ZEN Photography

There was a very tricky question, what is Zen Photography.

Before talk about photo, what is Zen is harder enough.

Still, in few occasions, to see a photo — m m m ? !

THIS must be the Zen !

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The Matter is, how the visible image contains beyond of what it shows.

= How invisible, unknowable element has been captured in the photo !  

Not a mere suggestive image but has overwhelming power of existence !

Which has been seen by the clear-eyes of Zen, and captured in Mushin.

= Mushin mean without a manipulative intention.  

It is even better if it was in Ichijo with the subject, or the photographer

was completely absorbed by the subject.

And such photo starts to shows its own “raison d’ etre” as strong as the

existence of the subject itself, because the Dharma of the subject and

the Dharma of the photographer has been fused together, or in Ichijo.

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There are some different approach among the so-called Zen paintings.

Some did symbolical approach, such as a drawing of a Potato.

—– Humble, ubiquitous, utterly insignificant object, still, because it is

utterly insignificant, this could be the Universe or the Dharma.

But this is a very intellectual approach, expecting the viewer to see it

in Zen context. —– To convey this concept, may be it’s even better to

leave a paper blanc, hence, [nothing] could mean everything =

the whole Universe.   

In the same time it would save a ink and a time, bother to draw anything. 😀

—– Something similar but different approach is, just one straight line or

a circle on the paper = in this case, it is not only a superimposed idea in

a drawn-line but the action to draw it, was the Zen.

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In the photography, the same symbolical approach wouldn’t necessary work.

A photo of one potato would leave little imagination of anything else.

It is just a potato = “Is this a symbol of Universe ? You got to be Joking” 😀

In the other-hand, photography is very easy to make an ambiguous

confusing image, by just make it out of focus, burred image or almost

disappearing over-exposure, under-exposure, even with multiple exposure,

and those vague image makes our brain to abandon to read the

meaning of the image,  we were left in the blanc mind, wordless.

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Intellectual symbolism works in a way = “It shouldn’t be just a boring

Potato. It must be something behind, otherwise the painter wouldn’t have

worked to draw this”

In contrast, it is very difficult to see a meaning from a photograph,

since even in a photo with intentionally placed potato looks the same as

an accidental photo of potato.   (Drawing wouldn’t be made without

intention, still, even an accidental click makes one photo. :-))

Unless the meaning was clear, we wouldn’t go behind and the graphical

digital manipulation of a photo would rarely convey this meaning,

because we see it only as a graphical purpose in after process, not in an

original meaning, unless the effect match the subject naturally.

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—– in the time of film photography, high-temperature development of

high-speed film created rough-grain photo which showed harsh reality such

as in Sebastiao Salgado’s photo, though, to mimicking the effect with digital

manipulation in high-contrast only creates irritating harsh image =

photo looks harsh but not necessary make the reality looks harsh !

In other words, superficial graphical effect doesn’t affect much to the

meaning of the photo, let alone in its spirituality.  (In Paintings, spirituality

is relying on mostly in its narrative subject and our subconscious connect 

it to a spiritual legend or feeling of owe = it’s in our imagination.  

But in photography, it also emanated from its atmosphere or enigmatic

air which makes our perception suspicious.)  

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Spirituality in the photography lies in either overwhelmingly

strong reality of the subject which provoke our imagination, or

ambiguous depth of air in the image which strikes our emotion.

Therefore, the Zen photography (visual, not a wishful conceptual photo,

which can hit a subconscious of the viewer, before reading brah brah)

exists in two different direction.

One is finely detailed photo of overwhelmingly heavy subject.

Other is a hint of rather humble object still having full of

ambiguous air. —– Either case, the photo will hit the viewer

straight, with the former, facing with overwhelming reality, owe

to the Dharma, the later, with its unknowable field of infinity.

In either case, we just abandon the thinking,  standing alone

naked,  dumbstruck.

This is the Zen Direct transmission. 

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Orange Blossom

This is a common garden plant / shrub, [ Choisya ternata].  

Commonly known as Mexican Orange Blossom or just Orange blossom.

I don’t think I saw this in Japan when I was a kids —– seemed to came

there in the 70s and I have no idea when this plant came to England.

When I saw this flower first time, I wondered why this one got a name  “Orange”  ? ? ?  

—– Flower looks similar to other Citrus plants though, I haven’t seen its “Orange” like fruits,

not only that, the leaf is completely different. ( Citrus has single leaf, not compound leaf).

Then, I remembered what Professor said = “To distinguish Citrus family is, whether the leaf

has oil-spot or not”,  when I needed to take picture of Japanese [Sanshou] and not mistake it 

with looks very similar plant [Inu-sanshou] (only genuine [Sanshou] has oil-spot on its leaf)  

= like the yellowish small dots on the leaf = on the photo right. 

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The oil-spot in Citrus family ( Rutaceae, in exact )  contain typically smelled chemical,

hence they has been used as a seasoning or flavouring  in many countries.   (On this occasion

I looked into Wiki and found that amazing spread of this “Spice” in many many region in the

world but very little in the west ! )

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Even in the same [Rutaceae] family, [Sanshou] or more commonly known [Szechuan pepper]

is completely different looks plant ( I never seen it in this country hence, no photo.  — Wiki

got only a photo of the seeds ) — any how, in Japan, [Sanshou] is strangely exclusively used to

serve with eel ( Wu-nagi no Kabayaki  🙂 )  and such as in Thai cooking,  I think their

“Tom-yam” and its distinctive flavour were given by this spice.

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The insects, especially the butterflies, their larvae eat exclusively one plant.  

In Japan, Yellow Swallow-tailed Butterfly only eats this [Sanshou] leaves.  

(And when those larvae of Butterfly was disterbed, they push-out a kind of tentacles out of

their body to spread the concentrated chemical they accumulated from eating the leaves

(and its oil-spot) to repel the attacker.  (The smell is diabolical. It’s a chemical weapon.  😀 )

So that, when I saw Yellow Swallow-tailed Butterfly in this country  (though, only once),

I astonished  ” What a hell,  where the [Sanshou] plant grow in this country ? ? ?”  

—– I wonder is there any Butterfly who eat this  Orange Blossom leaves in this country ? ? ?

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Tatami-Kuyou — Japanese Buddhism ? ? ?

日本初、畳供養＝京都市〔地域〕

　約１０００年にわたって日本人の生活を支える畳に感謝する

「畳供養」が、京都市上京区の浄土宗大本山「清浄華院

（しょうじょうけいん）」で行われた。お 経が唱えられる中、

全国から届けられた１５９１通の「供養したい畳の思い出」や、

畳職人らの願いが込められた１７３枚の「畳の護摩ゴザ」が、

用意された １３０畳分の畳表とともに燃やされた。

主催した全国畳産業振興会などによると、————————————畳の思い出や護摩ゴザを燃やし、畳に感謝する畳供養

畳供養は全国で初めての試み。 ————————————————  ４月２５日、京都市上京区の清浄華院（松本一明撮影）

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最近の畳の年間需要量は、１９９４ 年の４６００万畳をピークに減少を続け、２０１３年には１４９０万畳に落ち込んだ。

夏は涼しく、冬は温かいという畳の良さと、長く続く畳文化を次世代に継 承する目的で、畳供養を考えたという。

清浄華院の執事で法務部長の畦昌彦さんは「当たり前のように使っている畳に感謝する気持ちが大切で、毎年開催したい。

畳供養が日本古来の伝統文化を見直すきっかけになってほしい」と話した。

清浄華院は平安時代、清和天皇の勅願で慈覚大師円仁が創建し、８６３年に落成。

法然上人２５霊場の一つとしても知られている。

大殿には２０７畳の畳が敷き 詰められており、畦さんは「畳寺としてより一層、親しみを持ってもらえれば」としている。

（2013/05/07-10:10）  (From Jiji.com = Click the photo for Link)

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I’m not expecting most of you can read Japanese text, but don’t worry

the matter is in the photo. = The photo shows a religious ritual of first ever

Buddhism Service for Japanese Tatami mat, sending its soul to the heaven !

(You know, Tatami mat has its soul too ! = Don’t fart while sitting on it.  :-))

(Yet another PR stunt for Tatami producers and the Temple = any news is a good PR ! )

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The Temple who performed its ritual was a Pure-land Buddhist Temple, —- though,

to look into the photo, a monk conducting it was wearing Singon or Shugen-do

(修験道) style costume. 　 Even more weird was a rope with paper hanging was a

Shime-Nawa (締縄) of Shinto (神道) which indicates sacred area, not mention the rope

on the back, which display off-limit area, Kekkai (結界) = All of them are noting to do

with Pure-land Buddhism. 　

This Situation typified the reality of the Japanese Buddhism.

(So, supposedly a Buddhist goes Shinto Shrine on new-year’s day. :-))

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Most of the people think, the Buddhism is the religion taught by

Lord Buddha, 2500 years ago. —– But in reality, most of the Buddhist’s

scriptures were written after mixed-up with popular cult of Tantrism

(though, being as the local popular belief, Tantrism itself was not a unified solid

region = thousands of Guru had been teaching their own Dogma, while making up his

convenient story) hence, deviated widely, often end-up utterly contrary to original

Lord Buddha’s teachings.

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—– The trouble was, even the old Chinese masters who translated Pali, Sanskrit,

Tibetan scriptures into Chinese, were not aware the situation and real imprecations.  

Even worse to Japanese Masters who founded the Japanese sects by studying those

Chinese scriptures. = This was the reason why the sect, who was not relying on the

literal study but the practice, was able to maintain the original teachings of

Lord Buddha, the most.

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(There was a funny story I’ve read in a Buddhist’s column = a Pure-land sect’s monk

was asked by a follower “Our father has been told to chant the name of Amitaba Buddha

(阿弥陀仏) and he did,  hence he was said to have gone to the Pure-land heaven, if so, why

us, the remaining family needed to have the annual ritual to send his soul to the heaven ?”

—– those annual rituals are the cash-cow of the temples and the monks).

—– still, for a layman, it doesn’t matter, they all looks same.

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何やら畳供養があったとの事ですが，それにしても護摩ｺﾞｻﾞを焚いているのは真言密教，あるいは

修験道の行者，しかも神道の締縄や周囲には結界の縄までが張ってある。

ハテ，このお寺は浄土宗でこのテの事はやらないものでは？

－－－それとも畳にナムアミダは通じないので，もちはもち屋とばかり，

特別に高野山から阿闍利の出張サービスを頼んだとか？ 😀

___/\___

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Line Drawings — Space Odyssey

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Those drawings were created about the same time with others.

When a friend Brazilian artist, organized an exhibition called “Draw Drawing” (2004)

at the Brazilian Embassy,  I helped him to set up and I prepared to exhibit those drawings

too,  in case if not many drawings were submitted (in order to fill the wall space.  🙂 ) 

It was organized through Internet (= one of very early attempt of this kind),  surprisingly,

huge number of  drawings were submitted from all over the world, in A-0 to post-card size. 

But, in order to put up all  600 drawings,  we needed to create  new walls in the Embassy’s

big conference room.

—– Exhibition was a huge success  (the amount itself overwhelmed  visitors  🙂 )  though,

after the event, my friend got huge headache to send them back to each artist because he

couldn’t anticipate the power of Internet in such extent.

He thought, only the friends and the friend of  friends in England who can come and

collect their work,  may respond to his call,  but more than half of the artists who sent

their work for exhibition,  were from abroad.

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My drawings here got the same idea to Space Odyssey 2001,  that the life-form originated

from other planet and spread from there.   (Left drawing was designed to test the pure

imagination =  how impossible posture (hence no photo) could be realistically created) 

—– (This series got two more drawings though,  I couldn’t find them in this moment, 

whether they are somewhere else with its frame or I might have given to my friend in

the mids of chaos of taken-down the exhibition.   🙂 )

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Line-Drawing = Precursor to Wire Figure

Somebody asked me how I got the first imagination to create

a Wire Figure like “St. Lucia”.

In fact there is a Spanish painting (by Zulbaran ?) of a woman who was hit

by the Good’s revelation.  The design or her posture was after this painting.

But to make it as a wire figure there was a long accumulation of practice to

configure human body into simple contour lines.

(It was not came from Manga drawings)  😀

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Those line-Drawings were created around 1993, soon after my court case

for which I had to sell most of my professional cameras and lenses =

it’s mean I became out of business.  (I fought this case up to the Court of

Appeal without lawyer, since I didn’t know I could get Legal Aide and

didn’t need to sell livelihood. = demerit of  DIY.  Ha ha ha.   🙂 )

Out of business mean I got plenty time but not much money.  

So, I did quite a lots of drawings which costs virtually nothing.

But before this, there was an interesting discussion with

other photographers

“How we can figure out dark faint image or just a contour to

particular object ?”

“How do we know a curved one line to such as woman’s front

body or back ?”

“Is it a pattern recognition or intuitive creativity

to make-up an image ?”

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—– so, I experimented to draw the line, simplified to the limit,

no longer recognizable to any meaningful figure.  

Or figured out the minimum, still able to convey the meaning.

And found that the same line could be seen in the different meaning

or can be seen as other part of the figure.

—– strange discovery was that even if it is utterly illogical,

as long as it contain the recognizable parts, our brain

accepts it as what we normally understand as a pattern.

May be because our brain is not necessary seeing the things

(or drawing) as it is, but reconfigure it as we understand.  

Our thinking or even first-hand perception is never free

but always “Wishful” !

= We see the things as what we wants to see.

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So, the drawing above center, [Two headed woman] = our brain

accepts it as “One woman is facing front with her left hand swing back

and other woman stretching her right hand front” =

our brain never reject it all together with a reason of its 

irrationality,  but try to process each woman independently.  

Because, we are not familiar with two headed woman, the brain

ignore the conflict and stick to see it is two different woman

just happen to be in the same place, while try to think,

“She twisted her front body completely backward”.

—– So, it is a joint operation of our eyes and the brain =

the eye’s detailed vision is only the centre of our vision, about 20 degree

and the peripheral area is rather vague. = very similar phenomenon to 

selectively listen the voice among the other noise.   

(Please test it yourself  🙂 )

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The drawing right was my challenge (in the matter of imagination,

not a drawing or painting skill :-)) to Bosch who showed surrealistic

image in the hell, still never go to this kind of illogical confusion. 😀

—– Even Dalli couldn’t go beyond a crèche.

(May be from a religious restriction, God’s creation shouldn’t have

such freak.) If you see only a part of this drawing while hiding the rest,

your eyes accepts the image. —– One line could be a line of the hand

but it is also the line of the thigh etc.

Our brain ignore the part which is not taking part to configure one

image. ( —– And this is  what all about the Rorschach Inkblot Test =

pick up the pattern in a part, and make up familiar  image in the brain.)

= this function creates a monster from a vague image of a tree

in the woods. = we only pick-up the element which is enough to

configure monster and disregards the rests so, we see a monster.  

Seeing is believing — is it ?

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Some of you might see the top drawing as a kind of Hindu Goddess,

hence may be accept this image straight.   It looks strange though,

if you hide one side, it may not so strange. —– (She supposedly

sitting on a lotus flower though, I have not finished it yet.)

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With those (in fact 300 of ) drawings behind, to conceive and

configure the wire figure was not far away.  

And to draw 300 drawings in the same approach, it has to

get somewhere. = Zen would say

“Even rain drops can curve a rock ” 🙂

—– Drawing was done and each line was adjusted by way of copying

it on the light-box again and again until it become perfect (well, sort of)

so that those 300 are not 300 different images but lots of slightly

different same pictures.  = It was a process of step by step Kaizen.

If I were a real master of drawing, I could have done perfect drawing

straight though I wasn’t, I had to take slower process.

— May be draw a perfect circle looks much more like a Zen Master

though, I needed to know human perception, not a holy pretence. 🙂

And this approach gave me an opportunity to analyze how

we feel different if the line was slightly different or

the same line could be seen in different context. 

So, it was really interesting and a fun. 😀

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WHAT to Eat and HOW to Eat

I spent most of my youth in the mountain (rest of the school time).

Especially in a mountain shelter as a voluntary keeper (小屋番)

—– in a hind sight, I was very lucky to have this kind of life as it has shaped my

life-style and its backbone = and made me physically and mentally indestructible.

(save some cuts and bruises. 🙂 )

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Another aspect, what I’ve gained there was the opportunity to deal and observe

literally ten of the thousands of people, often in the condition of their limit.

When people face their limit, it expose the core of their disposition in harshest way.

Some are become utterly an animal of Ego and Self-preservation.   Some were

completely lost.    Still some can maintain the human spirit and the wit.

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An interesting observation we made was the eating habit of the people,

and a kind of consensus among us was that the people who are not

eating enough good food in their daily life, tend to make a complaint. 🙂

The shelter situated 2300m high in the mountain where the water boils 85 degree

centigrade.  Naturally the boiled rice is far from ideal or might say only edible.

Hence, the person who complained about it never had own experience to cook the rice

in such high mountain.    And the others complained the poor ingredient such as not

much meat in the Cary-rice is rather poor looking, gray-skinned person.

In contrast, a person who just eat contented was always having good skin-tone and

well-fed, healthy looks type and often high in social scale.  🙂

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Because of eating is the most fundamental element to form ourselves,

WHAT to Eat determine who you are.    And it reflects one’s back ground of

up-bringing (cultural and family, more than a personal preference).

But HOW to eat, reflect the personal disposition.   (In the same family,

same food still, each one eat their own way — one might eat rather messy and so on)

Therefore, to observe HOW the person eat, we can see what this person is,

and what sort of mind-set the person possess.

Eating messy with chewing noise is the worst.   Waste the food is a disrespect to the

food producer and the whole nature who provided the food for us, and the life itself.

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What you can eat is also restricted by the situation.

To understand the situation and environment of the mountain shelter, where all

the materials were brought up by the shoulder of the volunteer keeper, no wonder

it is far from ideal hence easy to complain, yet still, some are just accept what

was offered, and eat contented. — This mind-set shapes the person’s whole life.

As eating is the basis of the life, it is parallel to the life, numerous phrase, metaphor

using the food, such as “Eat humble pie” “Cold turkey” “Scrape the life” etc etc. =

HOW you eat is synonym of HOW you live.

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And what you were given on a dish has exactly the same meaning as what

you were given on your life.   You may complain, or you may eat it contented

= result is to end up grey-skinned frustrated man or positive man with nice shiny-skin.

—– A funny joke I heard before said “Have you ever seen healthy looking

staff in a [Health Food Shop] ?” the people fussing about the food too much,

such mind-set = a delusion makes the person even more unhealthy. 😀

(I wouldn’t imply junk-food obesity has nicer shiny-skin.

It’s need to be judged by seeing whole body. 😀 )

—– Don’t fooled by a buzz-word “Hungly-Spirit” —– Its meaning is not

just ASKING more.    Now the Millionaire Richard Branson had eaten a

poor meal yet in full in each moment, while building up his business.

That is where very energy came from.

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A Buddhist’s term “Live in its moment” mean, when you were given even

meager meal, “The food on front” is the food you have to eat in full.

Take it and swallow it as there is nothing else, which could be the last food in the whole

planet.    You will not have any another choice, another Life.

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So, all of us, the volunteers had witnessed and learned, a man who couldn’t eat even a

meager food contented, wouldn’t reach any better food all through the life, as the

self-centered Ego is just stacked in the mind.

Under one’s Ego and Greed, any food is not good enough.

Don’t waste the time for complaining.   The time is limited.

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But if you cook, it is a totally different story.    Don’t cook bad meal.

Spend the same time and the cost, it could be a good meal but could be bad meal too.

Cook bad meal is the waste of the food material and the time.

Even worse, it may not give you enough energy and the health.

—– So, be mindful, when you eat, or cook. =

It lead you to have mindful, fulfilling LIFE.

___/\___

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Japanese Multi-function Knife / 十徳ナイフ

This is one of my longest serving mountain tool, multi-Function Knife.

Japanese name, Jyuttoku Knife (十徳ナイフ) literally mean 10 function Knife

though, most of this kind were having 4~6 functions.    (Otherwise it become too big to use comfortably.

= While using one function, rest of 9 tools of bulk and dead weight are still in the hand. 🙂 )

So that, I never seen the one which got 10 or more functions ever.

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You must be familiar with well known Swiss Army Knife though, they only started to come

to Japan after 60s.    Before it, Multi-Function Knife in Japan meant this type, and as far as

I know it was designed soon after great war and said to be one of the clever export item to

American in 50~60s. —– Before electronic goods or car, this kind of cheap cottage industry

products were the export items from Japan.   (And must have item for mountain life though,

I’m not sure they are still sold in Japan now.)

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I bought this knife when I joined my Hi-school Alpine Club.

Since then, this knife has been always with me in the field or in the mountain.

Not only that, this knife is in daily use as well in my kitchen as a small-knife and a can-opener.

In fact this is the only can-opener I ever had in my life. 🙂    As this one works perfect and

I’m quite contented, I didn’t need to buy anything more.

—– So, I would say, I’m a humble minimalist.  😀

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When western friend saw this, all of them said

“Why knife and fork are in the same hand ?  :-)”

“It’s a western view. Sir” “We don’t eat a steak on a plate in the mountain” 😀

—– Some of the people may chose a life in an ideal settings while possessing ideal goods

though, it’s their life.  I don’t care others, neither I would brandish Buddhist’s Dogma kind,

and never say use the same can-opener 50 years is anything to do with Zen,

but to say this is my life.

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Some of you might think, the one’s confidence is proportional to the amount

what the one can spend.    It’s utterly wrong.  

Spend nothing is also from one’s confidence.

Life is not what you can buy and possess but what you are doing and have done.

___/\___

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Battle of Human Brain -vs- Computer Soft / 将棋電王戦

Japanese got their own board game, equivalent of the

western Chess, which called Shougi (将棋).

Like Chess which was originated from Persia, Japanese

Shougi came from China (but now Chinese and Japanese

one got quite different).

Like a Computer Soft ［Deep Purple］ which defeated the

Champion Garry Kasparov, Japanese has been developing

the computer soft for Shougi many years and having its

international competition.  With the growing confidence

they challenged the top Shougi player Yonenaga and won.

So, the Shougi Soft developers and the top professional Shougi players fought second year

round.  It was called Shougi Denoh-sen（将棋電王戦） a group match between 5 top players and

the computer soft which were the top 5 of the 22nd International Shougi Soft Competition.

The results was, the Computer Soft won over the Human Brain in 3 won, 1 lost and 1 draw.

The Computer Soft called [GPS Shougi] which said to be able to read 280,000,000 moves per

second defeated Hiroyuki Miura 8th Dan (regarded to be the top of tops) in 102 moves.

—— (this is the most concise Japanese article from Jiji-press.com, I found)

Ａ級棋士も屈し３敗目＝ソフトにプロ負け越す－

将棋電王戦第５局

第２回将棋電王戦第５局で、コンピューターソフト「ＧＰＳ将棋」に敗れた三浦弘行八段（左）＝２０日午後、東京都渋谷区の将棋会館

　将棋のプロ棋士５人と５種類のコンピューターソフトによる団体戦「第２回将棋電王戦」の第５局が２０日、東京都渋谷区の将棋会館で指され、先手の三浦弘 行八段（３９）が１０２手で、将棋ソフト「ＧＰＳ将棋」に敗れた。プロ棋士が公の場でソフトに敗北したのは３回目となり、団体戦は１勝３敗１分けで負け越 した。
　三浦八段は１９９６年、当時将棋タイトル全７冠を保持していた羽生善治３冠から棋聖位を奪取し、７冠を崩したことで知られる。現在も順位戦Ａ級にランクされるトッププロの１人。
　ＧＰＳ将棋は、１秒間に２億８千万手を読むとされ、第２２回世界コンピュータ将棋選手権で１位になった最強ソフトだった。（2013/04/20-18:42）

対局後の記者会見で三浦八段は「団体戦の負け越しを決定させてしまい、申し訳ない。ＧＰＳ将棋がこれほど強いと知っていれば、もっと危機感を持って臨めたと思う」と悔しさをにじませた。
ＧＰＳ将棋は最大で１秒間に２億８千万手を読むとされ、第２２回世界コンピュータ将棋選手権で１位になった最強ソフト。現役Ａ級棋士を破ったことについ て、開発メンバーの１人で東京大総合文化研究科の金子知適准教授は「勝敗の実感はありません。ただ貴重な対局の時間を過ごせたことを感謝します」と話し た。（2013/04/20-20:55）

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The question is, as Computer Soft evolves, in any future, can Computer replace the Human Brain.

My view is not.  In Chess or Shougi, the move is strictly follows the Rules, in other words, all the

move is within the pattern.  Only the combination of following move is immense though, that

is what the computer is extremely good at by checking all of them in the lightning speed.

(Computer Soft may work in the Medical field and in the Legal field where the strict rules rules,

still only as an assistant to the Human Judgment. —– Computer can not guess, out of pattern.)

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In comparison, Human Life has to encounter many many irrational occurrences, and its move

wouldn’t be in clean sequence.  Chess’ move is strictly one after another, never able to make two

moves in the same time, but in real life ten troubles may come at once which could be in utterly

out of context.  And even worse, we can’t read the future move but only vaguely speculate.

If computer can give right answer, this financial mess of the world could never happened.  😀

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In the same time, often it is a waste of time try to think = it might be right, but might be wrong.

Try thinking may create yet another enemy, “Your own Brain” = “What silly me” and make you

even more disappointed and depressed.  = better take it light-hearted, and follow the hunch.

It’s mean, to take the decision, first conceived in its instance, and not to worry too many facts.

If it turned out be right = congratulation.  🙂      If it was wrong = scratch your head or cry loud.

This is the reason, better to take it Detached.   You may not get the moon, but never go to hell.

Human brain is not seeking the answer but the way to contemplate “NO answer”.

(This is the reason why no computer soft can replace the Human brain.  😀 )

Still, Life continues.   Definitely tomorrow will come.    Don’t worry.

This is what “Peace of Mind” mean.  😀  

___/\___

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Ship Stubnitz in Canary Wharf

I’ve been visiting the Ship Stubnitz many times and talked about in many posts here.

In early days she was in the King George IV dock in the east London.  Then she moved

and moored in the several different docks,  but now she is in the Canary Wharf.

(5 minutes from the Jubilee line’s Canary Wharf station).

She looks pretty impressive isn’t she.

Where to moor the ship need to have funny negotiation behind with the London

Port Authority.   And it was said to be depend on the whim of the Authority.  🙂

What so ever the story, She to be in the Canary Wharf is very convenient to us. 

(In comparison to have an awkward journey to east London, not to mention to

climb over a barbed-wire fence.  😀 ) 

So, these days many groups are using the ship for their meeting or as an event venue

and the photo above was a gathering of the video film makers = Open Video London.

And the another group, slub.org is having  Experimental Digital Sound demonstration.

( commonly known as Techno —– still, I noticed, their rhythm was pretty good.  🙂 )

If you have an image of London, as a red brick’s traditional town scape, you must be

disappointed to be lost in the grass and steel structures in the Dockland. 

Still, this is the another face of the London.

Yet, supposedly the modern concrete structure still giving strangely ancient temple

like impression. —– I like this paradox.  🙂     And this is the same feeling I’m having

from the Ship Stubnitz = 60 years old ship interior giving the SiFi like atmosphere.

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Machine in MUSHIN — Where KAIZEN came from ?

The people who read the previous Post [Zen is DO —- ] feed me back

“It explained the Zen mechanism extremely clear, — then the question is,

you wrote Zen also liberate the mind and the creativity — How a

Machine like mind can have a creative idea in the same time ?”

—– I knew this question would come soon or later. 🙂

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A Japanese working practice called [Kaizen] (改善) is now even in the English dictionary

(but not in this spell-check yet. :-)) = It was translated “continuous improvement”which is

widely practiced in the Japanese work-front.

Japanese worker’s almost machine like accuracy, consistency and the

dedication toward their work is notorious to the west. = Their work ethics

is nothing but the traditional  Zen  which forms the basis of the Japanese

psyche.  = Hence, they work like a machine = in Mushin.

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But, to have [Kaizen] is yet another feature on their work-front.   [Kaizen] is, to have

better adjustment of the way of production to a modification of the machine, even a

production line’s configuration —– in fact anything, for the sake of better quality,

productivity, or for the safety of the working environment, which was conceived or found

by the workers who has been doing particular job. (Hence knows it best.)

If its adjustment is not too big, it could be done by themselves. Otherwise the modification

may be carried out by the expert engineer, who follows the proposal. (of cause, proposal

should be studied by the senior engineers first, or even management level discussion.

I’ve seen this process in the Honda factory in Suzuka by myself.)

—– So, machine-like worker is still capable to analyse the situation and

able to find the better adjustment or alternative approach.

This is a proof of “Machine-like Mushin” and “Open-minded free thinking”

can exists side by side, in the same time.

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As a matter of fact, to create the Samurai Sword, and to push its quality to

a level of the technical limit has been achieved by the endless efforts to work

better, hence make the Sword stronger. —– It’s mean a man-machine with

a hammer, work in Mushin still has the eyes and an active brain to analyse

and find the better approach.

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Being in Mushin, hence having no useless thought or a thought anything else

of the work-on-front, mean the mind is completely filled with the subject

—– say, the Sword-Making. = Zen described this

“the Sword Master is in Ichijo (Oneness) with Iron and a Fire”

—– (a western (a bit wrong) translation in “Mindfulness”)

Still, the hands are working exactly like a machine, perfect accuracy and the consistency

thanks to the perfectly programmed Motor-region of the brain.

Superficially, we calls it Mushin because of no conscious thinking is there,

instead we do it without conscious, so, the brain is not blanc or idle, far

from it, unconsciously the brain is working with full conviction.

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While walking on a street, we never consciously think how to move each foot.

Because the whole movements and to keep the balance of whole body has been perfectly

controlled by the Motor-region of the brain, like the most advanced self contained machine.

While leaving its walking business to the autonomous machine, we can have a freedom for

watching nice bottom etc or pay attention to traffic, even find a philosophical answer.

Likewise, while Sword-Maser hitting the iron, even if the hands moves

automatic, his eyes can see the minute details of the work-piece. = any

short-coming should be noticed.    As, all the process were handled

subconsciously, this minute detail were observed in the at-most silence of the

perception.  Any noise, useless brain activities would mask this minute sign.

= The matter is, to open this subconscious perception by eliminates the noise.

Lord Buddha called this Clear eyes.

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If you take the meaning of Mushin as just [empty the THINKING]  you miss

the part, concentration of your subconsciousness = Mindfulness.

(In fact, Mushin and Mindfulness are not separate notion or psychological phenomenon =

those are just different words.)   Because of subconsciousness is invisible, it is impossible to

objectively manipulate, or discuss in words, let alone to teach others.

(remember, how to learn to ride a Bicycle.  🙂 )

This is the reason why Buddhism, Zen teaches the people by the repeating practice.  Unless

you learn and become able to follow this subconscious mechanism, you can’t learn Zen.

And that is why, talking or reading about Zen is utterly useless. 

Only the way to experience and to learn is by Doing.

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Crucial point in Doing is, unlike imagining or having fantasy, to find a way of

improvement, it got to be rational and technically feasible = even an intuitive

idea, it never be mambo-jumbo, but quite scientific.  No body imagining that to

sprinkle a holy water from a church could solve a malfunction of the machine.

Even in the darkness of subconscious, our mind is very rational and sane.

(Well, in most of the case, among most of the people.   😀 )

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So, let this subconscious to see, listen and perceive = as this perception is

completely open, therefore, able to see almost invisible, inaudible = we

can see the better solution.    Or conceive the idea, which has been blocked

by the idiosyncratic thinking.   This is the liberation of the Mind, in Zen.

= And this is the mechanism behind the creativity or  [Kaizen].

___/\___

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