Direct TRANSMISSION — a tiny Thought

A piece of cloth here has been with me in the past 37 years since I was given this from the Eihei-ji temple.

I have washed it may be 10 times or so —– and when ever I did, its color faded farther, so that I became

even more reluctant to wash.

I wrote about this in my old post [Life’s Domain] saying that it could be an intended teaching of

“Nothing stays the same,  nothing is Permanent”. —– ? ? ?    Was such big issue here ?

It’s just an old cotton cloth isn’t it, and it is nothing strange the color dye is fading.   ( Dye will be dissolved

and washed away by the water, and it degraded by the UV light as well)

—– Isn’t it thinking too much ?    Isn’t it a pointless delusion —– or the Truth ?

[]

To explain and prove a fact in the life = “Nothing stays the same” may need to have lot more than a word, yet

just a piece of cloth shows its truth far clearer.   This is what a Direct Transmission is.

—– Then, how about  “Should I wash more often” or,  in order to preserve its original state, I shouldn’t

have used it in the dairy life, let alone washing.

But, what’s the original state mean ?   Is that the color on the cloth and the name of the temple printed on ?

—– isn’t this, just a sentimental reminiscence ?   Clinging the past ?

There may not be such a value in its original state.   It may only be in the mind.

So, without having such THINKING,  just wash it = “Having no useless thinking and just do it”

might be more like the Mushin of Zen Buddhism. = and when the cloth become completely

white, it would be the enlightenment —– WHAT a beautiful metaphor ! ! !

Though, no such things could happen.

In reality, if you keep washing cotton cloth 30, 50 years, the cotton fiber would be disintegrated.

And, when we wash, intending to make the color disappear, ironically, color never disappear.

It is just like our DNA,  it would never disappear.

—– Does it mean, no white cloth, neither see the Enlightenment ?

[]

It was a good exercise of thinking = this is a practice of what

Lord Buddha said “ Think it by yourself”.  🙂

Just a small piece of cloth teach us all about the Buddhism.   This is very “Direct Transmission”.

—– strangely, some people having an illusion “There would be a mythical communication of the

Cosmic Wisdom (Panya Paramita) which suddenly come into the mind and enlighten the person” is what

the Direct Transmission meant. —– Ha ha ha, Don’t make me laugh.  😀

It is a worst delusion than a pretty picture of a spin-doctor’s medicine bottle.

If such magic could ever existed in this world, one of the highest enlightened man like

Dalai Lama could have received such wisdom, and the trouble of the Tibet could be solved long ago.

Though, there is no magic solution or escape,  hence this is the Samsara,

as Lord Buddha said.  —– We only able to become aware of the Truth by the observation with the clear eyes.

And the Truth is not our wishful thinking but the reality = face of the Dharma.

Direct Transmission is a trigger to make us to actually see it = it is not a mythical magic.

In the famous [Flower Summon], the flower was the trigger to realize “What the Dharma is”=

Dharma is not in the special place, but even in a mere small flower = that’s why even small

flower can broom beautifully.

So, why not us. = This is what the Enlightenment is.

___/\___

—

Cooking MISO-SOUP

A kind of complaint I received time to time was that despite I’m keep saying “Just do it” and

“Our dairy life itself is Zen Practice” though, there was not so much practical instructions.

It’s true. Just talking about an idea of the Zen and make you guessing is a contradiction.

To show How I’m  Just doing must be more convincing than a nice story.  After all, Zen is not for talking.

It was already a year ago, I’ve shown how to make Rice cake,  I’m going to write how to cook

Japanese New Year’s cooking = [O-zouni] (お雑煮) (Rice-cake in Soup) and [O-shiruko]  😀

But to start with much common Miso-soup (味噌汁) (as a warming-up practice 🙂 ).

—– Like Minestrone in Italy, Miso-soup in Japan vary region to region and the Miso (Soya-bean paste) having

hundreds of  varieties, —– same as the Cheese made out of the same cow-milk having so many varieties.

So that, this is a Miso-soup in yoshizen style. (at least, this design has been tested and tasted by hundreds of the

people in the art events, Dorkbot-camp, Space-Hijackers party etc many times with good appreciation.

Hence, when ever like a House party, I’ve been always in charge with cooking this Miso-soup 🙂 )

The ingredients above, from the left ;

• Fried Tofu = bought in a Chinese food shop, always comes in a plastic bag ( = 10 pieces about £1)
• Tofu = also from Chinese food shop. (about £1.50 = would serve up to 10 people)
• Miso (Soybean-paste) = from Japanese or Chinese food shop (about £2.50 for 500g packet)
• Mangetout bean
• Onion
• Potato (option or alternative)

Then prepare the materials (to serve 4 to 5 people) = just cut as seen on the photo,

—– cut 5~6 pieces of Fried Tofu into four strips, half of the Tofu into 1/2 inch cube, slice the Mange tout bean

to narrow strip and slice an Onion (one medium size onion would be good for 5 people)

—– optional Potato (if it was Baked-potato size = cut each of two potatoes into 4 to 5 pieces)

———————-[Chinese Kelp] ————————— [Dried Fish flakes] ——– [Dashi-no-moto] — [Soup packet]

The taste of the soup is depend on the soup-base [Dashi] —– traditionally Japanese uses dried fish

or its powdered products [Dashi-no-moto], but if you are a vegetarian use the sea-weed [Kombu / Kelp]

(I’ll explain it later) —– If you can’t get [Dashi-no-moto] from a Japanese food shop, a cheating can be made

out of a soup packet of [Seafood-flavour Instant-noodle] (about 40P — use the noodle for another cooking)

*  Boil 4 cups of water in a 7 inches (medium size) pan on a strong fire, and boil Onion until they became well

— cooked. (this onion is more for the soup base / taste)

*  Then put Fried Tofu (and Potato as an option) and keep boiling.

*  Put soup-base (not Kombu case, and if you have put potato, it got to be near ready to eat)

*  And put Tofu (as the temperature drop, soup may stop boiling)

*  When the soup start to boil again, put the Miso = squeeze out from a cut corner (like a  1/3 inch thick

— spiral spewing out of the packet) and stir the soup for Miso to completely dissolve.

— (from a 500g Miso packet you may need to squeeze out about 1/3 of the Miso for 4 cups of boiling water,

— though it depend on one’s taste — if you put too much and feel salty, put more water to dilute the soup 😀 )

*  This is my secret, I put few drops of the West Indian Hot-Pepper-Souce into this soup.  (This would give a

— hidden punch 😀 —– some Japanese may put [Shichimi-Togarashi] = Seven flavored Hot-pepper)

*  When the Miso-soup started to boil again, stop the fire ( if it was on an electric hot plate, move the pan to

— another plate = never keep boiling the Miso-soup = it creates bitter taste)

*  Then serve into a bowl while sprinkling the top with sliced Mangetout bean (just give a green color) or

— some likes it with chopped Spring onion.

—– The beauty of this design is, well boiled onion’s sweet taste and nutty flavor from the fried Tofu making the

taste very rich = more like a western soup.  And with potato, it’s also filling as well.  Good for cold winter ! 

[]

 * * * How to use the Sea-weed [Kombu / Kelp] as a Dashi;

Japanese food shop sells [Kombu 昆布or Dashi-Kombu] —– it might be from northern Japan of Hokkaido

but most likely from Korea.   Though, Kombu or Kelp grow all seven seas hence Chinese food shop sells it

as 海帯 (Kelp sea-weed) —– it would be cheaper there though, it might come with a lots of sand 😀

and the taste bitter, may be because of the residue of sea water.

(Japanese Kombu was washed in the pure-water before dry, but Chinese one seemed to be just dried on the beach.

—– So that, when you use Chinese Kelp, it needs to be soaked in the water and wash well, then boil it once and

change all the water, then make a soup base with fresh water (otherwise its taste would be quite bitter).

To use Kelp as a Dashi for this Miso-soup, use 2 of 4 inches square of Kelp pieces, prepare as above

and boiled over half an hour,  then take Kelp out of the pan (if it was a good soft Kelp, you can pinch

and eat) then use this soup base for cooking.   (for Miso-soup, Sumashi-jiru, Ozouni, etc —-)

—– Bonappetit or say  “ Itadakimasu” !   Enjoy a meal.

___/\___

PS :  Even after opened, Miso can last long time though, Tofu and Fried Tofu will go bad very quick.

—– Use them ASAP (use next day of purchase, even kept in a fridge,  is the limit) —– How to keep the half

—– of the unused Tofu left = never freeze (it would become sponge like texture = may be interesting for

—– other kind of cooking ) —– instead, put a Tofu in a small pan of water, and boil short time = keep without

—– open the lid = Tofu can survive till next day — (You may repeat for yet another day  😀 )

—

Japanese New Year’s Card 2012 (2) / DRAGON IMAGE

It’s interesting to think, how the ancient Chinese got idea of the Dragon. —– ? ? ?

Their Dragon doesn’t looks like a Snake neither Lizard or Crocodile, but an element of all those,

except its head and the face (some said, that the head with its mane was inspired by a hose)

Still, its image and the myth has been in their culture thousands of years. —– where it came from ?

[]

Neither I know the origin of the Western Dragon which got separate wings.

As Chinese Dragon can fly without having the wings, it is even more mysterious than a looks rational (?) western

Dragon. —– still, the Western Design doesn’t anatomically convincing  (in comparison to the wings of a Bat).

So that, when I designed my Flying Dragon, I didn’t put fore-legs to it.

Anyhow, it is a pure imaginary existence, what so ever the design it is the design, as long as it looks fearsome 😀

The Flying Dragon which got 3m wing-span,  flaps its wings and kicks the legs.   And the head (right photo) got

blue fire in the eyes and the mouth blow a fire —- well, supposedly.  Yes, it did frighten the people    😀

( The reason why the wings are not fully covered was, because of the air resistance — motor wasn’t big enough)

The next photos are the Wire Dragon called Dino  🙂   Its moving image is in the You-tube ;

—– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV0Oyl0B_0g    or click the Link on the right side-bar ( Associates )

I made this, when I was in the South Bank Uni’  Engineering Product Design, Master Course and

the identical (well, more or less) twin is in their permanent collection ( indefinite on loan to them).

The graphic image (right) would be easier to compose for a card.

Lastly, this is the Try-Headed Dragon.  It moves the Heads like the Snakes.

The head was made by a beer can and the long neck is the shower hose.

—– Well, it’s still a kind of the Dragon, don’t you think ?

And the brush Calligraphy are all greeting word for the New Year which

may be composed with the Dragon image to make a New Year’s Card.

( Be sure, never put it, up-side-down or use it for tattoo stencil  😀 )

Rest of the work is up to you.

(I myself is not very keen to use Photoshop, which I learned when

it was a version 3,  and don’t remember how to use !   😀 )

(Left / Read as Gashow  / Congratulate the New Year )  ———–( Right / Read as Gei-Shunn / Welcome the Spring)

—————————————- (Middle /Read as Kinga-Shin-nen / Happy New Year)

Try work hard,  still,  it will be a fun —– it’s a pleasure to live a creative life   🙂

Making a Card would nothing to do your survival, in other words, it is purely for a sake of making card.

( Exactly same as me to create the Kinetic Dragon sculptures = they are utterly useless for my survival )

Nothing essential for the life, it’s mean, it is a light hearted selfless act = Act in Mushin.

Still, you need to work with full concentration (mindfulness) and do it in your best.  Otherwise the result

wouldn’t be an up to the standard.  If it isn’t good enough, try again and again.  You can perfect it.

This is the Zen in action.  Zen is everywhere.  In fact our dairy life is the Zen, provided

you live it in your best, with your mindfulness.

___/\___

—

Desire and Greed (2)

The first moment when I became aware the connection between Zen and the programming

of the subconsciousness (so-called mind-set) was, when I gave up any relation with woman.

It was triggered by two factors appeared on 1987. One was the first report of incurable new disease AIDS

(it didn’t have even a name then) = sexual relation is no longer safe.

And the other was the start of a trouble with a woman who exploited my VISA status by a false registration

of the marriage done in Japan, in order to get new passport and obtained the VISA masqueraded as my wife.

(It took 11 hearing in the High Court to make the Judge to realize it really happened without my knowledge.

—– Japanese Registrar had no way to know whether my signature was genuine or not and the name seal

was mine or false one, woman bought in the stationery shop, which she confessed and astonished the Judge)

(Yet still The Judge who didn’t even know the difference of [Void and Voidable Marriage] made

this to a valid marriage, hence it was brought up to the Court of Appeal)

= I really utterly fed up “Woman is nothing but a trouble” (in addition to this Judiciary is utterly rotten) 😀

(Funny story is, I was told that the trouble with woman will happen, by my mother as she read

my palm when I was 10 years old —– for me,  it sounds just an unscientific mambo-jumbo then)

[]

It caused me not only a deep psychological trauma but the situation itself made any relation impossible.

In order to fight over the validity of the marriage in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, it completely

consumed my time, finance and energy.  All of my friends were even amazed, how I could manage without

braking down.  ( Still,  it was not as heavy as mountain climbing as there may not be a danger of death.

After all, proceedings is the research of precedence and compiling documents = clerical work = Just do it )

—-whether it was my choice or not, I had to follow the situation and

think “I’m not in a position even to think about woman” = it was not a relative matter, but absolute

imperative = (this is so-called Mindfulness) — as this psyche sunk deep down to my subconscious, 

the notion of woman has disappeared and it became a distant land scape.

(Still, they are visually pretty land scape though,

they no longer appeal to my mind / in a sexual context —– then I realized

“Aha, this is the very eyes of so-called Medical Detachment of a Gynecologist” 😀 )

[]

So that, when I was a regular in the Fridge Club, Brixton London (Escape from Samsara), every weekend

for nearly 6 years, I was just dancing there without mixing with cloud.

Many people mistook me as a special security or under-cover policeman even the owner of the club,

because I don’t take alcohol neither drug, never talk with girls (except the bar staff) still always there.

In reality, seeing hundreds of half-naked girls shaking their bottom every week, made me even more

insensitive, if not utterly nauseating.

I was there not just for dancing, but like a zoological researcher to observe male-female behavior.

[]

As a matter of fact, I myself had amazed by this change of psyche.

Since, even the most fundamental instinct could disappear just with a mind-set,  it convinced me

that all the fancy stories in the martial art, sword mastery must be true = they really

able to overcome the fear of the death,  hence able to come closer to hair-line distance to the enemy’s sword.

—– Liberate the mind from the fear, hence able to obtain the ultimate freedom of the movements.

Then all the Zen stories, has started fallen into the places, like the pieces of Jigsaw Puzzle,

and it started to show whole picture of what the Zen is.

Zen is not an ideological / religious mambo-jumbo but a very logical / rational mind engineering.

—– As even the most fundamental instinct / sexual desire could be annihilated, why not any another desire or

the mind.   What is the point to be imprisoned by such desire or being obsessed and become greedy.

We can make ourselves free from any mind, idea or the situation, and able to choose what ever

better to do.   This freedom is the Enlightenment.

(But remember, don’t chose chocolate and junk food 😀 )

___/\___

—

Desire and GREED

There is a funny paradox in one’s greed.

The more the one chase its desire, more likely end up in misery, in stead to have a satisfaction.

It is said, there are only two motivations which drives the man’s life. One is the sex and the other is greed.

— it might be true as the fundamental instincts for survival are the own survival and the survival of the species.

For own survival, the one has to eat. To eat enough and well, it needs to find the source and the mean to get it

= virtually all the human culture is for this system, directory or indirectly.

And the cynics even said, to eat and live is for a purpose of to perform sex. (How exciting. —– but if it was the

case, surviving without performing a sexual act, is it a waste of the life ? —– somebody made a joke,

it’s a small change after spending spree 😀 )

[]

Eat just enough is classified as bare essential —– but more than that is called as [Greed] 😀

Eat more than necessary would end up with obesity but I may not be a good adviser for this topics since

I couldn’t understand why it happens, since I’m not an addict to any food and having the same body weight

(60kg) since I was 16 years old.

Yet, strangely I can eat an enormous amount in one go —– once, when I went to the Saudi Arabia, Jeddha to set up

an audio-visual multi-screen display for a Motor Show, as well as photographing all those process, I needed to

work pretty hard —– and seeing me eating two portions of meal, a man from advertising agency from Japan said

“Now I understand where your energy and the power came from”

“Of cause, you can’t fight with empty stomach” 😀

But, when the body needs very little, such as a time just dealing with electronic circuit, sitting all day = I even

forgot to eat. —– (Still, drink 1.5~2 litters / 3~4 pints of tea in a day = it is a must for my body)

So that, I have no idea how and why some people can keep eating while getting fat without feeling nausea.

—– couldn’t they feel what the body is telling and see the situation in the mirror ?

( uncontrollable addiction is different from a simple desire or greed, still as I wrote in the earliest post,

eating disorder such as anorexia is a wrong program in the subconsciousness = it’s a matter of the person’s

mind-set of which the Zen is specialized to deal with )

[]

Life is a total system. Hence, it’s called Life Style.

But this style is not like a fashion, it can not be simply changed day by day or each occasion.

And as it is the total system, it is hard to tinker the corner, as the system operates in relation to every

elements / subsystem. —– Mind set is synchronizing with this system.

Simple example is the shopping.   The food you buy is what you eat. = you may say “Of cause”

—– really ?  Just think, how much food you have been throwing away from the fridge or didn’t finish to eat.

[]

If you think to slim-down to simple life, you have to start to change from the shopping habit.

Buy only the food for bare essential, and make a pattern what to buy in where.  If you are likely to

eat little of that cooking, make it only small portion for just enough amount and finish all of them.

—– once the pattern is established, gradually remove a kind of food which is not essential or

self-indulgent kind, namely sweets, crisps and chocolate, even ice cream 🙂

Having the food on front and curve the desire is a fruitless attempt.

Better start with not to buy, not to have it.

So, set the mind [I can’t spend the money for this kind. I’m a poor person] —– (I don’t think if

anybody think, to buy chocolate is a sign of rich person though. 😀 )

[]

At Morison I buy Danish bread, Carrot, Onion, Sprouts, Leaf Tea and Honey. = Because I can choose exact size

of vegetable (because I eat all of them in one meal) and their Danish bread found to be the best so far.

At Lidl I buy Chicken, Apples, Tinned Fish  (my cloths, shoes and junk goods and tools = cheap :-D)

And Iceland, I buy only their Eggs and Single Cream (for Tea and for creamy soup).

At street market, I buy Green Pepper, strange fruits, and exotic vegetables. —– as this shopping habit is

fixed, I only goes to particular corner and I buy nothing else  ( to do Japanese cooking

I go up to the China Town to buy Tofu, Sea weed etc.)

Since, my mind got only those essentials, others such as sweets are just a passing land-scape.

[]

Here that paradox is = set the mind as poor person and abandon greed can bring the more

well-shaped rich life. = (Best of all, I don’t get ill. 🙂 )

———-

PS :  Some of you might be wondering, what I’m cooking out of such limited ingredients. —– I used to

think, I’m a good cook and when I ate something “Oh, I know how it was cooked and I can do too” though,

I gave up to think like this, as I became aware how it is the specialized and delicate area of the skill.

I left gourmet food to the specialized restaurant.  I know it’s there, but may not on my life.  That’s it.

To accept the limit is a part of the contemplation, and this is the departure away from the greed.

—

Search Term

Like real life, there always is something unexpected, or couldn’t anticipate.

This Yoshizen’s blog was started just as a coincidence, hence no clear structure or design exist.

And it has been went on and on, resulted utterly assorted 260 posts now, and having total hit of 57,000 (!).

(I have no idea how many people — if 10 persons read 10 posts each, it would be counted as 100 hits)

In fact, it’s gave me a puzzle “How come” ? And I’m still puzzling, such as an occasion soon after it was posted,

suddenly it gone to popular arena and receiving amazing responses, —– How it happened  ?

There seems something strange communication exist among the readers of which I’m not fully understood.

How the readers able to know something interesting in here, before hand ?

Is it all because of the Google’s search engine ?  Or a kind of network of the readers, Emailing

the link each other, saying have look this one ?

[]

And pretty interesting to me is, I can see the search term which people used —– and end-up here 🙂

—– I don’t know whether a person expected to come here or somewhere else.

Some search terms such as [Make rice cake in 15 minutes], [Da vinch penis drawing] are most likely from

the memory of my old post, and wanted to find the same, probably to show others as a talking piece.

But some of them are utterly incomprehensible —– How it came to here ? Some are a term to look for a

porno site = when I tested the same, such as [female nude 3D] [japanese wife nude] it went into a sea

(million items) of Google lists.   So the question is,  how the person could manage to reach here without

leaving a Google foot-print ? Is there special access code to write Search Term into my Stats’ ?

—– What ever, it must be a great effort to achieve it.

[]

The terms which people has used, such as [Bodhitree in Japanese], [story+of+bodhidarma]

[Walking and not thinking the leg movement] — may originated from this blog though, the

person didn’t remember the name of the site = name is not the matter but the contents.

A flower rising from the water may teach a person what is the Dharma,  but the matter is

the way of its existence,  not the name = Lotus.

This blog might have inspired the readers and some may find the right direction of

their Pathway. = is what all about the role of this blog.   And the very reason to be here.

___/\___

—

Tiny Comment — How Master Kogetsu got angry

If this is the first time for you to stumble this blog, you might be puzzled

as this blog is the most not Zen like place.

In here, there is no pretentious word game or glorious myth were told.   Especially,

if you have a romanticized idea of Zen as something intellectually hi-class culture,

you will be disappointed.  Zen is not an exclusive special culture nor peculiar practice.

Even so-called Enlightenment, Nirvana is NOT the hard to come-by

awkward commodity.  It is right there sitting next to you.

You just not see it because you believe, it must be the other side of the river, long way

beyond the Pathway, hence looking somewhere wrong place.

Far from it, it is nothing afar.   In this blog, I’m showing how Zen and Enlightenment is

ubiquitous and in fact, right inside of you.

It was not my opinion but simply this is what

Lord Buddha told, therefore what the Zen is.

Zen can be walking, can be cutting a lemon. In deed,

being yourself is the Zen and Enlightenment.

I show it to your eyes,  what I’m doing here.

non

When I faced Master Kogetsu in the Eiheiji Temple and told him that I was a

photographer, what he uttered was “What a hell, why a photographer kind of person

wondering the Zen Temple.  This is exactly the indication of that you couldn’t settle

and be diligent in your own life” “As you are a photographer, do the best photography

and become the best photographer. It is where your life is”. — In return I replied to

him “Wait a moment, why photographer can’t search the truth.   Have look, even

Lord Buddha himself did forsake the life of Royal prince and became a seeker.  Why not me ?”

“What? —– What a preposterous word you got, comparing yourself to

Lord Buddha is unforgivable”  (though, he didn’t hit me with a stick which was in his side.  :-))

non

Master Kogetsu was one of the highest Soto Zen priest ( wearing brown ), who was the

head of the Suzuka-dera Temple and visiting, serving fellow of the Eiheiji Temple.

(In fact, leaving the dairy chore to deal with dead man for the hand of young monks and

have a break, come to chat together with another priests in the Eiheiji Temple  🙂 )

Naturally he knew the Zen Buddhism back to back.   Hence, what he meant was, as he said,

the Enlightenment to a photographer is to live totally as a photographer.

There is no fancy myth or abstract enigma there.

As the Life itself is total already, 

Zen wouldn’t make it any more complicated,  simply Life is the Life.

To see as it is and to live as it is,  Just Do It which is due, is the Enlightenment.

non

Just like a lotus flower, being as the flower is the Dharma,

a photographer being as the photographer is the Dharma.

Being with Dharma mean, when the time comes it is the Nirvana.

(Photographer being as a photographer needs no pretence or thinking =

being in Mushin = his camera, his technique, his eyes and the subject,

all become one = Ichijo —– what the one needs more.

(in this instance, forget pretty model—– What model ?    😀 )

This was the way, how Sword Master perfected his skill, how Sword Smith

created his unbreakable sword —– even a Tea Master perfected his tea making.  

It was the Zen.  

Zen is not in the sitting posture, but in the every day’s life,  moment to moment.

non

When the historical Great Zen Masters got their Enlightenment all of them uttered

“It’s a Dog shit”

Yes, it is as ubiquitous as a dog shit, as the Master has been with himself all through his life.

No fancy or enigmatic mumbo-jumbo has been discovered.  The life as it is —– It is there.

(In other words, to invent or cling any fancy story is nothing short of a delusion).

My blog here is talking about this [Zen in action] —– action in everyday life.

___/\___

—

Quantitative Easing

When I was doing a voluntary work in a mountain shelter where we’ve been taking care of

up to 100 guests.   Still, 3 times every year we have to accommodate 300 guests for two ~

three nights at the so-called golden week on May and September, and the New Year holiday.

To feed 300 guests was nothing but a war. We keepers were in a constant battle of

cooking, serving, and washing. (In the same time, some senior keeper had to go out

to search missing person and some had to treat the injured person and so on)

In the kitchen front, we had only 70 or so dinner plates, and in such situation, serving a

meal of fixed menu, Cary Rice (because it can be served on one plate and a spoon = easiest

to serve and wash. ( No complaint. —– It’s a 2300m high mountain called Yatsugatake in

Nagano pref’ where snow fall could be up to 2m deep, winter temperature could be

dropped to -20 degree C. —– mind you, we keepers weren’t paid. We even had to pay a transport

to get there from our pocket.   If you don’t like don’t come,  was the base of rules.

Once in February, I learned how to live alone, without making even a single word,

as the owner has gone to the town and didn’t come back one month, just listening a

roar of snow storm and boiling noise of water on a stove was the life.

How nice to be in the remote mountain. 😀 )

non

When I was washing the dish to cater 300 guests, I noticed that the same plate is coming

back every 10 minutes —– I know it because the plate got minute spot on its edge.

While serving the guests, 70 plates rotating ( go-out with Cary Rice on it, and coming

back as an emptied plate ) = 4~5 times rotation would serve 300 people in 1 to 2 hours !

300 guest were served and they are satisfied (on the face. 😀 ) by the rotation of  70 plates.

non

It was an ingenious and intriguing imagination (joke), when I saw the economical situation, I found

the funny analogy between so-called Credit Crunch and the rotating plates. — as long as the plates

rotates 5 times in an hour or so, everybody will be fed before they feel hungry, or 300 guest were fed

and all of their stomachs were filled,  despite of only having 70 plates, 300 portion of the

requirement was fulfilled = 4.3 times more wealth has been created.

But if the speed slow down, someone end of the queue would be starved.   To alleviate the situation,

hand out a plate to each with a promise of that the food would be served soon = it’s called credit.

—– though, fundamental problem was, there are only 70 plates.

To calm the frustration of the guest, hand out 230 more paper dish to cover all 300 =

this is so-called Quantitative Easing. 😀

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Everybody is expecting to get a meal while holding a paper dish in their hand.

We mankind has created funny system of economy and the false environment. — what’s this ? ? ?

—– I rather like to have, not a falsely inflated economy and uncertain promise, but to bring

fresh food material and cook by myself and eat = down to the earth humble life.

( Of cause, I know the politician and the bankers would say “ Don’t be limited by 70 plates,

create more wealth and spend it” —– ? ? ? Really ? —– [aren’t they stashing the wealth

created there, into their own pocket ? ]

It doesn’t need to see 70 plates. Everybody can see something utterly wrong

in the socioeconomic system today.  Raise your voice.  Make politician,

bankers to take notice.  So, go to the street,  join the protesters.

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Simple LIFE / Humble LIFE

Simple life —– well well well. I’m well aware that I’ve been using this word rather casually and often.

After all, Zen Buddhism is not what we talk or think, but practice.

So, in practice am I having simple life ? ? ? —- In one glance, it is untrue.

I’m doing too many things and being involved too many activities —– often not necessary they

are what I’ve intended.  They just happened and came to my hand.

But, this is the most important core teaching in the ZEN.

When I do anything I only do one thing ( at a time ) = because of I’m doing only one thing,

it is very simple.   Just Do It.

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Then Humble Life —– ?   This is definitely true on me.    Anyone can see it in distance.

May be indistinguishable from a vagrant.   Far remote of any concept of fashion, still strangely people says,

they can find me in the cloud easily since I’m looks always the same 😀

A secret behind of this, I’m buying the same cloths, some time many at once —– my signature attire of

white pullover, I got almost identical 5 of them.

When I buy underwear or socks kind, I buy many of them in one go, or after gave a close look and when

I found it is a good product, I go back to the shop and buy up many of them.

Like the socks, if they are all same made, I don’t need to have a trouble to find a matching pair 😀

After all, I’m lazy to think what to ware ( I don’t care the package, the matter is the contents ) —– if

the package is the same, I don’t need to think about when I put.   It’s true isn’t it ?

Laziness lead to the simplicity.     This is what the humble life become simple life. Ha ha ha. 😀

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While having much enough to think about for a project or design, I wouldn’t like to spare the time to

mundane things —– sorry I wouldn’t pay much of attention to the room decoration.

Zen wouldn’t chase two rabbits, since we got only one life.   ( And we don’t wait to have another

life to finish the project —– as nobody ever did = nobody ever enlightened in the next life, 

since no such things ever exists in this world —– even Dalai Lama had to learn the Buddhism

from scratch = where all the wisdom supposed to be accumulated in his previous 13 lives ? )

So, Just Do It,  while it is in your hand.

___/\___

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Think Yourself (2)

Gosh, it was the February of last year when I talked about this in a post  [ Think yourself ].

On that time I wrote the reason why Buddha ordered his disciples not just follow his words but

think it by themselves,  was,  let the Buddhism to evolve by taking new thinking according to

the change of the world. —– This is true. — And the Buddhism did it,  in deed.

Then after I wrote previous two post about will-power —– I realized there was also a hidden meaning in

the Buddha’s words “ Think yourself “ —– he must be thinking the other effect in the brain when

people think about the subject again and again.

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You might remember when you were a child, you asked a rather silly question to your parent and

annoyed them such as why we can’t get a stars in the night sky,  I want to have one   🙂

We grown up and know more and better ( how far the stars are ),  and also we tired-out to think about

such question = effect of the brain fatigue and the acclimation to the same signal.

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There are two different kind of the results you can get out of a question, say what is the answer of

[ 1+1 = ? ] —– with straight arithmetic, it is [ 2 ] but when you tired to question again and again = the question

itself would ware-out.  ( may be not 1+1 kind but pretty awkward abstract notion such as

where we came from for what purpose and where are we go after life. etc etc )

When the question disappeared, no problem left = just carry-on your life.    Ha ha ha 😀

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Despite your expectation Buddha didn’t give any of those answer, he was silent = famous

roaring sound of silence.   But ordered to think yourself.

By doing so, you will get the answer of Ha ha ha 😀 :-D.

After all this is the very answer you need to have to live your happy life.

Leave the question to a Philosopher who was born to be a grumpy philosopher.

You don’t need to have grumpy life.  —  This is the Buddhism.    Ha ha ha 😀

Have a nice day 🙂

___/\___

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