How Buddhism has survived ? / アビダルマを読む？ エッ，マジ？

It was a real history, once there was a time, the Study of the

Abidharma Mantra was the main task of the Buddhist.

If you open and read few pages of such as Abidharma Kosa, you will see the trouble if

anyone has to study those. = they are incredibly complicated, laborious and endless

description of all sorts of definition or the relation of each phenomenon, existences

= which was purported to be the analysis and elucidated structure of the Dharma.

[]

I think, and you can easily see, they were not what

Lord Buddha taught. —– Imagine, if it was taught by him, soon he would see, half of the

disciples are sleeping. = No such non-appetizing or boring teachings were ever given, as

Lord Buddha was not such idiot.

And does anybody think, is any essence or even hint of Buddhism were written in there?

= So, how come, how the tradition or essence of the teachings were

not lost through that period?

—– The secret was hidden in the situation itself.

= If you were a monk then, you were forced to study it.

You got to have strong will to follow the Buddhism.   But if you were having strong Ego, you

might be just run away from the monastery. = in another words, if anybody survived its hell,

it was a person having strong will to serve Buddhism but abandon to have any Ego.

Repeatedly read the same book of Abidharma again and again, you must have memorized

everything hence able to recite all the passages = mouth can move automatic and recite the

words though, the Emotion and the Mind is no longer there = NO THINKING.

[]

Our Brain filter out the same signal. If the same signal is coming again and

again, the threshold of the perception became much higher and it will be

processed without involving any Emotion.

Like the same wall on the street, you wouldn’t pay attention twice = you can see it’s still

there = So What ? = Once you know it has no significance (not special or impose

any danger), the visual signal would be ignored.   It is the same to a radio CM. = even if

you heard it 100 times, you may not remember what it was saying, because it has no

significance or took your attention with interest = it mean, it didn’t take interest of your

Emotion or no longer appearing to your Emotion.

= all those signal / information became transparent = doesn’t trigger any thinking.

[]

= So, the Study of Abidarma Mantra was not what written in there but it was a training

to get rid of the Ego and eliminate the Thinking ( = reach to Mushin).

= this is what all about the Buddhism study needed.

It’s mean, DESPITE of Abidharma, Buddhism tradition was continued. 😀

( In case, if you like and enjoy reading it —– M m m ? Who the hell you are :-D)

___/\___   😀

[]

仏教２５００年の歴史の中にはアビダルマ経が教義の主流であった時代が有ます。

パラパラ数頁を読めばすぐ解る事ですが，とにかくしちめんどくさい事がびっちり延々と書かれている。

誰が見ても明らかですがこんな解りにくく退屈なものを

釈尊が延々と説いたとは考えられない。ほんの数例が喩えとして説かれたと言うのがいい所で，延々とやったら

さすがの直弟子ですら居眠りに落ちていたでしょう。

これが全ての存在物，事象それぞれとその関係（因果／縁）の定義で,これがダルマの解明であるという訳ですが

バラしたカメラ部品全ての説明を受けたからといってカメラは元より写真が何かはまるで解らないというのと

同じで,アビダルマ経の全てを読んでも仏教が何であるかは全く解らない。

＝逆に言えば，読んでも足しにならないものを読む事が 主流であった時代を経て来ながら，

どうやって仏教の教えが失なわれる事なく，綿々と受継がれて来たのかと言う疑問が出て来ます。

［］

この答はその当時の現場の情況を思い浮べてみると解ります。

僧院に入った若い弟子は何が何んでもこのアビダルマ経を学ばざるを得なかった

＝無条件に受入れるしか無くエゴの入り込む余地は無い。さもなければ寺を離れる以外に道は無かった。

＝つまり寺に残るのは苛酷な修行に耐えてでも仏に仕えようという強靭な意志と経文をマスターできる頭を持ち

 ながら, しかもエゴ／自我を消滅できた少数のエリートであったという訳です。

それに加え，冗長な経文をマスターするには何千回も繰返して読む必要が有り,最後には全てを暗唱できる

ようになっていたでしょう。

人間の脳は繰返し入って来る同ー刺激（信号）に対しては刺激の閾値が高くなり，それを感情抜きで

機械的に処理するようになります。

見慣れた物や風景はそこに在るのが見えていても全く注意を引かない（思考に結びつかない）事と同様の

現象で， 経文を唱えるにも頭はほとんど無意識のまま口は自動的に動いて唱えられるようになります。

これは禅で言う［無心］に他なりません。

［］

つまり，アビダルマ経を学ぶという事には，経文の内容の問題ではなく，それを学ぶ実践の過程，

その派生効果の中に仏教の核心（無私，無心への到達）が隠されていたという事です。

（もちろんアビダルマ経は仏教用語の用法やその定義を明確にしたという意味でその後の経典作者や

仏教学者に とっての聖典でもありますが－－－アタシャ苦手だね）（笑）

___/\___

［］

( Thinking ) in MUSHIN

While talking with people, I found even a person regularly reading this blog still having a

confusion about the subconsciousness and the state of Mushin.

—– giving a thought = It might be caused by my explanations, since I might have used the

term Mushin = Mind of No-Mind, too casually = since it is almost a crèche, I presumed that

the term must be well understood from other books or the sort, so that I just concentrated

to the way [How to reach or experience and learn it].

= Or, may be I haven’t been clearly defined about two different “Thinking” yet.

Mushin Without Thinking might be very deceptive words in deed 😀

[]

“ Mushin without Thinking” = In this “Thinking” mean, Higher level of the brain process

such as categorization and the sorting process = matching to an existing

references, and the conversion to the linguistic expression.

(All those process are the matter of the pattern-recognition)

On the other hand, Sorting is according to the value or its importance.

= this Value and Importance mean Personal Preferences, the Value or Significance

in the Society, Value in the Belief System, above all importance in the scope of the

Preservation of the Self and the Society / Species (Mankind)

= (All those are related to the Survival instinct).

= So, you may think “ How we can survive without thinking”

[]

It is a well known phenomenon that our brain is doing thinking process without us noticing it,

and when we became aware of “I thought”, subconscious has processed it 6 seconds ago.

(This must be measured while observing the brain activity on MRI or PET scanner though,

I wasn’t there = I know not whether it was 3 or 7 second in reality 😀 )

So, the question is, out of our conscious,

what our brain has been doing during those 6 seconds ?

—– As a matter of fact, even in the state of Mushin, our brain is fully working.

Even if the Sword- Master Musashi is fighting in Ichijo with his sword and with the

Rule of the Dharma, his eyes have to see his opponent’s movement and the brain has to

analyze other conditions or situation as well, not mention the control of his hand and the body.

= It is the moment to moment responses.

(Some are really done out of our conscious by the Motor-region of the brain, such as to keep

the body balance —– but to pay attention to such as to the road condition, not to tumble on

a stone, may needs a bit more of the instinctive body reaction = stone has to be seen and take

it into account)   It’s mean, even in the state of Mushin, your brain is not blank but

fully committed to the matter what you are committed in its moment

(hence this is called Mindfulness) still without you consciously noticing it

(hence this is called Mushin) while your hand, body, mind, your sword are

all in one unity or in perfect coordination (so,this is called Ichijo / Oneness).

To DO this, or to BE in this condition, you can’t have any noise or unrelated

obstrucing thought, therefore it was described  “ Not to have any useless or

intentionally conceived thought”

(hence this is called Mind of No-Mind / Mushin).

[]

Those invisible / hard to describe latent thought or unconscious process in a dark depth of the

brain was bracketed into “Feeling”, and often called Intuition, Inspiration, Spontaneous Thought,

even Spiritual Feelings. = As those latent Proto-Thinkings has yet to be categorized to the

existing type, selected, filtered, or scrutinized against rationality etc, often they are pretty

wild and irrational (just like our dream is ), still showing amazing truth.  😀

Hence, they are also the source of  Inventive-creativity,  Artistic-creativities

and Open-eyed Free-minded Thinking, Lateral thinkings etc etc. = I described

those Free-Thinking process is taking place in the  “ Blank Space” in the brain,

long time ago.

[]

In comparison, so-called (Conscious) Thinking is either HAD been processed and HAS been

converted to legible or translated into linguistic format from those latent feeling or thought

aforesaid, otherwise the information has come externally in the linguistic format. (read a book)

So that, it is always the parallel process in the brain though, as the conscious process needed

additional formatting, it loose the reality (such as, processed words “red blood” doesn’t have a

fresh bloody reality in comparison to one’s experience = actually in the accident) and far slower

than the process which subconsciously done in its moment = Yet, Conscious Thinking is easy to

remember as it has been sorted and converted to the words, still, Original Latent Thought

has much more fresh facts / reality = much closer to the TRUTH.

This Truth is what Zen Buddhist is after = But it needs clear eyes and the Mind.

With clear eyes and the Mind, we can sense the situation in every moment = and

able to respond as it is happening. = This is the Life [Live in its moment].

[]

It must be clear now, the real meaning of Mindfulness, Mushin, Ichijo (in fact, they are

the words to describe the same state of the MIND in different angle)

= “ Without Thinking” has to be understood as “ The Mind has no Conscious

Thinking, still it is not blank but keeping all the perception fully open and

making intuitive up-to-the-moment response, without us noticing it”

= clear eyes and the mind is to capture those intuitive response in the depth of

subconsciousness,  without a distortion caused by useless Thinking and Ego.

= This is how ZEN with clear eyes and the mind can lead you to reach truthful

answer or the best judgement, even inventive totally new idea.  

And ultimately  “Able to reach to the Dharma”

= We might be retaining even ancient, ancient memory of the primeval time

which has been written in the DNA, where we came from, how we been evolved

= the reflection of the rationality in the Dharma = Rules of the Dharma.

To discover and reach this wisdom is the ultimate quest to the Zen Buddhists.

___/\___

[]

PS : You might be realized here something is missing

= What is the control of our thinking ?

Conscious Thinking is parallel with Subconscious Thinking and if we can’t escape

Subconscious Thinking which is invisible hence out of control mean,

“ Can’t we escape from wrong thinking ?”

—– If we were imprisoned in wrong thinking down to the bottom of subconscious, there is

a remedy what the Buddhism has been specialized.

Here, Practice of Buddhism come to play their role ! As

Lord Buddha found, the main cause of wrong thinking bore out of the Ego or Self.

Against this, unconditional endless practice of the practice ware-out one’s Ego.

= If one’s Ego is no longer there = no instinctive drive of Self-Preservation = no greed, no fear,

no fear of the death = This is the fundamental change in the basis of thinking = If the basis

changed = upper structure changes as well.

If there is no Self = Nothing to loose = Freedom. (If mortal Self is no longer there,

why afraid to make a failure and own demise or even death. = Anything is

possible though, as neither Ego is there, there wouldn’t be a possibility to

conceive self enriching act or having grudge against others.)

So, Freedom here but not a sign of selfish wrong thinking !

= What a contented, peaceful life. = WHAT you want more.

(This is the reason why the Great Zen Masters having so many extraordinary jokey stories !

= They must have had lots of fun in liberated mind  😀 :-D)

[]

Sea Creature ? ? ?

M m m m —– What ? ? ?   You may think.   What are they ?

Yes.  Those photos are genuine.    Just straight close-up shot.    No Photo shop.   🙂

– – – – – – – – –  How do you see them ?

[]

Cyber Space / Twitter

It’s a funny situation, somebody an expert of IT made a practical joke and created

hundreds of my Twitter accounts (all under Yoshizen’s name but different account code and

pass-word which I don’t know hence I can’t access or Tweet back) and sent-out automatic

“Following you” click to thousands of Twitter user, thence thousand of Twitterers followed

back (me) = Hence, I’m receiving “The person is following you” automatic notice. Everything is

run automatic (programmed) = completely out of my hand and out of my concern. ( the person

seemed to have tested his “Net promotion program” me as a guinea-pig :-D)

[]

Even funnier is, it seems tens of Twitterer are sending direct message “ This person is saying

dreadful things about you” kind, expecting me to click back their link though, I’m a Zennist.

I don’t give a damn to those = If anybody really saying anything dreadful, let the person say.

And most likely no such things could ever happen, because very few people know who really I am

hence not a kind of dreadful real story could ever be created.

If a funny picture of me has been uploaded, let it be there = make others smile is good

things, but I don’t need to give a glance at all.  —– In fact, I made a setting of

my Email  [***  has sent you direct message]  is automatically goes into trash.

[]

This is the syber space / false environment = Everything is just a stream (in fact, compact packet)

of electronic pulses.   And how true its information is = Who knows.

And this is why, everybody just saying “How nice” and others are reply the same almost

automatically. = Scratch the back and others will scratch your back automatically = hence, making

up the number of followers, hit, so-called friends automatically high. = Nothing is serious.

[]

Among the animal, Mankind is only a creature having a false environment.

Thanks (goodness) to have huge memory bank in our (semi-artificially) enlarged brain, we can

accumulate huge past patterns. And with the algorithm we figure out to forecast future or other’s

response based on the information from the memory bank. = in other words, we are living in the

false environment based upon a speculation. = imaginary sphere.

Seeing the number of [followers] or so-called [friends], thousand of it may make the person feel

happy = congratulation.

Since we have the said [imaginary sphere] include the image of oneself, we are very very

self conscious, we are very conscious about what others are saying or seeing you.

Because of we have no confidence of the [imagined Self] —– whether it is true

or illusion = we need to know the proof from others.

This is almost an obsession between the Ego and the fear of failure.

(Though, it exclude Zennist = Zennist has no Emotional Attachment to the SELF,

not mention the self-conscious to pay attention what others say about “ME”

= Zennist doesn’t have imaginary sphere).

[]

With those reason I don’t have an account of Face*** something or Twitter (myself) in fact

any of so-called SNS. —– (though, I had to make Google+ account when I found I couldn’t send

Email with attachment any more, —– I couldn’t solve the problem with any change of setting

= I thought “may be Google is harassing me, because I don’t use real name, location etc”

= I needed to try please Google though, I’m not doing anything there since then. 😦 and 😀 )

[]

I wonder, how others is living with Twitter = is it useful or made you any happier 😀

(Isn’t your happy feeling = false ? —– Think deep)

—– Because of its ease of communication, Net is giving you a false impression that

you are in the circle though, in fact, in real term, it is making the people

more and more isolated. (and made a person immobile and obese  😀 ) 

—– think deeper.

[]

Emotion / Meditation

On the surface, you may think Emotion and Meditation are rather antagonizing idea hence

they wouldn’t come together though, it is because you are trying to keep your pretense.

In reality, our Mind is always in the mess, otherwise we didn’t need to talk

about the Mind and its trouble 2500 years, and the Buddhism could have

become redundant long ago.

[]

Meditation is a funny practice. In principle, it supposed to sit while you vacate

your mind.    Yet, in reality, all sorts of your bothering ideas, thoughts, images

are coming up  = The more disturbing,  the more keep coming back. 

[]

Long time ago, in the mountain shelter, I talked with a man said to be a Japanese classics

teacher —– while talking about a poet, Saigyo, who became a monk in his later life, it

touched Buddhism idea, then the teacher reviled, in fact he is a trained, ordained Zen monk.

( Mind you, on that time my knowledge of the Buddhism was rather poor = a son of priest

didn’t mean know the Buddhism well.  😀 )

So, I’m not sure whether I made right question to him and how serious the answer he gave me.

He could have just kidding a young man. 😀 —– Any how, he said

“ It is a lie to Meditate in Mushin.   I sit while visualizing the image of a

woman taking her cloths off, one by one and become naked.    Ha ha ha  :-D”

“ Didn’t you get aroused ?”

“ Oh no. If you do everyday every time, it just became a simple routine and

the same old image.  Nothing exciting”

“ How about to change character to top film star and imagine her naked ?”

“ Yah, I did though, it’s all same”

—– Looking back this conversation half century later, I think he was telling me his truth

and the truth in what the function of Meditation is.

Meditation wear-out your thoughts = To see disturbing thought  straight,

and analyzing again and again,  soon or later you will fed-up, and the idea

will loose its fresh impact to induce an Emotion. 

Without having an involvement of the Emotion, it become just another

opinion and a remote episode in the life ==> Detachment (Emotion put a tug

to the signal / information “this is Mine / My concern” = Turf of the Self )

When you get used with this process, again and again, you will become

rather not to have any useless thought = this is Mushin !

And start to see the things Objective = in the Detached Mind !

[]

Emotion is developed in our old part of the brain / Hippocampus.  This old part is common

with any animal and it is directly dealing with one’s survival.

Hence, not only one’s survival instincts or sexual desire, but also one’s welfare = comfort

for oneself and for the species general, are all part of this Emotion.

Desire, Greed, Envy, Fear, Like-Dislike, Want or Avoid, even a judgement

of Right or Wrong —– are all related to the own survival (and better survival

condition) of oneself  = (hence,  it is the Ego / Greed)

Those feelings are the basis of the conscious of the Self (and its turf).

More importantly, Emotion is always causing a seclusion of particular hormone.

(Such as a fear to a danger needs whole body to prepare for prolonged battle by

seclusion of Adrenalin.  Or whole process of sexual activity needs continuing higher

level of Testosterone.)

—– In comparison, higher logical thinking is done by the later addition of the larger

brain and its process is not necessary induce a seclusion of hormone or Emotion.

[]

So that, when you hear the call of the Wolf = its signal rises your Adrenaline and become

Emotionally alert.   But if it is the same “Wolf-call” again, you just get used and

start to ignore = your perception would no longer trigger the Emotion.

—– Logically, Wolf is still somewhere in the woods yet its logical possibility wouldn’t

trigger your Emotion, because you are not in imminent danger, still, a kind of strong belief

or persistent thought / obsession would trigger an Emotion.

( But they are a subject of mental, neurological disorder)

[]

Seeing those function of the brain,

you might be realized that what the Meditation is doing.

= When your brain keep receiving the same signal, threshold of the reception

rise higher = the same signal loose impact.  You become immune to the signal.

Those external incoming signal or internal thought would work alike.

When the brain (or a Mind set) starts to ignore the signal or thought, it no

longer trigger an emotional reaction = therefore loose the tag  of ” Mine” =

and it become detached from the Ego = your mind would be in PEACE.

And when you do the things without involving your Emotion =

“ Effectively you are in the SELFLESS state” as all of your Emotion which is

defining  “ This is mine / my interest” is no longer there.

—– Buddhism teachings are using those brain function and its tendency =

Mushin and the Selflessness to control our MIND.

( Without Emotion, Selfless, and in Mushin = Just get on the task / Life ! )

Hence we can have PEACE of MIND and the  SMOOTH  LIFE.

———

( Though, there was an interesting question ” How and why,  some people

who is seeing a lots of sexual images, the person become immune to a

sexual stimulant  (like a Gynecologist),  but in the other hand it would lead

some others become rapist ?”

—– Well, this is the matter of the Mind-set on the starting point,  which I’m

going to write about in later post.)

___/\___

[]

PS : Please do remember, there is yet another purpose in the Buddhism training, other

than [Eliminates Thinking = Mushin] and [Cut off the Emotion = Selfless] . Also

to sublimates the teaching = Imprint the Teachings into Subconscious by

repeated practice and repeated reading or reciting, is the crucial process. —– here

again invisible Mind.

When the Teachings were imprinted into subconscious (sublimated), it

controls the person unconsciously

= no need to consciously remember it = Mushin again !

[]

Flowers in the Park — Cropped Macro (ish) Photos

Those photos were also in the file, taken in August though, long forgotten  😀

[]These day many compact cameras came into the market started to say that they got x20 super-Zoom / such as equivalent of 24~1000 mm —– m m m,  ? ? ?

Soon I realized, they are not optical Zoom to 1000 mm, but it was combined with Digital Zoom = in another word it’s a fraud. Thanks to the extremely advanced image sensor in the camera, the quality of the image is good enough for the most of the user even if it was in fact just a cropped, enlarged image —– most of the  consumers are happy even with Phone-camera !

So, why not = Camera manufacturer has gone over the blue line.

So,   the center part of this photo was cropped and enlarged to the next photo.

(Click the photo to enlarge —– not too bad isn’t it  🙂 )

As a matter of fact, those  originally near 10Meg bit file photos are reduced here to mere 500k bit or so, in order to upload.   Nobody ever complained, neither me 😀

Among the photographer who bought Nikon D810E,  who did ever needed to enlarge their photo to more than A2 size ? — Vast majority of the so-called photographer  who is showing their photos in the net,  is in fact surviving with small job for brochure or web-site photo or occasional wedding photo,  if there were job at all.

( I was lucky to survive,  when I came here,  there wasn’t a bilingual photographer who can negotiate and coordinate with English company —– hence,  I nearly monopolized Japanese commercial and editorial business here )

Looks like just ordinary close up though,  this is an cropped enlarged image.

Those cropped Macroish photos are no way near to the quality of proper Macro lens shot though,  if a photo like this was shown in Wiki,  you may not noticed or complained. —– this is a reason why I’m using Fisheye lens a lot such as in a party occasion. = in other words,  use a Zoom lens such as 24~70,  24~100 wouldn’t be necessary = good enough photo could be produced from good primary 24 mm lens !

( So, we don’t need to spend hefty money or carrying heavy lens  😀 )  ( Better not be obsessed with useless QUALITY ! = be relaxed.  take Middle way  😀  😀 )

[]

Perfection

It is an interesting situation.

When we see a flower or intricate small insect we saw it is perfect.

Even though we human being is the one the most evolved and the most sophisticated creature

in this planet, still, the only one who feel “ I’m not perfect” (may be I should exclude you

in Political Correctness 😀 ) —– in general, if anyone say I’m perfect, others would boo you

and if you are believing yourself is perfect, you are likely a loner and known to be a nut. 😀

—– How come.   What went wrong ?

[]

In Buddhist’s term, especially from the words of Master Dogen, we should know that we

were here as a part of Dharma hence we were perfected as we are, and have to learn

[ As-it-is-ness]= to become perfect as who you are.

This is exactly what Master Kogetsu told me in the Eihei-ji temple. “ You are just a failure to

be a photographer. Couldn’t settle and became as a perfect photographer” then I replied him,

“ What’s wrong with a photographer become a seeker ? Have look,

Lord Buddha forsaken to be a Prince and joined seeker bikku, didn’t he ?” —–

Master Kogetsu was incensed with this “ How outrageous, to use a comparison to

Lord Buddha”

( Incidentally, Master Dogen was not born to be a priest. He was a sun of noble, chief minister

serving to the Emperor = wealthy enough go abroad to study 😀 )

[]

But, before being as a photographer, I’m a human = Even perfect Samurai is, yet a human in the

same time —– is it a contradiction ?  I don’t think so.   This is, what a man’s situation is.

On the time of Master Dogen, it was a feudal society = born to be a farmer, the person IS a

farmer, nobody else = it was not a job or profession but a fixed cast.

Today though, to be a photographer is a mere chosen job. It can be changed just like a jacket.

And a job wouldn’t define who you are. To take Master Dogen’s words in the context of the

moment, it would make sense. = On the moment when a photographer is shooting with his

camera in his hand = he got to be perfect as a photographer. (yet in the night, he could be a

boring husband) —– still, [this is a man living as him, perfect “ as-he-is-ness” ]

[]

When we grow up, kids are seeing  Heros, Superman or Super Robot (Gandum ?) etc, and as

we got huge brain and memory bank, we build up a kind of ideal figure and become aware

of should be standard. —- and always there is a person who can do it better — we realize

how we are not perfect.   Whether an awareness of this imperfection drives us to make it

perfect or by something another urge = it is an interesting argument, still strangely, we give

an effort to make it better or perfect. === isn’t this an obsession ?

Or, the image of Superman or who ever the ideal perfection —– isn’t it a delusion ?

[]

—– blessing to your ears is, it’s good to give an effort to make it perfect though, we never

achieve perfection as we are never be perfect.

I’ve met quite few Masters who can produce phenomenal perfection in his crafts etc.

—– something remarkable is, non of them said it is perfect, hence he is still trying

to achieve its perfection = it is an on-going project.

Being as an imperfect existence as it is, is what Buddhist calls [as-it-is-ness] —– and this is

the Enlightenment and that is why all the Masters found it [It’s a dog shit].

So, be relax, you may not too far from the enlightenment. 😀

( It’s mean, believing and cherishing something, such as spiritual perfection

might be in vain = it might be an illusion or delusion, even worse, could be a

fraud in your text book) 😀

___/\___

[]

Inside — Jippos Circus !

Next day I went to the Circus again with more appropriate  24~70mm f2.8 lens.  🙂

Circus is a typical Circus with the staffs what we expect to see.

Though, I admit, I missed some important shot while changing the camera setting

such as for a slow shutter speed to make blurred image by change to low ISO setting.

( I should have preprogrammed Custom setting for one-click operation. ) 

Things has gone too fast. = Ideally, it need to see the performance twice and need to

prepare in anticipation. (So, photos here is a kind of easy snapshot. = Sheer excuse.  🙂 )

Before this, those black boys preformed a kind of Street Dance using Hopping Rope,

hence a sheer athleticism in exact synchronized body movement = it was a

jaw-dropping performance.  = (so that, I forgot to take picture.)  😀  😀

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禅の源流 ／ How Zen was started

勤行や禅における日常の勤め，実践について具体的に説明した言葉は古代の経典の中には登場して来ません。  単に善き仏教者である為の身だしなみ，心構えが書かれているだけでそれが実際上,

本人の心理生理に いかなる変化をもたらしているのか，そのメカニズムに対する考察が行われた事は仏教２５００年の 歴史の中で，かつてー度たりとも無かったと言えるでしょう。

唯ーの例外でそれに近い考察はアーラヤ識という概念（潜在意識に近い）の登場でしたが実際にそれが構造的に,いかに仏教と関っているかが考察された訳ではなく単に存在論，認識論＝存るのか無いのか＝単に存ると思うだけなのか＝＞「アーラヤが捕えたものこそが真実」という考えであったにすぎず，

仏教における 空，無，無心，在＝不在，不立文字，以心伝心 といった概念の全てが実は［不可視の潜在意識］故に出て来ていたという事には思い至らなかった訳です。

そもそも２５００年前には［潜在意識］という概念は無く，その透徹した眼で己れの深奥に在るそれを見すえながらも，それを説明するのにはさすがの釈尊も手甲ずったようで，色々な喩えにたよらざるを得なかった。

例えばダルマ／法とともに在る喜びを「ー切矛盾の無い理想境，極楽に暮すようなもの」と描写すればそれが潜在意識中の満足感，ドーパミンホルモンの横溢による気分のことと理解できなかった者，後世の読者は字づらから「釈尊は極楽が存在すると言われた」と誤解する。

眼前に無くても，潜在意識はその存在を知っている場合。逆にそこに在りながらも，その確証が無い。理屈で解っても，どうしても受入れられないとか。そうした意識はどこに在るのか？

大乗仏典独特の｢在るのではなくして在る」といった苦しまぎれの表現は全てこの不可視の潜在意識が存在する故に出て来たものです。（しかしこの不確定性は物理学上のものではなく人間の知覚，認知の　ニ重性から生じるもので，先ず潜在意識で直観した情報を選択的に処理してから思考領域で概念化，言語化する為に起る=つまり無心というのは潜在意識での直観，判断に従い，追加処理の思考を排除する事。  ー方，無私というのは受覚した情報を情動域との連鎖無しに処理する事に外なりません。＝情動抜きであるから心は平穏）

[]ほとんど所有物もなく比丘としての生活を続けていれば毎日の生活は単純なパターンになり殊更「自分がこれをやっている」という意識を抱くまでもなく，無意識のうちに作業を完遂できるようになるものです。　　これが［無心］というものの出発点ですが

釈尊につき従っていた弟子達は同じ作業，同じ所作を無条件に模倣し毎日それを繰返していたので［無心］で作業するという事はわざわざ言われるまでもなく自然に身についていた訳です。 つまり，わざわざ書く必要も教える必要もなかったが，はるか後，孫，孫孫弟子の時代に，それ程の人徳もカリスマも無い老師の元に何十人もの弟子，しかも中には懐疑的反抗児も居ると言った情況になると，何か特別な教育法を考え出す必要が出て来た訳です。

[仏伝に登場するシュリバントクの庭掃除十年の話も，芥子の実（英訳ではマスタードの種子となっていますが）を捜して走り回ったキサーゴータミの話も，いかに

釈尊の教え方が臨機応変，方便に満ちたものであったかを言うのみで，そこに在った延々と繰返される反復動作というものの側面は忘れ去られていた。（反復動作＝同ー信号の入力は脳の情動域が無視するようになる為，｢自己の｣というタグ無しに処理されるようになる。－方，運動域には動作全体がパターンとして刷り込まれ自動的に処理されるようになる＝結果として自己意識／自覚／自我を抜きにして行動できるようになる＝これが無我無心です）

はたして中国に禅を伝えた菩提達磨師がこうした情況をどこまで把握していたのかは全く不明ですが　（達磨大師にまつわる伝説は荒唐無稽なものばかりで，その最たるものに師は青眼であったというのがあるが絶対有得ないハナシ）　間違いないのは，師自身は古代ヨガ　（含む，古代の舞踏ヨガ＝南印度のバラットナットヤムダンスの源流）　の達人であったという事でしょう。このヨガの動きがブラジルのカポエラ様の，複数の人間による瞬間的対応のゲームといった過渡期を経て云わゆる小林寺拳法に進化したというのは疑いない事です。－－－瞬間的な対応は無意識だからこそ可能なので，モタモタ考えていたら即ー発喰う。

菩提達磨師の着目したものはここに在る［無心］とその效果で，これこそが［無我，無心］に達し［ダルマ／法に身を委ねる］最上の道と喝破した訳です。

己れの生に対する執着，｢これは殺されるかも」などといった恐怖が有ると体が萎縮して元々持って生れたダルマの自然（じねん）すら働かない。思考も感情も抜きに，｢己れを捨ててこそ浮ぶ瀬もあれ」と言われる由縁です。

[菩提達磨師が空観，無我無心に立った仏教を説いた中国には既に［無為］を説く老荘哲学が流布していた。「意図的には何もやるな。全てを天命に委ねよ」と説く老子の教えは｢己れを無にして法に身を委ねよ」という大乗の教えと共通のものがあり，概念の翻訳設定や用語の選択をする上できわめて都合が良かった訳です。　しかしながら既製の用語を使う為に，どうしても元々のニュアンスが出て常人の日常生活に主眼を置いた大乗印度仏教も中国化し，むしろ通念に縛られない事を旨とした独特な禅仏教が生れたと言えます。　

（同様な意味で，日本の禅には神道の純粋主義，武士道が影響して，仏教の中でも特異な硬派となっているのでは？ —– 同じ禅でも中国人は［無為］は言うが［無私］はやらない。最も悲観的，厭世的で［捨身］（しゃしん）と言うのは日本人だけで，お寺が喪式専門になるのも日本独特と，うなづける　）

[]人間も含め，万物＝ダルマ／法が元々［無我］であると言うのは，バラモン教／ベーダの言うアートマンに 対立して示された

釈尊独特かつ当時としては革命的な発想ですが，この本源的［無我］ゆえに自己意識，我欲などは全て己れの想念の作り出した妄想に過ぎないという教えを納得するには既に［無心］を体感し実践している中国人にとってもいささか時間がかかる。それが納得でき潜在意識の深奥まで 染みつき，無意識に［無我，無心］の行動が取れるようになるまでの修業が［禅］と名付けられたプロセスです。

－－－で，本人無我無心の内に作業を続けそれが完成したとする。

＝それでは，これを作ったのはいったい誰なのか？　

＝それが外ならぬ持って生れた，内なるダルマ／法であるというのが

釈尊の教えです。

つまり，禅に限らず仏教は現に作業してみない事には体感もできなければ，その体感の経験に立って考えてみる事も納得もできない。座って考えていても何も把めない訳で，仏教の全ての宗派が延々と続く反復作業を修業として課しているのはこの理由からです。

当然ながらー二回禅寺に行って座禅をしても足が痺れるだけで何の足しにもならないし，釈尊にすら説明できなかった事は解説書を読んでも把めない。つまり禅には学んで理解すベき事は何ーつとして無いし，禅を理解するというのは有得ない。　実際にやってみて，出来るか出来ないかしかない訳です。だからこそ，自転車に乗れるか乗れないかの喩えが使われる。

しかし［無心］の作業というものは日常生活の中にいくらでも在り（当ブログの中で「レモン禅」のカテゴリーに分類されている例），＝それこそ単に歩くだけでも体験できるものです。その体感を出発点に禅の世界に入っていくというのは誰にでも出来る事。道元禅師の僧食九拝の教えは将にこの事です。作法として細かく様式化されたそれぞれの作業に集中しそれを緻密にやり遂げていく、この作業を修業としそれを雑念無く無心に行える事をめざすのが禅に外なりません。(無念無想、一切のこだわりを捨てよと教える一方で徹底してこだわった細部までを習得させる矛盾はともかくーーーまァその作業を五年十年、百万回も繰返せば無意識でも完璧にやり遂げられるようにはなるでしょうが）

逆に言えば禅，及びその心理作用は必ずしも宗教に直結したものではなく，むしろ心理工学と呼べる ようなもので，

無我無心である事で心理的拘束から解放される自由度にむしろ利点があります。（情動領域での　好嫌，損得，エゴといった自我意識を誘発する事なく判断行動できるという事） ＝当ブログに奇抜な試みや変った造形物が色々登場して来るのはその自由発想の見本です。 （しかもそれを黙々と作る手作業は，禅以外の何物でもない－－－で，結果として出来上ったものも満更悪くないと，本人マンゾクしておりますが如何？）

－－－つまる所，人生楽しく生きる事が肝心！＝それが本来の禅というものです。（強もての達磨師が弟子達と，踊るように体をひる返している様を思い浮ベてみられよ－－－渋っ面の老師のやる事ではないでしょう。　笑）

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Fun Clock for James

One of my friend James Stevens is going to have his 50^th Birthday party in this week.

James is the organizer of the OWN (Open Wireless Network) and having a workshop,

advising the people for their use of computer, network connection etc.

What remarkable about him is, this [etc] part.

He does everything about electronics = from lighting to PA, audio system to how to

organize and set-up the event. Hence, he knows everybody in the field and knows

“Who got which equipment, in where etc” = therefore, able to hire (or let the others

to hire) thence able to organize fully equipped film event, art event, about anything.

He is everywhere, in fact he is the Don.

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This remarkable character came from his fundamental open minded attitude to see

anybody and help anybody who came to him.   So that naturally he learned everything

and acquainted right people in every field.  He himself isn’t an authority of everything

but a man to know the authority who can help him = therefore he doesn’t need to be

an authority nor boss still he can solve all the issue as others follow him.

In my eyes, he is a Good Buddhist at work = helping others and make things happen !

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—– anyhow, as he said he is going to have a birthday party, I prepared a present

for him. = I made a fun clock.

(I never sold my work but just give them to the people for such occasion).

( I don’t think I need to explain about this = this is what it looks and function as it is,

that all though, if I may boast, its looks silver wire is in deed Staring silver ! )

Happy Birthday James.

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