Presence of mind

[jiraiyaNOmonogatari]

Once Lord Yamanouchi, who was a Japanese aristocrat from the nineteenth century, asked his
tea master to accompany him in a visit to Edo city (later known as Tokyo) where he intends to stay
for a while. He wanted to show the people of his class the skills of his tea master in the
tea ceremony, and the tea master knew all about the rituals of the tea ceremony, but knew
little of everything else, he was a man of peace. Yet he put on the samurai costume, as his
high rank requires.


In one evening and as he walked the streets of the big city a samurai cut his path and
challenged him to a duel. The tea master didn't know how to use a sword, and he tried to
explain that to the samurai, but the latter did not listen. To refuse the challenge would
bring great dishonor to the tea master's family and Lord Yamanouchi's as well. Although
it meant certain death, he had to accept. And so he did, but he requested that the duel
be postponed till the next day, and the samurai approved.

The hysterical tea master hastened to the nearest swordsmanship school.
If he was to die, he was at least to die with honor. Meeting the swordsmanship master
required recommendation letters, but the tea master was persistent, with obvious terror
on his face, so they let him meet with the master.

The master sympathized with his unfortunate guest and decided to teach him
the art of death, but requested that he would serve him some tea first.
The tea master started the tea ritual, he was very calm and focused.
The swordsmanship master shouted: There is no need for you to learn the art of death!
The state of mind you are in right now is enough to face any samurai. When you see
your challenger tomorrow, imagine that you are about to serve him tea. Take of your coat
and fold it as you did just now, and place your hand fan on it as you always do. Draw
your sword, and hold it high above your head in the same alert state you are in when
you practice your ritual. Then close your eyes and ready yourself for combat.

The tea master accepted what the master said. And in the next day he went to
meet the samurai, who could not help but notice the presence of a different man
than the one he saw, the calm state of mind, the venerable expressions
on his face, as he takes off his coat. The confused samurai thought he must have
fallen victim to some kind of trick or deception ,and now it was he who feared for his life.
The samurai bowed, asked to be excused for his rude behavior the other night,
and left the place with as much speed and dignity as he could muster.


Is it really possible for someone to be in that state of mind?!
has anyone here had a similar experience where they could stay calm and think right while the adrenaline is pumping hard?

Any feed back would be great. :smile:

[Lisa]

Is it really possible for someone to be in that state of mind?!
has anyone here had a similar experience where they could stay calm and think right while the adrenaline is pumping hard?


In that state of mind there is no thinking and no adrenaline pumping hard.

Calmness, like the tea master had in serving tea, is what is left.

[jiraiyaNOmonogatari]

In that state of mind there is no thinking and no adrenaline pumping hard.

Calmness, like the tea master had in serving tea, is what is left.
Yes, you are right...but it seems rather difficult to achieve.

Serving tea doesn't put me in that state of mind lol:rolleyes:, nor anything else that I can
think of, my question is how do I do that?

[Lisa]

Have you ever really served tea?

Good place to start. :smile:

There are also spiritual practices that can prepare one for serving tea. :duckie:

[Miss Hepburn]

... my question is how do I do that?
Practice, focus and grace.
:hug3:

[jiraiyaNOmonogatari]

Have you ever really served tea?

Good place to start. :smile:

There are also spiritual practices that can prepare one for serving tea. :duckie:

yes, I make tea for my parents all the time, its rather annoying actually. :D
but I'll give it a shot, thanks. :smile:

[jiraiyaNOmonogatari]

Practice, focus and grace.
:hug3:
Thank you Miss Hepburn. :hug2:

I'd like to know more about this if anyone has something to share or some personal experiences, thanks. :smile:

[Gem]

I think it's like when I play guitar and try to utmost to make the perfect sound, the extremity of concentration on every minute nuance is what it takes to get it just right.

[TzuJanLi]

Greetings..

Make death your companion.. no one gets our of the physical experience without shedding their physical garments.. make peace with this unavoidable transformation... these physical garments hide the Great Mystery from us, yet we wear them with pride..

If you understand your ancient Japanese folk-lore, the Tea Ceremony, as it is known today, evolved as a response to a tea-server that was put to death for poor service, though proper sensibilities seldom reveal that element of brutality.. hunderds of years prior to the Japanese tea-ceremony the Chinese already had a fairly precise method for preparation and service, though less ritualistic..

The Samurai Life was brutally honest, live hard/die hard, and appreciate what beauty comes your way.. a cup of tea, a Lady's glance, a cherry blossom.. a quick honorable death, rather than drooling away into blackness on the cold linoleum floor of a nursing home..

There is a calm that emerges when it is realized that this physical existence is just a brief interval in the eternal process of existence.. we put-on these physical garments and later discard them, we are not the garments..

Be well..

[athribiristan]

Thank you Miss Hepburn. :hug2:

I'd like to know more about this if anyone has something to share or some personal experiences, thanks. :smile:

It is to put every fiber of your being into a simple act. To dedicate every motion to the highest perfection. The act is fluid, efficient, and beautiful. The tea is always perfect, there is never a mess, never a drop of water that isn't where it should be. One lesson that I have learned is that if you want to be good at something, do it a million times. In my experience when you reach this point your actions will be fairly ritualized. You may even begin to find that elusive state of mind you're looking for. When you get to five million times your actions will almost never vary. What seems like ritual to others is anything but. It is a dedication of oneself to a perfect act.

[Gem]

If you're really careful you won't spill any. Hehehehe.

[arive nan]

I have performed Japanese Tea Ceremony on occasion. You have to concentrate a lot to do it right. So that can naturally result in a calm mind.

[gentledove]

There was once a sonographer who was afraid of a Radiologist. He was extremely competent in his field but was often verbally brutal and had temper tantrums in which he would throw objects. She being a very timid sonographer avoided him whenever possible. When forced to work for/with him she was entirely submissive hoping to avoid the negative consequences of offending him.

However, one day she came to him out of strict necessity (there was literally no one else to turn to). A patient seriously and immediately needed him to do a life saving procedure. The sonographer went to him and explained the situation and the Radiologist responded with his characteristic fury even throwing his phone set at the wall. The sonographer didn't back down because she deeply cared about the patient's welfare. She said..."I know how you feel sir, but your feelings must be put aside, the patient's welfare is at stake and you know it".

The radiologist suddenly "sobered up". No one apparently ever spoke up to him. The sonographer had only one thing in her mind/heart and that was to get the help the patient needed.

The radiologist agreed to come to the patient's aid shortly...and he did!

A small parable to demonstrate that when we love others we can overcome our fears and speak the truth and the truth has the power to defeat insanity.:wink:

[Xan]

jiraiya: Is it really possible for someone to be in that state of mind?!
has anyone here had a similar experience where they could stay calm and think right while the adrenaline is pumping hard?


Yes, it can be done but not by 'trying' to be calm.

It happens by knowing and living from the calmness,
the open quiet space in the center of your being,
and not allowing your mind to be distracted from it.


This takes practice until it is effortless, like the sword master knew the tea master had done.


Xan

[Thinker108]

when we do a work with the feeling of self we reach that kind of state where everything is happing but there is not any doer. It is not depend what is the work, the work is lower or higher etc. Angulimaal said to lord Buddha, “don’t move” lord replied, “I am not moving but you are moving” .these words changed the state of mind of Angulimaal and he became lord`s devotee.

[Thinker108]

There was once a sonographer who was afraid of a Radiologist. He was extremely competent in his field but was often verbally brutal and had temper tantrums in which he would throw objects. She being a very timid sonographer avoided him whenever possible. When forced to work for/with him she was entirely submissive hoping to avoid the negative consequences of offending him.

However, one day she came to him out of strict necessity (there was literally no one else to turn to). A patient seriously and immediately needed him to do a life saving procedure. The sonographer went to him and explained the situation and the Radiologist responded with his characteristic fury even throwing his phone set at the wall. The sonographer didn't back down because she deeply cared about the patient's welfare. She said..."I know how you feel sir, but your feelings must be put aside, the patient's welfare is at stake and you know it".

The radiologist suddenly "sobered up". No one apparently ever spoke up to him. The sonographer had only one thing in her mind/heart and that was to get the help the patient needed.

The radiologist agreed to come to the patient's aid shortly...and he did!

A small parable to demonstrate that when we love others we can overcome our fears and speak the truth and the truth has the power to defeat insanity.:wink:

good story and thoughts. I always enjoy your thoughts. Who cares for others, God cares for him. Then where are the fear and other bad emotions.

[TzuJanLi]

Greetings..

It is to put every fiber of your being into a simple act. To dedicate every motion to the highest perfection. The act is fluid, efficient, and beautiful. The tea is always perfect, there is never a mess, never a drop of water that isn't where it should be. One lesson that I have learned is that if you want to be good at something, do it a million times. In my experience when you reach this point your actions will be fairly ritualized. You may even begin to find that elusive state of mind you're looking for. When you get to five million times your actions will almost never vary. What seems like ritual to others is anything but. It is a dedication of oneself to a perfect act.
I was with my teacher in southern China, we had agreed to practice on the beach that morning.. i could see that he was already there as i approached, then he motioned for me to approach quietly, i could sense he was watching something very intently.. when i got there he said, "look at that fisherman, he is so much better than us.. such skill, such perfection of movement, so relaxed and aware".. "we are still 'trying', he is doing..".. as i stood there with my teacher, we watched this old man weaving and tying these very large nets with big fluid and powerful movements spinning his arms and nimbly dancing the lengths of the nets at 40-50 feet.. it was of such grace and beauty that i was deeply moved by the experience..

DaShi and i talked about this man, the problem, he said, is that 'we' are trying to do something special.. building a ritual of movements and results.. the old man was just living his life in harmony with the sea, his environment, his benefactor.. a poorly tied net might mean no food for him.. DaShi was clearly impressed with the skill and grace the old man displayed..

What i have learned, is not about the perfection of ritual.. it is about the ability to adapt to change, to restore balance from extreme, and.. the willingness to 'know' balance by experiencing the extreme.. the early years of my training were filled with a passionate practice for the goal of perfection.. later, my training has found perfection in the absence of its pursuit.. there is no perfect cup of tea, and no perfect service, but.. the sincere appreciation of someone's efforts is always perfect..

In the martial arts, it is the ritual that defeats you, the well-practiced movements do not account for unexpected change.. the partner will not conform to your expectations, and the movement practiced a thousand times, will be useless at a thousand and one.. i teach students to 'still the mind', be attentive and relaxed.. it is amazing what a relaxed mind and body can accomplish, compared to the tense mind and body that intends to do harm.. that tension and intent is already struggling with its own nature, and Life itself..

The Tea Ceremony is appreciated when it ceases to be a ceremony.. when i offer you a cup of tea, with my heart.. with less concern for a well-practiced hand. I have struggled through 'high tea', in the company of masters.. and, been disciplined for my rudeness, for snickering at a slip or a spill.. and later, in the same company of masters, we spilled sake and ale, more the blasphemy i say..

Forget the rituals practiced with 'every fiber of your being'.. Live with unconditional sincerity, and well-intended gusto, and that 'practice' will be your 'nature'.. and, the tea will be perfect.. we learn the rituals, so we can forget them.. they become who we are..

Be well..

[Gem]

Greetings..


I was with my teacher in southern China, we had agreed to practice on the beach that morning.. i could see that he was already there as i approached, then he motioned for me to approach quietly, i could sense he was watching something very intently.. when i got there he said, "look at that fisherman, he is so much better than us.. such skill, such perfection of movement, so relaxed and aware".. "we are still 'trying', he is doing..".. as i stood there with my teacher, we watched this old man weaving and tying these very large nets with big fluid and powerful movements spinning his arms and nimbly dancing the lengths of the nets at 40-50 feet.. it was of such grace and beauty that i was deeply moved by the experience..

DaShi and i talked about this man, the problem, he said, is that 'we' are trying to do something special.. building a ritual of movements and results.. the old man was just living his life in harmony with the sea, his environment, his benefactor.. a poorly tied net might mean no food for him.. DaShi was clearly impressed with the skill and grace the old man displayed..

What i have learned, is not about the perfection of ritual.. it is about the ability to adapt to change, to restore balance from extreme, and.. the willingness to 'know' balance by experiencing the extreme.. the early years of my training were filled with a passionate practice for the goal of perfection.. later, my training has found perfection in the absence of its pursuit.. there is no perfect cup of tea, and no perfect service, but.. the sincere appreciation of someone's efforts is always perfect..

In the martial arts, it is the ritual that defeats you, the well-practiced movements do not account for unexpected change.. the partner will not conform to your expectations, and the movement practiced a thousand times, will be useless at a thousand and one.. i teach students to 'still the mind', be attentive and relaxed.. it is amazing what a relaxed mind and body can accomplish, compared to the tense mind and body that intends to do harm.. that tension and intent is already struggling with its own nature, and Life itself..

The Tea Ceremony is appreciated when it ceases to be a ceremony.. when i offer you a cup of tea, with my heart.. with less concern for a well-practiced hand. I have struggled through 'high tea', in the company of masters.. and, been disciplined for my rudeness, for snickering at a slip or a spill.. and later, in the same company of masters, we spilled sake and ale, more the blasphemy i say..

Forget the rituals practiced with 'every fiber of your being'.. Live with unconditional sincerity, and well-intended gusto, and that 'practice' will be your 'nature'.. and, the tea will be perfect.. we learn the rituals, so we can forget them.. they become who we are..

Be well..

All I know is the fisherman learned to cast nets from practice, practice and more practice.

[sound]

All I know is the fisherman learned to cast nets from practice, practice and more practice.

Gem ... those moments of magic with your guitar ... are they experienced due to practice?

[Gem]

Gem ... those moments of magic with your guitar ... are they experienced due to practice?

Lots and lots of practice...

[sound]

The practice is purely to perfect the technique yes? ...

[TzuJanLi]

Greetings..

The practice is purely to perfect the technique yes? ...
There is a nuanced difference that i speak of.. i have trained fo decades to perfect a technique, only to discover that the perfection was sterile and lifeless, a mechanical event.. the fisherman, in living day by day without a formal practice, became the net and its movements.. when i stopped 'practicing' the techniques, they appeared without 'trying' in exactly the right timing.. at some level, the practice separates us from movements or understandings we are seeking to 'integrate' into our being.. it's a difficult understanding, and i might not be explaining it well..

Be well..

[athribiristan]

Greetings..


There is a nuanced difference that i speak of.. i have trained fo decades to perfect a technique, only to discover that the perfection was sterile and lifeless, a mechanical event.. the fisherman, in living day by day without a formal practice, became the net and its movements.. when i stopped 'practicing' the techniques, they appeared without 'trying' in exactly the right timing.. at some level, the practice separates us from movements or understandings we are seeking to 'integrate' into our being.. it's a difficult understanding, and i might not be explaining it well..

Be well..

It makes sense to me, although I have 'practised' this in my life as well. In fact I was a fisherman. Coiling line is much the same as mending a net. At first it is clumsy and you make a big mess, but after much experience it takes only a flick of the wrist to wrangle a line back into a perfect coil. This happens without thought to the wrist or the line, the intention that coils happen is all that is.

[Sentientno1]

It is the same with art, the rules need to be learned so they can be forgotten, and maybe the same applies to life...but it's already been said on this thread.

[gentledove]

good story and thoughts. I always enjoy your thoughts. Who cares for others, God cares for him. Then where are the fear and other bad emotions.

Thank you, it's a true story...

It was the first time I ever faced that physician without trembling. Love (for another) eliminated fear. Love provides the grace to reveal the truth and the truth sets everyone free...it's win, win, win! I likes win, win, win. http://www.thepetsquirrelboard.com/forum/images/smilies/GroupHug4.gif

[gentledove]

Gem ... those moments of magic with your guitar ... are they experienced due to practice?

Yes, they must be because I could in no way create "moments of magic" on a guitar no matter how "in the flow" I felt.

All I could create is "jar" on a guitar, as I haven't a clue how to make that beautiful box resonate in a pleasing way.

Maybe it takes proficiency which probably comes from practice, and being in tune with the creative muse within us.

[jiraiyaNOmonogatari]

This reminds me of a parable I read that goes like this:
There was once a wolf who has never seen a lion before. One day he ran
into one face to face, the wolf was terrified, he felt he would die just from
looking at him. A while later re ran into him again, and also feared him, but
lesser than the first time. In the third time he put him self together, drew
closer and talked to the lion. -Aesop's fables-

This parable shows us how familiarity calms fear.

I have really enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts and experiences on this topic. I think now I have a better understanding of how this "focus" thing works.

You guys are great, thank you all. :hug3:

[Gem]

The practice is purely to perfect the technique yes? ...

Practice makes improvement, not perfection, there is no end game, only practice, and recently I heard a saying I like "in practice there is'.

[sound]

In my humble experience perfecting the technique needed to allow magic to happen isn't the same as trying to perfect the magic itself ... perfecting technique is about honing motor skills etc ... it is about teaching the body to cooperate ... I haven't managed to master anything though, so i am probably talking through my hat ...

[Gem]

In my humble experience perfecting the technique needed to allow magic to happen isn't the same as trying to perfect the magic itself ... perfecting technique is about honing motor skills etc ... it is about teaching the body to cooperate ... I haven't managed to master anything though, so i am probably talking through my hat ...

There's a lot of silly stuff about it all, but really doing the practice is not the same as doing the performance. In practice it's repetition repitition repititon and in performance it's just this once.

The reason the performance is magic is two fold. Firstly it is the sum of 100 000 repetititions and secondly it is such an entire whole hearted effort that you lose self consciousness... and pull funny guitar faces like this.

http://community2.metalreview.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Discussions.Components.Files/8/2388.glutton_5F00_l.jpg


Slash doesn't actually have a face, just a hole his fag burned through some hair.

[sound]

Yes, they must be because I could in no way create "moments of magic" on a guitar no matter how "in the flow" I felt.

All I could create is "jar" on a guitar, as I haven't a clue how to make that beautiful box resonate in a pleasing way.

Maybe it takes proficiency which probably comes from practice, and being in tune with the creative muse within us.

Hi gentledove
Its tricky ... for most the practice is necessary first, in order to experience some degree of effortless ... whether it be with an instrument or whatever ... unless you are 'that way inclined' ... and it happens as we know. Child prodigy's do exist.
Here is a nice little story for you which dates back about 24 yrs ... I have friends who would come visit when I lived with my then partner and our children out on a property. Our son and their daughter (Jenna) were the same age (5yrs). They would go down and collect the eggs from the chook pen and help in the vegie garden etc. Jenna would walk around on her toes .... right up on the tops of her big toes on the dirt track ... effortless it seemed. Her mum told me that they took her to a specialist to have her feet checked because, for the most part, she refuses to walk on the soles of her feet. They didn't discover any physical problem but were told to ignore it and she may just 'stop' doing it after a while ... it was really quite unusual to watch lol my son would be riding his bike and Jenna would be tippy toeing along beside him, laughing with glee whilst doing something that looked extremely painful lol ...

Here is a pic of her now ...

http://www.brb.org.uk/masque/index.htm?act=Person&urn=1681

[sound]

It is the same with art, the rules need to be learned so they can be forgotten, and maybe the same applies to life...


yeah this captures it for me ...

[Miss Hepburn]

Wow, Sound - Great Jenna story and link.

[TzuJanLi]

Greetings..

It is 'forgotten' when it is 'who you are', rather than an entry in your mental databank..

Be well..

[Gem]

Greetings..

It is 'forgotten' when it is 'who you are', rather than an entry in your mental databank..

Be well..

Memory is like laid down in layers. In a simple way, the first time you listen to a song you don't remember the lyrics, but after many times I could sing the whole Bat out of Hell album off the top of my head. At that stage i don't have to try and remember the lyrics. I just start singing and it all happens spontaneously.

A prodigy can become great only if he puts in the practice. I met many very talented musicians who didn't really work at it, and I surpassed them with tenacious dilligence and persistance.

Angus Young is perhaps the finest guitarist going, but it didn't come just like that, he just played and played and played hours and hours a day.

The finest gymnist the world has known trained and trained and trained.

I totally agree that to just empty your mind brings out something more that you know you have got... but to train and practice till it is instinctive is the essence behind the form.

[Mountain-Goat]

Is it really possible for someone to be in that state of mind?!
has anyone here had a similar experience where they could stay calm and think right while the adrenaline is pumping hard?

Any feed back would be great. :smile:

Not sure if this has been addressed by others.
If a person is in that state of mind, being calm and thinking clearly, their adrenaline would not be pumping hard.