The Big Mind

[Jinho]

Re: The Big Mind

Hi Will - thank you for your thank you, they do matter.....

And Kiddo, thank you for your post.

And thank you to everyone else for their posts, so much to think about.

gassho,
rowan

[CinnamonGal]

Re: The Big Mind

Did the Big Mind Process locally last spring and also thought although it was pricy the cost was quite reasonable.

I learnt a thing or two about the voices :roll: but still wondered what it had to do with Zen. The Big Mind experience was overwhelming but did not last :roll:.

I believe the Big Mind process is used as part of the Integral training and heard (on the intergralnaked.org) a few interviews between a teacher and a student in which the teacher - Diane Musho Hamilton to be more precise - used it (asking the specific voice depending on the situatiuon) to help the student see a particular issue from a different perspective. Very much like a therapy session.

Gassho,

Irina

[ScottyDoo]

Re: The Big Mind

I live in Utah and the Kanzeon Center in SLC is really the most well known Buddhist center, let alone Zen, in the state for sure. I have not participated in anything personally yet, though I do have the DVD and will eventually watch it =)

[disastermouse]

Re: The Big Mind

Some thoughts.

I sat at Kanzeon and I've used Mr. Harris' Holosync (got to about level 3).

Kanzeon was my first introduction to institutional Zen. It wasn't a terrible place. I've downloaded some videos of the Big Mind process (since erased), and I have to say I'm unimpressed and in no way see its connection to Zen.

Holosync was terrible for me. I have a psychological condition that reduces my stress tolerance pretty significantly, and holosync just shredded me. Like, 'afraid the government was coming to get me' shredded me. I would recommend that anyone attempting to use Binaural Beat entrainment should instead opt for Neuro Programmer or Mind Workstation instead. You can customize the entrainment and you can avoid the stress of binaural beats altogether and use isochronic beats instead. It's also a LOT cheaper - even Mind Workstation - which is also very sophisticated and has a more significant learning curve.

I would think that Byron Katie's 'The Work' process would be a better discursive counterpoint to zazen (as opposed to 'Big Mind') - helping to dissipate the hold of those unexamined thoughts and emotions with which we especially identify.

My girlfriend has a problem with Genpo mostly because he hosted a talk about 'Big Mind' at ZCLA once, and whenever someone asked him about the specifics of the 'Big Mind' process, he said "You should come to the seminar and find out for yourself." The seminar was somewhat costly. Then again, Katie's seminars are VERY expensive as well - but she's not Buddhist either. Anything you want to learn about her process can be learned cheaply or even for free.

In the final analysis, I'm a bit nervous about what Genpo is doing with the joining of identity psychology with Zen. He advertises 'Big Mind' as a shortcut to the realization of Zen. I'm far from enlightened, and my kensho experience is not 'sanctioned' by any particular teacher - but what he advocates is a far cry from the simple 'dropping of body and mind' that I very briefly experienced. Then again - seeing as he's the endorsed teacher, it could be my experience that is suspect.

Chet