What is the POINT ?

Somebody who read  Spiritual Sound gave me a question saying

that I’m desecrating the holy spirituality.

On the surface, it may look true.  But it is the main purpose of this DIY  Zen Blogging.

I’m not Desecrating  Buddhism  or any holy belief.

To decipher the mechanism of our mind and invisible psyche in relation to the Zen is

the task what I’m doing and all about this Yoshizen Blog. —— May be I am demystifying the religion.

( I don’t need to indulge  Mythical Dream,  as I’ve been surrounded by too many spooky phenomena.  😀

My task is not pretend to be a kind of medium but to find out the mechanism how it is operating. )

As I wrote in the earliest posts,  the repeating Buddhist’s practice is, in fact, ware-out the mind

and make the practice routine hence make the person able to do it without thinking / in Mushin.

Mushin is a state of mind,  and it is nothing to do with any mythical, glorious religious belief.

To open the mind and the perception completely away from any thought,  we are able to see

and able to know the truth as it is —— is what all about the teaching of Buddha.

To complete his teachings,  Buddha ordered to his disciples  Not idolize him or worship himself ——its

mean, to follow the Buddhist’s teachings, even a notion of Buddha / Buddhism have to be removed.

Because,  Buddha knew it is the pitfall of the teachings —— even a conscious of  I’m a Buddhist or notion

of Buddha would utterly negate the effects of Mushin.

Remove the conscious to be a Buddhist or the name of the Buddha,  is not desecration of the Buddhism.

Since it is the very core of the Buddha’s teachings.

Simply, this is how our mind works.   And this is what the Buddha’s teachings.

——

Buddha taught to remove the own thinkings to attain Mushin, in his explanation, since the basis of

own thoughts = the self is not existing.

To fully understand what Buddha meant took 500 years.  Hinayana Buddhists took this to negate

the self, especially filthy part of it, smelly guts or uncontrollable genitals shouldn’t be there.

Then Mahayana Buddhists realized,  if they shouldn’t be there, why the Dharma gave us in the first place.

(Not to be obsessed with it / Middle way , is a commonsense)

The function and its mechanism of our mind / psyche (dynamics of our subconscious) was designed

or given by the Dharma, and it has been refined and refined (evolved) in past billions of years.

Exactly in the same context to see the effects of the repeating practice,  I described the effects of

the incomprehensible hi-pitched tone —— it makes our mind puzzle and open the mind.

I didn’t ask anybody to listen Hi-pitched tone or Mozart Miserere.  I’ve just shown what is the effect of

us to open the mind and the perception. —– then you might able to touch spiritual world.

Whether this spiritual world is sacred or holy mythical world, is in your belief / Mind —– but

as the paradox of Buddhism is here, as long as you cling its idea, you can not see it.

___/\___

—

Poor Nature (2)

Last night, something was creeping up on my leg, inside

of trouser.—- M m m ?

I slapped it over the trouser. —— What came out and

dropped on the floor was a wasp. (By the way,  I didn’t

know, the wasp here is so hairly. —– Click photo to see )

I realized, I’ve just killed a queen wasp who seemed to seek

a place to hide and wait the next spring.

I can guess, inside of my trouser must be warm and good

place to hibernate —— though —— ? , its not very

convenient place for me at all.

——— Still, it could have created a beautiful story

” A  Zen Buddhist kept sitting, in order not to disturb a wasp sleeping inside of his trouser,

and waited the next spring “ —— how heart warming nice story.  😀

Don’t be jokey,  I’m a convicted notorious potato killer and terminating the life potential of 40~50 Kg of

onion etc every year.  I’m not such generous warm-hearted existence.  I’m living on the sacrifices of

millions of another lives,  not mention the billions of germs came into my body and encountered

the T-cell in my white blood.—— I wouldn’t pretend to be any special noble creature with sweet words.

I’m just an another life in the food chain and the minute part of the Dharma in this world.

——————–

Long time ago I read a story ” A Jain holy man offered himself to a tiger and eaten by the tiger”—– ? ? ?

Was he intentionally walked into a forest to meet a tiger on purpose ? —— I quite doubt of it.

And when he was attacked,  was there any another choice, otherwise not be eaten ?

I don’t think so neither.  Even holy man was just a part of the Dharma.  To the eyes of tiger he was just

another play —— yet as a story, we can make up anything sound nice.

——

Anyhow, see the season (as the rest of wasps are dead already) and her body size, it must be a queen.

Its mean, not just a wasp, I’ve terminated her potential whole family. (and her ancestors as well)

But the question is, —— why she choose to sneak into my trouser ?   There must be somewhere

another warm corner in my flat.  She should know, such place was the last place to choose ?

Or am I smelly —— smell of flower ?    I don’t think so.  😀

Unlike blood sucking female mosquito, most insects avoid to encounter animals —— so, was she

thought I’m a kind of furniture ?  Am I  😀

Anyhow, to an unfortunate queen wasp, peaceful Nirvana for her. (I hope, she didn’t leave

a marker to branding me as a public enemy of wasp and make them to attack me next season  🙂  )

—— While I was editing this, on the other side of the world in Chilean desert, last one of 33 miners

came out from the 2000 feet deep mine. —— one small life ended here, yet 33 men were survived.

Congratulation. Viva Chile. 🙂  ( It was an extraordinary story but not just a story.  It was the fact )

___/\___

____

Yet another 8150

Among the regulars of the Dorkbot gatherings, there is a creative programmer Jagannathan,

who has presented semi autonomous, self interactive moving pattern of enigmatic images before.

On the Dorkboat, he performed an electronic music composed on the spot, jammed with Alex Mclean.

On the boat journey, we talked about our resent activities, since our idea to put his organic program

to combine with my strange kinetic design hasn’t been materialized yet.

I told him about my Youtube images with its key word Kinetorori.  To google Kinetorori, it led to both

Yoshizen blog and my Youtube channel.

Along side the Youtube video clip / Cupidon and the blog Kinetorori,  inevitably he stumbled upon

8150 story.  Which lead him to read a post ” Is Dharma directing us ?”

In that post I was asking the reader to check their Number.  So, he checked his Bank a/c number ——

Bang ! —— He discovered,  his Bank a/c number having this fatal 8150. ——- Please read

the comments on the post. ” Is Dharma communicating us ?” (To search, type in the box and click )

Later he said on the Email, Shocked and amazed by this.  And as he said on his comment, he is

having this only a Bank a/c number since he arrived here 10 years ago. —— does it mean,

the Dharma did know  from the beginning,  we are going to meet —- or the person who got this

number are destined to meet together?

Jagannathan is not a Buddhist but he believes Brahmanism.     Still, what so ever human make up the

name the ultimate power over there is the same entity.    All of us are under the rule of this power.

And, in deed we were watched by it.

I gave a thought for Jagannathan’s life —– then I realized a crucial point that is (as he described

in his email)  after he experienced the trouble of his program  Pirated, he decided to publish them

as open source  ” Instead to spend the time to encrypt them, better spend the time to create

something new,  which gives  more freedom” ——- abandon  the ego and greed and

give-away his creation, brought him more freedom and strangely more wealth and stayed in health.

—— this is the very paradox in the Buddhism which I described many times.

So that, the greed-free honest attitude in the life is the key factor, as his life style is far from ascetic —–

having a wife, likes cider and he confessed, its hard to stick with  Right-hand Zen. 😀 —– Still,

Selfless, Ego-less free mind may made him spiritually stand out.

Programing is a laborious work for perfection  ( if not perfect, it doesn’t work at all  🙂 )  and

even for open source free program, if it is not creative and useful enough, nobody give a sit.

And now he started to wonder —— is this, because of him being protected by the Dharma too ?

( Fascinating isn’t it —— or is it Spooky ?   🙂  )

—-

Worship ?

If anyone think the Buddhism is one of the religion, soon you will be realized

“If it is the religion, where is the God and what to worship ? ” —— Then you might be

realized, something peculiar or even something wrong.

—

Since, on his death-bed,  Buddha ordered to his followers ” Don’t idolize or worship me”

In the Buddhist’s Mantras,  there is even a single line of script which described that

Buddha himself bowed to anything, exist.

Buddha respects the Dharma and its rules, though  rule is just the rule.

Rule is not the God or an object of worship. ——– Gravity is one of the physical phenomena.

Its rule is absolute.  No one can escape —- though, no one think gravity is  God  nor anybody worship it.

Dharma rules the universe though as it is not like a  personified western  God,

Dharma is not answerable, even communicable to the human,  it is not an object to worship.

Hence,  Buddha didn’t need to worship the Dharma  but he just followed and lived with it.

Because of this, the Buddhism has been often  regarded to be NOT a religion,

and often mistook as an atheist.

( Lots of you may think,  if this is the case, what about the many Devine figures in the temple and

worshiping rituals  the monks are performing ? ? ?

——- It is just because of a mix-up with Hinduism.    It is not the Buddhism )

In the same kind of misunderstanding, lots of people think the Buddhist practice is a part of rituals.

No, they are a training exercise to gain a state of the mind ” Mushin “.

( DO the things without Thinking —– leave it to the control of subconsciousness / Dharma )

Darma has unknowable mystical power ——- though, it is not because of Buddhism.

Since,  Dharma and the Karma are ruling anybody, regardless one’s religion.

Believe or not, everybody you too, are under the Dharma —— hence, it’s better to aware it.

To become aware it ——- you are wiser.        Which we call ” Enlightened “

Buddhism itself has no mysticism or mumbo-jumbo.

Buddha’s teachings or Buddhism is the way to see the Dharma and live with it.

Following and living with it, mean more smooth natural life, hence having the Peace.

___/\___

Short POEM ( but not HAIKU )

( may be titled as ) [秋]———————– Aki / Autumn

————————ある————————–aru / one

————————雨の————————-ame no / rainy

————————朝—————————–asa / morning

————————アスファルトに————asphalt ni / on the asphalt ( pavement )

————————アシナガバチの———-Ashinaga-bachi no / a Wasp’s

————————死骸————————–shigai / dead body

————-  Well, this poem was composed in my twenties when I was having evening class of

an   Advertising Copy-writer’s training.  ( Since, I didn’t expect Industrial Sociology BA may not enough

to go into  Advertising or Publishing industry)   I wanted to have a skill to compliment my photography

and  I was writing lots of poems.  ( Preceding to this,  I was a  fanatic of  Jean Arthur Rimbaud )

————– In one glance you may noticed there is no subjective word / Who is watching a dead wasp.

This is a deep and long tradition of the Japanese language —– not clarify the subject word.

This is a part of the Buddhist’s culture combined with Confucians ethos.

Name Me is arrogant.   Self shouldn’t be there.   And name You is disrespect —— it should be only

implied by the proper use of honorific expressions. —— hence, all the HAIKU is missing subject word.

More importantly, without seen by anybody, the pavement and the wasp is still there. We were not the

designer of the world or control it —- How, Self can be there.  Why we need to assert I am watching.

( Hence, lots of old Haiku is based on a  man’s vulnerability,  a powerless observer’s sentiment, Wabi )

Japanese has been using the same language all through the history ( well, classic style is a headache

even for me 😀 ) and having such thousands of years history with Buddhism culture in the bottom,

translate it must be a daunting task, much harder than a Japanese to read Chinese Buddhist’s Mantras.

(So, it is no wonder to find lots of misunderstanding of Japanese Buddhism and wrong translations there)

In comparison, when I read an English translation of  Heart Mantra, translated from

the Sanskrit, I was rather amazed ( and disappointed ) with its clarity as there wasn’t enigmatic

[ Mysticism ] left there.  🙂    There was no mysticism in the Buddha’s teachings.

It was our own creation with over jealous expectation. (save my 8150 story.   It’s not my creation.  😀 )

In the Paradox of Buddhism, mysticism  never appeared where expected.  Because the expectation

is a thought emanated from one’s ego —— which against the Mushin / No-Mind.

—-

Here another poem which I wrote when I left Japan. ( No need to have a title )

( In hind sight, this was the moment I became a Bhikku )

—

美しい手紙を書こうと思った—–Utsukushii  tegami wo kakou to omotta / I wanted to write beautiful letter

私は詩を勉強した——————Watashi wa Shi wo benkyo shita / I studied Poetry

* * *

手紙ー通——————————Tegami, ittsu  / A letter

母へ—————————-———Haha e / to my Mother

—-

ありがとう——————–———Arigatow / Thank you

ごめんなさい———————-Gomen nasai / Forgive me

さようなら————————–Sayou-nara / Farewell

—

( This could be the shortest poem as it using only three most ubiquitous mundane words yet to describe

a man’s whole life.    As after 35 years I still couldn’t find any shorter, fewer word could do the same.

The space inside of  Zero could have whole life history and all the thought —– yet no need to talk

or discuss.  Just shut a mouth and a thought. ——– it is almost like the Zen,  isn’t it )

___/\___

God — Who ?

The trouble of the personified western God is, —–  (there are too many 😀  ) as he was personified,

he came under the logic and the rationality of the human being.   So, he can be questioned.

Who is the Mother of God ?   Or was he suddenly created out of nothing ?

If it was the case, who created him ?  Was there another God somewhere ?

And in that case, he doesn’t have a belly button ?  ( Therefore the first man created by him / Adam didn’t

have neither. )    If he didn’t have mother, thus without knowing how the conception occur and it is

essential to have male and female to copulate etc,  —– How he managed to create all the animals in pair

but forgot to create female human in the first place ?

——— so,  it remains in the myth,  and beyond the logic.

Then, poor Adam and Eve went out the Eden and raised a family ——–

The son of Adam and Eve married to each wives ——- What ?

Where those women came from ? ——– Or, are they actually the sisters ?   Married to sister ?

When fuck a sister is not a sin,  why bother eating apple ?

————————

It is better to leave  mythical existence as an abstruct myth.   Man made story all ways break down.

Yet still,  such story was forced to believe  (hence it is the Dogma) and anyone contested it has been

severely surpressed,  such as Garileo (of cause he didn’t argue about the belly button,

it is the children’s joke)  his question was the slight wobble of the planets and why.

God is the power and the order of the universe and it is invisible.   Attempt to describe it by

a manmade words is the sign of disrespect.  We human can not see everything or able to know.

___/\___

Go GREEN ( Do you ? )

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the fundamental issue is too fundamental and politically too sensitive.

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

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

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

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

Super Natural POWER (?)

There is a popular misconception,  the religion has super natural power. Or super natural vision

can reveal the truth.  If such claim is in the market, of cause it is only a spin to sell dubious products.

Same as ” Use this special formulated cream, you will become Hollywood beauty at once”.

If such claim has any substance, all the population in the world should be the Holly Man now

and never had war or mass killing.  And the Amazon natives who said to have “Vision” by the

hallucinogenic  chemicals from the magic vine,  shouldn’t have marginalised.

I never hard any positive contribution from the Vision made by drugged brain or the people. (Have you ?)

Russian government had spent millions of  money to research those Para-normal power for

military, espionage purposes without single positive result.

Yet still, everybody knows something is still there and I too believe now. (with my 8150 story)

Though, the trouble is they are beyond the human control.  We can not resort it to the intentional purpose.

( I still couldn’t figured out how my parents could able to predict somebody’s fate, and what is behind of

Chinese I-Chin)

Yet still, the Power over there, what Buddhists calls Dharma is active and makes no mistake.

This is my understanding,  some may calls it my belief and religion.

So, What ?

99th POST / Seal of Approval ?

It is a bad habit of an ex-sociologist.  Just watching the ongoing phenomenon and analyzing, try to see

if any tendency or peculiarity persists in this blog here ?

Stumble to my blog, the people type search terms then it may link up to my blog, end up here.

( Wittingly or unwittingly.  😀 ) —— Lots of people were misled by the Googled  list  “xxxxxDo”  which

was intended to represent  Ken-dou, Aiki-dou, Sa-dou  kind of practice,  but seemed to be mistaken as

a hard-core porn site ——- must made them hugely disappointed.  😀

The most peculiar search term and a person end up here was ” Trespassing  Buddhism ”   How interesting !

This suggests, either the Google’s automatic key-word linking program defined me as a trespasser or

somewhere in the Net, there is someone’s description talking about this blog as a trespasser.

———- In certain extent it may be true.

After I left the gate of  Eihei-Ji Temple,  I never asked any monk to lead me through the path-way.

( Even though in many occasions,  I questioned them of their teachings Why ?  But I found no Master.)

So, I had taken practices to attain  Mushin myself  while observing how the brain works with it.

So that, I might have parachuted to the sanctuary of the Zen, without coming through the traditional

path-way or  front gate.  Thus any monk found me standing in the sanctuary wearing flashing LED

Disco Pants, must thought I’m an intruder. 😀   Though, it was just an arrogance of them who is thinking

they are ” The establishment, monopolizer of the Buddhism “.

But ( I use a metaphorical words I’ve used somewhere else before ) Room A’ is not a monopolized

sanctuary, it is the open space as the Mahayana Buddhism stands.  —— Any how  Room A’ has no wall

or roof, easy to come with parachute.    Ha ha ha  😀

From the state of Mushin, I started to walk the path-way back ward, like a  Reverse Engineering

to see how the system works and why the engineer has designed it in this way.

So, why  Buddha and  the past  Master had to teach in this way ? — Luckily the hard ware / the Human is still

the same Human as in the time of  Buddha, having same nerve system, brain structure and same physiology,

therefore the phenomenon  which  Buddha had observed, could be reproduced and analyzed  today.

And of cause, those observation in the 21st century have to be explained in the knowledge of 21st century,

otherwise it wouldn’t convince the people today. —— Buddhism is not just an ancient wisdom and

can not stay like an ancient wisdom. In deed, Buddhism is not an ancient mystery, but it is a

finely tuned technique to re-program the human subconsciousness and its perception.

As Buddha ordered to his disciples, we too have to think ourself, but as a man in the 21st century.

———————————————

After I started this blog,  when the Broadband

malfunctioned,  the Dashboard failed to show

stats’ graph,  instead,  the space showed its

Flash Player’s  plug-in  URL ( Photo  left ).

Seeing  this URL,  I was shocked like hit by a lightning.

” Good Heavens, 8150 again.  Buddha is watching this blog.  There is no escape” ——-Since then,

I’m still alive, didn’t get cancer like others who betrayed me and  able to keep blogging in the same way,

and here, a significant mile-stone 99th post.—— its mean, it was not a  warning shot or a  halt.

( I wouldn’t go to ” It is a seal of Approval ” though —- it might be. Otherwise why Dharma  bothered  this ? )

Please read a post  ” Confidence to be Here “. This 21st Century  interpretation of  Zen is right.

Hence Dharma and Buddha is watching us. ( Me and you, who is reading this as well)

___/\___

PS: —————–

( Unfortunately, this 8150 is my last conundrum, this is the last mystery which I couldn’t find  21st Century

explanation —— it’s just following me / yet still, other than Dharma, who else could do this ——- ? ? ?

As a matter of fact, until I saw this 8150 sign appeared in my URL in Youtube and here, I was a bit skeptic

about the implication, as it could be just a coincidence though,  Youtube and this Blog URL are not random

occurence, but specifically belongs to me.  I was convinced that they are the intentionally targeted sign.

Around the Buddhism, there are hundreds of recorded mysterious stories, though there was no convincing

explanation ever given, and non in any mantra, even Buddha gave no answer —— still everybody

knows, it is exist ——- it is nothing but a  headache though, have to accept if its comes and this might

be the sign of my Karma and the duty which  was assigned to me to do,  and why I was born. )

—-

PPS: I haven’t explained here,  what 8150 mean.  If you are interested, please click a category above,

8150 Story and scroll down to ” Is Dharma communicating us ? ”

___/\___

Starting Point of BUDDHISM / Enlightenment

Well  well  well, this blog is coming to exactly the one year since its started.

So,  I should write something very fundamental.  This is the final piece of the jig-saw.

——————–

Unlike any another religion,  the Buddhism doesn’t have a myth or the story of the creation.

Since,  long before the existence of the human being,  long long before the arrival of Buddha,

the  Dharma  exist from the beginning.   Nobody know why. ( Ask scientists. They don’t know neither.    😀  )

As Buddha had absolute faith and the respect to the Dharma, he refused to give even his

interpretation of it, since it is unknowable to the human being and made up a story is

nothing but a disrespect and a treachery to the Creator / Dharma.

Therefore the Buddhism has to start from here “to unconditionally accept the one’s existence ( as he

or she ) as it is,  and  to see own existence as a part of  the Dharma”.

Therefore,  to give a person’s own  interpretation as a thought of the self, is nothing but an arrogant trespass.

Since,  the self is not definable by the person but only by the Dharma.

——————–

If anybody having an understanding,  that the Buddhism deny the self,  it is utterly wrong.

A person here is the Noble creation of the Dharma,  hence, try to give own interpretation or definition of it, is

a transgression,  therefore such thought has to be denied. ——– (Denying the thought of self,  not

the awareness of the self  itself) ——- In metaphor, ” Appear in person, not by a photograph ”

(a Copy or  Made up Description is not Yourself / its your wishful or distorted imagination)

The person’s  Imaginary Self  is a delusion,  its got to be in flesh as it was created and  it is keep changing.

So that,  to live as the True Yourself,  not as an imaginary fixed self,  is the key.

And this is the meaning of  ” To live in MUSHIN ” and  Just Do It,  Just Live.

So,  this is the starting point of the Buddhism,  and  its  goal.  ( Very simple and easy  isn’t it    😀  )

———- This is the reason,  why it is so simple and ubiquitous like as a dog sit,  but as difficult as

making the people puzzling  2500 years. ( People has been expecting to see glorious secret, Holy Grail   😀 )

As long as a person is puzzling, while expecting to find something over there,  it is not the Buddhism and

far away from the Enlightenment.  Enlightenment is within yourself——- as where the Dharma is.

And when the person abandoned such attempt and start to just live ——- is the Enlightenment.

——————–

But, to learn the way to accept and just do it, the person may need to practice repeating practice.

( I’ve fully explained its effect and the psychological mechanism in the past blog posts —–Please refer them )