PS :

Following the previous Post, there was some exchange of opinion in Emails.

And this is the extract  in which,  I found,  it is highlighting the point of

” How to make a perfect music piece which will hit the guts of others “

————-

Though, important point is, —- What  are the guts.

Everybody got more or less the same guts, having it

tens of thousands of years.

Its mean, what will hit it, has been tried and sorted out

spending thousands of years of time, by millions of people.

That is how most of the culture in the world came to

have pentatonic —– same conclusion.

The reason is, it was written in the Dharma. ( Ref; Harmony

in Dharma )

And the guts is ruled by the Dharma, not by one’s brain.

Deviate from the Dharma, yet make perfect one is hard,

if not impossible. ——–

—–

Equidistant Tonal system was perfected in the time of  J.S. Bach, though it has been only utilized for

the convenience of key-tone change.   And its use became universal, despite of the existence of some

discord (which has been simply avoided to occur as Taboo, by the composer.)

So that,  Arnold  Schoenberg is the first one to fully explore the musical possibility of its system.

But, big but, do you or anybody on the street, ever listen, let alone remember his music ?

Some (very rare person, may be a student / ex-student in classic music) may say

“How about his organ music [ The Ascension ] it is spiritually very striking isn’t it ?”.

I can agree, its sound very spiritual though,  as I wrote in ” Blank Space ” it is because of slow-moving,

continuous high tone, which is vague and undefinable,  hence our brain abandon to define its

meanings,  then start to feel  ” Something Unknown there”.

This very feeling, “abandon to impose own thinking, and leave the Mind open” is happen to be

the same to Buddhist’s Mushin —— we describe it  Spiritual.——- All of us share more or less

the same perception and the same guts.  Simple  😀

—– So, departing  from the tradition, and explore complete freedom in sound making,  is a good attempt,

though,  better not forget, we and yourself are still within the Dharma’s  rule.

Other’s guts is under this Dharma too, so that better chose the direction accordingly.

( The Expression —– which is also common with others, mean Communicable, has to be

emanated from own guts” Blank Space ” too —— not from the thinking or technical possibility )

Please read the Post ” Freedom in Restriction “. (Under a category [Music] )

___/\___

—

Life to be Artists

I’ve received a question from a keen reader of this blog / Jaganathan, who is

creating / developing  fancy program of creating even fancier sound, out of computer.

————

anyway id like your thoughts or a blog post 🙂 Why do many artists end

up depressed, do drugs, kill themselves.  And how to keep doing good

work irrespective of whether it is a success or failure.  How do

continue doing sincere work even if nobody gives a sit.

—————–

In anyone’s life,  to see what is the success, having many facets —— Financial ?, Social recognition ?,

Historical importance ?, Personal Pride and Confidence ?, Made people happy and became local Hero ?

All those may satisfy the ego.  But in reality, before think about success, most acute needs are to survive.

—-

When I finished hi-school and chose the direction and Uni’, I hated to go to science and technology side

as I didn’t want to be enslaved by the technology —– I’ve applied to Art College.  Though I was told by

the member of  Alpine Club in that College  “Want to become Sculptor ?  Oh no, even studied in here,

its impossible to live on the sculpture.  You may end-up an art teacher in a junior school or a craftsman

making dummy for the shop” —– What a hopeless situation. I gave up and next year I went to a Uni’

where we don’t need to fix the direction / Faculty / Major  for the first year —– then end up to take

Sociology by accident.  Before apply the Art College, an art teacher told me ” The success rate of

top Art College ( Where I wanted to go) is about 50%, and the other would be less than 10% ”  here

success mean, able to live / survive on the skill or the art which was studied in the college.

This was the time, Art was the traditional Art, long before such as Conceptual  Art became main stream.

Art is a very subjective commodity.   Commodity mean, the objects which can be sold and owned.

Though, when the type of art, and the educational direction has changed to the Pure Art and a theory

of Conceptual Art, sellable art became the dirty word as it is Commercial / Crafty, to live on

the Art become even harder. Who want to buy a pile of dung / (said to be) conceptual art installation. 😀

——- So, the question of Jaganathan is a little bit out of time or not a kind of the matter to rise a question.

Depressed, infested by Drug, kill oneself or even kill others —– may not be anything unusual.  😀

Even worse, as the art education is aiming to the concept, not the skill, actually no skilled useless persons

were flooded to the labour market ( it include the Media study as well).

Under such situation, if any artist want to have satisfying life should better take Buddhist’s paradox.

Forget success, forget recognition, forget financial reward and just make own art —– but perfect one.

Perfect Art would hit the guts feeling of the others. It impress the people and make their mouth shut.

——- so-called success will follow. ( But, as long as the one is hoping and expecting the day will come, with

ego and greed there will be no perfect art or success. —— in this aspects, Dharma is very harsh )

So that, so-called  Positive thinking, or Keep your hope live etc etc are all but just the sweet words.

The Buddhist Mushin is the very strict term, if not perfect, it would be all in vain.

If Jaganathan is developing new program, if it is exciting enough, he could be absorbed into its work,

he couldn’t be disturbed by useless thought —— its mean, he needs to make his work interesting,

important enough —– here, crucial inspiration, key idea which he may get it in the Blank Space

may become decisive factor.  So, to see its new idea, in complete open mind / Mushin holding the key.

( Here, chicken and the egg,  Exciting project absorbs person’s mind and make him into Mushin, though

to get exciting idea need to have Mushin —– shut up, just start.    Ha ha ha. 😀 )

——- So, how about, take a walk, —— Do a Walking Zen and get Mushin first  🙂

___/\___

___

Four-Leaf Clover

I know, everybody have a memory, once (or many times) looked for the four-leaf clover when we

saw the patch of ground covered by the clover.  Of cause I have, and in deed I found few of them in my life.

Yet, I don’t think it brought me any better luck —— and I’m not talking about the good luck here.

( Still, this post deserve to have a title of  Four-leave Clover —– you will find it  🙂  )

——

When you were looking for the clover, do you remember what you were thinking ?   Kind of play to the God ?

“Oh my Load, please give me a Four-Leaf Clover” —— I don’t think so.  😀

(May be you were thinking of your girl friend or boy friend —- to present the precious findings. How sweet ! )

When you are scanning the field with your eyes, I don’t think any thought was in the brain.

Eyes were just scanning and just concentrating for the task.  In fact any thought would be a distraction.

And, do you believe the concentrated effort, will power would help to find it ?   I don’t think so neither  😀

And if you lucky to find one, was it in the center of your eyes ?  —— it doesn’t necessary so.

Quite often we find the intended object somewhere periphery of our vision.

We read the small letters in the center of our eyes, other than the center, we can’t read and understand

what was written there.  So that,  when we need to find a file name in the list, we have to concentrate

and pick the pattern of the word in the file name.  It need to have a will to read.

In comparison  we can detect the pattern which we know already in the periphery of eye field.

But this vision were controlled by our subconscious,  not by our conscious  will.  When  noticed

it’s there,  we move eye-ball and capture it in the center of vision,  then confirm it,  Gotcha !

___

When I was in my Uni’ I was asked to join the research expedition to the remote corner of Japan or pacific

islands, to help the botanist.  ( As I was a member of Alpine Club, specialized in yet traced area or jungle

kind of terrain and doing botanical photography as well —– despite of I was a student of Sociology.  🙂  )

Strangely, in those occasions,  many times I was the first or only one to find out the specific plant, while

going through the field or jungle.  I have enough knowledge of botany but, professors knows a similar type

and so on far better,  and the information I had,  was only a line drawing of the plant from the botanical book,

encyclopedia etc otherwise 70-year-old dry specimen, of which the plant haven’t been seen 50 years,

kind of rare species.   Everybody was amazed  ” How you could see this.  You must got very good eyes ”

( Though, I’m heavily short eye-sighted )  “No no, I just noticed, it looked different ”  ” In 10m away ? ”

Of cause, the plant didn’t come on front of us.  I had to catch it in my peripheral view.

——- In deed,  our eyes or cognitive function of our brain is possessing remarkable ability.

Just learned  from 2″ size line drawing to distinguish real plant ( which is not necessary having flower to

stand out )  might be akin to a Policeman to apprehend a suspect, from a vague photo-fit.

It must have a very intuitive creative work to fill a gap.

—-

But before work out to reconstruct the image,  we need to catch it in the first place.

So,  how our eyes can catch the Four Leaf Clover in distance,  even by the peripheral vision.

In fact, the answer lies in this peripheral vision, and its subconscious process.

It’s all came down to the same paradox ” When you want to see, you can’t.  When you abandon  to

search, you start to see”.  And here, the same Blanc Space in the Mind is playing the role. (Refer the Post)

If you don’t know about the Zen, you might think this is contradictive though,  this is how our brain works.

Expose the perception in open-minded way,  which Zenist call  Mushin (Mind of no mind),  the brain can

receive far more information / visual signal,  and able to process them far more efficient way.

( Many years ago,  I met a man who is working as a railway station staff told me “How to find a railway pass

cheat” saying ” Standing and checking the passes one by one by reading the date on the pass is impossible.

So, we just standing watching the incoming passengers.  Then anyone caught eyes,  we look at his / her

pass and read the date.  We are reading the behavior and the mind of the passengers.  Standing and just

seeing the flow of the people, still we can distinguish who is cheating, far more accurate” —– Well said  :-))

——- This is why I wrote in the earliest post,  ” Just walking the street. Just looking forward without focusing

any point or taking any notice of street scene,  open and spread your vision from the side to side.

This is the Zen ” ( in easiest way —- called Walking  Zen   😀 —– The advantage in Walking Zen is, you

can observe your state of mind from your Peripheral Vision  (able to notice, both end of images are keep

moving while you walk) —– though, tricky part is, you only have to feel them without the conscious mind.

Still it is easier than to observe the state of mind of  Sitting / Meditating without Thinking —–

Thinking the state of Not Thinking is pretty hard to achieve —— Make your subconscious to observe

your conscious mind which supposed  to be not thinking = This is the nut-shell of  Zen training —- Training

because the aim is to achieve Let the subconscious to think and deal with the life —– Because of the

subconscious is thinking but you do not notice it = Hence you are not consciously Thinking.

—– Most important point to remember is, All the thinking process was actually done

subconsciously, then, conscious consideration such as tactical maneuver, social pretence  etc

intervene and mess-up the decision-making and push the life into unnecessary trouble.

Buddha’s suggestion was simple, Be straight and simple, don’t make a life complicated by

being messed up by unnecessary thought.  This is what the Buddhism all about.)

So, why not try your Zenist eyes by looking for the four-leaved Clover.  (Provided, if it’s there at all.  😀

Zen can not create something out of nothing.  Zen can only help you to see it )   Good luck !

___/\___

—-

Blank Space in the Mind / CREATIVITY / SPIRITUALITY

This is a speculation and in metaphor, since the mind even my own  is so elusive and impossible to see it

direct though, it seems in the edge of conscious and unconsciousness,  there is a Blank Space

where a seed of thought or image is first appearing.

The Space has no size, hence it can accommodate the notion of universe to the structure of sub-atomic

particle —– first in a vague form under dim light.

As this Space was surrounded by all library of knowledges and memories  include the subconscious

memory which is deep in the brain, therefore all sorts of connection can be made,  in order to make sense

of what is this seed meant,  in a fraction of second.

The direction of this connecting process can be logical but it is not necessary.

So that a  dream can be created in utterly illogical direction and  with completely  free connection.

In the same time this is the process where creativity works. Whether it is a flat image or a 3D

structure, or an idea  which would be then converted into a meaningful notion by the linguistic semantics.

In the case of image, some person can gradually clarify its vague image into more solid image,

some people has very clear spatial imagination and can do it in 3D structure, others may

only able to see vague 2D image.  The person who can see clear 3D image is also good to see

the object objectively. (And I noticed those people are also able to see the self objectively)

From those images, some of the people can convert it to a concrete drawings (with a skill to

coordinate with the hand) —- as an art or a design for the purpose.  It can also be an invention.

But those new connections are not the result of logical thinking and there is no formula,

or methodology, they are more like a result of chance.    It always comes unexpectedly  🙂

( Like a production of T-cell in our  White blood, the design or the combination of DNA pattern is random

—– no designated pattern against the targeted virus.  Just make a lot, some may match to the virus and

able to kill them, though the rest would be wasted and die.)

Our body is relying on random chance —– knowingly control the direction is done in much

higher region of the brain, with less creativity or fancy novelty. ( Logical but boring.  And

this is why  so-called Conceptual art is boring.   😀 )

—-

So, the field of creativity, new idea or art / design, even a dream are all born in this Blank Space.

It can be described even the limbo in our mind / brain.  Between conscious and unconsciousness.

Starting with very vague feeling, as if it is exist or not exist —— like what  Buddhist describes.

In this field, as the first seed has no defined direction,  chance / accidental connection could be

occurred,  and as the brain scanning all the file and  information, something very remote but possible

new connection can be made.——–> Eureka ! ! !

If it is something useful, we call it invention, if not —– can be an art. (—– Why not  😀  )

—-

To see the seed as it is,  in the clear eyes,  is what the Buddhists are working for.

Since it could be the sign from the Dharma or it could be the direct transmission.

Or it could be an ingenious new idea in physics. (Ask Einstein, how he did it.  😀  )

To see it as it is (before converting it to a known category / notion) need to have an  open mind,

and best to be done in Mushin without any idiosyncratic view imposed on it.

( Interesting aspect of this  Open Mind / Blank Space is, some people can put even clear easily

distinguishable object / idea  into this space, and able to make totally new connection free from any

crèche, idiosyncratic notion,——- it is THE creative brain, creative person. And strangely you might

think, the practice of Zen ( not just a twisted leg formality or patterned Koan ) is nothing but the way to

create this Blank Space in the brain and handle all the coming signal with totally open-minded

manner and purest perception)

And this  Blank Space is where we can communicate with our Spiritual World.

As a seed appeared to this Twilight Blank Space, it is not yet the form of legible word,

some people call this  Transcendental (if it was arrived to the unconscious region,

we couldn’t notice it,  and if it was a clear legible message or clear visible image, we don’t

call it Transcendental) in which we feel, something beyond of our understanding,

deep meaning must be there ——- this is what we call  Spirituality.

—————–

When we receive something very vague signal,  we feel it  Transcendental or  Spiritual.

Like a sound which doesn’t have a clear rhythm nor distinctive melody  but slowly moving rather high

tone (2~4kHz), especially if its got some echo ( think, such as  Mozart’s Requiem which was recorded

in a church acoustics, or some slow synthesizer musics), as it is not narrative or descriptive,

and as the echo gives a feeling of the space, we start to feel as if we were absorbed in the infinite

space and gazing into deep unknown world —— we describe the feeling “Spiritual”.

In this reason, sacred music use this effect —- most typically Mozart / Vatican’s  Miserere.

( This Allegri’s sacred music was smuggled out of Vatican, stashed in the memory of Mozart.  🙂  )

Even the Adagio of Albinoni or Samuel Barber makes our skin creep.

( There could be a neurological effects between the cyclic stimuli / such as sound vibration and

resonating nerve signal —– can be a  residue or left over of  far ancient sensory,  such as Pineal Grand

was suspected to have —– sensing Earth’s Magnetic Field, Cosmic Wave kind of fancy staff —- which

might explain even  Why harmonic sound is more comfortable to listen, or  tone of music affect our mood )

Those phenomena gave a clue —— undefinable signal, a seed of very vague feeling or idea / image is

coming to this Blank Space and making the mind to explore unknown field —– Dream, Creative Idea

—–> Art, Invention, New Theory.

In comparison, if the signal is clear and distinctive, it will be instantly linked to the specific data, category

or notion by the cognitive function of the brain, then it will be converted to the literal notion.

But to define the vague signal, whether it was internally conceived or externally received —- it first comes

to the Blank Space.  So, this Blank Space is functioning like the sorting room for the lost letters  😀

——————-

A scientist said, this function is in our Right Brain  though  I’m not sure as a person who got right brain

damaged still has some creativity,  free mind is functioning —– and I haven’t seen my brain cut open yet.

(Observation through latest brain scanner is telling, that the Nobel Prized Right Brain theory

seemed to be a myth ——- our brain is much more complicated)

—–

State of Zen = Dharma

Through  email,  Jaganathan  asked me pretty significant question.

” It would be helpful to know, by doing what a person in  Zen can fall back into  NOT being in  Zen  ”

In fact there was a popular misconception behind of this.

Zen or ultimate state of the mind in the Buddhism is not a newly acquired fancy addition of

the Mind.  Far from it, it is just the default state (if I may use a computer term)  of the mind.

( Hence, it is the a crucial marker to distinguish out a sham  Zen instructor —– if he says ” You will get

something new” it is the indication of that he doesn’t know the Buddhism )

This is Why everybody has it and born with it.

This is Why all the Zen masters in the past, when he realized it, described  ” It’s a dog sit ”

And this is Why a small children often shows it,  even a small animal, the Nature itself  shows it.

And this is Why, the Buddhism asking and asking ” Get lid of your thought (which is the products

of the complicated brain activities)” —— so, it was described as, be in the Mushin / Selfless.

Of cause,  Buddha was fully aware of this.  That is why he showed it by doing, not by the words.

And this was Why the followers had to follow him and mimic (and repeat as the practice) what

Buddha was doing.  (so the tradition was created )

——- being in the Default state, even the perception of  ” I’m seeing or listening etc ” are not

there ( hence, later description of the sense itself are not existing  were appeared in the Mantras )

( You have to remember that the all the Mantras were written more than 200 years afterward  by

the memories and the guess-work —— since, often with misunderstandings)

All the conversion to the categorized notions or ideas are done by the additional Thinking process.

Still, without all those conversions,  our eyes are seeing. And to see it, as what we have seen in the

first moment, without conversion or additional process is  what we call as the Clear view or Clear eyes.

And without the complicated brain process, which mean without any masking of the thoughts,  we can

see the Dharma —– or one might say even without seeing the Dharma, but Just be with Dharma.

So, be with it —— its mean forget what you have just read here — blah blah blah, Just Do It.

—-

Therefore (back to Jaganathan’s question) as the  Default is the basis, one can not remove it,  though it

would be easily masked by any setting of  thought,  pretension,  borrowed buzz-word,  fashionable

popular idea,  useless Ego,  Greed  etc etc,  but with the price of the Karma.

That is why,  stay humble,  without any masking  or dress-up  would be better,  as it will lose nothing

——- so, peace in simple life is what the Buddhist’s choice.  ( Though, paying some price to the Karma

and have small pleasure may not to be too bad. —— If it was not forgiven,  we human being had been

eliminated long ago.)   Still, choice is yours.  Don’t blame me if its happened.   Ha ha ha   😀

___/\___

—

DorkBoat

Yesterday there was a marvelous boat journey called  Dorkboat organized by the Dorkbot London.

Dorkbot is a group of the people ” Doing strange things with electricity “ —— as their motto

suggests, it is the gathering of the people who is doing with electronics, electricity what so-ever

to show off or discuss what so-ever about their free-minded creation.

Naturally, some are purely digital electronics /

computer programmed graphics or music.

And some are involving kinetic mechanism with

electronic control.

As the group is completely open to anybody

some are doing it alongside of his or her profession

with profound expertise, but some time

utterly an outsider of electronics came up

with very witty approach of an invention.

—

Me to join the group was, again a sheer coincidence.

Somebody a friend, happened to know the member

introduced me to the Dorkbot London as I’ve been

making a lots of funny kinetic sculptures and designing lots of electronic devices.

I liked their motto and my approach —– making the things which are utterly useless but fun,

was exactly matched and found a common ground.

Since then, virtually all of my public exposure such as to French TV, news paper or BBC

were happened with the Dorkbot.  ( Gathering can be seen only for the members, which mean strict

Health and Safety Regulation which is always our headache, can be avoided )

—-

On the boat from Westminster Pier to Kew, we saw the presentation of many funny devices ——

” Mocking bird can be seen as a  recording device (since they can repeat human words ! )” or

ever hilarious  J.Rarson’s game controller, and some music performances  etc etc.

It’s funny to think, the people who follow rigid and rational Physics and Electronics rules

still able to conceive such utterly useless nutty idea 😀   —–  This is THE creativity.

—-

Event was coincided with the farewell award giving for the departure of one of the founder

Alex McLean / formidable  experimental Programmer, as his family is moving out London.

I wish his family’s ever happier life in new location

and his creative projects to ever more flourish.

—

Peace in a Battle field

There was a funny conversation in Email exchange ——–

” Hey  Yoshizen, could you pay the cost through Paypal please”

” Sorry, I’ve been black listed by the debt recovery company,

so that, I can’t use money transfer.  I only can give you in cash.”

” Oooooh, you are such a trouble maker 🙂 “

(Among the Anarchist group,  Trouble-maker is the honourable title  😀 )

” Oh yah, so far I’ve made the enemies,  whole Judiciary here, Japanese Embassy,

Police, Local Council, British Telecom, Virgin Media, Three G, T-Mobile and

barely having a truce with Talktalk.

So that, the Motto of the Zen is the PEACE,—— how to find a Peace / Calm Mind

while shooting  😀 “

—

——– When we are in the battle field, we need to have unmoved,  focused mind

and the clear eyes —- therefore the Zen is the most effective way to deal with the situation.

Dealing with the photography / how to capture the subjects, or even dancing on the rhythm, it is

the battle facing with the situation while sensing all the signals, then instant judgement and the response.

Because of the gushing torrent of the information is coming in, to put them in the clear space

in order to give detached  bird’s-eye view and make instant intuitive judgement

with appropriate priority, become crucial.

—–

This is the reason why,  the sword-masters,  martial-artists even the throat-cutting  share-dealers

needed to learn the Zen —– they are not chasing Nirvana or Enlightenment (too late any way  🙂 )

but needed to have ultimate efficiency managing their mind,

hence able to maximize their achievement in the life.

Do nothing, just sitting peacefully —— needs no more.

—

Science of Mantra

Unlike what I wrote somewhere “Buddhism never contradict Science” if anybody read the Mantras

everybody can see it just as a piles of piles of bullshit.  One description contradict to other or utterly

absurd logic etc etc (such as devils chasing wondering dead soul in the hell “therefore blah blah —-” 😀

Oh, C’mon it’s not a logic —– So, what is this metaphor meant for ? ? ? )

So,  Why I saw them ” Scientific” was, ——– the matter is not the contents in the Mantra but the

effects it causes and evoke the mind ——- instead of blindly accept a Dogma.

If anybody read Abidharma cosa Mantra  (provided not fallen into asleep.  😀  ) it will definitely

wear out the one’s mind, exactly same effect to chant the name of Mantra thousand times.

Analyzing the existences and the perception and categorizing them into thousand of classification

——- and to read them through ( What a hell ) definitely make the person to abandon the thinking

words and words will become just the patterns passing through the eye field.

Exactly same as a typist.  Just type the chain of words.  Just let them go.  Don’t think.

This, well thought-out psychological effects are amazingly scientific. —– Akin to the process of

blow heat the malachite with charcoal  and to get the copper metal.   Long (in deed) before the

mankind knows the carbon in the charcoal reduct the oxygen from copper-oxide —– from

the observation then try and test and establish the method is nothing but the rational science.

—— So, unmistakably on the time of it was written ” To study this Abhidharma is the way to attain nirvana”

( in hard way —— and not very good to the eyes  😀  )

( PS : Earley version of Buddhist Mantras such as Pali Canon is far shorter though always having repeating

——- phrase,  which was meant to be recited ( It’s in the poetry form) —— by reciting them repeatedly

——- its goes down deep into a person’s subconscious, hence it will become automatic to recite (without

——-thinking) thus able to attain state of Mushin (Selflessness) —– So, some described it ” Purify the Soul “.

Without shouting the Dogma,  still able to convert one’s mind by observing the psychological effect is

nothing but the scientific approach.

—

Most Fatal Joke in BUDDHISM

Most fundamental and fatal joke in the Buddhism I found is,

” If the SELF is not existing, Who is the one get Enlightened or Reincarnated ?”

———- the reason why this Joke exists is,  it’s based on the misunderstanding of the SELF.

What  Buddha  meant was,  the SELF who is consciously thinking Self, in another word ” Selfish Mind “.

To clinging and obsessed by this  Mind of  Self / Thinking Self  is the cause of the trouble in the Life.

The Self in one’s subconsciousness is the True Self  which is not visible, hence it exists as not exists.

Being in this True Self is in fact, in MUSHIN (in the Mind of NO Mind, since it exists out of consciousness)

( Ironically, unless this hated figure of  Thinking  Self  start to think

” I need to be wiser, I need Buddhism”  nothing would start.

This is why the Buddhists spent past  2500 years to argue about this complication and the Paradox)

When this True Self was absorbed in the Dharma or the subject, it is the Ichijo (Oneness).

And when this True Self is fully engaged with the subject, it is the Mindfulness.

The True Self, in Ichijo with  Dharma is in fact the Enlightenment.

——————–

Pinch your cheek.   Yes, definitely you are here.   Though, the one who is reading this, how you came here ?

Was that because you Book-marked this blog or just by chance you stumbled here ?

Who made you to read this post ?   What has driven you to read this ?   Why you need to read this ?

Who you are ? ? ?

Don’t waste the time to think about those questions.  Because you can not define it, since it isn’t there as a

solid entity.  ( Since it is a constantly changing relative existence , like a reflection on the moving  water )

Yet,  this blog is on front of your eyes now.  This is not an illusion.   Read this again.  Try hundred times.

This is the task you got on front of your eyes on this moment.  Just Do It.

NOW YOU ARE DOING  ZEN.

( Wasting time by thinking  Who You are,  wouldn’t take you anywhere.  Since, no such things in

the first place.  That’s why the repetitive task  was adopted in the Buddhism practice. )

So,  this will change you, from wondering thinking time-waster to Active Zen practitioner.

This is the very first step. ———– Read this again without any question.  And again.

( Now, You started to Re-program your Subconscious / invisible True Self )

This is The ZEN,  and What the BUDDHISM is.

The matter is to reach other side of water.  You may use modern grass boat or bamboo raft what ever,

though there is no motor engine, so you have to puddle  ——- (can be million times ).

Then you can reach there.  ( Believe me and Believe yourself,  You can do it )

( PS: Yet in case if you drifted down the torrent, don’t call me.  Because Hinayana Buddhist  would only say

” Enjoy a journey ” ——– Raft-ride  might be quite an exciting activity. ( Shouldn’t  be too bad.  😀  )

And when you survived, then later, you must be realized  ” I needed to have that rough ride, that’s why

Buddha made me to have it “.  Some people were born to have longer rough ride to reach other side )

Buddha makes no mistake.   ___/\___

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How BUDDHISM deals with TROUBLE

( This is the shortest summary of what I have explained in the past hundred posts )

Half of the troubles in one’s life are caused by  external situations or factors, which is beyond the one’s

control —– the one was in the wrong place in the wrong time.

Though rest of half were caused by oneself which are largely attributed by one’s emotion, including

one’s greed, sexual instinct and emotionally biased wrong thinking —– in another word, Delusion.

–

What  BUDDHA taught was the way to deal with those troubles by gaining the clear eyes to

see the situation  AND  the way to control one’s mind (include the Emotion and Instincts ).

——– so, it was the two-way approach, hence the complete package of the solution.

To see the world in the clear eyes with the understanding of its existences ( include the Self ) which are

constantly changing by the chain of cause and result,  is fundamentally rational and factual —— hence,

Buddhism never has a conflict with the science.  ( And the common sense.  😀  )

——-

And to deal with one’s mind which is riddled with Ego, Greed, Emotion and  Delusion, Buddha had

adopted remarkably effective way of practice which can Re-program one’s  Subconscious,

therefore able to eliminate all the effect of those awkward Ego, Emotion etc.

This uniquely Buddhist’s way of practice is,  to repeat the same action or thinking for the tens of thousands

of times thence worn-out the Thinking and makes the action independent and immune from any Emotion.

By doing so,  human mind and the body learns to do it without involving thinking and the emotion

therefore, the action became almost automatic (since emotion is detached) and extremely refined.

And able to achieve the selfless state ( Mushin ) of  the one’s mind.

———- As the result,  the Person wouldn’t be shaken by the troublesome event,  and the Mind can handle

the situation without the interference of the Emotion or  Subconscious blockage,  even awkward trouble

can be solved in the very rational and calm manner.

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