No God and Eastern Philosophy

No Mind
In Zen Buddhism, there is a concept called Mushin (無心), which translates into No Mind. No Mind is a state of egolessness and transcendence of the mind, free from thought and clutter, and considered in Eastern philosophy to be the mind's pure or "true" state. This absence of--this Void--is highly revered in Buddhism. While the Western world considers Descarte's popular philosophy, "I think, therefore I Am" as the essence of man, Buddhism purports to transcend form into formlessness. One practices the Void, while the other purports to fill it. Which is right?

Mushin in Martial Arts
Before I go into which is right or wrong, I would like to point out the origins of Mushin in the Martial Arts. As stated above, Mushin is a state of mind free from emotion, thought, and clutter. When entering combat, or a fight or flight scenario, being in control of your emotions so as not to experience fear or anger are important in winning a battle. In this state of Mushin, one does not rely on their brain to think about their next move, rather, one relies completely on intuition and what is intuitively felt.

Spontaneous movement does not come at an easy price, however. It takes years of mastery, repetition and practice in order to experience Mushin in battle. Once you can master a set of katas and combination of techniques, you can perform in a flow-like state without conscious thought. This is where creativity lies.

Flow
While Mushin has its origins in the Martial Arts, it can really apply to any creative form that is felt in a state of Flow. The ability to improvise, be it in Martial Arts, music, dance, or other forms of expression requires no thought. There have been many times I've picked up my violin and bow and not been able to improv because I am simply thinking too hard. Music sings through me when I let my body become a vehicle for the music within me. Improv comes from a place within, and uses the language from which you've been taught, to create something entirely your own. Improv is intuitively felt and is a magical feeling of alchemy; the merging of activity and No Mind as harmonious one.

No God
In Buddhism, the concept of God or Creator is irrelevant to the philosophy and ethics that are taught in the four noble truths or eightfold path. Many forms of thought such as Humanism, Nihilism, Existentialism and Atheism consider God irrelevant, and many would argue that God is not necessary to function in life. This negation of God comes from the same absence of, or Void, that is found in No Mind. Eastern religion does not rely on God as Creator while Western religion tries to fill existence with God. Which is right?

The Tao
When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.

Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.
~ Tao Te Ching

One of the more well known concepts of Taoism is the Yin-Yang. This symbol illustrates the concept of opposites as two complementary forces that co-exist in a web of interdependence. From meaning comes meaninglessness. From form comes formlessness. From good comes bad. And from No God comes God.

I don't believe in things like good or bad, or right or wrong. Things just are. It just is. To fill the void or embrace it are two ways of being. But they are one in the same. Like the yin-yang, they co-exist; one cannot exist without the other. Similarly, the concept of No God could not exist without God. They are one in the same. One isn't more right than the other. It just is.

My Journey
Before I could talk, I was baptized as a Catholic, which is the predominant religion in the Philippines (as colonized by Spain). I knew from an early age that this religion, this lack of choice that was given to me was not for me. I tried hard to believe in God and be a good Catholic girl but it just never clicked. I felt that God was synonymous with Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy (and I was smart enough not to believe in those, either) and did not see how believing in God could work without first believing in myself. Once I made that realization, I rejected God and the church and declared myself an Atheist.

I've always been spiritual, though. Naturally, I was drawn towards Buddhism for its spiritual philosophy that was lacking in dogma or religion. Religion is an institution, and like corporations, I don't like institutions. With my rejection of God and belief in No God, I formed a solid set of morals and truly believe God is not necessary to living a good life. I spent a greater portion of my teen and early twenties trying to build my belief (and sense) of Self.

Still, the crossover came as I began to follow my intuition more, build my confidence and not surprisingly, build my belief in Self. I've always tried to live my life through my intuition or inner compass, as I like to call it. But recent shifts in my life which have offered opportunities for spiritual and emotional growth have lead me to believe that intuition is synonymous with God. In other words: intuition is God-like; the voice of God. While it has been a major paradigm shift to start using words like God in my worldview, I truly feel like the same person who called herself an Atheist; just with a broader perspective and a deeper understanding of nature's web. I have come to terms with religion and spirituality and realize that I don't need to have a religion in order to believe.

Consider the connection between intuition and creativity. Creativity is a highly spiritual thing, and I am a highly creative person. When I do not exercise my creativity and/or spirituality (they tend to go hand in hand), I become the worst version of my Self. I become Not Me. Creativity comes from within, while at the same time coming from outside of the Self. When in a state of Flow, it often feels as if you are surrendering to a creative Source; a God, if you will. And so, from within comes from without. Like the yin-yang, an interconnected web of consciousness. This year, I have grown a lot, and have realized how to be Who I Am. This is a beautiful process. The awakening of the cocoon.

[Sunday Scribblings: Beauty]