Find the SELF—- by your Camera

Internet Photo site / Frickr  has interesting functions.

It can be someone’s exhibiting space, even though nobody know actually how many people ever seen them.

Some of them are technically very advanced impressive photos, or

literally  “The moment was captured” kind.  It is the show off of the trophy to the world wide viewers.

Yet still, lots of people just uploading their own photos for no specific intention and the photos are just

an image as the sake of image.  The person who took photos may say, this is my expression, as I felt

it is beautiful, or interesting ———- in fact, what so ever the excuse.

———————

The reason why I’m interested in those photo stream are, not necessary only the contents, but also

the whole activities. When anybody aim a camera and take photo, the person is in one’s fully minded

state of the mind, and the photos are the result of one’s concentration.(even without a breath)

And as nobody directed the person, the photos are the result of their personal choice—– which they says

their unique View-point ——— its mean, the series of photos are the reflection of their SELF, of which

in most of the case, the reflection of person’s deep subconscious. (some times sheer  Ego  😀 )

If anybody watch the series of photos, soon certain tendency, specific interest or taste will emerge.

It is the person’s unconscious aim and the choice.——— in another words, hidden SELF.

In effect this is the very effective way to find the inner SELF.   The best things here is, it is displayed as

a collection of objective images. (Only need to have a bit analytical objective eyes to see the tendency, but

as it is visual, it is far easier than to think in the head)

————- Convinced  ?    Well, Try it. Its a fun in the same time.

HEALTH WARNING :

This is an approach more akin to the Psycho Analysis.  Therefore, important point is,

Don’t show the result to others unless you are prepared to show you inside out.

( Other than some Photographically good photos   😀 )

Taking photo of lots of Holy relics’ doesn’t mean ” You are the Holy spiritual person” but

more likely you are intellectually pretentious.  Seeking the SELF is the matter of personal quest.

Of cause, this observation works in its best to the photos taken casually in open minded and

its hard see the personality of the photographer in academic  or sports kind.

WOMAN womam !

I’ve encountered a woman at somebodies’ birthday party  who questioned me, why the Buddhism

discriminate the women and keep them in the lower lank in the hierarchies.

It’s an awkward question.

My explanations  ” There was no such thing in the time of Buddha, as there was no organized system of

ranking his followers,  and the seniority who has learned longer and knows deeper was obvious,

regardless the gender ” —— Though, this woman who said to be practicing  ” – – – something, never

heard of kind of meditation” was so tenacious,  saying  “Even a woman who achieved the high enough

level of enlightenment,  still been recognized lower than the male and couldn’t be ordained to the same

rank as the male counter part etc etc. ”

As the matter of fact,  I rather liked to just shut my mouth and ignored the question though, this woman

just keep repeating the question and push and push,  and unlike the Great Buddha,  my silence didn’t

hit the world like a thunder.  ( Ha Ha Ha  😀  )

——————–

The matter was too obvious,  It is not my business.  And I don’t think it is her business neither.

Somewhere some sect administrate the way of their organization in their own rules,

it is their problem. (if any at all )  If anyone doesn’t like it,  just go to another sect.

Obviously this woman is arguing the matter which is not what she is facing herself,  in other words,

she is arguing the matter which is only in her knowledges, the thinkings.    And talking an injustice of

discrimination in social recognition of the one’s achievement in her assumption. Not in her reality.

———- Unfortunately,  the starting point of this woman was hopelessly wrong.

Buddhism is not a cooperate system to organize the people in bureaucratic hierarchies,  therefore

expecting to receive high-ranking etc is not the Buddhism,  but the one’s ego and the greed.

Invested the money to the speculation of the land, but as the bubble collapsed and couldn’t get the profit.

Though,  before complain the lost profit,  think own greed  expected to grub the money with dubious scheme.

———- I really wonder,  what sort of Buddhism this woman was imagined of.   Instead to find the peace,

she  created a discord in her mind,  which is not even  her business and only exist in her knowledge.

The one’s enlightenment is not given by the organization of sect,  but gained by the person oneself.

Attending the sect’s talking shop, which chair to sit is not the matter at all.    The person,  just sit on

the floor  comfortably,  without any dithering,  is in fact sitting closest to the enlightenment.

And I’m sure,  when the founder of  THAT  sect had encountered  a woman of this kind,  who was just filled

with ego,  still insisting  ” I’ve achieved and gained the understanding of Buddhism”

the founder must be amazed and fed up to argue with her.

After so many years of study and the practice and achieved to gain so much so ” Knowledges” still able to

maintain so much so ego and the greed,

the founder must come  to the conclusion ” They are the hopeless”  ( I guess )

So, after ” The historical woman’s right fighter ” the sect changed their rules, it was the unfortunate history

in a corner of the Buddhism sphere.

In the Buddhism Paradox, the Dharma prevails to the one who achieved the perfection without

asking the return. ( in other word, in  Mushin —– or so-called Selflessness )

CYBER SPACE — (and Z80 mini-computer)

It is 25 years  since  Dot Com was first created,  and 20 years since  WWW  was invented.

One of my old colleague,  Camera Critics,  Kazuo Taira  was one of the pioneer of the PC networking, using

acoustic telephone modem and he organized the Photographer’s Computer Network in Japan.

It’s shame Mr.Taira  is no longer with us.  Unfortunately  we in the creative field tend to lose the friends who

tend to be a heavy drinker.  ( Do you know,  the average life-span of Rock musicians are 38 something,

of cause it may not caused by the alcohol alone )

And since then, our lives are more and more entwined with the Computer and the Internet.

Nearly 20 years ago,  I made a small computer using Z80 CPU,

designed from the scratch.  ( Left  Photo)

( I would say, it’s a half sculpture, half computer )

Its operates on only 10 MHz clock speed and having 512 Kb memory,

which needs to be programmed by Machine Code.

—– In electronics, to design and to build is one thing and

to make it works is the another.

Eliminate all the glitches and instability etc etc are the hard part.

—– As the definition,  computer operates on the data in the

memory,  once the memory was corrupted,  it needs to re-program from the start.

( It was the time of  UV erasable  memory,  before easy to re-program  Flash-memory )

After this experience,  I became a computer skeptic ” Computer can make mistakes ” hence, even now

I don’t use Credit Card and I rather like to use hard-wired design,  not soft control.

In this reason, I honestly admire the person who can design and manufacture a  10 GHz device which works

in any environment  reliably.

——————–

In another side of the revolution,  the Internet is becoming almost a monster, and the Necessary Evil.

Since  I  started to use Email,  I wrote very few letters  which  needed to be a signed evidence.

—– The trouble of Net is their intrusive activities.  As everybody knows,  Google / Gmail is

watching our use of web and the contents of communications word by word. ( Cookies, hidden files etc)

When I heard about  Facebook,  I instantly felt their dubious nature  ” Why do they need to have so much

detailed personal information ? “—– obviously they are  the salable commodities.

Without having such profitable return,  what is the point to provide free service.

Personal info’ used to be sold to the marketing / direct mail company before.  Now the Internet provider,

social networking site are the Marketing/ Advertising/ Direct-mailing/ Delivery Service  All-in-one.

(When  I got an Email from one of our Old-boy telling, he has reached to the grand age, the Ads on right hand

column are all cheap Funeral service and the international flower delivery — Great, thank you very much :-D)

So that from the beginnings I didn’t use my real name to open Email account, and never sign up the

Website which asks Date of Birth.  ( Still, now Yahoo knows my DOB, obviously from the content of

the mail between me and my friend. )

With full name and the DOB, the one can hack-in and get the information of National Health, and

together with the Address,  it is possible to access the Banking information.

——————–

To live in peace, we have to be aware ” We are in the battle field ” which the Buddhists call  Samsara.

With technology and the Internet,  we opened the Pandora’s Box.   It’s a funny situation, as in the Informations

we are becoming almost naked,  in the same time our contact itself becoming even more indirect.

Just by  the chain of characters on the screen, a 30 years guy pretending as a 15 years old boy,  chatting

with a 40 years woman who pretending 13 years old girl. —– Yuck,  how  beautiful,   😀

——————

Zen  rely on the Direct Transmission,  still what I’ve been trying here, is the triple, quadruple indirect

communications.  In order to type, I converted my feeling to the lingual form, and express it in the

bloody English, which typed chain of ASCII code traveled through unknown node here and there and

end up —– how do I know where.

As I thought,  I never met Buddha himself,  or  I have any idea , how many times the Mantra was translated

or re-written,  and  2500 years apart, someone try to reach the same conclusion as Buddha,

( in the point of indirectness, this is the far-most remote situation )

still, if its works,  a talk to others through  Internet may works too.

Thats what I’m thinking.

[]

KILLING

According to the news on a asian radio,  in a corner of India,  there was a serial killing of  the children, and

a couple who is desperate to conceive a baby was suspected for its killings,  as the (religious ?) belief says,

” To conceive a baby,  it needs to kill 11 children “.

? ? ? —— this is 21st century.     If this kind of belief is still held among the people  even now,  it is

no wonder,  why  Buddha needed to utter ” There is no such things of the dead person’s soul.   Once

the person died,  it is the final, hence it is the Nirvana ”    Dead children can’t contribute anything

to the conception,  since they are dead.

In the Buddhist’s eyes,  it is obvious if anybody committed such killings,  it will  boomerang  back,

——— completely opposite of happy conception.

This is what the Karma mean.   And this is a simple human commonsense.

“

LISTEN, LISTEN

I saw somebody shouting in his blog  ” Listen ” ” Listen”.

Yah,  I can see what he meant.   But,  Hang on Mate,  we had in deed listened.

We born as a virtually blank sheet of paper.   And while growing up, we have listened and listened,

and learned and seen , learned, listened ——– then here I am.

Listened the same thing again and again,  it became ” A Type”——- and imprinted as the commonsense.

Once the one acquired  A Type, he start to pick up only the information fit to A Type, because any

other Type hadn’t heard often before ——- such rare exception is irrelevant to the life.

The people shouting a minority opinion still want  “Them” to listen, but ” Them” belong to the  majority.

Majority share their commonsense. And it is imprinted in Subconsciousness.

———- though, it is not necessary the truth.

To see the truth, the one has to get rid of the filter of  A Type, and open the mind.

ANGER

I saw some Blogs about the control of Anger or lack of it.

Thinking about the anger,  I don’t remember when I had the opportunity to have one myself last time.

Once I learned how the life is having so many facets or multiple layers,  I became aware how it is

useless to react on the surface situation and get angry.  ( It seems, in my deep psyche I have

reprogrammed to see the cause of anger “As a repulsive object” and not want it to occupy my mind

even a fraction of a second——- it disappear instantly.     So, NO anger bothered my mind ! )

In this rotten world, the expected angry reaction was often exploited to make up a pretext.

It is the usual tactics of the provocation often used by the Police,  even by the Court.

——————

When I proceeded an utterly fraudulent case in the High Court,  the Judgment made by the so-called

Lord Justice ( in fact it was a circuit Judge ) was utterly a fraud.  Though it was not surprise to me as I had

smelled it beforehand, so, when I heard it I grinned and made  ” I beg your pardon ”  with funny voice.

———- I knew,  if anybody exploded  with anger,  the Court can use it as a pretext to make an Order

to ban the person to appear the Court in further proceedings.  ( I took the proceedings as a Litigant

in Person / without the Lawyer —– while studying the English Law over night )

So that to get angry was not an option at all, even though I was utterly disgusted.

During the proceedings the Statutory Right was blatantly violated and the Judgment was completely

against the Expert Evidence.  It was  ” the case never heard of before in 250 years English Legal History ”

kind, so that,  when I proceeded to the Court of Appeal,  the President of the High Court ( as one of the

three Lord Justice ) needed to come out to suppress and  white wash the scandal. ( Very very Funny  😀  )

In order to block the Appeal,  High Court issued an  Order ” Order of no Order”  first ever in the history

which arrived on the day of the dead-line to lodge the Bundle of Document for the Appeal Court.

Even though it was just a piece of paper, as one Order was not incorporated in the chronologically paginated

Documents, the Bundles  became defective, and the Appeal could  be out of time.  Though as it was too

obvious tactics, I applied the extension of the time.  ( Of cause they can’t refuse it, as it is the Law )

( BBC  Joshua Rosenberg  knew this case,  Chanel-4,  all the broad sheet News Paper,  the Liberty,

Amnesty Int’,  Lord Chancellor’s  Dept’  even the then  PM  John Major did know this case, but did nothing )

The Court must be expected me to leave the country together with all the indicting documents.  But, since

it was the first ever the case in 250 years history, it is the imperative to let the world to know.  Its my duty.

——————-

I could have been perfectly entitled to explode with anger hundreds of times,  though it was a part of

the game which the other side and the Court were waiting to see ——- it’s  mean,  it was exactly the

last thing of me to do and anyhow, no time left me to indulge with unproductive emotion..

( So,  the President of the ” Honourable  Ancient  Court of  Justice”  needed to say  “It is not necessary for me

to go into the details of the Evidence” ——— of cause  he never able to go into the Evidence as it was

completely opposite.    Ha Ha Ha    😀  ) (When Appeal was lodged and the fact was known to the Judiciary,

High Court Judge Dobry was retired at once, and I haven’t heard the name of the President Stephen Brown

again—— gone to obscurity ?   Seemingly, it was the measure to sweep the scandal under carpet ).

——————–

Zen never follow Emotion,  so, no anger, but just follow the duty.   The matter here was not the passing

Emotion  but the continuous Fight which require tenacious effort and  resilient mentality. (It’s wrong to presume

the Buddhist got to be soft touch, easy Let Go people. Look, Dalai Lama, he kept vigorously fighting even now )

——————–

If anybody having the trouble to control own anger——- try,  just separate the eye point and watch

yourself as an objective object from the distance ( visualize an image or caricature of yourself )

From the distance, you may able to see the situation much wider——- the cause,  how it’s happened

and the consequence,  the effect of the anger in its issue —— and learn ” It wouldn’t change anything

but make the situation even worse “.

Soon or later,  you will get tired to see own caricature,  and loose the passion to get angry.

Anger is in fact the assertion of the Ego,  when the person encountered the gap between  the own

expectation or self-imposed rule or standard ——- in other words, the person’s authority.

Then  the person should make the question, ” Do I have such authority ?   Am I such Big and Powerful ? ”

Though, if the person has strong confidence, he ( she ) doesn’t need to have the assertion,  ie; it is the

sign of insecurity.  Here the Paradox of the Buddhism again.   The one who detached from the Ego

has the strongest confidence, therefore doesn’t need to get angry.   Feel strange ?

( If there is no Ego,  there will be nothing to lose. ——– Most courageous action could be taken )

NATURE and NURTURE

When people talk about  Nature and  Nurture,  those notions are regarded to be the counter idea.

But in reality,  they are entwined  inseparable factors.

Now a day,  nobody denies  the fact  that the Gene combination affect one’s development which even

include the one’s psychological disposition and behaviour pattern.

——————–

The most obvious but most overlooked fact in this field is, ——— that the Child is Nurtured by

the Parent who is having the same Gene like  their  Child.

Except the adopted child,  a half of the boy’s Gene come from the Father,  and the Gene which makes

a baby to a man, came from the Father’s  Y-Chromosome which is identical to the one  the boy got.

———- Assuming the Father behave under the tendency of the Gene set,  and the boy is growing up

seeing his ( Role Model’s ) behaviour pattern,  while boy himself having  (at least half of )  the same Gene

which giving the same drive to behave in the same way.

So that the reproductive process’ two key factors,  Nature and  Nurture are working toward same direction.

—————— I’m certain,  this is the common knowledge,  when the person reached to the age of 40th

everybody discover (whether the one feel comfortable or not ) how he (her) is a faithful reproduction of

his Father or Mother,  not only the physical appearance or voice but also the posture and the mannerism

or the way to think and handle the things as well.——- ( Rough Father’s Child tend to be rough too )

Even if you are not aware of this,  your wife or member of family knows this.

Which part is Genetic and other came from unconscious learning is hard to tell —– since it is entwined.

(So,  the scientists are studying hard for the Identical Twin,  but the one was grown up in the foster family

—— it is in deed, very interesting field )——- So far, mostly peculiar story of the twin come up to the news

such as, the twin grown up different family without knowing each other,  yet still having had identical life.

It seems, The Karma is a part of the Nature——- fixed on the time of the birth. ——- Does this mean,

CAN’T WE escape from the KARMA ?

Foot Note for LIFE’s DOMAIN

In the script of LIFE’s DOMAIN, the  words of the Monk  who gave me a small cloth was not clear.

Translation I’ve put there was not exact.      The actual words  “Isshyo ga, koko ni aru no wo O-wasure naku ”

Koko = Here  may even mean  Here = Eihei-Ji Temple, not on the cloth.

I’ve translated  Isshyo = whole-life  to ” the time span to remember this ” by its  implication.

” Remember, whole life is here ”  or  ” Remember, the life is in here, for whole of your life” ——- ?

What ever the truth, it was the typical sample of  ” Think it by Yourself “

——————-

To take the significance of such somewhat patronizing words,  which might have told just for a formality,

is the matter to be a Buddhist.       Anyone can just sway and ignore such words.

But some others may takes its full blunt of weight  whole-heartedly, and think about its deep meanings.

———- See the hidden meaning of the phenomenon or the words,  and take it beyond  its

superficial meanings, or take its implication to own existence or humankind in general, is the matter of

the person’s  Spirituality.    ( or being nuts or paranoia   🙂 )

Spirituality is not a pretense and hung a Crystal on the neck,   but able to see the significance and  its

deep meaning behind  whole-heartedly.

——— Of cause,  there can not be any practical implication of the life on the foot square space,  but

Spiritualy it carries heavy meanings, which remind us to aware who we are, and who we

should be. —– It is the matter to know how we are humble and small ——– in reality.

——————–

To be a  Buddhist is not a matter to chant few words for a day,  but the attitude and the mind-set to see

the life ( and its details ) in full intensity,  whole-heartedly.

On the beginning, at least, it is not peaceful easy life at all.  ( If you tried  Skate Board,  how long you had

miserable bruising days before you can leisurely cruise it in peace )—— Buddhism is no different from it.

This is how the study of Buddhism progress,  in step by step process.—— With intense approach,

once YOU found your answer and when it sunk deep into your Subconsciousness,  you can do it,

feel it automatic, even  without noticing it ( it called MUSHIN ),  as it became your nature.

Then you can enjoy your peaceful life.  (In fact, it’s a pretty advanced stage to be a Buddhist )

And you may find yourself  contented and peaceful  on the foot square space.  (Strange isn’t it 😀 )

Even more strange is,  you can enjoy more freedom in its foot square space

as you feel the JIZAI ( being full  in your nature ).

In the foot square space,  still able to spread your wing 1000 km wide.

To be in the MUSHIN, its needs to be completely detached from Ego and any intentional Idea,

even from the Notion of very Subject.  ( So that the Subject was seen as just one of ordinary

objects).   Since the Subject was seen as emotionally detached Object, with objective /

value-free / bird’s eyes view,  it is possible to have much clear view and really free response

——– This is the JIZAI.

___/\___

—

LIFE’s DOMAIN

This is my  Life and its  Domain.

This piece of cloth was given by a monk registering the visitors in the  Eihei-Ji  Temple,  when  I  notified as

I was leaving the Temple.

While handing this, he told me, “ Think, your life is in here, and keep remember it  all of your life ”

This foot square ( 33 x 36 cm ) space is the space, a man occupy all through the life until the moment

when he needs a bit more to lie down to die (hopefully for a Nirvana )

——— And this cloth was meant to be used to eat on it.  (Though, when I needed to washed it some time later,

I found the color was fading —- originally it was dark brown —- I realized even this one is not permanent and

only for a spiritual teaching,  not for actual use.)    Since then, I just placed it in the kitchen where ever I moved.

So,  technically  this cloth has been shadowing and watching my life for the past 36 years, and

kept reminding  me,  who I am and the place where I can be. ( in its one foot square )

——————–

The Spoon on the cloth is shadowing me even longer than that.

I made this fork-spoon, out of ordinary table-spoon by cutting the teeth in it when I was in the first year of my

High-School.   In a tradition among the Japanese mountain climbers,  the eating utensils / spoon, fork  kind

were called ” Buki ” ( weapon )—– the essential tool to fight through the battle field of survival.

The larger the Buki,  we can eat quicker and  more.  Without energy in the stomach we can’t climb or walk.

So that I made the most versatile and efficient one for myself. ( It took whole one night  to make)

And I’m eating all the meal  nearly 50 years with this.  If I was invited someone’s dinner party, I go with this.

This spoon signify my life,  my living existence.——- Literally I’m living on it.

——————–

Pretending not eat a lot is laughable.  How anyone can survive with empty stomach.

And once the food staffs were cooked, while sacrificing the life of rice and vegetables etc,  not

waste even a single grain of rice, is imperative. ( It was the Zen family’s constitution )

So,  this is the foundation of my Life.

___/\___

—

MOON and FINGER

Used as a metaphor in the Buddhism, the story of a Finger pointing the Moon is too well-known.

This metaphor is about the explanation of—— Not the mean / Finger,  but

the subject / Moon —– Satori (Enlightenment)or  The Dharma (Rules of the Universe)

Even though the Zen Sect has the most critical,  precise analysis of the Buddhism,  still when its came to the

point to elucidate the core of the teachings / Satori,  Zen says  “Furyu-monji” (Not explainable in the words) or

“Kyogai-bechiden” (Not possible to teach)——- hence only the possibility is by mean of Direct Transmission.

———- Yet still,  funnily enough,  when the one did managed to find it out,  it is just ubiquitous,

natural things, hence  it was described such as a  Dog sit.  (Very very Funny  !!! )

——————

I’m not a master,  even not a monk, so I can’t tell you what it is.     As I only got a distant view of it by walking

around,  round round round and as I saw it is there like as the air.

Still, I can show what is the Buddhism not by the words but in the way how to live it,  and how to do it.

(Which is Tried and Tested 🙂 )

After all, this is what the Buddhism is.  And this is why  “It is there as it is not there” and beyond of

thinking or words.

( If it can be explained in words, somebody great Master in the past 2500 years could have done already.

And the teachings of  Zen and Direct Transmission needn’t to be invented )

How to live is the way of the Direct Transmission.

So that you may live the same way,  walk round same place,  then you may find the same ( Dog sit  ?!!—–

—– How Nice  😀  )    So,  I can say  Just Do It.