Perfection

It is an interesting situation.

When we see a flower or intricate small insect we saw it is perfect.

Even though we human being is the one the most evolved and the most sophisticated creature

in this planet, still, the only one who feel “ I’m not perfect” (may be I should exclude you

in Political Correctness 😀 ) —– in general, if anyone say I’m perfect, others would boo you

and if you are believing yourself is perfect, you are likely a loner and known to be a nut. 😀

—– How come.   What went wrong ?

[]

In Buddhist’s term, especially from the words of Master Dogen, we should know that we

were here as a part of Dharma hence we were perfected as we are, and have to learn

[ As-it-is-ness]= to become perfect as who you are.

This is exactly what Master Kogetsu told me in the Eihei-ji temple. “ You are just a failure to

be a photographer. Couldn’t settle and became as a perfect photographer” then I replied him,

“ What’s wrong with a photographer become a seeker ? Have look,

Lord Buddha forsaken to be a Prince and joined seeker bikku, didn’t he ?” —–

Master Kogetsu was incensed with this “ How outrageous, to use a comparison to

Lord Buddha”

( Incidentally, Master Dogen was not born to be a priest. He was a sun of noble, chief minister

serving to the Emperor = wealthy enough go abroad to study 😀 )

[]

But, before being as a photographer, I’m a human = Even perfect Samurai is, yet a human in the

same time —– is it a contradiction ?  I don’t think so.   This is, what a man’s situation is.

On the time of Master Dogen, it was a feudal society = born to be a farmer, the person IS a

farmer, nobody else = it was not a job or profession but a fixed cast.

Today though, to be a photographer is a mere chosen job. It can be changed just like a jacket.

And a job wouldn’t define who you are. To take Master Dogen’s words in the context of the

moment, it would make sense. = On the moment when a photographer is shooting with his

camera in his hand = he got to be perfect as a photographer. (yet in the night, he could be a

boring husband) —– still, [this is a man living as him, perfect “ as-he-is-ness” ]

[]

When we grow up, kids are seeing  Heros, Superman or Super Robot (Gandum ?) etc, and as

we got huge brain and memory bank, we build up a kind of ideal figure and become aware

of should be standard. —- and always there is a person who can do it better — we realize

how we are not perfect.   Whether an awareness of this imperfection drives us to make it

perfect or by something another urge = it is an interesting argument, still strangely, we give

an effort to make it better or perfect. === isn’t this an obsession ?

Or, the image of Superman or who ever the ideal perfection —– isn’t it a delusion ?

[]

—– blessing to your ears is, it’s good to give an effort to make it perfect though, we never

achieve perfection as we are never be perfect.

I’ve met quite few Masters who can produce phenomenal perfection in his crafts etc.

—– something remarkable is, non of them said it is perfect, hence he is still trying

to achieve its perfection = it is an on-going project.

Being as an imperfect existence as it is, is what Buddhist calls [as-it-is-ness] —– and this is

the Enlightenment and that is why all the Masters found it [It’s a dog shit].

So, be relax, you may not too far from the enlightenment. 😀

( It’s mean, believing and cherishing something, such as spiritual perfection

might be in vain = it might be an illusion or delusion, even worse, could be a

fraud in your text book) 😀

___/\___

[]

禅の源流 ／ How Zen was started

勤行や禅における日常の勤め，実践について具体的に説明した言葉は古代の経典の中には登場して来ません。  単に善き仏教者である為の身だしなみ，心構えが書かれているだけでそれが実際上,

本人の心理生理に いかなる変化をもたらしているのか，そのメカニズムに対する考察が行われた事は仏教２５００年の 歴史の中で，かつてー度たりとも無かったと言えるでしょう。

唯ーの例外でそれに近い考察はアーラヤ識という概念（潜在意識に近い）の登場でしたが実際にそれが構造的に,いかに仏教と関っているかが考察された訳ではなく単に存在論，認識論＝存るのか無いのか＝単に存ると思うだけなのか＝＞「アーラヤが捕えたものこそが真実」という考えであったにすぎず，

仏教における 空，無，無心，在＝不在，不立文字，以心伝心 といった概念の全てが実は［不可視の潜在意識］故に出て来ていたという事には思い至らなかった訳です。

そもそも２５００年前には［潜在意識］という概念は無く，その透徹した眼で己れの深奥に在るそれを見すえながらも，それを説明するのにはさすがの釈尊も手甲ずったようで，色々な喩えにたよらざるを得なかった。

例えばダルマ／法とともに在る喜びを「ー切矛盾の無い理想境，極楽に暮すようなもの」と描写すればそれが潜在意識中の満足感，ドーパミンホルモンの横溢による気分のことと理解できなかった者，後世の読者は字づらから「釈尊は極楽が存在すると言われた」と誤解する。

眼前に無くても，潜在意識はその存在を知っている場合。逆にそこに在りながらも，その確証が無い。理屈で解っても，どうしても受入れられないとか。そうした意識はどこに在るのか？

大乗仏典独特の｢在るのではなくして在る」といった苦しまぎれの表現は全てこの不可視の潜在意識が存在する故に出て来たものです。（しかしこの不確定性は物理学上のものではなく人間の知覚，認知の　ニ重性から生じるもので，先ず潜在意識で直観した情報を選択的に処理してから思考領域で概念化，言語化する為に起る=つまり無心というのは潜在意識での直観，判断に従い，追加処理の思考を排除する事。  ー方，無私というのは受覚した情報を情動域との連鎖無しに処理する事に外なりません。＝情動抜きであるから心は平穏）

[]ほとんど所有物もなく比丘としての生活を続けていれば毎日の生活は単純なパターンになり殊更「自分がこれをやっている」という意識を抱くまでもなく，無意識のうちに作業を完遂できるようになるものです。　　これが［無心］というものの出発点ですが

釈尊につき従っていた弟子達は同じ作業，同じ所作を無条件に模倣し毎日それを繰返していたので［無心］で作業するという事はわざわざ言われるまでもなく自然に身についていた訳です。 つまり，わざわざ書く必要も教える必要もなかったが，はるか後，孫，孫孫弟子の時代に，それ程の人徳もカリスマも無い老師の元に何十人もの弟子，しかも中には懐疑的反抗児も居ると言った情況になると，何か特別な教育法を考え出す必要が出て来た訳です。

[仏伝に登場するシュリバントクの庭掃除十年の話も，芥子の実（英訳ではマスタードの種子となっていますが）を捜して走り回ったキサーゴータミの話も，いかに

釈尊の教え方が臨機応変，方便に満ちたものであったかを言うのみで，そこに在った延々と繰返される反復動作というものの側面は忘れ去られていた。（反復動作＝同ー信号の入力は脳の情動域が無視するようになる為，｢自己の｣というタグ無しに処理されるようになる。－方，運動域には動作全体がパターンとして刷り込まれ自動的に処理されるようになる＝結果として自己意識／自覚／自我を抜きにして行動できるようになる＝これが無我無心です）

はたして中国に禅を伝えた菩提達磨師がこうした情況をどこまで把握していたのかは全く不明ですが　（達磨大師にまつわる伝説は荒唐無稽なものばかりで，その最たるものに師は青眼であったというのがあるが絶対有得ないハナシ）　間違いないのは，師自身は古代ヨガ　（含む，古代の舞踏ヨガ＝南印度のバラットナットヤムダンスの源流）　の達人であったという事でしょう。このヨガの動きがブラジルのカポエラ様の，複数の人間による瞬間的対応のゲームといった過渡期を経て云わゆる小林寺拳法に進化したというのは疑いない事です。－－－瞬間的な対応は無意識だからこそ可能なので，モタモタ考えていたら即ー発喰う。

菩提達磨師の着目したものはここに在る［無心］とその效果で，これこそが［無我，無心］に達し［ダルマ／法に身を委ねる］最上の道と喝破した訳です。

己れの生に対する執着，｢これは殺されるかも」などといった恐怖が有ると体が萎縮して元々持って生れたダルマの自然（じねん）すら働かない。思考も感情も抜きに，｢己れを捨ててこそ浮ぶ瀬もあれ」と言われる由縁です。

[菩提達磨師が空観，無我無心に立った仏教を説いた中国には既に［無為］を説く老荘哲学が流布していた。「意図的には何もやるな。全てを天命に委ねよ」と説く老子の教えは｢己れを無にして法に身を委ねよ」という大乗の教えと共通のものがあり，概念の翻訳設定や用語の選択をする上できわめて都合が良かった訳です。　しかしながら既製の用語を使う為に，どうしても元々のニュアンスが出て常人の日常生活に主眼を置いた大乗印度仏教も中国化し，むしろ通念に縛られない事を旨とした独特な禅仏教が生れたと言えます。　

（同様な意味で，日本の禅には神道の純粋主義，武士道が影響して，仏教の中でも特異な硬派となっているのでは？ —– 同じ禅でも中国人は［無為］は言うが［無私］はやらない。最も悲観的，厭世的で［捨身］（しゃしん）と言うのは日本人だけで，お寺が喪式専門になるのも日本独特と，うなづける　）

[]人間も含め，万物＝ダルマ／法が元々［無我］であると言うのは，バラモン教／ベーダの言うアートマンに 対立して示された

釈尊独特かつ当時としては革命的な発想ですが，この本源的［無我］ゆえに自己意識，我欲などは全て己れの想念の作り出した妄想に過ぎないという教えを納得するには既に［無心］を体感し実践している中国人にとってもいささか時間がかかる。それが納得でき潜在意識の深奥まで 染みつき，無意識に［無我，無心］の行動が取れるようになるまでの修業が［禅］と名付けられたプロセスです。

－－－で，本人無我無心の内に作業を続けそれが完成したとする。

＝それでは，これを作ったのはいったい誰なのか？　

＝それが外ならぬ持って生れた，内なるダルマ／法であるというのが

釈尊の教えです。

つまり，禅に限らず仏教は現に作業してみない事には体感もできなければ，その体感の経験に立って考えてみる事も納得もできない。座って考えていても何も把めない訳で，仏教の全ての宗派が延々と続く反復作業を修業として課しているのはこの理由からです。

当然ながらー二回禅寺に行って座禅をしても足が痺れるだけで何の足しにもならないし，釈尊にすら説明できなかった事は解説書を読んでも把めない。つまり禅には学んで理解すベき事は何ーつとして無いし，禅を理解するというのは有得ない。　実際にやってみて，出来るか出来ないかしかない訳です。だからこそ，自転車に乗れるか乗れないかの喩えが使われる。

しかし［無心］の作業というものは日常生活の中にいくらでも在り（当ブログの中で「レモン禅」のカテゴリーに分類されている例），＝それこそ単に歩くだけでも体験できるものです。その体感を出発点に禅の世界に入っていくというのは誰にでも出来る事。道元禅師の僧食九拝の教えは将にこの事です。作法として細かく様式化されたそれぞれの作業に集中しそれを緻密にやり遂げていく、この作業を修業としそれを雑念無く無心に行える事をめざすのが禅に外なりません。(無念無想、一切のこだわりを捨てよと教える一方で徹底してこだわった細部までを習得させる矛盾はともかくーーーまァその作業を五年十年、百万回も繰返せば無意識でも完璧にやり遂げられるようにはなるでしょうが）

逆に言えば禅，及びその心理作用は必ずしも宗教に直結したものではなく，むしろ心理工学と呼べる ようなもので，

無我無心である事で心理的拘束から解放される自由度にむしろ利点があります。（情動領域での　好嫌，損得，エゴといった自我意識を誘発する事なく判断行動できるという事） ＝当ブログに奇抜な試みや変った造形物が色々登場して来るのはその自由発想の見本です。 （しかもそれを黙々と作る手作業は，禅以外の何物でもない－－－で，結果として出来上ったものも満更悪くないと，本人マンゾクしておりますが如何？）

－－－つまる所，人生楽しく生きる事が肝心！＝それが本来の禅というものです。（強もての達磨師が弟子達と，踊るように体をひる返している様を思い浮ベてみられよ－－－渋っ面の老師のやる事ではないでしょう。　笑）

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［］

Olympic Opening

The evening before, I asked my neighbor “ Are you going to watch Olympic Opening ?”

as he got fancy satellite receiver and big screen TV.  He said, “may be, but shall we go to a pub to

see it in their big screen”. —– So, we went to a pub round the corner.

This is the first time to go into this pub since I moved to this area 11 years ago.

(As I don’t drink alcohol I rarely go to a pub, except a meeting took place in a pub).

The TV was there though, nobody was watching.  The next day’s news said nearly 27 million

people did watch the Opening program = out of 65 million in the UK = it was far less

than half of the population ! = this is the first fraud, the government and the media

have to juggle 😀  (Instead to say 40%,  27 million sound a lot to the most of the people’s brain)

So-called Democracy is based on the support of the majority = popular support

= populism.  While forcing austere measure to the people, still spending £9.5 billion =

In order to justify its spending,  government had to create an impression

“ Everybody excited and support the Olympic”.

In this populism concept, this Olympic Opening must be the most Politically

loaded and choreographed event in the recent history. (Of cause I don’t know all

the details of another Opening of such as Beijing, Soul, etc —– yet still, most others seemed

to demonstrates the power of the Nation = Government and Military. (such as exactly

synchronized mass demonstration of Martial-art play, performed by the soldiers,

and the mass game of the top beauties gathered from all over the country, kind).

Instead, London Olympic Opening avoided to go this kind, while pretending

GREEN and Politically Correct. = Hence, the people appeared there got to be looks like

just a man or girl next-door, and especially from ethnic minority.

[]

In this Political Correctness, there was no single Hero to light-up the

Olympic-Flame, but by the group of athletes. —– And the Flame-burner, its

head was a Copper piece brought by each country. (A girl or boy walking with Flag-bearer was

carrying looks like urinal shaped metal piece = it was for this purpose  😀 )

(In certain extent, I think it was a brilliant idea ! = Forget PC blah blah, here 😀 )

—– PS: My friend found the Info’ of the Olympic Flame in this link  —–

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/comment/the-flaming-dandelion/5040489.article#.UBaj-FBTs30.facebook

—– As the Info’ says, the Olympic Flame was built in 10 story mechanism, having more than 200 stems in

8.5m long = it can not be made with rotating shafts but be done only with linear air actuators (like a piston

cylinder to push-up) = still, more than 200 gas pipes, 10 pressurized air pipes crammed into small space,

and they  moves, while carrying combustible gas = what a task !  —– still,  I was surprised to know, it got

16 tons all together ! ? ? ?  —– couldn’t be done in 4 tones size ?

[]

Yet Populism has to have popular figure = David Beckham, Mr. Bean and James Bond may not

have an argument from the mass audience (along side the inventor of WWW = though how many

people knew his name, and the author of Harry Potter’s ).

And draw the Queen out of her holy residents and made her jump from a chopper

(in fact a stunt-man with Queen’s costume and her mask over his face, doubled her) must be

an Extreme-left-wing  Anarchist’s dream.

Still, it had made only eye-catching stories of the tabloid paper = not fool the population for whole. 

= The unsold empty seats are the evidence. (May needs the same measure of Beijing Olympic to

mobilize local school kids to fill the seats to COVER-UP).

[]

What-so-ever the COVER-UP story of this country’s history, the fundamental structure were

never touched. = Land owing system, hence the concentration of the wealth.

= Queen as the top landlord, and its status-quo of the Class-system.

Let Tory and Labor fight each other, is the traditional [Divide and Rule] tactics

of the Empire.  Top of the Government = Prime Minister is just a hired manager of the estate

= let him manage the people to keep status-quo in good order, while work hard to produce

enough revenue to run the estate.

If any left-wing dissident became a prominent figure, make him (or her) Sir

(like Bono 😀 ) and integrate into the Imperial SYSTEM.

(like the former director of Liberty, John Wadam is now a part of the establishment, and the

another member of Liberty, Shamira Chakrabarty was carrying the Olympic-flag.   😀

= Honor cost nothing still, the most powerful tool to coax the noisy dissident).

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Organizer might have thought that the approach of Politically correct Populism can give an

illusion of Democracy though, in contrary, it highlighted the deception more. = This irony is

exposed also in the history of the Industrial Revolution = “Where the industry started in this

country has gone ?” —– And the same was repeated again = the WWW was  invented by

Tim Bernard-Lee though, “Where the Industry using WWW, such as Google has gone to ?”

So, it was not the display of the Glorious Briton, but more of the sawer grape of own failures.

[]

——- So, it was an interesting program or political farce to watch. 😀

[]

Thought over LIGHT (and its visual effects)

You may feel strange though, there is no black and White

image in the Nature.  🙂

May be Monochrome image yes. = Pure B/W image is, in fact human

invention, in other words, it exists only in the brain, or a product of

the brain. = Simply because, there is no [no-colored light] exists =

all the light, even if it looks WHITE, it is just well balanced

mixture of the colors.

[]

So-called Color was created by the vibration of the Photon =

if you divide the distance of a Photon travels in a second in its

literally the speed of Light, by its number of frequency of the vibration = you get the wave-length.

The light-sensitive cells in our Retina called Corn cells (named from its shape) having the colored

pigment which selectively absorbe and stimulated by the particular wave-length, emits the nerve-

signal to the brain. = Hence the brain interpret those different signal created by each different light

as each different color. —– So that, when those Corn cells sending-out all the color signal evenly =

our brain think it is white and if they are less intensive than the white, the brain think it is gray.

But when the light level is very low = in the dark, the Corn cells couldn’t work well.  Instead, only

the Rod cells which doesn’t have color sensitivity, works. = hence, the visual image which lack the

color information were created in the brain = we feel (some what) B/W image. —– ghostly night

scene of grave-yard was conceived like a bluish B/W image = simply because, only the available

light source came from the stars (provided no Cine-light, or Torch-lamp there) = hence,

the Dracula film is the best in B/W = (it is closer to what actually we have seen) 😀

[]

As long as there is lots of light which is having all the spectrum of the light, we see

white as white and able to see a colored objects as its own color without color-shift.

Therefore, mirrors in the dressing room of a theater back-stage having many light valves fitted

around. = natural Ring light effect. = no shadow and no color-shift = it is essential for the make-up.

(still, even a white under tungsten-light is shifted to much warmer color of about 3000k)

—– yet still, it is often the case, the white is determined by its relative brightness.

Our eyes were adjusted to see the over all brightness or by the brightest object while varying the

size of the pupil.  And among the objects, see the brightest and relatively having all the spectrum

of the light as the white. = Hence, seemingly the yellow sun is so bright, we feel it is white in the sky.

In fact, all the photographers know, even a dark colored object will become

washed off white if it was over-exposed 5~7 stops more.

[]

In the natural environment, we are not necessary seeing the surroundings with ideal neutral light.

= not only the color-contribution of the light-source (such as Florescent light has Green cast due

to the Mercury atom) , but also the light was colored by the reflection of other object nearby.

—– May be it is the reason why we feel nicely lit image in a photo = too artificial.

While using color-corrected artificial light (Xenon discharge Solar-Light kind) or Studio-type flash

light, which is giving 5500K color temperature.   The more photographer worked to make every

corner in the scene within 2 stops of exposure difference, it become even more unnatural.

[]

=== So that, in this occasion, as I’m dealing with LED Ring Light, I’m experimenting

“How to design Non-ideal light source to create natural looking image”

= to make Colored Ring Light. 😀

(I’m going to show its result soon)

[]

PS :  If you’d like to experiment with LEDs, and try to connect different type of them parallel,

you need to connect a register to each types.   Such as; 

[3~4 Batteries (4.5V~6V) +] —> [100 ohm Register]—> [Blue or White LEDs]—>[Battery – ]

[ ———————– same  +] —> [100 ohm Register] —> [Red LEDs] —–> [same Battery – ]

[ ———————– same +] —> [100 ohm Register] —> [Green LEDs] —> [same Battery – ]

( Those Registers are to limit the current to the LEDs = may need change to such as 47 ohm =

If you connect 10 LEDs parallel, which needs 30mA, x10 of them mean, you need 300mA)

(Exact value is [Supply Voltage – Forward Voltage of LED / Resistance = Current  —– where,

Forward Voltage of Blue or White LED is 3.5V,  Red is 2V, Green or Amber are 2.5V ===

6 – 3.5 / 10o = 0.025 = 25mA  ——- As long as the Current is 50~20mA each, it would be OK)

[]

ZEN in Making

Well, the title Zen in Making is the double

meaning.   🙂

Zen is not coming but you need to make it.

So, I’m making it or doing it by Making, literally.

[]

The people who was attracted to the Buddhism with its

mythical, hence intellectual connotations, it might be a

phenomenon, utterly out of expectation though, this is

what Lord Buddha taught as to gain the state of

the Mushin (Mind of No-Mind, since No-Self,

= since No Atman = Perpetual Soul kind what Brahmanism taught,never exists)

—– it’s mean the widely believed myth of Reincarnation is the later invention of the

professional monk who needed to enslave the followers to keep donating the money to them

(otherwise you will go to the hell and reincarnates into a beasts) —– though, what

Lord Buddha taught was “The death is THE Nirvana = No more suffering there”

(Since, it was called Nirvana = fire just goes off = no glorious departure to the heaven kind 🙂

—– But, if everybody can get Nirvana naturally, no need to pay money and ask the monk 😀 )

That was why, the Buddhism was the revolution ! (Rich and poor alike, all can get Nirvana).

[]

Some people has misinterpretation of the Buddhism, as Teachings is the Teachings of how to die. 

This is a misconception.  If you see the structure of the Teachings = The observation of

the Dharma lead to the understanding of its mechanism = the relation of each element, its

Cause and the effect = Definition of the Karma.  As the mechanism is in constant flow of the

Cause = Occurrence, which never stop = hence it led to the understanding of No Perpetual

Existence = Everything keep changing = hence the Life of Man too = Death is only the End.

As everything keep changing and  Time never stops = Life has to deal with

what the one is immediately facing. = Anything is NOT there mean, it is only in the MIND.

Death fallen into the same category = Unless a Man is there in the moment of Death, Death is

not an existence = What the Man has to deal is The Current issue = TO LIVE the LIFE.

Likewise, when Fish-tin is on front —> Just deal with it.  Even think NO ELSE. = ZEN.

[]

Other than the practice how to keep up dairy life such as the way to walk, beg a food and talk

with people, only few sample of the [special] teachings of the

Lord Buddha was scripted. One of the most well-known episode was, how Kisa Gotami was let

running the house to house looking for the seeds.

Another story was how Chuli Pantak (Shuri Bantoku in Japanese) was ordered to sweep the

grounds of the Deer Garden.

Both stories are highlighting the repeated continuous practice lead the person’s

mind to the state of Mushin hence enable to get Enlightenment.

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This tradition was kept by the Buddhists, thousands of the years.

As a good sample, I wrote about the artistic practice of an artist Pok (link here) some time ago.

Please read how and why his work is the Buddhism (as he is aware and says too).

And my practice here is a part of the work to make a housing to a LED Ring Light.

To make an inner casing of the Ring Light, I found a fish tin which got the matching

size for the purpose.

To make a fish tin to be used as the inner pipe, the bottom part has to be removed = I did it

by drilling a lots of holes (about 70 holes by 1.5mm drill), then after the bottom was removed,

the jagged edge was filed and made to a smooth circle which is matching the 77mm filter ring

(by which, the Ring Light can be fixed on front of the lens).

—– technical detail would be explained in the later post.

—– Here, I’m showing how laborious the repeating work is 😀

Technically, there are many ways to cut the metal in such case = laser cutting, high-pressure

water cutting etc though, it spoil the game and unless the machine is in my hand and ask

somebody specialist to do the work, it would be very expensive = this is a poor man’s DIY.

(it may seem laborious though, soon or later it will be finished, and still have a fun. 😀 )

[]

What I’m saying is, this is what the Zen Practice is. = Zen or Buddhism is not a magic

or imaginary fantasy (hence, not thinking), but an effort to DO the job bit by bit.  Because of

Lord Buddha did teach it.  He was not a successful austere Yogi (otherwise, he could have

become a miracle Superman) but ordinary human being.  And he taught ordinary people.

Because he was not a Superman, he felt the Life is in suffering. —– He didn’t find the life is

an opportunity to perform and show-off supernatural miracles. (Hence, he was not a Divine).

To make a Life, a person has to make a Life to do something, not sitting and thinking but to DO.

To ordinary people, to DO mean, by their own mean, not in miraculous spectacular way but DO

the job next by next, bit by bit. = This is the Life.  Hence, the Teachings of

Lord Buddha was accordingly. = No miracle answer or super natural phenomena.

(That’s why a story of the Rain drop curves a rock, was in Zen story ! )

( —– I’m not implying you should drill a fish-tin. 😀 = I only showing a sample, there are

many this kind of concentration or so-called mindfulness behind the craft work or art pieces.

They are in fact, the ZEN.

___/\___

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No Sake, neither Garlic ! —– Why not ?

My friend in Japan showed this photo in his blog while describing

scorching hot day over there.

What photographed was a stone-post = regular feature of a Buddhist

temple gate, which says “Kun-shu San-mon ni iru wo yurusazu”

(不許葷酒入山門 = Sake / Alcoholic drink and Garlic kind are forbidden

to be brought in) = It is the notice of the Rules from the Pali Canon,

that the Buddhists have to keep away from the evil acts.

—– Drink Alcohol and eating smelly food typically the Garlic, are

forbidden in the temple —– It is a formal pretense 😀

[]

Despite the Garlic has been long eaten and even used as an herbal medicine (use it

as a poultice to an inflammation = very potent stimulant for blood circulation)

only its pungent smell is its unfortunate nature 😀

—– The hard-core austere in the Tantra Buddhist sect, Gyo-ja (行者) regards Garlic as a potent

medicine (hence, wild Garlic was called Gyo-ja Nin-niku ) to enable him to achieve hard practice in

the mountain. (— so I heard = I haven’t established it with [with and without] kind of objective

repeated research. 🙂 ) — What-so-ever, everybody knows, Garlic is pretty good for our health.

—– So that, may be a smell of the Garlic is a mere pretext, real intention was to

prevent a monk gains his potency and become sexually active. 😀

[]

But funny facts are, even the time of strict Shogun era, the Sake was drunk in a temple only with

the name of Han-nya-tou /般若湯 (Drink of highest wisdom 😀 ) and the wife of the Priest was

called Dai-koku sama / 大黒様 (the name of a divine figure — but in Taoism). = a lots of excuse.

[]

There are interesting parallel between Hinayana Buddhism and Confucianism,

Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism (Laoze).

Both Hinayana and Confucianism set an ideal personality of a man and apply it

with the Rules of Do and Do not.  (= So, Garlic smelled Monk is not very ideal.  😀 )

In comparison, both Mahayana and Laoze says “ Be Natural” = keep away

intentional thinking or imaginary Rules, but live natural and never over do.

(So that, garlic is naturally smelly = What’s wrong with it.   Unless you eat tons of it.  😀 )

Counting Lord Buddha’s teachings in its surface, it could make hundreds of Do and Do not, such

as him in deed forsaken his family and the wife and became a Bhikku. = hence the follower could

copy it = live with no family, no woman etc though, —– think the context of the teachings,

Lord Buddha never accused, or forced anyone to forsake the wife and the child, but simply

pointed out, the Life IS in Samsara = accepted the difficulties to live with family as the default.

Hence, Mahayana accepted the inherent nature of the Life as Karma.  (Try to

impose “ideal type” is just an useless delusion.  Better live in Mushin, as it is.)

(We are born to suffer with the trouble of woman. = It’s a part of joy.    Ha ha ha  😀 )

[]

So, don’t hesitate to eat Garlic. As long as everybody in the family or anybody

near you eat it in the same time, the smell wouldn’t cause any trouble.

And be healthy, fulfilling your potential = make your wife satisfied. Ha ha ha 😀

( Don’t worry this is the Mahayana Buddhism = believe me  🙂 )

___/\___

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LIFE

A word [LIFE] having two meanings. Actual practice of Living and the abstract notion of it.

Actual practice of Living is existing there even without the one is aware of it. = I don’t think a smallest

life-form Virus has any awareness of that He (She ?) is existing as reproductive continuous life-form.

—– yet still that Life exists = no need to be aware.  (Without the awareness, all the necessary functions

are automatically carried out. )

[]

It seems, in any language a word representing Life,  seemed to contain always two aspects, hence in Hindu,

the word Zendaki also has two meanings. — Obviously, the meaning of actual Life came first and then

generalized abstracted meaning was invented later.

= It was the product of intelligence, or to say, it was a result of thinking.

To discover this abstract notion of Life, may seemed to be a victory of human intelligence which

opened the way to discover further truth in the human existence.  Abstract notion is the truth.

—– you may think as well.

[]

(I give you a bomb shell.)

Lord Buddha thought it, completely opposite.

That was why He denied the thinking.

All about the Buddhism teachings are to eliminate the thinking, and actually LIVE, in MUSHIN.

Living the LIFE without useless Thinking and to have the direct contact with the world in naked perception,

= We can have the contact with Dharma, —– not through Thinking.

= If any awareness of “ I’m doing” or “ I’m living” is there, it is not in Mindfulness nor in Mushin.

Even for sitting and meditating = it’s got to be in Mushin. (No-Mind, let alone thinking). So that,

Lord Buddha utterly ignored to answer to metaphysical questions.  Since, metaphysics are the products of

abstract thinking. = It is a delusion. = Buddhism doesn’t give a damn to it.

[]

Therefore, if anybody is believing that you can discover or able to reach supreme truth by

meditation is utterly wrong. —– You better stand up, and cut a lemon 😀

(You may get an answer for a pab quiz —– but it is nothing to do with Buddhism or Zen 😀 )

While Living in Mushin, as there is no Preconception imposed on the eyes, you can see what the Dharma is

showing to you. = You can see what the Dharma IS. —– This discovery is not a result of thinking but the

result of your clear eyes.  = You only see it while actually Living the LIFE !

What you saw and realized is the effect of [Direct Transmission]. (by-passing a thinking process)

This is the reason why Buddhism is using the actual Practice for its practice.

Because, through Practice, you can establish the channel to contact with Dharma.

The secret is, through Practice, the necessary mind-set was imprinted to the person’s

subconsciousness.  Without thinking, the Life would be controlled by the subconsciousness.

[]

So, the answer of the Buddhism is JUST LIVE. JUST DO IT = your subconscious knows better.

(When you just live = without useless Thinking, Ego or Greed = strangely you can find the best solution for

the Life, or even a help would suddenly appeared.

—– But, don’t expect it = expectation (greed) negates the virtue of the Dharma 😀 )

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Mindfulness again !

A word most frequently come-up on the Buddhism talking is the [Mindfulness]

= in another word it is a word and its notion is the most confusing and

misunderstood. (hence keep haunting the people 🙂 )

= Misunderstood from the tone of the word which force a person to think,

“I have to Mind to make it full” = trapped into such obsessed idea.

On contrary, Mindfulness is Just Doing the Subject away from any Thinking.

= Whole Mind and the Body was completely absorbed by the Subject.

It’s mean, even an awareness “I have to be in full of Mind” can not be there.

= You can not learn Mindfulness, but you have to learn the subject such as

Tea Making = after 10 years, when you can make a tea without any thinking,

almost automatic = this is THE  MINDFULNESS.  😀

( If a teacher says, “I can teach Mindfulness”, he (she) is a sham )

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Some time before, I’ve described the situation of Buddhism teaching with a metaphor,

“ The teacher who supposed to teach dancing, teach the step, hand movements etc,

without music, without knowing what the dance is”. = Almost like the blinds

touching an elephant and try to explain what the Elephant is. 🙂

Therefore, the unknown part, or the part what Zen teacher couldn’t clarify was left as a myth

of spirituality, and the structural explanation, such as the relation between the notion of

Self, Mindfulness, Mushin, Enlightenment and Nirvana were completely missing.

—– on top of this, sect to sect, they give their own wording, making the situation even worse.

[]

Contrarily to the popular MISconception, the Buddhism is one of the most

simple religion, or it may not even be a religion at all = just a way to live in a

particular MIND. ( AND, this particular mind is nothing special neither

= Mind of AS YOU ARE. 🙂 )

There are no special name of Divine figure to remember, there is no obligation to chant special

mantra, even no obligation to do something. —– But Just live your LIFE.

Only a confusing or difficult part is, to see this MIND. Or, to see WHO YOU ARE.

Yet, strangely, YOU are nobody else of YOU, hence your Mind is nothing else of YOUR MIND.

—– (That’s why, this is so difficult and so easy ! 😀 😀

And that’s why the scripture says, “ It is there as not there” 😀 😀 )

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To live Your Life as Your Own Life with 100% commitment is the Mindfulness.

In the moment, when me to curve wooden Spoon, I had to concentrate and completely being

“A Man Who curve the wood” = this is the Mindfulness on its MOMENT.

To be in the Mindfulness, there is no another mind to observe such mind.

= Because, JUST DOING IT is what 100% commitment meant.

To curve the wood, hand and the chisel is fused together which follows the grain of the wood

automatically. = this is the [Ichijo] and as there is nothing else but the action of curving

= no another thinking is there. = this is [Mushin]. As the wood is being curved, its shape

is keep changing and no-return. = this is what [LIVE in MOMENT] mean.

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As I wrote before the original word to describe Mindfulness in the Buddhism scripture

(in Pali) is Sati, and Chinese used a letter [念] Nien or Nen in Japanese for this translation.

This letter meant a sort of mind, deepest in the human psyche which form the base of the mind.

And I found in Japanese a word [覚悟] Kakugo seems to be the best suited to represent the

meaning.   This word can be used to describe a determination in the deepest psyche

in the subconscious level.

Hence the meaning is, a kind of mind to BE as {something / somebody} hence, if it

is YOU, a firm commitment to be YOU, or even an absolute commitment to curve a wood.

(No one can have any another mind while using sharp tool, otherwise end-up cutting fingers 😀 )

[]

So that, when we were absorbed in a subject, it’s a moment of Mindfulness. = so deeply absorbed,

as even an awareness which observing “ I’m doing this” is not there, = is Mindfulness

= Mindfulness has to be in Mushin ! —– In fact, it is so easy JUST DO IT.

—– ( Whether to be absorbed in such subject is fit to be IN YOUR LIFE or not. = This is a matter

related to one’s Karma. = Who you are ?   And I’ll talk about it in the another post. )

___/\___

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Brutal Nature = or is it just a Nature ?

They are the photos of a Dandelion seed magnified  x16 times (in length, on 36×24 screen)

the Lens used was the one I’ve hand-made to take May Fly Egg before (click the Link here).

———— (This photo is a comparison, taken by Pentax 20mm F4  Lens, in Revers with Extension Ring,

————  but to make a comparison, photo was trimmed to the same size = x16,  like the photo above. 

————  As it was able to stop down to F8 ,  Depth of Field was much deeper than Microscope Lens )

As often the case, it looks pretty and fragile though, nature do have sharp claw and poison.

= Disneylized  romanticized look is just a thin veneer ( still, it would inspire a child’s dream

” Like a Dandelion seed,  fly away in a wind and have a bloom somewhere in a new world” =

how romantic ! ) though = they also live in the same, or even harsher Samsara.  

(And they are really the Nemesis of a gardener   😀 ) —– Through the evolution, Dandelion

seed must have adopted this looks brutal barbed armor, against eaten by a bird.

And this photo was taken by Canon EF Macro F2.8 , at F2.8,  magnification was  x1.

And in comparison, this photo was taken by a lens, once regarded to be one of the best

Macro Lens, Tamron SP 90mm F2.5  at F2.5  with Extension Rings,  magnification was  x1.5.

( Because of this lens has some softness at F2.5, quite few photographer loved it for female

portrait, but I used this lens only for closeup work ) —– all those shots here are for the tests

of shallow focus and the soft image at the fully opened F aperture, since when I found an

Olympus 50mm Macro F2 lens has phenomenal off-focus “Boke” = I wanted to investigate.

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In photography, there are two opposite approaches to emphasize the subject = one is using

wide angle lens and close to the subject, hence make the subject over-sized.   😀

The another is, to use telephoto lens, and focus only to the subject. —– even though I like to

do [Man-watching] in distance, when I come to take photo, I don’t like sneak view. 

I like to have face to face, and communicate with the subject, or to commit to the situation. 

( This is the attitude of [Engagement] of the Existentialism and the  Mahayana Buddhism. ) 

—– As I started my photography taking photos of plants, insects = use smaller F-aperture

to get sharper image, deep depth of field was the norm. = I was not a man to use the lens with 

its F-aperture fully opened —– unless the situation demand, under a dim light.  🙂 )

[]

In the life, nothing is simple but having many contradicting facets.   Behind of loving care

of  Tiger mother to her cab, there are misery of a Deer family.   Even a fluffy dandelion seed

having such fierce face which I didn’t know until I gave a very close look.

We tend to makeup a convenient story from just one facet, in most of the case with our

ignorance, or even worse, with a sake of convenience to make the story nice and sweet.

So that, such as in the Eightfold Right Path of Buddhism = to make Right Speech needs to

have right knowledge and the understanding.   It’s  quite a tall order isn’t it.  

And with a crèche, we casually use an expression how gorgeous the spring blossoms are,

or glorious golden color of autumn trees and so on, but nature may not be there to

please mankind = Flower was there, waiting the insects, and we just happen to be there.

[] 

To interpret the Nature in our sake is just our Ego, and romanticize it would be a delusion.

Who said, Mankind conquer the Nature ?  — We only found a bit of way to tamper it, that all.

They may not willfully Brutal against us, as they have no self or Ego, but the Mechanism.

This Mechanism contain us as its part, but they operates without recognize us.

—– and this System is what the Nature mean.   And this is the Dharma in Buddhism.

To see it beautiful or brutal is in our eyes, in fact it’s all in our Mind.  Nature is just there.

[]

 

What is Natural — Tea-bag Story

Many years ago I needed to filter out crystallized residue in a photo-chemical solution.

On that time, I improvised a paper of a tea-bag = it is quite strong not like a tissue paper, neither

it would disintegrate in a liquid.   (If it was in my school time, I could have proper filter paper for

chemistry, and till decade ago, a blotting paper was in a stationary shop, but not in these days. )

—– anyhow the matter is neither type of paper or chemical solution, but

what I found in the contents of a tea-bag = powdered tea of cause. But something

annoyed me was, I found looks like a thread or a sort of fiber sticking out of the

tea powder. It can be a broken jute rope or a sack, or it could be even a fiber from

a cow-dung, came to a floor stuck to a sandal of worker.

[]

Before the invention of tea-bag, the powder or dust of tea, flying out of tea processing machine

was only recycled in a small scale as a give-away to the poor people working there.

But when somebody got very very good idea to utilize those dust, put it into a paper

bag and sell it as Tea-bag, the more convenient way to make a cup of tea, then the

dust was collected using a vacuum-cleaner, hence the dust on the floor as well.

—– (I heard this story, first from a man used to work in a tea packaging factory, and again from

a daughter of an English manager used to be there )

Still, to design an automated machine to make such a bag without using glue was a good effort, but

it was a bit expensive way= hence, to make a round flat tea-bag with one stump process was

another step to make yet more profit = insatiable appetite to satisfy their greed.

[]

There was a report, about the coming food-shortage and “Then, why not eat the insect” story

—– in the story, there was a statistics “the average person eating so-much-so amount of

insects comes with food without knowing”—— yeah, I’ve noticed this many times, while

eating such as vegi salad, I had funny taste.   As I used to collect the insects to make a collection of

specimen, I knew a certain insect gives off particular smell. It was that kind. But, anyhow it was

too late and so far there wasn’t any detrimental trouble I’ve ever had. = So, it should be OK. 😀

[]

In the same context, is there anybody ever thought about, —– in the processed food such as

mince-pie, fig-role or jam kind of milled fruits, packed into a sweets or in a jar, what is in there ?

Are you expecting in a food factory where the one end, truck lord of fruits was through into the

machine and on the other end, packed jam is coming out in a jar, whether individual fruits was

inspected for insect and rejected one by one ? —– (So that, there is a law giving the allowance

for such kind of food can contain so-much-so number of the insects)

[]

The question is, what is natural ?

It is not an issue of credibility of the manufacturer, but ourself.

= If we are believing the quality or its purity

—– Isn’t it our wishful imagination or indulging illusion ?

After all, in reality, nature is not necessary friendly, or the conditions of our life may not so ideal,

we should better accept it as it is, instead to project our idea and create frustration.

[]

To become aware who I am (of whom never be perfect or ideal) is what we need to

have, as the first step to become a bit wiser. (not mention to get enlightened 😀 )

To accept or appreciate a hint of cow-dung in a tea, might be the crucial step

to be a broad minded Buddhist 😀 😀 —– (Do remember, this is the way, how our

immune system was developed = hence, it enabled us to live in this bacteria, virus infested world

= dirt is our part of the life 😀 )

So, keep yourself reasonably clean for not to have too much bacteria, but in the same time never

become compulsory cleansing fanatics. Happiness lays in between = in a so-called Middle Way 🙂

Enjoy your happy day, and a nice cup of Tea as well.

___/\___

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