propensities—propensities that will lead us through interdependent arising to any of the 6 realms of existence that match with it. It is like establishing a network of mental highways with vast interconnected routes that connect us to the destination through our actions and deeds guided by causes and conditions. In this way we become lost in that myriad highways of existence and live in a confused state of obscuration of our own self and surroundings. Our mind thus becomes deluded. The ignorant mind afflicted with confusion and delusion arises many types of sufferings in the sentient beings.
Prince Siddhartha Gautama, born as a human being more than 2,500 years ago, possessed all the prerequisites of a precious human body, was able to see that these countless phenomena that had arisen in our worldly existence were the subject of all samsaric sufferings. This sentient world is full of sufferings. Living beings coming into existence from birth, illness, old age and death are all causes of sufferings.
Then how do we dwell with these sufferings which sprout out from among visible miraculous manifestations all around us? With great compassion The Lord then created the wish to save all suffering beings. With this he set the Path and committed to search until he realised liberation.
How do we start a search to liberation? Witnessing the world that is created through these myriads of manifestations of phenomena around us, the Lord dwelt introspectively into the working of the mind continuum. All these thoughts, all these phenomena that are entangled in an endless manner among each other, like criss-crossing interwoven networks of mental highways must be cleaned, purified and removed. What lies beyond that, no ordinary person is able to comprehend. What lies at the base, the ground of this universal mind when all thoughts are purified and transcended? How are we going to peel the layers of thought-obscuration until the final layer is removed to reveal the ground? (The Relative truth and the ultimate truth.)
Looking into our mind that is in a confused state of ignorance, we adopt a series of mental calm abiding and insight meditation. Calm Abiding meditation is to look into the mind clearly to recognise all these thoughts and not to be attached to and indulge in it. As these thoughts arise through interdependent arising, they will subside through this link as long as our mind is not attaching to it or promoting the aggravation of it. These thoughts will just come and go. Passing by and thus impermanent. Without indulging in attachment or aversion upon these thoughts they will eventually disappear from our mental continuum. Waves after waves of thoughts will arise and disappear. As they pass by we watch, just relax and be aware, doing nothing without conceptualising, yet aware, not sinking into nothingness or dullness that will lead us to sleepiness and laziness.
How do we achieve this state of awareness? We must have the patience to achieve the correct sitting posture for meditation. Keep your torso (or your back) straight. Both shoulders open backwards in line with our torso (but do not over or under perform your shoulders). Rest your neck naturally slightly forward so that the chin slightly tucks in. Your half open eyes gaze about four feet away in front and rest there, while your tongue is resting on the palatal of the front teeth. You can sit cross-legged on the mat or floor or on the chair or standing and even walking. But always keeping the upper body posture as described above. If you are sitting you can place your right palm over the left palm with both thumb tip touching each other below your navel resting on your lap. In this posture we rest our mind away from any conceptual thoughts in awareness of when they are passing through your mental continuum, as said in the above.
Choose your favourite quiet corner and practice daily with regularity and diligence. Be mindful to make a disciplined approach with effort to repeatedly practise which will create a tendency and establish a good habit in the practice. At the beginning it may be difficult and even suffering to sit for even one to two minutes, but gradually through habitual tendency your mind will ‘soften’ and become pliant. Your mind will open up and you will easily attain the calmness in your mind. Everything becomes clear and focused when distracted thoughts cease to arise. The mind will move in accordance to your intention and you will reap the benefit of mental independence; that is your mind will not be confused and wild with other conceptual thoughts that is afflicted with delusion. It is like taming a wild horse, and we can direct the mind to perform whatever task we need confidently without any difficulties.
With a clear and calm mind, our ordinary daily life will not be a series of busyness and chores, pampered with happiness or frustration etc. becoming a frantic lifestyle, a characteristic of a confused undisciplined mind. Following this calmness, many benefits will arise and obstacles can be easily overcome, and we will be more courageous to face adversities anytime they arise and become wish-fulfilling.
After calming the mind with this anti-frantic meditation, and after a period of time of habitual practical application, we become very efficient in attaining the calm abiding state, and we incorporate this state of calmness in our daily life style.
The above is a very brief overview of calming the mind through meditation.
To advanced further, we can proceed to train our mind in insight meditation to achieve wisdom. This is another subject we can discuss in other writings.