Controlling Mental Chaos Harnessing the Power of the

Creative Mind

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Published by Rowman & Littlefield
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86-90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE

Copyright © 2023 by Jaime A. Pineda

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I dedicate this book to those who wish to live a full life;
A life filled with curiosity, creativity, peace, and joy.

“There is no greater enemy than the uncontrolled mind.”

—BHAGAVAD GITA
 CONTENTS

Cover
Half Title
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART I: FROM ORIGINAL MIND TO UNCONTROLLED MIND AND
BACK

CHAPTER 1 Your Amazing Original Mind

CHAPTER 2 Birth of the Uncontrolled Mind
CHAPTER 3 Finding Your Way Back
CHAPTER 4 Steps to a Practical Solution
CHAPTER 5 Setting the Stage through Self-Parenting the
Mind
CHAPTER 6 Transcending the Problem

PART II: THE RUBI PROGRAM

CHAPTER 7 Recognizing the Biggest Obstacle

CHAPTER 8 Understanding Why We Have Experiences
CHAPTER 9 Balancing the Varieties of Thoughts
CHAPTER 10 Implementing the Solutions

Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
About the Author
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I WROTE THIS BOOK FOLLOWING MY PERSONAL JOURNEY FROM HAVING a mind

that was troubled and uncontrolled to a more peaceful and “controlled”
chaos that reminded me of the mind I had when I was young. That journey
became possible because of many teachers, friends, and supporters who
were there at the beginning and throughout my odyssey. Many of these
individuals appeared when I most needed them. My heartfelt thanks go to
colleagues and students in the Cognitive Science Department at the
University of California, San Diego, who inspired, questioned, and made
my learning of cognitive neuroscience a challenging, yet fruitful and joyful
adventure. I am grateful as well for those who appeared in my parallel
spiritual journey and played a similar, helpful role. My heart is full for
having met and studied with Joko Beck, an extraordinary Zen Master whose
naturalness and insights are still guiding me.
I extend my everlasting appreciation to Marcy Llamas Senese, PhD, my
first developmental editor. She is an excellent teacher, knowledgeable
writer, and insightful person who provided considerable guidance and
feedback. The experience was enjoyable, interesting, and gratifying. I am
equally grateful to Claire Winters, writer, editor, and content strategist, who
provided an editorial assessment of an initial draft of the book. The
assessment was honest and pointed without being discouraging. It made me
aware of the weaknesses I needed to address. Most of all, it gave me a
template for how to organize the story to maximize its teaching
effectiveness. I also am fortunate to have had several individuals read
earlier drafts of chapters and provide me with much-needed feedback and
common sense. I appreciate their heartfelt efforts. Among them are Nour
Al-Timimi, Maria Bordyug, Carissa Cesena, Karishma D’Lima, Shari
Galve, Jady Hong, Jade Hookham, Dorothy Parker, Jane Pineda, Leanne
Sturman, and Iris Ulloa. Finally, I am forever grateful to my wife, Jane,
who patiently and without complaint made it possible for me to retire from
an academic career to follow my writing passion. Her love and
encouragement allowed me to overcome many dry spells and other
challenges, not the least being the COVID-19 pandemic that began in early
2020.
 INTRODUCTION

THE POEM “I CARRY YOUR HEART WITH ME” BY E. E. CUMMINGS expresses

beautifully how one can live creatively and function well in the world. It
says that when you carry the heart of the other, of the world, or of God
within your own heart, life becomes “the wonder that’s keeping the stars
apart.” Carrying the heart of the other, being in the shoes of the other,
expressing empathy and compassion are manifestations of our being that
connect us, but also keep us apart. That we are individuals living in unity is
the wonder of the world.
Living in peaceful unity seems like an ideal because who has not
occasionally strayed from that to experience worries, anxiety, uninhibited
thoughts, overwhelming feelings, and seeing no way out of difficult
circumstances? When the effects of these life experiences persist and
change our mood, rational deliberation, and behavior, they disrupt the
normal flow, joy, and unity of life. They obscure its wonder. When this
disruption turns unmanageable, it becomes the basis for physical and mental
disorders, both autoimmune and emotional, heart problems, addictive
behaviors, and suicidal ideation. Even worse, if negative ideations become a
recurring issue, psychopathology is the inevitable consequence.
While the pressures of life exacerbate such difficulties, over millennia,
many have recognized that the root of the problem is our fearful and
uncontrolled mind, one centered on ego-based rumination. Indeed, in a not
very flattering description, Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha (ca.
5th to 4th century BCE), recognized this core predicament as the singular
psychological basis for human suffering 2,500 years ago. He used the term
kapicitta, meaning “monkey-like mind,” to describe it. He said, “just as a
monkey swinging through the trees grabs one branch and lets it go only to
seize another, so too, that which is called thought, mind or consciousness
arises and disappears continually both day and night.” Siddhartha was a
gifted and insightful psychologist who recognized the problem of the
obsessive mind, diagnosed the source, and provided insights to its solution.
My professional and personal life experiences have given me a solid
education, grounding, and a measure of understanding of this problem of
the mind. I received a PhD in neuroscience in 1987 and became professor
of cognitive science and neuroscience at the University of California, San
Diego (UCSD). For twenty-eight years, I directed the Cognitive
Neuroscience Laboratory, where I studied the relationship between mind
and brain. As a scientist and then spiritual seeker for many years, I searched
for answers to the uncontrolled mind conundrum and the problems it raised
in my life. The combined wisdom from these two aspects of my life finally
helped me understand the problem and how to overcome it. I encountered
wisdom accumulated over centuries, although not everyone is privy to it,
nor has the time or inclination to learn from it.
Controlling Mental Chaos: Harnessing the Power of the Creative Mind
recognizes the problem in its modern context, in which we use science as
the language of investigation, knowledge, and understanding. I combine
this scientific understanding with a more personal understanding of the
mind based on my encounter with Zen Buddhism. I studied Zen with Joko
Beck, an American teacher and the author of the books Everyday Zen: Love
and Work and Nothing Special: Living Zen. Beck founded the Ordinary
Mind Zen School where she taught to find the Absolute in each moment
regardless of its content, and not to turn practice into a search for
extraordinary experiences.
Thus, I assume that recognizing and understanding the problem from
these two perspectives makes it easier to become open to balancing and
implementing solutions to the problem. The outcome for me was a recovery
and nourishing of my Original Mind, what Buddhists understand as the
mind at birth, which has an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of
preconceptions. Such a mind helped me step into creative living. The
solutions I present in this book are those I learned—easy to understand and
available to everyone. Yet they are difficult to put into action, as they call
for a genuine change in perception and awareness that comes about not only
through gaining knowledge and understanding of the problem, but through
a passionate commitment to resolving the problem. I hope that for you,
reading the psychological and neuroscientific explanations, along with case
studies and reflections on my personal experiences, will give you a deeper
understanding of what is at issue and provide the motivation for the
required changes.
I include body and mind exercises throughout the book to help you
bring about this change. I call the first set of exercises Questions to Ponder.
These are open-ended questions to give you the chance to pause, probe
deeper, and consider the evidence further. There are no answers, since they
are meant to expand the limits of your thinking. Self-Parenting the Mind is
the second class of exercises to discipline the uncontrolled mind. The goal
here is to learn to love your mind, as a parent loves a child, a necessary step
to setting the stage for the ultimate transformation. Stop Monkey Mind is the
third set of exercises focusing on the practice of reducing and stopping
obsessive mind ruminations. It is the transformative step. The optimal way
to achieve this outcome is by focusing on the present moment. Unlike
secular-based meditation programs that focus mainly on stress reduction,
the more comprehensive insights of Buddhism and mindfulness provide a
greater ethical context and target the roots of suffering, including the
stickiness of thought. This leads to deeper and longer-lasting experiences of
inner freedom. Practicing present moment awareness is a mindfulness
technique that changes the expectations concerning the mind’s rumination
process. This approach literally stops anxious, unmanageable thoughts in
their tracks. Its effect is immediate and, with practice, long lasting. Finally,
the last series of exercises presented is How to Cultivate an Un-encumbered
Mind. The focus is intuition, which is the interface, or direct access, to the
vast intelligence of Original Mind. Cultivating this access, following
transformation of uncontrolled mind to Original Mind, helps one make
better decisions and provides the confidence needed to move forward.
These exercises offer opportunities to transform the obsessive energy into
the very positive energy of the controlled, fearless, and creative mind.
 I divided the book into two parts. Part I describes the journey from
extraordinary Original Mind, as reflected by your mind at birth, to when
this mind recedes into the background as the uncontrolled mind grows in
strength, to finally how you can recover this treasure. This part of the book
discusses my personal journey of discovery and freedom. It describes two
parts to address the uncontrolled mind problem and recovery of Original
Mind. The first part involves self-parenting, which means consciously
choosing the relationship you want to have with yourself, as if with a loving
parent. The second part is learning to live in the present moment. Both parts
require practice, practice, practice, until the behavior becomes habitual and
natural—just like any skill you have learned in life.
Part II of the book describes the program in more detail, including the
four stages necessary for a deeper dive into the how you can control the
chaos and harness the creative power inherent in the mind. This involves:
Recognizing the problem; Understanding the solution; Finding Balance;
and Implementing answers. For readers who take this deeper dive into
RUBI, the potential reward is a resolution that can range from temporary to
permanent, depending on your level of commitment. After going through
the book and doing the exercises, you will experience the positive benefits
of what many have experienced. The uncontrolled or monkey mind will
give way to Original Mind and you will live more joyfully and
productively. But only if you make the commitment to changing perception
and awareness—the easiest and hardest things a person can do. So, read on,
follow the suggested practices, and enjoy life.
The insights and solutions proposed have a basis in science and in
personal experience. I have tested them in the clinic and in actual life, and
they have proven results. Each chapter will help you understand and
maintain control of your mind to live a creative life, which means a life
lived with conscious and curious awareness and as the most natural state of
being. Living in this state will bring joy to the rest of your life, unburdened
by fear and anxiety and in touch with a source of infinite wisdom.
Regaining your Original Mind is the straightforward part. Getting rid of the
bad habits of monkey mind is where the hard work takes place. Good luck
on the journey toward an enlightened self, and may you come out of this
process happier and wiser than you have ever been.
 PART I

From Original Mind to Uncontrolled Mind and Back

 1

Your Amazing Original Mind

Buddhists think of Original Mind, the mind that humans are born with, as a clear mirror, pure
and unencumbered, without shape, form, or color, with nothing in it whatsoever. More than that, it
is a mind without birth and death, neither male nor female, not young or old; not intelligent, not
stupid; not rich, not poor. It shows no dualism, no separation, and accepts everything as one
unified whole.1
—Shodo Harada Roshi

Your Mind at Birth Is Original Mind

Danielle knew immediately that her intuition about her baby had been right.
When Stephanie was born, she had the most beautiful smile and twinkling eyes,
and gurgled more than she cried. When baby Stephanie looked at Danielle, her
penetrating gaze made her feel calm and flooded her heart and mind with an
overwhelming sense of love. Stephanie was the most extraordinarily normal
child, always active, adaptable, energetic, curious, and endlessly creative. She
met all her developmental milestones, and when Stephanie was old enough to
walk and talk, Danielle noticed a kindness exuding toward others, including
animals. Stephanie displayed a no-nonsense sensibility and a toughness
beyond her years. For Danielle, every day during Stephanie’s rapid
development brought astonishing insights into her wonderfully developing
persona. There was deep intelligence at work as she attended school and
developed friendships. As a child, she embraced a sensibility for events
happening in the moment and rarely reflected on the past or future, even as her
thinking appeared deep and “forward-looking.” Stephanie rarely got upset or
angry and quickly became known as a peacemaker among her peers. Everyone
liked and respected her and wanted to be near her, to be her friend.
Stephanie is a fictionalized character who, at least during childhood, has held
onto the extraordinary identity that is given to each one of us. Knowing that
you once held such a treasure differs from never having had possession of this
unique identity and are longing and searching for it. So, above all else, the path
to transforming uncontrolled fears and anxiety into creativity requires the
conviction that what you seek is real, since you once had it. Your mind at birth
was Original Mind, an active, adaptable, energetic, curious, creative mind; one
unencumbered by problems and with an attitude of openness, eagerness, and
lack of preconceptions. While you may no longer identify with such a mind,
you have not lost this treasure completely, and it is possible to recover it. This
is the journey you are starting.
Leonardo was illegitimate, gay, left-handed, a bit of a heretic, and a misfit.
He lived in Florence, Italy, which in the late 1400s was a very progressive and
wealthy city. As a boy, he had no formal education but received instruction at
home in reading, writing, Latin, geometry, and mathematics. Leonardo spent
most of his childhood outdoors. Because of his lack of formal schooling, many
contemporaries overlooked or ignored his later scientific contributions.
Everyone, however, recognized his astounding powers of observation even in
childhood; his unusual talent for making connections between unique areas of
interest; a skeptical mind with a readiness to challenge dogma and
contemporary beliefs; and a preternatural ability to appreciate and imagine the
future.
Today, we know Leonardo da Vinci as the epitome of the creative
Renaissance man. We consider him a painter, artist, engineer, architect,
scientist, inventor, cartographer, anatomist, botanist, and writer. His active
imagination conceptualized the tank, the helicopter, the flying machine, the
parachute, and the self-powered vehicle. He was a man ahead of his time and
many of his visionary inventions became real only centuries later.
Much of this reality is mixed with mythology since Leonardo created an
endless succession of untested contraptions, unpublished studies, and
unfinished artworks. His uncontested genius, however, rests on several
personality attributes. Foremost among these was curiosity, his defining trait. It
seemed everything interested Leonardo. As an engineer, he saw more than
most about how the design of machines informed by mathematical laws of
physics is better than those relying simply on practice. He was the first to
design separate interchangeable components deployed in a variety of complex
devices. And no one drew machines with more attention to detail and reality.
His insatiable curiosity about nature drove his efforts to devise flying
machines. He sought not to imitate a flying bird, but to understand and apply
the principles of bird flight to endow man with the ability to fly on his own.
His genius lay in his mastery of engineering principles, design, and natural
law.
Walter Isaacson, author of Leonardo da Vinci, describes the following
about his unique subject:
Leonardo spent many pages in his notebook dissecting the human face to figure out every muscle
and nerve that touched the lips. On one of those pages you see a faint sketch at the top of the
beginning of the smile of the Mona Lisa. Leonardo kept that painting from 1503, when he started
it, to his deathbed in 1519, trying to get every aspect exactly right in layer after layer. During that
period, he dissected the human eye on cadavers and was able to understand that the center of the
retina sees detail, but the edges see shadows and shapes better. If you look directly at the Mona
Lisa smile, the corners of the lips turn downward slightly, but shadows and light make it seem
like it’s turning upwards. As you move your eyes across her face, the smile flickers on and off.2

From iconic paintings, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper,
designs for flying machines, and ground-breaking studies on optics and
perspective, Leonardo da Vinci fused science with art. He created works that
have become aspects of the human story. We consider him the ultimate
expression of an intuitive, unencumbered Original Mind.
As Shodo Harada Roshi describes it, Original Mind is “neither male nor
female.” Indeed, it finds expression in both genders. Jennifer was born in
Washington, D.C., in 1964 but grew up in Hilo, Hawaii. When she was in the
sixth grade, her father gave her a copy of James Watson’s 1968 book on the
discovery of the structure of DNA, The Double Helix, which became a major
inspiration. Her interest in science was further nurtured by her tenth-grade
chemistry teacher, Ms. Jeanette Wong, whom Jennifer routinely cites as a
significant influence in sparking her scientific curiosity.
Jennifer can pinpoint the moment that helped put her on the path to
becoming a Nobel Prize–winning biochemist. When she was in high school, a
scientist gave a presentation about cancer research to her class—and the
scientist was a woman. Until then, Jennifer had imagined that all scientists
were men. Or, as she has explained, “my image of a scientist was the classic
photograph of Albert Einstein or cartoons of mostly older White men who
were in lab coats with black-rimmed glasses and crazy hair.”3 The notion that
women were just as capable of studying science as men opened the door for
her to pursue her curiosity about the way life worked. It was this insatiable
curiosity that would lead her to the discovery of a method for gene editing.
In 2012, Jennifer Doudna, an American biochemist, and Emmanuelle
Charpentier, a French professor and researcher in microbiology, developed a
way to edit genes with high precision. Genes comprise deoxyribonucleic acid,
or DNA, which controls life processes in most living organisms. These two
researchers took advantage of the immune defenses of bacteria, which disable
viruses by cutting their DNA up with a type of genetic scissors. By extracting
and simplifying the molecular components of the genetic scissors, the two
made a tool that could cut any DNA molecule at a predetermined site. The
clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR/Cas9
gene scissors, made new scientific discoveries, better crops, and new weapons
in the fight against cancer and genetic diseases possible. Scientists have called
the discovery one of the most significant in the history of biology. For their
extraordinary work, as well as other fundamental contributions in biochemistry
and genetics, Drs. Doudna and Charpentier received the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry in 2020. Dr. Jennifer Doudna became one of the Time 100 most
influential people in 2015 (along with Char-pentier). They listed her as a
runner-up for Time Person of the Year in 2016 alongside other CRISPR
researchers. Like Leonardo da Vinci, Jennifer Doudna is a modern example of
an intuitive, unencumbered Original Mind.

How to Cultivate an Unencumbered Mind: Encourage Curiosity

Being like Leonardo da Vinci, Jennifer Doudna, or like a child means
encouraging your curiosity—about everything. This curiosity, however, has no
other goal than the pleasure of knowing. The answer is its own satisfaction.

How do you cultivate this? For starters, ask “Why?” questions. Ask “Why
not?” questions. Challenge your beliefs and assumptions.