ヨシ禅縁起

（これは友人に送った手紙の拔粋で，まァ日本霊異記，仏教説話の現代版ですな）

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昔母親が僕の手相を読みながら　｢お前は下らない事ばかりやっているが，曲った事だけはやらない。それに使命を負って生れていますからそれを果すまでは絶対に犬死にする事はないし，そもそも不動様が付いているので全く心配していません」と言い放ってくれた事があった。　   しかし，なんで俺ごときに，わざわざ不動様の番が付かねばならぬのか？　

この意味が把めたのは実に厄年も過ぎてからで　ーーー　ハタ！そう言えばえらくヤバい所を歩き回っていた割にマムシ、ハブはおろかサソリ、毒グモの類に出合った事も無い。　考えてみるとそもそも病気にかからない。　岩場で二度も転落しながら全くの無傷。　大転倒してスキーを二本も折りながら何の怪我も無し。　一方、背後から刺してくれた者、裏切ってくれた者が突然癌にかかってコロッと死んだり、もっとひどいのは死ぬ事もならず苦しみ続けている。　山で嫌がらせのしごきをやってくれた男は即、雪盲で動きもとれなくなって痛みでひいひい泣いていた。(因みにこの男、しばらく前に山に登ったものの徹底して暴風雨にたたられたとか＝神サマ後々までかなりしつこいらしい。笑）　　偉そうに命令はするが自分では薪切りも荷上げもやらなかった小屋番の五人は還暦を迎える事もなく他界して当時のメンバーはあとー人しか生残っていない。（ずっと後になって知った訳だが全く異った状況と死因ながら五人が次々に、というのには流石に目をむいた）　ーーー　小生が常連になると店や団体は大繫盛，逆に行くのを止めるとそこは倒産する。—–（ディスコ四軒，カフェ二軒，三団体, 山小屋二軒） 遇然にしてはちょっとタイミングが重なり過ぎている。（全て知らないうちにそうなっていたので，小生が呪いをかけた訳ではない－－－念の為）（例外的にBrixtonのクラブスタッフには予め警告を与え次の仕事捜しを勧めておいたのだが、六ヶ月後現実につぶれるまでは誰も本気にしなかったようだ。）

［］で，もっと奇妙なのが［８１５０の怪］といふ奴で，こちらの関係先，立回り先，それこそ電話番号から

銀行口座，

ブログの統計ページ，

ユーチューブの整理番号に至るまで，

将に「張番中］とばかりにこの数字が現れる。　－－－数字学の人によるとこれは語呂合せ通りに［ハイゴレイ，背後霊］の告知なんだそうな。－－－思い込みにしては，本人が選んでいる番号ではないし，それが勝手に現れて来るのは止めようもなく，現に個人向けの物に出て来る事実は動かし難い。－－－しかし、どんなメカニズムで現れて来るのかね？

［］と言うのを逆から考えてみて，ハタと思い当ったのは，実は小生は元々坊主になる為の修業をさせられていたのではと。　虫や花の自然観察から始まって科学一般，一方では詩人逹の人間学，次に社会学で視野を広げる一方，山登りの有無を言わせぬ荒行と，小屋番の只働き ＝ そりゃ無私無心の達人にもなるさ。 （永平寺の香月師はそれを一目で見拔いた訳だ）

で，幸か不幸か裁判沙汰で仕事を離れ，改めて禅なるものを考えるうちに無私無心と神経生理との関係に気が付き，禅と仏教の謎が一気に解けた。

［　　　　で，これも何故か遇然，ブログを始める事になり，書始めてから気付いたのは，どうやらこれは

釈尊以来，２５００年間で初めての解釈，ひょっとしてこれはえらい大役で，これが母親の言っていた使命なるものではなかろうか？　もしそうであるなら，そりゃ不動明王の加護，背後霊の加護が付くと言うのも納得が行く。－－－逆に見れば，これが必要であったからこそ，全てがここに集束すべく物事が生起して来た，生起すべく配置されていたという事だろう。　

遇然のように見えているが実は全て起るべく定まっていた訳です。（これを運命と呼ぶ）

［］唯一困るのは，小生のブログでは元々の仏教に怪し気なナンジャモンジャは（あれはヒンズーや土俗タントラの混交）存在しないし

釈尊もそれに対する質問は無視して黙っていたとされている（無記）－－－それではこの不動明王と言うのは何者で，そもそも小生の運命を規定するダルマに意志や意図が有るのかと言う難問が出てしまう。

ダルマは単に縁起が網のように連鎖した［空］で意図を持たない無私である筈。（まァそれは不可知と逃げるのですが）　（しかし，これも逆説で，もし小生のやっている事，書いている事がダルマや

釈尊の意図に反しているならそれこそ大逆罪で，とっくの昔にコロッと死んでいた筈だし，嫌がらせやハッカー攻撃を受けてブログもつぶれていた筈。）ーーー結果として何故か小生が禅仏教の基になった脳生理について語る事になった。　小生自身は悟りを得ようとも教祖になる気もさらさら無く単に迷信に侵された仏教者，研究者に［これが本来の教えというもの］を証したいだけで，２５００年の間に一人ぐらいは，これをやる奴が居ても良かろうと言う事です。

［］　これを整理，組識化し，宗教化するも哲学化するもそれは誰かの仕事で，それも因果の生起として起るものなら起り，仏教も元々の形に戻るでしょう。あるいは，鼻クソとして消えるものなら消えて行く。　 それがダルマの意志,と言うものでありそれが己れに付いたカルマです。　

合掌　良禅拝

［］

Zen Sound of Fuke Shakuhach

There was a funny chain of connections.  It was started a word “Kuwa-no-mi” 

(桑の実 / Mulberry) in a post by a prolific blogger Tokyobling, in which he talked about it

with the photo of tree in Tokyo. —– I’ve put a comment  “80% of Japanese may not 

know what the Mulberry tree is, still 99% of them knows the Word

 “Kuwa-no-mi” because of a song “Aka-tombo” ( 赤とんぼ/ Red-Dragonfly) which

was dubbed as the Second National Anthem of Japan.

[]

May be with my emotional attachment to this song which strikes Japanese psyche and

my associated memory, (—– Aka-tombo only appears on the end of summer which

meant us the end chapter of all the sweet and bitter memory in that summer

(and our youth) —– (you must remember, when you were young and small, how one

summer was long and eventful which was engraved deep into your subconsciousness =

You know, we only had 10 or so summers in the whole life to grow into an adulthood !)

And I’m very conscious about this Mulberry tree and the distinct taste of its berry.

So that, since when I accidentally found this tree in a town called Hitchin, I made my

annual ritual to visit there every year and eat the berry, until I found the another tree

in south London.       (I talked about this tree in one of my post.)

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As an answer to my comment, Tokyobling sent me a link for a song-video of

“Aka-tombo” in Youtube.

—–> while listening a song, I found another Japanese old folk-song as well, which was

accompanied by a traditional Japanese bamboo wind-instrument called Shakuhach (尺八).

—–> as usual in Youtube, many related or similar kind are listed next by next.

—–> and I stumbled this viz, which plays “Fuke Shakuhachi” (普化尺八)

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Fuke-shu (普化宗) is in fact, one of the Zen sect unique to Japan, and

there is a temple called “Fuke-dera” (普化寺) in south of Kyoto.

(I hope it still exist though, many years ago, it was said only 9 monks left

but in this viz the monk was from Mukai-ji temple, there might be more monks in

another temple —– incidentally, why he is hiding his face is a symbol of  No-Self )

(Composer Toru Takemitsu’s “November Steps” is the most famous adaptation of

this sound to Contemporary music.  It’s worthwhile to listen ! )

—– This sect is using the sound of Shakuhach to teach what the

Dharma, and the Enlightenment is.

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But in practice, just to make a sound out of this instrument is hard enough because,

there is not much structure to make sound = one end of bamboo was just cut in angle

and having small notch to blow (that all 🙂 )= it is the matter of the way to blow in

certain angle.  —– ( for me it wasn’t too difficult as I had an experience to blow sound

out of Peruvian Quena Flute which got somewhat similar structure)    Still to play

good sound, let alone to master Kaza-iki etc. must takes 10,20 years of practice.

And THE result is —– just as it is = the sound you can hear but just the sounds,

nothing more than the sound neither Bamboo changed to the Gold.  😀

= still, if it is good, it’s good and in deed, it shows (or sounds) the Dharma, 

—– or you may hear it, as a sound of the nature or its reflections.

[]

This is in deed, touches the hardest part of the Zen teachings and the deepest

human psyche which could interact or communicate with the Dharma.

(I wouldn’t imply, Dharma would talk to you though —– we might only feel, passively. 🙂 )

For this, please read those posts;   [Harmony in Dharma] / [Aaaaaa~~~~~]

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Still some of you might say, So what ? —–

Nice tone which sound no apparent pattern or rhythm, hence it refuses

our mediocre comprehension, and its high tone makes our perception

sunk deep into the spiritual state (or totally open minded blank state).

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I met quite few professional Shakuhach players as most of Japanese traditional music

regularly needs to have them.  Of cause, a player, able to play and able to make

beautiful sound doesn’t needed to be an enlightened Zen Buddhist, let alone Fuke monk.

And not necessary beautiful sound makes the people to get enlightenment.

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Yet still, to a person who actively seek an enlightenment, start from making

Shakuhach out of raw bamboo by himself, and try to achieve the best sound,

is the typical (endless, repeated) Zen practice.

—–> on the end, no wonder, the one could achieve and reaches to the state

of Ichijo = player, bamboo pipe, the air, the sound, all become one = as what

the Dharma is.    Still, this is nothing but the state of blankness, Mushin

= the mind was sublimated into infinite Void.

[]

—– Because it is blank or Void, there isn’t much of use, hence it is a Dog shit.

And only there is a blank, what left in your life is, Just carry on, be who you are.

(expecting anything else is nothing but one’s Greed and Pretentious Ego and it is nothing but

a Delusion.   Since, Void will not hold anything in it —– though, Mahayana

understanding is, because of it is Void, everything is in, since it would make no difference

at all = So, your life is your only life.)

Never mind, as long as the sound is good, it’s good.   

___/\___

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ZEN Photography

There was a very tricky question, what is Zen Photography.

Before talk about photo, what is Zen is harder enough.

Still, in few occasions, to see a photo — m m m ? !

THIS must be the Zen !

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The Matter is, how the visible image contains beyond of what it shows.

= How invisible, unknowable element has been captured in the photo !  

Not a mere suggestive image but has overwhelming power of existence !

Which has been seen by the clear-eyes of Zen, and captured in Mushin.

= Mushin mean without a manipulative intention.  

It is even better if it was in Ichijo with the subject, or the photographer

was completely absorbed by the subject.

And such photo starts to shows its own “raison d’ etre” as strong as the

existence of the subject itself, because the Dharma of the subject and

the Dharma of the photographer has been fused together, or in Ichijo.

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There are some different approach among the so-called Zen paintings.

Some did symbolical approach, such as a drawing of a Potato.

—– Humble, ubiquitous, utterly insignificant object, still, because it is

utterly insignificant, this could be the Universe or the Dharma.

But this is a very intellectual approach, expecting the viewer to see it

in Zen context. —– To convey this concept, may be it’s even better to

leave a paper blanc, hence, [nothing] could mean everything =

the whole Universe.   

In the same time it would save a ink and a time, bother to draw anything. 😀

—– Something similar but different approach is, just one straight line or

a circle on the paper = in this case, it is not only a superimposed idea in

a drawn-line but the action to draw it, was the Zen.

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In the photography, the same symbolical approach wouldn’t necessary work.

A photo of one potato would leave little imagination of anything else.

It is just a potato = “Is this a symbol of Universe ? You got to be Joking” 😀

In the other-hand, photography is very easy to make an ambiguous

confusing image, by just make it out of focus, burred image or almost

disappearing over-exposure, under-exposure, even with multiple exposure,

and those vague image makes our brain to abandon to read the

meaning of the image,  we were left in the blanc mind, wordless.

[]

Intellectual symbolism works in a way = “It shouldn’t be just a boring

Potato. It must be something behind, otherwise the painter wouldn’t have

worked to draw this”

In contrast, it is very difficult to see a meaning from a photograph,

since even in a photo with intentionally placed potato looks the same as

an accidental photo of potato.   (Drawing wouldn’t be made without

intention, still, even an accidental click makes one photo. :-))

Unless the meaning was clear, we wouldn’t go behind and the graphical

digital manipulation of a photo would rarely convey this meaning,

because we see it only as a graphical purpose in after process, not in an

original meaning, unless the effect match the subject naturally.

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—– in the time of film photography, high-temperature development of

high-speed film created rough-grain photo which showed harsh reality such

as in Sebastiao Salgado’s photo, though, to mimicking the effect with digital

manipulation in high-contrast only creates irritating harsh image =

photo looks harsh but not necessary make the reality looks harsh !

In other words, superficial graphical effect doesn’t affect much to the

meaning of the photo, let alone in its spirituality.  (In Paintings, spirituality

is relying on mostly in its narrative subject and our subconscious connect 

it to a spiritual legend or feeling of owe = it’s in our imagination.  

But in photography, it also emanated from its atmosphere or enigmatic

air which makes our perception suspicious.)  

[]

Spirituality in the photography lies in either overwhelmingly

strong reality of the subject which provoke our imagination, or

ambiguous depth of air in the image which strikes our emotion.

Therefore, the Zen photography (visual, not a wishful conceptual photo,

which can hit a subconscious of the viewer, before reading brah brah)

exists in two different direction.

One is finely detailed photo of overwhelmingly heavy subject.

Other is a hint of rather humble object still having full of

ambiguous air. —– Either case, the photo will hit the viewer

straight, with the former, facing with overwhelming reality, owe

to the Dharma, the later, with its unknowable field of infinity.

In either case, we just abandon the thinking,  standing alone

naked,  dumbstruck.

This is the Zen Direct transmission. 

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Still Blooming = Perpetual Cherry

This is the same Cherry tree,  I’ve shown you three times before, but always out of season.

Last time, it was a month ago.   And since then it kept blooming without a brake.

In order to highlight the flowers,  this time I photographed her with flashlight.   🙂

But for the reference, the photo above, center is without flash.  And right photo is another

ordinary cherry tree which shows no sign of flower yet — may be takes another 2 weeks ?.

This tree never in full bloom still,  always some (20% ?) = so far, continuously blooming

since last October,  November.  —– Now, the end of March, its mean even Kan-zakura

(Winter Cherry) is in the end of the season.  = in other words, this tree is different from

any other variety = This is the Perpetual Type ?  🙂  — Beyond this time, I should keep

watch how this tree does in the Summer. (I should have done it in the last Summer.) 

As you might noticed,  I was totally fascinated by this Cherry tree.  😀

What caused her to keep blooming continuously ?  (It’s not weather or sunlight.  So, What ? )

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PS:  Now in the middle of April, this Cherry is in full bloom.  🙂

More photos and the comment on this post.

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Our Perpetual Life ? ? ?

I’m in a mess of clearing and sorting out the mountain of junks piled-up in the past ten years

or so. (Not a clean Zennist’s like situation. 😀 —– I’m doing too many things hence people

keep asking my help or advice, since my help is free  😀 = there is no time to let them go. 

And I’m getting a help from others too = I don’t think I should isolate myself from this world.)

—– Only the trouble was, when I was busy making something for an art event kind, it was

always in a hurry, and soon after, another project might start = therefore, the  materials used

etc has been just piled-up. What makes situation even worse was, I buy “Could be useful,

one day” kind of things, or picking up them from the street.

They are in a shallow box etc, though, box on top of box has built mountains. Ideally, I should

have line of shelves in a warehouse with multi-indexed stock management system though, it’s

a far fetched dream for a humble poor man.  😀

No doubt, in a clean-up process, something unexpected item coming-out between

a pile which I’ve been looking for, or completely forgotten.  A ha, it’s here.  🙂

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What annoying trouble I found was, after years, a cleaning blush kind of cheap

plastic product and particularly the Tesco bags has been disintegrating.

I don’t think the manufacturer expected the people would use their products more than a

year, hence they used cheap material to make-up the item. —– So, I shouldn’t be surprised.

And the Tesco is Proudly announcing that in consideration for the environmental issue,

their bag is biodegradable.

It’s mean, me to left those things under the pile was solely my fault. —– still, I feel annoying

was = may be I still expecting the same must be there intact = my Ego and the greed.

The real trouble is, once I touch them, those disintegrating materials in deed

disintegrates and the small flakes scatter all over, literally spreading a mess.

It’s not funny.

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Even though we know nothing is permanent, still the system has to work in an

assumption of every components stays the same in a same condition.

In order to keep the same condition, our body is keeping the same body-temperature and the

same constitution such as the same salinity of the blood (well, more or less) and so on.

To keep the body in the same condition, the parts which is naturally worn-out will be

replenished and renewed constantly = And to make it same as the original, DNA template was

used though, to keep copying again and again, mistake would occur.

It’s the same to a Chinese whisper, once mistaken, the same wrong-pattern will be copied.

Wrong pattern of Gene could create cancerous cell. On the end, our body became no longer able

to keep its function.  It’s a system bleak-down. —– This is how we get old and die on the end.

[]

Against this situation, many researches are tackling those problems.

Only a week ago, one Japanese institute announced that they found a chemical which would

prevents the brain cell deteriorates and prevents Alzheimer developed = disease would be

prevented by just an injection.

Another institute succeeded to continuously clone the mouse, over 5 years, 27 generations

so far, and made more than 580 cloned mouse = while preventing the deterioration of

the genes and their futility.   Life science is really advancing in amazing speed.

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So, we human could gain the perpetual life in foreseeable future while

leaving other life form and biodegradable plastic to disintegrate.  —– ? ? ?     

Is it anything to welcome ?

Because, the matter is not just our internal system. We have to see the implication to the

external system as well.   Those systems are closely intertwined as a total system called

Dharma in the Buddhist’s term, which has been refined throughout the time, in past billion

of years.  We may not able or allowed to tinker one corner without affecting the other part.

Our perpetual life could be detrimental to the planet’s Ecosystem.   😀

—– Well, I should talk about this serious subject in the near future.

___/\___

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Enlightenment under the Bodhi-tree

Lord Buddha’s enlightenment was in its effect, the emancipation from the

wrong teachings he had.

Wrong though, the effects of those teachings has been over sighted —–

without them, there was no enlightenment = that is what emancipation mean

= because it WAS wrong, there was a discovery  and the revelation of the truth

was made, and it was the very enlightenment.

Heavy practices as an austere — or what ever, of which once he believed that it would lead

him to the enlightenment, hence, he practiced it again and again —– those mind-set and

long continuous practice and its effects has to be counted as a part of the pathway.

= In other words, meditation alone has little effect. Practice and the dairy

experiences (and its observation) play the more role to see the Dharma.

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Visiting the very tree where Lord Buddha has said to have reached to his enlightenment, and

try sitting under, while hoping any good effects could occur, is in fact a silly wishful thinking =

Lord Buddha himself prohibited to worship him like an idle, because of his teachings were to

see the Dharma not to believe his words, and as there is no mambo-jumbo exist in this world,

there couldn’t be any super natural effect from the tree (let alone, any possibility of that the

same tree could remain 2500 years :-))   Mimicking the surface and expecting to

have any benefit is no different from buying a costume of  Superman and

expecting become able to fly. —– As there is no magic in the Buddhism,

mimic the posture of sitting under the Bodhi-tree, and get enlightened like

Lord Buddha had, is an illusion.  (If it comes, on front of a Bonsai tree would be fanciful, or

sitting next to an empty pot is even better, as it is more economical.  Ha ha ha  😀 )

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What Lord Buddha did under the Bodhi-tree was a stock-taking of the past,

the experiences he learned from so-called Guru and what he observed in

the nature (or the Dharma) —– hence he came to the conclusion that there couldn’t

be any supernatural power which was often associated with a religion exists,  but

very rational mechanism of the Dharma as the Rules.    So, he returned to

the daily nature of  the mankind which is a manifestation of the Dharma =

hence, he ate the milk porridge offered by a woman of the village.

—– And that was his enlightenment. 

( This understanding opened the way to the Mahayana Buddhism later.)

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It is easy to guess, those so-called Guru whom

Lord Buddha has met were no different from today’s dubious Guru, talking big with

conjuring trick to show off a [supernatural] power. 😀

( Incidentally, the former USSR, Russia spent millions of Rubles to find usable supernatural

power such as Clairvoyance to spy and Psycho-kinetic power to cause havoc to the enemy etc.

without any success = even a Totalitarian super power couldn’t find any.

And the former Yugoslavia has had thousand of registered Supernatural-power practitioners

though, there has been no single report of such as coming bomb had ever successfully

deflected even in a life or death situation) 

(Spiritualism is not the same to believe Para-physics or Mambo-jumbo  😀 )

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Since having his scientific rationalism,

Lord Buddha has come to a conclusion that there couldn’t be any super natural

phenomena such as a perpetual soul (against the widely accepted Vedic

belief of Atman) and anything beyond of our rational comprehension is

[Unknowable and no use to know] (therefore, he ignored the question).

And with this rationalism, which should be comprehensible to any person, he

ordered to his disciples to think by themselves not blindly believe what was said

or taught. It means his teachings were comprehensible to a normal brain i.e. not

a kind of Religious dogma, such as ” if you believe, it exists”  kind of Metaphysics.

(Unlike other religion, rational nature of the Dharma is a comprehensible fact,

therefore it is not a matter of belief but just become aware and to see it —– this

was a reason why he was given a title [ BUDDHA = Enlightened one] not a

Divine status or to be seen as a Prophet )

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The stories of the Devils visited him etc. while he was sitting under the tree, were all later

invention to glorify him. —– only certain was that, he must be very hungry then, by which he

must be convinced that to torture the body lead nowhere, let alone to the enlightenment, still,

without having those stock takings, he couldn’t have figured out  the Truth in

the Dharma and the Karma.

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—– It is strange to think, as a fact that the time

Lord Buddha spent under the tree, seven days has changed the world since.

And we have to be grateful to him as the greatest teacher we had in the history,

not as an idle,  but as the greatest fellow human.

Being as a human, he knew what the problem we have, and the solution !

So that, he gave the answer, not the commandments.

___/\___

PS:

As the Dharma is a fact on front of us, even within us = so easy to see.  But so

difficult to see it because of our deluded mind, hence all about the teachings of

Lord Buddha was how to clear our mind and the eyes to see it.

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Impressionist photo of Autumn

They are utterly vague fuzzy images though, strangely we can see enough information,

or we feel enough of what is going on there.   And it is enough to carry on our life.

( The detail of Concentric Double-density Pinhole can be found in this post (link))

Some one said, ” To know the name of Plant is the start to respect and love the Nature”

Is it ? —– I think, ” To realize, How little I know,  lead me to just accept what’s there,

regardless any  name or details, —– This must be the Truth to be there”.

= Therefore, see nothing is what clear eyes can see at it’s best !    Ha ha ha  😀  😀

So, those fuzzy images may be what our eyes are actually seeing.   And so-called sharp

photographic images were, the results of the heavy  manipulation in the brain.

( Do remember, our eyes never able to see a straight line, as the Retina is not flat =

impression of  straight line was created in the brain !  = so did any images.  The facts

in the Argumented Reality showed, our vision is very very flexible.  😀 )

They looks like just common tall grass though, this one is the Japanese Susuki Grass.

And I’m very very attached to it.

So, this is it.    It was my Autumn moment of this year.  🙂

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Autumn CHERRY BLOSSOMS

It was on the end of November last year, I found the flowers on this Cherry tree.

But it happened to show the same, two weeks earlier in this time. —– As it is a bit early

this year, the Cherry tree has lots of leaves as well.

So, the autumn golden leaves and the pink blossoms in the same time = rather unusual

sight in deed. Because it was unusual, I didn’t feel very comfortable last year though, I was

more permissive mood this year. After all, to impose “What is normal or abnormal” is man’s idea.

—– Nature may have much more facets which we never know = And they may say,

“What’s wrong with having flowers in an Autumn = it’s not your business”.

A sort of stereotypical knowledge = there may not be an insect who visit and pollinating

the flowers out of season though, —– yes, there is an insect (kind of fly ?) was in the flower.

Out of our eyes and beyond our knowledges the Nature may still be in full

operation regardless the season 😀

And WHO said, the Cherry open the flowers only for the purpose to make fruits

and seeds = yet still, they could blossom just giving a fun

for the winter insects too —– why not 😀

—– As a result, this tree gave the opportunities for me to talk about TWICE already

= it’s a big achievement for such a small tree !

Never mind, the Wheel of the Nature is Going Round and Round and Round —–

And our lives goes on as well. 🙂

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( Thinking ) in MUSHIN

While talking with people, I found even a person regularly reading this blog still having a

confusion about the subconsciousness and the state of Mushin.

—– giving a thought = It might be caused by my explanations, since I might have used the

term Mushin = Mind of No-Mind, too casually = since it is almost a crèche, I presumed that

the term must be well understood from other books or the sort, so that I just concentrated

to the way [How to reach or experience and learn it].

= Or, may be I haven’t been clearly defined about two different “Thinking” yet.

Mushin Without Thinking might be very deceptive words in deed 😀

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“ Mushin without Thinking” = In this “Thinking” mean, Higher level of the brain process

such as categorization and the sorting process = matching to an existing

references, and the conversion to the linguistic expression.

(All those process are the matter of the pattern-recognition)

On the other hand, Sorting is according to the value or its importance.

= this Value and Importance mean Personal Preferences, the Value or Significance

in the Society, Value in the Belief System, above all importance in the scope of the

Preservation of the Self and the Society / Species (Mankind)

= (All those are related to the Survival instinct).

= So, you may think “ How we can survive without thinking”

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It is a well known phenomenon that our brain is doing thinking process without us noticing it,

and when we became aware of “I thought”, subconscious has processed it 6 seconds ago.

(This must be measured while observing the brain activity on MRI or PET scanner though,

I wasn’t there = I know not whether it was 3 or 7 second in reality 😀 )

So, the question is, out of our conscious,

what our brain has been doing during those 6 seconds ?

—– As a matter of fact, even in the state of Mushin, our brain is fully working.

Even if the Sword- Master Musashi is fighting in Ichijo with his sword and with the

Rule of the Dharma, his eyes have to see his opponent’s movement and the brain has to

analyze other conditions or situation as well, not mention the control of his hand and the body.

= It is the moment to moment responses.

(Some are really done out of our conscious by the Motor-region of the brain, such as to keep

the body balance —– but to pay attention to such as to the road condition, not to tumble on

a stone, may needs a bit more of the instinctive body reaction = stone has to be seen and take

it into account)   It’s mean, even in the state of Mushin, your brain is not blank but

fully committed to the matter what you are committed in its moment

(hence this is called Mindfulness) still without you consciously noticing it

(hence this is called Mushin) while your hand, body, mind, your sword are

all in one unity or in perfect coordination (so,this is called Ichijo / Oneness).

To DO this, or to BE in this condition, you can’t have any noise or unrelated

obstrucing thought, therefore it was described  “ Not to have any useless or

intentionally conceived thought”

(hence this is called Mind of No-Mind / Mushin).

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Those invisible / hard to describe latent thought or unconscious process in a dark depth of the

brain was bracketed into “Feeling”, and often called Intuition, Inspiration, Spontaneous Thought,

even Spiritual Feelings. = As those latent Proto-Thinkings has yet to be categorized to the

existing type, selected, filtered, or scrutinized against rationality etc, often they are pretty

wild and irrational (just like our dream is ), still showing amazing truth.  😀

Hence, they are also the source of  Inventive-creativity,  Artistic-creativities

and Open-eyed Free-minded Thinking, Lateral thinkings etc etc. = I described

those Free-Thinking process is taking place in the  “ Blank Space” in the brain,

long time ago.

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In comparison, so-called (Conscious) Thinking is either HAD been processed and HAS been

converted to legible or translated into linguistic format from those latent feeling or thought

aforesaid, otherwise the information has come externally in the linguistic format. (read a book)

So that, it is always the parallel process in the brain though, as the conscious process needed

additional formatting, it loose the reality (such as, processed words “red blood” doesn’t have a

fresh bloody reality in comparison to one’s experience = actually in the accident) and far slower

than the process which subconsciously done in its moment = Yet, Conscious Thinking is easy to

remember as it has been sorted and converted to the words, still, Original Latent Thought

has much more fresh facts / reality = much closer to the TRUTH.

This Truth is what Zen Buddhist is after = But it needs clear eyes and the Mind.

With clear eyes and the Mind, we can sense the situation in every moment = and

able to respond as it is happening. = This is the Life [Live in its moment].

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It must be clear now, the real meaning of Mindfulness, Mushin, Ichijo (in fact, they are

the words to describe the same state of the MIND in different angle)

= “ Without Thinking” has to be understood as “ The Mind has no Conscious

Thinking, still it is not blank but keeping all the perception fully open and

making intuitive up-to-the-moment response, without us noticing it”

= clear eyes and the mind is to capture those intuitive response in the depth of

subconsciousness,  without a distortion caused by useless Thinking and Ego.

= This is how ZEN with clear eyes and the mind can lead you to reach truthful

answer or the best judgement, even inventive totally new idea.  

And ultimately  “Able to reach to the Dharma”

= We might be retaining even ancient, ancient memory of the primeval time

which has been written in the DNA, where we came from, how we been evolved

= the reflection of the rationality in the Dharma = Rules of the Dharma.

To discover and reach this wisdom is the ultimate quest to the Zen Buddhists.

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PS : You might be realized here something is missing

= What is the control of our thinking ?

Conscious Thinking is parallel with Subconscious Thinking and if we can’t escape

Subconscious Thinking which is invisible hence out of control mean,

“ Can’t we escape from wrong thinking ?”

—– If we were imprisoned in wrong thinking down to the bottom of subconscious, there is

a remedy what the Buddhism has been specialized.

Here, Practice of Buddhism come to play their role ! As

Lord Buddha found, the main cause of wrong thinking bore out of the Ego or Self.

Against this, unconditional endless practice of the practice ware-out one’s Ego.

= If one’s Ego is no longer there = no instinctive drive of Self-Preservation = no greed, no fear,

no fear of the death = This is the fundamental change in the basis of thinking = If the basis

changed = upper structure changes as well.

If there is no Self = Nothing to loose = Freedom. (If mortal Self is no longer there,

why afraid to make a failure and own demise or even death. = Anything is

possible though, as neither Ego is there, there wouldn’t be a possibility to

conceive self enriching act or having grudge against others.)

So, Freedom here but not a sign of selfish wrong thinking !

= What a contented, peaceful life. = WHAT you want more.

(This is the reason why the Great Zen Masters having so many extraordinary jokey stories !

= They must have had lots of fun in liberated mind  😀 :-D)

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Ultimate understanding in Buddhism

There is an interesting quotation in Buddhism which said,

“ In his 40 years teachings, yet in fact,

Lord Buddha had taught nothing even a single word”

—– on the face, you may feel strange.   🙂  This is true but not in the historical context,

—– true in the ultimate Understanding in the Buddhism.

How true, in what context ?

[]This is the added end part of the last post [Emotion / Meditation]  = PS : Please do remember, there is yet another purpose in the Buddhism training, other than [Eliminates Thinking = Mushin] and [Cut off the Emotion = Selfless] . Also to sublimate the teachings = Imprint the Teachings into Subconscious by repeated practice and repeated reading or reciting, is the crucial process. —– here again invisible mind.

When the Teachings were imprinted into subconscious (sublimated), it controls the person unconsciously = no need to consciously remember it = Mushin again !

]= Buddhism teachings has to be sublimated (imprinted into the Subconsciousness),  hence, the person can act and live without conscious or with the memory of the teachings.

When Sword Master Musashi fought,  neither his hands or himself was thinking of Zen. = Mushin has no conscious of Buddhism or Zen.  (Same as when you ride a bicycle, or even just walking, you are not thinking how to kick or move your foot = everything would be done without your conscious ! )

= Therefore, if you act in accordance to the teachings, it is not the Buddhism.

= If you act Buddhism teachings without noticing that “ This is the Buddhism teachings” is the Buddhism.

Therefore, in ultimate Mushin, there is even no Buddhism exists there.

= If you have a conscious, that this is the Buddhism teachings and “ I’m following it”

in fact, you are not following, but just faking an orgasm.

Therefore, in the mind of accomplished Buddhist, there is no teachings of

Lord Buddha remains. (Exists in his subconsciousness but it is invisible and  unnoticeable, and this invisible mind is not regarded to be in the person’s mind but IS the very Dharma.)

= Dharma exists but not in the person’s mind or as his own SELF = (Self itself is not exists)

= Where the teachings has gone ?

= There was no teachings at all in the first place but the Dharma, therefore

Lord Buddha has taught nothing.

[] (It seemed, there were several Masters said this. —– it’s mean, historically only handful Masters ever reached to this level of understanding —– this was the reason why I wrote in an earliest post “Historically, only hand full people ever reached to the Enlightenment” though the Enlightenment itself doesn’t necessary needs understanding of the Buddhism, since the Darma covers everybody, even a non-Buddhist)

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