Buddhist transformation is all about emotion. Actually, that’s not literally true; a lot of meditation, especially for Westerners, is about de-constructing and seeing through the illusory world of self that thinking creates. But neuroscience has now demonstrated what Buddhist meditators have long known: that as meditation matures, the discursive thinking aspect of mental activity subsides, and a different, more primal awareness emerges. 
Maybe this is the limbic system activating itself in a positive way.
Hard to say exactly what it is. I’m not sure how much neuroscience can tell us in the end about meditation; regardless of how sophisticated their brain scans become, we meditators still have to meditate—we still need to do the spiritual work. But apparently whatever happens as meditation deepens is not happening primarily in the cortex of thinking. A nexus of powerful emotional habit energies—that is, karma—begins to be softened through concentrated awareness; some space opens up. Instead of solid ice, we start to get some flow.
This place is the “workspace” of meditation; it is the actual transformation of how we experience the self. In other words, it’s (more or less) all about emotion. Meditation is an alchemy that converts our egoistic habit energy into pure love, which then activates the Bodhisattva vow to liberate ourselves and all beings. “What the world needs now, is love sweet love”—original lyrics by Buddha, covered by Carol King.
I happen to be a big fan of Zatoichi movies—very big in Japan in the 60’s and 70’s. Zatoichi is a blind swordsman who helps people. He functions as a kind of Bodhisattva, helping the poor, the oppressed, the down and out—righting wrongs and redeeming the innocent. He is blind but he has other senses, he “feels” his way through situations, he senses the goodness or badness in people. As one old woman says, “Zatoichi has a pure heart.” (He kills people too, in a cartoonish sort of way, but only really really bad people. Kind of like the old John Wayne westerns.) Helping people in a Buddhist sense is not like writing a check to the United Way; it is feeling out situations and people and acting to turn obscurations into awakening. Love power.
How does this relate to aging? I don’t know. It’s a feeling.
“Instead of solid ice we start to get some flow.” How lovely. Honestly, this blog entry is packed with so much wisdom.
And what it has to do with aging, at least from my POV, is that aging is not just about those of a certain age, and like good wine, zazen ages too, and matures. It feels like that’s what you’re talking about, the maturation of zazen, its gift, which like sentient being, are numberless.
Thanks for this, Lew.
Karma defined in an interesting way: “A nexus of powerful emotional habit energies.” Added to that is the karma pouring in right now, energies and events from outside this one, sunspots, earthquakes, grandchildren.
Karma defined in an interesting way: “A nexus of powerful emotional habit energies.” Added to that is the karma pouring in right now, energies and events from outside this one, sunspots, earthquakes, grandchildren, broken water mains . . .
What does your post have to do with aging? Everything, maybe.
We always worry about the “losses” of aging – loss of physical beauty and strength and so on – but what a short list of losses this turns out to be!
I never heard anyone at my mother’s independent living facility complain, “I’ve lost my power to love. I’ve lost my ability to enjoy human contact.” If meditation can, as you say so beautifully, transform our notions and emotions, and open our hearts to others, then I think the passage of time, aging, + meditation is one of the most powerful combinations we can tap into for turning ourselves into the people we would like to be.
Jeopardy was on tv in a patient of mine’s room last night… had to look up how to spell Jeparty, and up at the tv above the patient’s bed. Thank God or goddess the sound was off! I did not turn it off, but I would have, unless there was a Buddha’s channel… once it’s off it’s “Buddha’s” in action, inaction, that I watch. More is not better. So, I’ll stop her, hear, and here, all right, nothings’ left, over, under. But in between the opposites I seem to stand, and sit, and lie. I forgot my point, other than at everything there is a nothingness to read, a seeing of unknowing as sensing unity.
Aging…I say it more with softness and calm, with a smile behind. It has been making me more accepting about what passes me by. What made it so? I have embraced meditation, persistent intent to meditate each day, with no agenda, spending time with my mind,face to face we sit. I look for it every day. Breaking the ice.
Once again, thank you for all your comments…enlightening!
What I sometimes find discomfiting is others attempt to project their own frame of “aging” on me. Why do I care? Labels. Never found them useful.
Of course, my recourse: more meditation..can’t get enough.
Dec 27. I have cried or wept often these past days. This has been a good thing riding upon bliss as they do, feelings of loss, bidding farewell to memories as they come and vanish. Like meeting an old friend not seen in years then saying good bye.
These thoughts that come from base consciousness as though real; in the moment real they seem, to my senses, evocative, quite beautiful, but merely dreams coming to mind’s eye just the same. I am grateful.
I weep with the thought of a lover. I weep at the thought of a close friend with new found cancer; at this transient life, the homeless lady down the street, I weep.
Alone at night I dance naked, stripped bare of identity, the heroes’ syllables circling; laughing the dakini’s laughter at the folly of it all. A smile comes or a grimace just the same and mind moves. The heart remains immaculate, sweet emotion passing through unhindered.
What would a tear be without a mind to reside within?
There is little fakery in emotion. It is where our deeper truths reside.
With all the doggone snow we have gotten as of late I am stuck inside , fortunately there is the internet, thanks for giving me something to do.