On the River Thames
Photo session in Greenwich naturally came down to the river side.
I saw swans on the Thames before, but this time there were quite few
Cormorants = may be Thames got enough number of fish now. 🙂
The Seagull I saw this time were rather small kind and doesn’t show much
dramatic flight ! —– (By the way, the photos in this post were all taken by
Tamron SP 500 mm F8 / Canon 5D Mk-III and on the AV mode)
Of cause the Greenwich is a place on the Thames River. (southern side of it,
in more accurate term) and used to be the centre of the Global Navigation Technology.
In order to make a sea journey accurate and safe, Sea Chart / World Map has to have
exact positioning to the giography, hence the angular grid to define the Global position
was invented and made the imaginaly line running North to South, and a line running
on the Royal Observatory in Greenwich was made as the original point = 0 degree !
Since the Sun goes round, “If you found the Sun in Exact south at 1:00 Pm Exact, you are
on the Longitude of 15 degree west”. And on the Equinox Day, the hight of the Sun on
the 12:00 Noon Exact, tells you where you are on the Latitude. (If the Sun was 90 degree
on top of your head mean, you are on the 0 degree (Equator) or If the Sun was just on
the horizon (0 degree) , you are on the North or South Pole ! = How lucky you are 🙂 )
—– It’s mean, to have an exact measurement was crucial = not only an instrument to
measure the angle but also a watch, which can tell exact time. (Hence, Briton and other
Nautical Giant (= other colonialist) Dutch were competing to invent accurate clock. )
Anyhow, it was a time when British Empire was ruling all the 7 seas.
Not much activities these days but the remains became good show-piece for tourism.
Basically, Photography is the response to the MOMENT,
but to capture a flying bird is a bit physically demanding task.
Ha~ he~, —– once I was a young man. Ha ha ha 😀
[]
Autumn Color
I popped out to the Greenwich with my friend who just bought DSLR this week
for a sort of photo session. He has been watching YouTube Tuitorial viz kind of
“How to make a good photo” and “How to use DSLR”, though, they are still a
theory or knowledge. = Same as a Buddhist’s idea, it takes enough practice to
sink into a level of spontaneity. = Look into view-finder and see the Matter is
such as That “Depth of Field” what a viz told him. —– Anticipate, if the depth
changed what would be looks like then. —– Then own control starts.
Anyone can learn good composition / framing from the sample “To make Post Card
like scene to Post Card like Picture” though, to make “Nothing Special image to
Interesting Photo” need to have a good photographic talent. —– Exaggerate or
enhance the color would make a photo something looks nice though, its saturated
color gives irritation to the eyes too. = Here is the “Middle way” = the level of
saturation which our brain thinks !!! is always too much to our subconscious, since
our subconscious follow what is natural. (Photos here are over saturated 🙂 )
Are you convinced ? —– Take Middle way.
(Looks unusual doesn’t necessary mean Special.
= in most of the case, it is just odd. 🙂
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Buddha’s Hesitation
Regardless, whether it showed real historical facts or not, still a kind of life history of
Lord Buddha has been well established and well known. = So, everybody knows his young
name, Siddhartha Gautama and a story, after he got his enlightenment, he became Buddha.
—– But, how about a story, that after he found the truth and reached to his enlightenment,
yet he said to have hesitated whether should he tell what he found to the others or just
remain quiet and wait to see own Nirvana, because the truth what he found was
too difficult to make others to understand.
[]
But the supreme God of the Universe, Brahman was frightened of this, if
Lord Buddha keeps the secret of Truth in him and takes it to his grave, the man kind will
loose only the chance to learn it to save whole man kind from their sufferings, for ever.
(—– Don’t ask me how Brahman did become aware of this —– If Brahman had such
Super natural power to know everything happening in the world, why he didn’t teach
such wisdom to the man, instead to bother the idea of yet another mortals.)
—– Anyhow, Brahman said to have come and begged to
Lord Buddha to teach the truth. —– So, what was that very Truth ? ? ?
(which would save the man, though too difficult to be understood by the man.)
[]
Many hundreds years after
Lord Buddha’s death, the new trend of Mahayana Buddhism created thousands of
enlightened Buddha and Bodhisattva —- during 2000 years history, they must be hundreds
of the thousands altogether. If there are such number of the enlightened Buddha and
Bodhisattva, among them, at least some of them must had a very bright brain and clearly
aware what made him to get enlightened —– So, has any of them ever elucidated what the
supreme truth was —– Yet still, there was NON at all.
Only something related to this was, that the Zen Masters found it was the Dog Shit.
[]
Mahayana Scriptures says, the supreme wisdom is
“Panya-Paramita” “Anutra Samyak-SamBodhi” —– So, What ?
= WAS this “Supreme wisdom” the one which gave a headache to
Lord Buddha for how to explain and make others to understand ? If so, did any
one of those mass-produced Buddha ever got eternal life thanks to this secret Truth ?
Or this wisdom ever made any country free from the war ? Nothing !
No such wisdom, called Panya-Paramita had substance.
(Don’t make an excuse, by yet another Heaven’s story such as “Maitreya will tell it in future” )
[]
Looking through all the teachings in the Buddhism, there is No super-natural mambo-jumbo.
= Everything is easily comprehendable to normal brain, if not some of them are a bit harsh
or not very easy to keep-up, still, it is hard to imagine if there was any
“Hard to comprehend enigmatic issue” was ever existed on top of those,
especially considering that No abstracts or Metaphysical illusion was in the
Lord Buddha’s teachings —– BUT if it was the notion of Selflessness, it was not only against
the common belief then, but also it would be very tricky matter to explain therefore, this
trickiness would best match the trouble as a possibility, in his starting point.
Assuming, —– if it was not a kind of fancy idea with magical power,
but simply the notion of Selflessness.
—– The idea of Selflessness would make a perfect answer to the problem which the people
had been facing then. = Their fear to be trapped in the endless cycle of death and rebirth.
(= It was a belief of New religion in the Brahmanism then = Hinduism now.)
Against this, the answer of “There couldn’t be such rebirth, because there is
NO soul or the Self remain after the death, which
could reincarnate to the next life” was a perfect explanation. ——– But the trouble to
Lord Buddha was, as the Self isn’t existing, there couldn’t be its notion, nor the word “Self”
= He couldn’t explain the phenomenon of the Selflessness without using the word “Self”.
(If he use the word “Self”, in effect it was the recognition of the existence of the “Self”).
Even worse, the phenomenon of the Selflessness is, not only in the depth of
Subconsciousness, but such notion or the word Subconsciousness itself wasn’t existing then.
—– until he found the way “Just let the people DO the things where Selflessness naturally
occur, which makes them to learn it by themselves, without needs of verbal explanation”
= So, with this solution,
Lord Buddha started to teach. = (Therefore, this was the origin of all the Buddhist’s
tradition such as “Selflessness” “Without thinking = Mushin”
“Without Word = but Direct Transmission” “Learn through the Practice”)
Lord Buddha didn’t need to have a push from Brahman to start his teachings in deed !
(Still, making-up of such fancy story highlights the fact, that the original teachings has
been completely mixed-up with Hinduism then.)
___/\___
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Halloween ? —– Yah, it’s coming !
Nothing special, I just came across the girls who seemed to have a rehearsal kind
for a tomorrow’s event. (I guess 🙂 )
The color has been a bit over saturated. —– It wouldn’t harm anyone. 🙂
Have a funful Halloween.
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Eating Kombu / Kelp Sea-weed
Since I don’t have a habit to pick up a cracker / biscuit or sweet kind, instead,
I’m having a kind of light cooking for an odd bite.
I wrote about green-bean / string-bean with Goma-ae source, daikon etc etc before.
And here, how about boiled Kombu / Kelp.
Although, I, myself never seen how it’s grow in the sea bottom, Kelp is not a special
sea-weed, it said to have deep forest of sea-weed of which each Kelp is 20~30m long !
—- I saw them when they were spread and dried on the beach = 1′ wide of long long strip.
And, neither they are special item in Japanese or Chinese food shop.
Japanese eat them most commonly for Dashi (soup-base) and in many other cooking.
(I don’t think, I need to repeat how nutritiously good they are, as it was too well known. 🙂 )
I have no idea how Chinese eat them still, we can buy dried Kelp easily and quite cheap
in Chinese shop. (Photo Left)
To make Kombu-maki — first soak the dried kelp strip in the warm water for 10 min’ or
so and thoroughly wash-off the sand and dirt. Then cross-cut them 2~3″ and roll-up.
(Authentic Japanese Kombu-maki roll was tied-up by edible Kanpyo string though
I short-cut it with tooth-pick. Photo Center ) And boil them in the plain water half to
one hour, then add a packet of Dashi or if you like fishy taste, add a piece of dried squid
as well. (photo Right) —– and after while, add a Soy source according to your taste, and
if you like even a bit of sugar ( I like to put some hot staff as well) — keep boil them until
rolled Kombu become very soft. ( I heard, the authentic one was slow-cooked over night !)
[]
(Boil them how many hours depend on the quality of the Kombu and your taste. — even
from the same pack, some Kombu would be boiled very soft, less than one hour though,
tough one may be still hard even after two hours. —– If you found it still hard, just put
it back to a pan and boil further. 🙂 ) Generally, Japanese Kombu / Kelp is soft and good to
eat but more expensive —– still, considering the serious environmental pollution problem
in China, may be spent a bit more and buy it in the Japanese shop could be wiser choice.
Most of the Japanese Kombu came from northern Japan / Hokkaido where no problem of
radiation scare has been reported — thanks goodness.
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Exists or Not-exists ? —– Where is the SELF ?
Probably the most fundamental matter in the Buddhism is the Selflessness / Mushin.
—– though, this matter questions the credibility of the one who observes its existence, it is
nothing like a scientific objective proof of existence, it’s far more complicated or confused.
[]
Therefore, here, the most funniest paradox in the human culture comes in.
If you deny the existence of the Self, you can not argue or even put the matter on the table.
= because, its notion itself isn’t exists, there is no word to describe it.
= how to starts arguments ?
—– If the society has no system of personal possession, everything belongs to everybody, so,
there couldn’t be a notion of “theft” let alone the very word “theft”.
If the Self is not exists, no word of SELF, let alone SELFLESS could ever exists.
So, without the notion of Self, how to argue about whether it exists or not. 😀
[]
Lord Buddha’s teachings were described as “Explain unexplainable” “Describe indescribable”.
In definition, Selflessness couldn’t be taught. Selflessness itself is exists though, you can’t
detect or noticed, let alone capture it in objective observation nor describe it in the words.
Because, to notice “it is there”, it’s mean the observer, who was separated from the subject
= independent self is already THERE ! = You are the established EGO.
[]
So, Lord Buddha just gave an instruction what to do, but never explained why or what was
the intention. (Like, just let Kisa Gotami to run about, or Churi Pantac to sweep the garden.)
—– While doing it, they will get used with its work or practice, hence became able to do it
without conscious = Selfless —– this was what the teachings were intended though,
it shouldn’t be objectively noticed or talked about. = the matter is, JUST DO IT.
[]
Once it was talked about, it became a NOTION and a WORD, it became independent
existence called knowledge. Once the notion and the words “I’m cutting Lemon” was
established, “I” who cut the Lemon became THE Existence. —– but, you supposed to cut
a Lemon in Mushin, without the Self. Without such conscious, Just Cut a Lemon, slice
by slice —– your knife, the lemon, your action were all fused in one, with the Dharma
= this is the state of Ichijo / Oneness. —– BUT, once the observant eyes started to see the
situation objectively and started to give a thought or two, the Observer and Be-observed
alienated = the harmony to be in the Ichijo has broken.
[]
In the Vimalakirti Sutra, when he was asked about what is this Oneness, he answered with
NO word (= and the silence hit the people like roaring thunder !) In fact this was exactly what
Lord Buddha did when he was asked about “after life”.
Oneness (Ichijo / Fuji) could exists if no Self was there. And as NO self exists, of cause, there
couldn’t be any possibility of After-life or Reincarnation, and no such notion or word to
describe it could exist. Hence, just a silence = Strongest denial !
(If he was to explain, “There is no Reincarnation because No-Self” it’s effectively recognize
the existence of the Self by the use of the Notion and the word “Self”.
—– It is the same situation, if the one says “I’m sitting in silence” 😀 )
[]
It seems that the author of Vimalakirti Sutra did know what the mind of Selfless, as the
descriptions were spot on though, I’m not sure about the other Mahayana Sutra, and the
author (compiler ?) such as Nagarjuna —– he seemed to have written them from the
knowledge just heard from others. They were the scripture for the sake of the arguments
and those arguments, theoretical explanation seemed nothing to do with
actual Selflessness and the Void.
—– Selflessness is everywhere, as you are reading this blog without noticing that your eyes
have been following the lines. = as everybody has born with Dharma, everybody has
Selflessness yet, masking it with the useless thinking and the Ego which has been kept you
away from getting enlightened.
May be just forget those words, Selflessness, Void kind of thinkings, and just take a walk
may open your eyes much clearer.
___/\___
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Hart Mantra — True or False ?
So called Hart Mantra (Sutra) / 般若心経 might be the most well-known Buddhist’s scripture among it’s 3,000 books, except to the followers of the Pure-land sect. (Pure-land sect prohibits their followers to read this scripture !)
[]So, other than the Pure-land sect, all the Buddhist are accepting the teachings written in this Sutra —– are they ?
Its scripture said that “When all-seen Bodhisattva / 観自在菩薩, (suppose to be
Lord Buddha himself though, Bodhisattva is the one yet to be Enlightened = can not to be a Buddha) practising Supreme Wisdom / Panya-Paramita / 般若波羅蜜多, found that the 5 aggregates (effectively everything) are Void, therefore resolved all the (cause of) sufferings, (thence told to) Shariputra that “The existences (Form) are no different from the non-existence (Void) —– which is the teachings of the Voidness in the existences and the Voidness in our own perception, therefore the Voidness of our own existence = hence No-self.
—– sound not much wrong in the Mahayana Buddhism’s context. —– (If we could ignore the silly ignorance in this scripture such as “Bodhisattva who haven’t reached Enlightenment yet still able to have all-seen power and teach one of the senior disciple, Shariputra who has been reached Enlightenment already”)
Shariputra was not the earliest original disciples. He joined the sangha long after Lord Buddha started teaching. If this Sutra has any historical significance, it showed that Lord Buddha found the Voidness long after he started teaching. —– It couldn’t be true at all ! Such fundamentals in the teachings, should have had sorted out on the beginning. Because, that must be his Enlightenment.
The main question what Lord Buddha had to find an answer was, to explain to the people who has been frightened by the idea of being trapped in the endless cycle of rebirth / reincarnation, even to reborn to a beast (= new trend of Vedic belief or beginning of the Hinduism) by showing them “There couldn’t be any possibility of rebirth, because the Self / Atoman (which Vedic teachings said) is not exists”. As he found the answer in the theory of Karma (Moment to moment inter-dependency of the existences) that the permanent Self couldn’t be existed. So, he started teaching of those truths. —– otherwise, what was he teaching before he found this Voidness ?
[]Further more, historian found a funny origin of this Hart Sutra (+Mantra), that this sutra has been written (or compiled) in China in 7th century and then translated back to Sanskrit, therefore, we better not to take its contents as in its face value but to see it as a theoretical metaphor.
—– Of cause, many fantastic story in the Mahayana scripture are nothing to do with original teachings. —– Use your common sense,
Lord Buddha wouldn’t have said any fantasy as he rejected useless thinking as a delusion. Naturally, he never showed a miracle or magic kind and prohibited such practice to the followers. = its mean, that the scripture which contained “Mantra” (or Dharani — which supposed to have a magical power ) is not the Buddhism at all. You know this is why
Lord Buddha taught “Don’t believe what others said or you read, but find it out by yourself”
Blind Buddhists are worse than an ignorant, because he believes that he knew something. 😀
The matter in the Buddhism is, not about to know the words such as Voidness or Selflessness, but actually being Selfless. Actually being Selfless mean, when you read those few lines in here, just now (or few seconds ago ?) you didn’t aware that YOU are reading this. —– so, without having any conscious of the SELF (who supposed to read this), how you could manage to read this? WHO the person reading this blog minutes ago ? = YOU have to sort it out by your self, —– When you were convinced that you don’t need to have your SELF-conscious to DO the things, you ARE most likely found yourself detached from the Ego, Greed, Fear, Lust etc. too, exactly the same practice which
Lord Buddha started to teach 2,500 years ago.
___/\___
[]
PS: If you were confused of “Mantra” or “Sutra” —– The main body of scripture is the Sutra. And last line of the words “Jate Jate, Para-Jate ~ ~ ~ Bodhi-suwaka” is the Mantra, which supposed to have magical power hence never translated but chant as they are. Though, the meaning is = (as those words are infact common with ordinary Hindi today = since I noticed while listening Asian Radio here.) = Go Go, Go more, You Go Further, To be Enlightened.
—– Para is same as in “Para-mount”, Bodhi is same as in “Bodhi-sattva”. 🙂
* Beliefe of magical power in the words = Mantra / Dharani is a practice of Tantra sect. Nothing to do with
Lord Buddha’s teachings. = Last quarter of this Heart Mantra is praising and promoting the “Power of the Panya Paramita Mantra” though, such notion is all in the mind or only imaginary existence. (If there is any power, why India need to spend so much money for their military weapon.)
All the products of imagination are nothing but the Delusion. It’s not the Buddhism. So, those scriptures are the evidence how the Chinese author was ignorant to the original teachings. —–
Lord Buddha left the last words”never idolize and worship me” = so, why needs to worship mere scripture written by a person who even didn’t know the teachings !
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Toy for a Grown-up / Rhythm Indicator
This electronic device is —– I may say, Rhythm-Indicator !
When I was a Disco-King (you believe or not 😀 ) often people (other keen dancer) asked
me a question about the way I dance, which is completely free movement hence virtually
no pattern still exactly follow and synchronizing with the Rhythm —– I needed to explain
what the Rhythm is.
Since I’ve been almost a fixture of the club, I also made enormous observation of the
people’s dance movement. Among the many funny discovery, the most interesting
phenomenon was, that some of the people dance with the song, not with rhythm beat,
therefore it looks odd and off the rhythm still, the person was not aware of it but
pretty much enjoying the dance (in fact nothing wrong with it ! )
And another discovery was that the Spanish moves a moment later than the beat. (It is
common with the Flamenco Dance, the movement occur not at the tense moment of the
beat, but the moment when its highest tension collapsed ! ! ! )
[]
Anyhow, to talk about the Rhythm in the noisiest environment, it’s easier to show it visual.
So, I made this Rhythm-Indicator (but only for a Rock beat) which shows the emphasis of
the 8 beat in red, amber, green, small green LEDs. And I explained, the movement what
the Rhythm demands, not what I want to move. = So, the movement was the exact reflection
of the music in each moment, not a pattern in fashion (such as in a film) or choreographed
planed movement. —– Funny things even among the keen dancer was, that they dance
what they want = regardless the different music, still repeat the same movement !
(= What is the point to have different music. 😀 )
My indicator shows 8 beat, strong, weak so on, and having BPM (speed) controller, and a
Selector for x2 and ½ speed. The Reset button was to synchronize with rhythm cycle. —– so,
in operation, reset to the first base drum, and adjust the speed to match the music =
Red LED to come coincided with every base drum of following cycle.
Voila’ the rhythm of the music was visually indicated.
—– To put the circuit and the batteries in a thin cosmetic case, I needed to curve the inside
to make a bit more space. (It was long before SMD components or Lithium battery.)
[]
Though, even in the same music, same song, the speed is not constant and the pattern and the
use of percussion is changing. (that’s the way to make a music more dynamic and exciting).
—– So, inevitably, I had to design more elaborated system such as automatically pick-up the
base drum and synchronize the LED to the Rhythm cycle.
But instead to develop Rhythm-Indicator Mk-II, I changed the direction to design the
Sound-reactive Disco Pendant. = It was a by-product of the Base Drum synchronizing circuit.
—– I’ll show you those Sound-reactive LED Pendant in the coming posts.
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Cat’s Story / Haori-chan
When the time to give a birth came, the pregnant Mother-cat come and rub her head and body
against my leg. That is their expression of “I beg you” —– I spread a bath towel on the sofa
and lightly give a massage to her tummy. Then she start to push out the kitten next by next.
So, I take each kitten to her face for her to lick the new-born.
But some time (1 in 5~6), a still-born kitten came out. Once, there was a very hard deliver of
over-grown kitten. Only the head came out, I knew the trouble, and I pulled it hard.
When the whole body came out, the Mother-cat screamed.
That kitten was pretty big —- may be over 400g but I couldn’t save him.
Among the 3rd litter, Haori (of cause, named later) was the most miserable kitten.
In fact, she was yet another (almost) still born. I just took minuscule odds and revived her.
= As in the most of the case, kitten seemed to have drowned by the amniotic fluid, I shook
the body, head down to drain the water, and insert a small paper stick made out of toilet
tissue to the nose of kitten, for sucking out the water further. And massage the body in
a warm water while blowing the air into the nose several times. —– in minute or two, three,
the kitten started to move. = Voila’ one life was saved.
(— Sound, and looks may awful treatment though, I’m not intended to play “Tender Buddhist
posture”, —– if the matter was to drain the water, I needed to use centrifugal force, hence
shake the kitten’s body in Karate speed —– To drain the water from a drowned human by
putting the hand into the throat, it neither be a nice picture, nor revive a person in hypothermia
in the mountain, it is more of the battle field operation than a “hart warming tender story” =
What-so-ever, my practice was very effective and altogether 4 out of 6 kittens has been saved =
this is the fact.
Life is not for talking an imaginary sweet story, but just go through hard act. Just Do.
Revived though, Haori was still the smallest and weakest, hence couldn’t compete with other
5 kittens on the milk-sucking battle. I’ve tried as many times as possible, by taking other
stronger kittens off from tits and gave it to Haori, still, it was not enough, and needed to give
her supplement but, ordinary cow’s milk caused her diarrhoea and needed to buy special
“Kitten formulated Milk”.
On top of those trouble her eyes had infection and having eye-glue stacked on her eye lids.
When Mother-cat try to clean her eyes, she chew-off the dried eye-glue, but in the same time
her whiskers had been chewed-off as well.
(Poor Haori-chan, photo left ! / Photo right, Haori and Pino)
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A month past, when all the kittens started to change to the solid food, I trained Haori to eat
Kitten-milk-powder mixed with cream-cheese. Then cheese mixed with cat’s food but Haori
refused to eat cat’s food. —– (One theory said, that the baby (kitten) acquired the taste
(= what to eat) through the minute chemical in the Mother’s milk —– like Haori, who couldn’t
have enough milk from the Mother, hadn’t developed the taste for cat’s food.) Therefore, I
had to feed her frozen Coley Fish (lightly boiled) mixed with cheese. —– sound very special
treatment though, nothing special to Haori herself. It was her norm and she just grown-up
to an ordinary cat. (She didn’t grow Golden Fleece. 🙂 )
She behaved more or less the same to other cat but not so interactive, just sitting and
watching out of window or me. = only not ordinary was what she was eating.
And because of her expensive diet, she couldn’t be adapted by others.
In addition, another cat, once adapted by other family had came back, because she, Pino was
a too clever trouble-maker. Such as to jump to a door handle and open it etc. she was the
expert to open and sneak into anywhere, hence made a lots of mischievous. (= get inside but
couldn’t open it from the inside then shit there, kind of trouble. 🙂 )
(— Though, I could anticipate what she is going to do, hence such as to make the things on the
shelf to fall easily, she instantly learn and never attempt it again.
So, those two, Haori and Pino were the cats lived with me longest, and left many wired stories.
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