Huineng vs Shenxui — Poetry Contest

Provably the most well known Zen story was a contest to became

6^th Patriarch of the Zen.

For the contest, the most respected top monk in the monastery,

Shenxui wrote a poem as the answer to the 5^th Patriarch, Hongren

who request to show the Zen mind,

“Mind is like a mirror, I polish the mirror diligently for

no dust to settle on it”

When an illiterate low-rank monk Huineng who has been working

in the kitchen of the temple heard this, he asked friend monk to

write his poem contesting Shenxui’s,

“Since Mirror is not exists in the first place,

where dust could settle”

Hongren saw Huineng has much deeper understanding of Zen,

he chose Huineng for his successor.

[]

This story showed what all about the Zen and its pathway

in amazing clarity.

Shenxui was a well educated, well learned monk, hence he must

have read hundreds of scriptures and understood the attitude to be

a good Buddhist. (in this extent, his answer / poem was quite

appropriate and correct though, it was more like a posture of

Theravada monk, still on the way to the enlightenment, in other

words, he hadn’t broken the barrier, or gone to the other side yet. )

In contrast, Huineng had showed exactly what the notion

of Void in Zen Buddhism.

— How Huineng could get this, while working in the kitchen.

[]

As a son of peasant, Huineng had no education and illiterate hence,

he had no chance to read and study Buddhism other than just pick

up the words, what other monks were talking about.

Anyway, he had to work every day as a casual labourer in the temple,

still, those every day’s continuous repeating work gave him to gain

the essential mind-set to be a Zen Buddhist = Unconditionally

accepting (humble) to be a lowest working monk, hence there

couldn’t be any possibility left to have desire or even an Ego.

And as day by day, the same work continues, the mind

became empty = just the hand repeating the work.

Yet still, by keeping eyes clear, he could see the crux of human

existence = how the Life exists = what the World and the Dharma is.

And he was able to make the straight connection of his state of mind

and the observation, to each notion.   In effect, he had mastered the

Zen in DIY.   Zen doesn’t need to be literate but to have clear eyes to

see inside and outside, with the direction of few key-word.

(This straight connection is behind of

“Sudden Enlightenment” and the “Direct Transmission” )

[]

And this observation lead me to see an amazing parallel in

the history of Buddhism.

Founder of Zen, Master Bodhi Dharma had to establish the way

of Zen in DIY, as there was no text book exist then, even worse in

foreign country. And the situation was more or less the same, when

Lord Buddha started his own teachings = NO Buddhism

textbook at all, of cause, let alone whether even Vada was

available to the public in written form. 😀

Shen[]

But this is what the Buddhism is.

Since, it is the matter of one’s mind-set and the programming of

one’s subconscious = the one has to do it by oneself.

It is literally Do It Yourself / DIY = A book might give a hint, still

the one has to DO the work (practice with good insight) =

Book wouldn’t do the work on behalf. 😀

(Put Buddhist book in a memory of “Automatic Voice Generator”

and make voice out-put of script, wouldn’t make

the Machine enlightened — very fancy though. 😀 )

[]

—– Whether the stories (given in the Platform Sutra) has true

historical fact or not, to make the story in this way itself, was the

reflection of their understanding then = and expressing

supremacy over other sect of “Just reading scripture and sitting”

Illiterate Huineng was THE very typical sample in Zen.

___/\___

[]

PS :   Still, there are many questions left.   Zen understanding could

be gained without words, since it is not knowledge based intellectual

understanding but to customising the perception and behavioural

pattern in the subconscious level though, whether to compose

a stanza without having enough knowledge of lexical pattern is

possible or not ?   And the script telling the story, “Platform Sutra”

was written long after with a lots of diviating history.

—– Yet the fact is, the mummified body of Huineng has been kept

in the monastery till today and still sitting there !

(you can see the photo by Googling it) —– If he was not such a

great Master in real life, no such things could ever have happened.

[]

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）

[]
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)

[]

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 ! )

[]

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. :-))

[]

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.

[]

—– 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.

[]

(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.

[]

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？ 😀

___/\___

[]

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. 🙂

[]

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.

[]

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.

[]

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.

[]

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.

[]

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.

[]

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.

[]

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.   😀 )

[]

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].

___/\___

[]

Zen is DO — NOT sitting Idol

Life was not made by what the one (wishfully) think (most of the thinkings

are to find a justification, excuse) but by the deed, what the one did and

do on the moment.

It is the matter of how to deal with the situation.   The situation shows what to DO.

We only need actually DO. When the situation forced us to respond, in most of the case

it is not our choice but the MUST = hence we have to DO unconditionally = and very

little chance to indulge with own EGO = in other words, be in SELFLESS.

We become almost a machine to carry-out the task. —– This is in fact,

what the Zen is.   Zen is not a fancy mind-game.

It is the systematized clarification and the direction of what and how

we have to DO, and to live.

So that, to follow the way how to make a tea could be a Zen. How to fight with a sword

could be a Zen too. —– Found a Cherry blossom, and to try a “Why not” kind of

approach to shoot, and struggle to DO it, is also a Zen. Ha ha ha 😀

[]

— Who said, Zen is to sitting and meditate = meditate in Mushin ?  Joking.

All the Indian religion takes Meditation as a traditional practice though, do nothing and

sitting is not a Zen. (Such as Yoga Meditation is said to be aiming to have a harmony

with the soul of the universe = to fuse one’s Atman to Brahman.  Though

Lord Buddha himself denied very existence of such Atman.)

So, the idea of Zen Meditation must be invented by very lazy monk to excuse his work.

—– “Don’t be lazy, do something”   “Yes, I’m busy sitting” !   😀

[]

—– Do something in Mushin will increase the efficiency of the work,

therefore able to achieve more productive life.

In contrast, Do nothing and in Mushin mean Body is idol, the Brain is empty,

it’s just a rug-doll isn’t it ?  Still the Mind is wishfully believing, such practice

could make the person “noble” and reaching to higher consciousness (Really?)

Isn’t it strange ? If it was Buddhism, the Mind supposed to be empty, yet still

having such wishful thinking is a self contradiction.

It is nothing but a delusion. 😀 😀 )

[]

Zen is to grasp the situation and clearly see what the task on front.

And carry-out its task without any quibble or hindrance

as if nothing else is on the table.

With a clear awareness, that no-one-else would do on my behalf, and no-one

but myself can do, kind of confidence and the determination.

And DO it as if it is the only and the last chance to DO in the whole life —–

to a task, even if it is yet another daily chore.

—– Sound very heavy isn’t it ?   Though, there is a knack, to make it so easy,

just DO it in Mushin.

[]

= When you face its task straight, there is nothing else you can conceive,

because there is no thinking of alternative, or escape, hope of help from

others, even a notion of next-time, because of Mushin.

Since, the task was carried-out almost machine like accuracy and the efficiency, it will be

cleared without having even a time to have a complaint, therefore, what you feel is

only a sense of achievement and a satisfaction. =

Having a sense of fulfilment and relaxed peace.

This is the Zen.   Having the life all through with this sense of fulfillment

and the satisfaction, on the very end, what can you complain ? =

There only be a peaceful Nirvana.

—– This is the Buddhism of what

Lord Buddha taught.

___/\___

[]

Soft Effect by Double-Exposure = Cherry Blossom

This is yet another attempt to create an effect of  “Fire-fly floating in the air”  like image in the

Cherry blossom photo.  I think, this technique is better than Vaseline on the fish-eye lens  🙂

Cherry tree is the same one as before but after few days, it’s having more flowers.  

And the photography was done by double exposure with flashlight while changing the

focus and F-aperture.   (Hence, large halo of bokhe appeared around the center image.)

(Once, this technique was used by Minolta in their Portrait Mode by shifting the focus

during the exposure,  in order to give a soft effect )

This photo was in fact the first attempt with primary lens  (Canon EF 20 mm F2.8) ——

The trouble in double exposure while changing the focus is = the size of images also change. 

Hence, the off-focused image radially spread out of focused image.  = To compensate this,

I used the Zoom Lens (Canon EF 24~70 mm F2.8) so that, top two (it’s the same photo but just

clopped) photos, focused image and off-focused image was not exactly the same focal length.

—– it’s a nightmarish operation = to remember the same size on the view-finder,  yet still

a devil wind blow the flowers off position etc etc.  😀  😀

So, it was a fun with a lots of unpredictable elements and human-error.   

Life is a fun in deed.   Ha ha ha  😀

[]

Buddhism = Science

—————————————————————- ( Buddha 2009 )

While giving a thought to the well known established notions in the Buddhism, after

Lord Buddha’s teachings, such as “See the things in Clear eyes” “Detachment”

even “Selfless mind” then “Don’t believe, but Think yourself” and the fact that

Lord Buddha did ignore the question which was beyond our scope (unknowable),

such as what about the after-life or what is the structure of the universe.

(Stark contrast to other so-called Guru who pretend to know by telling the made-up stories.

—– Who does ever know about the next life or heaven or hell, not mention perpetual soul.)

= I realized, isn’t this, What the Science is ?    Or the attitude to be a Scientist.

When Enlightened man told the truth, he dare to tell groundless story.

[]

“Right thinking” meant to be nothing other than a Rational thinking.

See the things with Clear Eyes meant to be “See the FACT”, and “Think

YOURSELF” meant, it shouldn’t be any enigmatic special belief but the

Truth which can be comprehensible in anyone’s rational thinking.

As all the factual phenomenon follows the rationalism, anybody knows,

Nothing appeared from nothing.   Nothing happens without cause.

—– Based on the facts, and with the way to observe and analyse it in

strictly objective and rational way, then deduce the truth, is THE Science.

In this process, there shouldn’t be ANY bias of personal thinking, judgement,

preference or special belief = it got to be absolutely Detached from the SELF.

[]

Truth is independent from any person, let alone anyone’s Fantasy. =

Whether you believe or not, it’s there. —– This is the Science and what

Lord Buddha taught.   (Yet still he was aware of notoriously unreliable our

perception, he spent great deal of his teachings to deal with this matter and

found a technique to eliminates the cause by way of the practice which lead

a person’s mind to a state of  Mushin.) =(This is the core of the Buddhism)

Therefore, if there is so-called Buddhist’s teaching which say anything other than a fact

and beyond the rational comprehension, it is not his original teaching. (Only a problem was,

in this world (in the Dharma) there still be the Unknowable exists.  There is a sect called

Tantra has been trying to deal with it without any tangible answer —– If they could give

any reliable result, they could have been employed by the Pentagon or Russian KGB though,

on the history, deeply spiritual noble “Third eye” which said to be in contact with the Dharma,

still not able to predict such as Earthquake even a single occasion. = If science can’t handle nor

Buddhism can.)  So that, any fancy stories were later invention only to glorify Buddhism.

Buddhism is to Enlighten a person, beyond the personal Life and one’s Mind is out of scope.

What Lord Buddha taught was, how to get clear eyes to see the truth in the life

by get rid of the dubious belief and the delusion, by emptying the mind

(get Mushin), not to trap into yet another dogma.    Dogma is not a Science.

Truth is like a dry skeleton, it has no decoration. —– and needn’t to be. 😀

(This is why my Buddha 2009 is bare minimal skeleton and the head is a clear

void which reflects the Wheel of the Life.  And the heat keep moves its pattern

continuously = never stay the same = This shows what the Dharma is.)

___/\___

[]

Zen in Action (2)

When I got New Window fitted in my flat, apparently builders has made a lot of mess which

has not been cleared.   Those mess, wood chips, fragments of concrete pieces etc. went into

the drain pipe and blocked the rain water then created a puddle on the balcony.

= I’ve tried to unblock the drain pipe by a 2m rod without success therefore I contacted them.

[]

So, I’m waiting them to come and clear the problem.

Though, I’m not expecting everything rosy and perfect.   Their men might be prepare to

deal with drain pipe blockage —– but may not anticipating the 3” deep water which could

cause a mess to my floor. => I prepared a cardboard and a door-mat on the floor.

This is the Zen in action.   (You believe or not — read further and see)

[]

Zen is a way to respond the situation on front.   Which is directly relevant

to our life.   Get upset or angry is very remote from the Zen.  It’s need a cool

detached mind, and never imagine or expect others do more than reasonable.

(though, drain blockage is their responsibility and it is beyond my capability).

Still, their wet boots will cause dirty foot-marks inside of my flat = is definitely my problem.

Anticipating the situation down to a detail = is the Mindfulness of the Zen.

And give an insight what those people most likely do, in real situation. 

Therefore, expecting too much is nothing but a Selfish Ego and the Greed.  

And to expect others too-much will creates only a frustration =  better not.

This is the way to have trouble-free life and the peace of mind.

= Zen is neither escape into imaginary world and indulging a useless puzzle, 

but to live a real LIFE in a better way.

Samurai Sword was created by the Psychological Vector = endless aim to get

the job done better and stronger, by one step further, which took hundred of

years to reach to the level of the strongest sword in the human history.

So, they come —– but they did most of the work from the other end of the drain pipe.   😀

= Suddenly, within few minutes, all the water has gone !

Grateful to the professionals who knows better than me. = I’m humbled.   🙂

—– You see, this is the Zen = in Action.  Peace of mind has to come from the

peace in trouble-free Life, not by escaping into imaginary green forest kind.

Neither, it is a way to curb mind-set and blur the vision, but take tangible action.

If the Zen was just sitting and talk abstract,  the Zen quality Japanese products, 

let alone  Samurai Sward were never be created. 

The reason why Zen has been misconceived in the west was, that it was taught by 

monks who got no skill to do anything but just sitting, yet able to speak in English. 

Zen is to DO and to LIVE, not for a subject for a talking shop or spiritual fantasy.

Convinced ?  —– Have a tangible nice day.

___/\___    🙂

[]

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.

[]

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.

[]

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.

[]

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.

[]

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.

[]

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.

___/\___

[]

Chichibu yo-matsuri / Zen Ethos

Those are the Photos I found in a photo blog Tokyobling.

Tokyobling is reporting from Japan very actively with quite vivid nice photos

and those are from Chichibu yo-matsuri (秩父夜祭) of Saitama (埼玉) =

next north to Tokyo.

Virtually all the traditional festival in Japan is for the local Shinto God.

Hence, Chichibu Yo-matsri is for the Guardian God / Chichibu Daimyojin (秩父大明神) who

said to be the abater of the wolf in Chichibu mountain.

Because of the Wolf God, the festival held in the night, hence Yo-matsuri

( yo or yoru mean night)

Being as a Mountain God, Chichibu Daimyojin is the guardian of the mountain people /

Matagi (またぎ) and Sanka (山窩) all over Japan, who’s occupation was hunting and

wood-crafts, and their descendants too. (Matagi and Sanka remained only in the legend now

still, all the shoe makers and leather crafts men said to be originated from the Yoshino (吉野)

mountain, behind the Nara city.  As they’ve been the supplier of the foot-ware and the parts

of armories to the Nobles and Samurai alike thousand of years as a tradition.

When I did (or helped) a research of the Industrial Sociology study, I met a group of the

construction workers who was the Sanka from Chichibu mountain.   In the site, they live

according to their religion, wearing their own white uniform and praying their God everyday

= they had their own shrine of the Chichibu Daimyojin brought with them ! )

In this stone-age, I have no idea how many people is worshiping

Chichibu Daimyojin now, still in the photographs, I found pretty strong Ethos

is clearly remaining and prevailing.

See the head band of the grandfather holding a baby in the photo.

Head-band was extremely neatly tied.  —–Then, see the other’s.   Not as neat as the

grandfather, still, all of them tied their band in the same style. = All the people sharing the

same Ethos therefore even a cheeky computer-gamer start to behave in a discipline of a

traditional young man without him even noticing it.  (It’s a spirit of the Matsuri.  🙂 )

(Hence, Carl Jung called it Collective Unconsciousness)

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To tie a head-band in THE occasion, is a strong Japanese tradition.

It is not only tie a hair or stop the sweat getting to eyes, it is to tie the MIND.

For a determination or concentration of the SELF, but also to declare or display it to others.

We tie a head-band with the Determination to go with the fate.

In this reason, even the Sward Master Musashi Miyamoto (said to be) tied

a head-band when he fought with his arch rival Kojiro Sasaki. (and Musashi won)

Because of its Samurai and Military connotation, western people has a kind of fear toward

Japanese tie their head-band though, it is not so far from a Hindu people tie a string on

their wrist. —– Normally, a head-band was tied on one’s back to prevent its loose-end

sagging down to block eyes.   So that, tie it up on front may be a Shinto tradition

( in a Matsuri, it is always on front) though, what grandfather’s head-band impressed me

was, its neatness.    Functionally, it may be the same though, as it got to be tied in anyway,

do the better.   It wouldn’t take more than extra one minute yet the difference is clear.

This is the mind set of the Zen.  (Zen is a Mind-set to concentrate and DO the

task better, what ever it may occur in the Life, its mean any body’s any Life,

regardless whether it was a Shinto practice or Christian’s job.

DO the things better and achieve better Life is the Universal Aim of the man.

This is the reason why Zen was often regarded to be Atheist or Non-religion.)

(And this is the reason why Japanese products were often over quality and hard to

compete with cheap copy in its price.  😀 )

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What so ever the life, you live and die.   In anyway, it would be more or

less the same.   STILL, aiming the better and do the best, regardless whether

it makes any difference or not, is the way of the Zen.   DO it and DO the BEST.

(down to the minute details, keep DOING its best, this Mind-set is the matter,

not necessary the result, since it is a Pathway to aim the goal =

but not the goal itself — goal / Nirvana would BE given by the Fate or Dharma)

By doing so, you wouldn’t loose a bit.   Since, you couldn’t possibly loose anything because,

you yourself is not exists in the first place.   Hence, you don’t need to afraid of ANYTHING,

even a death. The person lives here isn’t you but the Darma (Rule of the Universe),

hence you can live with full confidence to be the Dharma or a part of it.

This is what [Selfless] really mean (not sacrifice the self  by own idea) and What

Lord Buddha taught. —– or What he revealed,  What the Dharma is.

___/\___

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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.

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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).

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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.

___/\___

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