Book Of Knowledge

(1)  Unlearning
(2)  Human Nature

(3)  Code of Conduct

(4)  Individuality

(5)  Count Your Blessings

(6)  Heart + Mind

(7)  Mind States

(8)  Karma

Unlearning is just as important as learning When it comes to what we call “soul searching” in the west. When you have a burning desire to grow and you feel like it’s time for a change you start to look within & explore the different aspects and dimensions of you. If you look deep enough you will notice a lot of the things that was taught to you are either not true or not as beneficial as you thought they where.

We live in a society full of prejudices, small & limited identities, lies, delusions, false teachings, misunderstandings, misconceptions, speculations, Etc. Information is passed down from generation to generation regardless if it is fact or fiction. When people are taught the wrong things they pass on what they think they know and these lies spread around the various communities like wild fire. We are told this is good & this is bad. A lot of what we are exposed to is a bunch of opinions, theories, and speculation, not facts.

We obsess with things that have nothing to do with long lasting happiness or spiritual growth. Instead of growing as an individual we sit there focused on being entertained and pleasured. Many of us are so focused on our desires that we totally disregard other people’s feelings or ideas. Instead of helping those in need, we become too preoccupied with ourselves & our own lives. We live in a society where the majority of the people are more concerned with what you can do for them, than who you really are and what your about. We are taught pride and ego. We are taught to break into little circles and groups and that one group is superior to the other one. We are taught division and segregation. We are taught that these people are good and these people are bad. Many of us are taught to use violence when it is unnecessary and has nothing to do with safety or survival. Some of us are taught certain superstitions or religious beliefs that do more harm than help. We are taught that most of the people from a certain city or town, a state, a country, or even the world is one way when it is really a large variety of many different ways. Every Community is like a box of crayons. When you look inside you find all different kinds. These False Teachings lead to Disfunction, Destruction, and in many cases Death. The three D’s.

When you reach a certain level of compassion and wisdom we say that your getting in touch with your human nature. This is a dimension of goodness that we can all tap into if we want to experience life in a happier more pleasant state of mind. It’s the human in you. The you which is concerned with humanity and does not want you or the people around you to have to suffer. It’s the you that cares but also has enough wisdom to be able to decipher right or wrong, truth & lies, good ideas & bad ideas, etc. It requires you to have a good heart and a pure mind. You don’t need rules or a book or a community, all you need is you. 

Your human nature is the pure uncut version of you. Everybody has it but not everybody is going to utilize it. It’s kind of like having potential, a lot of people have potential but not every bodies going to work their potential. If you know what compassion is and you know what wisdom is then you know where to start. This a state that requires courage and integrity. To have a heart and to have the heart. A heart feels, loves, has compassion for, has warmth, etc. When I say the heart I’m talking about the heart to fight when necessary as situations play out and circumstances pop up. Whether you fight mentally, emotionally, or physically it’s all about protection, safety, & refuge. Suffering comes in many forms. Abuse should not be tolerated or condoned if possible. These are the ways of a man or woman when in touch with their buddha nature. Someone who has the wisdom to distinguish between right & wrong and hold their ground regardless of what others say or do. Many do this non violent but throughout the years there has been many circumstances Where violence was needed, and people had to be protected. For example you might find some who practices being non violent and tries to stay in a peaceful mentality. But if someone were to intrude and come after this persons children you would see a side come out of him or her that you might have never known existed or he or she was even capable of. 

When you see a certain glow radiating from the eyes of a man or a woman when there isn’t anything new & exciting going on, that’s human nature. When you give from the heart without expecting anything in return, thats human nature. When you have the courage to stand up for what’s right, that’s human nature. 

Human nature is an aspect of us which comes from a deep desire to live bye morals, principles, and integrity. This is done naturally, because you will automatically have consideration and concern due to high levels of compassion and the wisdom to choose what’s right, When dealing with right & wrong. Being in touch with your human nature illuminates life and keeps you from getting too dark and gloomy. There are men and women, including those in the prison system, who are struggling & fighting to hold onto their human side in a mind that has been infested with darkness and misery, right now. Like I said before we never loose our true nature, we only loose touch with it.

The 2 dominant factors in life are good & evil aka good & bad, right & wrong, god & devil or demon, light & dark, life & death, creation & destruction, negative & positive, etc. it gets dressed up different ways but the essence or foundation stays the same. There has never been one without the other, in fact you wouldn’t even know what one truly was without the other. All individual thoughts, words, or actions fall in one of these two categories. 

As humans we make mistakes and are wrong from time to time. Nobody has ever met a human being that hasn’t made a mistake. As you become wiser you make less mistakes which means less consequences and less stress. Bad situations may lead to good and good situations may lead to bad. All the same a single thought, word, or action can be deciphered in the moment. In that moment you either showing one aspect or the other. The aspect that shows itself the most is the dominant aspect of you. 

Being on the right path means you are living by a certain code of conduct which allows you to bring out the qualities in you that leads to blessings and goodness. For example around the time Zen Buddhism came to japan and influenced the Samaria a code of conduct was put in place. This was called the Bushido code which means the way of the warrior. The code was based on 8 virtues that all Samaria had to abide bye. This was righteousness or justice, courage, benevolence or compassion, respect, honesty or sincerity, honor, loyalty or duty, & self control. When you conduct yourself with principles and integrity you are siding with the good part of you. As human beings we absorb everything around us. Both good and bad, right and wrong. We make mistakes. We’re wrong sometimes. We get caught up. When devoting yourself to a path you must put the force of goodness or righteousness first before yourself and recognize that this force is greater than you in your entirety because you are human and humans make mistakes and have flaws and evil ways in certain moments. After you start to practice this way of life you start to realize that by choice you are now an extension of this force like a ray on the sun or the arms on an octopus.

We are all individuals that interpret the world in our own individual ways. There could be 2 men or women that become part of the same religion, listen to same priest or preacher, read out of the same book, and spend time around the same community, but one gets something out of It that helps elevate consciousness while the other interprets this in a way that has a negative effect on him or her. Another example would be twins. I have identical twin daughters who lived in the same household, slept in the same crib, had the same 2 loving parents, watched the Same shows, etc. but yet they were totally different. When they were first born and they first started to become alittle more conscious to the world around them you could clearly see and feel 2 totally different energies when you looked in their eyes. We all come into the world with our own unique & individual energy. This has something to do with how we wind up interpreting our various experiences and activities. We are all individuals born into various circles, cultures, and locations. But this does not mean we are all the same. 

Being yourself is being a human being with the exact ways that you have. It’s not so much about that your this or your that, it’s more about, your about this or that. Distinctions are not so much about who you are but rather how you are. We are like Trees in the Forest. We’re all very similar because we are full of life energy and we are all going through this life experience. But no two are exactly the same like no 2 trees are exactly the same. They all have different size branches coming out of different locations on the tree. Once that tree falls that exact shape and form fades away. This is the Impermanent factor of a life. similarities or rebirths may be similar but never identical. 

There is a spiritual layer underneath the physical layer that surrounds us. The physical is just a manifestation of the metaphysical aspects of life. Even though all you see is the physical all around you, the metaphysical aspect is always there right along with it. Anything that’s not physical is metaphysical. Anything spiritual deals with the metaphysical aspect or world. This world is Formless and deals with spiritual energy. when the body breaks down, your spiritual energy releases itself from your physical body, your 5 senses, your brain functions and sensory system, your sense of self or ego, and your exact character and personality as it is now. What goes with you is your karma. Your karma includes certain tendencies that have cosmic and karmic consequences that effect your life & where you go after you leave the physical world and move on. All of this shapes you as an individual. As human beings we have a body, a brain, a bundle of ways, tendencies, characteristics, impressions, memories, traits, abilities, Energies, etc. when you get to know these ways, you get to know you as an individual. 

Our most fundamental & important or prize possessions are our bodies, our minds, & our hearts. But these are simply possessions, and in order to have a possession you have to have someone who possesses it. Many people think their the ego or the personality. but all of this is created in the mind and the mind is a creation in itself. Our individuality should be appreciated and acknowledged because when everything is said and done there will never be another us exactly the way we are right now. Our essence is continuous but our personal individuality is always impermanent.

Most people treat most moments like their in a waiting room sitting there waiting to go to the next location. A lot of the time people don’t count their blessings, instead they focus on what they don’t have or don’t like. we live in our heads a lot of the time and our awareness of the outside world becomes low and we become preoccupied with thought. Sometimes we overthink things or think in a way that doesn’t include using common sense. When we choose to be more mindful by raising our awareness of the world around us so that we can truly live in the moment, we get out of our heads and into the world where we belong. Awareness helps activate your mind and your heart because it gives you what you need to become involved and responsive to what’s going on around you. 

There are so many moments and people we take for granted everyday. This is where counting your blessings come into play. When I was younger my mother would tell me to count my blessings. This may sound like something very simple but the effects from counting your blessings everyday can be transforming and tremendous. All that you have and all that you are is due to your karma. When consciously experiencing blessings you start to realize that things aren’t as bad as you think they are. You start to notice something you had all along but wasn’t paying enough attention to it.

When you live in the moment, your experiencing whatever your experience is, 100% with full awareness and interaction like nothing else matters and you are free to indulge in whatever it is that you are into at the time. Most of the time we have a tendency to be partially or fully preoccupied with thoughts of this and that, and we don’t allow ourselves the opportunity to truly experience a moment in its entirety. Experience can be your best teacher, your best friend, your true inspiration, and so on. Then again, experience can be a nightmare, the worse times of your life, pain & suffering, etc. 

The reactions you have had from your personal experiences have shaped and molded you into the one you are today.

If you want to make the most of your days and your nights It’s very important to acknowledge & enjoy many moments throughout your lifetime. It is very important that we pay attention & appreciate these moments. Even what we call having a bad moment can lead to a lesson learned or more wisdom to accumulate. These lessons may lead you to make certain decisions that wind up affecting your life in a positive way in the long run. Blessings and consequences revolve around the many moments that we have in our lifetime. Even the fruits of our labor will never really satisfy us unless we learn to acknowledge, pay attention, n count the moments & blessings in our lives.

When you allow the heart and the mind to work together on a pure level through developing wisdom and practicing compassion you start to become more aware of what, who, and how you really are. The you before you accumulated any Personal issues, emotional baggage, paranoias, misconceptions, Psychological drama, etc. You then also start to notice others who are wise and more in touch with the heart. U start to ask yourself, “now, what do I really want” and “what do I wanna do now”. Regardless of whatever it is, the thing we all have in common is everybody wants to be happy. 

Regardless of whether your wise or foolish, smart or dumb, fat or skinny, rich or poor, strong or weak, black  or white, male or female, etc., we are all people and we all wanna be happy in some way, shape, or form. Some people may have gave up on their dreams, goals, and things they had hoped for but despite any bitterness or dwelling on the past, deep down inside they really long for some kind of happiness. My mother told me something when I was younger and it always stuck with me. She said, “it doesn’t matter what you do, as long as your happy”. In Buddhism we focus on easing suffering. When you ease suffering ,when it comes to you or someone else, you or them become more free. The freer you are, the more happier you’ll be. 

No one wants to Suffer. Some People might accept their suffering and learn to put up with it or tough it out, but nobody really wants to suffer. There’s nobody that wakes Up in the morning like, “oh I can’t wait to suffer” or “This is great. Another day I get to suffer. I love it”. It doesn’t work like that. We all wanna be happy it’s just that some people put happiness in the hands of the world around them and some people believe that the source of happiness comes from with in. Some people go to extremes and some people play it safe. But anyway you look at we all want happiness in our lives. 

When you utilize your mind, your heart, & your body to start creating the causes that will give you the effects that your looking for, you start to notice that things are getting better and you are becoming more focused in life. These 3 tools always effect each other when their active, which is all the time. How you think affects how you feel, how you feel affects how you think, your body affects your mind and your heart like when you have pains that are preventing you from thinking strait and causing you to feel agony and suffering, your mind & your heart can affect your body like when people get physically sick from stress, etc. All these aspects need each other. The mind protects the heart from being too trusting with those who are deceptive and unworthy of trust. the heart allows the mind to stay on a path which includes feeling for people and having empathy and integrity. And the body allows us to live out our time on the planet so we can utilize this mind and this heart.

When the heart and the mind operate on the same frequencies they become one like 2 sides of the same coin. In order to get in touch with your true nature You have to go through the heart. Contemplation of truth & knowledge can help assist you but you cannot intellectualize your way to higher mind states or dimensions. You have to feel it. But then again if you have false information then mentally you have to unlearn it or it will stand in your way. Once you remove all the bullshit out of your mind you start to notice you have a big heart and you actually do care. See the heart is where all the love, the compassion, and the caring comes from. It also can get very cold and furious depending on what aspects you exercise. Some people may loose touch with it, but it’s always there. 

The heart is key to man’s/woman’s salvation, not the ego. Sometimes you have to discard The ego like a child who has a new toy and he doesn’t play with his old toy anymore. See when The ego takes over, your heart becomes like something buried underneath large amounts of clutter inside your house. It’s not that you don’t have it, it’s just that you can’t see it or use it because it’s buried underneath all the clutter and mess in your mind. Sometimes you stumble on it and then boom, it’s gone again & The only way to find it is to clean house once again.

Most of the time in Buddhism, when we talk about heaven & hell its more about a state of mind than an actual place or supernatural location. For example if a person was miserable, you would say he’s in hell. If a person was going through a beautiful experience and was extremely happy or excited you would say their in heaven. We have a word for the mind states of what I call fiends who have very addictive and compulsive ways (hungry ghosts) or mind states that exercise selfishness, arrogance, frustration, & excessive pride & ego (asuras, titans, demigods, or the world of anger). We also have names for those moments that people have a “law of the jungle” type mentality Where they lash out with out thinking about the effects it might have or act with a lack of morality or integrity (the animal world or animality) or those who are cool, calm, and collective and rational with the ability to exercise compassion & integrity (the human realm or the world of the humans). 

In Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism there are 4 higher realms. There’s learning, realization, 

Bodhisattva, & Buddhahood. When we start to become exposed and attentive to knowledge, this is called learning. When we practice or experience the knowledge first hand it turns into wisdom and true understanding, this is called realization. When you put the team or the community first and try to help others in whatever way, shape, or form, this is called being in the state of a bodhisattva. This includes helping those who are less fortunate, Putting the team or family first which includes you but does not revolve around you, listening to your friends Issues and trying to comfort them or give them some great advice, being there for somebody with out concern for what your going to get in return, etc. now Buddhahood is alittle more complicated and hard to explain but if you where to combine compassion, courage, wisdom, freedom, enlightenment, and happiness you would be mixing up the ingredients to what we call Buddhahood. 

Most of us change states like we change outfits and we don’t do this just once a day. We are constantly tuning in and out of these worlds from moment to moment, time to time. Awareness and conscious transformation Is needed. If we can take control of what state we visit or revisit we will be able to create a better destiny for ourselves and live a happier healthier life or lifestyle.

All thoughts, words, or actions result In Karma. Karma is the results, the effects, the reactions, the blessings, the consequences, your successes & failures, fruits of your labor, the lack of fruits from a lack of labor, certain circumstances based on what you’ve done or the things you have condoned, etc. And where do all these effects come from? They come from all the causes which includes everything we think, we feel, we say, & we do. Some Causes lead to certain effects while other causes lead to totally different effects. People do things out of habit and tendency and many become slaves to their compulsions & desires. 

As you explore the world and all it has to offer you realize that some things bring you up & some things bring you down. You start to realize that you have the power to create & you have the power to destroy. You can create life, you can help provoke creative thinking or writing, you can help create your destiny, or help create joy, pleasantness, happiness, or relief in someone’s life, etc. And then again you can also destroy life, you can help destroy creative thinking or writing, you can destroy your destiny, or contribute to destroying joy, pleasantness, happiness, or relief in someone’s life, etc. You can help build yourself or someone else up mentally, emotionally, physically, or spiritually. Or you can help tear yourself or someone else down mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. This you do 24/7. All you do is build and accumulate karma. Sometimes you Build. Sometimes you destroy. Sometimes your conscious of it & sometimes your not. It is because of the causes you made that brought about the effects you are experiencing right now. And right now you are creating the causes that will effect the future. I call this simultaneous cause and effect. 

You build karma not only with your words & actions but with your thoughts as well. Karma is based on intentions. Only intent or the intention behind what you did will determine what kind of karma was built based on a specific action. You can have the same actions but have different intentions and each persons karma will be on different levels. Since karma is something metaphysical it has to abide by metaphysical laws kinda like in the physical world where we have to deal with physical laws like gravity. Some people call this natural law. This natural law is based on cause and effect. Every cause has an effect. The only way to know what kind of effects that causes may have you must look at your personal experiences or certain experiences that others have had and you’ll be able to recognize what causes lead to what effects. Both causes and Effects operate on the same frequencies and reflect each other. 

Karma sticks to you like cologne and you carry its scent around with you. You can’t see this scent but it’s there. The type or amount of cologne you wear will determine the reactions you will get from the world around you. How karma manifests itself is very mystic but the fundamentals are all the same. You never know exactly how causes will manifest themselves into something that winds up effecting you. Causes & effects manifest themselves in many forms. Some causes lead to blessings and some causes lead to consequences. Some blessings even manifest themselves from consequences. I call these blessings in disguise. This is when you hit rock bottom and transform into a better man or woman based on your rock bottom experience. Karma is the results from the natural laws that we live bye. This natural law is both latent & manifesting. This latent aspect means that certain factors are there & just waiting to happen and manifest itself when the time is right. Exactly how & when it manifests it’s self can be very unpredictable & simply beyond human comprehension.