Early Cherry Blossom

In order to put  [ An-Mochi Cooking ] post, I needed to have a photo of Plum Blossom. 

Though I couldn’t find it in time of the 3rd of March, Japanese Hina-Matsuri (ひな祭り／Girls Festival )

Then few days ago, I saw a Pink Blossom from a bus window.  But when I went back there with my camera,  tree was

turned out to be a  Mountain Cherry  ( we call Yama-zakura/山桜 ) = the origin of  Somei-Yoshino variety.

Despite of normally rather small Mountain Cherry,  this tree was a quite hefty big tree of 5~6 m tall which

I can even climb up. ( Though, as a good citizen, I didn’t  😀 )   As it spreading the branches wide, it

convinced me to use Fisheye lens ( again )  😀

In the western tastes, the more the flowers, mean “Gorgeous” !

So, enjoy the view.  Gorgeous isn’t it.  — though, if I may a bit sarcastic, this psyche and its tendency

might be related to the birth of the Capitalism.  ( In its endless greed —– though, don’t ask me

how about the psyche of tremendously rich eastern industrialists  😀 )

So, it might be only a fig-leaf of yet another greed, still this kind of rather reserved decency, originated from

the Confucians philosophy is more appreciated in the east as it often appeared in the Chinese paintings.

Coinciding with Confucians, Taoism has been teaching

the virtue of  living with the rules of the nature.

 Be humble and live as an anonymous small person

 = This is the idea of Minimalism.

This minimalism has been reflected into Zen philosophy.

So that even in poetry, such as in Haiku/俳句, it is not just

short,but the strict rules limiting the use of the word  = only one word indicates the season/季語 = it must be

there, but another word doubling it is regarded to be superfluous, hence illegal = it got to be strictly minimal.

[]

So, in photography, in order to show the full bloom of cherry,  some time photographer only showed a fallen

petal or two on the ground, or floating in the stream.  ( Though, in real life, to create this image, photographer

remove all the petals on the ground before, and places the best look flower petal in the most effective,

looks natural position = it is a staged photo  😀 ) —– I don’t have any editor to please = I’ve just clicked

a photo above.   If you find the flowers in full bloom and its end of the life = temporariness of

the life,  it is what this photo meant to be.  ( Click on the photo to enlarge, and click it again for further

enlargement = it become about the life-size.   Put your lap-top or tablet on the floor.   Kneel down as if you

are  looking into the fallen petals on the real ground.  Give a thought.  =  It would make you feel a bit humble. 

—– Take this as a Buddhist’s practice in Direct Transmission. )

( Camera used was a very humble Canon EOS 5D Mk-II,  8~15 mm Fisheye Zoom, 24~70 F2.8 Zoom Lens )

___/\___

[]

Aluminium-Panel Sculptures / Suppon-pon and O-Shiri

Even though many people still looking for the Dragon image, I rather like to put much more

warm-blooded human-like figure of which I just found an old photo of them when they were made.

( In fact, I’m getting bored with the Dragon images which has been requested by the readers. 😀 )

If you object its part of anatomies = it’s a sign of your mind has been stacked with it = it’s all

in your mind = relax, take easy and have a fun-loving mind, instead.   After all, it’s just a dented

aluminium panel, isn’t it ? —– Nothing more than that, and harmless.    Ha ha ha.  😀

In fact, Full-frontal figure named [Suppon-pon] (after Japanese slang) above was a challenge, how

simple drink can sculpture can be made realistic figure,  and the right, named [O-shiri] was made as

a kinetic sculpture which wobbles its bottom with motorized mechanism, though within a day, its metal

cracked and broken = it needs to be made by the good spring steel with a proper heat process.

Because, the matter in the Zen is, a Zen practice on practice ! —– Let’s Just Do It !

How Zen it is, you will see.  (and see the fun)

I’ve been telling the people, who asked me how those aluminium figures were made = I made them

by just pressing a thin metal, like Shiatsu. ( but, quite laborious endless pressing =

hence, it was a Zen practice ! ) as you can see the photos above, they were just a drink can.

Simply, if a thin metal was pressed, metal will be bent = to cut and bend the metal piece to a shape

wanted is, what all about the aluminium panel sculpture.

If you like to make it as a nude figure, make its shape as a nude figure, as simple as that.

So, when you got flat metal out of drink can, place it on a half soft surface and press it with something

round tipped stick or your finger = you can have  the effect. ( = here, you will see the result of

pressure = how unmistakably correct,  the Buddhism teachings are.   😀 😀 )

If the base was too soft, metal may not be bent but just sink all together. You need to try and find the

best suited material = I found, a cork place-mat has right softness. (and a Telephone book as well !)

The size of a round tipped stick to push the metal panel may need to have several different sizes

—– here the photo of the use of the tool I’ve improvised and made for this purpose.

Observe and use your common-sense and try and try again.  The solution can only be found by doing.

Thinking makes no result, but only the action does.   And only the result counts.

If the resulting shape was not what you wanted = make it from the scratch again (and again).

If you run-out of a can, you don’t need to drink another beer = look around the street, you will find

another can  (can be tons of them.   😀 )

(Obviously, this practice (Art ?) cost nothing = Zen and Spirituality is absolutely incompatible with money)

The more you try, the result you get will be the better.  Don’t be impatient.  And keep doing.

Just sweep the garden, Churi-pantak (Shuri-bantoku) needed 10 years of practice to get it perfect.

In fact, behind of my pieces (as the best so far, in the photo) I’ve made many failures which I’m not

showing to you. 😀 —– It was just a process to get it right = might be called as a Pathway.

To get the best out of one’s life is what the Buddhism was intended for, 

not for sitting idol and talking empty mambo-jumbo.

The tools had its own history of the evolution = from a round bottom of Fizzy drink CO2 Gas bomb

to a Bearing’s ball mounted shaft (for smoother fine movement).   And, the roller disks which would

make furrow or smooth curved line.  Utilize anything with the creative approach.

The better designed tool would give easier work and the better result.

—– Of cause, I know you would say “What all those fuss for ?”— nothing.    What’s wrong ?

Do you think, Do I needed to have a purpose,  such as to become famous and rich with those works ?

Oh, c’mon.  Don’t be greedy.  It’s just a beer can. = Utterly useless things.    ( Priceless ?  😀  )

I wouldn’t ask another technician to make Diamond studded Skull for greedy money-making scheme =

In here, to make it or its effort itself was the purpose.  Therefore, I’m making

everything myself, for myself.  = (Selfish ? —– I don’t think so.  I’m just dealing with this piece, which

is nothing to do with anybody else.  I was just seeing this piece of metal getting its own shape. = work for

something purposeless  for the sake of its own sake, is nothing but the selfless act = Act for act.

So, this is my Zen.   ( If you couldn’t understand why this is the Zen, think why

Master Boddhi Dharma opened Shaolin-Temple using martial art as a teaching tool,

and why the Tea-making is a Zen. —– Convinced  ? )

___/\___

—

Dragon Image ( for The Friends having Chinese NEW YEAR )

Yet again, the images of my Dino the Wire Dragon —– for a Chinese New Year  !

In order to have a New Year ( 23rd of January 2012 ) Celebration ,  Chinese people goes back to

their home town, in the scale of many hundreds millions.  = said to be the largest ever human

movement in the history.  A wave after wave of the people coming to the station —– it is far

beyond of my imagination.  Any how, 1/3 ~ 1/4 of human population is the Chinese,  when ever

it’s happened it must be colossal —– still, m m m ? ? ?    How can they manage ?

What so ever all the people there, include my friends,  I hope they have safe journey

and above all, have a Happy New Year.

What so ever electrolized and materialized the environment, still the last Bastian of human life and

its happiness lies in their family and eating the meal together.  It’s the same in million of years.

___/\___

—

Japanese New Year’s Card 2012 – (3)

As the New Year is coming only ten days  time,  Nippon Yubin (Japan Post) and many

Sites started to show free New Year’s Card design  🙂

(Though, some are too keen to use it as a tool for their business promotion, it is not necessary straight forward,

such as Japan Post’s images are now in [png] not easy jpeg  (you can tinker in Photoshop) as they expecting

the user to compose the image in their format — still, you may go to their site direct and download the image,

from their 3,000 image collection ! —— (but,  it’s in Japanese !)

Japan Post’s site ; —– 　http://www.yubin-nenga.jp/index.html

http://www.yubin-nenga.jp/search/search_parts.php

 —

And, following are from the Canon’s site = Yes, Canon of  camera and the printer !

With the clout of the global company, they are generous and the design quality is pretty high.

Their site is ;  —-  http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/event/nenga/index.html  —– (there are hundreds of samples !)

 

———————————————————————————————————————————

Powerful Calligraphy above is the character [龍／Dragon], —- ( never mind the rest = all saying ” Happy New Year “)

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Here,  he is saying ” Glad, we got happy new spring  🙂 ” ————–(right) [Kyoga-shin-nen] = Happy New Year.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmMMMMMMMMMM

In the old Moon calender, New Year was about February = beginning of the spring, hence the right one

is saying  ” Congratulate the Early New Spring”.

————————————————————————————————————————

Above left says ” Akemashite Omedetou-Gozaimasu” —————- (right) ” Shinshun” = New Spring.

= Congratulate for having New Year.

Three plants images are  Pine, Bamboo and Plum (松，竹，梅) as they are regarded to be auspicious.

M

Another Japanese site is Epson, though, to download the sample image, it seems necessary to register.

  http://my.epson.jp/myepson/alluser/printown/nenga/index.jsp

So, have a fun to look around and create nice Card.

(My Greeting Card may come soon or later   🙂  )

___/\___

—

Noise in the Mad Friday

————————————————— [Night view from the Regent Studio]

The Friday, a week before the Christmas was dubbed as the Mad Friday, as so many Xmas

parties were held in this timing.   (It became apparent, that it was true, on the street scene on the way back

from the party, I saw too many drunken people hardly able to walk :-D)

And I was invited for one of them, which happened to be happened in one of a mad-house in

the north London, at Regent Studio complex next to the old Regent canal.

As huge building having so many artists, even just one floor having three parties in the same time.

And the one I went was called [nnnnn] (!) = Noise Performing Party 😀

The key person who gave me this information was, yet again the Don of the electronic everything,

James the Tallbasterd —  http://tallbasterd.wordpress.com/ — who is also organizing OWN (open wifi network)

and involved many video, music, art events —– so that I bumped many familiar faces as well.

——————————– [nnnnn] event at Ryan Jordan’s Studio / at Regent Studio, Haggerston, London]

What, I’ve planned something special for this party was to test a latest new toy came to my hand a week

ago = Canon Zoom Fish-eye lens 8mm-15mm 🙂

So far I’ve been pretty happy with my 40 years old Nikon 16mm Fish-eye lens = all of my Fish-eye photos in this

blog has been taken by this lens on Canon 5D MkII with the first ever mount adopter in the world, which I’ve

made 25 years ago, in order to use Nikon lenses on Canon EOS 620.

My general view to the lenses, Nikon had a edge over Canon about the Wide-angle lenses, though this

Canon’s Fish-eye Zoom impressed me with its even quality of the image, corner to corner even with the aperture

fully opened (though, I found quite big color aberration, and the lens is not F4, but about F4.8 = the exposure

showed half stop under —– still, it wouldn’t be so much trouble = just give an exposure compensation)

(On the photo below, blue edge of the circle was caused by the Color aberration and it is persistent in any F-stop)

—————————————————– [James Stevens  and   Adnan Hadzi]

The party started with German base beat ! with my big appreciation. And next good things was that the floor

was a painted concrete = just right grip to the shoes (fluffy carpet imped the quick foot movement)

———————————————————[James  and  Adnan]

Then, James and Adnan started their creation in their noise oscillator and the synchronized video images.

James’ noise generator has two adjustments, on top of the photo sensitive element which give a Thermin like

frequency control. —– still, the noise is nothing but noisy —– sorry to say.  Ha ha ha  😀

Noise approach to the sound hasn’t reached to the level, fit to the human consumption yet.  😀

[Rob Canning and Antonio Glanopolos] – [Jonathan Kemp] ———————-[Tim Goldie and his mate]

The second performers, — was using his electric guitar as a noise source with heavily tinkered synthesized

noise jammed with another computer generated noises.

The third performer’s sound was even more destructive computer generated bong bong noise.

( I don’t think, louder sound doesn’t mean impressive  😀  )

————————————————-[ Tim Goldie]

Then the forth group was resorting much of their sound source and lighting control in analog way = by using

snare drum as a noise generator and other (veiled lady) manually switch on and off the fluorescent lights.

This one was more of the theatrical performance than a noise player —– still as destructive as others.

Very peculiar scene was, the most of the people came to this event knowingly what the Noise

performance is, —– still, fed-up its noisiness and came-out the door to have a chat outside 😀

Well, it might be an excuse to have a party and drink. —– Ha ha ha 😀

( In fact, there was one more performer played though,  it was too much to stay inside = hence no photos )

—– Our ancestor spend hundreds of years to sort-out what the sound should be, out of the noises, and refined

the music instrument they invented, and created a way of tuning and the tonal scale, rhythm and the harmony.

Constant rhythm and its BPM, and how we feel with it,  is related to our heart beat, and the tone whether it

is miner or major is directly affecting our emotion —– anything out of this rules = random noise is a noise.

—– ? ? ?

Of cause, anybody has a right to question “ If not” —– though,  It’s a same old question.

[]

Funny you may find in the aspect of Zen. Zen chase the better and the best of what ever the subject.

And deal with the subject alone as if no other subject exist in the life (at the moment) = (it called mindfulness).

A Tea master may spent 10 years to achieve fine smooth bubble in his Matcha (powdered tea) = achieve the

best is (strangely) human tendency (or obsession  😀 ).  —– No question of what it is for.

It is the closed sphere or circuit.   So, to push the possibility of  Noise to the limit is exactly in the same context.

BUT, tea bubble wouldn’t affect anybody out of its sphere though, Noise travel in the air = reaching other’s ears.

It’s a trouble.    Ha ha ha  😀

Even if it stand highly philosophical, noble notion = sound only reaches to one of the most primitive  sensor of

our organ / ears = its first perception is dangerous or not, good or bad = very basic feelings = far from noble.

Still, the noise itself wouldn’t kill you, if not bad to the ears. ( Trouble is, you only realize it in your later life 😦 )

Nevertheless, seeing familiar faces and chat “ How you happen to know this ?” —– and find

the overlapping networks = in fact, how close we each others are = or how small the world is !

Loud noise would also teach you,  how nice to have quiet peace is. —– Sigh ! —– Ha ha ha 😀

___/\___

[]

OFFENSIVE — What ? ? ?

How interesting, after more than a year, some clicked LIKE but non ever clicked Don’t like, or

never received even a single negative comment —– my You tube video clips was identified as

[Potentially Offensive] —– What ? — I beg your pardon ? ? ?

Since I couldn’t have any more information, I don’t have any detail, which one, in what extent ?

[]

Potentially offensive, dangerous etc can be said against anything, by anybody —–

Yes, Baseball bat, Cricket bat are [potentially] dangerous killing weapons, as the facts showed that they

have been actually used to kill a man.

Well manicured nails are [potentially] dangerous weapons, it could cause an injury which may needs

hospital treatment, where the spread of life threatening MRS is a common feature there, and a person

who contracted such deprecating illness could [potentially] die.

But those are the statistical probabilities = may be [potential] one in millions.

The notion of [offensive] came from the imagination = to make a specific imaginary

connection to something they imagined socially or personally , what-so-ever unacceptable,

even just for a single person.    If one person felt offended, it’s mean it is Offensive. —– Is it ?

Isn’t it a trouble of the person’s own imagination ? —– or obsessive delusion kind.

[]

While displaying thousands of killing scene video-clips from Arab springs etc, I’m nothing but amazed by

so-called [You tube community’s] mind-set.  Who are they ?

If you search in You tube while typing Virtual Woman, Funny image or Condom, you will find the

thousands of dubious images or really low grade innuendo.

As I wrote in my post featuring my sculpture Virtual Woman, I created this wire mesh torso to see how

our psyche works. —– and I made it rotates like a computer cage design like a virtual image in a screen.

—– Any 3D body-design in the computer starts from a naked body, of cause.

Putting a skin, costume comes after.  Feel explicit image out of wire mesh is a really mindful imagination !

—– Or, was it because, it looks like a human barbecue ? — “Juicy and succulent” Ha ha ha 😀

Incidentally, I saw the lords of looks like dead naked bodies in the dark basement of latest

Secret Cinema’s event at St. John’s Street, London. They looked pretty realistic in its shape though,

they were made by plastic films and shredded paper. —– so, how a twisted metal mesh can be offensive ?

[]

Or, are they talking about blowing-up a condom ? —– Oh, c’mon. It’s nothing new.

Hundreds of You tube images blowing up a condom.

——— ? ? ?

Or, are they trying to make a fuss, in order to stir a news, expecting me to make a mountain

out of mole hill ?  Any publicities are good for them.

Fortunately or unfortunately for them, I’m a Zen Buddhist.

I’m not seeking a trouble which wouldn’t be an exciting fun.

Even HM the Queen treasuring the drawing of penis in her collection and Tracy Ermin’s open-leg

drawing of her genitals are the ART,  so what offensive my sculptures —– is it, because they are

the great Leonard DaVinci and Tracy Ermin, but I’m just Yoshizen / Kinetorori = M m m,

Isn’t it very discriminative OFFENSIVE view ?  Isn’t it a contempt to Offend me ?

[]

Whether, it was their joke or not, I haven’t received any formal notice (they got my real Email address)

nor my video-clips have been removed (— yet ?) by them.

So, watch the space for any fun-full out-come. 😀

___/\___    Peace for the World and the Cyberspace.   Ha ha ha.

– – –

PS:   After I have blogged here and Tweeted,  You tube withdrawn their comment.

—– Though, I have no idea whether they did read this blog, or just gave a second thought.   😀

 —

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.

___/\___

—

Japanese New Year’s Card 2012 (1)

Observing the search terms which the readers has expected to find here and typed,  indicates, quite a lot of

people are expecting to see the Japanese New Years Card design. —– in effects, it is

the customer’s feed-back, data for a market research for a blogger.  😀

Well well, a humble Zennist Yoshizen is here to serve,  as the charity is in our duty.    Ha ha ha  😀

[]

Though, I couldn’t find the same in the Japan Post’s site this year, or it might be too early.

Instead, I found those free sample image by Googling  in Japanese writing.  The images came from ;

http://www.nenga-juunisi.net/frame-menu.html

( ### Free though, use the image other than personal  New Year’s Card was prohibited by their  Copyright)

—– If anybody is searching in the Net, my advice is NEVER go to so-called Free design site such as

[Mywebsearch] which is offering free card design = if you click their [Downlord], what comes to your PC is

not the design sample but a blatant Trojan-horse which spy and send out all of your Web-log.

How blatant is, it shows you [Terms and Condition] which says “You agree with us to send the data to the third

party” though, there is no click button for you to say [Yes] or [Not Agree] = they start their spy activity at once.

Even if this is nothing but a Trojan-horse = Malware, still,  a person clicked [Down lord] and clicked [Yes] to

agree the program goes into the Hard Drive (believing it is a design sample)  Security Program can’t work.

—– and to remove this Malware, lots of works was needed.  ( their hidden program changes the setting of

such as [Favorite] of starting task, their front page was kept coming back = needed to reset the start

menu —– what a hell. )   In comparison, the Japanese is only fraction of the English speaking population

and the spied data in Japanese is hard to utilize = very few Malware is infesting their site.

Those card designs (in JPEG)  are supposedly [Click and Save] then email as an attachment or for print out

for snail-mail though, I haven’t tested it myself —– I hope, should no instruction in Japanese comes with.  😀

By the way,  why the title  got  – – -2012 (1) is,  – – -2012 (2) will coming soon = watch the space.

___/\___

—

Artist’s Party just went on and on and on —–

Last week-end there was an artist’s party which turned out to be pretty big fantastic party.

Artists though, it’s not a fine-art kind, Stage designer, Sound engineer, Film (video) maker, Photographer,

Graphic designer, Costume designer, DJ  etc etc, —— in certain extent, they are working craftsman.

Hence, talking are not abstract theory but more practical, technical kind which I like more.

As it was a party, my main aim was to have an enough exercise (generally called dancing)  with Jungle

or German base kind of music.  And I went there with Camera and my Rotating LED dancing costume.  😀

As the theme of the Party was the God, Goddess, kind  🙂  some had appeared with rather fancy attire

and a make up (and some had gone pretty far —– though, for the Stage, Film people it must be easy business.)

Whole house has been decorated with huge print out of Godly figure and the decorations.

Egyptian to Roman, even a Japanese mythical Goddess of Amateras  !

And of cause,  looks not necessary Godly figured folks as well —– ( So-called good earthly creatures  😀 )

A specially designed strange furniture (?) for the party was = like this in the photo. (You put name it)

Which can be climbed and parched on it = rather comfortable to sit on.

Where such imagination came from, and the effort to build this, from scratch,  just for a fun for

one night party ! —– This is the demonstration of an Italian extravaganza !

As in a guise of Venerable Holy Man Yoshizen  😀    I drunk orange juice.   (I brought Apple juice, since I hate Apple

though, it disappeared, hence I had to settle with orange ) —– was not a big issue though.

And so on —– so on.

Since the house literally having Audio engineer, DJ-in-residents, their set up was professional.

And the friends came to see and dance, expecting to have it in professional standard.  🙂

Good, good.  Excellent  🙂

And it went on and on and on —— till next morning.

This is what the Party should be.  And it was a terrific fun.

___/\___  ( It doesn’t contradict  Zen  😀  /  Far from it,  just giving a fun for hundred of the guests,

—————-pay so much effort and the work, and perfected it —– is nothing but the Zen.

—————-Believe me, as Yoshizen is saying so.   Ha ha ha  😀  )

—

Change PATHWAY ???

I’ve received rather heavy question as a comment on [Tiny Comment] post,

which said;

>>> I’m now at a crossroads in my working life. I work with disabled people (for some reason

I seem to work with blind and visually impaired) showing them ICT skills to communicate

with computers across the internet. As you know I also am an artist. Neither is making me a

living, but I find I cannot go back to cleaning toilets and doing basic manual work. Can I be

mindful and find my path again? Something (I do not know what, maybe slight sadness) tells

me I may need to change path completely…

[]

As a matter of fact I know this man many years as I’ve seen him everywhere, Art events, Computer events and

he is a friend of lots of my friends as well, yet ever knowing his full name or profession.

Hence, I gave him a nick name [Paul the Ubiquitous] in my diary 😀

In my notorious one glance, he was seen as a man of very wide faculty and extrovert, going round a lots

—– adrenaline driven very active person —– in other words, knowing a lots, but because the information

he has to deal with in his brain is so much, not necessary had a time to know a direction or who he is, yet

without knowing direction still able to proceed like a bulldozer, it often go against the other’s grain.

Life wouldn’t be smooth and sweet.

(The line between confidence and arrogance, active and pushy are very thin, but fundamental trouble is that

the [man of confidence] couldn’t guess the mind of the [man of no-confidence], such as even a use of technical

term or talking speed, often it is hard to follow the speed of brain of the [man of confidence] :-D)

[]

In the quote above, he said [change the path] —– I hope he is not mixing it up with

the so-called [Pathway] in the Buddhism.

In fact, it is not him, generally most of the people who was interested in the Buddhism having

a misunderstanding that the [Pathway] is the special process in the Buddhism study. —– Far

from it, it is the LIFE itself.    There is no double life or short cut  even in a Buddhist’s life.

Life is total and only one to a person, and it is the very  Pathway.  ( What makes the dairy life

into so-called Pathway is, how the person could find the core reality out of the mundane occurrences =

some may grasp the truth of whole life in one fallen leaf = it’s called direct transmission in Buddhism)

[]

While having a ruthless life to chase own greed, there is no redemption by the 10 minutes meditation in the

evening or some donation to the temple.  His life itself is not compatible with the Buddhism = the person is

taking a pathway of the greed = Karma follows accordingly.

( though, in Zen, as it follows Mahayana tradition, there is slightly different understanding that a part of the life,

such as [ruthless activity] can still have highest efficiency in Zen —– yet, overall repercussion of the Karma

comes from its totality of the life.  I don’t think the Supreme Sword Master Musashi got any regret when he died.

But I don’t think he needed to have, let alone wished to have Nirvana = He lived and died as a

man of the Sword = It was the Zen contemplation)

[]

So, the question is, whether [Paul the Ubiquitous] need to change his path (direction) —– ?

My view is, as he is living in the environment to deal with ICT, and blind people many years already, he must

have all the expertise, knows resources, possibilities, limitations, it is already his part of the life.

What he needs more is to open the eyes to see what he can do to those blind people —– find a new approach,

better technology to solve the problem.  Somebody in unique environment or position is, often because of

he was needed to be there —– could be a Karma.

Though, to fill the duty in the Karma, it needs to work hard = mindfulness mean the objective is only one,

don’t expect anything else, such as good business or fame.   ( let alone nice woman 😀 )

Being also as an artist mean, he must have an idea of unconventional approach = idea of pretty new device.

He could be an inventor as well.  Provided, he must know, he is an able person = He need to hear and

feel what blind and impaired people is feeling = the mind to hear and to know the other’s mind.

Buddhist’s listening ears and the compassion, above all clear open mind would be essential.

When the idea developed concrete, apply a grant etc to develop further. As the demography is changing,

this field having a priority in the society.    Believe your task and the duty in full.

Good luck.

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