I was just pondering the illusions we create in our minds. For me maybe coming to Japan was one of them. I have an active mind. Maybe too active for my own good. More often than not it creates romanticized visions, mainly a fantasized future. The longer I have been in Japan the more I have focused on the present moment and my life now, here, not what my mind projects. Plato taught the analogy of the cave. It went that in our current state we are essentially tied to chairs facing the inside of a cave. All we see are the shadows of what is real via the sunlight from outside of the cave. We see only the shadows of the reality that exists outside of the cave. When I am put in a state of self-observation I feel this allegory to be a truth. Maybe slightly different from Plato’s initial interpretation, but truth none the less. Reality is here and now, and much deeper than the many false projections we have in our life. I yearn to experience reality but far too often I reach for false realities and retreats looking for contentment. What is really achieved is in essence nothing, other than a greater yearning for more.
Japan in my mind was a land of sky scrapers, girls, partying, film, art. Something Different, Something New. creations from memories I had imprinted in my brain from reading, seeing and past trips. My historical background, my love of film, my expansive imagination, created ‘Japan.’ I initially came here to find Will, but I think I was looking in the wrong places.
The reality is I cannot go anywhere to find myself. In fact I need not go anywhere to find myself. I am here inside of my being. I am not my mind, I am not what I read, I am not where I am, I am not my past or future actions, I am the eternal now. At this moment it is reflected in my temporal physical and mental projection that is William Blakemore Lyon. But one day that will also be gone.
Once you pull yourself deep enough into the current moment and into your own self you realize that the most fascinating thing possible is being completely present. To be completely satisfied, needing nothing. What a feeling. What freedom. The buddha says life is suffering and the only way to free ourselves is to become completely self-less. I don’t know where my life will be in the future. I have an idea but no one really knows, nor should they. It is important to have plans but another thing entirely to make this your current reality. One thing I do know is that wherever I am I want to really strive to be satisfied, to be ok, fully and honestly and without qualm. The primary focus of our lives should first and foremost be our own reality, our internal perspective, because nothing else really matters. The external perspective of others and society only has a indirect effect on us via our processing of that information. But it is not me or you. So why should we let it affect us to our detriment.
What really matters? I think it is pretty simple; respecting what you have and living in the now, whatever it is. Which is why maybe we should focus alot less on what ‘problems we have’ and maybe ask ourselves what exactly is ‘wrong’ at this moment. Anything you will come up with is just a concept of your mind. There are no problems, but rather realities and projections. Without your mind making a situation into problem, they do not exist. There just is. That is life. So why make it worse by classifying things as bad. You don’t know when you are going to die, no one does. So Im going to make every moment count and choose to be conscious. I am going to just be and not be engulfed by my internal dialogue or judgement. There isn’t much else to it. Why worry about what I don’t have when I can just enjoy what I have now and how fantastic it is to be here.
I came to Japan looking for a false reality but I think I may have found the real one
-Life is Good
