My old and last Mountain Boots

The building where I live in a flat having renovation work and to vacate the space,

I’ve been sorting my possessions in the boxes of which some of them I haven’t

opened it more than 20 years. — In one of the box, I found my old mountain boots.

The reason why I didn’t throw this away straight and put it into a box was, I thought

I should take picture of this before let it go. —– was that because of its

sentimental value ? —– I guess not.  

But because of it got rather funny history.

(Without a photo, nobody would believe the story. 😀 😀 )

[]

I bought this boots from charity shop priced £5.   In order to make the bots fit to my

foot, I soaked it in the warm water then put it on and had a long walk —– as I did all

of my previous boots. —– unfortunately, this looks decent mountain boots was a

fraud.  = Despite it having looks proper construction and the good leather with

Vibram Sole, the sole was not been stitched = simply glued to the upper.

Hence, while walking, the boots was disintegrated. (It was a hell) 😀 😀

[]

Then a crazy story began. = After it was completely dry, I’ve stitched and

glued the sole using the shoe making thread from shoe repair shop and a thick

nylon thread for industrial use. —– As a sort of experiment, I did to the Right

boot using a shoe repair glue and the thread.  And to the Left, I used a tie-up

thread for electric construction and glued the sole with Araldite epoxy.

—– If one method found to be better, apply it to the both side.

(You may think, if a shoes disintegrating, it is THE END though, as a

shoe-maker is making a shoes step by step, a sole can be attached in a

way they are doing. If somebody a same human can do, why not to try.

= It is an opportunity to try and learn.

(And save a money £5 !  😀 — If it is to save £1,000 it is a greed ) 

And the stitch by stitch kind of work is a good Zen Practice.

————- (Left is the Mid-Sole with yellowish industrial thread I used for stitching )

Since when I have repaired, the boots lasted over 3 years while used

everyday, without showing any difference between Left and Right.

Then one day, when I went to a hill walking and had a heavy rain, when I slipped

and tumbled, the water drenched boots was split open outside-toe. While later,

a gap opened to the other boot as well, and the foot were swimming inside.

—– days later I found, it happened because of the upper leather itself was tear-off

not by the broken stitch = leather was aged and rotten inside.

(I remember, somewhere I got a film photo of the boots under stitching work )

—– After that, I’ve been forced to buy a kind of shoes I hate. (though, I didn’t buy

another mountain boots, or so far, I haven’t found another £5 boots yet) 😀

[]

Nothing last for ever still, second-hand £5 boots lasted over 3 years

wasn’t too bad. 

Believe or not, I was wearing this boots even in a club and dancing.

People judges others with its looks = hence the best of all, nobody seek a trouble

with a man wearing heavy boots.    And may be because of this, the cloud in the

Fridge Club has mistook me as a kind of special security man with martial art. =

nobody want to be kicked by this kind of boots. 😀

—– (during 5 and half years, while I was a regular, there wasn’t a single violence

ever occurred in the Club. = it might be the another reason why the manager

gave me free entry :-))

[]

People may not like to ware heavy boots, still once it was well fitted,

it is surprisingly comfortable and give a feeling of quite solid stance

especially on a slippery ground.  One day you may try  🙂

[]

Folded Bag

I got notoriously bad (or very good = depend on how you see it) habit to picking-up something

interesting on the street or from a rubbish-dump.   It could be a discarded electric device or a

part of machine of which I’ve been looking for years, or something useful in my future projects.

(Sculpture featured in this blog, [Buddha 2009] was made by the discarded aluminum pipes,

kinetic piece [Cupidon] in my Youtube (kinetorori) is powered by a motor from a cooling-fan

I found road side and the motors rotating [Virtual Woman] came from Micro-wave Cooker, not

to mention a nude figure [Suppon-pon]  😀  😀

Virtually everything, but few exceptions were such as Chinese Toys I bought for £1  :-))

In order to carry it back, I always have some spare bag stashed in my pocket or

in my back-pack. —– may be three bags in the back-pack, one or two in my jacket’s pocket.

It’s the same idea to a motto of the Boy Scout “ Be Prepared” 😀

[]

To stash a plastic bag, they got to be neatly folded like the one in the photo.

In one occasion, when we Japanese friends went to a park and try sitting there, we noticed that

the ground was a bit wet.   So I handed my bags to those friends to sit on it.

Among those friends there were young women and one of them screamed

“Oh dear, it’s folded”.

[]

—– Now-a-day, statistics showed that about 20% of male population in Japan chooses not to

marry. —– Everything become very easy to carry-out the daily life without having a wife.

Just heat-up a pack of pre-cooked meal using a microwave-cooker in a Convenient-store.

—– Even a convenient Sex is available everywhere whether it was paid or not.

Those kind of conveniences may be more expensive though, on the end, the total cost would

be less than to have a wife, not mention able to avoid the troubles comes with marriage, hence

in average, the number of kids is less than two = reducing the population further.  (Of cause,

the life is not just a matter of cost. —– but this is the situation there.   Which caused the

other is a point of argument though, I don’t think Packed food was the cause of single man  :-D)

= in obvious consequence, the counter-part, women had to face this situation.

—– So that, there are lots of Magazine articles, Net advices, how to find a man to get marry

and what point to look at. = Good sign and the sign of the man, better avoid.

—– A kind of Psychological profile said, better not to chose a man who fuss about principles,

tidiness, cleanness etc. = “He would make your life in Hell while complaining your laziness”.

—– So that, a young woman cried (implying, I can’t take care of this sort) 😀

(So does, some can fold an umbrella neatly but others not, saying “Anyway it has to be open on

the next rain, why bother” = If this is the rhetoric, we don’t need to bother the life

or happiness because anyhow we will die soon or later. = it’s a choice)

[]

To folding a bag may not takes more than a minute and not much skill is needed

though, it need to have a certain mind-set. 

It’s a mind-set aiming it better or ultimately a perfection.

[]

A bag photographed here came from a Chinese Food-shop when I bought a bag of rice, may

be 6 months ago.   It’s mean this bag has been used to carry a shopping repeatedly 6 months

(and folded again.)   And it is an essential item needed to do a shopping such as in the Lidl who

doesn’t give a free bag. —– Financially, I may not be much rewarded to have own bag

though, the matter is not to save a couple of pounds in total but, I don’t like to carry their bag

which is showing too conspicuous logo 😀   Anyhow, we are getting too many bags on shopping

such as when we buy loose vegetables etc.   Too much already, and the situation is bad enough.

[]

To fold a bag is a way of  Zen.   Whether it has any merit or not, leave a bag in a

messy state is messy. Why not to make it a bit tidy.

Why spend a minutes ? —– if not, could we ever utilize that minute for

anything more productive in the life ? —– I quite doubt it.

A person, even wouldn’t bother to fold a bag couldn’t pay enough attention to the life.

(But, don’t ask me, “By folding the bag, why I didn’t become a millionaire or Prim-minister ?”

= it’s a matter of another mind-set.  Aiming to become millionaire need to take care of million

more factors, not just for one bag.   Folding a bag is only a start.  😀 )

[]

Zen only deals with its moment. = When see an empty bag => Do something = the best

is to fold and put it in a pocket. — When a moment which need to use a bag comes, just use it.

But not to walk on a street expecting to find something to pick-up.  When it comes, it has come.

—– though, no fixed obligation to pick it up. 

(But if you interested in, pick up at once = When you go back next day,  it’s gone already   🙂 )

= Zen decision has to be made on its each moment. (On its moment, the existence of

spare-bag was known to subconscious, hence to conceive [pick it up] was a viable choice. 

And why you were interested in was, because your subconscious knew that you need it.

= no need to dither like “I want to pick it up, but how to carry this back or not to pick up ?”

= ( having a bag increased the flexibility of this decision making  😀 )

[]

After awhile, the accumulated “Folded bags” became bag-full, and got to go for recycle =

recycling people might think “What a waste of the time. Why this guy didn’t just put them

straight to the bag ? Otherwise, he could have used the time more productively” 😀

—– It comes down to a mind-set of the Life. = To live tidy life is a life, still

live in a mess is also a life. = We can chose as we like. The matter is,

to know, which ever we chose, the consequence do comes accordingly.

(The troubled consequence of my habit is, the junk I’ve picked-up became a mountain =

“one day I’ll create something out of this junk” might be a wish-full thinking or

delusion = a curse to live as a kinetic sculptor.   Ha ha ha 😀 )

___/\___

[]

YOU or Potato ?

Have you ever seen a bean or maze seed dropped to the garden, sprout.

Or did you ever planted vegetable such as potato, even a carrot in a soil and see them

shoot up. — Yes they are alive in deed.   Still, we do fly, boiled alive and eat them.

Don’t make an excuse, they don’t have a sense, intelligence or feel pain = who knows.

(Have you ever been a Potato to make a first-hand report of being cooked alive. 😀 )

[]

We are all living on a margin of thin blue line of compromise and

dependency.  We are just be here on borrowed time on probation.

So, don’t preach others with smug face, for conservation or environment what so ever.

= (Before preach, get rid of your cotton pants which was made by forcibly cultivated,

harvested and processed cotton flower,  and stop eating vegetable which was grown for

money in a field where tree has been uprooted. )  = Guilty party keeps mouth shat  😀

In other words, there couldn’t be any quiet peaceful life = life is inherently noisy and

filled with all sorts of bothersome trouble.  That’s what the life in Samsara is.

[]

Zen wouldn’t make you noble.

Zen teach you how to cut onion, potato (not mention Lemon :-)) efficiently without any

hesitation or wobble.  (So does to do the business.  Make you Just Do It.  🙂 )

And the Buddhism teachs you who you are = no different from a potato, yet still very

unique one.   (I didn’t say you ARE Potato if not very close — a man of half potato must

be genetically very very unique = I never seen one though.  :-D)

Therefore, Buddhism makes you absolutely humble and absolutely confident to be YOU.

(as one of guilty party which is natural.)  No one is perfect or innocent = What’s wrong?

Wrong is, to imagine you are right, while wearing cotton pants and live in this world

still believing that you are right,  is only in your imagination which is called delusion. 

—– By the way, I didn’t say if it was a sheen nylon French-nicker, it would be OK,

though I don’t mind to see one.  (As I’m one of the guilty)    Ha ha ha  😀

(To live in Samsara is heavy enough, yet still, how heavy unnecessary load called Pretense we are carrying.

Still, some people preaching, wearing a mask of Pretense is they called Decency, and keep Pretending it  😀 ))

Let all those heavy load to go, is what Buddhists call  [Enlightenment] !

(Its mean, if you are a Potato, DO live a life of proud POTATO

IS the Enlightenment ! ! !

= Even a Potato can get Enlightenment,

why not an ordinary man on the street.

___/\___

[]

Ugandan Gathering

London is a strange place.  You may not know the nationality of the person sitting

next to you, let alone to know what the person is.

Years ago, I happened to became a friend of an Afghan Mojahedine, a brother of

Ahmad Shah Masud who became the Defense Minister of the Afghan Government. 

After the victory against Russia, my friend Walli became the Charge-d-affair and

moved from a small room in Wimbledon to the Afgan Embassy.  (I’ve acted as a

go-between to Japanese media and a technical, electronic helper to them  🙂 )

[]

A black guy, I acquainted, was happen to be an Ugandan Politician, who is organizing

a movement of the Ugandan expatriates for Democratize their home country.

–—- from those activists, next leader of their country might be born.

Expatriates (he calls Diaspora) here consists the refugee from Idi Amin’s suppression

to all sorts of immigrants, and their mission is “Reclaim and Free Uganda Now” though,

I leave the matter to talk about their issue, to my friend and his web-site.

So, I just show the portraits of the people I met in there gathering.

—– ( Click the photo to enlarge and click again even larger  🙂 )

Their National Anthem.

Among their supporters, many of Doctors, Proffesors as well as the business people —–.

When it’s came to the matter of their lost Mother Land, it is an emotional matter.

—– (The Green and Red-cast of those photos above showed erratic response of the Canon

—– 5D Mk3’s AWB = its color balance changes frame to frame —– what a nightmare  😦  )

—– Young talented singer sang the Anthem for Uganda ~ ~ ~ Uganda ! 

—– (In fact all those images were cropped out small part of the original photo  🙂 )

—– ( I know, fish-eye lens is not suit for a portrait  😀 ) 

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM  😀

[]

Hut Albireo in YASHIGA-MINE

Gosh, I found the Web-site and a photo of the Hut Albireo （八子ヶ峰ヒュッテ，アルビレオ）

(When I searched in English before, I couldn’t find —– I got Japanese typing program only few years ago )

Hut Albireo (its name from a star in the Cygnus )  was a sister Hut of a mountain shelter Takami-ishi Goya (高見石小屋) in Kita-Yatsu-ga-take（北八ヶ岳）, in japan.

—– (Until now I didn’t reveal the name of the mountain shelter I talked, because of my stories often goes too far, I thought, unless the people can verify it with the first-hand independent source, I didn’t like to do name-dropping).

[]Both Takami-ishi Goya and Hut Albireo were originally built by Mr. Satta but later they were taken over by the another hotel, Honzawa-Onsen.  And the Hut Albireo was bought by one of keeper, Mr.Kaji who was the chief volunteer of us.  In fact it was in a financial mess  we keepers were involved in a nightmare as Mr.Satta lost a lots of money in betting.   (Not very mountain like peaceful stories  🙂 )

( So, I learned a man’s life’s up and down entwined with a silly money affair, rather early stages of my life, fortunately or unfortunately. —– Since I hate money and gamble  :-D)

[] To build the Hut Albireo, we keepers were also worked hard from digging the ground works, to carry-up the building materials  (all worked for free though  😀 )  —– coming to the age of stock takings of the life, and looking back to those life I spent in the mountain (from 15 years to 27 years), I convinced that it formed my base of  Zen Buddhism.

In fact, I’ve learned the Buddhism in hardest way in the harshest condition   😀 After all, the matter is just do the work regardless even if it is for others. =  No Ego required.  So, I’m very grateful I did it.  Ha ha ha  😀  —– (Such as a work in a building site in Okinawa while I was a drifter, the work in 30 m high was not too high for a rock climber, and the work was paid ! = In comparison to the unpaid work, such as carrying  the 50 kg of fire log 20 times everyday (its mean one ton everyday and continued one week ) any other work is easier =  who complains =only thankful to be alive = this must be the best lesson and the contemplation for one’s life.  Ha ha ha  😀 )

[] So that, to find the Hut Albireo is still there, and the same owner Mr.Kaji is still alive, was the greatest news to me.  (He was the keeper who carried 15 ton of log together every year. — the question is whether he became a Zen Buddhist or not  ? ) = I need to phone him ! —– Since then, what I found through phone was a bit spooky story that the volunteers, worked together with us (me and Mr.Kaji) around the same time, me and Mr.Kaji are the only surviving member now = rest of 5 were all dead.  What ? ? ? —– (I don’t miss them. Any how they didn’t work for cutting log, or carrying up the food staff = all the heavy work. — They did just disappeared.  😀 )

( Incidentally, when I had my wedding, the Ceremony was conducted in the Shinto Shirline  Suwa-taisha (諏訪大社) and we had wedding party in this very Hut = it was my biggest folly of my whole life.   😀 ) 

［］

Ikkyu story (2)

Ikkyu Sojun (一休宗純) was the most famous Zen monk in Japanese history,

especially with his hundreds of quick witty stories to deal with the situations or gave an

answer though, as so many books has been written much later, we don’t know which story

was true and which one was a fanciful invention.

—– I read this story in a cartoon comics when I was a child, so that it could be a nice

invention of comic writer, still, this story had such a drastic twist of rhetoric

therefore showing quite Zen like jump of wit, this one could be a real story,

if not, it might be written by another accomplished Zen monk.

[]

The Abbot of the temple where Ikkyu was staying, had a secret pleasure to lick a honey

kept in a jar.   When young novice asked him what is it, the Abbot told him that it is a

medicine of wisdom though, as it is so potent, only a learned elderly person can take.

Otherwise, it is deadly poisonous to a young brain. But novices, Ikkyu and others did know,

it was a lie and what in the jar was a honey.

[]

One day, when Abbot was out for a day, Ikkyu gave his drastic answer.

He took an old ceramic vase, which the Abbot was most treasured, and smashed it to the floor.

Then took the honey jar, and started licking honey with other novices.

Soon, the honey was emptied.

When Abbot came back in the evening, he found all the novices were in the crying state.

When he asked what has happened, Ikkyu replied that while cleaning the room,

they accidentally drop the vase and it was completely smashed.   As the vase

has such irreplaceable value, there was no way else to repay but with own life.

“So that, in order to commit suicide, all of us took that poison in your jar.

But, even after swallowed all the poison, we still couldn’t die and this is why

we are so ashamed and feel dreadful. ~ ~ ~ cry cry cry !”

—– Abbot had no word to return.

[]

😀 😀 this was the revolution. Face to face, asking the truth what is in the jar —– is

a democratic approach of dialogue   (provided if the Abbot treats them as equal and tell the

truth) though the Abbot was just a tyrant = there couldn’t be any fair negotiation => only

insurgence is the remedy = revolution, hence some casualties were unavoidable.

The ceramic vase could be worth million though, Ikkyu didn’t gave even a hint of hesitation.

= He just smashed it.   On the end, his revel exposed the fraud in the temple =

Abbot lost his credibility and the priceless ceramic vase —– even honey too 😀

But, what Ikkyu and the novices got — not much, just a taste of honey and a good laugh.

—– most of Ikkyu stories are for good laugh, not much else.

(Anyhow, they were aimed to the children )

[]

Still, real Ikkyu was a serious Zen monk.

As one of his Short-Poem (Kyoka 狂歌) for New-year said ;

門松は，冥土の旅の一里塚 (Kado-matsu wa, Meido no Tabi no Ichiri-zuka)　

馬，かごも無し,宿も無し(Uma, Kago mo nashi, Yado mo nashi)

New-year’s (Ever green) Pine branch is a mile-stone to the Nether world.

No Horse or Palanquin (for the journey), even no inn (to stay for a night).

= there is no celebratory mood at all.      Ha ha ha 😀

That was quite Ikkyu-san.   (He had no illusion to the life, neither to New-year,

though in reality unlike any other meek monk, he had very active eventful life,

all because of his completely liberated mind and the eyes. 

No illusion mean no emotional blockage neither  = This is the Zen )

___/\___

[]

Funny Practice

A man who I met recently, and read this blog, gave me a response saying that

he was pretty impressed by Zappa photo and the camera I made though, he

couldn’t make any connection of them to the Zen.

And he wondered,

“You are not serious to the Zen don’t you, as you are making a fun of it

or even cynical”

—– Well said. So, I replied to him.

Yes, I can see you got certain idea of Zen though, I’m afraid to say it is mere

pretense or crèche.

I’m doing the Zen Buddhism not Parroting what the books say.

Lord Buddha taught how to alleviate the suffering in the life. He didn’t give a

false hope to escape from it by living in a fantasy world, but taught a practice

to gain the clear eyes and the mind how to see and deal with the matter.

Instead to tell a sweet story of heaven to such as a woman who just lost her

child, but her to running about the village.

Zen is the teachings of how to run 🙂

While running, the person will acquire the Mind and the eyes to see the suffering

in detached eyes, hence able to get rid of blinding emotion and the stacked mind.

—– Do you think, could the woman alleviate the sorrow by sitting all day

next to the dead body ?

It is the exactly the same situation.

You are stacked with an idea or crèche of so-called Zen.

So-called “Serious concentration of the Mind etc etc” so that you may see I’m

doing something useless to the Zen and not serious enough.

But Zen is also free the person from those stereotypical fixed idea

include the Zen itself.

[]

In any eye point, in any scope, the life is a troublesome matter.

If this is the nature of the matter, complaining it would be useless because

it is inescapable anyway.  

But, in the same time while billions of the people struggling, it is an awesome view and may

have quite funny moment, especially if we can see it in bird’s eye view.

I’m serious enough to the life and I’m dealing with it, as nothing else is on the board.

It’s mean, I have no false dream believing another world such as a heaven etc rubbish.

And as I have nothing else to see, I could see even the minute detail of the subject of which

most of the people wouldn’t bother.  —– So, I could see lots more funny side of the situation

as my eyes are above the water, as I, at least know how I can avoid drowning in the water.

—– So, I’m not drowned in the Zen.

(Anyhow, Zen is an extremely funny practice.   😀 )

Convinced ?

___/\___

[]

Sushi Party

Me and the Artists friends, who also being involved in education, training program to the

disadvantaged people had a Sushi Party at a flat where those two are living.  I prepared some

in my place and brought up to their flat. —– I used to have a Sushi party in my place though,

my flat runs out of the space to receive the guests  😀 —– Preparation for Temaki Sushi is just

cut the material to a stick shape, other than the shoppings  🙂  —– So, cutting is very easy, but

the hardest part I always found was = to get the best Avocado, = matured still not too soft  😀

(So, all the ingredients were prepared and cut into a stick shape for roll-up.

Photo left = Cucumber, Seafood Stick and the front three were  Cooked Kombu (Kelp seaweed),

Cooked fried Tofu ( Soybean Curd) and Cooked Shiitake mushroom = those three were

boiled together in one hour or so, then Soy-sauce, a bit of sugar, vinegar were added = they

were the improvisation and the substitute  of cooked Japanese Kanpyo (Dried Marlow) = as

Kombu and the Shiitake act as Dashi (taste base) no other Dashi was needed.

Photo middle = Salmon and front left was a substitute of Shime Saba (marinated Mackerel)

= Herring Rollmop and dark colored one was Tuna.

Photo right = Avocado, Cucumber and the front = Flied Egg and the Cheddar Cheese. )

So, I did some cooking and brought those to their flat in a big logistic operation and 

I made famous Miso soup as well.  😉

To cook Sushi-rice to ideal condition is the most tricky part of Sushi making = Rice had to be

washed and soaked in the water over-night though, bring a big pan with soaked rice in water is

too awkward = so, next day, I drained the water and measured its amount ( for five or six people

I put 3 cups ( 1 cup = 250 ml ) of rice into a pan, and after washed, the water was completely

drained, then I put 4 cups of water for over-night soaking.    Next day the water I drained was 

3.5  cup = so, I added back the same amount of water in their kitchen,  then put it on fire.

= When the rice started to boil vigorously,  put the fire down to very small, and made it to

shimmer another 10 minutes. 

Then change the cooked rice to a big bowl and let it cool down, and to add the Vinegar and

Sugar though this time I mixed the rice with Sushi Powder.  (Sushi powder was made with

dried vinegar hence it prevent the rice become soggy —– but I found, it was a bit too sweet) 

Photo middle was prepared Prawn for Nigiri Sushi (My friend Alberto was very keen to it  🙂 )

[]

Temaki Sushi is, to take some amount of rice on a piece of  Nori (1/4 cut of the Nori sheet) then

put any ingredient(S) which was dripped in the Soy-sorce with Wasabi — then role it and eat  🙂

—–Every body try to use chop-stick  (it was not obligatory though  😀 ) some were well

managed but some were not.  As sushi has been well adapted in the west, the matter to cook it

by ourself is, where to get material or how improvised. = Instead to stick with traditional

ingredients, such as use of Avocado was  invented in California — may be use Herring Rollmop

was my invention still they quite liked it   🙂 

The party was a good success as everybody eat to the full or even over   😀

(Second round was requested )

[]

PARADOX in seeking the ZEN

 

I wrote in previous post, to reach Zen, how it is crucial to block the Emotion.

[]

Though, Zen or Buddhism in general, it is a strange maze of the Paradox =

the more you try to see it, you can’t see.   The harder you put the effort,

you can’t achieve. (—– I think, I wrote the same subject before, while using a metaphor

“You can’t run, as long as you got legs” 😀 )

This trouble is, all comes down to the existence of the Emotion or Emotional thinking.

Because of the strong intention or will is always accompanied by the strong

Emotion. The more you are serious, the more your mind is stack to the subject

though, ironically, the art of Zen is how to make you detached from the subject.

—– You can’t detach yourself from the subject when you are studying it —–

you may say.

(If you ever read the book of Zen Mondo / Koan, then if you read it again while this paradox

in mind, you will see the point, or it will make sense in each answer.

= They are in the matter of this paradox.)

[]

So that, there is a trouble to understand such as “what the Mindfulness is” =

the harder you try to be Mindful = you are falling into a Clu-de-sak or strays away to nowhere

because of your mind = Emotion is just stack to the subject. Emotion blinding You !

—– There is nothing else but the subject, and you can see it clear detached eyes.

= This IS Mindfulness. = because of your eyes are detached from your Emotion, there

couldn’t be any wishful thinking or a greed to succeed etc kind of destructive rubbish = you can

see the true nature of the subject. = therefore you can do the perfect job, hence you will succeed.

This state of mind, detached from the subject, = as there is no Emotional

attachment, hence the mind is blank but only eyes are gazing at =

This is Mushin and in Selflessness = This IS Mindfulness.

Why Selfless here ?  Because, only eyes and the subject are here.  Not your Mind.

[]

Sound easy ? —– or you may utterly bemused, how to do ? How far to be detached 😀

Because of this confusion, ancient Buddhists invented [Middle Way] 2,000 years ago.

While saying “Not too close, still not too far” — Because, they themselves haven’t experienced

real Mushin 😀

= It seems, the vast number of Mantra Authors are not necessary understood the Buddhism.

= That was why so many fancy stories of it was added to the original teachings to cover-up  😀

(Good in writing is not necessary knowing the subject 😀 = The Monks are familiar with sitting

in the temple, but they may not be any expert of DOING something — this is a reason why the

Zen was invented = Zen put an emphasis to DO something and prohibit Thinking)

[]

When you DO something, subject is very front of your eyes.

If it was cutting a lemon, lemon and a knife are there. —– So, just cut it. You don’t need to think

anything else.  After cutting 10 lemons, 100 lemons, (what to do those mountain of lemon slices =

may be better make Marmalade and use one or two for a cup of tea 😀   Or if you are short of

money, cut potatoes instead and make crisps ? —– though, I don’t like to use oil )  you will

run-out anything to think about (NO Thinking) = you will cut it almost like an

automatic machine (NO Emotion),  hence your eyes sees nothing else of Lemon

and the Knife = this is the Mindfulness.   And the brain is in the state of Mushin.

Then, applying this eyes and the Mind-set to see other things in the Life.

By actually DO something, there is NO PARADOX (Paradox is created in the

Emotional Thinking = such as Intention, Will, Gain / Loss Calculation, etc etc =

not exists in Doing )  —– This is the ZEN.

( So, it is a great mystery, what the people is doing while sitting and doing

so-called meditation ?  😀  😀 ) 

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Happy New Year 2013

Happy New Year to all those who is visiting and supported my blog. 

I hope it would inspire and cause more active and fulfilling life

on the 2013 and ahead for you. 🙂 

Yoshizen  aka  Kinetorori

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