Toy for a Grown-up / Rhythm Indicator
This electronic device is —– I may say, Rhythm-Indicator !
When I was a Disco-King (you believe or not 😀 ) often people (other keen dancer) asked
me a question about the way I dance, which is completely free movement hence virtually
no pattern still exactly follow and synchronizing with the Rhythm —– I needed to explain
what the Rhythm is.
Since I’ve been almost a fixture of the club, I also made enormous observation of the
people’s dance movement. Among the many funny discovery, the most interesting
phenomenon was, that some of the people dance with the song, not with rhythm beat,
therefore it looks odd and off the rhythm still, the person was not aware of it but
pretty much enjoying the dance (in fact nothing wrong with it ! )
And another discovery was that the Spanish moves a moment later than the beat. (It is
common with the Flamenco Dance, the movement occur not at the tense moment of the
beat, but the moment when its highest tension collapsed ! ! ! )
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Anyhow, to talk about the Rhythm in the noisiest environment, it’s easier to show it visual.
So, I made this Rhythm-Indicator (but only for a Rock beat) which shows the emphasis of
the 8 beat in red, amber, green, small green LEDs. And I explained, the movement what
the Rhythm demands, not what I want to move. = So, the movement was the exact reflection
of the music in each moment, not a pattern in fashion (such as in a film) or choreographed
planed movement. —– Funny things even among the keen dancer was, that they dance
what they want = regardless the different music, still repeat the same movement !
(= What is the point to have different music. 😀 )
My indicator shows 8 beat, strong, weak so on, and having BPM (speed) controller, and a
Selector for x2 and ½ speed. The Reset button was to synchronize with rhythm cycle. —– so,
in operation, reset to the first base drum, and adjust the speed to match the music =
Red LED to come coincided with every base drum of following cycle.
Voila’ the rhythm of the music was visually indicated.
—– To put the circuit and the batteries in a thin cosmetic case, I needed to curve the inside
to make a bit more space. (It was long before SMD components or Lithium battery.)
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Though, even in the same music, same song, the speed is not constant and the pattern and the
use of percussion is changing. (that’s the way to make a music more dynamic and exciting).
—– So, inevitably, I had to design more elaborated system such as automatically pick-up the
base drum and synchronize the LED to the Rhythm cycle.
But instead to develop Rhythm-Indicator Mk-II, I changed the direction to design the
Sound-reactive Disco Pendant. = It was a by-product of the Base Drum synchronizing circuit.
—– I’ll show you those Sound-reactive LED Pendant in the coming posts.
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Zen in Daily-Life (2)
In the previous post I explained how to gain the Selfless-mind-set with an example
of Tea making though, obviously Tea making is hardly a “Task in our daily life”.
It is more like a not too serious leisurely moment when we have a break.
So, how about a handling business matter such as to deal with Bills.
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Zen only deals with the matter on front. And divides the whole task into small section.
And to deal with each section, one at a time. (To climb the mountain, not overwhelmed by
its 8,000m hight, just concentrate to make each step perfect ! = On the end, reach to the top.)
Of cause, our brain can trace the implication of the matter even to 3rd, 5th effects and able
to speculate further though, the further we go it become a products of Imagination, or
pretty close to a Delusion. (As a matter of fact, most of the speculation is nothing but a
delusion and the rest of only few, happen to meet the probability. —- Yet I wouldn’t totally
reject the facts, some people could foresee this probability in amazing accuracy.)
—– So, when a bill dropped on front of you, how you handle it ? This bill is no delusion, and
a fact how much money you got, wouldn’t have so much grey area. (Of cause, if you are
running a business, the money coming in, may have some uncertainty of timing, hence some
speculative juggling may be inevitable. Still, a situation of unknowable wouldn’t give an
excuse to halt the whole business. In a situation,“Can’t pay now” still, just keep a silence, or
send an excuse of delay, would make a big difference.)
If ignored, it would come back twice harder.
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To live a life, “Don’t care” is one of THE attitude. The way of Zen is the another attitude, and
I wouldn’t judge right or wrong but just show the resulting difference in efficiency to deal
with the Life. Throw the bills to a bin and leave the payment until receiving a Red-bill, is
also a life-style. Though, Zen chose the way, responding it at once. Because, anyhow a due
payment has to be cleared soon or later, not mention additional Late-payment charge etc.
Unless the amount is in millions and keep it one more day in the deposit account will create
thousands more interest, instead, just clear and see no mess, is the choice of Zennist.
Even just to open an envelope, tear it regardless if it could also tear the document, —– but
Zennist use scissors. (For THE task to open it, take the neatest way. NOT the least effort.)
And to pay attention, whether to keep the envelope together, if the document was
back-dated. (—– I had an experience to argue in the Court, for the serving date of a
legal document with the stamped date on the envelope as an evidence. !)
Zen approach is to make everything into a clearly sorted file, and make a way to handle
it to a fixed routine, and to deal with them automatic = no hesitation, no stammering =
hence nothing bothersome would be left. Even if having a headache of juggling, still see
the balance on a clearly filed order would make the Life easier, otherwise see it among
the piled-up bills, notices and other letters etc., will make the life into a confusion.
It’s far easier to deal with it, one by one in the first place. The more delay only makes
the pile-up higher and such situation makes one’s mental state only depressed more.
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Dealing the things with a rule, and make it routine would change the matter from
“personal” to “one of an item among the lots”, hence it became an object, and
separated from the Emotion. = Because of it is under the rule = independent from your
whim, and the rule and the routinised process handles the matter = not your mind = this
is the Selfless state. —– (In fact this is a well known situation, “the customer complained,
don’t handle me as a number but as an individual person”— still, in an aspect of
efficiency, the difference is obvious.)
With a superficial impression, you may not like this though, the Zen originated “Selfless
work Ethics” has contributed to High-productivity and the quality in the Japanese industry.
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This rule and a fixed routine creates consistency in the repeated task, and makes
a person’s brain “Selfless state” —– This phenomenon is all common in the Tea-making or
the handling of clerical work, even the car-making — in fact all the human activities.
—– Behind this phenomenon, there is an crucial tendency of the brain. = Our brain has a
threshold of signal intake = if the same input has been repeated, the brain start to ignore
the signal and respond to it as a pattered routine without involving the Emotion.
It’s mean, when the brain handle a matter without involving Emotion, the feeling of MINE,
or conscious of SELF would not be generated.
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All the sensory signal first goes to the Limbic System to have a reference from the memories
and anything related to one’s interest (gain, loss, danger, comfort) was marked as significant
and the related hormone (if it was a sign of danger, Adrenalin) will be secluded to the
whole body to respond. But if the signal has no such importance and repeatedly coming,
this process in the Limbic system would be bypassed. (Even though, the same bodily action is
still carried-out but “Emotionlessly”).
Because of this Limbic System distinguishes and sorting the signal related to the SELF, if the
signal was bypassed, one’s reaction would be carried-out without the connection to the
SELF, and the related hormone wouldn’t be secluded = No Emotion. — (Emotion doesn’t come
from a Thinking process, but mostly from a Mood created by the Hormone.)
—– Therefore, when the brain was trained (through repeated practice) to bypass the process
in the Limbic System, both Subconscious of the SELF and the Emotion would be suppressed.
—– And this phenomenon is the basis of
Lord Buddha’s teachings of the Selflessness (Anatman) and the origin of Buddhism. In deed,
our brain, thoughts, mind is bothered by the interference from the conscious of SELF and the
Emotion, which creates Ego and the Greed and subsequently all sorts of the troubles in the LIFE,
Lord Buddha’s approach to utilize those Brain Function was a brilliant idea. And without a
bias of Self, Ego, Greed and Detached Emotion, we can see the things much clearer
= We can see The Truth —– This IS, what Zen and Buddhism can achieve.
___/\___
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No Word = Strongest Teaching !
Wikipedia is a very convenient place to see the world, even about Buddhism.
Not necessary because it shows the truth but shows the current situation of Popular Belief.
Funny though, it often says “Citation required” — in Buddhism this is THE most blatant irony.
Understanding in Buddhism came from not because it was written. It always come between
the lines. —– Don’t believe what was written but you have to think yourself.
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In Buddhism, such as the strongest denial or the things which is not exist was not lexically
expressed. So that, the matter was often over-looked or even mistook by the people who
only follows what was told or read.
Like a famous episode in the Vimalakirti Sutra —– To answer a question of “Oneness” (how
totally mindful to the subject) Vimalakirti utter no word, and its silence hit the audience
like a roaring thunder (so the scripture said).
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—– (If you couldn’t get it) = Think, such as in a situation of Sword Mastery, if a man using
the sword could see the situation, how he moves, how sword moves in the Objective View,
it’s mean his mind is separated and floating in the air and watching the situation in
distance = here, two Selves, one was watching and other was being watched, not mention
the independent Sword = this is far from Oneness. When the conscious of using Sword
and the Hand(s) and even the existence of the Sword fused altogether and moves as one
unified force, it is the Sword Mastery and the Master was in Oneness.
(In Zen term it is Ichijo / 一如 or Fuji / 不二 )
—– If you are good in typing, you must know, when you were absorbed into its task =
not only the position of each key, but the keyboard, screen, even the draft paper has gone
out of your conscious but only a stream of each letters = your finger moves automatically,
completely out of your conscious. And even your Brain was not in there, if the draft had
miss-spieling you just miss-type as it is = This is the Oneness = two Selves, Observer and
be Observed, in fact, THE SELF itself has been totally disappeared into the “TYPING”.
Therefore, no observer or conscious to describe it, nor description of Oneness on typing
could exist. —– (I can describe it because I myself is one-finger typist, still seeing other
expert, I can guess how it’s works from the aspect of Zen. —– still, I may be wrong. 😀 )
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—– So, there couldn’t be a description of Oneness.
= No word even from a wise-man Vimalakirti. And, in the scripture, there was no
explanation such as what I wrote above ever existed, because able to write about
expose a failure, that the one was not in “Selfless Oneness” = make a fool oneself.
This was also the reason when
Lord Buddha went out for a walk in a rainy night, he didn’t explain why, even to Ananda.
Because it was about the Selflessness = since the Self / its conscious was not there to
observe, there couldn’t be a word to describe it. = So that, there was no explanation.
(In fact, to teach Selflessness must be the hardest part, even though it IS the gist of Buddhism.
It can be taught only through a practice (without type-writer !) I wonder how many of the
followers could have managed to get it ? —– Still, as the tradition has been continued to
the Zen, it’s mean some had certainly mastered it and handed down the teaching !
—– but not by a word or scripture.)
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In Buddhism, a lots has not been written. As, it meant to be a strongest denial. Such as
Lord Buddha didn’t answer the question related to the “after life”. Hence no explanation
= it’s mean there couldn’t be any written record, hence no citation could be possible.
No citation indicates, no such things in the Doctrine of Buddhism. And no word by
Lord Buddha ever existed since such matter has no worth to spear even a single word.
(Unfortunately, this situation had been exploited, knowingly or with sheer ignorance,
so many stories of “reincarnation, etc” had been fabricated.)
—– Yet western rhetoric wants to have a denial also has to be expressed,
and No-existence (it’s hard to explain what the Voidness is), has to be proved even
in the Wikipedia. —– It must be a headache to the author.
They can’t create a blank page in Wikipedia and put a comment “This is Zen”.
(I wonder why not. A blank page could convey as much as message written
in the same space.) Ha ha ha. 😀
___/\___
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Lost in a Process ? — or Tampered ?
A man was walking on a trail in the middle of nowhere and met
Lord Buddha. He asked, is this the right way to go ?
Lord Buddha answered, Yes I came from there. You just GO.
Anyhow it was only a single trail, nothing else. —– Does it mean
Lord Buddha “Taught him the right way ?” or taught nothing new ?
—–
The man was born to go this way anyway. So that there may
not be any needs to ask. —– still having the words, it gave him
a confidence and a peace of mind.
He just kept walk, thence reached to the destination.
(But, if the man didn’t actually walk all the way up, or stray-away,
he got nowhere and remained in the middle of nowhere,
still wandering in a barren desert.)
—– Everybody was born to have Dharma. Therefore, unless
stray-away from the trail, but kept walking, everybody can
reach the destination —– where it was called Nirvana.
So, Lord Buddha told a man ” Just Go” — since it was a way to
gain Selflessness and to reach Nirvana.
(Remember ? Kisa Gotami’s story ?)
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Though, in reality very few did, since even fewer ever met
Lord Buddha, so that most of the people got the direction from
others who said walked it before. And the another trouble was that
so many had took wrong turn, hence wrong trail had been
marked on the ground which was misleading the people to stray-away.
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Lord Buddha’s aim was to save the people from
“A delusion of Samsara” = The idea of Samsara WAS the very delusion”
though, later, the Teachings were mistaken to “Save from Samsara” on
the assumption of “endless cycle of rebirth = Samsara exists” because
the Hindu idea of Samsara was almost a common-sense THEN.
(During 400 years of oral tradition, gradually
the original contents of the Teachings has been changed to
“Buddhism IS based on a belief of Reincarnation”—– because of
this, the later attempt to revive the origin such as “Selflessness”
became a contradiction = “If Selfless / Anatman was true, who is going
to be reincarnated ? = and it was misinterpreted as a self-sacrifice.
—– There was absolutely no concept of “After life” in the
Lord Buddha’s teachings. = He didn’t even bother to give an answer to it.
(Able to answer mean, such idea was exists in the mind. But because
there was absolutely no such notion, even no word exist in his mind.)
Or the Words to clarify “No after Life” was intentionally removed from
the oral recitation, because it contradicts a popular Hindu belief =
People must have thought “Such Enlightened wise-man wouldn’t have
had said such silly things against a common knowledge of Reincarnation” !
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But if Lord Buddha’s teachings were the same to Hinduism, why people
specially come and seek a liberation in his teachings ? = Because,
Lord Buddha denied the reincarnation, it’s mean no previous life which
would impose a Cast to next life exists. Hence there was no Cast system in
the Original Buddhism.
Cast is a part of Hindu Samsara idea ! —– Denial to such idea was the
Lord Buddha’s very distinctive and revolutionary new teachings.
(The idea of “Re-born while carrying the Karma of previous life IS the CAST”.
Denial of Perpetual Soul (Self) = No Self to be Re-born, hence NO CAST.)
—– You have to see the truth in the historical fact.
Think yourself. Don’t believe the scripture blindly. —– Remember,
Lord Buddha reached to his Enlightenment without reading any scripture !
___/\___
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What Buddha found
(According to the Scripture which Yoshizen found in the Dragon’s den in South London.
—– the Authenticity is more or less the same to any other Buddhist Scripture ) ;-D
After 6 years of ascetic hard practice which was based on the Vedic concept, “With a
concentration of one’s mind = Atman can reach to the level of super natural power”
which is, of cause, on the belief of that the Atman exists. —– but to realize, it was not
suit for him, and left the ascetic practice, and having nursing his weakened body,
Gautama Buddha suddenly noticed that, while eating a milk-porridge offered by a
village girl Sujata, his mind was completely empty. = no mind or conscious was there.
It must had shocked him and made him realized that we’ve been doing a lots of things
without having any thought or conscious. We all are walking without thinking how to walk.
Facing this undeniable fact, he realized that the belief of Atman was utterly false.
What makes us to live, and walk was not the Atman but invisible Dharma.
Atman is not exists, and if we remove the mind or thinking and make it empty, the Dharma
which has been masked by the mind will prevail.
—– So, he tested this, sitting under the Pipal tree. And after 49 days when he run-out of all
the thoughts, the mind became empty, hence, without any pre-conception and with the
clearest eyes, he saw the world as it is which is the sign of the Dharma.
It was the moment of his Enlightenment.
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Then he gave a thought, why the same man who had been believing the existence of Atman
now seeing it is not exists. If really Atman exists, same Gautama must see the same Atman
still here, but the fact showed, it is not. It changes moment to moment.
When things changes, others change as well with direct, indirect connection and this makes
the Dharma dynamic. Hence, nothing stays permanent.
But it is the paradox, to be the Dharma it should be permanent. —– what only persistent in
the Dharma is, its nature of change, not the appearance. Appearance is just a transitional
illusion on our eyes. And our eyes were also attached to this transitional existence, us,
which we can not even define it is existing or not, because the one who try to define it,
is not a consistent existence either.
So the situation, which can only be describable is, the changing nature of the Dharma which
got a mechanism of Karma, which drives everything change, moment to moment,
that nature IS the Truth.
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It’s means, “No rigid existence of Atman, let alone its perpetuity, hence No Self, the Self what
we imagined”, everything is Void. And the Dharma and its mechanism of Karma are all
invisible and unknowable because they may also be Void.
—– Yet still, we are here, there is no choice but has to accept this Truth.
When you can not beat, better join them, be flexible. This is the Enlightenment.
It is not a kind of jump and dance discovery, but neither need to be depressed, because, this
is what we are and our situation is. It’s mean, we neither need to worry because, our worry
itself may be yet another illusion, and anyhow we are here only in this moment in only one life.
And we are here because the Karma caused us to be here, there must be a reason which
we can not know. We have to accept and respect the Dharma.
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And an essential wisdom to deal with this situation, —– to deal with almost invisible Dharma
and the Karma, we have to see them as it is, with transparent perception, never with
coloured glass, in other words, in Selfless clear eyes. In Selflessness, in definition, there is no
Ego or Greed either. Since, the owner of Ego and Greed is not exist.
Therefore we have no possibility to loose anything = We will be in total freedom = We can have
totally liberated life, free from any delusion.
So, Lord Buddha started to teach the way to obtain this Selflessness.
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(Note : It is crucial to see the formation of Buddhism in an aspect of historical situation.
It was a time when the Vedic belief was gradually taken-over by the new Hinduism.
A religion of mostly just worship and make rituals toward the Vedic Deities (hence, ordinary
people were just by-standers) to a religion which is taking a personal account in each Karma
and perpetual cycles of Reincarnation (Samsara) = Hinduism, which horrified the people with
a fear to be trapped in a cycle and even born again as a beast.
Lord Buddha urgently needed to to give an answer to those people and liberate them from
such deluded idea by teaching them that the reincarnating soul = Atman itself is not exists
hence the one’s death will be the total end which IS the Nirvana.
No-Self / Selflessness / Anatta / Anatman was the centre of his teachings. That was why when
Lord Buddha was asked a question (again) “What happens after a death ?” or “After a death
where the soul goes ?” He was so annoyed and didn’t give an answer. —— On the scripture,
his personal attendance Ananda asked him “Why didn’t give an answer” “Because, it would
confuse them” = If this scripture was true, even a closest disciple haven’t understood the
teachings, or most likely the writer of the scripture didn’t know what the Buddhism was.
(on that time the original teachings had already lost !)
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—– It’s sound strange still, it is quite common tendency of the Karma, people who afraid to
get injured get injury. (May be because, the person who had no fear was more agile and
able to see and avoid a danger = the same tendency appeared everywhere in the life.)
There are endless list of the paradox in the Life. = They are definitely making the life FUN.
And this is the secret to live happier peaceful Life.
So, this is the Enlightenment.
___/\___
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No Word, No Teaching ???
There is a well known quotation in Buddhism “In his 45 years of teaching,
Lord Buddha didn’t give even a single word”. —– Even as a metaphor,
this words could explain the most crucial truth in the teachings of
Lord Buddha.
(After 4 years I blogged here = this practice has been my equivalent of facing a rock wall
to sort out the conflicting notions and the words in the scripture, and on the end, I came
to the conclusion.)
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A trouble of Buddhism is that there is no authentic written “one teaching”.
Even the earliest scripture, Agama Sutra was created 200 or more years later, thence
virtually all the 3,000 Buddhism scriptures were compiled on hear-say and guess-work.
(still the author may say “My understanding of the True Buddhism”)
And on top of this, it was a well known fact that
Lord Buddha,s words seemed to be different ocasion to ocasion and it was depend on
to whom he was speaking. —– So that, what I’ve been doing was, picking-up the pieces
among the mountain of disassembled parts and to re-configure the most likely the
original picture. (You may say, I also doing a guess-work) 😀
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Considering this Quotation “No teaching” together with other stories such as Kisa Gotami’s
mustard seeds’ story and a story of Churi Pantac (Shuri Bantoku) sweeping the garden, and
on top of those, “Going out on rainy night” (Test of Selflessness) story.
There was no explanation of why or what could be achieved by doing so, was given by
Lord Buddha. = It must be the teaching of “Think it yourself” though, is anywhere the
explanation why need to think yourself, was ever explained ? By thinking it, (but thinking
in the subconscious level ! ) the one can reach own understanding which would lead to the
own Enlightenment, as the Enlightenment couldn’t be given or taught by any other person,
the one has to find it. (external communication hardly touch one’s subconscious.)
(It is completely different from “Believing the Gospel”= Belief is to firmly memorise the
Pattern, but not necessary know what to do with it, since implanted memory is a
foreign substance) = Because the very process of finding out, is a part of the Enlightenment
(This process is to Re-program the Brain and cut-off Emotional Region to handle a situation
= hence, without an involvement of the Self.) Thus, to teach it in the words would spoil the
purpose of ths teaching itself. = Teaching in Words would only create a memory, but Buddhism
need to change the personality from the subconscious. —– While fully aware of this paradox,
Lord Buddha wouldn’t have explained the effect of the practice or what is the aim of it,
instead, only gave an instruction what to do. He didn’t give-away the trick and the goal.
In this extent, he didn’t teach but just gave a Task. And while doing it, the person can reach
and gain a state of the “Mushin” and “Selflessness”. —– Observing the person’s progress,
Lord Buddha must have given further instruction what to do next,
and where is the point to watch, but not what to think or why / the theory.
( Practice can be done purely subconsciously (in Mushin) but the Word ( = Categorized
notion) couldn’t be operated away from the highly conscious brain activities.)
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A crucial point in Buddhism IS there is no promise of salvation BUT “Save yourself by
reaching the Enlightenment by yourself” —– otherwise, Life is suffering, getting ill,
get old and die. = very blunt message. = (Very Un-Religion like message in deed, since
Buddhism is a teaching of Truth, not a false hope or pinky illusions.) And all the
8 right path etc are what you do. Not what to believe. In fact, all those “Do what” are
obviously in the common sense. Nobody would suggests otherwise. So, there are no
fancy ritual but simple practice = matter is not what or why, but Do.
Lord Buddha might actually told those words to his followers, but no words of why to
Do it = because, no matter of what, but actually Do it unconditionally then
what would happen = Was the teaching.
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So that when you do, just DO without thinking,
without questioning, it’s mean in Mushin, was what
Lord Buddha taught, NOT a complicated reasoning or mythical story which only exists in
abstract notion = Delusion. “What we can DO (include the thinking) without our lexical
conscious = in another word “DO it subconsciously” is the Core of the teaching.
Lord Buddha must have taught how the Karma (cause and result) works in each moment,
such as behind our eyes how the nature is interacting, and all sorts of the physical
phenomena, almost like a science teacher, and taught this is what the Dharma is.
But strictly remained within the rationality and on the facts.
(even though it was in the 2,500 years old standard).
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Since we can do, we can live, without conscious (in deed as we are walking without
thinking how to walk or we are thinking without us noticing it.)
“In the truth, SELF is not a real existence but only an imaginary existence = The Self or
Atman in Vedic teachings is a false”. Therefore the teaching couldn’t be based on the
lexical thinking which is a product of the conscious Self. —– The paradox was that the
teaching was “to become and to live Selfless”. = How to teach and learn the Selflessness
without relying on the product of the Self / Word and the notion. —– Only a way to
learn “To do without thinking” is just watch the way to DO, then Do the same.
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To teach or to tell in the words, “Do it without thinking” is the same as to tell
“Tell me that you are sitting in silence” 😀 —– So that,
Lord Buddha just asked the followers to follow him and do the same.
The followers studied by just watching and learned by just Doing.
By just keep Doing, the followers get used with it, and reached the mind-set to Do
and Live without conscious of the Self. (Without conscious mean, it is not only in
Mushin but be with the Karma of its Moment, in another word Ichijo / Oneness with
the subject or ultimately with the Dharma.)
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So that, the teachings were not in the words, hence, it sound as if nothing was taught.
But that was what Buddhism was in the original form. —– And this was the very reason
why the tradition of “Teaching by Heart to Heart, without relying on the words”
(教外別伝，不立文字，依心伝心) has been kept in the Zen teaching.
(= Just DO the work. Soon or later you will learn to do it automatic/Selfless.)
Yes, Lord Buddha has taught. In a way NOT taught anything at all.
So, the quotation was correct.
___/\___
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Focus-shifting Muliti-exposure Photo
Don’t worry, You don’t need to clean your specs.
It’s not your eyes. —– Photo IS fuzzy and it’s meant to be. 😉
——————- (Hey, this is a very very pretty girly picture ! = Click it and see enlarged. 😉 )
These photos were taken by a technique, Multi-Exposure with Focus-Shift.
—– In order to have an effect = a core image with out-of-focus halo around, I did
it before while camera was set on a tripod. But this time I did it by hand-held.
I guess, it could be done by Hacking into camera’s operational program and
over-drive the AF motor while the camera is giving the multiple exposure.
(Single exposure is too short to manually shift the focus. —– In the old days of
wooden camera, the old masters used the same technique to shift a focus while
giving a long exposure. And the Minolta Alpha 7000 had this effect in their
Portrait Mode to create softer image. ) —– But, I found it was not
difficult to move the focus ring during the few multiple exposure. = Just Do it,
and if not successful try it again —– success rate is somewhat one in four. 😀
(not only how far focus to be shifted, but a trouble of camera-shake is also
a spoiling factor. = If you are a bad shooter, shoot a lot — one might hit a target !)
————- (This must be a puzzling photo = where it was focused ? 😉 )
Keen reader of this blog might be realized that the post in these days were all connected
behind the scene = how camera can be steadily hand-held etc. (without having enough
practice and gained a confidence, this kind of photography would be only a waste of time.
Creativity does not occur out of blue, it needs to have a base, or incubating ground.
A practical adjustment or improvisation may suddenly conceived on the spot but
it is a minute part of the operation.
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Stabilize the Camera — Chest-Pod
There are many way to stabilize the camera. Starting from the way to grip the camera.
Ultimately a use of Tripod or Mono-pod, even a use of a Bean-bag.
Still, it’s all down to a mind-set of the photographer = Whether to pay an attention
against a possible camera-shake and become aware of own doing?
If it is a case “Doesn’t matter that the Stabilizer built into the lens should take care of
that problem”. —– This is the most funny situation. It is only a psychological trick.
The stabilizer may save a photo while cancelling a camera shake for further 3 stops = such
as in a situation of 200 mm lens, it would be safer to use a shutter speed 1/250 or faster
and with the aid of stabilizer it “may” drop to 1/125 or 1/60 —– still “may not” works.
In such case, I would set 2 stop higher ISO setting to get 2 stop higher shutter speed.
—— In the same time a “Maestro” may say “other than ISO 100 color is not in its best”
—– Oh, really ? ! The BEST mean it is still in a relative matter = NOT the absolute.
Our right-eye and the left-eye are not necessary even seeing the same color.
(Test it your self if you are not aware yet. 😉 —– If not aware this discrepancy,
how the one could boast about “the critical Color” 😀 )
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I used be working close together with the publishers, their printers, plate-making engineers,
and one of my closest climbing mate of mountain has studied Printing Technology and
became an expert of the photo-scanner (such as Crosfield’s machne) —— I heard many
wired stories of “Special Sorcery” in their trade —– still, when it makes the print on the paper,
such as slight difference of the paper which is different a roll to roll, or even a humidity in
the air changes absorbency of the paper hence changes the color of print, etc. etc. = there
can not be any reliable absolute or perfection. It is just someone’s preference.
Anyhow, computer to computer, this CRT to that LCD screen, the color is always different
= what fuss about such minute difference. 😀
[]
As I grown-up in the time when the color film was ISO 64 or 100, B/W was 400 and even with
push-development, ISO 1600 or so (Kodak Royal Record Pan = ISO 12500 was existed though)
I had to stabilize the camera other than ISO speed. So that, I tried many kind of chest-pod.
(though there are too many — even I don’t remember how many I bought and made myself.)
So, I show you two of my handmade.
This is a chest-pod of current use on my DSLR. The simplest, hence the most neat one !
It was made by aluminium pipe and a short piece of C-channel (which was cut and bent).
(A trouble was, the Airport Security suspects that this is a part of a disguised weapon. 😀 )
—– Unlike western people, I hold a camera right side down (it’s a Japanese tradition)
therefore when I shoot vertical-way, this chest-pod come against my left shoulder
just under the collar bone.
And this is the other one I made for EOS Film Camera which doubles as an external
battery chamber. ( AA x 5 rechargeable batteries instead of 2CR5 Lithium battery)
And it functions as a chest-pod exactly the same way as the other one. But this one can
fold down under the camera bottom. ( I don’t make a rubbish for a sake of Youtube. 😀 )
The advantage of this shooting style is, the hand which triggers the shutter, its elbow was
firmly lodged onto the body, hence it is far more stable than the style having right arm in
the air and move a finger to trigger.
—– May be because of the fundamental flaw of the camera holding style in the west, the
camera shake is unavoidable, hence, it gave an opportunity to the manufacturer to produce
“Stabilizer” and sell it for £500 more price ! (I don’t think it costed such amount for them. )
—– In a video image, shaky picture is annoying but on a still, “two stops slower” seems not
much use —– better use same £500 to another shopping, and set 2 stop higher ISO, —– above
all, have a practice to gain a stable holding of the camera would be far more advantageous.
Since, to gain calm, stable mind to stabilize the hand would be far more beneficial to the
one’s whole life in general. Anyhow, not all the lenses you got, has a stabilizer, and
living with unstable mind wouldn’t bring any happiness.
Better think it in different angle and better change the mind-set and the way you shoot.
(If you doubt, have look a photo here and the photos by 500 mm lens in the previous post. )
(Here, the Zen practice comes in. 😀 )
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Hand-held Photo for 1 second
This photo was taken in a church in Schwetzingen, Germany when I visited and listened
hundred of Pipe Organ in Europe.
As far as I remember, this photo must be the best usable Hand-held photo (which got an
evidence), in my entire life. —– how can I say this ? = The film was Kodachrome ISO 25.
The lighting condition like this = if it was ISO 400, 1/30 or 1/15, F2.8. —– just count on
your fingers, it became 1/2 ~ 1 second for ISO 25 Film. But the lens was Pentax 17 mm F4.
It was in deed 1 second F4. Please look into the mirror above the organ key-board. =
The image in the mirror was me holding camera = no tripod.
Still you can read (well more or less) the music score.
Not too bad isn’t it for Hand-held for one second ?
—– (Knack to hold the camera is, 1) Close armpit and put elbow solidly on the chest.
2) Don’t push button with pointing finger alone but do it as if you are squeezing all the
finger inward. 3) Relax, never been tensioned. Just hold breath and release the shutter.)
(Because of an Organist who is facing the key-board, hence couldn’t see the progress of a
mass service behind of him, it is necessary to have a mirror there to see the timing.)
—– Well, it was a long time ago, when I had a muscle. 😀
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Macro Flash-light / Small Flash on Goose-neck
This must be a “You got to be joking” kind of funny, cheap adaptation of a flash for Macro
photography. —– And I would say “Why not” 😀
Since, most of my existing flashes, except Canon 430EX-II are not compatible for the latest DSLR
to give TTL flash control, I needed to buy one for Macro-flash modification which I described
[]
The flash I found second-hand was 270EX-II, which is using only two batteries hence pretty small and
light enough to mount on top of a Goose-neck, instead to have internal modification I did before.
Decisive fact was that I already have [off the camera flash cable] made by Sunpak more than
20 years ago which was similar to the German SCA300 adapter system used by Metz, Agfa etc.
Sunpak tried to make the adapter for all the cameras which has been started to have new function, not
only ready-light, TTL flash control but even for focus-light for AF which was newly introduced AF camera.
Because of the Camera design was keep changing while adding new function, it was a hard task to
keep-up. —– On the end Sunpak became out of breath and bankrupted.
—– so, on that time lots of Sunpak products became obsolete and sold in a give-away price.
Once, Sunpak was a dominant force in the flash-light market with very innovative design and
versatile system such as the interchangeable head system with Telephoto head, Infra-red head,
Bare-tube head etc. not mention they produced very powerful model as well.
So, when I saw a box-full of their [Flash Extension Cable] in a camera shop, I bought all of them at once,
more than 20 cables for every type of cameras. —– Flash shoe is an awkward component to make
ourselves, (still, I worked to make and modify, such as adding one more TTL contact to Pentax type to
make it Nikon type etc. 🙂 ) therefore, it’s better to keep enough supply of many types in hand,
and it’s got very useful coiled cable as well..
[]
DSLR camera manufacturer is selling their [Flash Extention Cable] and all of their Female connector has
only 1/4” Tripod screw. = Once flash was put on the cable, it has to be mounted on a stand, otherwise it
has to be held by a hand. In contrast, the best thing of the Sunpak Extension Cable is, male and
female can be coupled, in other words flash can be perched on top of the camera, only 45mm
higher position. So that, it can be changed Flash on the camera to hand-lighting just by pressing release
button (which can be locked as well) hence, as far as I know, this is the best designed [FlashE xtention
Cable] in the history and the materials and the construction are also very good.
———– (Photo above: 1″ Aluminium C-channel is the best to make many structures.
———– And 3/4 ” Square Pipe will just fit inside, hence they can make best coupling system !
———– And they could be easily cut by hand tools, though it’s a very tedious work. 🙂 )
So, my modification was just Epoxy glued female connector on top of a goose-neck and made a small
piece of aluminium channel to connect the goose-neck to the camera bracket which is the in-hose
standard to connect any of my flash-light systems to the cameras.
—– To use the 270EX-II flash as a Macro-flash, thanks to the flexibility of goose-neck, flash can be
positioned (more or less) where ever desired, with or without bouncing diffuser.
—– following photos are the Test sample of each lighting. (Focus and F were Fixed)
————- (The Lens was CanonEF Macro 100mm F2.8 with home made “Ultra Proxer” / F2.8)
————- (This last set of sample photo was using F11 —— slight difference of lighting changes
————- the character of the subject ! —– See the difference on enlarged images )
(And the sample photos in the field will be followed ) 😉
—– those photos are taken in my room (I’m still busy dealing with boxes 🙂 ) of a small visitor,
Beetle, head to tale 6mm or 1/4″ big, using Ultra Proxer on Canon EF 100mm Macro
with 270EX-II flash and extension cable.
(
(([]
——— (Photo Left : 100mm Macro at F16 + Ultra Proxer, 270EX Flash with Diffuser — taken x2 size.
——— Photo Right : same setting but at F 2.8 )
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