What is MUSHIN ?
May be I’ve talked about this ten of the times if not hundred.
—– Still, I was asked the same question.
So, this is the most up-to-dated straight answer.
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It is a well known medical symptom among the Alzheimer patients
who lost the nerval connection to the Emotional region in the Brain
lost the recognition related to the SELF such as to recognize own
possessions even to distinguish the face of the own family.
So, Emotion judge the interest of OWN — in other words, this is the
center of EGO, Greed, Well being, Safety, Security, all those Instincts.
Of course, they are the key to the survival though, the total amount
of the signal/Data the brain has to deal is burst, so that there is a
rationalized economical saving was designed = coming data was
selected according to its importance.
The harmless insignificant data or repeating same data, are ignored.
We wouldn’t pay any attention to the same boring TV CM etc. and when
we do the repeating same work, we do automatic without Emotion. = In
deed, in such a case, the Motor Region of the brain would be programed
to do such routine work automatic, involving no Emotion at all.
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So, if we block the data/signal reaching Emotional region, we can do
the job automatic, without the Emotion. (= With highest efficiency !)
Without Emotion mean without the feeling of “Mine” = SELF —
because of no feeling of Ego, Self interest (mean, no envy, jealousy to
others), Own Greed, even No Cling to own Life, be free from the SELF.
This state of Mind mean, no need to cling the past, nor need to imagine
a dream= in other words, just see the world on front of the eyes as it is
Now, without having any Thinking.—– This eyes IS clear eyes.
And this state of Mind IS the “Mind of No-Mind” = Mushin.
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In order to acquire “block the Emotional process” Buddhists use
the long repeating practice for the brain to learn “How to
Opt-out the signal process” and DO the job (or Life) automatic.
(Like, you can branding “The matter” same as to the boring TV CM
and make it no longer recognized to be exists —
we know it’s still there though, it became a remote landscape.)
In certain extent, Zen Buddhism is very cool, even cold.
But, use this to live the life very hot is the other stage of Zen.
___/\___
PS : The Related Readings :
Clear the Deck for 2013 Reverse Engineering of Zen
Emotion / Meditation —– they are good to read. = It’s amazing
how Google Algorithm worked out to see the contents !
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Crèche in the Zen Buddhism
There are quite few Crèche in the Zen Buddhism.
Such as Mindfulness, Middle way, to live in Now,Selfless etc etc
and indeed, I did talked about those topics in the early posts.
Yet still, funnily enough, in the Agama Sutra, there was no word of
Lord Buddha for about those topics. And I realized that, the talking
of those Crèche started to appear in the Mahayana scriptures,
typically like Middle way.
—– as a matter of fact, I too wrote in somewhere, the Middle way is
not in the both extreme, somewhere in the Middle.
Though, think about the extreme — in the Nature/Dharma, if it was
too little, we may not noticed it was existing. And if it was too much,
there is no such things in nature. It was only a product of imagination.
In other words, if we follow the Nature/Dharma, we are
naturally live in the Middle way. Likewise, to live in Now, if we don’t
cling Past, neither indulge imagined Future, we only deal with Now.
In the same way, Mindfulness is not a special notion, it was the state
of Mind, when there was no other imagined matter / things, but seeing
the subject on front = what else can you think of ?
— in short, there wouldn’t be any of those issues exists in the Mushin.
= Mushin mean, live Selflessly. So, it became to clear / too clear that
the script writer of the Mahayana has written those Crèche from an
overheard rumor “That the Enlightened said to live in Middle way,
live in Now and facing the life in Mindfulness”etc etc = and started
mimicking the antic = pretending of “Middle way” “Mindfulness”
“Live in Now”etc. and talked a lot blah blah — While not knowing
what the “Middle way” was = because he hasn’t even experienced the
Mushin, there was no way to know what the real “Middle way” was.
The people who doesn’t know, talk a lot, to pretend !
Still, the matter IS very simple. = once you vacated (emptied) your
Mind, what you can see is only the matter on front (= no memory
of the past, neither imagined future) = when the matter only on
front exists, what else to think about = this is Mindfulness.
And when you follow what you instantly conceived (on that Moment
= so-called intuitive perception) is the way of the Dharma.(what else ?)
(Because the Dharma is rational and harmonious as a whole system,
inherently, there is no extreme = this IS the very Middle way)
—– You see, it’s so simple in real (practical) life.
But, “talk about” the misconceived concept is much more complicated.
Because, such concept (=Crèche) is in the intellectual thinking, BUT
Zen Buddhism is a matter in the state of Mind (the way to handle the
data in the Brain) so, try to find the meaning by way of thinking is like
“To THINK HOW to ride a bicycle” instead to make own body to
“LEARN it”. 😀
___/\___
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Rice-rice
In comparison to the potato, price difference of the rice is much wider,
especially if we count the price of the Japanese rice in Japan. There is no
secret that the Japanese eating the best rice in the world, swallowing the most
expensive price comes with it. (If you are interested in to know how much the
price over there, you can look into the list. (though, they are in Japanese) )
Photo above Left, is one of the most expensive, among the expensive
Japanese rice, “Kosihikari” I paid £3 for this 500g bag here in London.
Still, even in Japan, people expecting to pay for this rice £20~£25 for 10Kg.
To get Japanese rice over here, the price would be doubled = so that, the
Californian rice grower found the market in Japanese residents here and
sell their “Japanese variety rice” 10Kg for £25 price (with huge profit).
So that, to buy Californian rice was a bit of luxury if not a status symbol.
While, Japanese food, Sushi etc becoming a fashion, the sale of Sushi-rice
became a competitive market. Now, even a Californian rice was sold less
than £20 for 10Kg. (photo middle) and even Chinese started to grow
Japanese rice and selling as “Sushi-rice” £15 in Chinese shop (Photo right)
but, I found the quality was pretty low — if not Cadmium contaminated.
(It is a well known story, Chinese don’t eat Chinese rice if they can afford.)
And the Chinese Supermarket does know the situation, so, they are selling
a Spanish grown Japanese rice, or Italian grown one both about £12 for
10Kg. (Second Photo, middle and right)
—– I found Italian was a bit better even though their naming “Shinode” (got
to be “Hinode”) was too funny. Still, taste and the texture wasn’t too bad. 🙂
In fact, the Japanese rice grown outside of Japan, they didn’t make so much
difference = the way how it was cooked makes more difference. So that,
the cheaper the better and find the best way to cook is more important.
(I mean, if not using automatic electric cooker.)
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Still, this is the Zen
Seeing a scratch on the surface of the washing-up
bowl in my kitchen which I’ve been using since I have
started to live in this flat, I realised that the dirt or
stubborn coating on the surface of this plastic bowl
could be removed by just scouring hard. —– I was
thinking to remove such limescale mixed stubborn
dirt needs to use a strong chemical such as limescale
remover kind of acid.
—– There was the choices.
Throw away old bowl and buy new one.
Anyhow, it was only a couple of pound cheap item though, strangely
I couldn’t find the same shaped one in any shop.
Other choice was do nothing. = as it has been used 15 years, why not
another 15 years. — utterly lazy and sound hopeless though, to make
nothing happen is a kind of peaceful choice and cost nothing too.
One of the famous Japanese monk, Ryokan said to have one pail and
he used it for everything, to wash his foot to serve a rice. So, use one
bowl only for washing-up many many years wouldn’t make any crime.
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If I can clean it by just scouring, why not to try. = When a spoon edge
made a scratch, a scouring pad made by metal mesh should work well.
—- So, I did. (to the half extent) It IS a simple work = just scouring,
scouring and scouring. The more scour, bowl become the cleaner.
While scouring, I just scouring (=Mindfulness) = no thinking.(Mind is
in the Mushin / Void state.)
This is the Zen. —– soon or later, the bowl will get perfectly clean state.
Exactly the same process, the Japanese Sword was perfected. (Strangely,
we aim always the better — who asked ? or because of our nature/Dharma)
You may laugh though, the bowl which became clean is the equivalent
of the enlightened soul.
—– Yet another teachings may say, neither a bowl nor soul kind of
things was there in the first place, who get enlightened ?
Good question.
___/\___
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Bizarre Lens on Macro shot
It’s the same lens, Pentax AF Zoom 35~70 F2.8 — with that heavy proxer.
So, the magnification ratio was about 0.5 (at 35mm)~1 (at 70mm).
As you may see, I’m not after the scientific details but the optical softness.
Still, when the subject was on the same plain (within the depth of field)
the lens can capture quite a details. (All the photos here = F2.8)
(Note, in this photo, left bottom, an egg of the Green lacewing.)
Macro photography is the constant supply of the visual fantasy for me. 🙂
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Garden Flowers @ Greenwich Park
Lots of flowers from the Greenwich Park. (They were taken by the Homemade
Two Element Lens and the Homemade Gaudy Lens on Canon 5D Mk-III.)
Don’t see this as a botanical picture. (If this one was for botanical use, it must be a
nightmare for the photographer = may be even beyond the Hi Dynamic Range process.)
= So, see this as an abstract painting. —– black petunia kind and the white one.
After green and the blue Chrysanthemum was created, next by next, rather fancy
colored flower has been appearing in the market.
Another day, I saw an almost perfect black Tulip —– and started wondering, if the
flower industry managed to crack the genetic-code of black color or found the
chemical to tint the flower. In either way, it is a very very uncomfortable situation.
They are extra = I found a huge Tulip Tree in the park. = I may need to visit
again to see its ancient flower !
And realized, in fact there are lots of Chestnut tree = better come again
on October to pick the nuts. 🙂
It was a very hot day —– still some people like to enjoy the sun.
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Cosmos and Hydrangea @ Greenwich Park
While checking the photos I’ve taken this time at Greenwich Park, I went
back to the post I did last year and found that it was one week earlier, yet still
I did shoot almost identical photo then. = not only the tree, some of the plant was
perennial and stayed the same patch, keep flowering with the same face. And the
approach to the same plant is the same = amazingly persistent as the same person.
(It’s mean not much fresh innovation or improvement.) 🙂
Two element homemade lens was the same though, this year I brought
“New” Gordy Lens. (Looks somewhat the same fuzziness, but Gordy Lens
can give close focus. = further background became out of focus ! )
Hydrangea was one week too early and having dry hot weather they looked
a bit withered. = I may come again and change the photos here.
Those heavily fuzzier photos were taken by the Double Density Pinhole.
But those closer images were taken by the Gaudy Lens.
(One more post of Greenwich Flowers would follow.) 🙂
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Follow the Flow — Karma / Dharma
Those who, the kind regular reader of this blog might have noticed that the past
5~6 months or so, I seemed to become an intoxicated junky of junk cameras.
What happened on me ? = Give a thought or two, in terms of the flow in the life.
(= Follow the flow mean, not chase it, not cringing the mater or notion, let alone
obsessed. It would just happen = so, just follow.)
I gave a glance to those cameras —– then, I found the serial number of the camera
I first disassembled, (which was given by my friend) was like this.
Oh my goodness, 8150 again ? !!! —– This sign appeared wherever I go, but
crucially, it will be sign-posted to the matter or thing which got “the concern”.
= May be concerned to the Dharma, and to my Karma hence I have to take the
matter serious. — to show some more hard facts, if you think it sound dubious.
Photo above left was Canon EF Macro 100mm F2.8 = the most useful lens to me.
And the Photo middle was the most frequently used Canon Fisheye Zoom 8~15mm.
Which got the number 2***1850*. And the right, Zeiss 18mm for Nikon.
They are the numbers happened to appear onto my camera lenses.
They were in the shop purely by chance = as if they were placed there for
me to pick-up, though,in most of the case I bought it even without seeing
the number. —– Without any explanation of why it’s there = is the
natural flow of the fate or given task or opportunity to pick-up, whichever
the way we interpret.
—– as it comes. So, I pick up and do what I can do, regardless whether it is
worthwhile or profitable, or please others — or NOT. (in a hindsight, at least
I can say “I did a lot” to respond what the moment required to me.)
I think, what comes is in fact, what was given —– for each of us to fulfil what we
were born to do. = It’s mean, my Karma think, that me to play with junk camera
suits me ! Or the Karma even like my way to play with the junk. 😀
—– And may be my Karma noticed that I’m not sensitive enough to see the
hidden sign, they started to put a noisy notice shouting 8150 to make me aware
that we are a part of the Dharma and they are watching us.
___/\___
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Remote Cable — Life in Natural Flow
My way of navigating the life is, just follow the flow. Don’t push.
—– some of the people who knows me might feel not necessary true,
as I put enormous effort to do something some time. = though, it was
not a push for me = it was just a normal condition in its situation.
Like, to be born in India, these days they got 45, 50 degree C hot weather
= just to survive needs to have enormous endurance, though,
that what their country is.
This year’s Ramadan in muslim calendar is coinciding with a midsummer
= therefore, the muslim emigrated to the northern Norway couldn’t eat as
there is no sunset. (in reality, they said to have invented an excuse. 🙂 )
Thanks goodness, I’m neither a Norwegian nor muslim I don’t need to
have a problem. Avoiding to have problem is, “don’t do it”.
So, as a holy man, I don’t do gamble, take no drug (in fact any medicine),
no alcohol, no smoking, no woman = Where the cause of a trouble could ever
come ! It’s a well known wisdom, “Do nothing cause no mistake or failure”
= “Barren land makes no weed” — but neither has a wheat or barley even
buckwheat. —– Do nothing mean, just wasting time ? Neither.
Strangely, do something is coming in its course. It just happens as a flow.
Such as being asked to help or advising something. Otherwise, just do it.
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—– Give a thought or two. So far, what I made after I’ve started this Blog,
were the result of a fleak idea triggered by the funny material I encountered.
(Before those, the old creation were often made to solve the practical needs
such as the flash system.) So that, the work for “Junk Lens etc” were all
happened with a sheer coincidence. = I mean, I didn’t push it happens
neither I didn’t look for the material etc = it was already there, and I only did
a small finishing part of it for a joke or fun. 
So, when I went to a camera shop to get a new air blower, I found a
Canon’s Remote Trigger Cable, or its converting cable, in their
odds and ends box. = It might be a connecting cable to use old type
cable to 5D etc. — anyhow, it might be an obsolete type, and the
price was only few pounds. (Photo above left = here the cable showes
“after the switch was fitted”).
If it was a cable to go to 5D, why not make it for a short trigger cable ?
= It’s a matter of just put a double switch. —– And conveniently, I have
a disassembled Olympus compact camera. = I could use their switch and
the button for this purpose. (Photo above middle)
—– Since those small accessories are the company’s cash-cow, (you
could buy a cheap kit lens with a price of 2~3 cables) Canon changed it
many times to the users to buy new cable every time they got new model.
(Photo right = Remote terminal for old (film) EOS)
Anyway, I took the Olympus’ switch and the button and connected it to the
Canon’s cable = Voila’ Remote Trigger Cable for Canon DSLR. (Photo Left)
—– As I said, I didn’t look for what to do. It was there.
This was what I call, a natural flow.
(This natural flow is the way how the Karma leading us = and as I follow,
there is no problem or ill health.)
____/\____
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Gaudy Lens — with one F-stop “less gaudy” Image
Gaudy lens was intended to fill the gap between “Double-Density Pinhole”
and the “Two Element homemade Lens” with added convenience of the
easy focus. In a quality of the image, DD Pinhole has no details of the subject
= totally paintary image. And an omnifocus Two Element Lens has certain
softness, still not so strong. —– I wanted to have somewhere between.
Though, the original Gaudy Lens
showed too strong halation = so that,
I made it a bit less by reducing its
effective aperture for one stop.
= 33mm x 0.7 = 23mm (equivalent
of F1.8 down to F2.5)
(It was done by placing a black paper with 23mm hole, back of the lens.)
So, they are the answer. = fuzzy enough but not too much. 🙂
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