Maha Kashyapa

Among the Lord Buddha’s disciples, Maha Kashypa was reputed to be the foremost prominent thus influential one, though, I have a strong suspicion that the stories of such prominence might be created and put by himself.  The reason why influential was not necessary he was respected but just bossy pussy attitude (even worse he was very assertive with a kind of logical argument and good at that = hence others might have just gave up and let him chose = therefore the result looked like “He was dominant”)  And being as an ascetic himself, he laid down a lords of rules to the Sangha (follower’s co-living community). (He was the one against the woman to join the Sangha.)

To check the spelling of Maha Kashyapa, I googled its name and realized that in Hindu, Maha Kashyapa was also named as one of their prominent sage. —– In fact, in Vedic history, Maha Kashyapa was quite a familiar name appeared in many times from ancient Rigveda, Upanishad time = in other words, it’s indicate that many different Maha Kashyapa may have been existed.  Yet still, what was known to be “Maha Kashyapa who was a disciple of Lord Buddha”, an ascetics, a son of Brahman, good in a theoretical argument.    Then, organised the first council gathering to sort out what to keep the teachings in the oral tradition.  —– If the person, Maha Kashyapa in Buddhism and in Hindu was the same person, many questions of mixed-up of Hindu into Buddhism could be answered.  

If MK in the Buddhism history was in deed the same person who was regarded as Hindu sage, it is easy to see why such strong influences came into the Buddhism tradition especially in the Theravada sect.  If he lead the council and filtered out what to keep and what to reject among the memories of the Lord Buddha’s teachings, it was easy to understand that MK’s opinion and strong arguments must be heavily biased the final outcome.  And that might be also the reason, why he was depicted to the side of Lord Buddha (alongside of Ananda) despite he was in fact a Hindu = he must be manoeuvred into the position.  (Others just didn’t want to argue with him.  As he was an awkward noisy claimant kind of the person. )

The author of the scripture in the later date had no way to know those facts and the false stories were just stayed on.  (Such as “Pick a flower and smiled Sutra” of which Maha Kashyapa became the person to receive the “Direct transmission of teachings from Lord Buddha” might be an utter fabrications. — any how this scripture was written in China 600 years later = No Pari or Sanskrit original was ever existed.) 

= So, in those stories in the scriptures, there could be lords of fancy tales.   😀  

When I read through Agama, only those two episode caught my eyes =  My intuition told me Yes this is it.   They gave me the key to decipher what the teachings of Lord Buddha was.  (Crucial key was that, even Ananda was not told the intention of the teachings = Avoid the lexical understanding = The mentality to just follow and DO was the matter. — That was What Void, and the Middle way mean )  It’s mean, a kind of approach, arguing, logically perswading, convincing = Maha Kashyapa type is the out of sort.  —– So, why he was chosen to play a role in the Flower Sermon story was absolutely puzzling !   (It’s mean the author who couldn’t read the mind making up the story ! )

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Yellow robe

While browsing the net, I found a very interesting suggestion which was saying that the reason why Buddhist monk wear the yellow robe.  It was that the early sangha of the Buddhists were literally the Bhikku (= beggar) who forsaken all the possessions, family, relations, everything and live on the generosity given by the people.  So, to stay in absolutely humble and show having no desire or Ego was their must.  

But, whether the person was really living in a mind of void is difficult to know.  And, it is difficult to see other’s state of the mind let alone to know the spiritual level of the person.   Of course, no one can tell that “I am in such advanced level” because it IS nothing but to expose how arrogant and silly the person is. 

Instead, the bhikku emulate each other while wearing the cloth picked up from a rubbish dump.   Those cloths were heavily soiled and even after washed and washed they were dirty yellowish brown (there wasn’t a vio washing powder then.   😀 ) — so, the bhikku were competing with others, by showing off “I’m more humble than you as I’m wearing more soiled cloth and this is the proof of my mind is completely free from any self-conscious Ego”—– ( It seemed this tradition was started by an ascetic Maha Kashyapa = thence he was always depicted wearing dark brown. — While  Lord Buddha himself, and Ananda etc were wearing white = donated new cloth)  —– So, to wear a dirty colored cloth became a symbol of the monk’s humbleness, selflessness and became the symbol to be a Buddhist — later on, when the monk became fulltime staff of the rich temple and even the cloth became a richly died with expensive turmeric, the yellow robe was kept as a tradition. (But further down east, like in China and in Japan, the lowest monk wear black which was a discarded ordinary cloth dipped into black ink (in its original form), not expensive turmeric yellow.   😀    Now, just buy a black Kimono would be cheaper than the cost of an ink for calligraphy.  =  The question IS who and why anybody want to pretend to be a monk ?     😀   —– If anybody want to follow the Buddhism, just DO it.  = It IS nothing to do with a posture or fashion. )

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Once before, I attended a Tibetan Buddhist’s gathering.  In a part of ritual, their followers altogether performed a complicated twist of finger sign, some could do very smooth, others couldn’t.  The one who could do better, demonstrated to others while explaining its move.   It was the moment of show-off = the moment the person feel that I’m better than others.  (To get its skill right, the person must spend quite a time practicing though, it might be only a chance he could get a respect in his whole life.  What’s wrong ? )   Even though its arrogant mind was completely opposite of the Buddhist’s teachings, still “Why not” it could be his start. 

A well-known Buddhists sect, ranking the followers according to how many the person managed to recruit new members, and going up in their hierarchy.  It is a very well designed Ponzi scheme to make money.  (Remember their huge headquarter !)   For some sect, Buddhism is just a pretext to recruit the members and suck up the money.  Exactly the same to the Nintendo selling Mario = Mario is a mean to sell.  Matter is the money which Mario would bring back.

The urge to emulate others may be as hard to eliminate like an instinct to live.  To successfully emulate others will trigger the reword system in the brain by secluding dopamine etc. = this is the design how we can live happily.  Yet still, Hinayana try to suppress such pleasure while imposing hundred of Not.   That’s why history moved to Mahayana.   (Mahayana accept the nature = original design = of human being. — In other words, there may not be such a thing like a joke “Higher Spiritual Level”   😀 )

I used to know two guys wearing orangey yellow cloths.  The one was a guy used be Maharish camp in India and the other was said to be a Tibetan Buddhist.  Though, I never seen or noticed that they got any higher consciousness to live or spoke — still, it was, at least, very distinctive among the cloud.   But, I wasn’t convinced that it lead them to anywhere closer to higher awareness at all !  (only a thing sure was, all of us was thinking that they were silly = It’s mean, nobody respect you because you are wearing Yellow — world would see you only in your deed , not by the color.)    😀

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Japanese Pickles 漬物

Again here, there is a fundamental difference of the idea between east and west.  Western people think the pickles is in the vinegar though Japanese think pickles is the name only for western food pickled in the vinegar.  Because Japanese makes the vegetable preserve in totally different way and the taste completely different.  Japanese calls them Tsukemono /漬物  (Funny thing is there are certain food pickled in the vinegar exists in Japan though they were called Suzuke / 醋漬, not in the western name pickles.   😀 )  As in the winter, we can see the vegetable called “Hakusai”/ 白菜(Chinese calls Bak-choi / 白菜) Chinese Cabbage.  And it is the time for me to make a Hakusai-zuke (pickled (?) Chinese Cabbage) —– This must be the second simplest cooking after a grilled fish. (simply give a bite to a fruits may not be a cooking = just a way to eat.  = it is not in a count.   🙂 )  So, how to make Hakusai-zuke ? 

(Put the leaves into a bucket in layers and cover them with a suitable size of a dish.)

(And put a soup bawl kind to have a space = because the leaves will sink under the pressure, while the water is coming out and rise.  I cover whole bucket with a plastic bag and put a heavy weight from outside.  I used an electric transformer as a weight.)

Put it in a bucket with the sprinkle of salt and keep it under a pressure of a heavy weight 5~7 days.  (With a pressure, the air was pushed out, so the anaerobic fermentation takes place.)   That’s all. 

With the vegetable’s own enzyme and the common bacteria, it would be naturally fermented and change the taste.  How much the amount of salt is not very critical.  In Japan the salt content of the vegetable Tsuke-mono said to be dropped from 15% to less than 5% in the past 50 years or so = So, it can be one shake of salt for every few layers of leaves. (If you want a stronger taste, you can put a drop or two soy-source or chili kind when you eat.) And how heavy the weight should be = somewhat 2~3 Kg = fill the water to an empty milk bottle or a kind and use it. (I’ve been using an electric transformer.  🙂  ) 

(I’ve put the pickling bucket into the other room where no central heating and leave the bucket for 5~6 days.)  (Photo left) — It seems, the Tsukemono made in the Winter is the best.  (Low temperature might keep the bad bacteria out.)  When I was a keeper of a mountain shelter, we made 5 binful Blacken  (Warabi) Tsukemono in the early summer and the same amount of local vegetable (Nozawa-na / 野沢菜) in November to accompany the meal for the guests.  It was a mountain of tsukemono !

Of course, there could be many variation which you can have a fun such as to put a hot chili sauce or the other vegetables etc.  Chinese people makes it with a lots of salt and they can be kept many years as really a preserved vegetable, called Tou-chai / 冬菜 and it must be the origin which came to Japan with Zen Buddhist.  (Yet, on the historical record,  Japanese has been making pickled vegetables 1000 years ago and there are hundreds of different style of Tskemono there.  Still, the basic idea is the same = use the effect of the natural bacteria’s fermentation to create distinctive flavor to the vegetable. (Though, may not necessary to make a good preserve because, it got only few days for the best eat and after it, it became to “Over pickled” taste became too sour, the color too brownish etc. — Yet, my guess is, when people found that the old natural fermentation become sour = why not use the vinegar from the beginning for the sake of consistency and the longer shelf life of the product. — this might be the start of the Pickles in vineger. )

(After 5~7 days, when the Hakusai-zuke was ready to eat, I shredded it and put into a jar while mixing with additional Chinese hot chilli sauce.  Since the pickled Hakusai is conveniently in a jar, it is easy to serve onto the rice.)  M m m,  Yummy !

For Japanese, the Tsuke-mono is a way of cooking —– to make it for long preserve, there are many different way such as pickled in a salty miso or use Sake etc.  The amazing difference in the western pickles is, that their taste was designed = what type of vinegar, what is the additional ingredient such as Junipers, dill seeds etc. and it almost symbolizes the fundamental difference between Judea Christianity and the Buddhism.  The one try to make the taste by their own idea, and the other see what the nature can make and follows it.  (It must be a very interesting point there, why the west didn’t start anaerobic fermentation of the vegetable, while having such as the wine making alongside.)    I haven’t tasted it though, there said to be the Zen Tsuke-mono made in the temple which is in the original Chinese style (much salty) — but to make it more acceptable mild taste, a Zen master, Takuan / 沢庵　said to have invented the use of rice bran with salt = it became the “Takuan Zuke” = which made his name as big as Ikkyu / 一休　on the history !  Since then, in most of the case, the tsukemono mean pickled in the salty rice bran — but it is so awkward to keep and smelly = it is the house wives’ nightmare.

(Yet the matter of fermentation is a combination of the bacteria = So, with a help of modern chemistry, the convenient short-cut was invented !

—–> Now people can make Tsuke-mono conveniently in a glass jar.  —  magic bullet was given to me from the friends though I haven’t tested it yet = if you like to try, it called “Nuka-yorokobi” from a Japanese food shop.)   Good luck and enjoy a taste.   😀

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Wabi – Sabi

Time to time, you might have heard the Japanese words, Wabi and Sabi, especially in relation to the Haiku Poet Basho or about Tea making and its pottery work. (such as tea bowl)  The word Sabi is related to Sabi-shii or Sabi-reta etc all of those meaning may be clearer in the visual metaphor than a lexical explanation (since those notions has to be grasped by the naked perception not by the thinking brain = hence direct transmission) — imagine you came across the place looks like abandoned or inhabited houses. = you may use a word ghost town.  No single soul on the street neither any sign of daily activity. Though, it is the very matter I’ve talked about in the previous post = if you were a westerner, your psych imagine a ghost town in a western film which is a dry, dusty, sun stricken street of wooden hoses — but here, in Japanese case, it has to be darker, under the shade of the tree, and rather wet, moss-covered half rotten houses. = you may feel even spooky.  This is rather exaggerated case of Sabi-shii scene.  And if you were here alone, you must feel quite Sabi-shii / lonely or desolated.  Then stretch your imagination further to the inside or the back of the house, what sort of the things you may find — wooden utensil ?  or a kind of bowl for eating, drinking ?  — a kind of the people used to live here, might be a poor farmer or casual worker helping those farmers = anyway, having had hand to mouth kind of the life = everything was a bare minimum.  So, if the bowl was not wooden but a pottery, how it looks like.  A bowl made to exchange for few vegetables or a caught bird, the pottery wouldn’t have a nice glaze or any decoration = just enough function for daily use. 

In the case of pottery, those images are the completely opposite of the Wabi, Sabi. Or I should say the typical decoration in the western standard, which the people think “gorgeous”. (but may be rather poor taste though) 

And in comparison, this is a Japanese dish in its decorative formal style. (This is Nabeshima. — If this one had no clack, it could fetch £10,000 even though this one was made by a trainee (= the lines were rather messy), hence second grade) —– Still, you may noticed that the stark contrast in the visual design = The western approach try to fill all the space with decorative images but Japanese leave the blank space.  Why ? It’s because of the Zen philosophy.   Western philosophy says, Nature avoid the vacuum but Zen is the matter to live with the Void.   So, to the westerner, gorgeous mean filled with nice decoration but Zen sees the peace in the blanc space.  If the nature was not in the free space, it is not natural but a fraud.  And Zen reject any intentional act as an unnatural fraud.  Especially in terms of Tea making, it got to be absolutely humble and everything has to be a bare minimum. —– This principle was in strict force, almost to an austere level.  So, when this principle was applied, a tea bowl has to be as a bare minimum = away from any intentional, artificial decoration or even an attempt to make it looks good.  In this philosophy, Tea-master Rikyu found the cheapest and the most humble pottery made for and used by the poorest people was the most suited for Tea making, which showed the Wabi and Sabi.    (Photo above right)   And this is the typical sample of the Wabi.  (In fact, this was the back or bottom of the dish the photo before.) = There was no intention to make it looks any better — it was naturally shaped and finished.  Its unassuming naturalness was not created by any intention but rather say, it just happened because it did nothing particularly. This absence of human intention = nothing is the core of Wabi. = poor humbleness, be natural in its material is the matter.  —– So, to a potter, this is the most difficult paradox in the pottery and the ZEN. = Tea bowl have to be made but made without having any intention to make it.   The answer is,  Make it with the mind of NO-Mind = Mushin in Zen. 

(In practice, just to be a potter, not a business man but just potting and let the pot to have its own fate = a pot made out of soil should have the face of soil and show the face burnt by the fire.)  (Photo above are the most tipical Wabi bowls, left was made by Koetsu)

(To an untrained eyes, “rustic” or lack of skill may looked like or confused with Wabi, though, the important point is, Wabi’s roughness or unevenness  was created by the unexpected accident, such as a fallen ash or unevenness of the fire not by the hand.)  = Think, Karma created Wabi not the hand let alone the brain deliberately thinking.  And the participant for tea ceremony has to appreciate such imperfect feature as an encounter on the moment.  (Which called Keshiki.) — The photo above, the vase showed a kind of Wabi on its glaze though, its pretty shape was too commercial.  Yet still, the right one seemed to have certain character to join Wabi = it’s a poor mans non-assuming daily mug, rather cheap product still it IS nothing else of Just a mag ! — but the photo left is a typical sample of a sham pretense.  On the surface of the mass-produced cup, a fake pattern of the dripped glaze was painted.

—– Now you might start to understand why Japanese garden or even an arranged flowers never had pattern or even a symmetry.

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Lost in Translation

There are quite few Japanese words notoriously difficult to translate into western language. 

Such as  Itadaki-masu (いただきます), Okage-sama (おかげさま), Mottai-nai(もったいない)、and abave all  Wabi, Sabi. (わび) (さび)

Why those words were difficult to translate, was because of that the one’s fundamental conscious to exists were completely different in the west.   Some said that because of the difference between the Christianity and the Buddhism.  But, to my eyes, the cause was much deeper = because of the fundamental difference, the westerner invented God, but the people in the east IS living under the Heaven since the beginning of the time. (so that, even Buddhism adapted the Dharma / Rule of the Universe)  And in the Shinto, (of which Japanese unconsciously follows) naturally follow the Rule of Nature which is almost the same to Dharma though sublimated much deeper down to the almost chemical level.  (That’s why Japanese doesn’t touch other’s possession and wash or clean the hand almost obsessively = so that, they were reluctant to shake hand, let alone kissing others, because they were prohibited to touch filth by the Shinto. —– hence, wearing surgical mask to avoid to breath other’s germ. = some of them even don’t eat a rice ball made by others hand.) 

In the same time, since the Japanese has the deep awareness that they “were Made to exists” by the Heaven, Rules, Dharma what so ever called, when they start to eat, they have to say Itadaki-masu = I gratefully receive this given food and thanks to the food (material itself) who gave their lives to me as well = Japanese are well aware that they are killing the Potato, Beans etc boiled alive.  Likewise, the word Okage-sama meant the thanks not only to the person who gave a kindness to him but also grateful to the Heaven who arrange the meeting. = This is the word to express absolute humbleness. = conscious toward the “Given Life” and thanks to its fate.  And the word Mottai-nai meant “Feel shame to waste the precious resources which has been given to us“.

=== It’s easy to see the point, that the fate of the rice glowing society was governed by the sun and rain = nature, not by a strong hunting, fighting individual. (The western God was conceived as an ancient Hero ascended to the heaven (A legend became myth, then to a religion) = therefore speak same language, and negotiable with a bribe = how humanistic !    😀 )

In contrast to the east, the western’s Ego justify his existence “As a rightful owner of my life”  and have a right to kill and eat, because they were made to be eaten. = thus feel no sorry to a butchered chicken.  Such fundamental difference between arrogant Ego and passive Humbleness couldn’t have the same kind of sentiment, the psych which is the base of each word. = therefore no compatible word could exist.   No wonder a trouble in translation.

I’ll explain the words Wabi and Sabi on the next post with sample photos. 

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Kill the SELF

If any Buddhism sect or their instructor told about “Self denial” or “Kill the Self” kind, they are a sham.  It was not what Lord Buddha taught 2500 years ago. 

(Lord Buddha taught “Selfless” through the practice though, as he didn’t explain the meaning or its intension, it was not necessarily understood by the followers. — Because of the SELF and its notion was not exists, it was not possible to explain. = Can you explain “Self is not exist” without using the word “Self” ?    😀 )  

In this situation, could anybody describe what about or significance of the teachings, or the meaning of practice which taught Selfless. = Hence, no description even in Agama. Because the matter was not to understand what the meaning of the word “Selfless” but become able to do the practice without thinking without emotion. ( = completely detouched, which mean without EGO ! )

There are many stories of Buddha’s silence or No-answer.   All those questions which was ignored were about the imaginary things, such as infinity, eternal, after a death, perpetual soul kind.   Because all those are the imaginary things = deluded by the “Self” which is not even exists.   Why bother answer it.   In fact, Lord Buddha’s silence = stop talking meant to be a message as strong as to kill the person.

Have you heard a very lucrative investment scheme of the Poca-pinta (10 poca-pinta is about $1) in the Pintaland, where you can buy 1 Kg of Gold for 1,000 Poca-pinta.  But to make a deal, you have to send $1000 into a Net Account first. = I don’t think you ever did because no Pintaland exists nor Poca-pinta. Naturally nobody uttered even a word Pintaland = because even the word “Pintaland” is not exists. —– Same as this, When the subject is not exists, no Lord Buddha ever talked about, let alone gave any answer related to it. 

By the way, were you aware to be the person who read this stories of Poca-pinta here. Was that YOU ?  And did you know the reading was done by your eyes.   In FACT, everything has been carried-out without you noticing it = “without noticing” ?   So, WHO read those ? —– Since when you were small, you’ve read the texts millions of times and now you can do it with no intentional intent.  You can capture a flashing message without reading it but just from its overall pattern.  Since, you DO it automatic, without conscious.   When you became Self-conscious, because of your EGO, “Me me me” you try to assert YOU and it IS only the situation you try to be Yourself.= Otherwise, in a normal condition, YOU/SELF is not exists.   And to read this, you don’t need to have your SELF.  Likewise, you can live your life without SELF.  It’s mean without having the ugly conflict of the EGO against EGO.

In the first place, Self wasn’t there unless you intentionally made-up.  Since, Dharma itself has no Self.

“The person” fist created “SELF” then clung to it =  because of own EGO, Me me me, — and made the life awkward.   Then try to kill it because it IS too awkward to live with.  (How silly.)

Aren’t  you doing the same ?  (You don’t need to pay an effort to kill the SELF, simply just live in a natural flow, there isn’t any SELF there as Dharma hasn’t one. —– It’s mean, You don’t need to struggle even with this blog = just read like as a casual gossip, though 100 times = if there is any truth, your intuitive wisdom will find it out.  If not just forget.)  😀

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PS : One point shouldn’t be forgotten,— to give up a drink, woman etc and become a follower of the Dharma. — You may see it is a sacrifice and the denial of the happiness and pleasure of the SELF / Me.  Or, to get the excitement of a sports and a health, spend the time and money for the training — wasn’t that a price to pay, or a sacrifice, denial to the Self ? .  The matter IS which you value positive ? 

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Flow-chart of Buddhism Teachings (2)

Past 7~8 days or so, the access to the post “Flow-chart of the Buddhism Teachings” has been suddenly increased, seemingly access from either Japan and/or India.   I’m very grad to see my blog has been appreciated over there.  After all, the Buddhism originated from India though, my interpretation of it must be utterly new if not crazy to them.   Still, so far I received no criticism let alone a denial.  (May be because I was talking about the Physiological / Neurological facts which anybody did know and able to understand. —– or, because nobody ever connected a repeating simple work on the boring job (of which you are doing it without emotion) to the Zen Buddhism Mushin / Selfless state, it was just out of imagination.) 

So, I reblog the original post with a bit of additional explanation.

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Flow-chart or the Steps in the Pathway

1) Do anything which has a fixed pattern. (Each sect has their own, such as chanting the name of sutra,  banging a drum, walk round and round etc. And you can do your own, such as cutting a lemon.  😀 )

2) By doing it repeatedly, 100s, 1000s even million times.

3) Because the nerve signal dealing with its action has the same pattern, our Perception and Emotion’s threshold level rose, hence the significance of the signal will be lost and disregarded.

4) As the action has been repeated, its pattern will be programmed into Motor-region of the brain and the action become automatic routine.

5) With the effects of 3) and 4), the action can be carried-out without thinking, even out of one’s conscious.

6) In the same time of 5), the one doing the action without one’s conscious mean, it is in the Selfless state of the mind.

7) Once the one is in its Selfless state, the things become distant objects as if it is somebody-else’s matter, = Detachment = the one’s Ego or Greed wouldn’t be triggered.

8) To apply the same state of mind to other aspects of the life, the one can see everything in distance = objectively = Clear eyes.   (Gradually, the one would acquire this, and once mastered it, it become free to control, — detach or not, or which one to concentrate or ignore.)

9) And the one can see even the Self detached, objectively, as if it is one of the public, the social action start to follow common-sense, not self-centred.  (Centring self isn’t there)

10) And able to act or help others without Ego and do the things as much as possible. (Strangely, we instinctively do it better !  Even if it is not in competition with others and even to useless things, it’s mean, it’s not for Ego or Greed. —– but for the Fundamental Pleasure to be a man ? 🙂 )

11) From those aspects, it is rational to conclude, Ego itself is not one’s imperative, so is the Self. = Self is not naturally exists but a product of one’s imagination or thinking.  (so called delusion)

12) Without having the Self, Ego and Greed which tend to creates trouble and discontent = could any suffering be left ?

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It must be clear from this chart, all the process is pretty natural as it follows the natural mechanism inherent to our brain which is common to anybody, so that

Lord Buddha concluded that the Dharma which rules us is Selfless and as it is common to anybody, in other words, all of us has the Dharma within and Selfless.

— And it become clear, the so-called Rules of “Do this and Don’t Do that” had been written by the  person who hadn’t actually done the practice to reach Selfless state by himself, hence, didn’t have a knowledge how the human mind naturally works.  (Real selfless person need no instruction, nor such instruction would stay in the mind. 😀 )

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It must be clear. —– Is there any argument ?

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PS : Though, in addition to this Chart, applying the context of “denial” not only to the Self and suffering life, but to the “Idea of Denial” itself, therefore, instead of being enlightened, “being suffering” seems to be more natural = and this idea became the stance of Mahayana Buddhism. —– Hence, Zen says “To see NO enlightenment is the Enlightenment”

= (Anyway, no Self = Who is going to be enlightened = what’s the matter = Nothing ! )

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Delusion — Zen ?

Soon after I posted the previous post, someone asked me if I’m promoting to indulge a delusion ?   Or is it nothing to do with the Zen Buddhism ? —– I answered, that the Zen is not judging or promote anything.  Because the Zen is not a direction but the way to go there, where-ever it is.   The sword master Musashi refined the way to kill, through the Zen.   Zen wouldn’t direct a person not to kill.  The person can learn the best way to kill in the highest efficiency through the way of the Zen.   So that the Shaorin Martial art came from the same temple where the Zen was started as they ARE the same teachings.  Likewise an Otaku may achieve his own best delusion.   Right or wrong is in the different teachings.   Buddhism will not pretend to be right but it would be naturally prevailed while the one living in Dharma.   Still, as Dharma is everywhere and the Karma is dealing with all sorts of fate, it is no doubt, a professional killer must have his (her ?) own Dharma.   What’s wrong ?  —– I don’t think you can direct Dharma, let alone editing it in your preference.   😀

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New year 2017

In brief moment, morning sky showed a sign of sun rise though, soon after it was covered with thick cloud.  So, this was the only shot for the New year.  (Heavily cropped 18mm lens wide image.) 

New year has arrived with almost nothing special (as I don’t drink) only with distant firework noises and the Big-ben’s gong from the radio. 

Something funny about was the song, Auld long syne.  This old Scottish song might be the most well-known song all over the world. (It seemed every where in the world, people singing this song back of the New year report.)  This song came to Japan almost 150 years ago.  Japanese new Government then sent out many researcher or study group to the west to find and study the advanced western system and the technology.  (So, Political system from Britten, Technology from Germany, Law system from France and strangely, lots of Scottish, Irish songs — but with heavy misinterpretation.)   Such as like almost Anti-war “Danny Boy” was changed to praise the old family ethos.   Likewise, a song missing the old-time and the friends, Auld long syne was changed to a song, sending out the hard-working student from the school. (So, this song became exclusively for a school graduation.) 

— At least, I graduated from Junior, secondary, High and University though, I attended only a Junior School Graduation due to a consequence to be who I am.  (I was fully aware what I was going to do with its consequence.)   Since I was a bad boy, secondary School suspended my Graduation.  I carried out a silly prank to disrupt Hi-School ceremony and the time of my Uni’s, I was in the remote islands for a botanical research expedition.  So that I have quite heavy emotion behind this song.   “What was my life for ?” “Has it been worthwhile ?” — I would say that I was lucky enough to do as much as what I wanted.  (You can do the same = Just Do.  Not leave the regret of didn’t do, but rather burnt fingers by challenging !  Its mean, “To be there, on its moment.  Don’t escape or avoid ” So that, I lived the life what my Karma gave it for me. = I can confidently say, this IS the Zen as I’ve tested on my life.) 

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PS :  This is a follow-up = a bit more likely photo on the next morning.  🙂

( Taken on 2nd Jan’ 2017, 08:32 GMT)

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Mindfulness yet again ? ? ?

Many years, I’ve been having incongruity toward the use of the word, so-called Mindfulness. — With a kind of hunch (There seems to be a big mistake ! ), I refer back to the Agama scripture how they wrote about the definition of Selfless. —– It seems there is no direct description of No-self in the Agama, but only the indirect explanation, which was as an answer to a question “Is there permanent Self (Atoman) exists ?”   It was only in a metaphor of the impermanence of a soil (or cow dung). (= Even such simple existence of soil couldn’t be permanent, how the mind or Self could exists permanent.)

Of course the No-self was not the primary phenomenon but only a consequence of No-permanence, and No-permanence was because of the constant activity of the Karma. Understanding of the Karma was Lord Buddha’s most fundamental philosophy, and from here, such as Four Noble Truth were deduced.   Therefore, it may not too strange to have less significance of the No-self in the Agama scripture.   Or, it could be the deliberately placed emphasis to negate the Self.  Since you can’t talk about a thing which is not exists. Why Self is not exists, because it was a deluded product of the mind.  And the mind is only a momentary reflection of the Karma.  So that, to put emphasis on the mind (of awareness / memory) in the Mindfulness practice IS not Buddhism.  In deed, the Theravada sect who promoted the idea of Mindfulness was based on the idea of Sathi, which was the idea in the Vedic meditation.   Of course Vedic stands on the idea of Atoman = Perpetual mind / Self = so that, become aware of the mind = mindfulness IS their practice.   It is not a Buddhism but nothing but a Hindu practice.  This IS a typical mix-up or a misunderstanding of the Buddhism by the Theravada sect.

Whether clinging the mind could bring any good to the mental health of the person, in comparison to the empty-minded Buddhists.  It was too apparent in the social phenomena in a Hindu country, in contrast to a country where people even don’t remember that they were the Buddhist = Japan.   A country where the notorious brutal gang rape cases were kept happening, or the country where the safest place to travel.       The question IS where their Ethos and the Morality came from.

It was the observation made by Lord Buddha 2500 years ago.   Clinging the idea and such mind is nothing but a delusion since the idea of “such mind could exists” itself IS the delusion.   And let all the five senses free = not to stick to any perception will make us to emancipate any notion or image, hence able to see the Dharma. (All those notion, images which were the products of thinking, has been masking the Dharma.)

It IS the biggest irony, as long as you are thinking or seeing something, you can not see the truth. When you abandon to see, you start to see the Dharma. — The most funny irony IS, to abandon to see, stop thinking to see IS exact opposite of the so-called mindfulness practice. So, those so-called mindfulness practice is creating yet another delusion and the obsession.

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