Still Blooming = Perpetual Cherry

This is the same Cherry tree,  I’ve shown you three times before, but always out of season.

Last time, it was a month ago.   And since then it kept blooming without a brake.

In order to highlight the flowers,  this time I photographed her with flashlight.   🙂

But for the reference, the photo above, center is without flash.  And right photo is another

ordinary cherry tree which shows no sign of flower yet — may be takes another 2 weeks ?.

This tree never in full bloom still,  always some (20% ?) = so far, continuously blooming

since last October,  November.  —– Now, the end of March, its mean even Kan-zakura

(Winter Cherry) is in the end of the season.  = in other words, this tree is different from

any other variety = This is the Perpetual Type ?  🙂  — Beyond this time, I should keep

watch how this tree does in the Summer. (I should have done it in the last Summer.) 

As you might noticed,  I was totally fascinated by this Cherry tree.  😀

What caused her to keep blooming continuously ?  (It’s not weather or sunlight.  So, What ? )

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PS:  Now in the middle of April, this Cherry is in full bloom.  🙂

More photos and the comment on this post.

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Impressionist photo of Autumn

They are utterly vague fuzzy images though, strangely we can see enough information,

or we feel enough of what is going on there.   And it is enough to carry on our life.

( The detail of Concentric Double-density Pinhole can be found in this post (link))

Some one said, ” To know the name of Plant is the start to respect and love the Nature”

Is it ? —– I think, ” To realize, How little I know,  lead me to just accept what’s there,

regardless any  name or details, —– This must be the Truth to be there”.

= Therefore, see nothing is what clear eyes can see at it’s best !    Ha ha ha  😀  😀

So, those fuzzy images may be what our eyes are actually seeing.   And so-called sharp

photographic images were, the results of the heavy  manipulation in the brain.

( Do remember, our eyes never able to see a straight line, as the Retina is not flat =

impression of  straight line was created in the brain !  = so did any images.  The facts

in the Argumented Reality showed, our vision is very very flexible.  😀 )

They looks like just common tall grass though, this one is the Japanese Susuki Grass.

And I’m very very attached to it.

So, this is it.    It was my Autumn moment of this year.  🙂

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( Thinking ) in MUSHIN

While talking with people, I found even a person regularly reading this blog still having a

confusion about the subconsciousness and the state of Mushin.

—– giving a thought = It might be caused by my explanations, since I might have used the

term Mushin = Mind of No-Mind, too casually = since it is almost a crèche, I presumed that

the term must be well understood from other books or the sort, so that I just concentrated

to the way [How to reach or experience and learn it].

= Or, may be I haven’t been clearly defined about two different “Thinking” yet.

Mushin Without Thinking might be very deceptive words in deed 😀

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“ Mushin without Thinking” = In this “Thinking” mean, Higher level of the brain process

such as categorization and the sorting process = matching to an existing

references, and the conversion to the linguistic expression.

(All those process are the matter of the pattern-recognition)

On the other hand, Sorting is according to the value or its importance.

= this Value and Importance mean Personal Preferences, the Value or Significance

in the Society, Value in the Belief System, above all importance in the scope of the

Preservation of the Self and the Society / Species (Mankind)

= (All those are related to the Survival instinct).

= So, you may think “ How we can survive without thinking”

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It is a well known phenomenon that our brain is doing thinking process without us noticing it,

and when we became aware of “I thought”, subconscious has processed it 6 seconds ago.

(This must be measured while observing the brain activity on MRI or PET scanner though,

I wasn’t there = I know not whether it was 3 or 7 second in reality 😀 )

So, the question is, out of our conscious,

what our brain has been doing during those 6 seconds ?

—– As a matter of fact, even in the state of Mushin, our brain is fully working.

Even if the Sword- Master Musashi is fighting in Ichijo with his sword and with the

Rule of the Dharma, his eyes have to see his opponent’s movement and the brain has to

analyze other conditions or situation as well, not mention the control of his hand and the body.

= It is the moment to moment responses.

(Some are really done out of our conscious by the Motor-region of the brain, such as to keep

the body balance —– but to pay attention to such as to the road condition, not to tumble on

a stone, may needs a bit more of the instinctive body reaction = stone has to be seen and take

it into account)   It’s mean, even in the state of Mushin, your brain is not blank but

fully committed to the matter what you are committed in its moment

(hence this is called Mindfulness) still without you consciously noticing it

(hence this is called Mushin) while your hand, body, mind, your sword are

all in one unity or in perfect coordination (so,this is called Ichijo / Oneness).

To DO this, or to BE in this condition, you can’t have any noise or unrelated

obstrucing thought, therefore it was described  “ Not to have any useless or

intentionally conceived thought”

(hence this is called Mind of No-Mind / Mushin).

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Those invisible / hard to describe latent thought or unconscious process in a dark depth of the

brain was bracketed into “Feeling”, and often called Intuition, Inspiration, Spontaneous Thought,

even Spiritual Feelings. = As those latent Proto-Thinkings has yet to be categorized to the

existing type, selected, filtered, or scrutinized against rationality etc, often they are pretty

wild and irrational (just like our dream is ), still showing amazing truth.  😀

Hence, they are also the source of  Inventive-creativity,  Artistic-creativities

and Open-eyed Free-minded Thinking, Lateral thinkings etc etc. = I described

those Free-Thinking process is taking place in the  “ Blank Space” in the brain,

long time ago.

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In comparison, so-called (Conscious) Thinking is either HAD been processed and HAS been

converted to legible or translated into linguistic format from those latent feeling or thought

aforesaid, otherwise the information has come externally in the linguistic format. (read a book)

So that, it is always the parallel process in the brain though, as the conscious process needed

additional formatting, it loose the reality (such as, processed words “red blood” doesn’t have a

fresh bloody reality in comparison to one’s experience = actually in the accident) and far slower

than the process which subconsciously done in its moment = Yet, Conscious Thinking is easy to

remember as it has been sorted and converted to the words, still, Original Latent Thought

has much more fresh facts / reality = much closer to the TRUTH.

This Truth is what Zen Buddhist is after = But it needs clear eyes and the Mind.

With clear eyes and the Mind, we can sense the situation in every moment = and

able to respond as it is happening. = This is the Life [Live in its moment].

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It must be clear now, the real meaning of Mindfulness, Mushin, Ichijo (in fact, they are

the words to describe the same state of the MIND in different angle)

= “ Without Thinking” has to be understood as “ The Mind has no Conscious

Thinking, still it is not blank but keeping all the perception fully open and

making intuitive up-to-the-moment response, without us noticing it”

= clear eyes and the mind is to capture those intuitive response in the depth of

subconsciousness,  without a distortion caused by useless Thinking and Ego.

= This is how ZEN with clear eyes and the mind can lead you to reach truthful

answer or the best judgement, even inventive totally new idea.  

And ultimately  “Able to reach to the Dharma”

= We might be retaining even ancient, ancient memory of the primeval time

which has been written in the DNA, where we came from, how we been evolved

= the reflection of the rationality in the Dharma = Rules of the Dharma.

To discover and reach this wisdom is the ultimate quest to the Zen Buddhists.

___/\___

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PS : You might be realized here something is missing

= What is the control of our thinking ?

Conscious Thinking is parallel with Subconscious Thinking and if we can’t escape

Subconscious Thinking which is invisible hence out of control mean,

“ Can’t we escape from wrong thinking ?”

—– If we were imprisoned in wrong thinking down to the bottom of subconscious, there is

a remedy what the Buddhism has been specialized.

Here, Practice of Buddhism come to play their role ! As

Lord Buddha found, the main cause of wrong thinking bore out of the Ego or Self.

Against this, unconditional endless practice of the practice ware-out one’s Ego.

= If one’s Ego is no longer there = no instinctive drive of Self-Preservation = no greed, no fear,

no fear of the death = This is the fundamental change in the basis of thinking = If the basis

changed = upper structure changes as well.

If there is no Self = Nothing to loose = Freedom. (If mortal Self is no longer there,

why afraid to make a failure and own demise or even death. = Anything is

possible though, as neither Ego is there, there wouldn’t be a possibility to

conceive self enriching act or having grudge against others.)

So, Freedom here but not a sign of selfish wrong thinking !

= What a contented, peaceful life. = WHAT you want more.

(This is the reason why the Great Zen Masters having so many extraordinary jokey stories !

= They must have had lots of fun in liberated mind  😀 :-D)

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Mindfulness again !

A word most frequently come-up on the Buddhism talking is the [Mindfulness]

= in another word it is a word and its notion is the most confusing and

misunderstood. (hence keep haunting the people 🙂 )

= Misunderstood from the tone of the word which force a person to think,

“I have to Mind to make it full” = trapped into such obsessed idea.

On contrary, Mindfulness is Just Doing the Subject away from any Thinking.

= Whole Mind and the Body was completely absorbed by the Subject.

It’s mean, even an awareness “I have to be in full of Mind” can not be there.

= You can not learn Mindfulness, but you have to learn the subject such as

Tea Making = after 10 years, when you can make a tea without any thinking,

almost automatic = this is THE  MINDFULNESS.  😀

( If a teacher says, “I can teach Mindfulness”, he (she) is a sham )

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Some time before, I’ve described the situation of Buddhism teaching with a metaphor,

“ The teacher who supposed to teach dancing, teach the step, hand movements etc,

without music, without knowing what the dance is”. = Almost like the blinds

touching an elephant and try to explain what the Elephant is. 🙂

Therefore, the unknown part, or the part what Zen teacher couldn’t clarify was left as a myth

of spirituality, and the structural explanation, such as the relation between the notion of

Self, Mindfulness, Mushin, Enlightenment and Nirvana were completely missing.

—– on top of this, sect to sect, they give their own wording, making the situation even worse.

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Contrarily to the popular MISconception, the Buddhism is one of the most

simple religion, or it may not even be a religion at all = just a way to live in a

particular MIND. ( AND, this particular mind is nothing special neither

= Mind of AS YOU ARE. 🙂 )

There are no special name of Divine figure to remember, there is no obligation to chant special

mantra, even no obligation to do something. —– But Just live your LIFE.

Only a confusing or difficult part is, to see this MIND. Or, to see WHO YOU ARE.

Yet, strangely, YOU are nobody else of YOU, hence your Mind is nothing else of YOUR MIND.

—– (That’s why, this is so difficult and so easy ! 😀 😀

And that’s why the scripture says, “ It is there as not there” 😀 😀 )

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To live Your Life as Your Own Life with 100% commitment is the Mindfulness.

In the moment, when me to curve wooden Spoon, I had to concentrate and completely being

“A Man Who curve the wood” = this is the Mindfulness on its MOMENT.

To be in the Mindfulness, there is no another mind to observe such mind.

= Because, JUST DOING IT is what 100% commitment meant.

To curve the wood, hand and the chisel is fused together which follows the grain of the wood

automatically. = this is the [Ichijo] and as there is nothing else but the action of curving

= no another thinking is there. = this is [Mushin]. As the wood is being curved, its shape

is keep changing and no-return. = this is what [LIVE in MOMENT] mean.

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As I wrote before the original word to describe Mindfulness in the Buddhism scripture

(in Pali) is Sati, and Chinese used a letter [念] Nien or Nen in Japanese for this translation.

This letter meant a sort of mind, deepest in the human psyche which form the base of the mind.

And I found in Japanese a word [覚悟] Kakugo seems to be the best suited to represent the

meaning.   This word can be used to describe a determination in the deepest psyche

in the subconscious level.

Hence the meaning is, a kind of mind to BE as {something / somebody} hence, if it

is YOU, a firm commitment to be YOU, or even an absolute commitment to curve a wood.

(No one can have any another mind while using sharp tool, otherwise end-up cutting fingers 😀 )

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So that, when we were absorbed in a subject, it’s a moment of Mindfulness. = so deeply absorbed,

as even an awareness which observing “ I’m doing this” is not there, = is Mindfulness

= Mindfulness has to be in Mushin ! —– In fact, it is so easy JUST DO IT.

—– ( Whether to be absorbed in such subject is fit to be IN YOUR LIFE or not. = This is a matter

related to one’s Karma. = Who you are ?   And I’ll talk about it in the another post. )

___/\___

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Poppy = Impressionist’s photography / W-Pinhole Photo

As it is in the season, I’m seeing number of interesting photos of the Poppy in the Net.

One Photo-blogger Lemony showed her Poppy photo (link here) taken while intentionally

shaking the camera and created blurred image which I dubbed “Impressionist’s Photography”

and I promised her I’ll show my “Impressionist’s Photo” —– hence, here they are.

Isn’t this Impressionist, is this ?    Ha ha ha,    🙂

Those photos were taken by the Pinhole camera (Canon 5D Mk2)  but in this time it was by

two Pinholes of which the panel was fitted on front of the extension ring, therefore the

effective focal length was 84 mm.

With Two Pinholes, it produces off-positioned two images = similar to double exposure image,

or there used be a Double Image filter which used shallow prism = but such image can be made

by Photoshop much easily now. —– Still, I like those images, if the paintings of Impressionists

are still the painting, a photo of pinhole is still the photograph. (Why not ? )   😀

(What so ever, the best of all, two pinholes can make twice as many flowers instant.  😀  )

This photo was taken from the same position, but the Light Balance was set to Tungsten Light,

hence the color balance has shifted to blue. — (then,  contrast was increased and cropped)

= the image became even more like an Impressionist’s or an abstract painting.

This is an ordinary straight shot = as for a reference image. (Lens was Canon 70-200 F2.8 = set to

about 85 mm, and set to F4. —– ( This image looks like a Japanese Yamato-e Paintings.)

With the light balance set to Tungsten Light, it made the pale colored image more like a

Chinese panel painting.

Then, the same Poppies’ were taken by W-Pinhole. (not only the effect of the Pinhole, but

the wind shaken the flowers and made the image even more impressionistic  😀  )

(Under the wind, no flower stand still for 10 seconds, especially delicate Poppies )

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It seemed like the same situation, when people was bored by the too clean digital sound, they

started to go back Veiner or even Valve sound = when too clear sharp photo became too

ubiquitous, and easy to achieve, some went back to  B/W  Film Photography, some are even

trying to make their own print paper applying photo sensitive emulsion onto own material to

create textured fuzzy image (strangely, often fuzzy image seemed to have more connotations)

= there could be hundreds of the way to do photography.   (—– not only Pinhole   😀  )

This is the 84 mm W-Pinhole “lens” (?  😀 ) I’ve used.   Panel was a thin aluminum of a beer can

mounted on front of an extension ring.    Photo right is, with its “lens”  hood ! —– without lens,

it’s still need to have a Hood = you believe or not.  (Normally, a lens hood is to prevent a direct

sun hitting the lens = eliminates a ghost and halo.   Yet,  Pinhole without lens still needs to reduce

the light from the sky etc, which creates halo by scattering inside with diffraction. = Most of 

Pinhole Photographer doesn’t know this, as they think,  even the unnecessary halo is still the

character of the Pinhole photo  🙂  )  = Here,  seeing is believing.

Photo left is without Hood and the right, with hood = the difference is clear.    🙂

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Compassion and Charity in Dharma

When we saw somebody lost a balance and seemingly fall, we just give a hand to

hold the person. ———- why ? ? ?

Give a thought. —– Why do we need to give a hand to this person ? Why this guy shouldn’t fall ?

Why with my hand, why not other’s ? —– This guy even might have a Karma to fall here, and

hit the head and to die. —– Or, is it to prevent a messy situation developed and don’t want to

see bloody scene ? = are ALL, in the THINKING.

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But without any thinking, instantly we just stretch a hand to support the person.

Have we ever taught to hold a person to prevent fall ?   Who told you to do so ?

= Without any knowledge, without any thought, WE JUST DO IT. = WHY ? ? ?

Because it is in our nature. Instantly see what is necessary, what is right and good.

So that, Lord Buddha explained that this is the Dharma which, we were born with.

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There is no word on the beginning.   So we needed to invent a word for this phenomenon, as

[Compassion].   And after started to notice this, started to talk and teach brah brah brah.

Without we know its whole mechanism and details, we knew it’s there of which we named

DHARMA.   And we knew, it is functioning without we think nor even noticing it. = in other

words, it is there, in the same time it is within us.

—– If we start to think, it is not necessary rational nor beneficial for us.

—– Why, do I need to help this person.   Yet we automatically do it. = don’t need

to think too much. = better leave the matter to the hand of DHARMA.

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And this is what all about the teachings

of Lord Buddha.

His teachings are all not about to reach the Darma, but to eliminate the obstacles

which prevents the Dharma prevailing. — such as “Why do I need to help other = Ego”.

“Has it any benefit for me to do this ? = Greed”.

“Oh, this person is falling, —– should I help but how = too much useless thinking to waste the

time and make it too late”

= So that, the core teaching was to eliminate the useless thinking = without own

thinking we can react to the situation = it’s mean, we can do it without SELF

= Self itself is not exists.  ( He just pointed out the facts and its explanation,

same as the science = anything fancy imaginative stories were added by others)

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Natural flow of inspiration doesn’t necessary having a convenient order or structure.

Lord Buddha’s teachings must be given as his wisdoms, situation by situation on the spot.

The structure and the classification, listing and the numbering must came much later = after

the teachings were written down as the scripture.

Trouble in the Buddhism teachings are, the person who compiled it didn’t necessary understood

what the [Mushin] is or knowing the effect of having the Dharma in him.

Therefore, he only guessed and listed up each description of act from hear-say.  

So that, in the Buddhism Scriptures, each duties were listed

as if it is an each discreet mind and act. (List of DO and DO-NOT)

(It was like a man who doesn’t know the Dancing, to teach How to Step and

How to move Hands all separately without accompanying music  😀 )

In the state of the mind = in Mushin, Compassion, no Ego, no Greed, no

Wrong intention etc etc are in fact, just one mind.  It is an inseparable one state

to see the good or better at once, which also controls action or body movement.

( So, the Best Judgment, Creativity or the Mastery Skill are all bore-out from this)

Though, it couldn’t even be observable by the person. —– If it was in conscious

of the person, such as “ This is a compassion” = it is a sham and just a pretense.

This is the reason why being in the state of  Mushin and in Ichijo is so crucial.

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When your hand spontaneously hold the person,  it was a real compassion and

the prevailed DHARMA.

___/\___

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ダルマ／法と仏教の構造—Structure of Dharma

これは禅を学んでいる人にダルマ／法とは何かを説明して送った手紙の一節ですが，

実に明解，言い得て妙だと自分で笑ってしまった程で，これはここに再録せむとなった次第。

( In here, I’m explaining  [What is the Structure of the Dharma] )

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喩えが悪いケシカランと思う人が居たら，アナタ流の説明をコメントに入れてくれるよう。

－－－奇抜な喩えで，一気に理解させるというのは

釈尊以来，仏教，禅の伝統になっている。

もし，仏教は，禅は高貴なる神秘と信じているとしたらそれはアナタのロマンと高慢。

とまれ，悟りとは犬の糞。

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－－－－－－－－－－－

ダルマとは，この全宇宙，物理的全存在とそれを存在させている全法則，その総体のことです。　

解り易い例えで言えば，ダルマ／法とは宇宙サイズの機械仕掛けで，支配原理は神秘的形而上学

でも宗教理念でもなく，合理主義に立った物理学，材料工学，分子生物学，生理学，ｅｔｃ，科学

の総体です。

当然そのサブシステムのである我々もその微小部分の一つであり同一の原理で作動している（ダルマ

を内包する）訳です。

（機械に心は無く（＝無心），黙々と作動してその機能を完遂するのが役目）

このシステムがジャンクのよせ集めではなく，システムであるのは個々のサブシステム間，総システム

との間に整合が保たれ（ほぼ）完璧に機能し破綻が起らないという事です。

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ごく一般的，かつ楽天的に見れば，この機械システムは一応恒常性を保ち，全生物は間違いなく

進化して来ている。　人類も一応発展しながら無事命脈を保っている事から見て，性善と考えられ

ている訳ですが，別に人間に好意的とは限らず，むしろシステムの利益，つまり宇宙や地球の

安定的バランスに価値基準が置かれているらしい。　

つまり，個人の利益幸福よりは社会正義，特定社会の都合よりは地球環境の安定の方が重要。

－－－とは言えこのシステムはあまりに巨大かつ複雑な為に大部分は未知であり，

おそらく人間如きにその全容は不可知でしょう。

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人間は微小なサブシステムにも関らず，頭でっかちに進化し高度な思考能力，想念とか心を持つに

至った訳ですが，トラブルは，この想念（思い込み）が元々の設計仕様を覆い隠すだけでなく，

仕様からはずれたり（妄念），高すぎる期待値（我欲）を抱いたりする為に，本来の機能すら

全うできなくなる事です。

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つまり，元々の設計であるダルマと，思考想念との乖離矛盾が人間の苦の根源と喝破した

釈尊はそうした無要な思考，想念を断って（無我，無心）生きる事がダルマの回復，回帰（一如）

であり，矛盾の解消された悟りの境であるとの教え（仏教）を始めた訳です。　

[例えば季節は太陽の動きに一致し，植物が［規則］正しく芽を出し花を咲かせるように万物が［規

則］＝ダルマを持って存在するするという考えはごく自然に得られるものです。

釈尊もこの伝統的理解を踏襲した訳ですが，彼独特かつ画期的アイデアは，ダルマ理解の中に

カーマ（カルマ，縁，因果＝原因〜結果）の視点を加えた事です。つまり万物は因果の連鎖を

持って存在し，原因なくしては結果も無い。素粒子が無ければ原子は存在し得ず，光が無ければ色

は無いし水が枯渇すれば作物は育たない。－－－この考え方はさらに飢えがあるから，欲があるから

盗みが起るなど，心理や思考／その傾向にまで拡張されていった訳です。

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しかもこの因果の連鎖は網の目のように広がっているから，繋がりのどこかで生起する物事は次々と

連鎖していく。従って万物は依存する条件の恒常的変化（万物流転）の中にあり不変のものは無

い。(諸行無常)

[]

もっとも，どこまでをダルマ（法）とするかは宗派によって異り，禅宗では全存在を　含めて法とするが，

現象の背後にある法則（例えば合理性）だけを法とする考え方，スリランカなどの南方仏教のように，

信者の守るベき戒律だけを法と呼ぶ場合もある。（最も重要な点は

釈尊はこのダルマを概念や抽象的観念としてではなくその存在を客観的に実感し得る実在（全存

在）として把握していたと言う事です　＝　だからこそ他人の言葉（言語化された概念）を信じる

な、己れの直感で体得せよと教えたのです　＝　例えば、事実として己れが無私であるのを経験

する事。

（あなた自身これを読みながら、実は自分が読んでいる、まして眼が文字を拾っているなどと言う

自覚はまったく無かったでしょう　＝　全て無意識の内に処理される）　己れの認知にかか

わらずダルマは存在し無言で機能しているのを知る事。　ところがそれらは直感（潜在意識）で

把えたものであるから、在るとも見えるし無いとも見える　＝　つまりダルマさえも実は無私（空）

であるのに外ならない。）

ーーーーー　

[果たしてダルマに宇宙意志とか，人間界で言うような意図があるのかは議論の分れる所ですが，

僕の個人的経験から言うとやっぱりあるようです。

何故か，ぼこっと幸運に恵まれたり，逆に前述したような思い込みや妄念でストレスを高め己れで墓穴

を掘ってしまうような［極めて理に叶った例］だけでなく，｢これは死ぬだろうな」と言えるような事をやった

人が，突然ころっと死んだり癌になって苦しんだりするのは，やはり運命（ダルマの意図）の配剤らしい。

[]運命というのは，ほとんどがシステムの合理性として説明できるダルマの原理の中に残された不可知

の領域ですが，それでも直観的にピンと来る所が面白い。

しかし運命は運命，無心に（感情的になって嘆き悲しむのではなく）受止めるしかない＝不可知を

知ったからと言って何のたしにもならないという訳で，それについて質問された

釈尊はそれを無視して黙っていた。(無記)　（とのことです＝僕が目撃した訳ではない　笑）

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－－－必読：無着無住とは？　（リンク）

[]

Mindfulness – Western Misinterpretation

People talked about the BBC News, featured about the Meditation (which I didn’t know).

And it seemed, BBC used a word [Mindfulness] to explain [Meditation]. —– What ?

Meditation is to sitting in [Mushin = 無心] = not having even a notion of Mindfulness.

—– Why such kind of mix-up is taking place in the west ?

So that, I first ever saw Wikipedia [Mindfulness] 😀 and discovered the situation. (it explained me why

a talking about Zen with western Zen Practitioners are often end up in confusion. 😀 )

I’ve been long suspected that the understanding of [Mindfulness] and [Meditation]

in the west was wrong.

Simply because of the academics or the scholars of the Buddhism scriptures are arguing about the

meaning of the WORD in its semantics. (Word is mere indicater of a notion = not the notion itself. And

even the notion couldn’t necessary able to describe the meaning.

Such as “Ride” a bicycle = to find the use of this [Ride] in the time of Donkey and a Cart wouldn’t make

any sense about an application against a modern bicycle. And the understanding of the word “Ride” is

nothing to do with how to ride a bicycle. You only know it actuarially master to RIDE it. 😀 )

So, it became clear. To know the meaning of a term in Zen, you got to do the Zen.  And to know

the meaning of the word wouldn’t make you able to to know the Zen. This is the very reason why

Lord Buddha ordered his disciples “Don’t take the words of mine or others, but think yourself.”

[]

Zen had spread from China, and to Japan. (then from there to the west)

Lord Buddha’s teachings were re-discovered in there through the practice which

Lord Buddha taught direct to his followers.

By following those practices, Chinese monk who translated Scriptures and Mantras, managed to find the

meaning of the word in Sanskrit, Pali or Tibetan and assigned the word to a Chinese character

[念(nien in Chinese, nen in Japanese)] to the word now (miss) used in the west, as [Mindfulness].

The Chinese character [念] has the meaning of deep thought or even a kind of feeling stacked in the depth of

mind which is distinctively different from the temporally conscious thinking [考].

One of the most observant people in the human history = Chinese, created the character to each different

level of mind-activities in the brain.   Such as [考], [思],[慮],[念] and [懐].

[懐] is a word to describe a feeling, “I feel it is there though, hard to describe, and I can’t get lid of it” kind =

such as latent fear or one’s positive, negative mood. ( They are the matters of the hormone level in the body)

Above this, a bit more clear level of Mind is [念] = which indicates “whether you intentionally

think or not, it is always there and you aware of  it” kind of  focused tendency in the mind.

This  [念]  is the Mind what ancient Chinese monk who translated the scriptures, found to

be the best suited to describe [sati (Pali)] or  [smrti (Sanskrit)]. —– As this is the mind

reside,  deeper beyond the person’s intentional manipulation, try to think something to

concentrate, is nothing but the misunderstanding.  = Mindfulness will bore out from the

situation and the attitude of the person. —– It is the result,  not other way round.

Think, you are a journalist, walking through the ground near Melt-down Fukushima Nuclear site.

As you were allowed to walk there, it was regarded to be safe though, the mud could have invisible

radiation hot spot. Which makes you very cautious, hence choosing dry clean point to step-on.

Every steps —–. This detailed attention you are unconsciously and constantly paying to

everything, every moment, —– this is what [Mindfulness] really meant.

You were programmed to walk the most careful manner while watching all the signs and the left over

rubble of the Tsunami.   In the same time you have to observe what and how workers who removing the

contaminated soil are doing, or the situations how the strayed pet animals are surviving and so on, which

was the purpose of you to be there.  Mindfulness is not an intentional mind-set but when

you faced the serious situation, (or you take it serious) its naturally set in, as Dharma works.

(This is the reason why Tea Master says “Make a tea as if it is the only an occasion in your whole life” )

[]

If you are riding a bicycle everyday, you just ride it.

You don’t need to think “I’m riding a bicycle”,  you ride it as to ride a bicycle, not a motor-bike.

Because, your body, your brain knows “You are riding bicycle, unconsciously = you have been

programmed through the practice to ride a bicycle.

To program your subconscious and your motor-region of the brain, how to ride, where to pay attention etc

has been done through the practice. = so, as the result, you can do it almost routine = automatic. =

automatic mean, you can do it without thinking, hence efficient and smooth.

To apply same principle to all the aspects of the life is what

Lord Buddha had found and taught = Life without useless thinking (delusion etc), hence

able to live in peace.     This is What Buddhism all about.

[]

At the Wikipedia [Mindfulness] you may read (Zen criticism) the quote of  Muho Noelke of Antai-ji saying

“Don’t be mindful, plase !  When you walk, just walk. — Let the walk, walk. — let the sitting sit”

it seems, his words are the most closest to the Zen among the many Zen sites.

—– Even though, he was stop short of noticing that it was in fact, the matters in one’s subconsciousness,

at least, he knows and doing the Zen —— Able to do the Zen, he doesn’t need to give a damn whether it is in

the subconsciousness or else = When you DO, just do.  (But my role is to analyze and see the structure of

the Zen = This is the reason why I didn’t became a monk, even though I’m a son of  Zen priest)

—– Forget the word, Mindfulness , Mushin, Jizai = they are just different naming of the same

mind.  As they are in fact just one, hence having Oneness = Ichijo, and this is what Dharma is.

___/\___

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Can Monk get MUSHIN ?

Can Monks get Mushin, let alone Ichijo and Jizai ? —– I don’t think so. Or it may takes 50 years.

Even worse is, so-called Buddhism Academics.

How many Japanese Zen Monks can speak English, and how many of them wrote Zen book in English ?

—– This is the situation, what western people reading the Zen. = No wonder it is hard to understand

let alone able to learn Mushin,  not mention ever get Enlightenment.

What monks learning is, their trade = the business how to run their Temple.

[]

Most of Japanese monks become monk, just happen to born as a son of priest = had to take over

temple business.    Naturally some of them might be good in English though, it is not necessary useful skill

in running the temple as virtually all of their customers are the Japanese, and most of the case they are

the old people.  So, what the trade skill to run temple ?

It is, to carry out the ceremonies which required immaculate posture, performing, chanting some mantras,

above all friendly but solemn facial expressions !

( No customer ever ask about the meaning of what they are doing   😀 )

[]

To be qualified as a monk, —– as a formality, they have to learn Buddhism theory and its history in their

sect’s university.   Though it is in most of the case, yet another boring study.

And yet another formality, spend few months in their main temple as a novice —– except exceptionally few

exception, most of them are then ordained as an “enlightened monk”.

So, where they can learn Mushin ? (few months in the temple, cleaning the floor ? —– joking)

[]

Buddhism Scalars are likely came from Philosophy back ground or Religious History. Naturally, they are

good in logics and semantics and may able to read ancient Pali, Tibetan and Sanskrit etc,

and must have read millions of the words.   On top of this, may have met many priest, monks while visiting

or even staying the temples —– though,

has they got time to lean what the Mushin is,  let alone to master it ?

Now, the medical science can observe the activities of the Schizophrenia’s brain by PET scan and able to

analyze what chemical effecting it and so on. Yet still, non of them able to know what is going on in the mind

of a Schizophrenia.  To treat it, doctor doesn’t need to learn to be a Schizophrenia.

But to talk about Mushin,  it is necessary to get Mushin  by him/herself first.

Able to read the ancient description about the Mushin and able to compare this script and others, doesn’t

mean they know what the Mushin is, therefore,  they are not necessary able to know what would it be if looked

by the eyes of Mushin. —– They know the words but not the meaning and its effect of changed perception.

[]

So, this is the situation what has been written about the Zen Buddhism.

Even worse, the Buddhism is having too many conflicting notions in the same instance,

such as how detouched emotionless eyes can be compassionate eyes in the same time.

—– it is hard to complehend on the words or in thinking,  but only able to experience it

in Mushin in the situation.

To experience mean, you got actualy do it,  not by trying to understand it while sitting in a cauch.

Utterly contrary to the popular belief, Buddhism is not a religion of understanding / Meditation

but the practice of the practice. —– It wouldn’t take you to the heaven (as no such things exists)

but help you to live everyday’s life,  as you have to practically do the

endless continuous practice as your life.

( After all, life is not what you think, but what you do.   🙂 )

___/\___

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Tiny Comment — How Master Kogetsu got angry

If this is the first time for you to stumble this blog, you might be puzzled

as this blog is the most not Zen like place.

In here, there is no pretentious word game or glorious myth were told.   Especially,

if you have a romanticized idea of Zen as something intellectually hi-class culture,

you will be disappointed.  Zen is not an exclusive special culture nor peculiar practice.

Even so-called Enlightenment, Nirvana is NOT the hard to come-by

awkward commodity.  It is right there sitting next to you.

You just not see it because you believe, it must be the other side of the river, long way

beyond the Pathway, hence looking somewhere wrong place.

Far from it, it is nothing afar.   In this blog, I’m showing how Zen and Enlightenment is

ubiquitous and in fact, right inside of you.

It was not my opinion but simply this is what

Lord Buddha told, therefore what the Zen is.

Zen can be walking, can be cutting a lemon. In deed,

being yourself is the Zen and Enlightenment.

I show it to your eyes,  what I’m doing here.

non

When I faced Master Kogetsu in the Eiheiji Temple and told him that I was a

photographer, what he uttered was “What a hell, why a photographer kind of person

wondering the Zen Temple.  This is exactly the indication of that you couldn’t settle

and be diligent in your own life” “As you are a photographer, do the best photography

and become the best photographer. It is where your life is”. — In return I replied to

him “Wait a moment, why photographer can’t search the truth.   Have look, even

Lord Buddha himself did forsake the life of Royal prince and became a seeker.  Why not me ?”

“What? —– What a preposterous word you got, comparing yourself to

Lord Buddha is unforgivable”  (though, he didn’t hit me with a stick which was in his side.  :-))

non

Master Kogetsu was one of the highest Soto Zen priest ( wearing brown ), who was the

head of the Suzuka-dera Temple and visiting, serving fellow of the Eiheiji Temple.

(In fact, leaving the dairy chore to deal with dead man for the hand of young monks and

have a break, come to chat together with another priests in the Eiheiji Temple  🙂 )

Naturally he knew the Zen Buddhism back to back.   Hence, what he meant was, as he said,

the Enlightenment to a photographer is to live totally as a photographer.

There is no fancy myth or abstract enigma there.

As the Life itself is total already, 

Zen wouldn’t make it any more complicated,  simply Life is the Life.

To see as it is and to live as it is,  Just Do It which is due, is the Enlightenment.

non

Just like a lotus flower, being as the flower is the Dharma,

a photographer being as the photographer is the Dharma.

Being with Dharma mean, when the time comes it is the Nirvana.

(Photographer being as a photographer needs no pretence or thinking =

being in Mushin = his camera, his technique, his eyes and the subject,

all become one = Ichijo —– what the one needs more.

(in this instance, forget pretty model—– What model ?    😀 )

This was the way, how Sword Master perfected his skill, how Sword Smith

created his unbreakable sword —– even a Tea Master perfected his tea making.  

It was the Zen.  

Zen is not in the sitting posture, but in the every day’s life,  moment to moment.

non

When the historical Great Zen Masters got their Enlightenment all of them uttered

“It’s a Dog shit”

Yes, it is as ubiquitous as a dog shit, as the Master has been with himself all through his life.

No fancy or enigmatic mumbo-jumbo has been discovered.  The life as it is —– It is there.

(In other words, to invent or cling any fancy story is nothing short of a delusion).

My blog here is talking about this [Zen in action] —– action in everyday life.

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