About Steven AitchisonI’d like to introduce you to a concept called the Kairu-Kensho mind.
Basically Kairu means dark and Kensho meaning illuminated mind.
Kairu Mind
What we are going to be discussing here is when we are in a fearful situation or fearful of something we are in the Kairu mind, the dark state of our mind so we aren’t really thinking logically, we’re not really thinking, we’re at an emotional level, thinking about our fears. We are really in the dark and not rising above it and from a different perspective or objectively and really subjectively and have built up in our minds in the movie of our minds, it’s become an epic adventure a Hollywood blockbuster and that fear is a huge fear in our lives. So we are in our Kairu part of our mind when we are thinking about fear.
Kensho Mind
Now to lift ourselves up to the Kensho part of our mind, that’s a Zen Buddhist term, where you mind is briefly illuminated so you can see for a second or two just exactly how life should be or how life is, so it’s like a moment of awakening.
We will all have these Kensho moments in our lives when we say ‘ah I get it’ when someone is speaking about something and we suddenly get something.
So we need to raise our minds up to live more in the Kensho part of our minds. And the way to do this is to become more aware of ourselves and bring our selves back to the present time.
As I have said before fear doesn’t live in the present, fear doesn’t live in the past, fear lives in the future when your thinking about something you are fearful of, you are thinking of possible future events or outcomes of events that you are fearful of, so we have to bring ourselves back to the present and become aware of the here and now.
Losing it all
For example I used to play the stock market 1998, and when I say playing I mean playing, I would buy hundreds of thousand of shares simply because I had a good credit line with my company.
Sometimes I would see a share and I would research it, I would look at the charts etc say it was 10 pence just now for that share so I would buy 100 thousand shares. When I seen the shares going down I would be fearful of losing money so I wouldn’t sell, I thought ‘ok it’s going to come back up, it’s going to come back up’ because I was so fearful of losing money. So if I sold that share for 9 pence it meant I was losing 1000 pounds so every penny it dropped down I would lose 1000 pounds.
So my mind, the Kairu part of my mind, would stay in fear and say ‘I’m afraid to lose money’ so I wouldn’t sell, so if it dipped down another penny to 8 pence means I would potentially lose 2000 pounds on paper, and what my mind would say to me is, ‘it’s ok you’re not really losing 2000 pounds because its only on paper its only when you sell that you realise the real loss’. So my mind is saying if you sell just now you’ve really lost £2000. Then it would dip down to 7 pence and I still wouldn’t sell, then it would be 6 pence finally I would come up to the Kensho part of the mind, and just say ‘listen this could go all the way down to zero and I would lose £10,000 whereas now I’m only going to lose £4000 if I sell at 6 pence’, so I’ve come up to the Kensho part of the mind and come into the here and now, stopped thinking about the fear of losing money and looked at it from an objective view point, I’ve looked down upon it and said ok I might be losing £4000 but it’s much better than losing £10,000.
Similarly if I had bought the same share at 10 pence and it ticked up to 11 pence it means, on paper, I’m a £1000 up and then if it ticks up to 12 pence then I’m £2000 up, and then my mind would say right I need to lock in the profits, I’d say I need to get a profit, I need to get a profit so I’d think about selling the share. But I really wouldn’t do it because I thought it would tick up some more and then if it went down I thought ‘oh my god I’ve only got a £1500 instead of £2000′ so I’d be fearful of losing money again even though it was going up. I’d sell and realise the profit of £1500 and then watch it as it grows and grows until maybe 17,18, 19 pence sometime and that has actually happened, all because my fear of losing money at both ends of the scale. Now if you are a good stock trader, if you are a good stock broker you’ll know that you have to buy low and sell high that’s the maxim of stock brokers.
Coming back to reality
So we have to bring ourselves back to reality and we have to bring ourselves back to the present when we are thinking about fearful situations because you can‘t make good decisions when you are in fear.
When you are in fear of something you can‘t possibly make a good decision, it’s not based on sound judgement so you have to momentarily take yourself back up, almost outside yourself, and look at it from an objective view point, and to do that you have to come back to the present. Coming back to the present is just being aware of what your doing in this particularly moment in time.
For example what are you doing right now? You might say that’s a stupid question I’m sitting down reading this post. Obviously I don’t’ know that, but you must let yourself be aware, so right not I’m sitting down, I’m typing away with the light from the computer shining at me, I’ve got my computer in front of me, I’ve got a photo of my family in front of me, as well I’ve got a wall, I’ve got a door, I’ve got another computer, a chair a carpet, so I’m being aware of my surroundings. When you’re being aware of the present moment there is no way you can be fearful because you’re grounded in the moment you’re in the here and now.
If you constantly remind yourself to come back to the present your decisions in life will come from the Kensho mind.
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Steve, you write “We will all have these Kensho moments in our lives when we say ‘ah I get it’ when someone is speaking about something and we suddenly get something.”
I’m sorry, Steve, but ‘Kensho’ is nothing like that at all!
I suppose we’ll soon see Ebooks and courses on ‘How to get Kensho in 10 Easy Steps’ if personal development bloggers latch on to Zen as something that sells … that would be quite funny.
As an authorized Zen Master, I suggest to be wary about taking this direction. You’re such a good blogger, Steve, and you have so much to share – about thing you really know about.
Mary | Goodlife ZEN recently posted..How to Speak in Public With Confidence – And Be On Top of Your Game
HI Mary. I respect your knowledge on this subject and your reply. However, I am not talking about becoming a zen buddhist, it’s a concept for everyday life with a term taken from Zen Buddhism to illustrate how to look at life differently, so no there are not going to be any ebooks on reaching Kensho
Dear Steve, What an amazing tool to help us be RIGHT NOW. I am at my husband’s office (Sunday) as we both had work to do today and it allowed us to at least be near each other. As I read this I let myself focus on each thing you mentioned and I could really see how grounding this REALLY is. It works!! I think this could be used even in times of high stress, as I found it much like a meditation.
Loved this part: “…but you must let yourself be aware, so right now I’m sitting down, I’m typing away with the light from the computer shining at me, I’ve got my computer in front of me, I’ve got a photo of my family in front of me, as well I’ve got a wall, I’ve got a door, I’ve got another computer, a chair a carpet, so I’m being aware of my surroundings. ”
Just doing that in my environment here at the office REALLY works. How simple and effective. Thank you dear friend….for everything. So appreciate you. Robin : )
Robin Easton recently posted..A Day for Sharing
Hi Robin. As always thank you for your comments, you always bring something more to the table. I am so glad you enjoyed this.
Thankyou so much for this imformation,i will be busy reading.hope it works for me??
Hi Steven,
There is beautiful wisdom in your words. The more we can stay spaciously in the present moment while also recognizing the true nature of the mind and reality, the more we can free ourselves of constricting emotions like fear. May we all lift ourselves up out of the kairu mind!
Sandra Lee recently posted..The true meaning of Zen Hint- it’s not a habit
Hi Sandra. Thank you for your comments. you’ve hit the nail on the head by saying fear is constricting us, as soon as we realise this we can try and move past it.
Hi Steven! Very interesting concept. It makes perfect sense. Our fears are based on experiences that we’ve had in the past, even if through the news or TV. If we only concentrate on the now without taking in consideration the past or the future, we’ll have a clearer mind and make clearer decisions.
Great points. Loving blessings!
Andrea DeBell – britetalk recently posted..Must-Read Tips for Great Friendships
Hi Andrea, when I got the concept of fear living in the future it was quite a revelation, and it changed the way I thought about fear altogether.
I lost a lot of money by trading at the stock market.
As you said, fear played its part.
Thanks for the nice insight. It is very relevant and helpful.
Thanks
Jacob
Jacob recently posted..True Love of mother
Thanks for your comments Jacob.
Really interesting and I think helpful concept. Thanks a lot, Steven, for such a detailed description of this!
Roman Soluk recently posted..Why should you avoid flirting at work
Thanks for your comments Roman.
We hear it all the time. ‘Live in the present moment!’…Then we say, ‘oh but of course…’ then forget again! Here’s another timely reminder!
‘Mercy Buckets!’
Hey Rosie, good to have you back, when’s your blog ready?
Thanks for your words, don’t know if you’re being sarcastic or not, never can tell with you
It’s a funny thing. I had an undiagnosed ilness for three years, and had lots and lots of time to be in the present moment. I believe I did it very well. I don’t wish to dissuade anyone from what works for them but I’m not sure if I recovered due to this, yes it’s certainly given me a lot of good body memories of a time when I felt complete. In fact I did it last night and felt blended with the star I was looking at it, my mind felt as though it was blending with something very different yet same, this feeling stayed with me through today, yet I’ve still been angry, fed up, happy torn. I love the paradox between being and doing. Do they really exist without each other like many books and people seem to profess. Gone a bit off tangent to the nature of the blog…never mind. Being is essentially most important yet will change occur through being, will I get home by being or will I be doing? Perhpas somenones comment will illuminate me.
Hi Steve,
Your experience in the Stock Market is a wonderful illustration of how we can sabotage our best intentions for prosperity. Obeying the rational mind has reacting instead of creating. There is a feeeeling, a knowingness that comes from listening to the heart-mind. It’s that feeling… not the reasons… that have us prosperous in any domain of life.
Hi Rob. As always, you laser in on something that seems trivial at first, but is really significant. The stockmarket can’t be played listening to the heart-mind, but the going into the markets in the first place should be listened to, as you say, with the heart-mind. It was always going to end one way.
Thanks for sharing, Steven! Living in fear is really debilitating, all that we truly have is the present. The past is over and done with and the future is only what we imagine it to be. It would obviously be unwise to live completely in the present without planning for the future but for our mental and emotional well being we are far better off keeping focused on the present.
Stacy recently posted..Finding Joy in Unexpected Places
Hi Stacy, thanks for your comments I really appreciate them. Of course it is impossible to live totally in the present without planning for the future, but living more in the present should be our goal.
I am a little confused in the fact that we always have to find a name for something. When I talk about happiness I refer to enjoy the moment, enjoy the time, the day you are in. Now you have a name for this “Kensho Mind”. I really appreciate your thinking and this article, but if it is all the same to you, I’m still going to go with living in the present moment, because when I do this I am aware of what is around me and the words I am typing in this space I have for a comment. Which I really appreciate you having this space for me to use. lol
Thanks Steve and you my friend have a wonderful week.
Debbie
HI Debbie, there’s always a name for everything, it’s our interpretation of the name that makes life confusing for a lot of people. Thanks for your comments and making me think about this a little more.
As always your words and spirit make me feel good Steve. I’m sitting at my computer right now too, needless to say, inviting a few words onto the screen. Dusk has just fallen here in Colorado, and outside my little study window the local crickets have started their night-time serenade.
A few minutes back I was out walking getting my dog fix for the day. JoAnn and I don’t have a dog, I get my dog fix enjoying other people’s dogs.
The circumstances of my life change — but back of all the change I realize more and more is something beautiful and inspiring that doesn’t change. My “kensho” self perhaps…With you across the miles Steve, and with everyone else who enjoys your great blog.
Christopher Foster recently posted..Trust your own being and be free
Hi Christopher, thank you for your very kind words.
What a beautiful scene you set at the beginning of your comment, I could picture it quite clearly. Why do you and JoAnn not get a dog?
Good question Steve. We’ve talked about it. Thus far anyway it seems to work to be self-centered and let other people take care of dogs while I enjoy patting them…
hello Steven I like your post very much . I am always looking for something that makes me inspire and help me to live life cheerfully.
I thought my mind set up is kairu even i know my weakness and always trying to improve this by motivating myself or trying to be in kensho mind but thing is after few days it again back to its previous state kairu state .
what should i do give me solution.
It is knowing when that a-ha moment is that is the problem. It takes courage, strength and work to really look from ‘outside in’ at our own lives and decisions. But when we can do that, all fear falls aside, we act with conviction and knowledge and are able to persue all our dreams.
Hi Steven, thinking of this your last line, “If you constantly remind yourself to come back to the present your decisions in life will come from the Kensho mind”. When you are aware of your thoughts being somewhere else than yourself you are being conscious.
The question is if it is possible to reach this kind of consciousness without having to remind oneself about it? To be able to be present in the moment without having to think about it.
Tom Sörhannus recently posted..Living Among The Stars
Hi Steven. Thanks for introducing me to the Kairu-Kensho concept. There’s great benefit in anything related to focusing on the present moment. Considering the fast pace of life these days, it is difficult to remain focused and fearless. However, it helps to keep reminding yourself that now is all there is.
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