Is Science, Belief System ? / Is Zen, Belief System ?

Lord Buddha ordered his disciples, [Don’t believe, think Yourself].

It’s mean if anyone thinks, the answer will be found by themselves.

And it’s mean, it doesn’t need to be any special person or special brain = Answer is within

a reach of anyone’s common-sense and comprehension.

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There is no fancy mambo-jumbo in the

Lord Buddha’s teachings.  Everything is obvious fact.  Like The Four Noble Truth, who

can deny it is not true.   Life’s sufferings, illness, get old and die, are the hard facts.

And his observation, there are cause of those troubles, is nothing strange view at all.

If anything happened there must be a cause.    Then, there is the way to overcome those

sufferings —– could be true, because that is exactly what

Lord Buddha found and taught which is applicable and effective to to anyone.

The most crucial matter is, that the way to overcome sufferings is not by a

fancy belief and its placebo effect, but an actual change of the mind-set

through practice, which is not a trick but an extension of existing mechanism

of the brain activity, such as to extend our unconscious action of the body.

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Like a physical phenomenon, such as Gravity, whether you know the theory, or understand

its mechanism or not, at least you know the effect which you can easily observe.

Whether you imagining (and believe) small green man pulling invisible string, or resorting

with hypothetical particle Graviton causing Gravity, the phenomenon itself exists as a fact,

hence, the science has been accepted as the truth and it is not in a belief system.

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In the same context, Zen is a system to utilize a mechanism of the brain

carrying out the action without having a thinking process, and such action

is ubiquitous observable fact.   (Zen calls this [Mushin] )

Whether you are aware or not, we are walking without noticing which muscle is contracting,

or reading this blog without aware of your eyes are capturing the pattern of the letters,

even without having a conscious of that you are reading this = Until you start to think and

become conscious, consciousness of the self is not exists. = (Self is our invention by thinking)

Those function of neurological mechanism is the fact and far beyond the belief system.

And a mechanism of our brain, which tend to ignore the repeating signal,

hence we can be apathetic to the signal, is an existing phenomenon,

therefore it is not in our imagination.  Fact exists long before the belief.

And the practice which enhancing those mechanism to deal with a cause of

the problem was what uniquely proposed and taught by

Lord Buddha.

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Lord Buddha’s view that we could live on those unconscious mechanism

in the brain, and as those unconsciousness has no self-conscious, we could

live selflessly, was his theory.

As the water is running down because of the Gravity is an observed fact. Hence, this

running water can be used as a power source is a theory. As everybody knows, this theory

has been successfully implemented in a water mill or electric power generator. Likewise,

Lord Buddha’s theory has been implemented as the Buddhist’s practice and

actually it works. This practice and its effect is not relying on the placebo effects or belief.

It actually trains and changes the way of the person processing the signal,

hence changes the perception towards such as a cause of fear, even a death.

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Therefore, the effect of Zen practice is a real fact.

Not in a belief or in an imagination.

This is the reason how Zen practice has been used even in the sports training.

Zen is not imaginary fancy story but a practice which brings a tangible effects.

Key is Just try, Just DO, and see What happens in your Mind and on your Life.

___/\___

[]

3-11

It is 3-11 again.

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It’s already 2 years since. It is the past though, still over 315,000 people in Japan

forced to live in their temporary accommodation, many of them are still not able

to find a job with various reason, it’s mean for them nothing is over yet.

And we couldn’t forget over 2,300 peoples are still missing.

[]

Zen doesn’t give a sit to the past.   Though, the trouble is, this trouble is

still very front of those people suffering = it is a burning issue on their hand.

So that, today lots of gathering has been held to commemorate the lost lives,

or protest gathering against the nuclear issue, but more importantly those people

working to take care of victims are doing their job same as yesterday.

(and has to do tomorrow as well).

[]

Some relatives of our Alpine Club’s member or their friends had been directly

affected though, the rest of us, fortunate enough not to have a hand burning are

exchanging the mail or gave a thought on their blog.

The words quoted in my friend’s blog “We are grateful still given to be here”.

(In my given life, I was rather lucky happen to be here, not under the Tsunami.)

So, my burning issue on this moment is, this very life given to my hand here.

Since the moment when I was given this life, my hand is burning.

(I know it will keep burning until the moment it cease off = Nirvana.)

So, if I were allowed to join the pray,

Peace to the people who happen to lost their lives,

and to the people who is still suffering.

___/\___

[]

Funny Invention — Creativity or Tradition ?

A toy and the Computer-game manufacturer Bandai

announced a new product called [Smart Pants] a day

or two ago in Japan. It is a cover to protect

the Home-key on iPhone.

As the photo shows, they are the small pants to put on

an iPhone —– I don’t know if Apple says it is an insult.

Ha ha ha. 😀

It is a simple item, you don’t need to use any of your

brain to figure out what it is.

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A sort of stereotype, you might think Japanese is a serious decent people though,

don’t forget they are the creator of many notorious Anime Characters or gaming

figure such as Pokemon too !

So that a kind of people who interested in such as Zen culture, and the fan of Japanese Comics /

Manga has been having completely different perception toward them.

—– And then, when those people visited there, they utterly amazed by the mixture of their

real face. —– So, in certain extent, even a monk in a temple speaks like a character

in a comics or to say they resort to the colloquial expression what the people speak.

—– in fact even a son of priest grown up with those comics and the games when

he was a child. 😀

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So, if you are knowledgeable to The Zen culture or Japanese tradition, you are rightly to say,

what on earth, how the same Japanese able to conceive and created such outrageous characters.

= it is because your study has been one-sided, ignoring such as the popular culture

among the population, even in the Shogun era = Edo period.

(You might have seen hugely exaggerated Pornographic Utamaro printing, which has been mass

produced and widely circulated right under the nose of Samurai Authority  🙂 )

Heavily Buddhist’s Feudal Society didn’t exclude or suppressed the creativity of the people.

In fact, the ruling class, even some of the local Lords were showing off and enjoying their

extravagance, such as Lord Date was famous of his extremely flashy colourful Kimono and

organizing extravagant parties even attended by the Shogun.

= hence the word Date was established to describe Flashy fashion and such a person.

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Well known Kabuki Theatre, the word Kabuki originated from a word Kabuku

= incline (or even twisted) —– extreme costume, the exaggerated make-up

and the special way of voicing created a kind of caricature on the stage.

= utterly unrealistic still realistic in symbolic way.

This kind of double meaning and the double context is always in the Japanese culture such as

in the Poetry and in Haiku.

The more talking about the full blossom of Cherry, it is in fact emphasizing

the fragility of human existences.

So, while producing something serious, in the same time giving a hint of mocking

was seen as a wit or humour and often it was used as satire against the authority.

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In this long tradition,  Japanese are pretty good to conceive utterly outrageous fun.

The design of Humanoid Robot was started in this context. And the pretty outrageous but

utterly useless Chin-Hatsumei / 珍発明 (Funny invention) is to name but few of

those example. 😀

So, when Bandai got a project to design a protective cover for iPhone, to conceive a pants

wasn’t a big leap for them. (I know, they are pants  :-D)

You might say, it is not in a good taste or very decent etc etc —– but, otherwise it didn’t

create a stir nor took your attention. = (Otherwise you didn’t even notice it !)

Whether I would buy or not (before considering it, I have to see, I don’t have iPhone 😀 )

still, it seems a fun.    Why not.    (They are sold about £2 each, but may be only in Japan)

—– strangely you may noticed, a joke or metaphor of Zen Master is often very

direct and bad taste too. 😀    (He might say, such consideration came from

timid small fear)     Why do we need to afraid of PANTS.

I like it. (but except your pants)

___/\___

[]

Perpetual Cherry Flowers / Ultra Close-up by Fisheye Lens

—————- (In fact,  this photo is the same one = last in this post,  only cropped a bit. 

—————- And in here, the flower petals were actuary touching the lens surface.

—————  Fish-eye Lens isn’t too bad for Close-up.  We only need to extend the Lens for

—————  2~3 mm though, there is no way to do it but to loose it from the mount  🙂 )

If you’ve been reading this blog, you may rightly say  “Oh no, yet again Cherry flower ?”

I know, in fact I was rather bemused.  This Cherry tree is the same tree appeared here before,

and again in a post in the last Autumn as it showed the flower utterly out of season.

Since when I’ve put a post last November when the tree had orange colored Autumn leaves,

I’ve been visiting her time to time as she always having flowers.   = Hence, I came to a

conclusion that it was not caused by a confusing weather pattern but this tree is a new

variety who has the character, flowering all year round (well, half-year round at least  🙂 )

—  (Photo by Canon 5D MkIII / Zoom Fish-eye 8~15mm   at 15mm / Lens held off the Mount)

Without having macro lens with me, to take

close-up pictures,  I resorted to use my Fish-eye

Lens lifted up from the body (not fully mounted

= Lens was held not fully inserted to the body

leaving about 2mm gap !  😀 ) —– As the lens has

no connection to the camera’s electronics,

aperture is fully open and no focus indicator —–  seeing the focus and using

the same shutter speed (only + 1/3) still, picture can be taken.  (as you can see the result  😀 )

But, when the eye was concentrating the focus, the finger holding the lens couldn’t keep

the lens exactly in the center, the edge of  the image-circle got into the picture =

I needed to click few times  😀

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Photography is a very critical operation though, in the same time, it is a very loose

flexible funny art,  such as even pinhole photos are also the photos.  

When I was young,  before I got Macro-lens ,  lifting the lens,  even the lens was held

in an angle (hence giving pan-focus effect) or held reversed,  such technique was my

favorite improvisation.  (No close-up lens or extension ring = hence, cost nothing, 

still able to create more or less the same,  or even better results.  😀  )

The matter is not the equipment but the Mind = Just try,  just DO it. 

It could be successful —— if not = keep mouth shut  😀 )

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Enlightenment under the Bodhi-tree

Lord Buddha’s enlightenment was in its effect, the emancipation from the

wrong teachings he had.

Wrong though, the effects of those teachings has been over sighted —–

without them, there was no enlightenment = that is what emancipation mean

= because it WAS wrong, there was a discovery  and the revelation of the truth

was made, and it was the very enlightenment.

Heavy practices as an austere — or what ever, of which once he believed that it would lead

him to the enlightenment, hence, he practiced it again and again —– those mind-set and

long continuous practice and its effects has to be counted as a part of the pathway.

= In other words, meditation alone has little effect. Practice and the dairy

experiences (and its observation) play the more role to see the Dharma.

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Visiting the very tree where Lord Buddha has said to have reached to his enlightenment, and

try sitting under, while hoping any good effects could occur, is in fact a silly wishful thinking =

Lord Buddha himself prohibited to worship him like an idle, because of his teachings were to

see the Dharma not to believe his words, and as there is no mambo-jumbo exist in this world,

there couldn’t be any super natural effect from the tree (let alone, any possibility of that the

same tree could remain 2500 years :-))   Mimicking the surface and expecting to

have any benefit is no different from buying a costume of  Superman and

expecting become able to fly. —– As there is no magic in the Buddhism,

mimic the posture of sitting under the Bodhi-tree, and get enlightened like

Lord Buddha had, is an illusion.  (If it comes, on front of a Bonsai tree would be fanciful, or

sitting next to an empty pot is even better, as it is more economical.  Ha ha ha  😀 )

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What Lord Buddha did under the Bodhi-tree was a stock-taking of the past,

the experiences he learned from so-called Guru and what he observed in

the nature (or the Dharma) —– hence he came to the conclusion that there couldn’t

be any supernatural power which was often associated with a religion exists,  but

very rational mechanism of the Dharma as the Rules.    So, he returned to

the daily nature of  the mankind which is a manifestation of the Dharma =

hence, he ate the milk porridge offered by a woman of the village.

—– And that was his enlightenment. 

( This understanding opened the way to the Mahayana Buddhism later.)

[]

It is easy to guess, those so-called Guru whom

Lord Buddha has met were no different from today’s dubious Guru, talking big with

conjuring trick to show off a [supernatural] power. 😀

( Incidentally, the former USSR, Russia spent millions of Rubles to find usable supernatural

power such as Clairvoyance to spy and Psycho-kinetic power to cause havoc to the enemy etc.

without any success = even a Totalitarian super power couldn’t find any.

And the former Yugoslavia has had thousand of registered Supernatural-power practitioners

though, there has been no single report of such as coming bomb had ever successfully

deflected even in a life or death situation) 

(Spiritualism is not the same to believe Para-physics or Mambo-jumbo  😀 )

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Since having his scientific rationalism,

Lord Buddha has come to a conclusion that there couldn’t be any super natural

phenomena such as a perpetual soul (against the widely accepted Vedic

belief of Atman) and anything beyond of our rational comprehension is

[Unknowable and no use to know] (therefore, he ignored the question).

And with this rationalism, which should be comprehensible to any person, he

ordered to his disciples to think by themselves not blindly believe what was said

or taught. It means his teachings were comprehensible to a normal brain i.e. not

a kind of Religious dogma, such as ” if you believe, it exists”  kind of Metaphysics.

(Unlike other religion, rational nature of the Dharma is a comprehensible fact,

therefore it is not a matter of belief but just become aware and to see it —– this

was a reason why he was given a title [ BUDDHA = Enlightened one] not a

Divine status or to be seen as a Prophet )

[]

The stories of the Devils visited him etc. while he was sitting under the tree, were all later

invention to glorify him. —– only certain was that, he must be very hungry then, by which he

must be convinced that to torture the body lead nowhere, let alone to the enlightenment, still,

without having those stock takings, he couldn’t have figured out  the Truth in

the Dharma and the Karma.

[]

—– It is strange to think, as a fact that the time

Lord Buddha spent under the tree, seven days has changed the world since.

And we have to be grateful to him as the greatest teacher we had in the history,

not as an idle,  but as the greatest fellow human.

Being as a human, he knew what the problem we have, and the solution !

So that, he gave the answer, not the commandments.

___/\___

PS:

As the Dharma is a fact on front of us, even within us = so easy to see.  But so

difficult to see it because of our deluded mind, hence all about the teachings of

Lord Buddha was how to clear our mind and the eyes to see it.

[]

THING(S) — 物から事へ

In Japan, a buzzword used over there in these days seems to be

“ The things to Have” to “the Things to Do” = ( 物から事へ ) as I’ve seen many times

in the opinions of many columnists or writers. —– It sounds well observed, well said though,

wait a moment, in reality, this is only a superficial yet another buzzword to the mass,

who wants to be seen cleverer.

[]

On the beginning, the idea was conceived that “Unlike a function, fixed in a

device, the Apps in the latest gadget would be chosen and used by a consumer

= this is the fundamental change of the character to be a device = device

which is [A THING to be] to [A MATTER what to DO with].

To change a consumer as a mere passive user to active Doer.

—– IS IT ?

[]

In reality, this is yet another sales drive of the manufacturer. = Just a buzzword.

Instead to sell a device with the designated, pre-planed function, but selling additional

so-called App is to save a cost to invent and develop the function by themselves but taking

them from the clever developers all over the world.

Hence, such as iPhone can sell App from their App shop, creating even more profit without

spending their developing cost.

And giving a false impression to the user that they are the commander and a

user to use the device which has unique combination of the Apps.

[]

A Thing, which got value in  itself is a precious metal or precious stone, otherwise

something with sentimental, religious value,  which is in fact a value in the mind.

Other than those, everything else are related to our action, what we do with it.

A stone can drive you to throw it, or use it to crack a nut (even chimpanzee does 🙂 )

Even with a mono-functioned Sound-recorder, some are using it to record music, others

using it for news report. What has been recorded, and its variation is never the same to any

other device.   The evidence of what the one DID, a reflection of one’s life.

The matter is not to have a device but what to DO with it. = the situation is always

the same, not happen today in Japan.   And what caused its “What” is all came from one’s

mind-set.

[]

If any changes in the mass tendency in Japan exists, it was not caused by the change of their

philosophy, but simply they got one already (market has been saturated) or

no more spare money left in their pocket.   As simple as that.   😀

And the simple answer is, whether have or have not, if want to DO, JUST DO.

[]

My old and last Mountain Boots

The building where I live in a flat having renovation work and to vacate the space,

I’ve been sorting my possessions in the boxes of which some of them I haven’t

opened it more than 20 years. — In one of the box, I found my old mountain boots.

The reason why I didn’t throw this away straight and put it into a box was, I thought

I should take picture of this before let it go. —– was that because of its

sentimental value ? —– I guess not.  

But because of it got rather funny history.

(Without a photo, nobody would believe the story. 😀 😀 )

[]

I bought this boots from charity shop priced £5.   In order to make the bots fit to my

foot, I soaked it in the warm water then put it on and had a long walk —– as I did all

of my previous boots. —– unfortunately, this looks decent mountain boots was a

fraud.  = Despite it having looks proper construction and the good leather with

Vibram Sole, the sole was not been stitched = simply glued to the upper.

Hence, while walking, the boots was disintegrated. (It was a hell) 😀 😀

[]

Then a crazy story began. = After it was completely dry, I’ve stitched and

glued the sole using the shoe making thread from shoe repair shop and a thick

nylon thread for industrial use. —– As a sort of experiment, I did to the Right

boot using a shoe repair glue and the thread.  And to the Left, I used a tie-up

thread for electric construction and glued the sole with Araldite epoxy.

—– If one method found to be better, apply it to the both side.

(You may think, if a shoes disintegrating, it is THE END though, as a

shoe-maker is making a shoes step by step, a sole can be attached in a

way they are doing. If somebody a same human can do, why not to try.

= It is an opportunity to try and learn.

(And save a money £5 !  😀 — If it is to save £1,000 it is a greed ) 

And the stitch by stitch kind of work is a good Zen Practice.

————- (Left is the Mid-Sole with yellowish industrial thread I used for stitching )

Since when I have repaired, the boots lasted over 3 years while used

everyday, without showing any difference between Left and Right.

Then one day, when I went to a hill walking and had a heavy rain, when I slipped

and tumbled, the water drenched boots was split open outside-toe. While later,

a gap opened to the other boot as well, and the foot were swimming inside.

—– days later I found, it happened because of the upper leather itself was tear-off

not by the broken stitch = leather was aged and rotten inside.

(I remember, somewhere I got a film photo of the boots under stitching work )

—– After that, I’ve been forced to buy a kind of shoes I hate. (though, I didn’t buy

another mountain boots, or so far, I haven’t found another £5 boots yet) 😀

[]

Nothing last for ever still, second-hand £5 boots lasted over 3 years

wasn’t too bad. 

Believe or not, I was wearing this boots even in a club and dancing.

People judges others with its looks = hence the best of all, nobody seek a trouble

with a man wearing heavy boots.    And may be because of this, the cloud in the

Fridge Club has mistook me as a kind of special security man with martial art. =

nobody want to be kicked by this kind of boots. 😀

—– (during 5 and half years, while I was a regular, there wasn’t a single violence

ever occurred in the Club. = it might be the another reason why the manager

gave me free entry :-))

[]

People may not like to ware heavy boots, still once it was well fitted,

it is surprisingly comfortable and give a feeling of quite solid stance

especially on a slippery ground.  One day you may try  🙂

[]

YOU or Potato ?

Have you ever seen a bean or maze seed dropped to the garden, sprout.

Or did you ever planted vegetable such as potato, even a carrot in a soil and see them

shoot up. — Yes they are alive in deed.   Still, we do fly, boiled alive and eat them.

Don’t make an excuse, they don’t have a sense, intelligence or feel pain = who knows.

(Have you ever been a Potato to make a first-hand report of being cooked alive. 😀 )

[]

We are all living on a margin of thin blue line of compromise and

dependency.  We are just be here on borrowed time on probation.

So, don’t preach others with smug face, for conservation or environment what so ever.

= (Before preach, get rid of your cotton pants which was made by forcibly cultivated,

harvested and processed cotton flower,  and stop eating vegetable which was grown for

money in a field where tree has been uprooted. )  = Guilty party keeps mouth shat  😀

In other words, there couldn’t be any quiet peaceful life = life is inherently noisy and

filled with all sorts of bothersome trouble.  That’s what the life in Samsara is.

[]

Zen wouldn’t make you noble.

Zen teach you how to cut onion, potato (not mention Lemon :-)) efficiently without any

hesitation or wobble.  (So does to do the business.  Make you Just Do It.  🙂 )

And the Buddhism teachs you who you are = no different from a potato, yet still very

unique one.   (I didn’t say you ARE Potato if not very close — a man of half potato must

be genetically very very unique = I never seen one though.  :-D)

Therefore, Buddhism makes you absolutely humble and absolutely confident to be YOU.

(as one of guilty party which is natural.)  No one is perfect or innocent = What’s wrong?

Wrong is, to imagine you are right, while wearing cotton pants and live in this world

still believing that you are right,  is only in your imagination which is called delusion. 

—– By the way, I didn’t say if it was a sheen nylon French-nicker, it would be OK,

though I don’t mind to see one.  (As I’m one of the guilty)    Ha ha ha  😀

(To live in Samsara is heavy enough, yet still, how heavy unnecessary load called Pretense we are carrying.

Still, some people preaching, wearing a mask of Pretense is they called Decency, and keep Pretending it  😀 ))

Let all those heavy load to go, is what Buddhists call  [Enlightenment] !

(Its mean, if you are a Potato, DO live a life of proud POTATO

IS the Enlightenment ! ! !

= Even a Potato can get Enlightenment,

why not an ordinary man on the street.

___/\___

[]

Ugandan Gathering

London is a strange place.  You may not know the nationality of the person sitting

next to you, let alone to know what the person is.

Years ago, I happened to became a friend of an Afghan Mojahedine, a brother of

Ahmad Shah Masud who became the Defense Minister of the Afghan Government. 

After the victory against Russia, my friend Walli became the Charge-d-affair and

moved from a small room in Wimbledon to the Afgan Embassy.  (I’ve acted as a

go-between to Japanese media and a technical, electronic helper to them  🙂 )

[]

A black guy, I acquainted, was happen to be an Ugandan Politician, who is organizing

a movement of the Ugandan expatriates for Democratize their home country.

–—- from those activists, next leader of their country might be born.

Expatriates (he calls Diaspora) here consists the refugee from Idi Amin’s suppression

to all sorts of immigrants, and their mission is “Reclaim and Free Uganda Now” though,

I leave the matter to talk about their issue, to my friend and his web-site.

So, I just show the portraits of the people I met in there gathering.

—– ( Click the photo to enlarge and click again even larger  🙂 )

Their National Anthem.

Among their supporters, many of Doctors, Proffesors as well as the business people —–.

When it’s came to the matter of their lost Mother Land, it is an emotional matter.

—– (The Green and Red-cast of those photos above showed erratic response of the Canon

—– 5D Mk3’s AWB = its color balance changes frame to frame —– what a nightmare  😦  )

—– Young talented singer sang the Anthem for Uganda ~ ~ ~ Uganda ! 

—– (In fact all those images were cropped out small part of the original photo  🙂 )

—– ( I know, fish-eye lens is not suit for a portrait  😀 ) 

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM  😀

[]

Being Natural or Be Artful Perfection — Which is Zen ?

—— Left Mug is the one I’m using now.  Right is the one I brought from Japan 33 years ago

and served me till 1992 and since it got hole on the bottom, it became a pen stand  🙂

Once, my tea drinking was a kind of Art = as I’ve been drinking 1.5 ~ 2 liters

(3 ~ 4 pints) of tea everyday, to make it, was not just a daily routine, it was

a refined flow of the action.

To begin with, the way to put a water into a kettle ~ ~ ~ to pour the tea into a cup then

drop one or two slices of the lemon etc etc.

As all the actions has been repeated everyday (I don’t know how many thousands times

I did ) naturally each action has been rationalized to the most efficient smooth manner.

So that, once a person who observed this process summed up, “It’s formalized to the

almost tea ceremony like process isn’t it”. Of cause, it was not intended to be a ceremony

but just doing it in quickest and smoothest way. As it is always the same action, it has

no dither or need any thinking, let alone any emotion.

May be this is the way what Master Dogen (道元 / Founder of the Soto-Zen)

has taught = to become perfect to be “who I am and what I’m doing”.

(= Nobody else.  Nothing else = this is what Mindfulness meant !)

[]

Sound so far so good isn’t it ?   But wait a moment —– ?

To be “WHO I am” = the very one who has been born under own Karma, hence grown-up

according to the occurrences given next by next.

The result is the only one, “me” = To be my own is nothing but to be Natural

(but not necessary perfect), still, “to be perfect” mean the person has to be

refined to be pure = eliminate all the imperfection and the foreign substance

(imported idea or pretense).

This is quite an artful existence isn’t it ? ? ?

[]

Making and drinking my tea, I’ve refined its process to the art level though, one-day in

the last Summer, I couldn’t bother to make a tea as I was too thirsty, instead

I just filled my cup with a tap-water and a slice of lemon. ————

Since then, I stop to make a tea but just drink a tap-water. (I don’t buy any bottled drink).

—- Am I lost an art and the mindfulness, while becoming lazy ?

OR, was that an Enlightenment ? —– Good, good question 🙂

To drink a water instead of tea —– It is obvious, which is simpler and natural.

[]

Tea-making started in the Rinzai Zen temple as Master Yousai (栄西) brought it from China.

Hence, Tea-making is a part of Zen teachings. In comparison, Soto Zen tend to remain much

humble and simple. ( = So that, I’m a simple poor man 😀 )

Therefore, isn’t it to drink water instead of Tea, is more Soto Zen ?

Not lazy isn’t it ?

[]

My answer is = I don’t care. As long as something to sip in the cup, it’s enough.

(with its consequence to drink 2 litres of water and going to a toilet every 2 hours =

flushing out any toxins in the body = no need to have doctor or any medicine

—– it may be true :-))

As I don’t need to bother buying tea any more, this is even more peaceful Life and the Mind.

(and cost less 😀 ) —– After all, I don’t think I was born for tea making.

This is my Zen as I’m nobody else of simple yoshizen 😀

[]

In fact, here lies very interesting question.

The ideal early Buddhists were the one who forsaken all the ordinary life to

pursuit Enlightenment, namely Bhikku and Arakhan though, the Buddhism

took the direction to more inclusive Mahayana = while living in the ordinary

life, still maintaining the Mind-set to be a Buddhist = more Natural life style.

My position is, the matter is not a superficial life style but the Mind-set since

the  Mind-set such as Mushin, Ichijo, Mindfulness , Selflessness are naturally

in our subconsciousness, in other words Natural Life-style is not a hindrance

to achieve its refinement, ultimately to reach Enlightenment.

(By the way, me doing something utterly useless, is for fun = Do something on

the hand and creating something new with good laugh is better than just

being passive, such as watching TV or Inter-netting.  😀 )

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