The Person, that Calls Itself 'I'
If you want to pratice Zen and deal with Koans you need to become aware of two sides of yourself.
Too difficult? You can find out! Look at the boxes and pictures below.
The fist box shows how you biologically grow into an adult person.
That's the first side of you
The following two boxes shows how a person's brain develops identity, the 'I'.
That's the second side of you.
Both sides together, that's what you are, a 'Person, that calls itself I', or in short 'Person-I'.
The first side of Person-I
A pattern of black shapes on white
Person one
Biologically all humans are bipedal mammal, species homo sapiens, median lifetime 75 years. But all humans are different.
Person two
Even a baby has a it's own personal "shape". This little baby-person can't think but intuitively it grows into an adult-person.
The black and white shapes and patterns of 'Person one', 'Person two' and 'Person three' signify their basic personal differences.
Person three
The empty spaces, the dots, lines and shapes represent genetic differences in sex, colour, brain potential etc. every person has.
Out of the pool of our genetics, beginning in early childhood, we developed into a specific Person (with capital "P").
That's the first side of you Zen is interested in.
The second side of Person-I
The brain adds colour to the Person
Person one
with colour
Although, the Person you are remains the same, your body and brain are socially and intellectually, consciously or unconsciously changed throughout your lifetime.
That's signified by adding colour to the black and white shapes of the three Person.
Person two
with colour
Lots of things, from mother tongue to professional knowledge, are learned, academic degrees or manual skills are attained.
Person three
with colour
All these "additions" to a Person are controlled by the brain. Conciously and unconciously the brain creates your identity, the 'I'.
During your lifetime the brain-created 'I' grows bigger and bigger. Your basic condition, the 'Person' and it's intuitive power becomes forgotten. That's disastrous.
Person-I forgets and rediscovers the Person
The brain created 'I' takes and loses
Person one
just the 'I'
It's should be clear now, he biological created 'Person' and the brain created 'I' together make every human being a "Person that calls itself I" or in short "Person-I".
Buddhists believe only the 'Person' is real.
Person two
just the 'I'
The 'I' is just a dream, is a piece of cloth a Person's brain tailors for itself and wears every day.
For most people it's the other way around.
Person the
just the 'I'
Only the 'I' created by intellectual learning and achieving is real and important.
The biologically created 'Person' and it's intuitive power is forgotten and "sucked" into the 'I'.
In Zen this "sucking in" can be undone. How? By working with Koans the Person will pop up again! Look for the next box.
How Person-I intuitively solves Koans
Schrink the 'I' to recover the 'Person'
Person 'I' one
A Koan is a trap. I can't solve it, despite all my ambitions, abilities and knowledge. No chance.
It takes some time until I give up to find a solution.
That's the moment when I feel trapped. But after some time, out of the blue quite intuitively a solution pops up, I would never have thought about.
Person 'I' two
That's the moment when the Person shows up again.
To trust in this Person's intuitive power and not only in the thinking 'I' is a big step. But it's needed. Only the Person intuitively "understands" Koans and is able to find an Koan answers.
Person 'I' three
Download the free e-books with
"Miscellaneous Koans".
They
give lots of simple training cases, to discover your intuitive power and to become confident that the Person will solve all Koans!