ZEN Photography

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

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

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

THIS must be the Zen !

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

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

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

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

= Mushin mean without a manipulative intention.  

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

was completely absorbed by the subject.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the whole Universe.   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

worked to draw this”

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

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

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

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

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

digital manipulation of a photo would rarely convey this meaning,

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

original meaning, unless the effect match the subject naturally.

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

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

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

manipulation in high-contrast only creates irritating harsh image =

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

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

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

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

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

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

air which makes our perception suspicious.)  

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Spirituality in the photography lies in either overwhelmingly

strong reality of the subject which provoke our imagination, or

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

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

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

exists in two different direction.

One is finely detailed photo of overwhelmingly heavy subject.

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

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

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

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

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

naked,  dumbstruck.

This is the Zen Direct transmission. 

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Line-Drawing = Precursor to Wire Figure

Somebody asked me how I got the first imagination to create

a Wire Figure like “St. Lucia”.

In fact there is a Spanish painting (by Zulbaran ?) of a woman who was hit

by the Good’s revelation.  The design or her posture was after this painting.

But to make it as a wire figure there was a long accumulation of practice to

configure human body into simple contour lines.

(It was not came from Manga drawings)  😀

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Those line-Drawings were created around 1993, soon after my court case

for which I had to sell most of my professional cameras and lenses =

it’s mean I became out of business.  (I fought this case up to the Court of

Appeal without lawyer, since I didn’t know I could get Legal Aide and

didn’t need to sell livelihood. = demerit of  DIY.  Ha ha ha.   🙂 )

Out of business mean I got plenty time but not much money.  

So, I did quite a lots of drawings which costs virtually nothing.

But before this, there was an interesting discussion with

other photographers

“How we can figure out dark faint image or just a contour to

particular object ?”

“How do we know a curved one line to such as woman’s front

body or back ?”

“Is it a pattern recognition or intuitive creativity

to make-up an image ?”

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—– so, I experimented to draw the line, simplified to the limit,

no longer recognizable to any meaningful figure.  

Or figured out the minimum, still able to convey the meaning.

And found that the same line could be seen in the different meaning

or can be seen as other part of the figure.

—– strange discovery was that even if it is utterly illogical,

as long as it contain the recognizable parts, our brain

accepts it as what we normally understand as a pattern.

May be because our brain is not necessary seeing the things

(or drawing) as it is, but reconfigure it as we understand.  

Our thinking or even first-hand perception is never free

but always “Wishful” !

= We see the things as what we wants to see.

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So, the drawing above center, [Two headed woman] = our brain

accepts it as “One woman is facing front with her left hand swing back

and other woman stretching her right hand front” =

our brain never reject it all together with a reason of its 

irrationality,  but try to process each woman independently.  

Because, we are not familiar with two headed woman, the brain

ignore the conflict and stick to see it is two different woman

just happen to be in the same place, while try to think,

“She twisted her front body completely backward”.

—– So, it is a joint operation of our eyes and the brain =

the eye’s detailed vision is only the centre of our vision, about 20 degree

and the peripheral area is rather vague. = very similar phenomenon to 

selectively listen the voice among the other noise.   

(Please test it yourself  🙂 )

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The drawing right was my challenge (in the matter of imagination,

not a drawing or painting skill :-)) to Bosch who showed surrealistic

image in the hell, still never go to this kind of illogical confusion. 😀

—– Even Dalli couldn’t go beyond a crèche.

(May be from a religious restriction, God’s creation shouldn’t have

such freak.) If you see only a part of this drawing while hiding the rest,

your eyes accepts the image. —– One line could be a line of the hand

but it is also the line of the thigh etc.

Our brain ignore the part which is not taking part to configure one

image. ( —– And this is  what all about the Rorschach Inkblot Test =

pick up the pattern in a part, and make up familiar  image in the brain.)

= this function creates a monster from a vague image of a tree

in the woods. = we only pick-up the element which is enough to

configure monster and disregards the rests so, we see a monster.  

Seeing is believing — is it ?

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Some of you might see the top drawing as a kind of Hindu Goddess,

hence may be accept this image straight.   It looks strange though,

if you hide one side, it may not so strange. —– (She supposedly

sitting on a lotus flower though, I have not finished it yet.)

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With those (in fact 300 of ) drawings behind, to conceive and

configure the wire figure was not far away.  

And to draw 300 drawings in the same approach, it has to

get somewhere. = Zen would say

“Even rain drops can curve a rock ” 🙂

—– Drawing was done and each line was adjusted by way of copying

it on the light-box again and again until it become perfect (well, sort of)

so that those 300 are not 300 different images but lots of slightly

different same pictures.  = It was a process of step by step Kaizen.

If I were a real master of drawing, I could have done perfect drawing

straight though I wasn’t, I had to take slower process.

— May be draw a perfect circle looks much more like a Zen Master

though, I needed to know human perception, not a holy pretence. 🙂

And this approach gave me an opportunity to analyze how

we feel different if the line was slightly different or

the same line could be seen in different context. 

So, it was really interesting and a fun. 😀

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Battle of Human Brain -vs- Computer Soft / 将棋電王戦

Japanese got their own board game, equivalent of the

western Chess, which called Shougi (将棋).

Like Chess which was originated from Persia, Japanese

Shougi came from China (but now Chinese and Japanese

one got quite different).

Like a Computer Soft ［Deep Purple］ which defeated the

Champion Garry Kasparov, Japanese has been developing

the computer soft for Shougi many years and having its

international competition.  With the growing confidence

they challenged the top Shougi player Yonenaga and won.

So, the Shougi Soft developers and the top professional Shougi players fought second year

round.  It was called Shougi Denoh-sen（将棋電王戦） a group match between 5 top players and

the computer soft which were the top 5 of the 22nd International Shougi Soft Competition.

The results was, the Computer Soft won over the Human Brain in 3 won, 1 lost and 1 draw.

The Computer Soft called [GPS Shougi] which said to be able to read 280,000,000 moves per

second defeated Hiroyuki Miura 8th Dan (regarded to be the top of tops) in 102 moves.

—— (this is the most concise Japanese article from Jiji-press.com, I found)

Ａ級棋士も屈し３敗目＝ソフトにプロ負け越す－

将棋電王戦第５局

第２回将棋電王戦第５局で、コンピューターソフト「ＧＰＳ将棋」に敗れた三浦弘行八段（左）＝２０日午後、東京都渋谷区の将棋会館

　将棋のプロ棋士５人と５種類のコンピューターソフトによる団体戦「第２回将棋電王戦」の第５局が２０日、東京都渋谷区の将棋会館で指され、先手の三浦弘 行八段（３９）が１０２手で、将棋ソフト「ＧＰＳ将棋」に敗れた。プロ棋士が公の場でソフトに敗北したのは３回目となり、団体戦は１勝３敗１分けで負け越 した。
　三浦八段は１９９６年、当時将棋タイトル全７冠を保持していた羽生善治３冠から棋聖位を奪取し、７冠を崩したことで知られる。現在も順位戦Ａ級にランクされるトッププロの１人。
　ＧＰＳ将棋は、１秒間に２億８千万手を読むとされ、第２２回世界コンピュータ将棋選手権で１位になった最強ソフトだった。（2013/04/20-18:42）

対局後の記者会見で三浦八段は「団体戦の負け越しを決定させてしまい、申し訳ない。ＧＰＳ将棋がこれほど強いと知っていれば、もっと危機感を持って臨めたと思う」と悔しさをにじませた。
ＧＰＳ将棋は最大で１秒間に２億８千万手を読むとされ、第２２回世界コンピュータ将棋選手権で１位になった最強ソフト。現役Ａ級棋士を破ったことについ て、開発メンバーの１人で東京大総合文化研究科の金子知適准教授は「勝敗の実感はありません。ただ貴重な対局の時間を過ごせたことを感謝します」と話し た。（2013/04/20-20:55）

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The question is, as Computer Soft evolves, in any future, can Computer replace the Human Brain.

My view is not.  In Chess or Shougi, the move is strictly follows the Rules, in other words, all the

move is within the pattern.  Only the combination of following move is immense though, that

is what the computer is extremely good at by checking all of them in the lightning speed.

(Computer Soft may work in the Medical field and in the Legal field where the strict rules rules,

still only as an assistant to the Human Judgment. —– Computer can not guess, out of pattern.)

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In comparison, Human Life has to encounter many many irrational occurrences, and its move

wouldn’t be in clean sequence.  Chess’ move is strictly one after another, never able to make two

moves in the same time, but in real life ten troubles may come at once which could be in utterly

out of context.  And even worse, we can’t read the future move but only vaguely speculate.

If computer can give right answer, this financial mess of the world could never happened.  😀

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In the same time, often it is a waste of time try to think = it might be right, but might be wrong.

Try thinking may create yet another enemy, “Your own Brain” = “What silly me” and make you

even more disappointed and depressed.  = better take it light-hearted, and follow the hunch.

It’s mean, to take the decision, first conceived in its instance, and not to worry too many facts.

If it turned out be right = congratulation.  🙂      If it was wrong = scratch your head or cry loud.

This is the reason, better to take it Detached.   You may not get the moon, but never go to hell.

Human brain is not seeking the answer but the way to contemplate “NO answer”.

(This is the reason why no computer soft can replace the Human brain.  😀 )

Still, Life continues.   Definitely tomorrow will come.    Don’t worry.

This is what “Peace of Mind” mean.  😀  

___/\___

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Zen is DO — NOT sitting Idol

Life was not made by what the one (wishfully) think (most of the thinkings

are to find a justification, excuse) but by the deed, what the one did and

do on the moment.

It is the matter of how to deal with the situation.   The situation shows what to DO.

We only need actually DO. When the situation forced us to respond, in most of the case

it is not our choice but the MUST = hence we have to DO unconditionally = and very

little chance to indulge with own EGO = in other words, be in SELFLESS.

We become almost a machine to carry-out the task. —– This is in fact,

what the Zen is.   Zen is not a fancy mind-game.

It is the systematized clarification and the direction of what and how

we have to DO, and to live.

So that, to follow the way how to make a tea could be a Zen. How to fight with a sword

could be a Zen too. —– Found a Cherry blossom, and to try a “Why not” kind of

approach to shoot, and struggle to DO it, is also a Zen. Ha ha ha 😀

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— Who said, Zen is to sitting and meditate = meditate in Mushin ?  Joking.

All the Indian religion takes Meditation as a traditional practice though, do nothing and

sitting is not a Zen. (Such as Yoga Meditation is said to be aiming to have a harmony

with the soul of the universe = to fuse one’s Atman to Brahman.  Though

Lord Buddha himself denied very existence of such Atman.)

So, the idea of Zen Meditation must be invented by very lazy monk to excuse his work.

—– “Don’t be lazy, do something”   “Yes, I’m busy sitting” !   😀

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—– Do something in Mushin will increase the efficiency of the work,

therefore able to achieve more productive life.

In contrast, Do nothing and in Mushin mean Body is idol, the Brain is empty,

it’s just a rug-doll isn’t it ?  Still the Mind is wishfully believing, such practice

could make the person “noble” and reaching to higher consciousness (Really?)

Isn’t it strange ? If it was Buddhism, the Mind supposed to be empty, yet still

having such wishful thinking is a self contradiction.

It is nothing but a delusion. 😀 😀 )

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Zen is to grasp the situation and clearly see what the task on front.

And carry-out its task without any quibble or hindrance

as if nothing else is on the table.

With a clear awareness, that no-one-else would do on my behalf, and no-one

but myself can do, kind of confidence and the determination.

And DO it as if it is the only and the last chance to DO in the whole life —–

to a task, even if it is yet another daily chore.

—– Sound very heavy isn’t it ?   Though, there is a knack, to make it so easy,

just DO it in Mushin.

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= When you face its task straight, there is nothing else you can conceive,

because there is no thinking of alternative, or escape, hope of help from

others, even a notion of next-time, because of Mushin.

Since, the task was carried-out almost machine like accuracy and the efficiency, it will be

cleared without having even a time to have a complaint, therefore, what you feel is

only a sense of achievement and a satisfaction. =

Having a sense of fulfilment and relaxed peace.

This is the Zen.   Having the life all through with this sense of fulfillment

and the satisfaction, on the very end, what can you complain ? =

There only be a peaceful Nirvana.

—– This is the Buddhism of what

Lord Buddha taught.

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Decoding the Human Dream

There is a very interesting report in the SCIENCE Magazine, that the

Japanese researchers had successfully decoded the man’s Dream.

(In fact, I’ve read the article in the Japanese news though, to save a work of translation

I quote the Abstract in the on-line magazine, of which you can see its original in this link.)

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[ Visual imagery during sleep has long been a topic of persistent speculation,

but its private nature has hampered objective analysis. Here, we present a

neural decoding approach in which machine learning models predict the

contents of visual imagery during the sleep onset period given measured

brain activity, by discovering links between human fMRI patterns and

verbal reports with the assistance of lexical and image databases.

Decoding models trained on stimulus-induced brain activity in visual

cortical areas showed accurate classification, detection, and identification

of contents. Our findings demonstrate that specific visual experience

during sleep is represented by brain activity patterns shared by stimulus

perception, providing a means to uncover subjective contents of dreaming

using objective neural measurement. ]

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The actual studies were to match MRI patterns during the dream (of cause, while sleeping)

to the patterns when the volunteer actually seeing the photographic image of each objects.

Hence, when the same pattern appeared while sleeping, the image in the

dream should be the same object which the volunteer could tell.

And this test has been repeated 200~250 times on the 3 volunteers. —– I guess, those

volunteers must be very very patient to be a guinea-pig who was asked to SLEEP and

DREAM while wearing the helmet with electrodes as well !

What a nightmarish pains-taking experiments !   (While sleeping, the MRI live image was

observed and when dreaming brain activity was detected, the volunteer was wake-up

and asked what was in the dream. = Once the cohesive consistency was established,

observer can tell what was in the dream, before volunteer reviled the contents. )

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After all, virtually all the brain activities are in the business of matching

the pattern.   Cognition mean capture the pattern.   Then matching its pattern through

categorization to lexical pattern. = Thence, we can process it in the pattern of word.

If its pattern matches to the knowledge or existing memory pattern, we say

understand.   And if it matches the pattern what we deduced from other

pattern, in logical process or inference, we say comprehend.

So, the same pattern of stimulus trigger the same pattern of reaction = hence consistency

maintained.  (If expected amount of oxygen doesn’t come = pattern was broken, we die.  🙂 )

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Pattern of brain activities doesn’t necessary to be a visual objects. It can be a word or even

a notion.   So that, in near future, human mind could be peeked or even spied rather fancy way.

Only a trouble I see is, existence of particular visual pattern such as car or mountain doesn’t

define any meaning.   Same image could appear in totally opposite context.

Even if I saw Osama bin Laden in the dream and it was detected —– it doesn’t mean I’m a

terrorist.   Far from it, in the dream, I could be a soldier chasing him. 😀

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So, it is not much different from an Access Pass-word by Pr-registered Finger-print Pattern or

Voice Pattern kind.   It is still long way from meaningful practical application

to decipher human mind though, it’s definitely a start.

(To discover general = common to any body’s brain activity Pattern is crucial)

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Buddhism = Science

—————————————————————- ( Buddha 2009 )

While giving a thought to the well known established notions in the Buddhism, after

Lord Buddha’s teachings, such as “See the things in Clear eyes” “Detachment”

even “Selfless mind” then “Don’t believe, but Think yourself” and the fact that

Lord Buddha did ignore the question which was beyond our scope (unknowable),

such as what about the after-life or what is the structure of the universe.

(Stark contrast to other so-called Guru who pretend to know by telling the made-up stories.

—– Who does ever know about the next life or heaven or hell, not mention perpetual soul.)

= I realized, isn’t this, What the Science is ?    Or the attitude to be a Scientist.

When Enlightened man told the truth, he dare to tell groundless story.

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“Right thinking” meant to be nothing other than a Rational thinking.

See the things with Clear Eyes meant to be “See the FACT”, and “Think

YOURSELF” meant, it shouldn’t be any enigmatic special belief but the

Truth which can be comprehensible in anyone’s rational thinking.

As all the factual phenomenon follows the rationalism, anybody knows,

Nothing appeared from nothing.   Nothing happens without cause.

—– Based on the facts, and with the way to observe and analyse it in

strictly objective and rational way, then deduce the truth, is THE Science.

In this process, there shouldn’t be ANY bias of personal thinking, judgement,

preference or special belief = it got to be absolutely Detached from the SELF.

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Truth is independent from any person, let alone anyone’s Fantasy. =

Whether you believe or not, it’s there. —– This is the Science and what

Lord Buddha taught.   (Yet still he was aware of notoriously unreliable our

perception, he spent great deal of his teachings to deal with this matter and

found a technique to eliminates the cause by way of the practice which lead

a person’s mind to a state of  Mushin.) =(This is the core of the Buddhism)

Therefore, if there is so-called Buddhist’s teaching which say anything other than a fact

and beyond the rational comprehension, it is not his original teaching. (Only a problem was,

in this world (in the Dharma) there still be the Unknowable exists.  There is a sect called

Tantra has been trying to deal with it without any tangible answer —– If they could give

any reliable result, they could have been employed by the Pentagon or Russian KGB though,

on the history, deeply spiritual noble “Third eye” which said to be in contact with the Dharma,

still not able to predict such as Earthquake even a single occasion. = If science can’t handle nor

Buddhism can.)  So that, any fancy stories were later invention only to glorify Buddhism.

Buddhism is to Enlighten a person, beyond the personal Life and one’s Mind is out of scope.

What Lord Buddha taught was, how to get clear eyes to see the truth in the life

by get rid of the dubious belief and the delusion, by emptying the mind

(get Mushin), not to trap into yet another dogma.    Dogma is not a Science.

Truth is like a dry skeleton, it has no decoration. —– and needn’t to be. 😀

(This is why my Buddha 2009 is bare minimal skeleton and the head is a clear

void which reflects the Wheel of the Life.  And the heat keep moves its pattern

continuously = never stay the same = This shows what the Dharma is.)

___/\___

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Is Science, Belief System ? / Is Zen, Belief System ?

Lord Buddha ordered his disciples, [Don’t believe, think Yourself].

It’s mean if anyone thinks, the answer will be found by themselves.

And it’s mean, it doesn’t need to be any special person or special brain = Answer is within

a reach of anyone’s common-sense and comprehension.

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There is no fancy mambo-jumbo in the

Lord Buddha’s teachings.  Everything is obvious fact.  Like The Four Noble Truth, who

can deny it is not true.   Life’s sufferings, illness, get old and die, are the hard facts.

And his observation, there are cause of those troubles, is nothing strange view at all.

If anything happened there must be a cause.    Then, there is the way to overcome those

sufferings —– could be true, because that is exactly what

Lord Buddha found and taught which is applicable and effective to to anyone.

The most crucial matter is, that the way to overcome sufferings is not by a

fancy belief and its placebo effect, but an actual change of the mind-set

through practice, which is not a trick but an extension of existing mechanism

of the brain activity, such as to extend our unconscious action of the body.

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Like a physical phenomenon, such as Gravity, whether you know the theory, or understand

its mechanism or not, at least you know the effect which you can easily observe.

Whether you imagining (and believe) small green man pulling invisible string, or resorting

with hypothetical particle Graviton causing Gravity, the phenomenon itself exists as a fact,

hence, the science has been accepted as the truth and it is not in a belief system.

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In the same context, Zen is a system to utilize a mechanism of the brain

carrying out the action without having a thinking process, and such action

is ubiquitous observable fact.   (Zen calls this [Mushin] )

Whether you are aware or not, we are walking without noticing which muscle is contracting,

or reading this blog without aware of your eyes are capturing the pattern of the letters,

even without having a conscious of that you are reading this = Until you start to think and

become conscious, consciousness of the self is not exists. = (Self is our invention by thinking)

Those function of neurological mechanism is the fact and far beyond the belief system.

And a mechanism of our brain, which tend to ignore the repeating signal,

hence we can be apathetic to the signal, is an existing phenomenon,

therefore it is not in our imagination.  Fact exists long before the belief.

And the practice which enhancing those mechanism to deal with a cause of

the problem was what uniquely proposed and taught by

Lord Buddha.

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Lord Buddha’s view that we could live on those unconscious mechanism

in the brain, and as those unconsciousness has no self-conscious, we could

live selflessly, was his theory.

As the water is running down because of the Gravity is an observed fact. Hence, this

running water can be used as a power source is a theory. As everybody knows, this theory

has been successfully implemented in a water mill or electric power generator. Likewise,

Lord Buddha’s theory has been implemented as the Buddhist’s practice and

actually it works. This practice and its effect is not relying on the placebo effects or belief.

It actually trains and changes the way of the person processing the signal,

hence changes the perception towards such as a cause of fear, even a death.

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Therefore, the effect of Zen practice is a real fact.

Not in a belief or in an imagination.

This is the reason how Zen practice has been used even in the sports training.

Zen is not imaginary fancy story but a practice which brings a tangible effects.

Key is Just try, Just DO, and see What happens in your Mind and on your Life.

___/\___

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Martina’s Costume Design

Yesterday evening there was a small party to launch a costume design 

of my friend Martina Trottmann in Soho, London.

Martina studied costume design at St. Martins and working for stage,

art event etc. hence, time to time I’ve been bumping her in many occasions.

And this time she is displaying her design on the Biddle Sawyer’s 

Silk Shop’s front window and this one is also a kinetic sculpture.

= She is breading !

But don’t expect her boobs up and down —– not such obvious move.

Pretty subtle. 😀

—– (Though, to create this effect, somebody said to have devised an air-pump

for 20 second on-off cycle using a computer — what ?   only to activate a pump on-off

in 20 second cycle, needed to use a computer ? —– It could be done with a 

30 pence 555 chip and few more components, all together about £1 :-D) = 

does the person knows electronics ??? )

These days, performance, stage play has been pushing its frontier 

to the limit, or becoming limitless, accordingly, the design of 

costume becoming pretty extravagant or rather bizarre.   

Typically like Ninagawa, regardless whether it is ancient Greek Tragedy or

Victorian play, actor, actress could appear in shiny Futuristic Si-fi gear.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Queen of Siva appeared on the stage 

wearing this Martina’s costume. 😀 

(So, I didn’t ask any question to her = Answer would be Why not  🙂 ).

It is a funny phenomena, supposed to be the most specific, definitive signal = 

visual signal can be freely improvised though the verbal signal = language has

to stay within a comprehensible context.

Costume could be any style, any design as long as it stays on a body, 

it works as a costume. Though, if it was a Victorian story, it got to be

in Victorian time and has to stay likewise a Victorian story.

—– yet still, Oliver Twist who is wearing kinky string costume could

appear with his Gandam look-a-like master. 😀

(Of cause, it’s depend on the director’s taste.  🙂 )

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Wayne’s world in [Misuse Exhibition]

 

After year of absence, I went to see my friend artist Wayne Chisnall on the opening

of an exhibition titled [Misuse : Creating Alternatives] at the Cass Bank Gallery

in Whitechapel. London.

In fact Wayne has been very busy exhibiting his work all over the country and I’ve been

receiving his invitation quite often though, he gave me the notice month ahead —– after

a while, I forgot. —– But this time, he gave me a reminder on the day.

“Oh, yah yah, it’s today in deed” = So, I went.

—– May be I’m getting lazier or may be busy with burning issue of “somebody else’s

burning bottom” = It’s a bad tendency of “If I were asked, just help it” Zennist’s policy.

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What so ever the excuse, to see the old friend and catch-up with what we been

doing, or get the news of other friends, is a pleasure.   So, we can find the

consistent core of the person, even under the changing situation of the life.

——– (Incidentally,  Right photo left is Dan, who created a coincidence of  me to start this Blog ! )

The exhibition was loosely themed in a context of how the artists interpret the existing object.

= some were converted the object to other use or made a thing with different material.

—– So, if I may bluntly say, many of them were a kind of boring second-class work.

= On a process of creation or design something new, the approach of [If Not] is

the easiest way, which in most of the case end up “Just a reverse of the same thing”

(others are well made — “So, I messed it up = this is my art”  kind of rubbish)

—– one of exhibit, a common concrete-mixer was churning sun cream. = Yah, obviously it is

doing something different from it was intended = So what ?   It’s a sign of a poor brain, not

mention rack of artistic inspiration. (Creativity tests, how freely, how far you can go 🙂 )

Or, [boring] was an ironical message to the people expecting to see good art ?  😀

If it was not sun cream but, say something a lots of empty bottles of cosmetic, manicure bottles

etc. the artist could made-up a brah, brah “Signify the waste and vanity of the consumerism etc”

—– (Though, could it mean sexism ? —– but now, even a man using cosmetics. 😀 )

Other work showing some fancy modification of alarm-clock, such as the one got many

additional hands, or heavily dented and broken. —– ? ? ? — where is a creativity ?

Unlike those, Wayne’s work consistently intrigued me as his imagination

always gone such far and his process of creation stays completely in enigma.

Utterly out of context, or I wonder, is there so-called context ever in his mind ?

Such as his old piece, [Nails ball] = Yes I can see they are old nails and they were hit and

nailed in.     Though, the story ends here = our rational brain can see nothing other than

bunch of nails, but the piece appealing direct to our emotion (or hit straight to our fear ? )

I have no idea how this artist reached to here —– was that obsessive endless action, more

akin to a kind of neurological symptom ? —– as a mater of fact, most of the real artist is this

kind of maniac. = even without conscious and often without control, just keep doing it.

May be his love toward old nails started like a small child collecting the objects while believing

a kind of magic spell. 🙂 —– From there to create nail ball, is utterly out of normal

imagination, out of normal function or usage, still as it was driven by dark deep

urge, it started to show its own micro-cosmos, which strikes our emotion and

boggles our mind. —– Hence, it made a piece as an Art.

Above all, the end product is a piece worth keeping, and looks beautiful enough.

Wayne’s other and new work is on the same trail hence there are no explanation why it got such

shape or structure.  Surely it was made out of small wooden boxes etc. which showed his skill to

be an accomplished craftsman. —– yet again almost obsessive endless work with

perfect accuracy, has created totally new micro-cosmos, it’s quite a demonic.

—– In the small cavities or windows, a kind of object of magic spell   🙂

I wonder, whether the magic spell is in the objects or in his mind —– or in my mind ?

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—– Incidentally, after knowing him over ten years, I found from his lines on the palm, how

he is an emotional man, which he admitted it. = Despite his soft, smiley face, this artist

completely hiding his heavily emotional up and down of which most of his friends even noticed

(of cause, I haven’t interrogated his girl friend yet 🙂 )  still, able to keep himself away from

such as alcoholism or drug addiction is remarkable. (It’s an indication of good discipline in his

youth = good family back ground) 

Like the emotion in his dark chasm, his creativity and its source of inspiration

came from deep bottom of his subconscious though, something peculiar was

that he is letting the material to express its own soul or spell, not his emotion.

This is the Zen situation, the maker Wayne created the Piece, but in his selfless

state. —– Selfless ?  If so, who created this = The resonance of the universe did.

So, that is why, it was a micro-cosmos.  You need to hear this very Resonance.

He is a man born to be an artist, and he is communicating it in subconscious

channel, direct to your subconscious, not to your rational thinking brain.

(Your brain would only say “What a hell of this. I can’t make sens at all”—– Your brain is

too noisy to hear this almost inaudible resonance.

= Hence, you need to hear it, in your heart or in your subconsciousness.)

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—- As the exhibition goes on till 22^nd March, I recommend you to pay a visit to

the gallery and see and feel Resonance or the Spell of Wayne’s work by yourself.

The Gallery information = www.thecass.com 

The details of  Wayne Chisnall’s work.

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PS :

While talking with him, I just asked “When you conceived the Idea on the very

beginning, was that an image or a text ?” —– He explained me that it was

always a vague image and not necessary a final image.

– ( This is the sketch / Doodl of Wayne’s Orifice piece when he got the idea in very first instance

– —– it’s shows the stage of development and on the end, it came to the stage, rationally

– figure-out and listing up the material etc. = just an image alone couldn’t be built —– technical

– skill and good management of project is essential)

There are two kind of brain and the personalities.

The one, handling the information in the brain in Graphical way, the other

handle them in written notion or say, in text.

The former is good in remembering the face but not the name. The later can remember the

name well, but not the face.    (You know this very well   😀 )

My eldest brother was extremely good to remember the names, the words, its meanings etc.

anything written, though, utterly useless for the face. (So, he became a professor of linguistics,

teaching German, French and English)    I was born opposite.  Name will gone in two minuets

and spelling is hopeless, still even a face I had one glance, may stay after 30, 40 years  (able to

guess its ageing !)  and I still remember a scene of me looking up the temple

when I was 2 years old, like a photograph !

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I met many art students some of whom I gave photographic training.

Then, I noticed that a person who is good in drawing and has good graphical memory was

having trouble to compile their project-report explaining how it was conceived and developed.

But, the other who can explain well, how original idea came and then developed with other

reference etc. was very bad to draw sketch. (obviously no talent for art)

And, I realized that, this is the case again, it was a matter of the brain type.

A person who got artistic talent is not necessary good to explain it in text.

The other, who try to approach art from textual understanding has no skill

for graphical expression = Hence, become a so-called conceptual artists.

—– or may be Conceptual art was created for those people, in order to save a skin of

Art school. (at least they can grant a degree and justify hugely expensive tuition fee. 😀 )

Very interesting and very very funny.

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ZEN Practice ?

Following the discovery of my old climbing boots, I found something amazing (to you)

out of packed up boxes I’ve stashed, may be 25 years ago.  🙂

Some of  readers, even a keen Zen practitioner may be horrified to see this 😀

Then, some might ask, What this to do with Zen.   Or, to be a Zennist, does it necessary to do it

in this extent ? —– There is no rules or requirement.   All up to the person. —– Some might

be taking easy to sitting or could be walking, even cutting a lemon.   Why not stitching.  🙂

But, I didn’t do this thinking of Zen.  (It was long before I even become aware of

the meaning and the effects of repeating practice in the Buddhism) = I just did it

as I got too much time in a winter mountain shelter or in a tent while imprisoned by the snow

blizzard.   What else to do then ?   (Other than this, I curved fire log into such as a spoon.)  

Still, it was only me doing like this and I never seen anybody else

did the same, then and ever since.

(And many years later, I realized that it WAS effectively a Zen practice.)

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Mountain woolly socks couldn’t last for ever, of cause.   Soon or later, thread would be getting

thinner and break.  But if we threading it with another woolen thread to reinforce

the part, it extend the life = pretty obvious = So, I did. 😀

(The socks photographed here had been worn, I think more than 8 years or more while using

it about 100 days a year.   The heel part seemed to have ^3rd ~ 4^th generation of the

thread, and 40 years later, it is still usable !)

—– If you don’t know how to do the same, just look at how knitted thread runs.

Then just follow the existing thread, go through the loop alongside.  And keep doing it to cover

all the part necessary to reinforce.  (Use the thread partly doubled to make it even stronger.)

(My mother was very good making Kimono (of cause by hand stitching) hence by watching

her to do the work, I learned some sewing technique though, when my mother and sister saw

my re-threaded socks,  it frightened them = so, it was not a common practice, and out of

imagination even to the Zen monk’s family.  🙂 )

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If this is a practice for Zen, provably this is the most humble yet easy to do

practice you ever heard of,  still not such a labour than to sweep the street.

And on top of it,  it would save some expense on your pocket too.

= You must be very grateful.  So, have a try, when you are not too busy. 😀

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The kernel of the Buddhism is to do and to live unconditionally.

(So, if there is a thinning hole appeared on a heel of socks,  just mend it.

= simple and straight.  No need to think at all.  🙂 )

Therefore, Buddhism is not to search or ask something but just live.

Anyway there isn’t any answer. —– Hence,

Lord Buddha ignored the question, on this reason.

Since living and doing unconditionally in the first place, there couldn’t be

any hindrance or doubt.  (Doubt was CREATED in the mind)

Hence, even going through the sufferings, it will be passing away without

causing any mind to buckle, even without taking notice.  Therefore, even

when the death is arriving, there couldn’t be any stir in the mind. 

This is the Nirvana.  And this is what

Lord Buddha has taught.

___/\___

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