Ikkyu story (2)
Ikkyu Sojun (一休宗純) was the most famous Zen monk in Japanese history,
especially with his hundreds of quick witty stories to deal with the situations or gave an
answer though, as so many books has been written much later, we don’t know which story
was true and which one was a fanciful invention.
—– I read this story in a cartoon comics when I was a child, so that it could be a nice
invention of comic writer, still, this story had such a drastic twist of rhetoric
therefore showing quite Zen like jump of wit, this one could be a real story,
if not, it might be written by another accomplished Zen monk.
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The Abbot of the temple where Ikkyu was staying, had a secret pleasure to lick a honey
kept in a jar. When young novice asked him what is it, the Abbot told him that it is a
medicine of wisdom though, as it is so potent, only a learned elderly person can take.
Otherwise, it is deadly poisonous to a young brain. But novices, Ikkyu and others did know,
it was a lie and what in the jar was a honey.
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One day, when Abbot was out for a day, Ikkyu gave his drastic answer.
He took an old ceramic vase, which the Abbot was most treasured, and smashed it to the floor.
Then took the honey jar, and started licking honey with other novices.
Soon, the honey was emptied.
When Abbot came back in the evening, he found all the novices were in the crying state.
When he asked what has happened, Ikkyu replied that while cleaning the room,
they accidentally drop the vase and it was completely smashed. As the vase
has such irreplaceable value, there was no way else to repay but with own life.
“So that, in order to commit suicide, all of us took that poison in your jar.
But, even after swallowed all the poison, we still couldn’t die and this is why
we are so ashamed and feel dreadful. ~ ~ ~ cry cry cry !”
—– Abbot had no word to return.
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😀 😀 this was the revolution. Face to face, asking the truth what is in the jar —– is
a democratic approach of dialogue (provided if the Abbot treats them as equal and tell the
truth) though the Abbot was just a tyrant = there couldn’t be any fair negotiation => only
insurgence is the remedy = revolution, hence some casualties were unavoidable.
The ceramic vase could be worth million though, Ikkyu didn’t gave even a hint of hesitation.
= He just smashed it. On the end, his revel exposed the fraud in the temple =
Abbot lost his credibility and the priceless ceramic vase —– even honey too 😀
But, what Ikkyu and the novices got — not much, just a taste of honey and a good laugh.
—– most of Ikkyu stories are for good laugh, not much else.
(Anyhow, they were aimed to the children )
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Still, real Ikkyu was a serious Zen monk.
As one of his Short-Poem (Kyoka 狂歌) for New-year said ;
門松は，冥土の旅の一里塚 (Kado-matsu wa, Meido no Tabi no Ichiri-zuka)
馬，かごも無し,宿も無し(Uma, Kago mo nashi, Yado mo nashi)
New-year’s (Ever green) Pine branch is a mile-stone to the Nether world.
No Horse or Palanquin (for the journey), even no inn (to stay for a night).
= there is no celebratory mood at all. Ha ha ha 😀
That was quite Ikkyu-san. (He had no illusion to the life, neither to New-year,
though in reality unlike any other meek monk, he had very active eventful life,
all because of his completely liberated mind and the eyes.
No illusion mean no emotional blockage neither = This is the Zen )
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Funny Practice
A man who I met recently, and read this blog, gave me a response saying that
he was pretty impressed by Zappa photo and the camera I made though, he
couldn’t make any connection of them to the Zen.
And he wondered,
“You are not serious to the Zen don’t you, as you are making a fun of it
or even cynical”
—– Well said. So, I replied to him.
Yes, I can see you got certain idea of Zen though, I’m afraid to say it is mere
pretense or crèche.
I’m doing the Zen Buddhism not Parroting what the books say.
Lord Buddha taught how to alleviate the suffering in the life. He didn’t give a
false hope to escape from it by living in a fantasy world, but taught a practice
to gain the clear eyes and the mind how to see and deal with the matter.
Instead to tell a sweet story of heaven to such as a woman who just lost her
child, but her to running about the village.
Zen is the teachings of how to run 🙂
While running, the person will acquire the Mind and the eyes to see the suffering
in detached eyes, hence able to get rid of blinding emotion and the stacked mind.
—– Do you think, could the woman alleviate the sorrow by sitting all day
next to the dead body ?
It is the exactly the same situation.
You are stacked with an idea or crèche of so-called Zen.
So-called “Serious concentration of the Mind etc etc” so that you may see I’m
doing something useless to the Zen and not serious enough.
But Zen is also free the person from those stereotypical fixed idea
include the Zen itself.
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In any eye point, in any scope, the life is a troublesome matter.
If this is the nature of the matter, complaining it would be useless because
it is inescapable anyway.
But, in the same time while billions of the people struggling, it is an awesome view and may
have quite funny moment, especially if we can see it in bird’s eye view.
I’m serious enough to the life and I’m dealing with it, as nothing else is on the board.
It’s mean, I have no false dream believing another world such as a heaven etc rubbish.
And as I have nothing else to see, I could see even the minute detail of the subject of which
most of the people wouldn’t bother. —– So, I could see lots more funny side of the situation
as my eyes are above the water, as I, at least know how I can avoid drowning in the water.
—– So, I’m not drowned in the Zen.
(Anyhow, Zen is an extremely funny practice. 😀 )
Convinced ?
___/\___
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Clear the Deck for 2013 / Detach the EMOTION
Blogging, or writing in general, it is the process to convert the idea or notion into a separate object,
thus, enables it to be examined as an independent entity. ( on top of much more common purpose
to express it to others ) = like a Jig-saw Puzzle, we have to find, not only matching the shape of
pieces but also its picture printed on, which we can see the rationality in bird’s eye view.
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Thanks to given task of this Blog (yes, I regard this, not my choice but a given task I was assigned
— simply because it has occurred on my life — has anybody else assigned as well ? = if nobody
else there, I have to take care, haven’t I ? 😀 ) at least I managed to record the process what and
how I figured out Zen Buddhism in the past 3 years and 9 months, with over 400 posts.
(since, this is the DIY Zen study)
As it is still an ongoing process, I wouldn’t pretend it had consistent unity = far from it, it deviated
a lots, therefore it often contradicting each other. And not necessary having even consistent
definition of the term, not because of mistake but change of my approach.
So, thanks goodness, I’ve managed to come to much clear picture of which those confusion has
been sorted out (well, more or less 😀 )
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My basic approach to the Buddhism is the same from the start, long before even I
started this Blog. —– It was to retrace the way and the process how
Lord Buddha found and came to his conclusion as a normal human being, not a
superman or divine figure.
Human brain is more or less having the same function and the same tendency.
As there couldn’t be any super natural phenomena such as Extra Sensory Power (though, I
reserve the judgement about this point, because there seemed to be something still there ) and
the human common-sense is more or less the same, therefore when we see the same subject, we
are able to deduce to the same conclusion.
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While I was blogging, there were two important view point came to my consideration.
The one was a phenomenon in the Neurophysiology, that the threshold of our perception
become higher against the repeating signals = I realized the connection to the repeating
action of the Buddhist’s practice which lead the person to acquire the immunities to the
repeating coming signal or same internal thought, hence higher threshold blocks the signal
reaching to emotional cortex and trigger the hormonal reaction. ( Such as if you see
the same porno photo on the wall every day, the perception was desensitized and soon it loose an
impact to arose you with a seclusion of Testosterone = photo become just another landscape. 😀 )
—– (On the beginning, I’ve been putting more emphasis to an effect of imprinting
by the repeated practice, but [imprinting into subconscious] alone couldn’t explain
the origin of Selflessness).
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And the other was a neurological symptom that the blocked connection to the emotional cortex in
the brain of Alzheimer’s case, it cause the loss of cognition to see the SELF and the
own possession = hence, loose the EGO, and the Self-preserving GREED.
Some of you may feel rather disturbing with this, because of the connection to Alzheimer’s though,
despite of it this is the very key to understand the MUSHIN and the SELFLESSNESS as
one phenomenon = the matter is to block the Emotion which is causing all the trouble
in the LIFE such as Obsessive Thoughts, sticky Attachment, EGO and the GREED.
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So, thanks to Alzheimer research, the mechanism of our Mind has been exposed.
But, to have this detached mind, you don’t need to wait another 40, 60 years =
while doing Buddhist’s practice, you might realized that you are doing it without
conscious (unconsciously hand was moving or automatically chanting) —– once
you see this phenomenon, practice the same while watching this blank-space in
your brain. —– Then, while having this blank-space in the brain (Being in Mushin)
turn the eyes beyond, and see the world in Mushin. = Soon or later, you will acquire
the skill to have this eyes in any moment and in any situation. = YOU ARE IN ZEN.
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In this context, so called Buddhist’s teachings = [eliminate THINKINGS] this Thinkings has to
be understood as [Emotional Judgment] not a logical clear thinkings. =
This is one of the most confusing part in the Buddhist’s teachings.
Lord Buddha ordered his disciples in his death bed
“Don’t believe what you were taught and what others say, but think it yourself ” =
Think logical in clear objective way, and use common-sense, was what he meant.
After all, cool dispassionate eyes = non-emotional, logical thinkings is the key to the Buddhist’s
Mind-set. —– (Without having Emotional conscious, we feel the Brain is blank !
= When we see something in total dispassionate way, we only feel the vision but
not a thought = This is MUSHIN —– still, the brain is working subconsciously )
There is no mythical secret technique which is not achievable to the ordinal mankind.
What Lord Buddha taught was not a kind of Mythical belief but the clear practical solution
—– such as the case of Kisa-Gortami, he didn’t tell her any Mumbo-jumbo such as she could see
her dead child in the Heaven or child would reborn and see her again, but simply made her just
running around and made her to reach logical understandings, that a death is the common
and inescapable truth. = This is the very Key teaching of
[Life IS, to suffer, getting ill and old, and to die].
[And the way to deal with this harsh Life is to learn Buddhism through its repeating practice] which
would eliminate the bad effect of the Emotion, hence able to live in peace of Mushin and Selflessness.
(As I rote above, without connecting to Emotion, the action can be done in
dispassionate way almost automatic = even without the conscious, and without the
obstruction of Ego, Greed and the Delusion)
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—– If you give a thought and review all the Phenomena in the Buddhist’s psyche, such as
Detachment, Detached to the Changing world hence Live in its Moment, Has no Fear of the Death,
no Ego, no Greed etc etc you will realize, all those were the manifestation of NO Emotion (and
Emotional Judgement). —–The man who could forsake the pleasure of life in luxury and the feast
of flesh, and able to bluntly define the [Life is Suffering],
Lord Buddha had no illusion, neither gave any sweet illusion to the followers,
especially his teachings were the one, revolutionary idea which against the popular
Vedic idea of Atman = (Perpetual soul, which has no logical, scientific proof) he would have had
no way to fabricate any another fancy stories. = Hence, the Buddhism in its original form is blunt
and straight, because of it was not considered to be popular but stand on the Truth, as it teaches
Own Enlightenment, not dependent on a Salvation which proved to be never come.
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Widely misconceived so-called Buddhist’s [Compassion] is not emanated from the tender
Emotion but it comes from the same Mind-set of Mushin and the Selflessness = see
the situation without Emotion and the Ego, hence able to see the needs of others as if it was one’s
own = then able to see what is the best to DO here = effectively helping others as a result.
= If the one still having own Emotion, the own self-preservation comes first.
Selfless act has no Emotion. And this is why it has no notion of [giving to others]
= NO distinction of ME and OTHER. = in this Mind-set, there is even no conscious of Me and even
Animal or Plant. = This is the True Compassion in the Buddhism.
True Buddhist is not compassionate sweet person but he (she) is the person just Doing what he
ought to Do, without having even a conscious of doing or being as a Buddhist.
When the one has NO conscious of SELF, how the same person can have a conscious
of [I’m a Buddhist] —– And this is the true meaning of [There is NO SELF]
___/\___
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Happy New Year 2013
Happy New Year to all those who is visiting and supported my blog.
I hope it would inspire and cause more active and fulfilling life
on the 2013 and ahead for you. 🙂
Yoshizen aka Kinetorori
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Cooking Daikon ( Japanese / Chinese White Radish )
Daikon (大根 in Japanese) is a sister of Radish (yes, that red small one) or Swede and hey are all in the same Brassicaceae family, hence having the same four-petals flower like Rape flower (but Daikon’s flower is in pale violet to white = in fact pretty pretty, innocent looked flower 🙂 )
Despite it is one of the most common root vegetable in Japan (also in China = Japan is exporting its shredded and dried products to China hundreds of thousands of tons every year) when I came to England, it was not in greengrocer’s (yet, French calls it as Molly and eat a lots though, theirs having black skin and as big as Japanese one (up to 4″ or 10 cm diameter = hence, it resembles girl’s leg with black tights = so, to see it in the piled-up mountain in St’ Michelle market in Paris, it looked very sexy 😀 )
(In Japan, call a girl “Daikon ashi” (Daikon leg) is a worst insult 😉 )
Even though Daikon is so popular and ubiquitous though, you may not see them in a restaurant menu —– situation looked the same in French or Chinese, I don’t remember I ever seen this vegetable in their menu, except a very rustic or family kitchen style restaurant, otherwise as a small side-dish to drink Sake = such as I describe hereafter. 🙂
( If you ever seen disc-shaped yellow pickles = Takuan = it is one of the pickled style Daikon though, it may not in an expensive Japanese restaurant 🙂 )
—– So, how Japanese is cooking this vegetable in their kitchen ?
Daikon is very easy to cook vegetable as its own or with another materials —– It can be eaten even raw = grated ( the source to dip Tempra) or finely cut into thread (comes with Sashimi) and often boiled with Octopus or Squid because the Daikon is having a Digestive Enzyme which soften Octopus, on top of many nutrition and vitamins 🙂
The photo above is Furo-fuki Daikon ( 風呂吹大根 ) = Daikon was boiled with dashi, that’s all !
* Boil the Dashi = as the powder, or in a small packet, or use Dashi Kombu (Kelp sea weed) and a bit of Salt.
* Then put cut Daikon and boil — may be 60 min or so, until it was cooked soft (— it would be disintegrated if it was boiled too long —– still, it will make a nice soup. 🙂 )
Even simpler is Dengaku ( 田楽) = just boil Daikon in a plain water until it was cooked soft.
* And eat it with a Miso based source = Miso with small amount of Vinegar and a bit of Sugar, + small amount of Mirin (Japanese Cooking Sake or a bit of wine, White Rum can be used instead )
* For additional flavor — I add few drop of West-Indian Hot-chilly Source, or Wasabi, Mustard. — When I mixed with Thai Tom-yam-Ku paste = it wasn’t too bad —– any variation you can try and enjoy the taste. ( If it became too runny with vinegar etc, just add more Miso. 🙂 )
(For Dengaku, you can put many different materials too, such as Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery even Potato. — Japanese use Konnyaku (it’s a funny staff / Mannan product) as well. ) —– from here, another popular Japanese cooking called “Oden” is only a step away. Basically Oden is a cooking of the chopped Daikon and various fish cakes boiled together and pick up of those you like from the pan to your own small dish and eat. (normally with mustard = why mustard is, = since Daikon and Mustard belongs to the same botanical family, their taste mix well, = same as that, Tomato based cooking will mix well with chilli pepper, since they are in the same family)
—– Now you have seen the key of the Daikon cooking = main seasoning in Furofuki Daikon was in its Dashi, but the Dengaku, it was in the Source. Still in both cooking, the dominant taste is Daikon itself.
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When an Italian guy who seemed to have very good taste bud, first ever eat Daikon and he was very impressed and asked me how to make it. —– And he was even surprised, why Italian doesn’t have such cooking, despite it is very popular in France.
( Only a small trouble with eating Daikon is, it could make you to produce strongest mankind ever know kind of fart, yet still, it was known to be not poisonous = hence, it makes short of health warning. 😀 )
—– Not because of its humble, Minimalistic Zen approach, but simply, it’s so tasty = So, this is my Festive time eating. (on top of Temaki-Sushi. 😀 )
If you haven’t tasted it yet, I strongly recommend you to try.
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PS : I received an Email from my Chinese friend Sing Lee, the way how to cook it in Chinese style !
<<< (There was the Photos from him though, they have been disappeared — copyright issues ? —– I don’t know. What a shame.)
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Apocalypse ? —– What Apocalypse ?
According to a kind of interpretation of Mayan Calendar, last Saturday, 21st of December suppose
to be the end of the world ! —– How exciting ! If it happens, the most spectacular scene must be
seen on the landscape of sky-scrapers = so, I went to the City. In fact, I went there together with
another video artist, Funki Porcini and Tallbastard. —– Funki needed to shoot the night building
whether it is in ruin or collapsing on front of the eyes, otherwise just standing as usual 😀
And while he was shooting, I cricked few pictures.
The top photo, Snowdrops was the kind, I least expected to find here. —– But, expecting only to
see them in a kind of nature, might be just an arrogance of the mankind = for them, like a rocky
mountain and the thin soil on the rock = city-scape can be just another nature for them.
As I didn’t expected, likewise, people may not noticed this flower = hence never disturbed her =
being left her own, Snowdrops could thrive !!! ( This is what the Nature is. = It’s the Dharma )
—– It seems, the world has survived intact and the Xmas is coming yet again 😀
So, to everybody who is going to celebrate it, “Merry Xmas” 🙂
—– For me though, a matter, winter solstice has past, was much more significant, as
the sun is coming back ! = It’s getting brighter 🙂
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Stollen ( German Fruits Cake for Xmas )
On my daily life, there are quite few things missing —– on the shopping front, it is far easier
to count what I buy rather than listing up what I don’t buy = such as other than fresh vegetables and
the fruits, a sort of sweets or confectionery is completely missing = simply because I’m buying
essentials which I desperately need ! = if I don’t eat I may die = So that, I have to eat = hence, I buy
the food staffs, but in the cheapest way = fresh raw material = never buy processed food, let
alone junk-food or that kind, bottled drink, any alcohol, which we don’t need for our survival 😀
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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not following ANY idea of “Healthy diet” or Religious restriction what so ever
but simply I’m living the life of poor-man. Cooking out of fresh materials is the cheapest way to eat.
This mind-set, “poor-man” (in Buddhist’s term, Bhikku = Beggar) seemed to have originated from
my family = Zen priest’s and the life in the mountain = NO waste of food, food is to survive.
—– And in the same context, no waste of anything (since, I’m not printing a money or ever
produced even a single grain of rice) so to repair and recycle what so ever it was possible, is the norm.
In the same way, wear the clothes is for its essential function, not for fashion or vanity = hence,
as long as it is wearable (with stitching repair etc), no need to buy another one.
—– So, I’m still using my heavy-duty jacket I bought in Japan 40 years ago 🙂 — though, it seems,
it has gone too far hence, some body told me “If you like to come, buy decent clothes and wear a tie”
= so, I needed to buy a trouser and jacket last week (last time I did shopping for clothe (other than
underwear and socks) was two years ago 😀 )
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Therefore, in my shopping, I’m going through a forests of foods and goods like a remote land-scape.
Still, it is not a kind of fixed mind or prohibition, the mind recognizes those item which I don’t need is
not there —– sweets, confectionery or the fashion display doesn’t take any attention = or they are
almost NOT exists. (I might be an enemy of the super-market —– or for them, £10 par week
kind of person has no statistical significance :-D) —– THOUGH, once in a year, I’m making
an exception for a German cake Stollen which is only sold in the Xmas time.
Stollen is a German equivalent of Xmas pudding but not as heavy as Xmas pudding with Rum or
Brandy, still it is a kind of festive fruits cake.
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—– I’m not an expert of cake making, let alone Stollen. I only know this, in the past 7~8 years since
I saw a woman buying this from the Lidl saying “This Stollen is our traditional Xmas cake”
As the woman pronounced “Sh-tollen” I noticed she is a German. (And Lidl shop was originated
from Germany)
—– So, as a cultural interest, I bought one and realized this must be the symbol of their winter life.
= In the Autumn, people, kids goes woods and gather edible small fruits, Blue-berry
kind and Walnuts, Pine-nuts etc. And use those harvested and dried fruits to make a
cake for winter festive season. (Though, today’s Stollen was made with imported Raison, Almond
/ Marzipan etc —– still showing and maintaining their traditional folk culture 🙂 )
I like the life rooted on the Earth and live accordingly to the season = life of
the moment to moment.
Pick the Berry in a late Summer, preparing for the coming Winter — and eat the gift of the Nature
in the Festive time remembering the Sun in the Past Summer = To repeat this, ten or so times,
the kids become good grown-ups and start to have their own family.
—– or, to repeat 60~80 times is what our LIFE is = smell of sun drenched bush, or cool air
of forest’s floor —– the memory of brother or sister, friends etc etc = and the cycle of the LIFE
= therefore, as I bought the same Stollen again, it’s mean yet another year has past.
I wouldn’t say, either congratulation or sorry = it’s just another year 😀
(And, I wouldn’t imply the life has an equivalent value of 80 Stollen 😀 😀 )
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New Year’s Card Design 2013 (from Canon = Free)
Those sample images here were all from Canon Pixma Printer’s site and they are free to
use though, with quality’s sake you may better go their original site. And, of cause,
they got hundreds more designs —– (but in Japanese)
http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/contents/10n202/list_45_1.html?log=nt-02
—– Left / Happy New spring. — Center / I play you to have the Life with Smile. — Right / Happy New Year.
Left / Very feminine sensual calligraphy ! — Center / Snake in Shape of letter [巳] — Right / The Letter [巳]
—– Left / Calligraphy is still the letter [巳] ————————- Right / Snake in the shape of Hiragana [み = 巳]
—– Left / With a figure of Darma ( Yes, BhoddiDarma ! ) ——- Right / Okame face in Fuku-warai game.
—– Left / Snake in the shape of letter [巳] —————————- In the west, coiled heap mean shit — may be
————————————————————————————– Japanese doesn’t make a coil — ask them 😀
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PS : Further Information and the Links to free download site is —–
https://yoshizen.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/info-and-link-for-2013-new-year-card-design/
PPS : There is a site of Japan-Post —– WWW.Yubin-Nenga.jp — which said to have 1000s of
free samples though, to download the Kit, it needs to download Adobe and McAfee program
with a lots of conflict etc = almost unusable —– Still, you may try 😀
Those were the samples from Japan-Post.
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