Maha Kashyapa

Among the Lord Buddha’s disciples, Maha Kashypa was reputed to be the foremost prominent thus influential one, though, I have a strong suspicion that the stories of such prominence might be created and put by himself.  The reason why influential was not necessary he was respected but just bossy pussy attitude (even worse he was very assertive with a kind of logical argument and good at that = hence others might have just gave up and let him chose = therefore the result looked like “He was dominant”)  And being as an ascetic himself, he laid down a lords of rules to the Sangha (follower’s co-living community). (He was the one against the woman to join the Sangha.)

To check the spelling of Maha Kashyapa, I googled its name and realized that in Hindu, Maha Kashyapa was also named as one of their prominent sage. —– In fact, in Vedic history, Maha Kashyapa was quite a familiar name appeared in many times from ancient Rigveda, Upanishad time = in other words, it’s indicate that many different Maha Kashyapa may have been existed.  Yet still, what was known to be “Maha Kashyapa who was a disciple of Lord Buddha”, an ascetics, a son of Brahman, good in a theoretical argument.    Then, organised the first council gathering to sort out what to keep the teachings in the oral tradition.  —– If the person, Maha Kashyapa in Buddhism and in Hindu was the same person, many questions of mixed-up of Hindu into Buddhism could be answered.  

If MK in the Buddhism history was in deed the same person who was regarded as Hindu sage, it is easy to see why such strong influences came into the Buddhism tradition especially in the Theravada sect.  If he lead the council and filtered out what to keep and what to reject among the memories of the Lord Buddha’s teachings, it was easy to understand that MK’s opinion and strong arguments must be heavily biased the final outcome.  And that might be also the reason, why he was depicted to the side of Lord Buddha (alongside of Ananda) despite he was in fact a Hindu = he must be manoeuvred into the position.  (Others just didn’t want to argue with him.  As he was an awkward noisy claimant kind of the person. )

The author of the scripture in the later date had no way to know those facts and the false stories were just stayed on.  (Such as “Pick a flower and smiled Sutra” of which Maha Kashyapa became the person to receive the “Direct transmission of teachings from Lord Buddha” might be an utter fabrications. — any how this scripture was written in China 600 years later = No Pari or Sanskrit original was ever existed.) 

= So, in those stories in the scriptures, there could be lords of fancy tales.   😀  

When I read through Agama, only those two episode caught my eyes =  My intuition told me Yes this is it.   They gave me the key to decipher what the teachings of Lord Buddha was.  (Crucial key was that, even Ananda was not told the intention of the teachings = Avoid the lexical understanding = The mentality to just follow and DO was the matter. — That was What Void, and the Middle way mean )  It’s mean, a kind of approach, arguing, logically perswading, convincing = Maha Kashyapa type is the out of sort.  —– So, why he was chosen to play a role in the Flower Sermon story was absolutely puzzling !   (It’s mean the author who couldn’t read the mind making up the story ! )

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Soft option in close-up photo

The lenses of which I dubbed “Omunifocus Lens” produces quite usable images from infinity to 0.5m without having any focus control.  Yet, it has a limitation — closer than 0.5m, the image became too blurred.   Still, if the position of the lens was adjusted it can produce pretty sharp image.   So, I ordered the close-up ring for Sony E-mount and while waiting its delivery, I took a soft option of close-up technique.  = The lens was stack on the camera mount with 10 mm high soft plastic putty. (Bluetack) = As the lens was positioned further away from the image sensor it’s enables the close-up shot. 

Those homemade lenses were mounted on the OM body cap (which can be used as a Sony E-mount body cap), so that I can change each of the lens quite easily = take one out and just stick the other.   Since its humble origin from a toy camera or disposable camera, every lens are all one or two plastic, still each of them showed the different character.  Such as the one from panorama camera got quite deep depth of field = keeping omunifocus character even under the close-up shot. (Photo above left and middle)   Still the other lens showed very nice soft image. (Photo above right) — Can you believe, those images were created by the lens costed almost nothing !   And now you might be realised that the photography even with such thousands pound Hi-Tech camera may not necessary be very precise and rigid technology or art = in fact they can be very soft.  (You can see the images if the optical axis of the lens was 15° out.) 

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Winter Cherry (again) – (2)

Just take picture of mere cherry flowers, this set up must be the most swaggering one. 

Still I’m not doing this for ostentatious show off.  simply because, the lens (rear part of a video camera wide converter) has 160mm focal length, hence it need to have quite long extension (therefore, need to use a bellows).  And why I wanted to use this lens here, you will see it in those photos.  Wide converter was made by a reputed good lens maker Tokina, not a jokey Chinese crap.  — I wanted their lens component, not the function of wide converter.  So, I hacksawed it to take a front concave lens out. (which became to the front element of “Wide angle Pinhole Machine“.  And the left over converging lens became a fuzzy long focal lens as you can see it here.  😀 

Those optical devices were designed to give decent requisite function in certain quality, it’s mean, those optics has been designed to eliminate the aberration by combining the different types of lenses — in other words, if the front and rear element was separated, aberration couldn’t be corrected.  

(Photo left = despite of heavy halation, this lens gives quite sharp image.  And having a nice softness.)

So, this rear part of the lens showed quite a blur yet still, it retains the certain sharpness (= It’s a funny lens ! —– I like it though, shame, it’s so awkward to use.)

Ideally those photos should have rather dark blue sky to show white halo around the flowers though, the sky was just hopelessly gray. (Another solution would be, go back there with a flash or LED ring light when the ambient light was getting dimmer. —– I might do it. )

And, to everybody, a Happy New Year for 2017

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Winter Cherry (again !)

OMG, —– when I walked close by, I noticed that, that Cherry is flowering again. —– Since she is flowering every winter, it shouldn’t be any surprise though, when actually face it, still it was a OMG.

Though this time all the flowers are rather high on the branches.  I went back there with “Tele-photo Pinhole” = simply it was the DD Pinhole further extended by the extension rings which made it to 105mm Tele-photo.  (If it was a lens, extension ring will work as a close-up device but for a pinhole, it only makes the effective focal length longer. — in fact, as it will make the image larger, it would have a close-up effect as well though, pinhole has no focus at all, in any “focal length”, if you close to the subject, you will get larger image any way.)  So, what so ever the theory, Pinhole image is Pinhole like image.  Too fuzzy.  Still  if anybody want to see more decent sharper images of the same flowers, I got many many other shot. = please go back to them.   😀

(On the photos above, left and middle were the same flower though, the middle photo was by the Mag lens (and heavily cropped)

I may need to come back with other kind of lenses.  😀

Incidentally, soon after I wrote London weather was mild, suddenly it became cold.  And, this is my first frosty photo of this season. (by the Mag lens)

So, anybody in the cold, Please survive well.

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How silly !

Nik-DD

While checking my own post (I need = notorious trouble of mis-speling), I realized “Wait a moment, why did I need to make a screen shot of Aster flower, while having such fuzzy pinhole — How silly”

Whether you believe or not, I’ve completely forgotten the existence of Double Density Pinhole.  I should insist, this was not a demented memory but the Zen No-mind.   🙂   —– Zen only deals with the things on front = if not on front, it is not exists, since the mind is not clinging the No-existent things.

Anyway, to find the “Pinhole Machine” for Sony A7  and  For Nikon (+ adapter), and had the shot of Aster with ISO 25600 setting.  (More artefact noise would appear with longer exposure = dark evening)

The left photo was a Double density Pinhole. — Nikon type Pinhole machine has Multiple Pinhole as well. (Photo right)

They are the compalison = Pinhole machine for Sony A7 —– As the pinhole is much closer to the sensor, the images are much wider and the color on the edge is sifted to magenta. (Left is DD, and the right was mono-pinhole though, not much present fuzzy effect.

Nik-DD

Pinhole sounds simple and easy to make though, — because it IS such small, very difficult to controle = very difficult to replicate the same effect.

Nik-DD

So, I have to be contented to have this fuzziness on Autumn Color.  🙂

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Aster — (Secondly Photo)

Aster (Aster amellus) must be one of the most common flower here.Its name Aster came from its star shape (why the round shaped star was sheen by such astric * shape  is the other problem ! )  😀

Leave such problem to a neuro scientist to argue.   I did some screen shot of its Aster’s image and created the secondly images.

In my policy, I reject the use of Photoshop or in-camera “Effects” kind, because they were the creations of somebody else. Not mine.

So, whether the artefact of “Hi-ISO noise” is a Digital process or a Character of the hardware is a point of the argument.

On process, the screen shot was made with ISO 25600 setting and during the exposure, the focus was shifted to give a blurring effect.

(Originals were shot by a homemade Mag Lens and the copy was made by Gaudy Lens on Sony A7R)

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Sow Bread (Cyclamen) — (Secondly Photo)

(Top photo was in fact a screen shot of the second photo. — Second =

original photo was taken by a homemade Mag Lens and the

screen shot was done by even fuzzier  Gaudy Lens)   😀

Sow Bread (Cyclamen) was introduced to the Japan about 150

years ago.  Botanist then, Saburo Okubo named it as a direct

translation of the English name Saw Bread to  Buta-no-Manju !

(How beautiful ! ! !)

Most of us think, Cyclamen as a potted flower associated with

Christmas. — As a matter of fact, they are the best-selling plant 

in the winter.   So that, to find its flowers in a shady ground of a

public park was a rather surprise to me. (I have no knowledge or 

a proper reference book to distinguish whether this one was a

wild one or just humble but a tough type for an outside garden.)

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Biggest selling plant mean, it has a very competitive big market

= how to attract the customer, so to find a good sale’s point is a

serious business.  So that, adding a nice smell to the normally

smell-less Cyclamen having a fierce battle. —– On the end a

Japanese scientist has succeeded to develop a nice smelled

variety by manipulating / tampering its chromosome.  =

Made a cross bleed between C.persicum (2n=48) and the

C.pupurascens (2n=34) with scent, to (2n=41) then by the 

use of  Colchicine alkaloid from Saffron, made it to (2n=82). 

(And further process by exposing to Ion-beam to change its

DNA to create nice color with nice smell.)

The whole process sound very complicated and awful. 

Somebody, a kind of  “Activists” may start a fuss, still others may

say it was not actually tampered the Gene but only the change of its

container (Chromosome) which technique has been used to creates

many Seedless fruits such as  the seedless grape, water melon etc.

(When the number of chromosome set was changed to x2, x3 …

such irregularity obstructs the normal development of the seeds

= hence seedless fruits.) 

Although, the plant can produce the fruits, its plant was fertile =

even a cross-pollination couldn’t produce next generation = no

possibility of its spread of an abnormality = safe to the Nature.

—– ?  is it ?        

(As a matter of the fact, our Nature has been bombarded by the

cosmic ray, nuclear particles etc. which is causing the damage /

change of the Gene.

(Which may have contributed to the evolution of many species.)

—– Even on the worst analogy, an Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima,

must be caused millions of genetic mutations if not just burnt to

the death, didn’t create a single Super cockroach nor Giant man.

Genetic mutation might cause the abnormal development or

abnormal growth of the cell or organ (which was called Cancer)

if not die straight, but to have a chance to create any distinctive

new feature to the species is a rare rare occurrence.

To see what is natural and which is not, or how far we can go is a

very difficult question (unlike Activists are shouting) = may be

our useless ideological imagination (and a want of nice smell) is

creating more trouble.  😀

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Hop

A  plant Hop (Humulus lupuls) is a very peculiar plant, which

belong to a small family of Cannabaceae.  From its family name,

you might have guessed, yes, Hop is a cousin of Cannabis.  But

they two looks so different — How botanist found that they

were related ? ? ?    And you might have heard that a stronger

kind of Cannabis, Skunk was created by a crossbreed with Hop. 

(Though, it was unlikely the cross-pollination, nor grafting, so 

some said even a genetic engineering — how it was done

was still in a mystery.)

But, in generall, Hop was only

associated with a beer.

As a matter of fact, me to see

this plant, it was only the third 

time on my life.

First time was on a farm hedge

in the Hertford Shire.

Second time was in a fringe of

a park in the south London.

Then this time, it was a hedge of a

non assuming ordinary hose in south London. = It seems

she always appeared in the most unlikely place. (Of course,

as I didn’t go to see it “likely place” = Hop garden of Kent

or Hop yard of a west country.) — So, the question was,

how this plant or its seed came here ?      And my biggest

question IS how Hop was added to a beer in the first place.

— Has people got a habit to chew it to fleshen the mouth ? 

Then got an idea to put it into a drink ? 

Otherwise, it was the most inventive / creative idea the

mankind got.   (Though, I don’t drink beer.)   😀

(Those photos were taken by Tamron SP 90mm F2.5  on

Sony A7R)

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EFS Junk Macro for Scarlet Pimpernel

This Scarlet Pimpernel photo was taken by a broken Canon

EFS 18~55mm lens.   How it was made broken, I don’t know, neither

the shop staff who gave it to me did.     Despite its front element was

missing, I had a hunch, this lens works. (Above photo / at 55mm, F4)

In order to mount the lens onto 5D body and test, I needed to

cut off the protruded lens tail. (photo right)

Amazingly, the lens worked —(obviously except autofocus.)

(Still able to give a focus confirmation on manual setting !)

And on AV setting, F-aperture worked perfect and the

exposure was correct !    Without front element, the lens can still

give pretty good macro image from 1/1 at 24mm to x1.7 at 55mm.

(Though, with dreadful distortion — Don’t ask too much.  😀 )

This image was made on 55mm setting with F-11 /AV.

And this one was, at 23mm setting, F-11 / AV on Canon 5D Mk-III.

—– considering it was a cheap kit lens, broken and came free,

= it wasn’t too bad was it ?    Canon is making pretty good product.

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* * * * *

(Above is the original size and its part enlargement of the top photo)

(Showed sharp detail though the depth of field is very shallow)

PS :  To the untrained eyes, the photos above seems to be unsharp.

So, I show you a photo of a Butterfly Wing and its cropped,

enlarged images, taken by this broken EFS Zoom lens at 55mm F11.

(Photo above = at 55mm setting, F11 — X1.7 magnification)

(Center part enlarged photo of above picture)

— is it sharp enough ? 

(don’t forget, this is not even a macro lens.)   😀

(Of course, if a junk lens could show the same quality, how

the Leica’s Macro Elmar or Zeiss’ Macro Sonner could

justify their price !

—– and, we can’t talk the price of the mass-produced kit

lens and the lens hand-made for few hundred scientists

on the same basis.)

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The same Meadow by 2 Element Toy Lens

Somewhat the same kind of photos again.

But with 2 Element Toy camera Lens.

This lens can make a bit more detailed image than Gaudy Lens.   🙂

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