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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Dan Millman
Read between
September 22 - November 17, 2018
A story and its lessons are only made useful if shared.
Two days passed, and I was already drowning in a sea of people, papers, and class schedules.
Soon the months blended together, passing and changing softly, like the mild California seasons.
They obviously got their kicks scaring the wits out of innocent visitors.
“Dan, like this gas tank, you are overflowing with preconceptions, full of useless knowledge. You hold many facts and opinions, yet know little of yourself. Before you can learn, you’ll have to first empty your tank.”
“Understanding is the one-dimensional comprehension of the intellect. It leads to knowledge. Realization is three-dimensional — a simultaneous comprehension of head, heart, and instinct. It comes only from direct experience.”
“The warrior acts...
The warrior acts and the fool only reacts.
So much for idle speculation. I made a mental note to keep my mouth shut.
I felt the first signs of what was to become a growing sense of alienation from my everyday world.
One was crazy and one was sane — but I didn’t know which was which, so I committed myself to neither.
“Just as there are different interpretations of the past and many ways to change the present, there are any number of possible futures.
If I had known what was ahead, I would have kept my mouth shut.
But for you they’re addictions, not enjoyments. You use them to distract you from your chaotic inner life — the parade of regrets, anxieties, and fantasies you call your mind.”
Mind’ is an illusory reflection of cerebral fidgeting. It comprises all the random, uncontrolled thoughts that bubble into awareness from the subconscious. Consciousness is not mind; awareness is not mind; attention is not mind. Mind is an obstruction, an aggravation. It is a kind of evolutionary mistake in the human being, a primal weakness in the human experiment. I have no use for the mind.”
The brain can be a tool. It can recall phone numbers, solve math puzzles, or create poetry. In this way, it works for the rest of the body, like a tractor. But when you can’t stop thinking of that math problem or phone number, or when troubling thoughts and memories arise without your intent, it’s not your brain working, but your mind wandering. Then the mind controls you; then the tractor has run wild.”
I started keeping a small notebook in which I wrote down my thoughts during the day — except for workouts, when my thoughts gave way to action. In two days I had to buy a bigger notebook; in a week, that was full. I was astounded to see the bulk and general negativity of my thought processes.
Your ‘upset’ at the ruined picnic and your ‘happiness’ when the sun reappeared were the product of your thoughts. They had nothing to do with the actual events. Haven’t you been ‘unhappy’ at celebrations for example? It is obvious then that your mind, not other people or your surroundings, is the source of your moods.
“Your slavish obedience to the mind’s moods and impulses is a serious error. If you persist, you’ll remain yourself — and I can’t imagine a worse fate.”
When you lose your mind, you’ll come to your senses. Until then, however, I want you to continue to observe, as much as possible, the debris of your mind.”
In the following weeks, the noise in my mind reigned supreme. Wild, random, stupid thoughts; guilts, anxieties, cravings — noise. Even in sleep, the deafening soundtrack of my dreams assaulted my ears. Socrates had been right all along. I was in prison.
He’d done it again! I could almost feel my ears lengthen as I was once again transformed into a jackass.
“Anger is stronger than fear, stronger than sorrow. Your spirit is growing. You are ready for the sword — Socrates.”
Why is he ready? Because he had anger? What does it mean?
“Socrates, how do I stop my thoughts, my mind — other than by developing a sense of humor?” “First you need to understand where your thoughts come from, how they arise in the first place. For example, you have a cold now; its physical symptoms tell you when your body needs to rebalance itself, to restore its proper relationship with sunlight, fresh air, simple food. Just so, stressful thoughts reflect a conflict with reality. Stress happens when the mind resists what is.”
“You see, Dan, when you resist what happens, your mind begins to race; the thoughts that assail you are actually created by you.”
“You were a very nervous fish, fleeing every large ripple. Later, you became used to the ripples but still had no insight into their cause. You can see,” he continued, “that a magnificent leap of awareness is required for the fish to extend its vision beyond the water in which it is immersed to the source of the ripples. “A similar leap of awareness will be required of you. When you understand the source clearly, you’ll see that the ripples of your mind have nothing to do with you; you’ll just watch them, without attachment, no longer compelled to overreact every time a pebble drops. You will
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“Socrates, I wish you wouldn’t sneak up on me like that. Couldn’t you make some noise?” He smiled, and spoke. “Silence is the warrior’s art — and meditation is his sword. With it, you’ll cut through your illusions. But understand this: the sword’s usefulness depends upon the swordsman.
Meditation can initially help you to relax. You may put your ‘sword’ on display, proudly show it to friends. The gleam of this sword distracts many meditators until they abandon it to seek other esoteric techniques.
“Meditation consists of two simultaneous processes: One is insight — paying attention to what is arising. The other is surrender — letting go of attachment to arising thoughts. This is how you cut free of the mind.”
We ate. I stabbed at my vegetables with a fork; he picked up each small bite with wooden chopsticks, breathing quietly as he chewed. He never picked up another bite until he was completely done with the first, as if each bite was a small meal in itself. I kind of admired the way he ate as I chomped merrily away.
“I’m not sure all of that sank in.” “Of course not.” He laughed. “Words mean little unless you realize the truth of it yourself. And when you do, you’ll be free at last.”
Your attention must burn. Aimlessly rolling around a gym mat doesn’t develop a champion; sitting with your eyes closed and letting your mind wander doesn’t train your attention. Focus! Do or die!”
koan
Try find some of them.
“By the end of the hour, facing imminent death, my awareness broke through the mind’s barriers.”
“Why should a warrior sit around meditating?” I asked. “I thought the warrior’s way was about action.” “Sitting meditation is the beginner’s practice. Eventually, you will learn to meditate in every action. Sitting serves as a ceremony, a time to practice balance, ease, and divine detachment. Master the ritual before you expand the same insight and surrender fully into daily life.
I lay in bed but couldn’t sleep, wondering whether I could discover his secret. It seemed even more important right now than jumping up onto rooftops.
“Let it go,” he said. “Let it go.”
To my surprise, Socrates frowned. “What will be, will be.”
I boarded the “F” bus to San Francisco, connecting with Airport Transit,
What does this mean?
“Danny, college life must agree with you. You seem different — more relaxed, nicer to be around
In the past I had noticed a light that seemed to encircle him, but I’d assumed it was only my tired eyes. I wasn’t tired now, and there was no doubt about it — it was a barely perceptible aura. “Socrates,” I said, “there’s a light shining around your body. Where does it come from?” “Clean living,” he grinned.
“Now you’re a fool with spirit, Dan. And that’s a very big difference. You still have a chance of finding the gate.” “Gate?” “The realm of the warrior is guarded by something like a gate. It is well hidden, like a monastery in the mountains. Many knock, but few enter.” “Well, show me where it is. I’ll find a way in.” “It’s not so simple, bumpkin. The gate exists inside you, and you alone must find it. But you’re not ready yet, not nearly ready. If you attempted to pass through the gate now, it would mean almost certain death. There’s much to be done before you’re prepared to pass through.”
“Each of us has the capacity to find the gate and pass through, but few are interested. This is very important. I didn’t decide to teach you because of any unique capacity you possessed — as a matter of fact, you have glaring weaknesses along with your strong points — but you have the will to make this journey.”
“I’ve just introduced a little more energy into your body than you’re used to; it will accelerate the healing processes. It burns only where you have knots. If you were free of obstructions — if your mind was clear, your heart open, and your body free of tension — you’d experience the energy as an indescribable pleasure, better than sex. You’d think you were in heaven, and in a way, you’d be right.”
“Warriors are always held in fear and awe.”
“Fear and sorrow inhibit action; anger generates it. When you learn to make proper use of your anger, you can change fear and sorrow to anger, then turn anger to action. That’s the body’s secret of internal alchemy.”
“To rid yourself of old patterns, focus all your energy not on struggling with the old, but on building the new.” “How can I control my habits if I can’t even seem to control my emotions?” “You don’t need to control emotion,” he said. “Emotions are natural, like passing weather. Sometimes it’s fear, sometimes sorrow or anger. Emotions are not the problem. The key is to transform the energy of emotion into constructive action.”
“In your present state of evolution, you cannot ‘eat sunlight’ except in limited ways. When humanity does develop this ability, the digestive organs will become vestigial and laxative companies will go out of business. For now, a proper diet allows you to make the most direct use of the sun’s energy. This energy helps you focus your attention, sharpening your concentration into a slashing blade.”
“That means your good habits must become so strong that they dissolve those which are not useful.
“No more idle jabbering,” he said. “What comes out of your mouth is as important as what goes into it.” I learned to censor most of my more inane comments. It actually felt good to talk less, once I started getting the knack of it. I felt calmer, somehow.
I felt a constant sense of lightness and energy that radiated around me. Maybe that accounted for the number of women flirting with me, the little kids and dogs coming up to me and wanting to play. A few of my teammates started asking for advice about personal problems. No longer a small boat in a stormy sea, I started to feel like the Rock of Gibraltar. I told Socrates about these experiences. He nodded. “Your energy level is rising. People, animals, and even things are attracted to energy fields. That’s how it works.”
