Cat’s Story / Cat with Moustache / Cat’s Mind

Animal’s body-color or their pattern of fur never change —– that was what I believed too,

until I saw one of my kitten had grown his Moustache.   😀

Kitten here (photo, left ) was in his 3rd days in this world, and as a very very young boy, he

didn’t show his Moustache yet. —– then less than a week, a faint sign of it started to appear.

I thought he licked something black and got his nose smeared but it wasn’t. (photo, right)

—– And a month later, he was a well grown young cat with well trimmed Moustache.

He was one of kittens born with other 5 (though, one was stillborn and 3 were adapted by

the friends) and only a kitten remained in the family, he was given a name “Den-suke”

(a famouse Japanese comedian with his trade-mark Moustache = Japanese equivalent

of Chary Chaplin) and became an apple in my eye.

Though, I might have given too much attention, he seemed to become mother’s boy.

Unlike his father, “Kaka” who was quite an out-venturing Macho type —– but Den-suke

prefer to stay with somebody and playing / disturbing each other if not sleeping or

cosmetic-licking.   🙂

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As I wrote in the other Cat’s Story(s) before, I don’t believe common stereo-typical cat’s

character. —– If a cat became to a rather solitary animal, it was the reflection of how that cat

was grown-up in its environment.   If a cat was left only as an animal in a house and having

only the social interaction, fed twice a day —– what else other than a solitary animal he (she)

could became.  In contrast, if a cat was grown-up with a lots of interaction from the Mother cats

and the owner who behave (in certain extents 😀 ) like another Dominant cat, naturally the cat

become like a “Social animal”.   Remember, even in the feline family, Lion lives in a group and

having quite complex “Social” activity with Rules and Psychological games etc. —– so, we can’t

tell what genetic trait a particular cat got.   At least I can say, all of my cats were more or less

behaved like a dog = respond to each name and come and play (or disturb me 🙂 ) by their will.

Nurture play a big role in the cat’s character and behavioural pattern !

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But to grown-up with those social environment while acquiring behavioural pattern like a

pecking-order imprinted into the brain, if a situation change, such as when new kittens were

born, and not only the Mother’s nursing care but also my attention has to go those helpless

small creatures.     That was the situation what the Father, who used to be the Star, could not

comprehend at all. —– It was the same situation, when a human male and female couple got 

new arrival of their baby.   (Husband who used to receive whole attention of the wife, was

suddenly abandoned alone in a middle of nowhere, without having any idea what to do. 🙂 )

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To the Tom-cat, those new born kittens were nothing but the other small animals, no different

from mice = therefore, he started to handle (or play) with kittens as if they were the mice.

And neither had a notion of Fatherhood or Recognition of “His baby” he couldn’t understand

why he was smacked when he tried to play with kittens. = To his eyes, I just became a tyrant

who blandish a terror. —– Cats can understand each phenomenon only on its apparence but

not able to connect it to a secondary implication behind, therefore he only thought that he

was smacked because the Boss got bad day, not because he did wrong.

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So, he took a strongest weapon he could use against the Tyrant —— spread his diarrhoea

all over my pillow ! ! !  —– ( I was so impressed with his ingenuity.   A brain which couldn’t

process secondary implication, still able to have such creativity.   I wondered

how he managed to make a connection, “Shit on the Pillow will best annoy the Boss !”

—– Amazing isn’t it ?  ! —— Ha ha ha.  😀 )

So I say, I’ve learned enough and greatly deepened my understanding toward the

simple, emotion-based mind,  while living with cats.   😀

—– And three months later Den-suke had to face the same situation as

next litter of kittens were born.   (So, he became to rotten / fallen Apple ! ) 

[]

Battery Story

Battery is an animal among the electric devices because of it is an electro-chemical device

which is using “on-going chemical reaction”inside, therefore it comes with all sorts of

unpleasant temperament.   Despite their name dry-battery, they are hardly dry solid thing

but contain half wet compound.   Such as a common Zinc-Carbon battery, its inside of

Zinc-can  was filled with black Manganese-oxide which was wetted by the electrolytic

chemical, Ammonium-chloride, and while producing electric energy, they produce hydrogen

gas as well.  (Its pressure causes leak, and it could even explode = when they explode,

popped-up cap break the battery case. ! ) 

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Even though the battery was evolved into Hi-tech age and instead of humble Zinc, Lithium

is in fashion, still it is the same “electro-chemical device” so that, very fancy activity of the

chemical, such as crystallization cover the electrode etc. could be happening inside etc.

Not only the product (battery) is animal, to produce it is really a messy business.  This is the

reason why, most of them were produced in the country where environmental, health-safety

regulation is not strict.   (Such as to refine Zinc, its process need to use Cadmium which was

washed out to the river, hence in China, Cadmium contaminated rice, food in general is the 

serious but hidden problem)  —– Imagine, when the battery was mas-produced, somewhere

rather low-standard factory, how about the purity of the chemical, or how minute but crucial

additive such as a rare-earth material was evenly mixed = some got more and others got non.

= It is easy to see that why each individual battery is never the same.

[]

The trouble of the inconsistency of the battery become really a big problem in case of

rechargeable battery, especially when it was used in numbers such as 4xAA batteries

in a camera or a flash-light.

The situation is exactly the same in case of rechargeable lithium battery-pack, of which

in most of the case, battery-pack contains 2 lithium cells.  —– After ten of the charge cycles

the difference of each battery started to show-up. 

In case with the  4xAA, and if you are

using a charger which is charging each

individual cell (Individual type has

4 separate LED indicators), you must be

noticed that not all of them become Full in

the same time = some of them takes longer

to be fully charged.  

This is the inevitable fate of the battery =

some loose the original capacity much sooner

than others. ( So, I can say, the reliability is exactly what we have paid.

=  What you can get from a set is, what the worst one gives, not their nominal capacity. :-D)

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When the battery has this character, and if you charge them all together, while roughly checking 

the time such as 5 hours, 7 hours kind, or worse  until they become very hot, you are destroying

them. —– When one battery lost the capacity (such as 2500mAH drop to 2000mAH) that battery

become FULL much earlier than others and became hot.   Still if you didn’t noticed and keep

charging, it will be over-charged and makes that battery further deteriorate. — (So, which is the

safest way to charge them.  = Use the charge current  1/10th of the Capacity x 15 hours =

If it was 2500mAH Battery —- 2500 x 1/10 = 250mA current for 15 hours.  = Standard Charge !  )

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Even worse situation is, such as 4xAA were

used in an equipment, when the one which

lost the capacity became empty, its polarity

reverse (Yes, + became to – , same as you put it

wrong-way) then other batteries’ energy was

sucked by this empty battery ! —– Of cause,

it devastates that empty battery further =

in fact, kill-off. ( With the same reason, a

battery-pack of rechargeable tool never last

more than a year or two.  

And when we need replacement pack, the same type may no longer in the market.  

That is why the professionals only use such as Makita or DeWalt who keep selling the old type

many years. We never seen the same type again among the cheap Chinese tools.)

This worst situation may not occur in a case of latest DSLR because the camera monitor the

condition of the battery, yet still in its battery-pack, one of lithium cell has deteriorated earlier

than the other = So, when I disassembled old battery-pack which lost capacity and no longer

usable for the camera, I found the one of the cell was still usable = I reconstructed an usable

battery-pack out of 2 old packs. (Think about, it worth £50 ! —– though, I wouldn’t recommend

you to try the same. Unlike a simple battery-pack of rechargeable tool, lithium camera battery

has an additional safety device connected between two cells, hence a bit trickier to work-out,

and any mistake could cause expensive damage to the camera.)

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So that, when I buy Ni-MH battery, I buy 2 or 3 sets in the same time, and use them in rotation.

And time to time check their capacity to select best 4, which got same capacity to make a set.

To check the capacity, discharge each individual

battery through 1 ohm register and measure

the time how long it takes the voltage to drop

to o.8 V. —– But for most of the people, this

method is too awkward = So, my advice is,

Buy an “individual charge type rapid-charger”

and check the charging time, when one reached

Full, write the time on the battery, —– if the one

become Full, much faster than others, reject

that one. (It’s mean you need to keep a spare,

ready to replace with it. —– In long run, this tactics is cheaper and even if it is the second class,

there always a spare-set is in hand.)  —– More easier method is = check the voltage of each

battery with Battery-checker before charge them, (Unlike an ordinary test meter,  Battery

Checker measure the voltage while drawing the current, hence it shows the condition At-work)

and mark bad apple (s) and make a selection of  “Good 4s” and “Bad 4s”   😀

—– Yes, battery is really a necessary evil.   Unfortunately I still need them —- a lots.

——————————————-

Photo above is a battery pack which was dead.    Five  AAA type batteries inside,

3 were completely dead. —– Anyhow, I replaced all 5 batteries with new set.  

It is possible to do like this though, I wouldn’t recommend you to do this.

—– Without a use of Spot-welder, it need to use the soldering = the heat of

soldering would melt the insulating washer and would cause chemical leak and

cause much more expensive damage to the camera than the cost of battery.  😦  

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Zen in Daily-Life (2)

In the previous post I explained how to gain the Selfless-mind-set with an example

of Tea making though, obviously Tea making is hardly a “Task in our daily life”.

It is more like a not too serious leisurely moment when we have a break.

So, how about a handling business matter such as to deal with Bills.

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Zen only deals with the matter on front.   And divides the whole task into small section.

And to deal with each section, one at a time.   (To climb the mountain, not overwhelmed by

its 8,000m hight, just concentrate to make each step perfect ! = On the end, reach to the top.)

Of cause, our brain can trace the implication of the matter even to 3^rd, 5^th effects and able

to speculate further though, the further we go it become a products of Imagination, or

pretty close to a Delusion.   (As a matter of fact, most of the speculation is nothing but a

delusion and the rest of only few, happen to meet the probability. —- Yet I wouldn’t totally

reject the facts, some people could foresee this probability in amazing accuracy.)

—– So, when a bill dropped on front of you, how you handle it ?     This bill is no delusion, and

a fact how much money you got, wouldn’t have so much grey area.   (Of cause, if you are

running a business, the money coming in, may have some uncertainty of timing, hence some

speculative juggling may be inevitable.   Still, a situation of unknowable wouldn’t give an

excuse to halt the whole business.   In a situation,“Can’t pay now” still, just keep a silence, or

send an excuse of delay, would make a big difference.)  

If ignored, it would come back twice harder.

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To live a life, “Don’t care” is one of THE attitude.   The way of Zen is the another attitude, and

I wouldn’t judge right or wrong but just show the resulting difference in efficiency to deal

with the Life.   Throw the bills to a bin and leave the payment until receiving a Red-bill, is

also a life-style.  Though, Zen chose the way, responding it at once. Because, anyhow a due

payment has to be cleared soon or later, not mention additional Late-payment charge etc.  

Unless the amount is in millions and keep it one more day in the deposit account will create

thousands more interest, instead, just clear and see no mess, is the choice of Zennist.

Even just to open an envelope, tear it regardless if it could also tear the document, —– but 

Zennist use scissors. (For THE task to open it, take the neatest way.  NOT the least effort.)  

And to pay attention, whether to keep the envelope together, if the document was

back-dated.  (—– I had an experience to argue in the Court, for the serving date of a

legal document with the stamped date on the envelope as an evidence. !)

Zen approach is to make everything into a clearly sorted file, and make a way to handle

it to a fixed routine, and to deal with them automatic = no hesitation, no stammering =

hence nothing bothersome would be left.   Even if having a headache of juggling, still see

the balance on a clearly filed order would make the Life easier, otherwise see it among

the piled-up bills, notices and other letters etc., will make the life into a confusion.

It’s far easier to deal with it, one by one in the first place.   The more delay only makes

the pile-up higher and such situation makes one’s mental state only depressed more.

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Dealing the things with a rule, and make it routine would change the matter from

“personal” to “one of an item among the lots”, hence it became an object, and

separated from the Emotion.  = Because of it is under the rule = independent from your

whim, and the rule and the routinised process handles the matter = not your mind = this

is the Selfless state.  —– (In fact this is a well known situation, “the customer complained,

don’t handle me as a number but as an individual person”— still, in an aspect of

efficiency, the difference is obvious.)

With a superficial impression, you may not like this though, the Zen originated “Selfless 

work Ethics” has contributed to High-productivity and the quality in the Japanese industry.

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This rule and a fixed routine creates consistency in the repeated task, and makes 

a person’s brain “Selfless state” —– This phenomenon is all common in the Tea-making or

the handling of clerical work, even the car-making — in fact all the human activities.

—– Behind this phenomenon, there is an crucial tendency of the brain. = Our brain has a

threshold of signal intake = if the same input has been repeated, the brain start to ignore

the signal and respond to it as a pattered routine without involving the Emotion.

It’s mean, when the brain handle a matter without involving Emotion,  the feeling of MINE,

or conscious of SELF  would not be generated.  

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All the sensory signal first goes to the Limbic System to have a reference from the memories

and anything related to one’s interest  (gain, loss, danger, comfort) was marked as significant

and the related hormone (if it was a sign of danger, Adrenalin) will be secluded to the

whole body to respond.  But if the signal has no such importance and repeatedly coming,

this process in the Limbic system would be bypassed. (Even though, the same bodily action is

still carried-out but “Emotionlessly”).  

Because of this Limbic System distinguishes and sorting the signal related to the SELF, if the

signal was bypassed,  one’s reaction would be carried-out without the connection to the

SELF, and the related hormone wouldn’t be secluded = No Emotion. — (Emotion doesn’t come

from a Thinking process, but mostly from a Mood created by the Hormone.) 

—– Therefore, when the brain was trained (through repeated practice) to bypass the process 

in the Limbic System, both  Subconscious of the SELF and the Emotion would be suppressed.

 —– And this phenomenon is the basis of

Lord Buddha’s teachings of the Selflessness (Anatman) and the origin of Buddhism.  In deed,

our brain, thoughts, mind is bothered by the interference from the conscious of SELF and the

Emotion, which creates Ego and the Greed and subsequently all sorts of the troubles in the LIFE,

Lord Buddha’s approach to utilize those Brain Function was a brilliant idea.   And without a

bias of Self, Ego, Greed and Detached Emotion, we can see the things much clearer

= We can see The Truth —– This IS, what Zen and Buddhism can achieve. 

___/\___

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Zen in Daily-Life

Don’t mistake this title as “Twisting leg everyday”.

Zen is to do something in a Selfless state of the mind. Twisting and sitting (supposedly while

meditating) is a mere practice to gain this Selfless (Mushin) state. —– Though, we are not

born for sitting but to do something to have active life, otherwise we have had extinct long

ago with starvation. So, even Eating in Selfless (ie; in Mushin, and in complete commitment

ie; Mindfulness) IS the Zen.   = This is the realization of what

Lord Buddha taught us = Anatman / Selflessness.

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To DO Selfless mean, DO IT without connecting the matter to the Emotion. = This is a state

of so-called Detachment. —– Everybody ever attempted to learn Zen, must heard the words

such as Mushin or Detachment, though, very few had been instructed how to learn it.

(Because in most of the case, their instructor had only an experience to have sat somewhere

in a temple, that all. Still, he is thinking that he had learned Zen.

So, teaching the same sitting  (and only sitting)  to others. 🙂

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The trouble of learning Zen by sitting is, even if the person (luckily) able to manage vacating

his mind while sitting, to keep this state of mind (whil doing other than sitting) is almost

impossible.   Because the mind had been accustomed to “Sitting and Do nothing” and make

empty Brain.   Therefore, TO DO anything else, the Brain and the Thinking will come back.

—– Naturally, to learn Zen in the ordinary situation, in a daily life is far better, as the person

can apply the same method and the state of the mind to DO another  “Thing”  as well.

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Such as to make a cup of tea. (In this purpose, DON’T take short-cut = make a tea from loose 

tea-leaf —– (this has the same concept as how “Tea making as a Zen practice” developed.)

The way I make a tea is :

Put a water to a kettle and shake it to wash inside and drain it. Put a water again to the

exactly the same level.   Switch on and wait it boils.   When the water started to boil,

switch-off (don’t wait automatic switch-off).   Pour the hot water (about half cup) into a

teapot where a tea-strainer and a tea-spoon is in.  (To heat-up them all together.)

Then take the spoon and tea-strainer out and make the spoon to dry.   Throw the hot water

from the teapot.   Then, put a spoon-full or two (according to the taste) loose-tea leaf into

the pot (heated spoon takes no condensation of the steam from the warmed tea-pot, hence

no tea lief would stick on it.)   Then pour the hot water to tea-pot.   Wait two minutes then

serve a tea. Put sugar or milk when I want.

(In fact, when I pour a tea to the cup, I add the (still) hot water from the kettle for next cup.

(I’m a chain tea drinker, anyhow.)   (Hot water was not as hot as before though, tea would be

brewed longer in the pot = it prevent the tea become too strong !

— Second cup doesn’t have fresh flavour though.)

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—– The process may seems too much details.   But they are all for a sake of good tea-making,

and to concentrate for this purpose IS the Mindfulness.

By doing the whole process always the same as THE Accustomed Form.

—– If you follow this, soon or later, you will gain the Formalized body movement and

gradually able to refine the details.   And soon or later you must be realized that you are

DOING all the process Just as a routine = without thinking and the process seemed to be

carried-out almost automatic.   It goes almost independent from YOU —– (As you know,

Do the same, again and again, you start to Do it without excitement, interest = No Emotion ! )

= Now the tea is ready for you to enjoy.   And it was made without your thinking (in Mushin)

and Detached from your Emotion, in other words, Without the  Conscious SELF

= You were in Selflessness.

Do anything in a part of daily-life in the same approach = DO only what you ARE doing

= Mindful Concentration to the only subject.   (nothing else in your mind)

And DO what that subject demand, in your best.  = This is the ZEN in the daily-life.

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= As you did the things, as good as you could, it’s mean “You may do better next time though,

what you have Done WAS the best on That moment = no regret.   (Regret can not change the

past, because the past has gone and the matter to DO better would be on the next time.)

= So, you can live the day without useless regret.   (You only can live, on its moment !)

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Key point is,

(1) Take it as if it is a Formalized procedure, hence you only Do it as if an imperative form.

(2) No short-cut and Do the best. (3) Establish your way and stick to it. (Stick to it though,

“Do the best”  has priority = the way to Do should evolve to even better on the process.)

(In fact, Mushin or Selflessness is mere By-product of this process = Forget them and just Do

what you got to DO = The matter is, you to DO it and only the result count.)

—– So, enjoy your Tea.      (While having the tea, think about, when you live in this manner

down to all the detail of the life, from the way to get-up from the bed – – – – – each frame of

picture to picture, you did your best = in total you had the best satisfying day, and next day too,

so does next year = in total, you have satisfying LIFE.  

As you been doing the best, others will know you are the most reliable consistent best,

because you are the Zennist.      What you wish more on your LIFE.

—– (without able to make satisfying tea, able to have satisfying day, you are far behind

of even start to talk about Zen,  let alone Enlightenment.    

But when you achieved to make a good tea, and had satisfying day, year, life = then,

you don’t need to have any Enlightenment on top of your life, since you already had one.

—– Life has full of funny paradox.  😀

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This was the reason why, when the Zen Masters found their Enlightenment,

all uttered “It’s a dog shit” = after all, all of us walking completely in Selfless Mushin

= nobody need to think how to move the legs.   We were born, able to live Selflessly

= So, it was explained as “We are born possessing the Dharma” which enabling us

to Live without relying on to the Self.    In fact, The Conscious of SELF is obstructing us 

to Live Selflessly.  —– When the Master discovered  this,  after spent years of practice,

he was annoyed to feel ( as the years had been wasted,)  hence    “What a dog shit”  😀

___/\___

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Flower of Fig-titiosa

  With a request of HM Bente, a servant,

Plant Hunter, Yoshizen took an expedition

to find an elusive legendary flower of Fig.

After a great journey and the hard work,

he discovered it and brought back a flower

for the world to see it, first ever the time

in the history of mankind.

(though, this photograph was too

over-saturated, hence the color is not

very faithful representation of  its nature.

—— you are better advised to refer to the next photo.  🙂 )

The formal name of this plant is  [Ficus. Figtitiosa var Brag]    !

Yes, honest, this is nothing other than the Flower of the Fig.

You got open your mind and the eyes. —– Convinced ?  

(A wise advice is, eat this with a pinch of salt.)  😉

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Figs

Before Marks and Spenser started to sell more civilized products like a Wonder Bra etc.

the Figs said to be widely utilized though, I haven’t seen any of them in use, other than on

a very decent ancient sculpture wearing it. —– Anyhow I’m not a very fashion conscious

person, I’m more interested in its edible part.

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Fig is a very peculiar plant.   Apparently it doesn’t have a flower still makes a fruits.

So that, in Japan they are called “Ichijiku” but to write its name in the Chinese character it is

[無花果] which mean “The Flowerless Fruits” though, its reading makes no “Ichijiku” at all.

Because of this, long since I’ve been wondering where this name “Ichijiku” derived from ?  

Then, one day on a street market, I saw a fruits vendor selling the Figs.

And I knew a man working there was a Kurdish.   I asked him, how they call Figs in their

country ?   He taught me it is “Injee” —– With flash of light, I realized, this must be the

origin of the Japanese name “Ichijiku”.

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Fig is one of the biblical ancient fruits together with Grape, and originated from middle east.

Hence all over the Orient, Turkey to Persia, Egypt,  Fig was commonly called Injee.

And it must came to China and to Japan through Central Asia = via Silk-road.   So, I refer to a

Chinese Dictionary to see what is the Chinese name of Fig —– it was [映日果], which reading

in Mandarin is In-lee-quo, but local pronunciation is more like In-jee-quo which was a direct

copy of the original sound to Chinese character, and an additional letter, [果] quo, to indicate

a fruits.  (Like the name of  Japan / [日本], which reading in Mandarin is Lee-pen though, other

locals read it Jee-peng = So that, Marko Paolo wrote it down as Jipang hence Japan !)

From here it’s easy to see, a Chinese pronunciation “Injee-quo” has been changed to “Ichijiku”

= One long standing question was solved !

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But, without having a flower, how Fig can reproduce themselves ? —– As a matter of fact,

they are not flowerless plant at all, far from it, the fruits we are eating is nothing but a

compacted pile of tiny flowers.  Hence, you can see numerous tiny seeds inside of Fig.

The seed was produced by the individual tiny flowers even more numerous than the seeds.

Those flowers were individually pollinated by also tiny Fig-wasp who came inside of a Fig

through small hole in the centre of fruits. —– Of cause, Fig-wasp was not come to a Fig to

pollinate but to mate and lay the eggs.   (There are many different wasps which got different

life cycle —– some stay inside waiting the male wasp to come and fertilize her, and she lay

eggs there, and larvae grow in the Fig and male dies there.   Some other wasps are came

and lay the eggs and their larvae are carnivorous and eat other wasp’s larvae. —– so on.)

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—– therefore, when we eat Figs, whether fresh or such as a Fig Roll, we are inevitably

eating the Fig-wasps as well.   (In effect, it supply the Essential Amino-acid to the strict

vegetarian people = that is why they don’t die with rack of “Essential nutrition”.

Though, you don’t need to become nervous, since this situation is quite normal and common

= can you expect any mass-produced food such as Jam, Marmalade, Ketchup, what so ever =

which track-load of ingredients thrown-into a belt-conveyor, and is there anybody removing

the small insect and their tiny larvae comes with ? )  (Unlike Bottle-fly or Cockroach kind, who

is dealing with human derivative, the insects living with fruits are less likely carries the

germ related to the human diseases, hence they are much safer.)

There are many warning of food allergy, Nuts, Eggs, certain Protein etc etc. though I never

heard anybody got ill because of accidentally eat an insect —– may be without knowing,

we are eating them quite regularly, our body may not recognize them as foreign substance.

This is what “living with nature” mean, in its reality.  😀  

This link may give you the idea, what is the situation.

http://www.rodalenews.com/bugs-food

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PS :  Incidentally, the Boddhi-tree [Ficus, religiosa]

 of which Shakya-Muni Buddha said to have reached 

his Enlightenment,  known locally as Peepal or

Pippal tree also belong to the same family / genus.        

(Photo Right from Wiki media)

So, the Boddhi-tree is a small fruits version of Fig tree

hence has no flower.  Despite the tree can reach up to

30 m, their fruits is not larger than a tip of finger.

( I do yet know how small the Fig-Wasp for this tree. —– Nearly 100 million years of

co-evolution, each species of Fig has their own gang of the Wasp species, otherwise

both of them would have had extinct long ago ! )

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Lettuce and Spinach — its Origin

One of the most unique Photographer / Artist, Karen showed her stunningly beautiful

photos of Canada Lettuce seed in her blog “Draw and Shoot” it awaken my memory that

I had the photo of this (or the one, closely related) plant — The seed-pod in her photo

looks very much like a Dandelion’s, as you can see.  = In deed, this plant is a cousin of

Dandelion and as its name suggests, it closely related to the Lettuce.  

Or the Lettuce was descended from this kind of Plant, namely

Luctuca of Asteraceae (Compositae) Family.   When I found that this plant was the

ancestor of the Lettuce, I was shocked —– as it was completely out of my imagination.  

( Not only it looks so different but also I’ve never seen it in an open field and flowering.)

A book, I saw said that  “to eliminate its bitter tasted white sap, it took 200 years” though,

Wikipedia says Lettuce has been cultivated since ancient Egyptian time.  So, the English

local farmer might have had their own approach, instead to import the established

variety from Mediterranean.

Something similar stories are in Spinach.

The photo left is a plant belongs to

Spinacia in Amaranthaceae family.

The Spinach was created from this kind

of plant, and this weed is also edible.

(Though, this plant contains Oxalic acid,

thus if eat a lots, it would cause an ulcer 

on the mouth.)

The cultivated variety is not only to eat

leaves but also there was a variety to eat 

thickened stem, called “Poorman’s Asparagus”. And other was called Lincolnshire Spinach. 

—– In deed, we human being is very resourceful — or used to be so poor to scrape the life ?

Still, there is a very funny situation. Despite increased world population, therefore needs

lots more food and in deed great number of the people are starving,  in the same time,

we are said to be wasting 1/3 of food. (couldn’t sell in the super-market, due to a blemish.  

Or made them rotten in a fridge due to too much shopping.) —– Something wrong isn’t it ?

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No Word = Strongest Teaching !

Wikipedia is a very convenient place to see the world, even about Buddhism.

Not necessary because it shows the truth but shows the current situation of Popular Belief.

Funny though, it often says “Citation required” — in Buddhism this is THE most blatant irony.

Understanding in Buddhism came from not because it was written. It always come between

the lines. —– Don’t believe what was written but you have to think yourself.

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In Buddhism, such as the strongest denial or the things which is not exist was not lexically

expressed.   So that, the matter was often over-looked or even mistook by the people who

only follows what was told or read.

Like a famous episode in the Vimalakirti Sutra —– To answer a question of “Oneness” (how

totally mindful to the subject) Vimalakirti utter no word, and its silence hit the audience

like a roaring thunder (so the scripture said).

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—– (If you couldn’t get it) = Think, such as in a situation of Sword Mastery, if a man using

the sword could see the situation, how he moves, how sword moves in the Objective View,

it’s mean his mind is separated and floating in the air and watching the situation in

distance = here, two Selves, one was watching and other was being watched, not mention

the independent Sword = this is far from Oneness.    When the conscious of using Sword

and the Hand(s) and even the existence of the Sword fused altogether and moves as one

unified force,  it is the Sword Mastery and the Master was in Oneness.  

(In Zen term it is Ichijo / 一如 or Fuji / 不二 )

—– If you are good in typing, you must know, when you were absorbed into its task =

not only the position of each key, but the keyboard, screen, even the draft paper has gone

out of your conscious but only a stream of each letters = your finger moves automatically,

completely out of your conscious.   And even your Brain was not in there, if the draft had

miss-spieling you just miss-type as it is = This is the Oneness = two Selves, Observer and

be Observed, in fact, THE SELF itself has been totally disappeared into the “TYPING”.

Therefore, no observer or conscious to describe it, nor description of Oneness on typing

could exist. —– (I can describe it because I myself is one-finger typist, still seeing other

expert, I can guess how it’s works from the aspect of Zen. —– still, I may be wrong. 😀 )

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—– So, there couldn’t be a description of Oneness.

= No word even from a wise-man Vimalakirti.    And, in the scripture, there was no

explanation such as what I wrote above ever existed, because able to write about 

expose a failure, that the one was not in “Selfless Oneness” = make a fool oneself.

This was also the reason when

Lord Buddha went out for a walk in a rainy night, he didn’t explain why, even to Ananda.

Because it was about the Selflessness = since the Self / its conscious was not there to

observe, there couldn’t be a word to describe it. = So that, there was no explanation.

(In fact, to teach Selflessness must be the hardest part, even though it IS the gist of Buddhism.

It can be taught only through a practice  (without type-writer !)  I wonder how many of the

followers could have managed to get it ? —– Still, as the tradition has been continued to

the Zen, it’s mean some had certainly mastered it and handed down the teaching !

—– but not by a word or scripture.)

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In Buddhism, a lots has not been written.   As, it meant to be a strongest denial.   Such as

Lord Buddha didn’t answer the question related to the “after life”.  Hence no explanation 

= it’s mean there couldn’t be any written record, hence no citation could be possible.

No citation indicates, no such things in the Doctrine of Buddhism.   And no word by

Lord Buddha ever existed since such matter has no worth to spear even a single word.

(Unfortunately, this situation had been exploited, knowingly or with sheer ignorance,

so many stories of “reincarnation, etc” had been fabricated.)

—– Yet western rhetoric wants to have a denial also has to be expressed,

and No-existence (it’s hard to explain what the Voidness is), has to be proved even

in the Wikipedia. —– It must be a headache to the author.

They can’t create a blank page in Wikipedia and put a comment  “This is Zen”.

(I wonder why not.   A blank page could convey as much as message written

in the same space.)     Ha ha ha.   😀

___/\___

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Lost in a Process ? — or Tampered ?

A man was walking on a trail in the middle of nowhere and met

Lord Buddha.   He asked, is this the right way to go ?

Lord Buddha answered,  Yes I came from there. You just GO.

Anyhow it was only a single trail, nothing else. —– Does it mean

Lord Buddha “Taught him the right way ?” or taught nothing new ?

—–

The man was born to go this way anyway.   So that there may

not be any needs to ask. —– still having the words, it gave him

a confidence and a peace of mind.

He just kept walk, thence reached to the destination.

(But, if the man didn’t actually walk all the way up, or stray-away,

he got nowhere and remained in the middle of nowhere,

still wandering in a barren desert.)

—– Everybody was born to have Dharma.   Therefore, unless

stray-away from the trail, but kept walking, everybody can

reach the destination —– where it was called Nirvana.

So, Lord Buddha told a man ” Just Go” — since it was a  way to

gain Selflessness and to reach Nirvana.

(Remember ?  Kisa Gotami’s story ?)

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Though, in reality very few did, since even fewer ever met

Lord Buddha, so that most of the people got the direction from

others who said walked it before.    And the another trouble was that

so many had took wrong turn, hence wrong trail had been

marked on the ground which was misleading the people to stray-away.

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Lord Buddha’s aim was to save the people from

“A delusion of Samsara” = The idea of Samsara  WAS  the very delusion”

though, later, the Teachings were mistaken to “Save from Samsara” on

the assumption of “endless cycle of rebirth = Samsara exists” because

the Hindu idea of Samsara was almost a common-sense THEN.

(During 400 years of oral tradition, gradually

the original contents of the Teachings has been changed to

“Buddhism IS based on a belief of Reincarnation”—– because of

this, the later attempt to revive the origin such as “Selflessness” 

became a contradiction = “If Selfless / Anatman was true, who is going

to be reincarnated ?  = and it was misinterpreted as a self-sacrifice.

—– There was absolutely no concept of “After life” in the

Lord Buddha’s teachings. = He didn’t even bother to give an answer to it.

(Able to answer mean, such idea was exists in the mind.  But because

there was absolutely no such notion, even no word exist in his mind.)

Or the Words to clarify “No after Life” was intentionally removed from

the oral recitation, because it contradicts a popular Hindu belief =

People must have thought “Such Enlightened wise-man wouldn’t have

had said such silly things against  a common knowledge of Reincarnation” ! 

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But if Lord Buddha’s teachings were the same to Hinduism, why people

specially come and seek a liberation in his teachings ?  = Because,

Lord Buddha denied the reincarnation, it’s mean no previous life which

would impose a Cast to next life exists.  Hence there was no Cast system in

the Original Buddhism.  

Cast is a part of Hindu Samsara idea ! —– Denial to such idea was the

Lord Buddha’s very distinctive and revolutionary new teachings.  

(The idea of “Re-born while carrying the Karma of previous life IS the CAST”.  

Denial of Perpetual Soul (Self) = No Self to be Re-born, hence NO CAST.)

—– You have to see the truth in the historical fact.

Think yourself.  Don’t believe the scripture blindly. —– Remember,

Lord Buddha reached to his Enlightenment without reading any scripture !

___/\___

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Costume design / Flat Panel to 3D Sculpture

I went to a dress rehearsal of performance held at a private club, and took pictures

of this costume though, the club was members only private club,

I can’t give any detail but only show those photos.

Obviously the costume was pains takingly made by many designers, working together, still

I can’t give the detail of who were they, at moment.

—– It was a character in a story, an Eque.

What took my attention of this costume was,

its approach to design the hose head.

The curved structure was divided into each parts,

and formed, shaped, then put together.

—– When I designed something similar, 

a head of Flying Dragon, I figured out the

shape to make it only from the 2 panels, 

= upper part (face) and lower part (jaw), and the

back part of the head was made, cut and bent metal panel. (on top of those, some

additional joint panels, enforcing metal bar etc , still, despite its size and appearance, 

it took only 2 days to make = very simple structure hence easy to make.

—– when designer makes a shape of a horse head, most of the case it would be done by

either Papie-mash or Casted Glass-fiber Epoxy. —– to make it in this way was rather

unusual and looks fun.  🙂

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