ZEN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF QUANTUM MECHANICS - 11

Matrix - 3

Now I’ll dwell on what it means that some complex systems must be broken from within to achieve a more advanced state -- especially when it comes to the development of consciousness and hence, understanding. I’ll also look at what viewing these problems through the lens of Zen can offer us, and why adopting this Zen perspective really means something revolutionary.

Creative destruction

The idea that some complex systems must be broken from within to reach a higher level of advancement isn’t new. I asked ChatGPT and DeepSeek what they knew about it, and here’s their list:

1. Hegelian Dialectics (Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis)
In this sense, the old system is “destroyed” or transcended to reach a more advanced state.

2. Creative Destruction (Schumpeterian Economics)
Joseph Schumpeter argued that capitalism advances through “creative destruction”, where outdated industries and systems collapse to make way for innovation.

3. Revolutionary Theory (Marxism, Anarchism, etc.)
Revolutionary ideologies often argue that stagnant or oppressive systems (feudalism, capitalism, and so on) can’t be reformed and must be overthrown from within by the exploited classes. The collapse of the old order is seen as necessary for a more just one to emerge.

4. Systems Theory & Complexity Science
Some theorists say breakdowns (financial crises, ecosystem collapses, etc.) are necessary for systems to reorganise at a higher level of complexity.

5. Mythological & Psychological Perspectives (Phoenix, Nietzsche, Jung)
The phoenix myth symbolises rebirth through destruction. Nietzsche’s idea of “eternal recurrence” and Jung’s “individuation” also involve breaking down old structures (ego, social norms) to reach higher consciousness or authenticity

One simple principle for how consciousness develops

What interests me most is that this is exactly how consciousness develops. To reach a higher level of consciousness -- deeper self-awareness, wider perception, greater clarity of mind -- it can only happen from within. It's always got to be your own effort, although you can be inspired by someone else's example, of course. (Otherwise we could just use hypnosis to get the best results, but it doesn’t work like that.*)

It's easy to see why this is so: becauise the very nature of understanding -- it's something one can only achieve on one's own. Everything we call “development of consciousness” is simply another name for understanding. And as we’ve already seen, understanding can sometimes be a form of destruction from within.

This is also how psychoanalysis works: you don’t need to create a new, more advanced self -- it's already there potentially. All you need to do is remove the roadblocks in your way.

It’s now becoming common awareness that this simple principle lies at the heart of personal growth. As brain coach Jim Kwik put it: “When an egg is broken from the outside, life ends. When an egg is broken from within, life begins. Great things always begin from the inside.”

Dynamic systems

Actually, we can get some intuitive idea of why destruction can sometimes bring such surprising results if we think in terms of dynamic systems: as potentialities -- some might call them energy, or even chaos -- turning into actualities.

This transformation can be imagined as a flow of potentialities that’s guided, shaped, and constrained by an attractor. I call such attractors Matrices** -- they’re like straitjackets, restricting potentialities and turning them into actualities. (This image may at least show why it’s so important to implement reforms in a timely manner if you don't want to trigger a revolution.)

And for some unknown reason, when these potentialities, by their own natural pressure, disrupt or even destroy their confines from within, the system evolves to a higher level of complexity.

What does Zen have to offer?

This is where Zen can give us some insight. The idea of potentialities transforming into actualities is how the Zen mind perspectives the world: when time flows for you from the future to the past. In other words, in this state of mind, you experience a reversed arrow of time, which particularly means that your present state is determined not by past states, but by the future -- that's how one can become free from one's karma, one's past in other words.

There are two theories that are, on the one hand, closely related and, on the other, study completely different phenomena: Chaos Theory and Complexity Theory. The former looks at cases like the butterfly effect, where small changes can have huge impacts on a system and plunge it into chaos. The latter focuses on situations where order spontaneously emerges from chaos.

We can say these are two perspectives from two different arrows of time. The oppositely directed one suggests the existence of anti-entropy, so that when potentialities destroy their attractor from within, a new one -- a new Matrix -- emerges spontaneously, forming an even more complex structure for the same reason that in the quantum world, the formation of new hierarchies means an increase in entropy.

Of course, this is speculation. But, firstly, I completely agree that speculations and guesses should always be tested empirically -- so that the two arrows of time can match in their wholeness. And secondly, you can only really understand how something works when you look at it from the right perspective. But this new perspective -- this new model or theory -- can't be worked out empirically in principle.

A unique perspective

And Zen offers us a unique perspective -- one of an entirely unentangled, free entity -- the perspective from the oppositely directed arrow of time. Only from here can you really understand how the mind works (and the Universe in general).

Seeing the world from this perspective -- or being in this state of mind -- lets you:
Firstly, anticipate the future -- what I call Zen intuition.
Secondly, grasp a situation or subject as a whole, and this is what understanding actually is -- if you really understand something, you can do it -- so let's define understanding this way.
And thirdly, derive a general rule based on just a few clues -- one of the few areas where humans are certain to keep an advantage over AI. In fact, this ability is intrinsic to the process of thinking.

How do we actually think?

The majority simply don't realise how they think. They believe that thinking is their internal dialogue. But in fact, when they start to reflect on some matter, they're just saying to themselves what they already know, or let's say potentially know -- in other words, what they've already managed to grasp as a whole, to understand  -- and this potential knowledge is a real mystery.

Note: when we talk to ourselves, we drain ourselves. And to re-charge, we need to interrupt our train of thoughts -- by sleeping, doing zazen, concentrating on reality etc -- that's when the real magic happens.

Also note that in this case you reach the next level of understanding as if without needing to destroy your prejudices and complexes, but simply by quietly getting around them -- sometimes it works this way.

To summarise what understanding is

So, let's summarise what we can learn about understanding from Zen perspective.

Understanding, as we've defined it, is the ability to perceive things as a whole. But you can experience it in slightly different ways.

You can experience it as a result of destruction of your previous delusions, the Matrices, that restrict you.You experience the result of this destruction as Nothingness -- I've no idea what it means in physical sense -- and as your true self and pure understanding. I'd say you feel that Nothingness is the ultimate negation or denial of everything. What Zen calls kensho is exactly this kind of experience -- when you suddenly feel like a bomb is about to go off in your tanden. This experience could be quite profound so that you may conclude that if there is anything that can be considered as God or Truth, it's the process of destruction on Matrices (from within).

Sometimes you can reach the next level of understanding without needing to destroy your delusions, but simply by getting around them. And then from there, from the standpoint of your new more advanced self, you can look at your previous delusions (and maybe destroy them).

But in either case, to destroy your delusions, you must already have outgrown them -- that is, already potentially be at that higher level.

And when you're like a wave-function, unentangled and not restricted by anything, you can experience understanding as pure negation -- that is, you deny really and by this you understand it. Negation in this sense is another word for true self -- it's like Nothingness, but usually not that deep.

The conclusion that begs

If we want to get anywhere close to understanding how the Universe -- and the mind in particular -- actually works, we've got to consider a phenomenon that has remained elusive to scientific methods so far. This is because it may be empirically undetectable in principle: the reverse arrow of time. And Zen -- the correct version of Zen, mind you -- is precisely the practice of viewing the world from the perspective of this time's arrow.

_______________________

* In fact, any external influence or suggestion can only bring a person to the level of average tribal thinking. Suggestion is, by its very nature, a tribal thing -- religion is a prime example of this.

** For example, in this view, the personal unconscious is a personal Matrix for each individual, while the collective unconscious and collective knowledge might be something like Rupert Sheldrake's morphogenetic fields: a Matrix that's one for many:

A Funny Koan

There is a simple method to achieve a state in which you feel yourself and the object you're watching as one; and to do this correctly means that you should fully realize the object: ie, this practice is not about just turning off the left hemisphere. 

Working on Mu

One of the few books about Zen that I recommend you is Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy by Katsuki Sekida, and I once already referred to the chapter 'Working on Mu', now you can reread it.

What is Mu? This is the first koan, and Sekida gives the answer: '"Mu" means "nothing"'. And he is right: there is no point to hide the answer since you have to prove your competence only to yourself; and the answer, I believe, should be even more specific because Mu is the basis on which the further practice is built.

Let's Die! :-)

Your goal is to see things as they really are - you'll solve all your problems by doing this.

There is an archetype, or let's say a point of view within, that if you look from it, you perceive reality correctly (and even become identical to it). It can be either the point Seika no Itten or the Opposite Point (on the spine exactly at this level of Seika no Itten.) Which of these two points it's better to choose depends on which one it's easier for you to find at the moment. From either of these points you can evaluate what's happening around.

Over time, you naturally come to the understanding that this new viewpoint is not compatible with your former immature self must die: this is an obligatory part of Zen practice, and as I understand, through this go even those who work with koans.

This technique will enable you to see the world as if for the first time without any emotional coloring. When doing the walking zazen, imagine that you're dead, and it's your spirit is travelling unnoticed (this exercise makes sense only if you feel like an immovable centre relative to which you're moving everything around with the legs.) How does everything around you look now? As for me, having a neurosis, I was glad to get rid of my former self; I really loved being dead! This is a curious experience, which some even confuse with enlightenment. Enlightenment comes later: having gone through all this, you should finally resurrect but in a new quality.

At this stage, try to live just by reason, not intuition; try to see the world as if you saw it for the first time; try to see people only as some amount of flesh and bones.

Looking from the Darkness behind You

There is another trick for beginners: sometimes instead of focusing on the point Seika no Itten or on the Animal, you may find it's easier to concentrate on your back, which will enable you to feel the whole body. That is, you can concentrate on your back and as a result be aware of the whole body.

This works especially well if you're doing the walking zazen: try to see the world from your back (from shoulder level to the tailbone) through the eye sockets - ie, try to see from the darkness behind you while pulling the road towards you with the legs. Remember, you can be fully aware of your body and of the outer world at the same time if and only if you feel like an immovable centre relative to which you move everything around (with the legs, for example.) Over time, in this way you'll learn to think with your body.

You Have to Get Used to This New Way of Looking at the World

So, you don't just walk but rotate the earth with the legs - now you perceive the world in a different way. This is a different, new point of view, and you have to get used to it. Do this exercise: as you start to rotate the earth, imagine that you're pursuing someone or being pursued - now the situation looks completely different for you, not like as if you walked like all 'normal' people (and I prefer to do this type of meditation in a deserted place.) Now you're changing the situation with the legs - try to figure out what I mean.

You have to get used to this new way of looking at the world. Accustomed, you'll learn to grasp the situation as a whole.

The Walking Zazen: The Main Trick - Concentrating on the Outer World

 See also The Walking Zazen


It was the summer of 1995 in Sofia; it was already evening, and I was exhausted after spending the whole day in search of new clients. So I found a deserted place near an abandoned railway, right next to the Danone factory, and started to try to freshen myself up.

I began to walk along the rail, training balance, but since I did this unprofessional, looking at the rail about a meter in front of me, I could also see my legs. In this way I was walking for 20 or 30 minutes when I suddenly noticed an interesting thing: I already felt that it wasn't me moving on a immovable rail, but now the rail was moving toward me, ie, for me, I was immovable while the earth was moving relative to me. 'Actually, that's the correct perception of the world,' I said to myself. Thereafter, I knowingly started training this feeling, and I was right.

The Main Trick

The Walking Zazen

I start describing my zazen method that I call the Walking Zazen (although it's not a trademark.) I'll also give you some exercises from which you can select the one that suits you best at the moment. In fact, I didn't invent anything new: it's just an easier way to achieve what Zen followers have traditionally achieved by doing sitting zazen. Someday, in the long run, I hope to please you with some new or even scandalous ideas, but this won't probably happen until next year.

The Walking Zazen: Sync Steps and Breathing

Sitting Zazen 2

If you do zazen the only way I described in the Sitting Zazen post, your enthusiasm most likely will be weakened soon: your interest will be weakened - that's why the practice should be as diverse as possible.

Every day you solve different internal problems, so the topics of your internal dialogue also constantly change: what you were worrying about, yesterday - certain memories, etc. - is no longer relevant today (the reasons may be different including the influence of the media, for example.) In other words, every day your unconscious manifests itself in different ways, ie, its interaction with your conscious constantly changes. As a result, every day we do zazen in different ways - zazen that we did yesterday wasn't like today's - so to insist on doing a certain type of exercise if you've already lost interest in them is just silly.

There are two main types of zazen: (1) you can concentrate on your body (on your tanden, palm, etc), (2) you can concentrate on some external object. How to do the former type I described in the Sitting Zazen post; now I' going to describe the later.

Sit in any posture as described but now put in front of you on the floor some object: a candle, tennis shoe, water bottle, etc, unless you want to stare at the floor - at a distance of one to five meters. Some prefer staring at the wall, but I don't like that. The main thing is the object must not be above the level of your eyes: it's on the same level or below (when I lived in Bulgaria, I used to meditate in the mountains at night while looking down at the glowing Sofia.) I keep the eyes slightly open without focusing too much on the object.

About the hands: I usually pinch and hold with my right hand the point Seika no Itten (below the navel at a distance of the thickness of three of your fingers: index, middle, and ring) with my left hand on top.

Otherwise, there is a classic mudra.
So, if you're tired of focusing on your body, try concentrating on an external object. It's up to you what to choose since what you need at the moment you know better than anyone else (any teacher.)

Sitting Zazen 1

How to keep your body when during zazen, see here.

Lotus Position
Lotus Position is good but not required. For it, you need to use a pillow (zafu), as shown here.

What's so special about Lotus? If sitting on a chair, for example, you put one foot on the opposite thigh, it'll be an ambitious position; if you do the same with the other foot, it'll be super-ambitious so Lotus is a super-ambitious position.

Seiza
You can also sit in the seiza posture. If you find it's difficult, you can use a pillow, as shown here.


Sitting on a Chair
You can just sit on a chair, as shown here.


When You Do Zazen, Two Things Are Very Important...

(1) Your knees (or feet, if you're sitting on a chair) must be in firm contact with the floor; why it's important will become clear later when I'll describe how to do the walking zazen (my zazen method that I practice.)

(2) As they say here,
'The position of your torso is also very important, especially the position of the fifth lumbar vertebra; keeping it in the correct position will enable the spine to be curved correctly. The belly should be without tension, and you should remain stable. My master used to say that the curving should be such that it is like the ass is looking at the sun.'
In other words, your tandem should be filled; here're some photos as illustrations: http://the-1.ru/…/v-yalte-vyberut-korolevu-belly-dance_1.jp…
http://www.japan-sumo.ru/AKI2007/1kayo.jpg
http://abzac.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/201-192x300.jpg

I don't know who you look like, as for me, I'm somewhere in the middle :-D

Then you need to focus on your breathing. There are different opinions on how to breathe during zazen, I recommend breathing by the bamboo method. Even better if you control at the same time the Point Seika no itten (you can pinch and hold it with the fingers) in the lower abdomen.

If you have any difficulties when doing sitting zazen, start with the walking zazen, and only then move to sitting meditation.

A Reminder

I remind you that the One Point (Seika no itten) located in the lower abdomen below the navel at a distance of the thickness of three of your fingers: index, middle, and ring.