Thinking process

Sorry, it’s about that bellows again.  — behind the apparent shape and its function, that Sony Tilt attachment has many hidden structures and the stories, such as the bottom of A7R camera, additional plate was screwed. Because the device’s constant adjustment = rotation, the plate protect the camera bottom scratched.  And the hard alumium plate has anodized hard surface, which would prevent the two aluminium parts stack together.

You may not able to guess how the bag bellows was made and attached to the mount of both side.  Imagine, if the leather bag was made separately, how you can attach it to the mount (Body side was a camera body cap and the lens side was the back of the front panel with Canon EF mount attached.)  = In order to have the precise position of the mount, a length of black leather was first glued to each mount ring.  Then the leather was folded to the position and stitched together to make a closed bag.  (Because the tilt movement is only one side, the bag was made wedged shape.)

When we make (design) something, there are two different approach.     One is to imagine the final piece in the brain first. And cut the material in each size and shape then assemble altogether.   And the other is, bring the major material to the place and find the size and shape etc on the spot while giving many considerations.  So that the making process is step by step.

(Sound somewhat out of context, you may think though)  The Buddhist’s approach is the later.  Lord Buddha loathe to rely on the imagination, hence he didn’t teach notions, even not rely on the words.  Because  he taught the Karma = everything exists and moves following the Karma.   The sign or agent of the Karma are on front of us and they are keep changing moment to moment.  Perceive all those Karma and intuitively follow them will be the least troublesome life we can have. (Intuitive mean, without having “thinking” self = Selfless = be in the Void = with Dharma)    This is the reason why we have to deal with the things on front of us.  If not on there, its mean, it exists in the thinking or imagination.   So, to make a thing on the spot, while finding the precise dimension and the requirement is the right approach to do.   (It’s not against the nuclear scientists designing particle collider — we may not able to see the particles or tela gauss magnetic force by our eyes still, they are there. = Scientists intuitively count its effect in.) —– In this world, there is no ideal remedy or solution (which was a product of imagination or fantasy) but only practical measure applied on the spot, moment to moment. (You might have seen or remember that all the so-called  “ology / ism” has been bankrupted leaving immeasurable destruction behind ! )

___/\___

.

Stitch Work (1)

Coming to the time hard to thread the sawing needle, I became 

aware what I learned from my mother when I was young.

My mother used to make the Kimonos herself.   Often using very

rare expensive silk such as Oshima-tsumugi.  You may feel strange

though, I was sitting and watching her work and when she needed

I thread the needle for her.   Make Kimono is of course done by the

hand stitching. (Even now, all the Japanese Kimono was made by hand

= a kind of tourists souvenir, Happi Kimono may be made by a sawing

machine (in China) but Japanese doesn’t see them are Kimono at all.)

—– Sawing, hand stitching is nothing but an utterly laborious work.

And virtually all the sawing in the Kimono-making is straight line.

Only the exception sometime is the end of Tamoto in Furisode Kimono

(= long sagged down sleeves).   Its mean, no innovative variation or

inventive shortcut kind could ever exist = just keep stitching straight.

= If it was not straight, the fabric distort, so it looks funny and make a

person wearing feel ashamed. So,to a Kimono-maker or needle woman

to become able to do an adequate stitch, it may need to make at least

10 Kimonos for a practice.  (if it was an expensive silk, de-thread and

remake again — very fine needle will not damage the fablic.)

.

In the all the traditional crafts or art kind, how the novice to learn is

by way of watching and mimic = to copy what the master does.

Not mention the stitching work, which is push the needle, front to the

back and to the front again ~ ~ ~, mimicking and copy is nothing but

the repeating the same action again and again.

= IS to program the pattern into the brain. = (When the pattern was

imprinted in the brain, the action, include the speech become

automatic = automatic mean “No self”)   When the level of learning =

copying deepen to such automatic level, it’s standard or the quality

reaches to the perfection.   Because the body moves like a precise

machine without the interference of useless thought or emotion.

In this level, there couldn’t be any Ego = no emotion or high-level

thought. — so, you might wonder, what IS the motivation to do it ?

“Motivation ?      What’s the Motivation ?”

— When the task is on front = there wouldn’t be any choice but to DO.

(This situation has been misunderstood as the “Concentration” or

so-called “Mindfulness”. 😀 )

And, is the task really there ? How DO I know when myself is not there =

nor any mind, observing it.   (The people who mistook that the Zen

is a matter of awareness = A way of different thinking, couldn’t

emancipates this trap of thinking therefore couldn’t be escaped from 

this dichotomy = “Observing vs Observed Self” — When the SELF is 

 not there, WHO is observing or aware of it ?) = It’s mean, as long as 

a notion of Zen is there (or you think, you are doing a Zen),

it is not Zen at all.  Zen is being in no-mind = Mushin.

.

This is the situation WHAT the Buddhists call VOID.

— Which I’ve learned from the stitching work when my conscious

was absorbed into the moving needle.

= Effectively my mother taught me the most crucial essence of Zen

without saying even a single word of Zen or Buddhism.(Of course,there

was no word of Zen or even a name of Buddhism exists on the time of

Lord Buddha.  He only showed the way to DO and what he told was the

jokes, then took a rest while sitting quiet.  When the teachings were

“Selfless” it couldn’t be taught using the word “Self” as it’s not exists.

So, he only showed the way to DO without SELF.) 

The people who was not there and only heard about had mistaken that

the sitting (and assumed to be thinking) was the matter.

Then all the misconception and the nix-up were bore out from here.

( — Sitting was just having a rest).

So, you were trapped here.   Are you watching the stitches, or

something encircled by the stitches ?

Oh, naughty you, what are you thinking. It’s just a cloth and the

stitches, still it’s better to be a naughty as we can have a laugh.    

Ha ha ha   😀

___/\___

.

Tanbo-Art — Godgilla

Well, Tanbo Art mean Rice field Drawing = the drawing was made

by the different color of the rice crop = it’s mean, each crop was

planted exact position months ago.   And each colored crop was

pains takingly developed and the seeds has been kept over the years

by the local farmers — only for this fun.   (Still, with this Drawing,

it’s made this utterly non assuming local village “Inaka-date,

Aomori prefecture, famous and attracting thousands of tourists.)

So, for this year, they created Godgilla !  (Photo from Jiji news)

—– This almost like an obsessive dedication and the pains taking

attention is nothing but the Zen Practice (though they, the farmer

themselves may not aware of it at all.) = (Zen Ethos has been so

deeply sublimated in Japan, people does not necessary know why

it has to be done in that way, for what reason.  Yet still, as a custom

or tradition, it has been kept and practiced exactly the same way

hundred of the years, it’s forming the collective belief, the Ethos.)

.

One of the International research found, that the Japanese are the

most “Atheist” like people (doesn’t believe God or Buddha exists)

still, they all believe the fate or the punishment from the heaven.

= it’s mean, the teachings has been such deeply sublimated, hence

the words or the title figure has been completely forgotten still

the mind has been shaped down to the unconscious level.

(You may not aware why you were offered disposal chopstick when

you were invited their party / diner = they feel the chopstick is not

clean once you touched = So that, Japanese doesn’t eat like Chinese

or Korean from the same bowl but take the food to their own small

dish, avoiding a chance of the chopsticks touch others’.

—– The teachings of Right-Wrong / Do-Not Do were

deepen to the unconscious mind / chemical level.)

= So, once they were convinced and started to DO, there couldn’t

be any doubt or hindrance, down to unconscious level —– Do 

grow the best rice or make a strongest sword. = Just do it.

And do it without the self conscious, (it’s mean, no Ego or Greed

= mind is free) the result would be the best.

This is the Zen.

.

Zen or just a Miser ?

Have you guessed it ?   This is nothing but a washing-up Sponge. 

Still, why it is here – was – did you noticed, it has been stitched up. 

I think, it came from a Pound-shop = four of them for a pound.

It has been used to wipe water arround kitchen sink or wipe the

bottom of a pan after washed etc.  (Inside will be left dry itself.)

Still after while it has been teared and broken.  So, I stitched up

its tear and kept using it. = It is not bad enough to bin.  (Even

though, I have new one left in stock.)

— it is a normal practice on my life. But, I never preached others to 

do the same or even suggested (it’s their business.) – Is it too stingy ?   

Or is this an attachment to a possession?   Kind of greed for 25 pence ?

If I may say, this IS my Mindfulness to the humble sponge.

And as I do, this IS Zen. 

If you think otherwise, your understanding of Zen IS wrong.

___/\___

.

PS :

There could be two completely opposing views here.

* The mind, stack to the sponge could talk about Zen ?

* Or, the mind which couldn’t even pay attention to a sponge

could talk about Zen ? —– the answer IS, — What is Zen ? 

(Clinging the imaginary idea of Zen is remotest to the Zen.)   

Don’t talk, don’t think, just do.  = (that was, what

Lord Buddha taught.)

.

Ox’cart and the Fate

I found a Buddhist story in a Japanese website, a collection of small episode which was said to be told by Lord Buddha = “There was an ox’cart carrying heavy goods. The ox, who draw the cart everyday fed up the work, got an idea, if there was no cart there couldn’t be any work.

So, on a bend of the road, ox sped-up and the last moment,he sway and made the cart smashed onto a rock.   As the cart was smashed broken, no more work on that day.  Then few days later, the owner brought a new cart made by heavy iron. So that, the ox had to draw even heavier lord”— in this episode

Lord Buddha taught that if anybody does silly things, it would boomerang back onto the next life. —– interesting story though,I don’t think this story was genuine at all even if it was in the Mahayana scripture.

—— The reason was

1) Lord Buddha wouldn’t have said “Next Life” since his stance was Anatoman (No- Atoman = No perpetual soul/self) therefore there couldn’t be Next Life.

2) I don’t believe that there could be a cart made-up by iron exists which was affordable to a man of ox’cart in India, 2500 years ago.

3) Of cause, ox isn’t such clever. (Sorry, Mr Ox.   😀 ) This story must be a fake by a script-writer of much much later period when the idea of Hindu = Atoman and their belief of Reincarnation was mixed up into Buddhism. Obviously, as the Buddhist’s Sanga (follower’s community) had

NO CAST system, the idea of Reincarnation was not existed there.

How do you think ?

What Buddha taught ?

When we try to find what was the original teachings of

Lord Buddha  among the millions line of scripture, we have

to pay the most heavy attention to the personality of

Lord Buddha as an individual human being in his totality, while

chiselling out all the mixed-ups and the glorifying decorations.

(If the scripture had Hindu name, it is not Buddhism, or the 

story has supernatural magnificence it was just a fantasy.)

—– there could be a gradual change of his view and the opinion

still, there couldn’t be an utter contradiction from the same person.

Since he got his Enlightenment (with his own understanding of the

world) after he seceded from ascetic monks/Guru’s group (with a

disappointment and a lost hope to find a viable answer from them

and such ascetic approach) therefore his idea couldn’t be anything

like a transcendental oracle like fanatic words  (so-called

mumbo-jumbo) but  frank and down to the earth straight idea.

[]

Typically like Four Noble Truth, those very brunt and blatant words

were the words of cool realist.

If the person was a kind of salesman, he would have chosen much

sweeter words and even a misleading bait in it (such as a promise

of Heaven). But

Lord Buddha was not a spin-doctor but rather like a rational scientist,

he talked the facts and phenomena, not his speculation or fantasy —

its mean his teachings were not an idealistic Dogma but the wisdoms

based on the facts and the scientific observations.

= in this approach, he found the mechanism of Karma and able to see

the effect of the time in moment to moment flaw.    So that, to find 

the NO Perpetual Soul (Anatman) was a straight conclusion.

(That’s why in his Sangha, there was no Cast = curse from the past)

Those observations and the understandings needs no special filter to 

see = they are the common facts, and from those observations anybody

who acquired the right eyes can see and find the truth behind 

( 8 right ways meant this) and see the Enlightenment.   That was why,

Lord Buddha gave the last instruction on his death bed

“Don’t believe what was said but see/learn it yourself” = this word

clearly indicates that the teachings were not a Dogma to memorise

but the Direct Transmission =

wisdom which could be learned from the observation of Facts.

[]

And Lord Buddha’s observation went into deep inside of the

human psych = subconsciousness too.

He realised that we are able to see and know the subject

without us thinking it.  (So-called intuition) 

And he thought this is the Manifestation of the Dharma in us.

(We can walk without thinking how to walk — so,

WHO made us to walk ? = It must be the Dharma !

But being in our subconscious, even we know it’s there though

we can not see = It is there and/but It is not there.  (There must

be a big debate about “Self / Soul, the subject / who is thinking, =

the person who is thinking IS WHOM ?       Though, as

Lord Buddha took the stance that there is no Self / Atman = talking

this subject IS effectively a recognition of the existence of the Self =

So, how it was debated was very interesting but we may not know.

—– still from the Scripture we can see the description “Giving

without aware of giving IS the true giving” = we can guess what

was taught there then.  And from here, (if Self exists or not) the

debate extended —> Does Dharma exists or itself is Void ? ? ?

And in this context, an episode in the Agama sutra was the

story which gave us the most crucial insight.

= That was the true record of

Lord Buddha’s teachings.

___/\___

.

Core of the Buddhism

Did Buddhism asked the followers to remember any special notion,

something like a rule of the “Preservation of Energy” in physics or

a special formula, or to do very peculiar practice ?   (Don’t mix-up

with a funny ritualistic practice of Tantra sect.

Or their magic Mantra (Dharani) which was claimed to have a

supernatural power. — They are noting to do with the teachings of

Lord Buddha.)

.

—– Such as Four Noble Truth = they are only a bit deeper

understanding of the phenomena in our life general.

= After all, what the Buddhism telling us were the Awareness

toward our own existence.    Which is not far from our

common sense = Because all of us ARE existing more or less on

the same bases = Nobody was born to live for ever, nor born

with the wings to fly etc etc = nobody is superman, or

divine figure in flesh —– as no supernatural facts exists (other

than silly delusion or rumour) there couldn’t be any possibility

of the fantastic fabrication mixed into the Buddhism teachings.

(In deed, there are mountain of fancy stories = but they ARE

the fancy stories = nothing to do with the teachings.

— It’s a fun to see a fancy imagination of the people.)    😀

[]

Lord Buddha denied any idealistic notions as they are only

the delusions.  (Therefore he completely ignored to answer

(completely stop to talk the person is the same to kill him)

the questions about “after the life” or about the “universe”

which is neither exists nor possible to know.

—– Considering the both subjects are the easiest topics to tell a

fabrication or a fancy story (because, to counter prove its fancy

story is even harder — Try to prove there are Heaven and Hell.

Then try disprove them.   You will see it’s a waste of time = so that,

Lord Buddha completely ignored it. )

Probably the most important key to decipher Buddhism teachings

are in the story of Kisa Gotami (Running around the village) =

as a typical Upaya teaching, there was no verbal teaching but the

learning by the practice = Direct transmission to the subconscious.

= No lexical Notion/Idea or Thinking process.

And this phenomenon was also significant in this story.

—– Why it’s significant = because its phenomenon of

“Exists but Exists Not” character of the Subconsciousness

and this phenomenon is the core of the Voidness.

Dharma IS here or HERE all together IS the Dharma though,

since its detail is constantly changing moment to moment because

the Karma is active, it couldn’t be defined in one shape, still it IS

the Dharma.  = This “Exists yet Exists not” character is parallel to

our subconsciousness.  = And this IS what we ARE = and to

become aware this fact IS the Enlightenment.

(So, effectively it IS no difference to know who I AM = just

I am as I am. = That’s why, it is a Dog shit.)   😀

___/\___

.

Takumi (2)

A guy asked me “So, you say the supreme quality component

could be made by the empty-headed robot ?”

“No, that is not true — I needed to explain more”.

The matter of the use of tool in Mushin is the last stage of

the production. Other issue there (if any) has to be resolved

before hand.

—– There is the fundamental difference of the worker’s

mind-set in Japan.    Western or westernised society, the

people has individualistic mind even on a factory floor,

and in the same time the ways to work in the production

was fixed by the manager down to the small details.

So that the worker’s mind was “Just do what was told and

anything beyond the instruction is not MY business = I only

need to mind my own interest”.

But Japanese worker takes his/her work as a part of his life.

He feels the responsibility and the pride in it.

[]

—– Even on a fully computerised automated CNC machine,

such as the change of the cutting bits and its maintenance

affect the final quality.    And the person working with it

everyday could see the difference but how to deal with this

matter wouldn’t be the same in Japan and the west.

In the west, the worker there may ignore as it is not his

responsibility or just report it to a technical staff.

But in Japan, the person working with it and changing

the cutting bits can give a very deep observation and try

a minute adjustment.   Or, the person working with the

machine many years may have discovered the tendency of the

production, such as the weather condition affect the quality 

= and may have found even a measure to compensate it.

As I said, the Japanese worker has the attachment to the work

= even if it may not as heavy as a “Sense of Duty” still keeps

an eye to the work and able to see what is going on.

And the crucial point IS their mind can see the difference

and conceive “What could be done” because they could see

what would make the work/result better. (Same as Kaizen)

(By the way, I got a Degree in Industrial Sociology and a work

experience in Honda while working with 1000 ton press.)

[]

In Zen Buddhism, this mind-set was called Mindfulness.

(though, this word is the most misunderstood word in the west.

— western people think “Mindfulness is the concentration of

the mind” but in Zen, it is the completely open mind without any

other notion but see the work on front of the eyes. = It’s mean 

when you ARE working with the machine, see that work.  

When you ARE walking, let your body WALK = DON’T think about

the work while you ARE  WALKING. 

— And see you ARE Walking but DON’T think how to walk.  😀  

[]

In Judaeo-Christianity, the followers await the salvation = go to

the Heaven “after the death”.

But the Buddhists hope to reach Enlightenment = get Enlightened

while we live.

Lord Buddha’s teachings was “when you die, it’s the end”

—– so, while we ARE still alive we have to come close to the

Enlightenment as close as possible.  

Therefore, Zen is the way to DO the best, to achieve the best. 

This IS the mind-set of the Zen and this mind-set has been deeply

sublimated to the Japanese  = If you work with CNC machine,

achieve its best.    If you make sword, make strongest sword.

If you are a sword-master be the strongest killer. — and to be

the strongest sword-master, don’t think but JUST  KILL.

—– So, this mind-set IS the mind-set of the TAKUMI and

no wonder why the Japanese Takumi could achieve to produce

the component no one else could.

(Now you might be realised that was why no routing after the

disaster in Japan and having the least crime rate in the world.)

Have look the lotus flower, it IS flowering out of muddy

water NOW = it’s no use, to dream a promise in the heaven.

We have to live best, NOW in this moment.

___/\___

[]

Takumi

At the Wireless Wednesday gathering in Greenwich, we had

2 laptops to repair.  One was a quite hi-spec Dell which needed

to change a HDD and the other was HP. 

Dell needed to completely disassemble to see the back of mother

board = so many screws had to be removed, and the cables had

to be disconnected etc etc.

—– Then, when two of the cables to Wi-fi module needed to be

re-connected, the guy who has been dealing with this kind of

the work very well, couldn’t manage to insert the connector,

and neither the other guy managed to do too. — strange ? ? ?

The cables to Wi-fi module were not simple power wire kind but

the hi-frequency coaxial cables.   So, the connecting post was not a

simple metal stud but a coaxial connector and the male connector

has to be inserted exactly parallel to the female counter part,

otherwise the needle thin center pin would be broken.

—– While watching them try, I found their finger couldn’t keep

the cable straight, neither the finger pushing it is steady.

= So, it was the time for the Zen Buddhist to join the game.

And the cables were safely connected.   😀

[]

When earthquake struck Kumamoto,  Japan,  quite few hi-tech

company there had to close and it sent a shiver to many other

manufacturers in the world.  Such as Sony has their factory for

image sensor there = if it’s production stopped and the export

delayed, the production of iPhone in China would be stopped.

(Swedish camera manufacturer Hasselblad had to postporn the

sale of their medium format camera H6D, because the production

of 100 Mp image sensor  in  Sony, Kumamoto  was disrupted —

in fact, 80% 0f digital camera in the world relying on Sony)

When China got their industrial development,  they took over

the top position of manufacturing business — that they thought.

— While ago, China’s Premier Lee Karchan was so annoyed to

find that they needed to import even a ball of ball-point pen.

In deed, 60% of  iPhone was made by the Japanese components =

the components of which China couldn’t make by themselves

even when they bought and used the same machine.

So the world started to pay an attention,  Why only Japanese got a

skill to make certain component or device, and started to talk about

the Takumi (匠), such as the Mind-set of Takumi, Skill of Takumi.

(Takumi mean, the Master of something) —– the economists,

industrialists etc talking a lots about the Takumi though so far non

of them seemed to be aware of the sublimated tradition of the Zen.

When a craftsman (even an engineer) try to learn, they try it again

and again and develop a state of concentration of the mind = this is

a condition what Zen Buddhists call Mushin.  Since the concentration

in Mushin is to vacate the brain, not push high tension to the mind,

such as the blood pressure,  testosterone level doesn’t go high = able to

keep the mind and the hands calm and steady.  (= able to do the job

without an emotion or any useless thought.)

= And this was the way to use the tool and in control in making.

So, this IS what the Takumi doing.

___/\___

[]

 

 

Human Right and the Equalty

The most absurd misconception of the people today is the

idea of so-called Human Right and the Equality.

Did natural law or any God or Deity ever given such promise ?

—– How about Natural Evolution ? = Survival of fittest = It’s

not fare isn’t it! Not fit to survive still need an equal chance.

(Are you serious ?)

—– Because of no such promise from ANY supernatural power

or anything, anybody, the man had to make-up a declaration

by themselves.  = It was a mare human invention.

It was not a God’s-given “Right” but a Political manifest.

Politician and their organisation can declare that they promise

to give an equal opportunity and the equal treatment of the people

in their administration.  So, under their government,

people may have a Human Right and the Equality.

With this promise as a bait, the political group / democratic

movement got dominance in the most of the civilised world.

But in the history, country by country, regime by regime,

government by government, the treatment of the people has been

very different because no fixed, overriding rules there.

So, there was anything from “Good ruler” to tyrant.

—– In this situation of facts, very simple logic is, if the human

was born to have an Equality, why they were not born equal =

Born to have the same looks, same environment, same

opportunity and having the same Karma.

— Obviously, no such things ever existed in the human history.

[]

If ANY body, the “activist” want to say otherwise, please tell me

“From where or whom given the “Human Right” and

the “Equality” to human being.

Because, it seems almost all the trouble of the society has been

caused or aggravated by this mix-up or misconception of the IDEA.

(Don’t get me wrong, I’m not denying the potential benefit /

possibilities its IDEA possess, but, I can’t agree with an

arrogant attitude as if we were born with it.  —– Those IDEA were

the hard earned reward after long long struggle through the history.)

[]

In contrast, the significance of the Life IS there, who ever deny it or

think in any manner.  = Because it IS exists.

It has been existed even before the man invented the God.

So, we have no way to deny it.   Like a simple fact that is we are standing

on the Earth.    And as an extent to be a life, there is no difference

whether it is an animal or plant.

We are not a Judge to decide as we ourselves are just a miniscule part

of this Phenomenon.    We are not ruling, let alone created this world.

On the same base, we have to accept that somebody IS more equal.

= Since, the Karma affecting each person as an individual.

To be an individual there is no equality.   That’s was how and why the

Dharma created YOU as YOU are.   Accordingly non of us got a right to

complain this. You could be lucky YOU or may be unlucky YOU but

that IS what YOU ARE.

[]