Emptiness of Mind

Let’s continue with our discussions on emptiness today. In the last two sessions, we looked at the emptiness of phenomenon as well as the emptiness of the body. Let’s look at an example that may explain emptiness a little better. Growing up, I used to watch magician shows few times a year. There were these magicians who were also hypnotists that would come to town and perform magic shows. When you go to these shows, almost always they would have at least one hypnotist spell during the show. They would put the whole audience into their spell and then all of a sudden you would think that a piece of wood is a cow or something. Emptiness is just like that. We are the people in the audience. For us, the cow is as real as it comes. It exists and there is no doubt about it. We look at all phenomena just like that. We think they exist and are real. Now if you are the magician, you can see the cow but you know it does not exist at all. So that is the next level of understanding we need to cultivate. Where we can see that cow exists but it does not exist inherently. It is just an imputed existence. Now if you walked into the hall let’s say half an hour after he put his spell on the audience. You would only see that piece of wood and do not see the cow at all. That is true wisdom. We all eventually want to strive for that. Hope all of these make sense and explains the emptiness a little better.

Today, we are going to meditate on the emptiness of the mind. And before we do that, let’s look at what our mind is. We have discussed in the past, three types of mind. Gross mind the waking mind that sees everything that we see in the world. Subtle mind the mind that is active in our dream state. And very subtle mind our peaceful mind that travels from one life to the next.

One way to look at this is that our mind is like a river. It is a consciousness that is flowing from lifetime to lifetime. Have you ever been to a river to hang out? You see these water bubbles when the water touches a rock. Our life is just like that water bubble. When the water bubble bursts, what happens to the water? It just becomes part of the river that’s it. It goes and creates another bubble somewhere else.

Yet another way to look at this is soap bubbles we used to blow when we were young. Let’s say you blow a bubble and I blow a bubble. We both talk about “our” bubbles. All of a sudden the bubble bursts. Where did the bubble go? Can we call the air inside those bubbles my air and your air? Of course not.

Our very subtle mind is just like their bubbles. It is part of a consciousness that is going on from the beginningless time. Life after life without stopping.

So does the mind exist inherently? Let’s go find this inherently existing mind. We know that the mind is a continuum. When we are happy or unhappy we look at that mind as inherently existing. However, we know that our mind changes from moment to moment. If it was inherently existing, it would be solid as a rock if you will. It would not be changing on a moment-to-moment basis. If it was inherently existing, we would be able to find it at any given moment. But the mind changes every moment and we cannot find this unhappy mind or happy mind because it constantly changes. The same logic applies when we look at our feelings. Our feelings are as fleeting as the wind blowing on a stormy day. They keep changing from moment to moment and we cannot find the mind that contains that feeling when we go look for it.

Of all the emptiness teachings, I find the emptiness of the mind probably the most difficult to grasp. So don’t be discouraged if you are struggling with the concept. In time with enough contemplation and example, you will begin to understand the concept.

Emptiness of Body

We started talking about the profound subject of emptiness in the last session. We will continue with that in today’s session. Today, we are going to look at something you may find radical. Since we are talking about there being no inherent existence on its side. How about our body? Our body seems as real as anything we have ever encountered.

Let’s look at the way in which we look at our body. Most of us cling to our body strongly and have our identity tied to our body. When we think of our body, we are vividly thinking of our body and not our arms, legs, etc. We tend to imagine our body independent of parts of our body.

So let’s go and find that vividly existing body that we all identify with. For our body to exist inherently, there are only three possibilities. Our body exists as one of its parts, the collection of its parts or outside of its parts. That’s it there is no fourth possibility. So as long as we agree that there are only three possibilities in which our body can exist inherently, let’s go and find out body.

So let’s look at the first possibility. We can take a look at each of our parts independently.  Let’s start with our legs. Is our leg our body? The easiest way to look at this is to think about what happens if one of our legs needs to be amputated. If we don’t have one of our legs, we will still say that the body without one of our legs is still our body. So obviously our leg is not our body. Hopefully, you are with me so far. This same logic we can apply to our arms. So in that case, we can all agree that our limbs are not our body.

Now take a look at our organs. How about our kidneys? Is the kidney our body? Our friend and fellow meditator Chirag has the first-hand experience on this. A few years ago he went through a kidney transplant. So in his body, he has his sister’s kidney. So Chirag’s body is fine without his original kidney and we still call it Chirag’s body. So we can all agree that our kidney is not our body. With that same logic, each of our organs is transplantable. If each of our organs is transplantable, then we can safely say that our organs are not the body. That leaves our skin. Science tells us that human skin cells are replaced every 28 days. So that means our skin cannot be our body.

So by now we have looked at each part of our body and concluded that we cannot find our body in its individual parts. How about the collection of these parts. I will address this with an example. We went for a Safari a few years ago. My wife really wanted to see a black rhino. We saw a lion and that we know is not a rhino. We saw an elephant and we knew that was not a rhino. We saw a cheetah and no, that is not a rhino. Now can I tell my wife that honey, I know a lion or an elephant or a cheetah in itself is not a rhino but collectively we can call it a rhino. How absurd will that sound? So my point is that a collection of things that are not the body cannot be a body. And we know that each individual part is not the body.

So how about finding this body outside of its parts. Where we even begin to look for it? In a closet? In the car? In some other City? It just does not make sense. So we can surely say that our body does not exist outside of its parts.

So we have looked at the body and could not find it in its parts, collection of its parts, or the outside of its parts. So there is not the inherently existing body. We cling to it anyway. Shantideva, a great Indian scholar once said that at dusk time, when we are walking a pile of stones may look like a human body to us. It is just like that. Because of the darkness of our ignorance, we are clinging to this body as inherently existent. If we truly search for our body in a meditation session, we will realize that it is nothing but the manifestation of the emptiness.

Now some of you may ask but I see this body clearly. Yes, you do. And that is just an imputation. It’s a body because we all decided to call it a body. That does not give it an inherent existence. Meaning it has an imputed or dependent existence.

Hope this makes a little sense. I know it is a lot to unpack. This is a little profound and may take some time to realize. But we will all get there with some examples and meditation.

Emptiness

We have discussed the dream-like nature of the phenomenon as well as the lack of inherent existence of the phenomenon in the past. Over the next few weeks, I want to discuss a very deep and profound subject called emptiness. Before we talk about what emptiness is, we need to make sure what it is not.

Emptiness is one of the most misunderstood concepts in spirituality. Emptiness does not mean nothingness. It does not say nothing exists at all. It says all phenomena are empty from their own side. And that is the key distinction here. From their own side means separate and independent existence. The English language defines emptiness as the feeling of loneliness but that is not emptiness at all. In Sanskrit, emptiness is called Sunyata.

Emptiness is the true nature of all phenomena. It means there is something and that something is ready to take any form that is necessary. So there is a huge difference between emptiness and nothingness. Different people grasp the concept of emptiness in different ways. So I am going to try and get an explanation in two distinct ways.

First, let’s look at the physical way of looking at emptiness. Before we take a look at this, we need to look at how space is defined. There are two types of space; producing space and nonproducing space. For example, we see there is a brick wall. If we try to go through the brick wall, we will fall down as there is no way to go through the brick wall. The brick wall is called producing space. On the other hand, space, where you can easily move through, is known as nonproducing space. So let’s look at an example. If you look at an empty room, you will there is nothing but space. Now, if we put a chair in that room, obviously a chair is occupied in the room. The chair is called the producing space. There was space where there is a chair right now. Where did space go? That space that was there before the chair was present is known as nonproducing space. The space occupied by the chair is the emptiness of that chair. Another thing to keep in mind is that the chair and the space occupied by the chair are not separate phenomena; they are one and the same. They are non-dual. This is a very important point to note that the chair and the emptiness of the chair are one and the same.

Another way to look at this is that emptiness is a way of looking at the world as it is without adding or subtracting anything from it. What does that mean? Let’s say we see a series of events through our eyes or in our heads. That normally brings some kind of feeling in us. Once that feeling surfaces, we tend to identify with that feeling and get wrapped up with our “I” about that feeling. This is what causes all the suffering. The more we get involved in it, the more it sucks us in.

Instead, if we look at those events from an emptiness lense, and not react at all but just observe, you will notice that feeling is empty of anything to identify with. This is the true meaning of emptiness. We clearly see this, we will realize that labeling or identifying everything with our “I” is the cause of our stress, anxiety, and so forth. When we drop the “I”, we are free from all the drama. I know it is easier said than done but this is one key to true happiness.

So as you can see emptiness can be looked at from different points of view. However, all of these lead to one single goal. They are targeted to get people to focus on what is important as opposed to day-to-day thoughts of anger, attachment, jealousy, hatred, and so forth. If we look at the world from an emptiness point of view, our delusions will gradually decrease and eventually be eliminated. This will allow us to operate from a happy state of mind. A happy state of mind brings inner peace allowing us to be aware. An aware mind is a perceptive mind and as we discussed in the past function of the mind is to perceive. Imagine what we can achieve if our perception is crystal clear.

I know there is a lot to unpack here. I am hoping to continue this series for the next few weeks and have an extended Q&A session at the end similar to what we did after the Karma series.

Mindfulness

We have talked on and off about we need to be mindful and how mindfulness helps us maintain peace within our mind. So today, let’s explore mindfulness a little more in-depth. In the simplest terms, mindfulness is being aware of your mind from moment to moment. If you are aware of your mind, your thoughts will not control you.

Let’s think about this real quick. Did you have a problem today? Did it feel like it was a really big deal and potentially could have a huge impact on life? Now think back 30 days. Do you remember what the problem of the day was on this day last month? Chances are you don’t remember. But we are sure that at the time it felt like a really big deal. What does that mean? It means we are paying inappropriate attention to our uncontrolled thoughts.

My teacher Kadam Lucy points to this study that was done a few years. All the study subjects were asked how many of the thoughts they were in control of daily. What do you think the answer is? I have asked a few people myself and in most cases, they do not know. Well, this scientific study found that 9 out of 10 thoughts people have daily, they were not in control of their thoughts. 9 out of 10! There is also a study that we have on average 6,000 thoughts per day. That means we have 5,400 uncontrolled thoughts per day. No wonder most people are not feeling happy 90% of the time.  

According to Buddha, our uncontrolled mind is the main cause of our suffering. Uncontrolled thoughts usually arise from inappropriate attention. That brings delusions including anxiety, anger, attachment, jealousy, pride, and so on. These delusions keep our minds occupied all day long. The only way out is to get control of these delusions is to tame our minds. The famous Indian scholar Atisha once said that Since you cannot tame the minds of others until you have tamed your own, begin by taming your mind.

So mastering our mind is key to getting control of our thoughts and in essence, mastering our life. With meditation practice, we can begin to get control of our uncontrolled thoughts. There are many meditation techniques we can try. The simplest and most common meditation practice is breathing meditation. This is where we focus our attention on the sensation of our breath. One of the more effective meditation techniques we covered in the past known as MAC technic. M-A-C. Mindfulness is what resists temptations to follow our thoughts, when we lose our attention and start thinking of distracting thoughts, Alertness keeps an eye out for our mind wandering off and brings it back to the object of our meditation, and Concentration is when we focus on meditation so we don’t begin to start wandering around.

Concentration is our ability to control our mind, to direct it at will, to focus, and eventually stay there for as long as we want. It allows us to think the thoughts we want to think as opposed to the thoughts that just show up uncontrollably in our minds.

Concentration makes our minds strong, clear, and relaxed, and we become more productive. It always makes us feel better, far more peaceful. It even makes us more physically comfortable.

Buddha said that there is nothing more powerful in this universe than a fully concentrated mind. The reason our mind lacks power is that it is fractured. It is all over the place. We talk to ourselves, apparently, at a rate of a thousand words a minute.

I hear a lot about I am not able to concentrate or I am not able to meditate and thoughts keep coming. I want to assure you that you are making a progress. Every time you notice that your mind wanders off and you try to bring it back, you are getting better at meditation. No matter how many times you have to bring your mind back (initially, it feels like that’s all we are doing), you are making progress. I can assure you it gets easier with practice. If you develop a regular practice say 10 minutes per day, before you know it, you will be able to focus on peace within you.

Keeping Calm in Turbulent Times – Meditation for Traders

A day trader friend of mine invited me to talk about meditation in his trading room. Below is a talk I gave to these traders.

Most of you have read Trading In The Zone by Mark Douglas by now. Some of you often comment on how Mitch trades with ease whether he is up $200K or down $170K on a given day. Many people will freak out if they go through that kind of ups and downs every week. So what is the secret to keeping calm when we are trading? We know when we are calm, we tend not to make unforced errors. Kind of errors when we meant to buy puts but ended up buying calls. Or did not close out your entire position and let some options expire worthlessly! We have all made some versions of these errors in our trading routine. Today, I want to talk about training our minds to make sure that we begin to reduce these errors and eventually completely stop making unforced errors. More importantly, make sure that our trading activities do not cause any mental and physical harm.

A major cause of these errors is our mental state. It usually begins with anxiety. So let’s start with what causes anxiety. We live in a fast pace world. People have way too many balls in the air so stress, in general, is at an elevated level in our society. You bring the fast-paced world of trading in the mix and your stress goes through the roof. I mean you are putting thousands of dollars on the line and you are going in and out within minutes if not seconds sometimes. It is natural to cause stress. Our brain is designed to protect what it thinks is ours. So when it seems that a trade is going against us, its fight or flight response kicks in. You begin to panic sometimes and all of a sudden you get out of a trade before letting it play out based on your indicators. I heard last week someone say on daily wrap-up that they decided to stop using the 30-second chart. I think that was brilliant. Mitch keeps telling us that we trade a 2-minute chart and a 30-second chart is just used as an aid. For this person, seeing that trade was going against them in a 30-second chart even when all other indicators were telling them to stay in the trade, they got out and lost money. It was so smart of them to figure out what was causing the issue and stop looking at 30 seconds chart. Now, the stress of trade going against you is no longer there.

So how do we address the anxiety that flares up any time of the day with no warning? Anxiety comes because we provide inappropriate attention to a subject. What is inappropriate attention you might ask? It simply means we are exaggerating a problem we may be facing or blowing out of proportion the negative impacts of that problem and so forth. This happened recently. A friend’s son called me in panic. He had recently received a full-time job and his employer asked for a drug test. He went for the drug test and they took his social security number and date of birth. When he was leaving the facility, he noticed that they had a piece of paper with all his personal information in plain sight for everyone to see. He could not say anything but as soon as he went home he told his parents he was worried about his personal information being out there. They asked him to call me. Anyway, we started to talk and his anxiety was flaring up. So we went about breaking it down. And this is very important to get rid of anxiety. People who are going through anxiety episodes tend to talk about generality and how everything is going to be bad or worse. After talking it through, I asked him what the worst-case scenario? Another useful technic is when you know the worst-case scenario, it defines the problem and you can begin to address the problem. So he said the worst case is someone can steal his identity. So I asked him to put a freeze on his credit report with all three credit bureau.  As soon as he completed this step, his anxiety disappeared because now he knew his problem was solved. The point here is that if we break down the problem and begin to work on it, it reduces or eliminates anxiety.

This is what I call short term solution. Longer-term, we must learn how not to let our outer problems disturb our inner peace. This is where meditation comes in. If we have a meditation practice that allows us to find our peaceful selves, it can become our go-to solution.

Another way to address this is to realize that there is no inherent existence. Our anxiety about trading comes from our attachment to our money and our things. Once we realize there is no inherent existence, our attachment will drastically reduce even go away allowing us to just focus on the task at hand – trading.

Let’s look at an example. A friend of mine used to have anxiety issues. He would be in the car in a rush hour and would get upset about the traffic. We had an interesting discussion maybe 10 years ago. I asked him if he would consider just ignoring the traffic around him and focus on music or something during his drive. He said, well, that’s not me. That is not personality. I said maybe you should consider changing. He took a big offense he said that is my identity how can I change who I am. I let the subject go. Fast forward 10 years and he has calmed down considerably. Things don’t bother him as much in traffic. He adopted. What he thought was his identity changed. 10 years ago, he thought that was inherent existence. Today it is clear that it was not since he has changed.

Let’s look at another example. Have you ever been absorbed in a movie? I know I certainly have. If it is a well-made gripping movie and you are fully captivated by the plot; you can feel everything being real. You even get a physical reaction if there is an unexpected gunshot or something as if it just happened in front of our eyes. Even though we know we are watching a movie, at that moment we think it is inherently existent. We feel everything that is happening is real. We know it is just fiction.

Let’s say someone loses their months’ worth of income. Now by all means, if there is a possibility of getting it back do it. If not, the first thing you do is to learn not to make that mistake again. Beyond that though if you let it bother you, it will start affecting your health and your relationships. So it certainly does not make sense to let that keep bothering you.