Stitch Work (2) Disco Pants !

Among my creation hence the possessions, the most bizarre item  

must be my Disco Pants. — It was a BR rail worker’s hi-vis uniform.  

But, because its size was too big for me, I’ve cut the length and used

that cut-off to make the back pockets. = So, the pants was customized 

to a flashy Disco Pants with x5 blue LEDs running light on the thigh

and slow on-off pink and red LEDs on the back pocket. 

To make the pocket, I designed it like a stuffed relief of a nude torso. 

In fact, such design was an excuse to put the LEDs.   As the figure 

was made upside down, it was a puzzle to comprehend what it was.

= all for the fun on the club night. (If it was ordinary geometric

pattern kind, it would be too boring = nothing fun and the others

wouldn’t notice it at all.)

On that time I was an almost the fixture of the club called Fridge in

Brixton. — Good (or bad ?) grown-up in a club, it’s better to have a

fun, and gone to be crazy.  (Anyway, it sound everything crazy =

I was the top dancer there, receiving free entry and the free drinks

— still, never drink alcohol, not mention any drug.  Never mix with

cloud still keep talking with all the staffs, manager, owner. = So that

the cloud mistook me a special security kind or even a real owner /

financier behind.  😀 )

To make the pockets, the material was the cut-off of the leg’s end

and the thread was the thread which I de-threaded from the cut-off.

(This story, use old thread horrified the professional machinists !) 

Because, it’s there and the easiest to use — though it needed to pull

out from the cloth. —– So, the supply of the thread was limited. 

On the end, I had to save the thread = no return stitch. = You can 

see from the photo above.   😀 

Without draw the line on the cloth, stitching was made direct on the

cloth while deciding the shape. = I think, the result wasn’t too bad.

(but I wouldn’t say the stitch work was anything near to perfect).

.

You might say,  what an effort, and a waste of the time, just for fun ? ! 

But, I would only answer, why not.   And I’d ask back, spending the 

same length of time, what can you do something  worthwhile and fun,

on yesterday or whole of your life. ?   —– soon you may realize 

that what you been doing was just follow the situation to survive. 

Was that only the life what you can have ?    Open your eyes !

What preventing you to be free was your small pretense to be a

“Respectable decent man” — can you ? —– Really ?

(Though, I wouldn’t guaranty you to get a free entry even if you get crazy. )

.

 

Stitch Work (1)

Coming to the time hard to thread the sawing needle, I became 

aware what I learned from my mother when I was young.

My mother used to make the Kimonos herself.   Often using very

rare expensive silk such as Oshima-tsumugi.  You may feel strange

though, I was sitting and watching her work and when she needed

I thread the needle for her.   Make Kimono is of course done by the

hand stitching. (Even now, all the Japanese Kimono was made by hand

= a kind of tourists souvenir, Happi Kimono may be made by a sawing

machine (in China) but Japanese doesn’t see them are Kimono at all.)

—– Sawing, hand stitching is nothing but an utterly laborious work.

And virtually all the sawing in the Kimono-making is straight line.

Only the exception sometime is the end of Tamoto in Furisode Kimono

(= long sagged down sleeves).   Its mean, no innovative variation or

inventive shortcut kind could ever exist = just keep stitching straight.

= If it was not straight, the fabric distort, so it looks funny and make a

person wearing feel ashamed. So,to a Kimono-maker or needle woman

to become able to do an adequate stitch, it may need to make at least

10 Kimonos for a practice.  (if it was an expensive silk, de-thread and

remake again — very fine needle will not damage the fablic.)

.

In the all the traditional crafts or art kind, how the novice to learn is

by way of watching and mimic = to copy what the master does.

Not mention the stitching work, which is push the needle, front to the

back and to the front again ~ ~ ~, mimicking and copy is nothing but

the repeating the same action again and again.

= IS to program the pattern into the brain. = (When the pattern was

imprinted in the brain, the action, include the speech become

automatic = automatic mean “No self”)   When the level of learning =

copying deepen to such automatic level, it’s standard or the quality

reaches to the perfection.   Because the body moves like a precise

machine without the interference of useless thought or emotion.

In this level, there couldn’t be any Ego = no emotion or high-level

thought. — so, you might wonder, what IS the motivation to do it ?

“Motivation ?      What’s the Motivation ?”

— When the task is on front = there wouldn’t be any choice but to DO.

(This situation has been misunderstood as the “Concentration” or

so-called “Mindfulness”. 😀 )

And, is the task really there ? How DO I know when myself is not there =

nor any mind, observing it.   (The people who mistook that the Zen

is a matter of awareness = A way of different thinking, couldn’t

emancipates this trap of thinking therefore couldn’t be escaped from 

this dichotomy = “Observing vs Observed Self” — When the SELF is 

 not there, WHO is observing or aware of it ?) = It’s mean, as long as 

a notion of Zen is there (or you think, you are doing a Zen),

it is not Zen at all.  Zen is being in no-mind = Mushin.

.

This is the situation WHAT the Buddhists call VOID.

— Which I’ve learned from the stitching work when my conscious

was absorbed into the moving needle.

= Effectively my mother taught me the most crucial essence of Zen

without saying even a single word of Zen or Buddhism.(Of course,there

was no word of Zen or even a name of Buddhism exists on the time of

Lord Buddha.  He only showed the way to DO and what he told was the

jokes, then took a rest while sitting quiet.  When the teachings were

“Selfless” it couldn’t be taught using the word “Self” as it’s not exists.

So, he only showed the way to DO without SELF.) 

The people who was not there and only heard about had mistaken that

the sitting (and assumed to be thinking) was the matter.

Then all the misconception and the nix-up were bore out from here.

( — Sitting was just having a rest).

So, you were trapped here.   Are you watching the stitches, or

something encircled by the stitches ?

Oh, naughty you, what are you thinking. It’s just a cloth and the

stitches, still it’s better to be a naughty as we can have a laugh.    

Ha ha ha   😀

___/\___

.

Zen or just a Miser ?

Have you guessed it ?   This is nothing but a washing-up Sponge. 

Still, why it is here – was – did you noticed, it has been stitched up. 

I think, it came from a Pound-shop = four of them for a pound.

It has been used to wipe water arround kitchen sink or wipe the

bottom of a pan after washed etc.  (Inside will be left dry itself.)

Still after while it has been teared and broken.  So, I stitched up

its tear and kept using it. = It is not bad enough to bin.  (Even

though, I have new one left in stock.)

— it is a normal practice on my life. But, I never preached others to 

do the same or even suggested (it’s their business.) – Is it too stingy ?   

Or is this an attachment to a possession?   Kind of greed for 25 pence ?

If I may say, this IS my Mindfulness to the humble sponge.

And as I do, this IS Zen. 

If you think otherwise, your understanding of Zen IS wrong.

___/\___

.

PS :

There could be two completely opposing views here.

* The mind, stack to the sponge could talk about Zen ?

* Or, the mind which couldn’t even pay attention to a sponge

could talk about Zen ? —– the answer IS, — What is Zen ? 

(Clinging the imaginary idea of Zen is remotest to the Zen.)   

Don’t talk, don’t think, just do.  = (that was, what

Lord Buddha taught.)

.

Core of the Buddhism

Did Buddhism asked the followers to remember any special notion,

something like a rule of the “Preservation of Energy” in physics or

a special formula, or to do very peculiar practice ?   (Don’t mix-up

with a funny ritualistic practice of Tantra sect.

Or their magic Mantra (Dharani) which was claimed to have a

supernatural power. — They are noting to do with the teachings of

Lord Buddha.)

.

—– Such as Four Noble Truth = they are only a bit deeper

understanding of the phenomena in our life general.

= After all, what the Buddhism telling us were the Awareness

toward our own existence.    Which is not far from our

common sense = Because all of us ARE existing more or less on

the same bases = Nobody was born to live for ever, nor born

with the wings to fly etc etc = nobody is superman, or

divine figure in flesh —– as no supernatural facts exists (other

than silly delusion or rumour) there couldn’t be any possibility

of the fantastic fabrication mixed into the Buddhism teachings.

(In deed, there are mountain of fancy stories = but they ARE

the fancy stories = nothing to do with the teachings.

— It’s a fun to see a fancy imagination of the people.)    😀

[]

Lord Buddha denied any idealistic notions as they are only

the delusions.  (Therefore he completely ignored to answer

(completely stop to talk the person is the same to kill him)

the questions about “after the life” or about the “universe”

which is neither exists nor possible to know.

—– Considering the both subjects are the easiest topics to tell a

fabrication or a fancy story (because, to counter prove its fancy

story is even harder — Try to prove there are Heaven and Hell.

Then try disprove them.   You will see it’s a waste of time = so that,

Lord Buddha completely ignored it. )

Probably the most important key to decipher Buddhism teachings

are in the story of Kisa Gotami (Running around the village) =

as a typical Upaya teaching, there was no verbal teaching but the

learning by the practice = Direct transmission to the subconscious.

= No lexical Notion/Idea or Thinking process.

And this phenomenon was also significant in this story.

—– Why it’s significant = because its phenomenon of

“Exists but Exists Not” character of the Subconsciousness

and this phenomenon is the core of the Voidness.

Dharma IS here or HERE all together IS the Dharma though,

since its detail is constantly changing moment to moment because

the Karma is active, it couldn’t be defined in one shape, still it IS

the Dharma.  = This “Exists yet Exists not” character is parallel to

our subconsciousness.  = And this IS what we ARE = and to

become aware this fact IS the Enlightenment.

(So, effectively it IS no difference to know who I AM = just

I am as I am. = That’s why, it is a Dog shit.)   😀

___/\___

.

Human Right and the Equalty

The most absurd misconception of the people today is the

idea of so-called Human Right and the Equality.

Did natural law or any God or Deity ever given such promise ?

—– How about Natural Evolution ? = Survival of fittest = It’s

not fare isn’t it! Not fit to survive still need an equal chance.

(Are you serious ?)

—– Because of no such promise from ANY supernatural power

or anything, anybody, the man had to make-up a declaration

by themselves.  = It was a mare human invention.

It was not a God’s-given “Right” but a Political manifest.

Politician and their organisation can declare that they promise

to give an equal opportunity and the equal treatment of the people

in their administration.  So, under their government,

people may have a Human Right and the Equality.

With this promise as a bait, the political group / democratic

movement got dominance in the most of the civilised world.

But in the history, country by country, regime by regime,

government by government, the treatment of the people has been

very different because no fixed, overriding rules there.

So, there was anything from “Good ruler” to tyrant.

—– In this situation of facts, very simple logic is, if the human

was born to have an Equality, why they were not born equal =

Born to have the same looks, same environment, same

opportunity and having the same Karma.

— Obviously, no such things ever existed in the human history.

[]

If ANY body, the “activist” want to say otherwise, please tell me

“From where or whom given the “Human Right” and

the “Equality” to human being.

Because, it seems almost all the trouble of the society has been

caused or aggravated by this mix-up or misconception of the IDEA.

(Don’t get me wrong, I’m not denying the potential benefit /

possibilities its IDEA possess, but, I can’t agree with an

arrogant attitude as if we were born with it.  —– Those IDEA were

the hard earned reward after long long struggle through the history.)

[]

In contrast, the significance of the Life IS there, who ever deny it or

think in any manner.  = Because it IS exists.

It has been existed even before the man invented the God.

So, we have no way to deny it.   Like a simple fact that is we are standing

on the Earth.    And as an extent to be a life, there is no difference

whether it is an animal or plant.

We are not a Judge to decide as we ourselves are just a miniscule part

of this Phenomenon.    We are not ruling, let alone created this world.

On the same base, we have to accept that somebody IS more equal.

= Since, the Karma affecting each person as an individual.

To be an individual there is no equality.   That’s was how and why the

Dharma created YOU as YOU are.   Accordingly non of us got a right to

complain this. You could be lucky YOU or may be unlucky YOU but

that IS what YOU ARE.

[]

Enigmatic ?

People says that the Buddhism is the enigma.

Well, if the person says it’s an enigma, the person knows it half.

Half ? —– Yes the person already learned half of it !

It’s remarkable, despite the Buddhism is in the enigma.

Why it’s in enigma ? = Because the Buddhism is not teaching

the crucial matter in the words.

Why ?

Because, to learn it without the words is crucial, therefore

it wouldn’t be taught or explained by the words.

So, to know the situation and able to describe its Enigma is a

sure sign of that the person did come half way. = It’s great. 

Well done.

(The point of this was described in this post.) = and as the story

tells, it’s point / secret was not clearly understood even by the

Lord Buddha’s closest disciple Ananda.

—– Because the teachings of Selfless or learning of selfless has

to be done in Selfless  = It’s mean without the person aware of it

= couldn’t be told / couldn’t be heard. = Once you consciously

heard the word / explanation, your conscious / Self become

aware of it = it IS a breakdown of the Selfless.

Lord Buddha taught Selfless in this way (could anyway else ?) =

so, the Buddhism was seen to be an Enigma.

[]

Hence, you have to learn Buddhism / Zen in a Selfless way = it’s

mean you just do the practice until you get the Selfless state =

Mushin (Mind of no-mind). 

And when you become able to live in the selfless way, you are

NOT conscious of your state, therefore you can NOT able to

observe yourself = you can NOT describe it in the words.

= So, you don’t know what it IS, nor others know either !

Everything stays in the depth of Subconscious.

Therefore, the Buddhism stays in Enigma.

—– IS it clear ?  (= it’s a paradox isn’t it !)  😀

___/\___

Test of Selflessness (The most important Post)

[]

Ephemeral Evanescence

Beauty in Japanese nature and the people’s life style, well

harmonized with its nature is so famous = so, you may think.

And you may think a famous touristic spot of such as the

Cherry Blossom is naturally there from ancient time.

Well, this IS the biggest paradox or contradiction, even

a trick in the Japanese culture.  = Virtually all the famous

Cherry spots are intentionally created by planting the tree

which was artificially grafted and propagated Somei-yoshino. 

—– Cherry tree has limited life about 60~100 years. 

Therefore, those Cherries of the famous places has been

re-planted 2~3 times since the original Somei-yoshino came.

(simply, when the tree became too big,  they brake and fall)

Because of the Somei-yoshino could only be propagated by

grafting,  unless the tree was intentionally planted,

it wouldn’t exist there.  They are the Created Art.

The situation is the same in those Japanese gardens,

even a garden in the Buddhist temple was “created”

= Still they look like a real landscape in great nature.

(I don’t think, you ever imagined that famous Rock Garden

in the Ryoan-ji temple did naturally exists there.  😀  )

It’s like a Bonsai !    Looks like a great tree in the nature —

though, to create those realistic Bonsai tree, the craftsman

spent 10 even 50 years to shape it. = This IS the Zen. 

The most peculiar things in the Japanese culture / Ethos is

such Zen Ethos has been kept not only by the monk or

religious people but by everybody without their conscious.

Zen doesn’t speak. It have to be learned by looking and to

try oneself. Therefore, what learned couldn’t be explained.

(Because they are not aware of it, they don’t talk about,

therefore, foreign journalist could not find and describe it.

= So, the Japanese mind/attitude/Ethos stay in the myth.)

And the Zen Ethos of impermanence/ephemerality, even a

death has been symbolized in the Japanese Cherry Blossom.

( = Beauty in its fall !)

(Hence, lots of Japanese Military establishments having their emblem

with Cherry flower pattern, and their barrack has Cherry garden.  

And the Kamikaze suicidal-rocket-bomb made on the last stage of the

last war was named Ouka = 桜花 = Cherry Blossom )

[]

Zen and its ethos keep driving the Japanese to even more

refinement/improvement = So that, the next generation of

Somei-yoshino is coming as the Jindai-akebono which is

stronger than Somei-yoshino against the virus.

(This new variety of Cherry has been created by crossing the

Edo-higan Zakura and the (almost original) Somei-yoshino

back from Washington USA.  Now the Flower Association of

Japan stop to distribute Somei-yoshino and recommending

to plant Jindai-akebono.)  (The name Jindai =  because it 

was established in the Jindai Botanical Garden in Tokyo)

—– to express the beauty and its ephemerality and the tree

to symbolize it = Cherry = and the quest to develop stronger

tree in order to express ephemerality is a real paradox.  😀

[]

 

 

Lord Buddha’s Stance

When Lord Buddha got his Enlightenment under a pepal (bodhi) tree, he received

a milk porridge from a village girl Sujata and eat it.  Since he has broken rank from

heard austere, denying their way, such as torturing the body wouldn’t bring any

supreme understanding of the Truth, so better remain to be ordinary,

this was his fundamental stance.  — So that, in his earliest basic teachings such

as the Four Noble Truth, the Life was defined as in a suffering.   Although the way

to make oneself free from such sufferings was taught, it was not telling like a

transcended vision, but showing a way of the living (of daily life = never staged-up

like walk on the water, or move a mountain but how to handle the things we are

dealing with every day’s life while living together with followers).

= This stance was the very foundation of the Mahayana Buddhism.  

(The reason why in the early days of the Buddhism appear to have so-called

Hinayana style was, probably the influence of one of the disciple Maha Kashapa

who was originally a hard austere monk.  (Buddhism took 5 hundreds years to

realize this mistake).

Another reason why such mistake was made was, that the core of the teachings

was to train one’s subconscious, not a word to memorize. = Buddhism is NOT the

theory/theology or IDEA, but the way how we see the things, react to the situation

or handle the things “without thinking”. ( = Just Doing)

The way to DO or to LIVE in this way can be learned only by the practice therefore

no point to explain it in the word. = Very difficult to teach, let alone to learn.

(To explain or to question nullify the point = like, to explain to be silent.)

[]

The back ground of those teachings was that our brain process the matter

unconsciously — consciousness comes far later after the intervention of the loads 

of “considerations” such as own gain, desire, manipulative trick, etc etc.

What Lord Buddha found was That all of our sufferings were emanated from those

“consideration” or Thinking, therefore to eliminate those thinking and live on the

Moment (you can only see “The Moment” = before or after/future exists only in

your mind/thinking.) you can eliminate Sufferings, also the products of

thinking/imagination = fear, delusion, evil idea etc etc.

Do or Live without thinking IS nothing other than the MUSHIN.

This mindset was described by the Mahayana Script writers as the VOID.

—– So that, the teachings of

Lord Buddha was nothing to do with a fancy stories of Deity or Devil, Angel

let alone fancy “Spiritual” vision, but the practice.  And the everyday’s our life

is the reality of our life = rather messy ugly phenomena.    This was why

Lord Buddha liked to mix with people, eat the same food (he died for

food poisoning of rotten fish = he ate anything = not a vegetarian).

And to live in MUSHIN in what life ? = Just in our life = as it is, nothing special

= just ordinary life — What a dog shit.   But this IS what the Enlightenment.

Lord Buddha didn’t tell anything peculiar or supernatural stories because,

that was not where he stood.   (He was not a magician nor spin doctor but an

Enlightened man = Buddha.  Enlightened wise man tells useful real stories, not

the useless crazy fantasies.)  🙂

___/\___

[]

Rice Cake

I would say nothing new = It’s the same story in New Year.

= I made a Rice Cake and made it to an Ozoni etc.

In fact, having the same event so many times again and again

it isn’t much of excitement. —– it’s a routine Sir.

I don’t have new year’s resolution kind. ( but just having

on-going projects which is going to be completed)

= Has to live as usual and do as usual whether it is fun or not.

That what the life is.

(If we plan big, it would fail.  Not a plan but DO have a step further.)

That what the Zen is.

___/\___

[]

Wasn’t that a Contradiction — or— Enlightenment ?

Somebody questioned me after this paragraph :

—– You have to see it by your eyes.  Not from the stories.

Otherwise, Why You need to bother be a Buddhist.

To contact with all the fresh stimuli with your naked sense will

keep your brain young.  —– Which was

the last paragraph of the last post = Meaning on the Hand.

“You (mean Me) been saying “See the world in Detached eyes.

Do the things like a routine without Emotion” but here you

say “Feel it with naked sense” — which is true ?”

[]

Aha, you are right.  I didn’t pay enough attention.

It was a matter of the stage, while people gain the awareness.

= Going through the pathway, people gain the awareness and in

the same time perception, attitude etc everything will change,

but only stage by stage.  It will not happen in one go.

—– With the endless repeated practice, the person may gain a

mentality to do the practice as a routine, out of emotion, and gain

an attitude to carry-out the work/dairy life in a detached mind.

Once the person mastered this mental state, in fact the person

became immune to the emotional up and down and became a

cool observer to his/hers own life.    Once the person reached to

this stage, the person would be liberated from the Person itself.

This is the biggest Paradox in Zen. = As the person IS now free

from the SELF, there will be NO concern left = even the own life,

therefore free to commit anything.  So, feel free, enjoy or cry free.

In fact, here is an Enlightened Person.

___/\___

[]