Issue

5th Issue (September, 2007)

The Brains and EQ

By K.S.Chow

Introduction

The June Issue of the Buddhistdoor Newsletter reported about the resurgence of interest in Buddhadharma in Hong Kong after the advent and Departure of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh in May, 2007. The advent of the Chan master was reported to attract an impressive  response from the Buddhist participants to participate in the meditation retreat. According to my personal experience in meditation retreat, a fruitful undertaken meditation retreat  could be  a critical turning point in the spiritual life of an individual.  In actual fact, it was indeed a rare occurrence and golden opportunity  to meet and learn from a Zen  master in the modern society in an increasingly affluent  city like Hong Kong.

In the following month of June, 2007, it was also reported that the joint collaboration between Zuni Icosahedron cultural organization and  various Buddhist organizations  in Hong Kong staged a multimedia performance of Hua Yen Sūtra  (華嚴經) in the Cultural Centre of Hong Kong. The auspicious Buddhist event had also mesmerized and captivated the interest and enthusiasm of a large attendance or participation of audience or spectators. This, in actuality, augurs well for the resurrection of interest of Buddhism in Hong Kong as the growing economic affluence of the people of Hong Kong has eclipsed the light of Buddhadharma in Hong Kong hitherto since its urban modernization commenced.

That, the Buddhist populace of Hong Kong has realized mere economic affluence or wealth is not the highest good in life and that Buddhist philosophy can complement and enhance happiness derived from economic wealth amassed, mirrors that they have finally perceived this infinite, eternal light  (Dharma) of Asia. Any wise man concurs with the fact that the highest good in life is economic affluence or wealth  supported or invigorated by the wisdom of spirituality. Spirituality  does not collide with  secularity or materialism. The Hua Yen Buddhist philosophy advocates the doctrine of Four Realms of Existence (四法界): The unobstructed phenomenon(事無礙), the unobstructed principle (理無礙), the interpenetration of phenomenon and principle(理事無礙) and the interpenetrating between phenomenon and phenomenon(事事無礙). If a religious principle or absolute truth is discerned intuitively, there is no collision between the phenomenon and the principle or between secularity or conventionality and spirituality. The conventional truth and the ultimate truth interpenetrate and co-exist in harmony. In fact, the wisdom of absolute truth or spirituality synergizes with the mundane or worldly tasks or performances. The supramundane wisdom synergizes with the mundane wisdom. A wise person with accomplished supramundane wisdom or right vision facilitates his capacity or aptitude and perfects his score of EQ (Emotional quotient ). EQ is the capacity to  manage one’s five aggregates effectively and to deal with people in any social environment effectively and efficiently. True Dharma (Saddharma) lived or practiced  constructs social harmony.

Hong Kong Superiority

Traditionally, Hong Kong city differs not from other economically affluent and highly urbanized cities in the world, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Beijing, New York, Tokyo, Seoul,  Bangkok, Singapore and so on in the sense of materialism and secularism. But extreme materialism and secularism have created social ills for the city-folks. Therefore, the resurgence of Buddhism in    an affluent city like Hong Kong has captivated  my attention  and  aroused  my interest to compose  this literary work  so as to reveal and expound  the relevance  or pertinence of the wisdom of Śākyamuni Buddha in any modern affluent society today. Hong Kong is perceived as one of the most successful economic cities  in the world. According to an international survey study, Hong Kong is the second most competitive  economy in the world in the year 2006 just after United States with first placing and before the other dragon city of Singapore which is placed in third  ranking. The Fortune magazine in October, 1994, voted Hong Kong as the best city in the world  to transact  business. Its contributions as a financial centre is extolled and appreciated by the international business community.

Brains and IQ

Personal economic wealth or affluence is not the sole criterion of human  happiness or bliss. For instance, we all admit that health is definitely more important than physical or financial wealth as it is the fundamental  determinant of human well-being and happiness. Most importantly, it facilitates the acquisition and accumulation of wealth.  We cannot deny that money may be important in many aspects but one thing is certain that money may not be able to purchase various human treasures, such as health, love, good-relationship, happiness, wisdom, repute  and so on. Having admitted the universal truth that health is more important than material wealth, it would be edifying and wise to search for the primordial or  elementary origin or cause of good health. Regular exercises, balanced diet and sufficient sleep may be causes of good health but they are not the primordial seeds of good health. The religious masters, psychologists, health experts and medical doctors concur that mental health is the primordial origin of good health. Mental appeasement and inner happiness,   which are closely correlated with religious  philosophy, are root-causes of good mental health. Good mental health is freedom  from mental contaminations or taints. The mental contaminations or taints include stresses, tensions,  fears, envies, rages, depressions, worries and anxieties which steer us day to day. Dr. Mao, a health expert,  in his article on ‘Secrets of Longevity’  affirms thus:

Stress has become a part of the fabric of our busy lives, but it wreaks havoc on our health – and our lives.

What is then the contigent or immediate cause for the absence the  mental appeasement and inner happiness which are not experienced by majority  of us who  either live in busy, urban cities or even in the remote rural localities?   The contigent or immediate cause is that the majority  of us have excessively favoured the use of left-brain thinking  and downplayed or ignored the utility of the right-brain thinking. This imbalance is the root of suffering and poor mental health.  Religious philosophical wisdom is closely connected with right-brain functioning or thinking. Human beings have suffered or have been distressed due to this darkness of  ignorance of the importance of the right-brain thinking. This human shortcoming or drawback has been pinpointed   by  both brain scientists, advanced educationists, eminent  philosophers and enlightened or wise religionists. Those are solely left brain thinkers, which form the majority of human species, are ascertained to be relatively low in EQs(Emotional Quotients). EQ is the capacity to manage one’s emotions effectively and exercise   one’s social skill prudently  in human interactions or social intercourses. Those, who are both left and right-thinkers, are ascertained to  possess  relatively high EQs. Let’s therefore analyse the modes of the left and right-brain functions to be convinced of the propositions  of the experts or savants on the significance of right-brain functioning and  its relevance to EQ. According to Bernice Mc Carthy, who is adept in the 4MAT System teaching Styles with Right/Left Mode Techniques, the distinctions between left-brain thinking and right-brain thinking are illustrated as follows:

Distinctions between Left and Right Brains
Left-brain Thinking	Right-brain Thinking
Logical Sequential Rational Analytical Objective Looks at parts	Random Intuitive# Holistic Synthesizing Subjective Looks at wholes  #The highlighted items correspond with Buddhist wisdom.

I was first exposed to the theory and functions  of left and right-brains and transcendental meditation technique  by a brain scientist, Dr. A.J.A Peter more than fifteen  years ago in Kuala Lumpur. His so called Mind Control course instantaneously transformed me into a Buddhist meditator, a great lover of my religion - the Buddhadharma, and a very creative school teacher. Dr. A.J.A Peter had even instructed the United Nations officials on with his Mind Control course pertaining to the different frequencies or levels of the mental consciousness then. But unfortunately, the significance of the left and right brain functionings was  not viewed and taken up seriously by educationists, teachers and lecturers in the education field. Today, it is unfortunate to perceive a sharp decline in educational standards among the  students  in both developing and developed countries throughout the world due to the overemphasis on the use of left-brain thinking and ignoring the importance of right-brain thinking. The ministries of education of far-sighted countries attempt to address the decline of educational  or quality  by introducing the creative pedagogy which helps activate the functioning of both brains. But unfortunately, the increasing examination constraints and tensions imposed on the teachers have diluted their interest and energy in the employment of  this creative or multi-intelligence pedagogy in their class or lecture  rooms. But, fortunately, it is not the end of the world for the students. Religion and philosophy can  rectify or remedy the alarming situation.

Distinctions and Analysis

The above table indicates that the left-brain thinking focuses on logical thinking, analysis and accuracy. The right-brain thinking emphasizes aesthetics, feeling and creativity. But I prefer to analyse their distinctions from the perspective of the wisdom of Śākyamuni Buddha or Buddhist philosophy. The first three characteristics of the left-brain thinker mirror the thinking of an ordinary worldling. According to Śākyamuni Buddha, a worldling is ontologically committed to all phenomena perceived by designating them with substantial or metaphysical concepts forming diversifying differentiations into multiplicity. Multiplicity is cosmic illusion (māyā) according all esoteric religions including Buddhism as well. But as a wise  Buddhist, he or she discerns the Totality or Oneness (ekatta) of the cosmos or the holistic nature of all phenomena  through his or her  intuitive wisdom. In this sense, in order to develop insight  (vipassanā) or wisdom (paññā), one has to be a right-brain thinker. Besides being a right-brain thinker, he has also to preserve his left-brain thinking so that the conventional truth of differentiations or conventionalities are not denied or negated totally to preserve the Middle Path. Therefore, a wise or enlightened Buddhist analyses the multiplicity to discern Insubstantiality (Anattā) or Emptiness(śūnyatā).He also synthesizes the parts of multiplicity to discern the 24 conditional relations in terms of Dependent Co-arising (Paṭiccasamuppāda). The Perfection of Wisdom is when the wise or the enlightened one transcends both objectivity and subjectivity to enter into the door of non-duality. Therefore, we can conclude that a true or genuine Buddhist is one who utilize both left and right-brains to function in all his daily activities. Whoever utilizes both brains balancedly or integratedly develops a high score of EQ  which helps him manage mindfully and with clear awareness his or her five aggregates, 12 bases or 18 elements in any social environment. A personal ideal helps fosters a social ideal. A personal victory leads to public victory. Buddhist training is actually a comprehensive training course in wise functioning of the left and right brains through undertaking the exoteric and esoteric dimensions of Buddhism to enrich the emotion bank of the cultivator to produce a satisfactory or even better still, perfect score of EQ.

Conclusion

Buddhism is originally the light of Asia but now it has emerged as  the infinite, eternal edifying light of the world. Buddhist education and training are comprehensive and produces human race of excellence or the men or women  of perfection. Being exoteric is left-brain thinking and being esoteric is right-brain thinking. The modern academic schools, colleges, polytechnics and universities give heavy emphasis on the education and training through the utility of the left-brain’s modes of thinking. The Esoteric religions, such as Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, which focus on right-brain thinking, help complement  the secular education system which emphasizes heavily on left-brain thinking. The political leaders of United Kingdom and Germany are two of the western advanced nations  to be extolled and emulated for furnishing  formal Education in Buddhism through their respective school curriculum. I truly respect their wisdom to offer the most excellent education system to their children. In fact, Buddhist curriculum is freely available in western universities through their faculties or Departments of Philosophy or Religious Studies.

I can not and will never forget the late German scholar monk, George Grim whose Buddhist text ‘The Doctrine of the Buddha: The Religion of Reason and Meditation’   has furnished me with a comprehensive, penetrating  apprehension of the authentic tenet of Gotama  Buddha in the Theravāda tradition which serves as the springboard for me  to discern the authentic Word of the  Śākyamuni Buddha from the perspective of  Mahāyāna tradition. In fact, all esoteric religions, such as Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Taoism, Neo-Confucianism,  Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam reveal to us the diversified differentiations  or contigent phenomena of the multiplicity of the empirical world are mere cosmic illusions (māyā) which are actually the images or shadows of the mysterious ineffable Absolute Truth of Ultimate Reality  designated dissimilarly by dissimilar religions. There is, in fact,  one real moon in the sky but there are countless reflected moons in the waters found  in various portions of the Earth. Esoteric religions have emerged to save or liberate us as the ordinary worldlings are so obsessed with illusive, unreal moons  reflected in the waters conceiving them to be real !  The beauty of discerning the Absolute Truth is that it makes us ethically perfect producing the first class human capital. In short, it builds a perfect score of EQ. Low EQ impairs individual abilities and interferes with social performances or activities. High EQ enhances individual abilities and facilitates social performances or activities. Buddhist self-enlightenment and liberation perfect EQ and transform EQ into BQ (Buddha Quotient). BQ is a perfect score of 100% in EQ as it is the absolute resultant of Perfection of Wisdom and compassion. Succinctly put, BQ engenders first class human capital which mirrors the consummation of  one’s intrinsic supremacy called Buddhahood.

One’s self-awareness is activated through Dharma propagation, The resurgence of interest in Buddhism is a natural phenomenon. The current resurgence or resurrection of interest in Buddhism in Hong Kong is no exception. Liberal Arts education should be incorporated in all spheres of school and university  education   curricula in Arts and Science streams which must include at least one of the following subjects: Morality, Religion or Philosophy. In this way, the left and right-brain’s modes of thinking are encouraged and exercised  to produce a more balanced and harmonious individuals with a high level or satisfactory level of EQ to facilitate social co-operation, harmony  and unity. Private victory or personal development and public victory or social development interpenetrate and co-exist to produce and enhance synergy rather than negative collision.