Imaginary States

"Comparisons are odious" - Basho Matsuo

Zen Buddhism seems very mysterious to most people, what with all the shaved heads, black robes, endless sitting around, Japanese words for everything, and of course the famous one hand clapping. At the heart of the Zen practice, both seated on the cushion and while fully engaged in life (yes, even waiting in line somewhere) is the direct experience of reality. Reality as it is, without any filters or stories, which usually come in the form of thoughts.

Let's look at a little reality and see how Zen works, shall we?

Let's say you just bought a new car, and you're backing out of a parking space at the Piggly Wiggly. Your two year old is in the back seat. An inattentive driver talking on the phone runs into your car doing two or three miles per hour, causing some damage to your trunk and rear bumper. How do you think almost everybody is going to react? Are you (insert south Jersey epithet here) kidding me? They're going to be irritated, angry or worse. What other way is there to experience that reality?

Have you ever stopped to think exactly why people react this way? I mean REALLY stopped to think about it?

I’m not a psychologist and I don’t even play one on TV, but I have an opinion. I believe the reason is that humans immediately start comparing reality as it is (the fender bender state) with a totally imaginary state in which the fender bender has not happened. When comparing the present reality (the fender bender) to a totally imaginary state in which the car is still intact, most people prefer the totally imaginary state in which nobody has hit their car.

Who wouldn’t?

This comparison, this story about how things should be causes people to become "pissed off", resentful, anxious or irritated. (I'm sure I've left out a few)

For the past twenty five hundred years, Buddhists have used the term "suffering" to describe this dreary and never-ending comparison of reality to something, well, other than reality. “Suffering” manifests itself most commonly as a continuous, grating sense of discomfort and unease, even when things are going well.

To recap, what is standing between you and reality as it is, is generally a story - a comparison of the present reality with another totally imaginary state. In other words, a Barbie and Ken fantasy world. That story usually sounds like this: "I would like it better if this fender bender hadn't happened. As a matter of fact, I would be much, much happier." Anytime you find yourself wishing you were in your Barbie and Ken world, you are invariably restless and unhappy.

You are suffering, as Buddhists never tire of pointing out.

Let's turn the tables for a moment here and ask why we don't ever compare the present reality to another totally imaginary state most would consider a lot less desirable. (sort of a Barbie and Ken Warsaw ghetto) The other totally imaginary story goes something like this: The distracted driver is going much faster this time and broadsides your car on the passenger side, killing your two year old child instantly.

Which do you prefer now?

The reality of the minor fender bender or the darker, but still totally imaginary story where your child is dead? Most people would be shouting, even crying for joy that it was only a fender bender. They would be ecstatic. A better outcome is hardly possible!

So dude, how is it that you were pissed off just a few seconds ago?

Here's a clue to seeing reality as it is: don't compare it to anything. Buddhists call this nirvana, or enlightenment.

Sounds hard, uh? Let's assume you had a little help from a neurologist. She could flip a switch in your brain so that you were incapable of imagining any other reality than the "fender bender has occurred" state. No "worse" or "better" states. What would the fender bender reality be like then? It would be totally devoid of drama or regret, for one thing. You would quickly and efficiently assure nobody was hurt, including your child, the other driver and maybe his passengers. You would exchange insurance information. You would determine if your car is still drivable, and proceed home or to a good body shop for an estimate. If not, you would simply call a tow truck. You might even take the time to notice the exquisite, Picasso-like shape your crumpled bumper has taken on. There would be mental space available to appreciate the fact that this is the first cool and beautifully crisp day of fall after a hot summer.

So stop comparing, already!

I heard a Zen master named John Tarrant speak recently in Phoenix. He used the metaphor of using your own crude, hand-drawn (and wildly inaccurate) maps to navigate life rather than the exquisitely accurate maps created by reality. No wonder most people are lost in this world.

We're just using the wrong maps.