On this date, Paul N. presented an understandable summary of a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, published in 2003 , under the title Understanding Our Mind, This book was republished in 2005 under the title, Transforming At the Base. Both books are identical. In both of these identical books, Thi, as he likes to be called, presents a unique and contemporary version of 50 verses on the nature of consciousness taken from the 5th century teachings of Vasubandhu and the teachings of the. Avatamsaka Sutra. Paul redialy states that this books is not an easy book, but he feels the first 8 sections are approachable.
Paul told hus how he fell into reading and following Thich Nhat Hanh as a mentor. He calls it an act of laziness. He was a member of Quality Paperback Book Club and just didn't send the card back, so a book shipped automatically. That book was Thi's book, Peace in Every Step. Then he saw him in a presentation in Chicago. he became convinced that Thi lives and talks the Dharma in a way Westerners can understand.
Ahbi Dharma is the expression used to include the body of basic teachings that are Buddhism. In this book, Transformation at the Base, Thi focuses on directly experiencing a recognition, an embracing, and a deeper understanding of the nature of our feelings and perceptions. Thi uses a model that views our consciousness as a field, where every kind of seed has been planted seeds of suffereing, sorrow, and fear as well as seeds of happiness and joy. If we can learn how to nourish and water the seeds of joy and somehow transform the seeds of suffering and fear, then the only seeds that flourish and flower are those of understanding, love and compassion. These 50 verses are a kind of path of practice to accomplish this task.
Thich Nhat Hanh describes two types of consciousness: mind consciousness and store consciousness. We have many seeds of experience and emotions in our store consciousness. Some are negative such as anger, fear, and suffering. Some are more positive such as joy and happiness. It doesn't take much to make one of these seeds grow and manifest itself in the mind consciousness, whether they are negative or positive. If we ignore the seeds, some of the negative suffere
ng ones grow and become strong. If we know how to deal with these seeds, in our practices, we can make sure that the suffering ones do not become stronger. By watering and nourishing the positive seeds they become strong and displace the suffering seeds back into the store consciousness. Following is a representation that makes this easier to visualize.
Once one of these seeds has manifest itself in consciousness, it stays active for a while and then returns to the store consciousness. When a seed of anger grows, you can use a mindfulness practice which produces a seed that will embrace the anger, not water it and it will return to the store and become a little weaker.
Obviously there are wholesome and there are unwholesome seeds. We can make choices in our life and spiritual practices to try to nourish and water the wholesome ones and abstain from watering the unwholesome ones so that they weaken. If watching CNN makes you angry, it is watering your angry seeds so that they manifest. Don't watch as much CNN. If walking in the woods makes you happy, then walk in the woods more often to water those happiness seeds associated with your walks. We can also decide not to push other people's buttons, ie water their unwholesome seeds. We can also ask or engage others to water our own wholesome seeds, such as our loved ones who provide us with support and love. We can chose to seek such people out and engage them.
Buddhism says there are six kinds of consciousness. They consist of the 5 senses, and then the mind consciousnes or some might call it awareness. Some teachers including Thi say there are two more types of consciousness. The 7th is manas which some might equate with ego or even the relatively newly described default mode network in the brain. The 8th type of consciousness would be the store consciousness.
Several illustrations and examples offered helped us to visualize the concept of seeds, and store and mind consicouness better. In the case of PTSD, fear , anger, and anxiety are all being watered frequently and they are becoming very strong. They then form the disorder in thinking that is PTSD. Maybe in some folks fear is like and ice cube but in others it may be like an iceberg. Maybe your mindfulness practice is like a Zippos lighter, but in others it may be like a flame thrower and it can spread warmth to nourish your own and even others wholesome seeds. Drugs help PTSD and other anxiety disorders, but you are basically bowering some calmness from the future and you will have to pay it back at some point. Even people in hospice may be able to find a piece of a seed of joy to touch. In addition to mindfulness practice, and meditation, Heart Math and gratitude practice can also help.
Tera Bracht writes a lot about this. Many of us have a very difficult time touching the joy. The seed of joy is very tough, buried deep and crusted over. It will help to water it but it may take a lot of repeated efforts to nourish it and lots of water. References to Tera Brach can be found online in the form of guided meditations. She has written the books: Radical Acceptance; Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha. She is an American psychologist and proponent of Buddhist meditation. She is the senior teacher and founder of Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC, a spiritual community that practices Vipassana meditation.
Place the consciousness model illustration here:
Rick Hanson PhD is another best selling author who writes about these concepts. He is a neuroscientist who is a Senior Fellow at the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center. His books include: most recently, Hardwiring Happiness; Just One Thing; Buddha's Brain The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom.
Paul summarizes: 1) Water positive seed in ourselves and in others. 2) Avoid watering negative seeds in ourselves and in others . 3) Meet every event with mindfulness. 4) Be aware that all seeds are both individual and collective. (We will discuss more about the collective nature of this consciousness model on March 10, 2016.
Buddhists like to enumerate ideas and theories. Further illustrations are enumerated in Thi's book:
5 Universals: contact, attention, feeling, perception, and volition
5 Particulars: intention, determination, mindfulness, concentration, insight
11 Wholesome (seeds): faith, inner shame, shame before others, absence of craving, absence of hatred, absence of ignorance, dilligence and energy, tranquility and ease; vigilance, equanimity, non-harming. loving kindness, compassion, joy, humility, happiness, feverlessness, freedom/sovereignty.
3 unwholesome (seeds): fear, anxiety, despair
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