The last Glow of the day

——————- last glow of the day ?

A while ago we saw a news of a Rock Star David Bowie’s death though,

how he died, even where he died was not clear.  Even Bowie’s best

friend Brian Eno hasn’t been told.

Bowie left this world incognito = of course alone.

—– Strangely I never gone his concert or took his picture.   Because I

didn’t like Glam Rock and didn’t like his slimy creature like texture. 

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About the same time one of the senior member of our Alpine Club

“said to have” died. —– why said to have was that the other member

found it in a news paper report.    Despite the past-away has been

quite active not only in the mountain but also organizing such as the

country-skiing event etc.   He or his family didn’t contact the club at all

and the small funeral was said to have taken place within the closest

members of the family. = Seeing this news in the club’s mailing, I found

that “Yes, this is the manner, the enlightened man taking his nirvana”.

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We came to this world alone and die alone. 

Still wanting to die while surrounded by a lots of family members and

the friends, and to have a big funeral —– isn’t this a fear of dying alone,

or a display of the vanity and the greed of the dying or the family ?

There might have been a lots of dramas among the attendances of funeral

= good and bad and ugly, not mention the battle over the inheritance etc.

So, the smallest gathering would be the quietest. And closest to the nirvana.

—– then, give the another thought.

Anyway, the past-away never know whats happens after =

why not to kick a big frolic and have a fun !

___/\___

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OMG – Magnolia flowers ?!

London has been having no real winter = no ice, no frost not mention

a snow.    And having the flowering Magnolia.  

OMG, this is utterly crazy.

Of course, there could be “Special garden variety” of  Winter Magnolia

of which I’m utterly ignorant though, this one may not be the case.

Still, this tree had pretty early flowers last year as well.

I do like to break the convention — but this case is not funny.

I like to act brainless though, I have no fun making a fun out of

handicapped person.  Especially if it was created by the human error

such as an industrial poisoning.

I hope this magnolia has normal gene though, = if it was the case,

the climate alone was the cause ? — did it got such wrong ?

It’s just a beginning of January.

( —– in here, top photo was taken by the Zeiss 18mm and the

rest were taken by the homemade lens.)

This photo above was an additional comparison, taken

by the specially modified Canon FD 50mm F1.8 while its

focus was shifted during the exposure. = Since the image

of this lens has little aberration and halation (only having

superimposed out-of-focus bokeh) the contrast was

much higher = more glare) = different kind of fuzziness !

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Rice Cake

I would say nothing new = It’s the same story in New Year.

= I made a Rice Cake and made it to an Ozoni etc.

In fact, having the same event so many times again and again

it isn’t much of excitement. —– it’s a routine Sir.

I don’t have new year’s resolution kind. ( but just having

on-going projects which is going to be completed)

= Has to live as usual and do as usual whether it is fun or not.

That what the life is.

(If we plan big, it would fail.  Not a plan but DO have a step further.)

That what the Zen is.

___/\___

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First Sunrise of 2016

 

Sunrise in densely build area of London is not dramatic nor beautiful,

nevertheless it was the first sunrise in this year 2016.

Happy New year.

Last night I was in a new year’s eve party of the locals though, as

usual, I didn’t drink but just dancing —– I took some pictures though 

I wouldn’t bother to publish them while taking the consent of all the

people in the photo.    With their generation, the music was 70s, 80s

even 60s.  🙂  — and some kids as well. (very unusual party for me.)

🙂

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Season’s Greeting — New Year 2016

Cross the Winter Solstice is THE matter to me.

= Now on, the days are getting longer.

The photo for this year was taken from the Waterloo Bridge,

towards up-river and down-river.

Real scape had bit more festive lighting = more color LED

though, they just disappeared.  Never mind.  It wouldn’t kill you.

So, have a Happy Holiday Time.

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Citron bath on Winter Solstices (for Monkey)

冬至でサルもゆず湯

>>> http://www.jiji.com/jc/pp?d=pp_2015&p=latest-jpp020507192

To make a Citron Bath on Winter Solstice is a Japanese tradition.

It was regarded to be good for the winter health.

So, why not to Monkeys too.   🙂

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Jingle for the Season

For a BBC Radio 3 listener (without TV) like me, the situation might 

not be such bad, still usual common Jingles were too much. 

So, how about a bit of change.

(The original music was  Johann Pachelbel’s  famous  Canon D.)

(it’s not that Camera)  🙂  — (Originally the name of the camera,

Canon was Kan-non, after a divine figure in the Buddhism, as the

company’s founder had deep religious conviction toward Kan-non.

Later it was re-named to the Canon = western notion of “Rules” —–

Music term Canon was, as the repeating pattern follow the Rules.)

If you like even more visual fun.

I have no idea where this viz was made but I’m sure this project gave them

good fun and a feeling of unity.

And this one is for quiet rest.

Sometime, this kind of Ethereal sound is not too bad to the ears.

Have a nice holiday time.

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Winter Cherry 2015

Someone might say,”Same again how boring”

though, it’s not only an accustomed tradition here

but this tree is more than a friend to me.

She is an indicator of Life.

Having had a rather unusual life style = flowering in  

the winter and the last one tree left among the three,

— to see her flowering again in this year, really

gave me a sigh of relief.

By the way, they are the same flower though, right photo was taken

with a built-in flash of the Nikon D810, and I found it is rather useful.

(Though, flashlight was diffused by a white paper.)

So far, the weather in London is not cold at all.  Still it is winter.

The photos here were taken by either Zeiss 18mm F3.5 for Nikon or

Homemade single glass lens/so-called Gaudy Lens on Nikon D810.

(Strangely, the Non-CPU lens on D810 was functioning well here —

I haven’t fully tested whether D800 and D810 got different OS/setting.

The setting was for Non-CPU/Zeiss 18mm Lens = the Lens, brighter

than F5.6 may be working but may not be with Pinhole unless AI ring

was set to the proper position.)

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Wasn’t that a Contradiction — or— Enlightenment ?

Somebody questioned me after this paragraph :

—– You have to see it by your eyes.  Not from the stories.

Otherwise, Why You need to bother be a Buddhist.

To contact with all the fresh stimuli with your naked sense will

keep your brain young.  —– Which was

the last paragraph of the last post = Meaning on the Hand.

“You (mean Me) been saying “See the world in Detached eyes.

Do the things like a routine without Emotion” but here you

say “Feel it with naked sense” — which is true ?”

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Aha, you are right.  I didn’t pay enough attention.

It was a matter of the stage, while people gain the awareness.

= Going through the pathway, people gain the awareness and in

the same time perception, attitude etc everything will change,

but only stage by stage.  It will not happen in one go.

—– With the endless repeated practice, the person may gain a

mentality to do the practice as a routine, out of emotion, and gain

an attitude to carry-out the work/dairy life in a detached mind.

Once the person mastered this mental state, in fact the person

became immune to the emotional up and down and became a

cool observer to his/hers own life.    Once the person reached to

this stage, the person would be liberated from the Person itself.

This is the biggest Paradox in Zen. = As the person IS now free

from the SELF, there will be NO concern left = even the own life,

therefore free to commit anything.  So, feel free, enjoy or cry free.

In fact, here is an Enlightened Person.

___/\___

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Meaning on the Hand

Well, this is the Post diverted and became its own from the previous post.

Hand is a body parts which got second highest concentration of

the nerve after the eyes.  And especially we human got our hands

best developed among any animals, we have best and the most

delicate control of them.    So that, not only its dexterity or the

physical function, its acquired the mean of expression as well. 

We can read the meaning of what the hand is telling or symbolizes,

and the eyes tend to follow what the hand is expressing.  

(I mean not only F**K or Peace kind of sign but also more delicate

mood of its operator as well.)  🙂  

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Among the Buddhism, Tantra sect having not only their Dharani

(magic words) but also quite complicated form of the hand sign

(or finger twists which the followers do the same — and they are

showing off it each others “Look I can do better than you”).

It’s hard to guess where it was originated, = each

Buddhism Figures are showing their unique hand sign.

You may search their meanings or each name in the Wiki  though,

I don’t think it would bring any worthwhile understanding of the

Buddha’s teachings.   They are just the cosmetic style.

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= After all, the core of the teachings was, to reprogram the brain to

jump the process in the Emotional Region in Limbic System, where

the notion of Self-interests = Ego / Greed / Desire  were induced.

It is the same situation to learn ride a Bicycle = reprogram the Motor

Region of brain to learn the body-balance on the bicycle = intellectual

understanding of “How to ride” wouldn’t work, but physical practice.

Lord Buddha’s last words in his death bed to the disciples was

“Don’t believe what others say or you head, but learn it yourself”

—– This episode signify

(1) His teaching could not be understood intellectually but only 

a practical learning of the body and the mind could materialize.

Such as,  you been reading this blog without noticing WHO is

reading this — ?   = We are living without noticing the SELF.

Unless we assert “Me Me Me” Self is not there.

— With a practice, you will get a technique to apply this mental

mechanism to do the subject which was awkwardly entwined with

your Ego, without Emotion and without the so-called Self.

(2) The reason why

Lord Buddha had to say it in such a precious, last remaining

moment was that his disciples has yet necessarily mastered it.

—– And this fact explain why the Buddhism and its teachings of

“No-Self /Anatman” (No soul to Reincarnates) was misconceived

and mixed up with the Hinduism (which says Reincarnation) since

such early days.

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When we saw a hand and feel what sort of meaning it’s saying,

— we can feel but it can not be interpreted into the words.  

Our hand express unconsciously = and we read it unconsciously.

= they are out of the lexical comprehension.   —– The most of

Lord Buddha’s statue having the hand sign called “Semui” (in

Japanese) which said to mean “Don’t be afraid” — Can you see it ?

I can only see “Oh, what a big hand !” —– 😀 

—– You have to see it by your eyes.  Not from the stories.

Otherwise, Why You need to bother be a Buddhist.

To contact with all the fresh stimuli with your naked sense will

keep your brain young.   🙂

___/\___

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