Nature = Dharma

–

—————————————–It’s a summer, have a brake, have a kitcat.

—-Photo by :  Canon 5D Mk-II  ( It’s a good Camera)  /  Nikon Fish-eye 16mm  ( It’s a good lens ) 😀

Talking blah blha, typing tick tick —– is a tiring business.  It’s nice to be in the nature.  Its teaches us more.  🙂

Please click the image to enlarge, and click again even larger.  Nature is not necessary posing us in orderly

esthetically pleasing alignment —– they can be just wild —– yet this is still their equilibrium / harmony.

Try to see them in esthetically orderly frame is our Ego.  Mahayana accept its disorder as it is.

This is the Dharma.   ___/\___—-

Most Fatal Joke in BUDDHISM

Most fundamental and fatal joke in the Buddhism I found is,

” If the SELF is not existing, Who is the one get Enlightened or Reincarnated ?”

———- the reason why this Joke exists is,  it’s based on the misunderstanding of the SELF.

What  Buddha  meant was,  the SELF who is consciously thinking Self, in another word ” Selfish Mind “.

To clinging and obsessed by this  Mind of  Self / Thinking Self  is the cause of the trouble in the Life.

The Self in one’s subconsciousness is the True Self  which is not visible, hence it exists as not exists.

Being in this True Self is in fact, in MUSHIN (in the Mind of NO Mind, since it exists out of consciousness)

( Ironically, unless this hated figure of  Thinking  Self  start to think

” I need to be wiser, I need Buddhism”  nothing would start.

This is why the Buddhists spent past  2500 years to argue about this complication and the Paradox)

When this True Self was absorbed in the Dharma or the subject, it is the Ichijo (Oneness).

And when this True Self is fully engaged with the subject, it is the Mindfulness.

The True Self, in Ichijo with  Dharma is in fact the Enlightenment.

——————–

Pinch your cheek.   Yes, definitely you are here.   Though, the one who is reading this, how you came here ?

Was that because you Book-marked this blog or just by chance you stumbled here ?

Who made you to read this post ?   What has driven you to read this ?   Why you need to read this ?

Who you are ? ? ?

Don’t waste the time to think about those questions.  Because you can not define it, since it isn’t there as a

solid entity.  ( Since it is a constantly changing relative existence , like a reflection on the moving  water )

Yet,  this blog is on front of your eyes now.  This is not an illusion.   Read this again.  Try hundred times.

This is the task you got on front of your eyes on this moment.  Just Do It.

NOW YOU ARE DOING  ZEN.

( Wasting time by thinking  Who You are,  wouldn’t take you anywhere.  Since, no such things in

the first place.  That’s why the repetitive task  was adopted in the Buddhism practice. )

So,  this will change you, from wondering thinking time-waster to Active Zen practitioner.

This is the very first step. ———– Read this again without any question.  And again.

( Now, You started to Re-program your Subconscious / invisible True Self )

This is The ZEN,  and What the BUDDHISM is.

The matter is to reach other side of water.  You may use modern grass boat or bamboo raft what ever,

though there is no motor engine, so you have to puddle  ——- (can be million times ).

Then you can reach there.  ( Believe me and Believe yourself,  You can do it )

( PS: Yet in case if you drifted down the torrent, don’t call me.  Because Hinayana Buddhist  would only say

” Enjoy a journey ” ——– Raft-ride  might be quite an exciting activity. ( Shouldn’t  be too bad.  😀  )

And when you survived, then later, you must be realized  ” I needed to have that rough ride, that’s why

Buddha made me to have it “.  Some people were born to have longer rough ride to reach other side )

Buddha makes no mistake.   ___/\___

—

Clear the CONFUSION

While talking with the people who read through my blog,  I found , I still need to clarify the confusion,

which may caused by not clear enough explanation.

It seems, the most confusing part of the Zen teaching is,  the apparent crush of  the Selflessness

and the so-called  Mindfulness. As  this Mindfulness was mistook as the Concentration,  my explanation

of  Selflessness = Detachment /  Mushin  seemed to have utter conflict with  Mindfulness.

———- Yes it seems true, as long as the person is  ” Thinking them as the meaning of the words “.

Here,  the hardest part of the Zen phenomenon lays.

One is the matter of the SELF,  and the Awareness of the Self /  Thinking ——> Not Thinking

——> BUT do it under the control of  SUBCONSCIOUS.

When we do the things Unconsciously,  this is what the Zen called  MUSHIN  ( SELFLESSNESS ).

DETACHMENT  from  the Thinking, and the person who is Thinking = SELF.

( Detached from the Self or own Ego ——– not from the subject to do)

Do the things in  MUSHIN or  Subconsciously, yet fully committed  to  the subject,  is the state of  FUJI / ICHIJO.

In this state of the mind, ICHIJO,  there is nothing else of  the person  (selfless SELF)  and the subject.

——– this is what western Zenist described as the Fully Minded or  Mindfulness.

One of the grave  mistake of the western Zenist was the use of this word, Mindfulness.

The trouble is,  there is no mind should be there. ———– So that, as long as the person mind the

mindfulness,  there can never be the MUSHIN or SELFLESSNESS achieved.

—————————

And this is the fundamental trouble to approach Buddhism by the word and the thinking,  and

exactly with the same reason,  all the Buddhism sects (except the talking shop of western Buddhists) are

using the physical practice as their part of teachings. (You can bang a drum or cut a lemon without conscious,

though  you can’t read or talk without consciously thinking )

————- And this is the reason,  why I have started this blog saying   “Just Do IT,  Don’t Think “

let alone talking about. ( So, why am I blogging here ?   😀 ——– In Hinayana,  I should just

watching the people talking, puzzling, though it is yet another paradox of the Mahayana. I have to blog )

————————

So, it must be clear now,  Selflessness, MUSHIN  and so-called Mindfulness, and ICHIJO  are

all exist in the same time as One Phenomenon of a State of the Mind (of No-Mind / MUSHIN).

All those words are the superficial appearances of the same Phenomenon seen from different angle.

————————

Since the result is much better done in Zen,  the question arose ” Who did this, as the Self was

not there,  WHO ELSE ? ” ——– Hence, ” It must be done by the  Dharma ”

and the riddle of  ” Is SELF really exist ? ” was born.

Why not iPod ?

I’ve come across an article analyzing the  Japanese industry.  The author was questioning why Japanese

couldn’t produce really novel product such as like iPod or iPhone.

The author’s view was that the Japanese is reluctant to break the convention and the established frame work,

yet still, good to play within its frame work and able to maximize the quality and its technical possibility.

——————–

In fact this is exactly what I’ve written before ” to achieve the maximum in the restriction, is the Zen”

and this is the evidence of how Japanese psyche is deeply entwined to the Zen tradition. (even today ! )

———- Here the pros and cons of Zen were clearly exposed.    I don’t think any Japanese is aware, this

psyche is originated from the Zen Ethos.  Since Soto Zen prohibit the transmission by the word,  people

learn it through the way to carry out the daily life, and as it is there always and repeating it every day,

it became a subconscious nature——- therefore it is impossible to objectively analyze. —— Hence,

it is very difficult to change.

When this Ethos was directed to one practice, such as particular sports, the dedication of literally

body and the soul, yield fantastic result. Like the performance of the Japanese Figure Skater, Mao Asada.

———- ( though, to my eyes, the performance of  Korean Skater Kim  showed more genetic

feminine and delicate flow of movement—— genetically spontaneous  movement is more natural than

the learned movement, of cause)

——————–

Though, when this Zen effect appeared in the corporate organization, and when they  faced to totally new,

unknown situation, they are slow to adapt and change.    Since everybody, top to bottom are living and

acting according to the same established frame work and the Ethos,  someone’s new idea would be seen as a

crazy delusion and a destruction to the existing business.

So that the revolutionary new idea is only bore out from the new organization which haven’t established their

own frame work and the Ethos yet.   The new idea and the approach of the Sony or Honda  WAS  the typical

sample of this, when they started out of the ash of world war 2.  (Still they had attitude of  Zen tradition )

The trouble of the industry now, the business got to be globally huge, not only the size of capital, but also

the sheer size of bureaucratic system which always tend to resist the change.

When  SONY  faced the end of era of optical disc (CD),  they resisted the trend of the recording media

toward the  Solid Memory , by cringing CD system while trying Mini Disc and their own signal compression

system called Atrack (saying 50 CD musics into one disc) —–  without  success.     As they resisted the

revolution, they completely missed the ship and eat the dust of iPod and new era.

I don’t believe the front line engineers didn’t see the latest development in the technical front and the

management was kept ignorant, though they couldn’t guillotine  the neck of the dieing CD and Mini-Disc.

( It was the complete misjudgment of the new Aristocrat who started from a small work shop of

Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (later Totsu-ko) in Ohsaki, Tokyo. ——–I’ve handled an old tape recorder of

Totsu-ko with its magnetic paper tape when I was in my junior school’s Radio-club)

——- Try to avoid the system drown in the stagnant water,  Honda having the famous ” Proposal Scheme”

which any staff or worker can give a new idea, but the trouble may not just in a small technical

improvement but needs the large-scale system change, which is hard to accept and implement.

( It is  the situation of so-called  ” Paradigm sift “)

It is the demerit to share the same emotion  from the top to bottom, especially as its Ethos is deeply sublimated.

As in the Zen tradition,  this Ethos  was carried by the  “Just Do It”  practice,  as the  Crafts man’s spirit.

Make things / Engineering  of Hardware,  the pride and spirit is entwined with its work,  which can not to be

easily changed.  (Electronical coding / Soft Program can be changed without changing production system )

(Though it was not the problem of ” Concentrate to the Task”  but couldn’t see the direction

which is not exist on front of eyes yet —— direction can only be seen by detached eyes in distance.

But, when the one has been shackled into the system, it is hard to maintain detached eyes.)

——————–

It may seems to be a contradiction from above, though the Zen itself is not straining the creativity, far from

it, the creativity can have even more freedom with the Zen.  And I’ll talk about this in the following post.

Which Practice ?

As you may noticed,  my approach to the Buddhism is by means of Doing.

And my Doing is not a fixed practice.

It can be even cutting lemons or twisting a wire to make figures or make small electronic circuit etc ——.

In fact it can be any activity in the daily life,  like somebody’s daily job.

———- The reason is obvious,  (1)  It is not an activity intentionally designed on purpose.  As it is a part of

daily life and carries no special meaning or pretence, such as  ” This is the Special noble practice for the

Higher Spiritual Achievement”, it is natural.   This is the Jinen.

(2)  Basically I’m a humble mean person.  I can’t afford to spend a  time for such a special exotic activity.

If ordinary activity can serve the same purpose,  why not do them.  It would save the time and energy.

Most important point is, the Buddhism is a way of the life.  It wouldn’t work like to buy a piece of Indulgence

and sit as a formality.  Buddhism  needs to go down all the corner of one’s life.  This is the Ichijo in total.

The matter is to live the life in  Mushin.

———- So, as one of the by-product,  I got nicely twisted wire as well ——- How nice  Ha Ha Ha   😀

( I don’t think so many people in the world, found an interest of twisting the wire.   Its mean, this is a very

peculiar activity specifically occurred only on my Karma,  therefore this is a part of  Yoshizen.  Ha Ha Ha  😀  )

Since,  it was the task, I only had to do  (on that moment), I only doing it,  nothing else, therefore I didn’t need

to specially concentrate for  “Mind-fulness”  kind, as there was nothing else to think about anyway.

——————–

Almost synonym of the (misconceived) Buddhism, “Meditation”, “Mind-fullness”, “Selfless” are all too

prominent though, they are bore out of the unnatural pretenceful activity.

Because of it is a peculiar exotic practice, the person has to fight to concentrate to get mind-fullness and

while (utterly contradictively) hustle to get selflessness.  (If a man has to wear Mini-Skirt he can’t be calm.  🙂 )

——————-

But if you do the activity which you can abandon yourself,  you automatically start to do fully minded

without any conscious of self.  In this way, anybody, in any activity, they can reach to the Mushin.

This is the Mahayana Buddhism.

Door is open to anybody,  not only to the professional monk whose task (and the mean of earning money)

is to Perform and Demonstrate “Buddhism”—— in other words, other than a monk, most of the people

don’t need to demonstrate and perform it.

——————- Though,  to do the things which is not your choice,  even a kind of task you hate,

and still able to do it in  Mushin,  needs to have special training to disconnect your  Thinking and  Emotion,

which I have explained before,  ” Starting with absolute obedience and repeat the practice until it

reaches to the state of  Mental Fatigue—–”

———- And almost legendary  ” Hyper state of the Brain ”  could be achieved only through very dangerous

practice and the Visualization.   ( Some Martial Artist can do this.   And the people competing with their

memory power, while memorizing hundreds of cards in order, using this Visualizing skill under

the hyper state of the Brain ——- but don’t ask me about it)

Though,  in my view from my experiences,  I’m not necessary agree with those special  Mind Engineering is

in the scope of the Buddhism.   Those highly specialized  Mind Engineering  was a discovery of the

professional monk though it is necessary to born with particular genetic condition.

Most Bizarre Story in Zen — Disco Dancing in ZEN

” Dancing can be a practice for Zen “

This must be the most ( yet I got many ) bizarre story.  You believe or not I was a Disco King.

(This must be the most rare photo of me dancing — taken far later date / Sept 2015 

and it shows Rotating LED and LED flushing pants !)

As I used to take photo of many musicians, one occasion at a rehearsal session, a drummer

complained me, even though they work hard to make their tune unique and new, when it was

played at a gig, everybody dance exactly same to the other.

So, I promised him,  ” I’ll dance as the exact reflection of your tune and show it to you.”

(Here I’m not talking about a kind of common body-shaking in one-two-one-two, regardless

whether the music is 8 beat or 16 beat.  Its got to be much more athletic, expressive movements )

——————–

First I get rid of all the patterned crèche such as typical John Travolta’s or Micheal Jackson style kind.

and resorted to the natural dynamics of the body.  Since its heavy inertia, we can’t shake the bottom in

16 beats (still I met 3 person who can do) so the rhythm of the percussions should be assigned to the steps,

bass drum to the bottom and the melody to the hands.

On the end 3 parts of the body started to move independently in different speed in the same time   🙂

And as the use of natural dynamics of the body,  with its maximum speed, lots of people miss took

my dancing as a kind of Martial Art, and asked me which school is it ?

Funnily enough, one person even asked me, Is it related to a religious practice ?

( This is the back ground of previous post ” Shaolin Martial Art “)

——In my knowledge the Indian Barathnatyam Dance which follows some tradition of the ancient

Dancing Yoga,  exactly synchronizing with the music (in its Tara / drumming pattern and the melody)

So,  I applied this to my dancing.  (My favourite is the German Bass. It is the limit the body can follow)

——————–

Even dancing every weekend,  it took 3 years to achieve this movement.

And during this period,  I noticed, this is the process to learn unconscious body coordination,

same as to learn skiing or riding a bicycle,  and this must be the matter what the Zen said about

the ” Ichijo ” as a sword become a part of the body ( or the sword and the body become one )

and then the Dharma would be prevailed.  (How exiting ! ! ! )

When your body follows the incoming music signal automatically, we don’t need to think what

is the music or how to move.    So, I thought, if I can leave the business to the unconsciousness,

I would be connected to the Dharma. ——– though there was not such simple paradise and

nothing changed in my life. ——– Then, Waite a moment,  I realized,  all the baby has

to learn to walk, and all of them become able to walk unconsciously. 

It is nothing special.

———————–

Still, at least, I got an insight = unconscious or subconsciousness has the Key to decipher the Zen.

——– (And since then many clubs’ owner, manager offered me free entry for my strange dancing.

It was unexpected bonus——but they too, need a prominent dancer who become a talking piece )

(Some of the readers might have seen me dancing in a club called Flex in Hitchin,

Enigma in Maswell Hill, Limelight in Shaftesbury Avenue, Fridge in Brixton

(Escape from Samsara) = in every weekend, continuously up to 5.5 years (for

Fridge) often having with flashing light pendant or trousers.  🙂 ) 

So, I had my 60th Birthday Party at a D & B club (organizer called Movement with DJ Fabio etc) and

invited teens to septuagenarian who never seen my “legendary” dancing.  Ha Ha Ha,

It was a good  laugh.  😀

[]

—

Selflessness demonstated

” This is the Demonstration you can discover the Selflessness On The Spot “

In this post I’m going to demonstrate what is the Selflessness and

what is the Meditation should be in the simplest and clearest term.

—— m m m ?      Interested ?

Until here, to read those lines, did you noticed, your eyes has been reading this ?

I don’t think so.

Unless you got poor eye sight and struggling to read the screen, your eyes is

out of your scope, out of your mind. ————-(So, the Mantra says, Its exist as not exist)

When we read, we just read without noticing the existence of the eyes, let alone

a knowledge how visual signal running and processed in the brain etc etc.

——————-

Until you have read and get the meaning of what I am talking about,

your eyes is just taking the pattern of letters.  You are not thinking.

Neither you are noticing who is reading this.

———-As I asked you and you were alerted, then you start

to think ” I AM reading this, who else ”

(so there was a Zen Mondo ” Who was reading this, minute ago ? “)

——————–

Then, try reading a line of words alphabet by alphabet.

In this input your brain has to work harder to make sense of the word, what was written here.

As you try to think and process the word, it takes much longer time.

Here, you must be convinced, the automatic process of the Reading Routine is much quicker.

——————–

Now you must be convinced, how most of our activity was carried

out without we are noticing it. We are doing it unconsciously,

and because of the teachings of Buddhism is based on this subconscious activities,

the argument of ” Who did this without my conscious ” is

persistent all through the history. (And some are doing even today  😀 )

——————–

When you read those first few lines, YOU were just reading, nothing else,

otherwise you couldn’t concentrate to read—— its mean you were in the

Mindfull state.

As you been doing this without even noticing that the eyes are reading NOR

having the conscious of  ” I AM reading “.  This is the Selfless state.

———-Do you think is this too simplified and lost the glory of Holy Grail ?

Don’t over glorify.   It is your arrogance and the delusions.  Truth is always simple.

——————–

To apply this condition to the sitting, as sitting is supposed to be just sitting nothing else,

(in Theory  :-)), it must be the best practice to practice not thinking

or selflessness——– so the ancient Guru thought.

But we are here in such noisy destruction full world, it is very hard

to vacate the brain.  Even worse, we are accustomed to sit to think.

——– So, if you are struggling to attain selfless meditation, don’t worry, relax, sit on

a sofa, forget the Notion of meditation and play a non-vocal  slow music to just fill the atmosphere.

Keep you eyes open and fix it on something, insignificant object on front of you.

(As the visual signal of insignificant object stays the same, the brain start to ignore the signal all together)

But as your eyes has been fixed to the object, brain couldn’t visualize anything else, and soon

it become empty. (but don’t fallen asleep  😀 ) ——But ! getting sleepy is not necessary bad, it is

the sign of your brain found nothing to do, its mean its empty ——though, if you fallen asleep,

you lose the opportunity to see the Dharma of which you may only able to see it in this state.

It is the Paradoxical state, almost sleep but fully awake, without even knowing you are awake.

This is the reason why many of the primitive religion (?) resorted with hallucinogenic drug.

Any how, have the emptied brain  is more important than the posture.

——–Don’t torture your legs. It’s no good to your body which was given by the Dharma.

If you happen to live near the sea or river, go there and absorbed by

the atmosphere and the sound of water which is persistent but not

in the exact pattern. (So, the Brain wouldn’t bother to decipher the meaning—–its just the noise)

Or the woods is also good to be there in the same effect.

The Nature is where we came from.  So, just relax.

——————–

Don’t struggle to attain something in the Buddhism. Intention itself is bad.

Don’t worry , there is nothing there.   So that you don’t need to even

boast that you are The Buddhist, just be it.  Never think you are anything special.

If you are born to go to the Hell, go to the Hell.

Once you accept this, you don’t need to worry anymore while you are still alive.

The matters in the Buddhism is to live now in peace and with confidence.

So that, struggle to find something in the Buddhism is the silliest thing.

Since, as long as you  want to do intentionally, its mean you are THINKING.

When you sit, without noticing even you are sitting, this is THE sitting without thought.

Forget Buddhism, forget Enlightenment, forget the notion of Meditation. Just sit.

——– Use the words from Michael  ” Let it go ”

When you let it go, you will get whole of your life.(strangely ! )

This is the Paradox in the Buddhism.

Fuurin / Wind Bell

There is a very memorable ZEN story;

When a Zen master and a novice were sitting in the Temple,

a wind bell out side tinkled with very beautiful sound.

As both master and the novice were so deeply struck by

its sound,the Master asked novice Why.

The novice answered ” Since, both of hearts are calmed still ”

(Nishin sizuka nareba nari) / (The heart of the listener and the

heart of the bell are both in the dead calm state, hence both are

in harmony with the Dharma )

———– By this answer, the novice was ordained. ———-(Read this story tens or hundreds of times again )

This must be the most beautiful Zen episode among the rather harsh vigorous stories of them.

———– But in the same time, this story imposed me really awkward questions.

As all the Mahayana Mantras repeating, all the senses include hearing are the false.

And the self who is supposed to listening, is also false.  ——- Even if we take the explanation,which is,

the selflessness is in fact detached mind, —-? ? ?, in any view, this story is the contradiction.

————————

But, I definitely take and believe this story than 1000 of the words in the Mantras. This is the Zen.

How do you think ?

( Photo / From Frickr /  By Kamomebird /  Fuurin in Mino-town )

Shaolin Martial Art / BodhiDharma

Somewhere in the Internet, there is a story telling an origin of  Shoaling Martial Art, which

says it was started as Bodhidharma taught an exercise to the lazy monk. ———-m m m ?

I quite doubt this story.

Bodhidharma didn’t come to China to open yet another talking shop.

He came there only to bring the way of the direct transmission.

Bodhidharma came from Southern India where many types of Yoga,

include so-called Dancing Yoga has been widely practiced.

——- As all the Buddhist sect using each unique practice to deepen

and sublimating their teachings as a part of study or training,

the practice is the essential part of the Buddhism’s teachings.

———————

When Bodhidharma came to China, spending three years of harsh

journey, he must have had definite purpose and firm idea what to do in China.

And well-practiced Yoga Guru, he must be an expert to see the Dharma within the ultimate movement of

the Dynamic Yoga. (Which later developed into the Martial Art infused with the local culture )

—— Anybody who practiced the body movement, such as gymnastics, dancing or martial art etc knows,

its technique evolves and skill deepens just by doing it again and again.

And on the end, body gains almost super human like movement, speed, balance, rhythm and harmony.

And all those movements are programmed into the Motor region of the Brain, to do it without thinking,

its mean no Self  there. Most importantly, its potential was there from the beginning as everyone has.

This is exactly the Dharma what Lord Buddha taught.

——- While having a simple life in the Temple as a monk, and watching own body movement

evolves, the awareness to be with Dharma deepens.

This is the very direct transmission of the Buddhism what Bodhidharma

taught in China. —– in there, no words required.  Just Do It.

———-

Legend in China says that Bodhidharma had blue eyes though, I quite doubt it.

While live in London I might have met tens of thousand of people from southern India

such as Tamil people, I never seen even a single blue-eyed dark-skinned Tamil man.

It must be a made-up story to elaborate him, as

Lord Buddha also had a legend having had the blue eyes.  (This must be also false )

[]

Lemon Zen

To start the Zen practice, you have to forget all the blah blah— so called Zen talk.

Such as the question of whether Self is exist or not.

The question only arise when you reach the state of the mind which you can

do the task without thinking or able to do it unconsciously.

——– Before this stage, you haven’t seen the situation neither need

to make this question.

——– And when you reached this stage, you must be aware it is no point

to make this question because you are already in this selfless state.

A person, who couldn’t get this stage keep messing around those questions.

As those people had to do the guess work, they have to keep asking what

is Zen. Though, as long as talking continues, the Brain is fully occupied to

process the logics and the words, there is no chance to vacate the Brain

and attain selfless, subconscious state.

The more struggle in the puzzle, the farther stray away.

——————–

Zen practice can be anything, say cutting a lemon or cucumber into thin slices.

If you find your knife is too dull, start sharpening it with a good oil stone.

( Few pounds Chinese stone is not good—– you can use one good stone all your life)

Knife has to be as sharp as cut through a news paper held in air in ease, without

making any tear.)

Then slice a lemon to somewhat 1mm thin.

(You may start from 3mm thick, then improve it )

While doing this you have to repeatedly or continuously think ” I’m doing the Zen ”

( You don’t need to know what is the Zen theory—– what you are doing is the Zen )

——-When you finished slicing, you may make a cup of Hot Honey Drink.

Enjoy it and do this every day.

( In fact you may end up drinking a lots of cups—- with lots of Vitamin C)

——-After a while, you may achieved to make perfect 50 slices or so from

one lemon.

Its mean, your hand holding a knife has gained the absolute steadiness

which mean you have gained the absolute calmness and concentration

of the mind.

—— Here you are in the crucial point.

Once you managed to make 50 slices you might think, you have achieved

and reached to the goal, though you have to keep doing farther, like a

dairy routine. When it became routine your hand is accustomed to do

the work almost automatic and able to do all the preparation and after

clean up as one flow of the process.

—————-

In the same time, you must be noticed, your observation and attentions are

so refined and goes into the minute details, such as the position of cutting

board is exactly the same every day or found the way to move the knife to

avoiding the juice drips. etc etc.

——And you might be noticed you can hear the faint sound of the wind

out side or even a flower in the garden, which one is the one opened today.

Now you are in the Selfless state of the mind.

( Some may says, even the mind is not there and only sight and sound

surrounding you )

——————-

On the beginning, you might feel something strange in your sight.

Everything looks somewhat foreign and distanced, and looks fresh as if

it was the first time you see it. And it looks so clear.

And strangely, it spread the corner to corner of your eyes 140 degree wide

and still able to see the details all in the same time.

You can see even the small things move in the 140 degree view and still able

to respond instantly if it is necessary, like when you are on the road, you

almost see a coming car behind on the corner of your eyes.

( This is the way how Martial artist see the attack from behind )

——————

In the Brain term , now your brain is scanning all the visual signals from the

corner of peripheral vision to other corner without weighing the information.

Just see as it was seen.

Because of your mind is detached from even your SELF , what you see is

also looks like foreign land scape.

But it shouldn’t cause any trouble, since if it is necessary you can go into a

subject at once even deeper than before.

——- Though some of your associate might feel, you lost a passion and got

quieter, as you no longer have obsession.

———————-

I agree with the view, blood and thunder excitement of the obsession is also

very exciting on the life, though it comes with quite high cost.

And obsessive approach doesn’t have high success rate, as it is prone to

brake down. Dramatic success looks grate and exciting though, step by

step improvement and refinement would produce more reliable result.

——Quiet, tenacious Zen approach seems to achieve more in the end.

As a humble man, I took the way of the Zen Buddhist.

You also have the choice.

————————–

PS: We only see the world as we wanted to see.

Anything we don’t know already, we don’t notice. ( as its visual pattern has

not been registered in our data bank.) Such as, if you are not familiar with

plant, all of them looks same, and foreign language is just a noise.

And anything we don’t want to see or want to know , we refuse to take its

signal in. We just filter them out.

——

In the same time, we see a preferred subject with photoshoped image.

In the dark, all the women looks beautiful since the visual information

is not complete, we fill the gap with ideal image.

——

So that, when your mind is clear and open, without your wishful selective

view, world looks different as its shows true image.

And you may first ever see a lots of things you haven’t noticed before.

That is why, the world looks foreign and fresh.

——- Able to see the world as it is, with selfless eyes is the one thing,

and what to do with this, is the another matter.

——-( I’ll talk about this later in the other post )