Life in GREEN

I’m a Green mountain person rather than Blue mariner.

So that, ever I know great deep Blue sea looks awesome and beautiful to see, though —— imagine,

if I were left in the middle of infinite sea, —– m m m, — may be I can’t survive.  It’s awful isn’t it  😀

But if it was in the mountain or even in the great expanse of field, I may able to survive with some bush crafts.

—–

Any how, its nice to be in the Green, and this is almost genetically programmed basic emotion / instinct.

( This is why, we feel and praised the courage of the great navigator set sailed to the unknown horizon ).

So, we have an  idiosyncratic idea, the Green is the symbol of the life, therefore we feel

the most comfort and peace.

So that, it is strange to know, this color Green, the color of the trees and grasses is the most useless

element to the plant life. —– They themselves don’t appreciate Green light at all.

Their most fundamental  life activity / Photosynthesis  is in fact relying on other than this, very Green.

As the Photosynthesis is only using Violet to Blue light (and Red ) the Green light was thrown out or

reflected away —– hence we are seeing its reflected colored light, which  made us to believe, grass is green.

Literally superficially, as we are seeing the plant looks green,  we were planted the idea,  Life = Green

—– even though, we are seeing their rejected waste / no use to their life.

It’s very very funny in deed.

I don’t think Buddha ever thought of this —— because its wouldn’t make

any difference to our life at all (other than the biologist who is studying this biochemistry).

This is definitely the Truth and a part of the Dharma, though we are living on the false impression.

Whether the stars are the holes on the ceiling above the earth or the another sun in a universe

far away in the space, it wouldn’t change our dairy life at all.  (Astrologer may say otherwise.  🙂  )

We may never know all the Truth.  But this is what we are.  The matter is not what we know,

but the awareness, what we don’t know.  Leave the space to hear, see the otherwise.  Open mind.

–So, on the end, —

—— One of my friend made a lamp to illuminate his room plant with 50 Green LEDs —– its made

the plant leaves shining green and looks vibrant —— though, I advised him to change them with

40 Blue and 10 Red LEDs —— the result ?   You may guessed it, it looks very harsh and dreadful  😀

So, on the end, living on the false comfort such as, so-called ” Healing —, Soothing comfort —, sweet words,

enlightenment, — be green ,  etc etc ”   may not necessary be a bad thing.

After all, important thing in life is Be happy. ( and Be pragmatic, in other word Be flexible. 😀  )

___/\___

—

Standard VIEW

You may know there is the camera lens called standard lens (and the wide-angle lens, tele-photo lens etc).

Is it a kind of lens, camera manufacturer arbitrarily named it, just for a convenience ?

Or, is there any standard of vision exists ?

Whether you aware or not, you are looking an image, photo or painting  with standard view.

You may not believe it —— so, just try, and find it.

Look at a cover photo on the magazine and a poster on the wall ——- have you done ?

Do you noticed,  when you see a cover photo of a magazine,  with  what distance did you look at it.

The distance from your eyes to the magazine was about 12″~14″ (30cm ~ 35cm) as this distance gives

the most clear vision. (unless you got short or far eye-sighted)

Closer than this, you can’t see whole picture. Further than this, it’s too far to see the details.

And if the image you looked at was about A4, the diagonal size was 14″, and the eyes to cover this size

of image, the angle of view  was about 45 degrees.

When you see a big poster, you don’t look at in this distance, unless you need to see the detail. —– you

step back and see it from a distance.  Then you may realized, in fact you are looking the image always

in the same scale —— if it was small, you give a close look, and see a big image from the distance.

The reason is, our vision in our eyes can see this size of image most clear and reasonably in detail.

If the image spread much wider, like a land-scape,  to see the whole detail we have to look around.

And if we need to see more detail such as to read the letters, we need to capture the image, in the

center of eyes,  within the angle of about 18 degrees.

So that, to see the image of 14″ size, in distance of 14″  which is about 45 degree of vision, gives best image.

Best image is in the vision of not too wide or narrowly concentrated just in the middle.  Middle way in vision.

Therefore the photographic lens which can produce this angle of view  has been  named ” Standard Lens “.

Before the digital revolution, the camera meant 35mm camera.  And the lens which gives this angle of

view was happened to be about 50mm, hence 50mm lens was accustomed to call, Standard Lens.

A photo image taken by a standard lens and printed to about 9″x 12″, viewed from 14″ away,  it looks

most natural and having the same perspective. (If the same photo was enlarged to twice big, then look it

from the twice distance, it will give the same perspective —– angle of view is still 45 degree)

—— With this reason, the great photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson was using only standard lens

(wide angle lens was for land scape only ) saying ” My lens is my eyes ” and only shot

from the normal eye level.  Because, to do his photography, he didn’t want to rely on the optical

effect but the natural way to see the life, just as an ordinary man.

So, the standard view is not only with a camera lens but our eyes having the same standard.

And this standard view, not too wide, not too narrow, just in the middle was what

the Dharma gave us.—— Therefore, this is the visual equivalent of the Middle Way.

—— Though, I hate standard lens. 😀

___/\___

—

Fantasy WORLD

In my life, I was asked to give the technical advice or help to build a Perpetual Motion Mechanism or

the device to create an energy out of nothing ( or that kind  😀  ) three times.

The person who asked me were not an idiot or uneducated at all,  they are well aware of

the Fundamental Principle of Preservation of Energy —— yet still, strangely they  were convinced,

their invention can defy the popular belief and able to create or achieve ultra efficiency hence

able to harvests far grater energy which would benefits the human being.( is what they said, not me  😀  )

The first one which I encountered 30 years or so ago, was a design of Ultra Efficient Bicycle Mechanism

which can produce more power than a rider’s muscle-power, utilizing the earth’s gravity,  by

” Cleverly positioned the center of gravity of the rider and synchronizing its movement to an oval-shaped

pedal gear etc brah, brah ——- “.

Second invention was (yet another) ,Anti-Gravity Device of which the person got the idea from Internet.

A man himself was a qualified architect and got enough knowledge of the engineering, and many

knowledgable friends and having a taste of posh life —— .

I guess, it is a (Masonic) belief of some architects,  which is a certain kind of mythical numerology such as,

what mathematical proportion was used for the Old Temple’s design etc, which connect to the cosmic power.

It was not my business to argue with his belief,  I was asked to deal with electronic control of the motor etc.

The third invention was an idea to extract 3.5 times more power from a battery using fancy transformer.

I explained many fundamental rules and physical, electrical limitations, not only the Principle of Energy

Preservation but the limitation of efficiency in an electro-magnetic device etc. ( Even with best designed

electric generator, the efficiency to convert force to electric energy is less than 30 % )

A guy’s explanation was, “Because of those FREE ENERGY idea is a threat to this Oil based

Socio-Economical System of the establishment, the development has been hindered and kept the people

ignorant” —— m m m ?—- Kind of tongue, sound familiar. I’ve heard many times !

A guy who was expecting to become millionaire with his invention, was very secretive on the beginning

though, in order to argue with my explanation  “This is based on the respectable scientific research,

published in the Internet” and revealed the Net-site ——- It was an Anarchist’s propaganda site.

( So, the site was successfully brain washed a man to become anti-establishment  😀  )

Idea itself was based on 10 years old experiment and done by not a scientist ( I’m even dubious whether

an inventor used decent electronic measuring instrument) and I could not believe any of its data. Bollocks.

Just take a common sense, —— in past 10 years, thousand of the people may have seen the article and

some of them must have built the device and tested —— If the claim has any shred of truth, why it didn’t

make a news, or fancy Chinese device didn’t appear on the market — or iPod with 1/3 battery size.? ? ?

To make and sell highly crowded competitive market, such as ATX computer power supply, many

manufacturers spending so much money and effort to develop more efficient design or higher power

from the same size of foot-print,  therefore if any good idea is there, they are the first people to test

the theory, as they got all the necessary materials and the expertise, not an amateur on the street.

——

Yet still, even in Japan,  there said to be about 1,000 new Patent application of Perpetual Movement in year.

It may be an exercise of creativity and to make (at least on the paper) beautiful drawing and description,

it needs a dedication and mindful attention —— though, what went wrong ? ? ?

Not all the applicant were blinded by their greed, some enthusiasts are having fun with their joke.

One of the very famous comedian  Kingorou Yanagiya  had 3,000 patents granted, and one of the best idea

was actually made to a commercial product called  Laughing Head-band  which has tail-dropped eyebrows

printed on it, and make the people to laugh, while singing comic song  for Karaoke  😀

—— Instead of clinging own obsession and blaming the company, other people who didn’t believe and

take their idea, look into a mirror, pull the eyes-tail drop, make a smile —– and make a joke, may make

one’s life much easier and happier.  😀

___/\___

___

Obsession – Mindfulness – Middle way

Anybody who try to learn / practice Buddhism by oneself, to find the measure of Middle way

while committing so-called  Mindfulness, but not in obsessive extreme,  is not easy.

To biggin with Mindfulness, to learn what is the Mindfulness is hard enough, —— in fact, to understand

what is Mindfulness —— is already somewhere middle of the way reaching to the Enlightenment !

Most obvious and common mistake to learn Mindfulness is, to mix-up it with the concentration.

Concentration with passion and enthusiasm.( in another word, with Emotion )

Far from it, it is the result / even a by-product of the Mushin ——Once the Mind has gone, so nothing to

think about though, something left in the hand or very front of you—— so, just do it.

Mindfulness is not the concentration of the mind, but simply nothing else is there.

It may look utterly strange though, to learn Mindfulness, first, start to do a boring useless

practice, repeat and repeat again until your mind become insensitive and able to do it without

thinking —–> and able to see the task with completely emptied brain / Blank Space ——-

The task may seem something foreign or looks even first time to see  ( by the newly acquired

Open–eyes / Dispassionate eyes ) —–> as nothing else is in your mind,so

just deal with  ” this, only the Task.”

Hence, nothing else there, the eyes, attention everything  goes into it, down to the minute details.

( Eyes sees what you want to see, but Dispassionate eyes sees everything on front, as it is )

To somebody-else’s eyes, it may seem too much.    To clean the kitchen down to a minute water-mark

may seem to be a  Compulsive cleanness Obsession / Mental Disorder though, never mind, as long

as it wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes after a cooking or eating,  it is just a normal practice.

If it goes hours everyday —— m m m ?

What is extreme, where is the Middle way is just an arbitrary view. Often, the cleanness obsession

of Japanese frighten the westerners, (you may not know, they carry a wet tissue with disinfectant to clean

their hand after shake hand with unknown person.  They are only the people using disposal toilet seat cover)

but it is normal, among the Japanese.  This is the reason why they are even reluctant to shake hand, or

share the bottle and drink direct from it (touch somebody-else’s saliva ) let alone kissing to other person !

( It is originated from deep sublimated  Japanese Shinto ” Avoid the foreign dirt and keep you clean “)

—–

Where to draw the line and stay in Middle way, is not rigidly fixed.  Since, the fundamentals of the Buddhism

is not torment you  with complicated rules, but to liberate your mind.  Try extreme will definitely taxing your

body and mind, but obviously dirty kitchen would cause your ill-health.  So, here is clear Middle ground.

Do what you think appropriate. Observe who you are, and if it is acceptable for you, do your best.

( So, to a Japanese, Clean it when it was soiled may be a Middle way,  and to a Hippie guy clean the

kitchen once in a week may be his Middle way —- though it’s a huge leap to clean it first time ever.   🙂  )

—-

While observing your own tasks, re-arrange the order, or a  way to sort the memos, even the position

to stick those memo, or the way to respond the Emails etc, and making it easier and  smoother  to

deal,  —— if the situation is getting better,  its mean your Mindful approach is working.

And when you established a system to deal with those tasks, and able to sort them quite business-like,

almost automatic way, in fact you are processing it, in the Mushin manner. —Why not it is efficient.

Difference of the Mushin to machine is, as the eyes is completely open, it is possible to spot

anything peculiar or the point to pay attention.  This is what makes the human different from a machine.

—– So, keep you busy.   🙂

___/\___

—–

Blank Space in the Mind / CREATIVITY / SPIRITUALITY

This is a speculation and in metaphor, since the mind even my own  is so elusive and impossible to see it

direct though, it seems in the edge of conscious and unconsciousness,  there is a Blank Space

where a seed of thought or image is first appearing.

The Space has no size, hence it can accommodate the notion of universe to the structure of sub-atomic

particle —– first in a vague form under dim light.

As this Space was surrounded by all library of knowledges and memories  include the subconscious

memory which is deep in the brain, therefore all sorts of connection can be made,  in order to make sense

of what is this seed meant,  in a fraction of second.

The direction of this connecting process can be logical but it is not necessary.

So that a  dream can be created in utterly illogical direction and  with completely  free connection.

In the same time this is the process where creativity works. Whether it is a flat image or a 3D

structure, or an idea  which would be then converted into a meaningful notion by the linguistic semantics.

In the case of image, some person can gradually clarify its vague image into more solid image,

some people has very clear spatial imagination and can do it in 3D structure, others may

only able to see vague 2D image.  The person who can see clear 3D image is also good to see

the object objectively. (And I noticed those people are also able to see the self objectively)

From those images, some of the people can convert it to a concrete drawings (with a skill to

coordinate with the hand) —- as an art or a design for the purpose.  It can also be an invention.

But those new connections are not the result of logical thinking and there is no formula,

or methodology, they are more like a result of chance.    It always comes unexpectedly  🙂

( Like a production of T-cell in our  White blood, the design or the combination of DNA pattern is random

—– no designated pattern against the targeted virus.  Just make a lot, some may match to the virus and

able to kill them, though the rest would be wasted and die.)

Our body is relying on random chance —– knowingly control the direction is done in much

higher region of the brain, with less creativity or fancy novelty. ( Logical but boring.  And

this is why  so-called Conceptual art is boring.   😀 )

—-

So, the field of creativity, new idea or art / design, even a dream are all born in this Blank Space.

It can be described even the limbo in our mind / brain.  Between conscious and unconsciousness.

Starting with very vague feeling, as if it is exist or not exist —— like what  Buddhist describes.

In this field, as the first seed has no defined direction,  chance / accidental connection could be

occurred,  and as the brain scanning all the file and  information, something very remote but possible

new connection can be made.——–> Eureka ! ! !

If it is something useful, we call it invention, if not —– can be an art. (—– Why not  😀  )

—-

To see the seed as it is,  in the clear eyes,  is what the Buddhists are working for.

Since it could be the sign from the Dharma or it could be the direct transmission.

Or it could be an ingenious new idea in physics. (Ask Einstein, how he did it.  😀  )

To see it as it is (before converting it to a known category / notion) need to have an  open mind,

and best to be done in Mushin without any idiosyncratic view imposed on it.

( Interesting aspect of this  Open Mind / Blank Space is, some people can put even clear easily

distinguishable object / idea  into this space, and able to make totally new connection free from any

crèche, idiosyncratic notion,——- it is THE creative brain, creative person. And strangely you might

think, the practice of Zen ( not just a twisted leg formality or patterned Koan ) is nothing but the way to

create this Blank Space in the brain and handle all the coming signal with totally open-minded

manner and purest perception)

And this  Blank Space is where we can communicate with our Spiritual World.

As a seed appeared to this Twilight Blank Space, it is not yet the form of legible word,

some people call this  Transcendental (if it was arrived to the unconscious region,

we couldn’t notice it,  and if it was a clear legible message or clear visible image, we don’t

call it Transcendental) in which we feel, something beyond of our understanding,

deep meaning must be there ——- this is what we call  Spirituality.

—————–

When we receive something very vague signal,  we feel it  Transcendental or  Spiritual.

Like a sound which doesn’t have a clear rhythm nor distinctive melody  but slowly moving rather high

tone (2~4kHz), especially if its got some echo ( think, such as  Mozart’s Requiem which was recorded

in a church acoustics, or some slow synthesizer musics), as it is not narrative or descriptive,

and as the echo gives a feeling of the space, we start to feel as if we were absorbed in the infinite

space and gazing into deep unknown world —— we describe the feeling “Spiritual”.

In this reason, sacred music use this effect —- most typically Mozart / Vatican’s  Miserere.

( This Allegri’s sacred music was smuggled out of Vatican, stashed in the memory of Mozart.  🙂  )

Even the Adagio of Albinoni or Samuel Barber makes our skin creep.

( There could be a neurological effects between the cyclic stimuli / such as sound vibration and

resonating nerve signal —– can be a  residue or left over of  far ancient sensory,  such as Pineal Grand

was suspected to have —– sensing Earth’s Magnetic Field, Cosmic Wave kind of fancy staff —- which

might explain even  Why harmonic sound is more comfortable to listen, or  tone of music affect our mood )

Those phenomena gave a clue —— undefinable signal, a seed of very vague feeling or idea / image is

coming to this Blank Space and making the mind to explore unknown field —– Dream, Creative Idea

—–> Art, Invention, New Theory.

In comparison, if the signal is clear and distinctive, it will be instantly linked to the specific data, category

or notion by the cognitive function of the brain, then it will be converted to the literal notion.

But to define the vague signal, whether it was internally conceived or externally received —- it first comes

to the Blank Space.  So, this Blank Space is functioning like the sorting room for the lost letters  😀

——————-

A scientist said, this function is in our Right Brain  though  I’m not sure as a person who got right brain

damaged still has some creativity,  free mind is functioning —– and I haven’t seen my brain cut open yet.

(Observation through latest brain scanner is telling, that the Nobel Prized Right Brain theory

seemed to be a myth ——- our brain is much more complicated)

—–

DorkBoat

Yesterday there was a marvelous boat journey called  Dorkboat organized by the Dorkbot London.

Dorkbot is a group of the people ” Doing strange things with electricity “ —— as their motto

suggests, it is the gathering of the people who is doing with electronics, electricity what so-ever

to show off or discuss what so-ever about their free-minded creation.

Naturally, some are purely digital electronics /

computer programmed graphics or music.

And some are involving kinetic mechanism with

electronic control.

As the group is completely open to anybody

some are doing it alongside of his or her profession

with profound expertise, but some time

utterly an outsider of electronics came up

with very witty approach of an invention.

—

Me to join the group was, again a sheer coincidence.

Somebody a friend, happened to know the member

introduced me to the Dorkbot London as I’ve been

making a lots of funny kinetic sculptures and designing lots of electronic devices.

I liked their motto and my approach —– making the things which are utterly useless but fun,

was exactly matched and found a common ground.

Since then, virtually all of my public exposure such as to French TV, news paper or BBC

were happened with the Dorkbot.  ( Gathering can be seen only for the members, which mean strict

Health and Safety Regulation which is always our headache, can be avoided )

—-

On the boat from Westminster Pier to Kew, we saw the presentation of many funny devices ——

” Mocking bird can be seen as a  recording device (since they can repeat human words ! )” or

ever hilarious  J.Rarson’s game controller, and some music performances  etc etc.

It’s funny to think, the people who follow rigid and rational Physics and Electronics rules

still able to conceive such utterly useless nutty idea 😀   —–  This is THE creativity.

—-

Event was coincided with the farewell award giving for the departure of one of the founder

Alex McLean / formidable  experimental Programmer, as his family is moving out London.

I wish his family’s ever happier life in new location

and his creative projects to ever more flourish.

—

Poor Nature

This poor friend is what I found on the pavement. (The actual size is 45mm across)

He is the largest Stag Beetle I came across in this country ( Japanese Stag Beetle is twice big.

—- Notorious Killer Wasp which we call  Suzume Bachi ( Sparrow Wasp )is 2″ big, by the way ).

Though,  when somebody saw this Beetle on the pavement, the person might have thought, this is

a big cockroach and stumped on him,  hence his broken stags and crushed body.—— How shame.

—

Once before,  I saw the collection of the cockroaches came from all over the world at a Lab’ in

the Imperial College,  from the hissing cockroach to 4″ big sandy brown / black striped beautiful one.

Though, common cockroach is the public enemy number one.  This hatred is almost chemically

programmed in the mind.  Therefore the person who saw a black insect, wouldn’t have given a shred of

thought or time and instantly crushed him with almost automatic reaction.

So, it must be too much to ask to give a close look and distinguish him out.

So, I only can  say, it was his misfortune to venture out the woods and came to the building area.

—

Zen asking instant judgment and reaction though,  preceding to its action,  the clear eyes to see and

distinguish the situation, has the crucial importance. ( Of cause, I wouldn’t expect to the people

able to distinguish a stag beetle, as they may never seen or learned it before —– even myself have seen

it less than 10 times over 30 odd years living in this country )

—– So, I only hope, behind the one dead body,  yet another 10 are still surviving somewhere in the woods.

And I’d like to ask the people who got a big garden to leave the pile of log or trunk of dead tree ( leave it

as 3~4 feet high ) for them to nest inside.

In south London,  there is a green area called Peckham Rye Common and it was once named the dirtiest

park in London by a news paper. Then the local Council / Southwark  took an action —– clean up all the

dead wood, concreted the pond floor removing all the water plants.  Pond used to have larvae of such

as Damsel Fly, and Newts were crawling among the water plants.—– I complained to the Council and

they replied that they are having consultation of naturalists —– What sort of scientists ?  Bollocks.

” Who the Scientist ?”  ” We can’t reveal the name, to protect identity ” —– It’s just a smoke-screen.

Utterly bollocks and nothing but a vandalism to the Nature.  Clean up,since insects gone hence birds gone.

Nature is not clean and tidy.  Dead tree and rotting wood is the essential part of it.

We shouldn’t forget —— We humankind is the most dirtiest, harmful toxic part of it.

With a kind of guilty conscience  we need to pay back to the Nature —– we should be humble

since, soon or later the Nature will kick us back.  Look, the Planet Earth is becoming barren land.

Pakistani top-soil was washed away, Russia and Amazon are burning, American mid-west,

north-west Africa, Australia are drying up ——- to mention but few.

And this is the manifestation of the Karma.  We are picking our fruits.  Toxic bitter fruits.

___/\___

Go GREEN ( Do you ? )

Fundamental flaw of green issue is, —— to sustain any green alternative system

we still need to maintain highly toxic, environmentally utterly unfriendly high-tech industry.

Even a most promising fuel cell electric generating system, to give a precise control of flow of the gasses,

it’s need to have sophisticated sensor using radio-active element and computer controled machine.

Any electronic system needs to have the components using  rare-metal, such as tantalum  for a small

capacitor of which the metal ore  was dug up while depleting the rain forest of  Congo etc ——–

Or ever ubiquitous lithium  battery —— how many people knows how it is toxic, dangerous material.

Manufacturer of the LED light shouting their product is mercury free ( against Fluorescent light ) so that

it is safer and Eco-friendly though they never mention  it using even more toxic arsenic.

Just design and manufacture a wind blade, what sort and size of industry and the technology we need ?

To wear greenish cotton,—— to grow and harvest the cotton how much chemical was spread ?

And behind of its chemical what size of industry is operating ?

Just maintain and replacing the worn out components, we still need the whole industry.

——– We just pick up the nice words / Buzz-word  to pretend to be a conscientious person though,

in most of the case it is nothing but the superficial window dressing and the Delusion ” I’m doing good “

( I rather like to be a bady than a self-deceived hypocrite,  and gaze the world going down  gutter,

standing on front of the situation.   We can’t keep ourself immune to the diseases of this society )

We are just postponing  to face the catastrophe  ( while making the situation even worse ) since

the fundamental issue is too fundamental and politically too sensitive.

No body want to touch critical matter.  Only nice words sells. ——– In such situation, this must

be the Buddhist’s duty,  in stead of jump onto band-wagon,  we need to see through the

Karma of the society with our clear eyes,  which we are trained for.  And we have to shout.

___/\___ , ___/\___ , ___/\___

WOMAN womam !

I’ve encountered a woman at somebodies’ birthday party  who questioned me, why the Buddhism

discriminate the women and keep them in the lower lank in the hierarchies.

It’s an awkward question.

My explanations  ” There was no such thing in the time of Buddha, as there was no organized system of

ranking his followers,  and the seniority who has learned longer and knows deeper was obvious,

regardless the gender ” —— Though, this woman who said to be practicing  ” – – – something, never

heard of kind of meditation” was so tenacious,  saying  “Even a woman who achieved the high enough

level of enlightenment,  still been recognized lower than the male and couldn’t be ordained to the same

rank as the male counter part etc etc. ”

As the matter of fact,  I rather liked to just shut my mouth and ignored the question though, this woman

just keep repeating the question and push and push,  and unlike the Great Buddha,  my silence didn’t

hit the world like a thunder.  ( Ha Ha Ha  😀  )

——————–

The matter was too obvious,  It is not my business.  And I don’t think it is her business neither.

Somewhere some sect administrate the way of their organization in their own rules,

it is their problem. (if any at all )  If anyone doesn’t like it,  just go to another sect.

Obviously this woman is arguing the matter which is not what she is facing herself,  in other words,

she is arguing the matter which is only in her knowledges, the thinkings.    And talking an injustice of

discrimination in social recognition of the one’s achievement in her assumption. Not in her reality.

———- Unfortunately,  the starting point of this woman was hopelessly wrong.

Buddhism is not a cooperate system to organize the people in bureaucratic hierarchies,  therefore

expecting to receive high-ranking etc is not the Buddhism,  but the one’s ego and the greed.

Invested the money to the speculation of the land, but as the bubble collapsed and couldn’t get the profit.

Though,  before complain the lost profit,  think own greed  expected to grub the money with dubious scheme.

———- I really wonder,  what sort of Buddhism this woman was imagined of.   Instead to find the peace,

she  created a discord in her mind,  which is not even  her business and only exist in her knowledge.

The one’s enlightenment is not given by the organization of sect,  but gained by the person oneself.

Attending the sect’s talking shop, which chair to sit is not the matter at all.    The person,  just sit on

the floor  comfortably,  without any dithering,  is in fact sitting closest to the enlightenment.

And I’m sure,  when the founder of  THAT  sect had encountered  a woman of this kind,  who was just filled

with ego,  still insisting  ” I’ve achieved and gained the understanding of Buddhism”

the founder must be amazed and fed up to argue with her.

After so many years of study and the practice and achieved to gain so much so ” Knowledges” still able to

maintain so much so ego and the greed,

the founder must come  to the conclusion ” They are the hopeless”  ( I guess )

So, after ” The historical woman’s right fighter ” the sect changed their rules, it was the unfortunate history

in a corner of the Buddhism sphere.

In the Buddhism Paradox, the Dharma prevails to the one who achieved the perfection without

asking the return. ( in other word, in  Mushin —– or so-called Selflessness )

CYBER SPACE — (and Z80 mini-computer)

It is 25 years  since  Dot Com was first created,  and 20 years since  WWW  was invented.

One of my old colleague,  Camera Critics,  Kazuo Taira  was one of the pioneer of the PC networking, using

acoustic telephone modem and he organized the Photographer’s Computer Network in Japan.

It’s shame Mr.Taira  is no longer with us.  Unfortunately  we in the creative field tend to lose the friends who

tend to be a heavy drinker.  ( Do you know,  the average life-span of Rock musicians are 38 something,

of cause it may not caused by the alcohol alone )

And since then, our lives are more and more entwined with the Computer and the Internet.

Nearly 20 years ago,  I made a small computer using Z80 CPU,

designed from the scratch.  ( Left  Photo)

( I would say, it’s a half sculpture, half computer )

Its operates on only 10 MHz clock speed and having 512 Kb memory,

which needs to be programmed by Machine Code.

—– In electronics, to design and to build is one thing and

to make it works is the another.

Eliminate all the glitches and instability etc etc are the hard part.

—– As the definition,  computer operates on the data in the

memory,  once the memory was corrupted,  it needs to re-program from the start.

( It was the time of  UV erasable  memory,  before easy to re-program  Flash-memory )

After this experience,  I became a computer skeptic ” Computer can make mistakes ” hence, even now

I don’t use Credit Card and I rather like to use hard-wired design,  not soft control.

In this reason, I honestly admire the person who can design and manufacture a  10 GHz device which works

in any environment  reliably.

——————–

In another side of the revolution,  the Internet is becoming almost a monster, and the Necessary Evil.

Since  I  started to use Email,  I wrote very few letters  which  needed to be a signed evidence.

—– The trouble of Net is their intrusive activities.  As everybody knows,  Google / Gmail is

watching our use of web and the contents of communications word by word. ( Cookies, hidden files etc)

When I heard about  Facebook,  I instantly felt their dubious nature  ” Why do they need to have so much

detailed personal information ? “—– obviously they are  the salable commodities.

Without having such profitable return,  what is the point to provide free service.

Personal info’ used to be sold to the marketing / direct mail company before.  Now the Internet provider,

social networking site are the Marketing/ Advertising/ Direct-mailing/ Delivery Service  All-in-one.

(When  I got an Email from one of our Old-boy telling, he has reached to the grand age, the Ads on right hand

column are all cheap Funeral service and the international flower delivery — Great, thank you very much :-D)

So that from the beginnings I didn’t use my real name to open Email account, and never sign up the

Website which asks Date of Birth.  ( Still, now Yahoo knows my DOB, obviously from the content of

the mail between me and my friend. )

With full name and the DOB, the one can hack-in and get the information of National Health, and

together with the Address,  it is possible to access the Banking information.

——————–

To live in peace, we have to be aware ” We are in the battle field ” which the Buddhists call  Samsara.

With technology and the Internet,  we opened the Pandora’s Box.   It’s a funny situation, as in the Informations

we are becoming almost naked,  in the same time our contact itself becoming even more indirect.

Just by  the chain of characters on the screen, a 30 years guy pretending as a 15 years old boy,  chatting

with a 40 years woman who pretending 13 years old girl. —– Yuck,  how  beautiful,   😀

——————

Zen  rely on the Direct Transmission,  still what I’ve been trying here, is the triple, quadruple indirect

communications.  In order to type, I converted my feeling to the lingual form, and express it in the

bloody English, which typed chain of ASCII code traveled through unknown node here and there and

end up —– how do I know where.

As I thought,  I never met Buddha himself,  or  I have any idea , how many times the Mantra was translated

or re-written,  and  2500 years apart, someone try to reach the same conclusion as Buddha,

( in the point of indirectness, this is the far-most remote situation )

still, if its works,  a talk to others through  Internet may works too.

Thats what I’m thinking.

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