In REALITY

All over the world, there are kind of Haunting Ghost Stories.

Still, I never heard a Ghost came back to his Priest, complaining a failure of the teachings

to give him a proper Nirvana. ( or reaching to the Heaven ) 😀

As a matter of fact, Nirvana doesn’t necessary mean a Death. Original meaning is “Put-off a Fire”

and the Fire is a metaphor of the Suffering in the Life.

In this context, its metaphor is quite Buddhist-like understanding, still somewhat akin to the Original Sin

of the Christianity.   It is a sale’s tool to sell the religion to unsuspecting innocents —– exactly same tactics

to sell a body-spray saying “You smell” even though the man is having virtually no body odour but simply

because a man himself can’t judge his own smell.

So, a first step, persuade the people to start to feel, his life is not satisfactory and having trouble and the

sufferings —– when they were persuaded “Having something wrong” then start to sell a remedy.

Irony here is, if there is no religion in the first place, there may not be a notion of Sin or Sufferings.

—– Any how non of the Life is perfect as nobody is perfect.

—–

I used to have a friend of the owner of a big department store.

Since he had inherited huge share of the company, automatically he was earning too much amount

of dividend, therefore having even a headache of what to do with that money.

Donating so much so to this and that Conservationist Organization, and others etc while chased by

other organizations who want his money too, etc etc.

He doesn’t want to deal with money, so that his company has appointed another relative to be a executive

to run the business —– though, because of he got so much money, the people coming to him, were all

after his money, include his 6 wives ( of cause, one at the time 😀 )

Women who got tender sensible character were scared off from him, hence he had to live all through

his married life with gold-diggers. ( Once I was asked by him to judge a woman, I instantly told him

“ Never marry her “ but the woman was much more clever than him in the tactics of psychological

warfare, make him to wait too long, away on her holiday, then gave a call from  China, saying

“Government wouldn’t allow me to leave the Country, unless I got British passport “—– its mean

get marry and get nationality. —– as she got what she wants, she divorced him )

—-

He didn’t need to be Greedy, or Egoistic. Very intelligent Cambridge graduate, hence some time

hard to follow his too academical subject (not mention Cambridge accent 🙂 ) still maintain child like

perception and openly cried like a child with his loneliness ( when woman was not there ) —– though,

he couldn’t understand what’s wrong with his life. —– It was his hopeless Karma.

I don’t think he got anywhere near to a Nirvana though, ( still, at least a Greek wife then was his bed

side —–when he passed away ) I don’t think he would come back as a Ghost. ( He needn’t to haunt

anybody ) —– So, what is the Nirvana ? —- Is there anything like a perfect Nirvana exist ?

I don’t think so.

Someone said, the quality of the man will be reviled when how many number of the attendance came to

his funeral. —– ?    Is the quality of famous pop-star higher than the others ?

Anyhow, the deceased wouldn’t know how many people ever came to his funeral.

—-

Here is the another irony, if a man didn’t ever had a notion of the Enlightenment nor Nirvana, he

would just live his life as it is with high and low.—– Though, a Snobb would say, it’s a dog’s life,

man has to aim spiritually higher existence. —– ?   Really ?    Interesting !

—-

If any Buddhist having this kind of snobbish delusion, better read the Books again.

You will find the description such as

“As long as you have the notion of the Enlightenment, it is not the Enlightenment “.

This is the description of ultimate Mushin. If only the accomplished Buddhists reborn to the human again,

and rest of people would reborn to the another creature, human population will be soon dwindled.

Think how many times more number of   Non-Buddhist population in the world.

So that, in reality, there is no problem to re-produce bad boy by the un-enlightened parents. 😀

If this is the reality, what is the point to study and chase the Buddhism.

Because after all, the goal is just carry out ordinary life without having the conscious of own life.

This is the situation, I described long time ago with a metaphor of Room A and Room A’. (Ref: )

—-

Funny Paradox is, in the Mahayana understandings, as every body born with the Dharma within,

there is equal potential for everybody can achieve the Enlightenment and Nirvana.

But in the same time, nobody is the same (even the same person is different, moment to moment),

nobody is perfect, still everybody can get their Enlightenment as his own INPERFECTION, there

can not be any one standard of the LIFE.

Therefore, neither a standard of what the Enlightenment should be.

Only the person who can assess Who I am and the State of the Mind, and the progress to reach

the Enlightenment, is the very person —– might be you who is reading this.

—-

In the fundamental paradox of the Buddhism, as long as a person is thinking about

the Enlightenment, the person will get no Enlightenment. —– in fact,

the Idea of the Enlightenment itself is nothing but a delusion.

“There couldn’t be any Enlightenment exist” —– might be the ultimate Enlightenment.

To see the thing as it is, in reality is the Buddhism.  And to think it by yourself was the Order of

Buddha himself.   And above all have to live in Reality, not waste the time with fantasy. 😀

Is it a daunting task ?   No, I don’t think so neither.

Because, to be a Buddhist is as easy as Just Do It, Just Live.  😀

___/\___

—

Hidden burden in BUDDHISM

Hidden is not necessary appropriate word.   To the people who is aware of it, it is nothing new but

because of it is not convenient or sound nice, it has been stashed away or intentionally ignored, hence

it was rarely talked about, —– YET, it is the most crucial element and the steps of which

a Buddhist had to take once in their pathway.

—–

Go back to the Kisa Gotami story, —– What was her Contemplation ?

Was that just an acceptance of the life’s reality and the surrender to a force of the Dharma ?.

What was the meaning “Surrender” to the Dharma ? —– obviously, it is silly to stand against the Dharma,

therefore, it is no point to talk about the general condition of human existence, as man’s

existence is a minute from the beginning.

Superficially the teaching in the story of Kisa Gotami is an acceptance of the life’s undeniable reality= Dharma.

Yet hidden in the story, was her Self Denial —– not just accept the Dharma, but there was much more

personal, strong feeling of the failure, as a mother and a wife.

In fact, it was a rigid patriarchal society where a wife’s role and the duty was to bear a son.

A woman can assert her status only as the mother of the heir. Having her son’s death, she was

facing not only the grief of her loved child but a crisis to be branded as a woman of failure.

—– To accept the emotional trauma of both grief and the feeling of failure in fully minded

depth was, in deed her contemplation.

Discovering the harsh reality and found no possibility to find the seeds to revive her dead child,

psychologically she was stripped naked, left alone in the void of blank space —– she became

a clean blank sheet of paper, well prepared to listen the teaching of Buddha.

And Buddha knew she will reach to this state of mind when she come back. ( That’s why he sent

her out for a journey ) So that, when Buddha saw her come back without carrying heavily deluded

expectation and clean calmed face, he gave her kind consolation and the words of wisdom.

—-

Often forgotten or rather intentionally ignored fact of the Buddha’s life is that,

once Buddha was a renegade of the ascetic holy man’s lank.

In order to soften the blow, this story was changed to rather positive description of that

Buddha found the better way to reach the truth, other than torturing the body and the mind —– though,

the eyes of the society then and to the mind of himself,  he knew he was a renegade until

Buddha found his own answer —– real truth and the way to reach there.

In the man’s life, anything has happened was, in fact placed there to be happened.

Same apply to the Buddha’s life as well. —–  If he didn’t join the holy man’s lank and learned among them

and then abandon its practice, the Buddhism today is not exists.

In other words, the elements and the experiences Buddha gained while he spent a time among

the ascetics, and  above all, the contemplation he got when he became a renegade was a key

to reach the Buddhism.

When Buddha abandon and let such practice go, he was literally a broke. no margin to retain

any ego or arrogance left, and having the deep blank space in his mind —– the mind was

completely open. Buddha was ready to configure his understanding from the deep depth of

his subconsciousness. ——————->  (read again and have enough time to visualize those words)

And Buddha’s blank space in his mind,  completely open subconscious inspiration was

able to see the invisible rules of the Dharma which we call  Panya Paramita.

Here the Buddhism was born.

—–

It must be clear, it sound not very pretty though, a defeated completely lost mind, or utterly

desperate feeling of failure, —– utterly denied and hopeless ego, utterly powerless feeling

and so on, —– is the key to gain a blank space or completely open humble mind.

Which can be bracketed as a Self Denial.

May be not, not pretty, but sound rather dreadful   😀

But this is the key step to start to receive the teachings. —– hidden and yet another unfortunate

aspect of the Buddhism.

Yet, even The Great Teacher Buddha went through this, how can we avoid to take this step ?

Sound too much ? —– OK, I leave the analysis to the next post   🙂

___/\___

—

Unfortunate History of BUDDHISM

In most of the case, study deep into the Buddhism,  quest to the core of the Buddhism mean

read more books, another Sutra and then sitting 😀

Natural consequence, here, sitting mean, thinking about what was found in the book.

Strangely,  you might have found  a fine print saying  ” Sitting has to be without thinking “ 😀

And somewhere,  ” —– but most crucial teaching can not be taught by the word “.

———- What a hell, where to find the answer ?   —– rightly you might say  😀

Unfortunately, ( especially in the west ) a so-called teacher or a master of a sect or group, did come

through same process. Simply he did it longer than you, hence read a bit more books, met another

master ( who studied in the same way ) and so on —– that’s all.  In fact, non the  wiser than you.

—–

Unfortunately Buddhism is not the matter of the knowledge nor what you learned.

But don’t become desperate and shout  What a Hell, since you are not alone.

This is the inherent trouble of the Paradox in the Buddhism.

When Buddha was in this world and teaching his immediate followers, he showed the way how to live

how to see the things etc etc —– those were the practice,  then time to time he took the rest —– rest mean

rest, hence give a break to the brain.  Naturally, he was not thinking while sitting.

It looked like a meditation, or later people thought and called, it was a meditation.

When the brain was left completely blank, time to time suddenly new idea or

understanding comes out. ( Ref : Blank space —– somewhere in the another post )

Then, Buddha might have told something new understanding, even a joke to such as  Shariputra —–. So that

the followers thought,  Buddha, in his deep meditation he has been in touch with the unknown

truth / Panya Paramita —– though,  Buddha was taking a rest and having a time of no thinking.

Of cause, even Buddha couldn’t show what’s going on in his brain nor disciples could seen it.

We only see the apparent outcome when it came out.  Only the person with very good insight, who had

the same experience, could guess the process in the brain or in the mind.

So, the situation even among the immediate followers was like this ( —– how do I know ?  Ok, tell me any

another possibility you can conceive )—– since, without having the proper understanding of the

Buddha’s teachings, Buddhism spent hundreds of years in the argument of such as  AbiDharma.

And the superficial posture of ” Meditation ”  became idiosyncratic synonym of the Buddhism.

Hence gave a misconception, With deep thinking process, you can get supreme wisdom.

Further trouble in the western Buddhism was emanated from the word  MEDITATION which meaning

imply  deep  thinking ! — even though Buddha was just having a rest.—– It was a Kitkat time  😀

In practice, to practice ” To Do without Thinking ”  the sitting is the hardest sample to try —– it’s mean

only few people who already reached to the advanced level could do it, still how do we know he could ?

Can the person sitting ( without thinking  ) tell ” I’m not thinking ”   —– How funny.  😀

It is the same to a man sitting, supposedly be in silence, declare  ” Yes, I’m not speaking “.

Anyone can pretend and say, I can —– but those impostor tend to preach others, with his glorious story.

This was the history in its reality.  The more glorious, needs to listen with the more sackful salt.

—-

When the crucial matter of the Buddhism is  NOT THINKING / MUSHIN,  cringing stereotypical posture

and its idea of sitting ( in fact it is very bad to the leg —– resulting wheel-chair in the later age —– all

the high priest in the Zen sect had end up in a wheel-chair ) because of it looks authentic,  is

nothing but a vanity.

Throw away all those POSTURE.   Throw away the IDEA of  Buddhism.  Let it go.

Take a break, relax —– in the deep breath, you may find yourself in the blank moment.

Then you are in the void of this mess of the life.

This VOID is the MUSHIN.  You are in the true pathway of the Buddhism.

( When you let it go.  Then you get it as the whole —— What a paradox ! ! ! )

___/\___

—

JOURNEY

There are some nice exchange of Emails  with one of my friend , keen reader of this Blog,

Jagannathern-ji, who happen to have the birthday showing 8150 number and in his bank account etc, even

a serial number of a camera he bought for his mother as a present. ( In fact, he was horrified of its tenacity )

Hi  Jaga-ji
Thanks to put comment.
Have a nice journey and nice holiday.
___/\___ Yoshizen

—-

I am now in India.
Flight was beautiful as full moon’s reflection on the waters…
–^– Jagan

—

Sound very beautiful.
Mum might cook for you too much, as it had happened in my case.
So, don’t over eat —- 😀
( You can convince her with 8150 story as you are joined
holy man, hence stay humble and eat little )  Ha ha ha  😀
___/\___ Yoshizen

PS:  I thought, you went into a life without computer. 😀

—

Many years ago,  When ever I went back to see my family,  my mother cooked for me always too much.

As I used to climbing the mountain, we climber got used, one day on the rock face carrying as little as

possible hence eat just small amount of high-calorie food, then after came back eat two day’s portion.

Therefore I can eat really a lot too.  Though, stay in Tokyo just meeting friends, photo job clients etc needn’t

to eat a lot, in fact eating with them —– then come back home and eat again what my mother expected me

to eat —– was too much.

It was a mother’s love.   No one can make your mother disappointed.

( So, to fulfill its requirement, occasionally  we may need to have a big stomach.   🙂 )

—-

Even for the mankind, genetically implanted program or so-called instinct,  a mother’s duty is to nurture

the child —– generally, when a child grown up, he takes his journey to seek his own territory and

rarely seen his mother again.

Now the life expectancy of mankind is twice, three times more than originally designed, and seeing her child

but as 30, 40 years old grown-up is the norm though, still  mother sees her child as her baby.

Since, there is no program to deal with a child but as another grown up individual.

This is a peculiar situation, unique to the mankind, hence it created quite a unique complication to the

human being. —– Retain an emotional umbilical cord and yet having an urge to take a journey

to unknown horizon seeking his independent territory.

This might be an interesting point to give a thought. —– Who are we  ? ? ?

___/\___

—

Limit of TRUTH

In the human endeavour to know the TRUTH,  there is an amazing parallel  between

Nuclear Physics and the Philosophy.

When they came close to the limit, there are unsurpassable barrier and the unknowable.

In the Ontology and the Epistemology front, they come to the same cul-de-sac “Is it really there ? —– How

Do you know ?” —– Isn’t it, you just think it is there ? —– How do yo know, what you are seeing or you

believe, it’s there is true ? —– It might be just a glitch of the electric pulse in the brain. Isn’t it ?

—

Science is an  attempt to answer this question.  One approach is to increase the number of the observation

and make a statistic assumption ” Since,  most of the people saw the same,  it can be presumed to be true”

( still,  a last person who saw the otherwise, might be seeing the only truth  😀  )

Another approach is to define the object itself  ” Whether you can see it or not, this object ( or often the

phenomenon) has so-much-so size and the weight (mass) and behave such and such.  And those measurement

has been tested with known objects and always showed its reading was true”

———- Though,  when scientists pushed it to the limit,  beyond the Newtonian , beyond the Einstein’s

theory,  to the Quantum theory —– what they found is utter uncertainty. ” It can be here or there” and

now even the time scale becoming not certain.  ” It is here at moment, but in the same time it might exist

in the future as the same thing   ( You are happened to be here, but in the same time somewhere else or

might be in a past or in a future, as exactly as you are)

—-

There is a phenomenon called diffraction  in the behaviour of the wave.  Water wave, sound wave even

the light wave —– when a wave go through narrow gap, the wave spread to the both side of the gap.

When  a wave go through two ( or more ) gaps,  the spread patterns of the wave create moire pattern.

In a case of the light, the pattern is bright and dark band and the distance between the bright band is

depend on the wave length and the distance of the gaps.  (X-lay crystallography is using this effect —–

indirectly measuring the size of the gaps and direction = distance of the atoms and their alignments )

And when a scientist tested this with just one photon, he still saw the moire pattern. Its mean

one photon could pass two gaps in the same moment and showed the diffraction at two gaps—– how  ? ? ?

It was a dramatic display of the Quantum  behavior of the light and the proof of the theory —— though,

it showed no clear-cut truth of the world,  but showed the uncertain nature of the nature.

Even more bizarre fact is if two electronic detectors were placed behind of two gaps, only one photon was

detected either of one gap. — depend on how it was observed,  the same phenomenon was seen differently.

In other words, no absolute truth can be existing.

—– Strangely you may think though, all those advancement of the science is owing to virtually just one

advancement of the electronics, the design of so-called OP amp / instrumentation amp.

Whether a detector is photo sensor or current sensor, when the more amplification was enabled, the more

faint signal can be detected (while eliminating or canceling the nose)—– hence even smaller particles

or minute change can be detected.

The trouble is, even if we are capturing the effect of just single photon or semi-particle though, as it was read

as an electronic signal,  nobody knows whether they are really solid particles or just a vortex of the energy.

Far from proving the fundamental of the matter / existences / Dharma, it made the situation even worse.

—

Well known expression in the Mahayana Buddhism ” Exists as not exists” —– My understanding of this

expression is,  It is the way to express the phenomena in our feeling in the subconsciousness. —– we feel

it is there though as it is in the subconscious, it is invisible and out of conscious, hence not there.

But before I came to this understanding,  I thought, Buddha had an incredible insight to know the Quantum

nature of the Dharma.  May be, but not likely —– so, some says, Buddha must come from the outer-space,

from the another universe where having far more advanced civilization though, I wouldn’t jump a gun.

Even  with the advancement of the science and the technology, we came no way closer to the truth,

far from it, What we found is the definite uncertainty of the TRUTH.

So, this must be the reason why  Buddha kept his silence as it is unknowable. And no use to us.

—– So that, I’m more interested in the tendency of the coincidences,  which is out of the science   🙂

___/\___

—

Let it Go !

In somebody’s blog (apparently a follower of the Zen Buddhism)  I’ve stumbled an interesting  word

” Who stole my  Zafu ( small cushion for sitting)”

—– its mean, without Zafu he couldn’t meditate, hence he couldn’t get enlightenment = somebody is

obstructing him to get enlightened.  And saying, not let it go = not giving away the secret / keep it for

oneself is a greed and envy of others getting the truth.  It is the monopoly of the truth.

I couldn’t stop burst into laughing.  😀  😀   ( But he is a very honest man !)

The person is quoting some words of past Masters, so has read some books and saying ” not let it go—”

indicates he is not a beginner though —– ? ? ? —– I wonder isn’t he aware what he is saying, itself

contradict the logic ? —– If  “let it go”  is the matter,  why he is keep asking ?

Yes, Don’t bother any more “Just let it go” —– do it without Zafu.

—–

Looks funny though, the most crucial question is “let it go — of  What ?   ” Is there anything to let  go ?

A novice and even a (at least the years past) seasoned Buddhist having this misconception —– but the

meaning of let it go is,  Let go such notion itself.

In fact, in order to keep their “authority”, the establishment (and the so-called teachers) are pretending

to hold the Ark though, there is nothing in it, other than the Myth —– in its best, otherwise a deception.

That is why, the past Great Masters who found it, all  described it as a Dog Shit.

Simply because the Truth, only the Truth is the Dharma.  And the Dharma is here already.

But to see the Dharma  (in fact to see anything)  need to see it with clear eyes, without having any

preconception,  deluded idea, Ego,  even the Self itself —— hence need to be in Mushin.

Strangely you might feel, it include the notion of the Buddhism too.

If you having a belief that you are a Buddhist, you are not enlightened Buddhist but the one

only pretending or showing off.

(Don’t ask me, “If it is the case, why my blog is here”.  Please read the earliest post.—– It was my Karma)

—-

So, you may ask,  If it is the case,  What is the point to be a Buddhist ?

Well, the answer is only you can find it out.  It is not a  Sale Item nor fancy gadget.  There is no catalog.

It might come, might not come though, the one thing definitely certain is, as long as you expecting it,

it never come.  Because you hadn’t let such idea go.

———- In my case, it seems the Dharma is keep watching me and keep giving me the sign,

in a form of the number (where ever I go, or do what so-ever — rather annoying) (Ref; 8150 Story)

So far, having quite peaceful life without getting ill —– might be thanks to the Dharma —– or

might be just a sheer coincidence. Who knows.  But what do I need to ask more ?   Neither I care.

( I suppose, I did let any expectation go long time ago —– may be.  I don’t remember  😀 )

The beauty in the Buddhism is its carefree life.  I even don’t need to remember that I’m a Buddhist  🙂

( The secret behind is, the life style itself has been simplified and it is carried out without need to think about,

other than something new and creatively challenging.  So, Just do it. —– I’m perfectly contented ! )

So, be relaxed, don’t bother Zafu.  You can sit in anywhere —– isn’t this, an enlightened freedom ?

___/\___

—-

My HEALTHY LIFE

Ha ha ha ,  I know it is utterly misleading. 00 Because I don’t have a notion of Healthy Life.

I am just living as I am. —– and just happen to be healthy   ( apparently  🙂  )

If I have to analyze any peculiar practice  which might be related to my health is ——

I’m keeping my hands, nose and throat as clean as possible —– or just wash them very often.

To keep the hands clean was especially essential to handle photographic films.

But to keep the nose clean was taught by a teacher in my junior school.  Which was to take water in

the hands and suck it in the nose, then blow it out three times ! —– All the pupils in the class were

horrified, saying it’s too dirty though I convinced at once —– it’s a good idea and very rational, why not. 🙂

So that, when ever I came back to my place, like take off shoes, to wash hand, nose and gurgle are

the automatic routine.  Though, it might be related to a sublimated Japanese Shinto Custom — keep clean.

And there is no such thinking which relate this practice to health matter exists.— Just doing it.

It is not possible to have objective comparative test of  IF-NOT.    We got only one life and I couldn’t

replicate my same life, but only having NOT washed hands, and see what would  happen.

Simple fact is I rarely get ill, nor catching Cold, Flu.  Still, I don’t know whether washing hands are anything

to do with my health.  —– very funny you may think though, I rarely use soap ! —– same as, I don’t

use washing-up liquid.   I have one in the bath-room and another in the kitchen though they last—-may be

six months or more ?   My view of the soap is —– mankind is using soap not more than one or two hundred

years.  Removing our own natural oil, then applying pig-oil with artificial fragrance, is not a good

idea and the waste of the money. —– If I were ever smelly soapless person, still  it’s not a problem at all,

since I wouldn’t come closer to others less than an arm’s length  😀

So is a shampoo, I just shower the hair removing a salt in the sweat and use a shampoo less than once in

a month.  The shampoo is notoriously bad to the head,  the reason why I still have full head of hair, in more

than three feet long  pony-tale might be because of  not using shampoo. (So, one bottle of it last years  😀  )

—-

I eat anything though, the amount has been reduced in comparison to when I was young.

( I still have the same body weight 60 Kg / 9.5 stone,since when I was 15 years old ! —– When I was

physically very active, such as climbing the mountain , eat twice amount was no wonder though, sitting on

front of key-board  blogging or making electronic circuit needs to eat less —– and I never eat chips)

For my cooking, generally I use one carrot, one onion, a grab of green or green pepper etc and 150g~ 200g

of protein, meat, chicken, fish or egg etc everything from fresh ingredients, except  fish-tin (tinned fish has

no artificial preservatives) and smoked fish or bacon (to make bacon soup ) tofu or fried tofu are the rare

processed food.  And cooking them in many different way (by the way, I don’t buy cooking oil —– oil comes

from ingredients such as chicken naturally) and eat them with rice, pasta, noodle  etc.

So, I’m eating more or less the same food every day with my own cooking —– in past 25 years ?

Buying fresh ingredients is the cheapest, but I buy a lots of not cheap fruits as well.

And cooking from the fresh ingredient may take a bit longer cooking time still, my electricity bill

for a quarter is only £40~£50  (I don’t have gas —- I knew it become expensive ) 1/3 of other people.

——

This is literally, humble life —– or some said almost a life in poverty  😀

And I don’t take any drag, never do gamble, stopped to drink alcohol , never eat junk-food nor buy

fizzy drink but drink 1.5 ~ 2 litter of the tea —– hence there may not be any cause to get ill.

( Arh, no chocolate !  😀  )

In addition,  I gave-up woman 25 years ago.  So, no psychological up and down. —– Peace ! ! !

On top of this life style,  I used to have very vigorous exercise  (which looks like dancing  😀  )

once in every week, and these days I’m still doing it, may be once twice a month.

—-

It is hard to define a reason  why  I live  without getting ill — was it thanks to my  food life, exercise regime?

But, one thing I can definitely sure is, not to ever think or worrying about it.

If there is no crime, there is no criminal law or such concept at all.  Once if somebody start to think about it

then the notion of such activity teaches the possibility or another menu to the mind.  Shall I try ?

In a same way, a notion of illness trigger the imaginal symptoms and it become noticeable.

(Noticing ? Feeling ? —– isn’t it just in the Mind ? )

Even an intellectual medical information, once it caught your attention, it remains in your mind.  And as

often you think it,  it become your long-term memory and the memory / mind deepen and goes into your

subconscious —– as subconscious is in the old cortex in the brain, with its close proximity, it start to give

an influence to hippocampus / limbic system of the brain,  where the physiological control of the body

is taking place —–> hence stress and imbalance of the hormones —–> real illness !

Mind makes people becoming ill. —– It is a vicious circle and the domino-effects.

Here the Paradox of the Buddhism again, as long as the one is bothering with the notion of Health

or Illness, no healthy life ever come.  Here require the teaching of Mishin again.

So, better start Healthy Life when you are healthy and having full of vigor, and make it routine.

To keep the same healthy routine is far easier than to change a bad habit or regime.

___/\___

—

CLEANING

Currently in Japanese Twit-Sphere, a heated debate for the Cleaning their class-room is going on.

It started by a secondary school boy who is saying ” Its no use to clean the class-room by themselves.

It is not efficient enough.   Why not use the professional cleaning company ? ”

Against this, many people are saying  ” Its only a cheeky excuse, he just want to have a lazy life ” etc.

And others are saying, school is not just for studying knowledges but also for leaning the attitude for

the life, morality.   Some are saying even in religious context.

It is the same tendency, even in the western society, once it was spoken  in a religious context, the others

reacts at once,  in almost in allergic vigor —— saying feel uneasy, or even dubious.

—— It was in an unfortunate history, when a religion was spread, they always take over the morality

and the wisdom as a part of their own teachings, such as ” Thou shalt not kill, is their God’s commandment ”

—– But long before religion was invented, it was an established commonsense in the human society.

And, when a religion became out of fashion, because of even a fundamental  morality was mistaken

as a part of such religion, it became a target of rebellion.

—-

As a matter of fact, the tradition of cleaning their school room was originated from the Buddhist’s temple.

Since the school has started as the monks teaching the reading, writing to the local kids, the tradition

( in fact, it was a part of Buddhism practice ) to clean the room by the kids is an inseparable part of

the school’s teaching.  And by doing so, the kids learn and grown into a person of their own life.

Life is a violent imposition of the tasks to all the living things.

Nobody ever asked and born as it is.  Everybody came to this world,  without any expectation or

preparation at all.——- Somebody may born into a harsh desert country as an ugly boy or a pretty girl

in wealthy western society etc, as in a variation of fifteen billion. ——- Without question, without

complaint, the one has to live or start to live their own life.—– It is the harshest imposition.

So, the kids learn this reality, starting with cleaning the room, without question as everybody is equal.

( To ask somebody else to clean the toilet, always create the seed of discrimination in any society )

By doing so, the kids learn to be humble and to be selfless, and learn to act in equality.

In the same time, to find the best way to clean and master the skill —– it’s a training of the

trouble shooting, practice creativity.  On the end, even a kids can achieve to do the work in

Mushin (Mind of No-mind )

To have a clean class room for comfortable study environment —— is only one of the by-product.

——- Though, this kind of opinion seems not welcomed in today’s Japan —— to have a lecture from

somebody else is an invasion and interference to the individual’s human right. ! ! !

( in the point of political correctness )  Beautiful.   Ha ha ha 😀

—-

Cold blow / Wistle blow ?

Its getting pretty cold.  I saw beautifully frosted  decorated leaves.

It said to be the coldest in 17 years, and some says the ill effect of the climate shift caused by  El Nino

or La Nana kind —–. (To know the detail, go to Wikipedia please  🙂  )

On my previous post I wrote  “To know the Truth wouldn’t change our life” ——- then, the conflicting

question arose.

In the Hinayana Buddhist’s view,  an attitude “When its cold, just feel the chill and shiver with

other people who is suffering” —— this is correct.

Or, stand up and shout, telling the people  “What is causing the climate change, and the cause

of appearance of El Nino, in order to save the suffering of the people”——- this is correct too, save

the possibility he might be barking wrong tree.

So, one sect might go out and walking in a chilling wind. ( Don’t catch cold or even worse, pneumonia )

And another sect may go to a demonstration banging their symbolic flat drams on the front line.  (Though,

I haven’t seen them these days —— are they still alive ?    Do you know ? )

It’s better know the fact, better still the Truth. —– the one might be placed there to know and shout as

he (she) might be born for its purpose. —– though it may not be a license to become arrogant or snobbish.

——– And my answer ?

I would stick with Buddha’s teachings “Don’t torture yourself. Don’t go extreme” therefore

sitting next to a heater. (How convenient  🙂 )

——- Environment or external occurrence may give you a jolt to your unprepared mind

as it has been in the blank state.   Its jolt may give you a sudden enlightenment, though,

if it was expected or a prolonged same condition, mind couldn’t be fresh and naked

—— nothing would happen  /  it’s a same cold day)

Better make a hot tea with honey and lemon  😀  ( The truth is in the cup.  Honest, I can taste it.)

___/\___–

——

PS :  It seems the world was so disturbed by the exposure of the confidential US diplomatic correspondences

by Wikileak. —— how silly.

Every body knows, politics, diplomacy, economics, even so-called big charities are dirty business and

having dirty linen and utter hypocrisy,  tons of it,  exactly same to everybody’s private life.  Yet still

we pretend to be clean face and  talking with others with sweet words.

Sneaking behind, and suddenly pull-down somebody else’s trouser and to expose dirty pants,  then

shouting  “Have look this is the truth” —–So, what ?   It wouldn’t help anybody.  History will tell.

It just filling the arrogant dirty satisfaction of  Wikileak’s  founder.  Much worse than a scavenger.

Because, if it was a whistle blow,  what the blower want to resolve or change and to which direction.

There is non. Could he expect the politics can change ? ( In any system or ideology —– because the

environment and the contents / human is the same —– no utopia nor ideal man exists)

It would only push the politics even more murkier business, deleting all the traces at once.  That all.

Since, clean man (and woman) wouldn’t become politician.

Since, ambition to the power and to become famous is the synonym of self-centered arrogance and the

manipulation of the others by deception as an effective means. ——- Hence it can not be clean by nature.

Still, we could have wiser life, accommodating and concealing smelly guts inside.  😀

(You are well aware this hidden truth  😀  )

The Truth of the life was clearly elucidated by Buddha as the Four Noble Truth —— and

its Fourth is the direction How to live DESPITE of Those TRUTH / Reality.

Exposing smelly guts wouldn’t help anything.  The MATTER is how to live with it.

This is the Buddhism.

___/\___

Lost and Found

In many occasions,  we suddenly realized,  Wait a moment where that Thing has gone ?

In my life style, it wouldn’t happen if it is for the daily use.  The item, the thing goes back to exactly

the same position whether it may not necessary be the most ideal place.

Away from the ordinary tool box, strangely a glue-gun and a hair dryer is hanging next to the kitchen

utensils under my kitchen shelf. ——- When I moved in this unfurnished flat, it was before I moved my

possessions from a warehouse storage, I needed to fix something.  So, I brought some tools from the

tool box in the storage.  Unlike hammer or pliers those glue-gun and hair dryer (by the way, this one is not

for my hair but to heat-up or drying the material, and those ladles are to bend the aluminium with its carve

—– they are the  tools for me  🙂 )  having an electric cable,  hence it is easy to hang —– so, they found

a place to hang, and it became their permanent place.

Since, same hardware / tools or materials are in the same

place, the way to do the things, is more or less identical

—— hence it became a routine. —– Its mean I don’t

need to think about each action and only need to

pay attention to a part which is new or different.

You may see on the photo, the cable of the glue-gun or

hair dryer is twisted round its own body —— and the

way to twist round the cable was though out for its

best way round ( —- in fully minded manner  🙂 ),

therefore it is always the same and the plug will come to the most secure exact position.

This practice, place the item always exactly the same position said to be started in the Zen temple

and kept as a Samurai tradition.    Hence a  Samurai was able to respond to a sudden attack, able to

grubb his sward instantly in the total darkness.—— So, it was the iron rules in my family as well.

I was allowed to use my father’s tool, provided me to put it back exactly  the same place, same condition,

and it trained me to memorize where the original position and the conditions were, down to

the minute detail. ( —– Otherwise the teaching would come with a fist  😀  )

——– My photographic memory might have originated from here.

——————–

You may realized now, what I’m talking about is.  This is the Zen.  And the Buddhism. —– in real life.

Zen is not only for a fancy movement of the sword master or incomprehensible  Mondo —– but

in every minute details of the daily life —– to maximize the efficiency and ease of the life.

Then, — Zen ? —– the trouble is not the item in the same place.

Quite often, I buy something strange or fancy, —– might be useful-one-day kind of, such as cheap

Chinese things, toy etc.  As it is not very important and not necessary having  well-defined place ( that is

why it is strange ) I just stashed away somewhere. —— then year later, something bright idea came up,

” Aha, I got That Chinese Toy —– I can use that part of mechanism for this idea ” —— but, where is it ?

Since it didn’t belong to the defined category, it is not in the likely place of its function —– but it might

be placed in the similarity of the shape —– ? ? ?

When we try to think / seek the answer or to find a strange toy (in this case) —– our mind are caught up

to “Likely” direction,  where so-called logical ( but own logic ) thinking is leading.

But in real life, not everything follow the logic.    And not necessary having in the same guise which

I remembered or so-I believed.

The toy might have just dropped behind the box, from where I left it.

Or it may be in a bag, half disassembled.

When we look for something, our eyes (or mind ) is chasing the pattern as our cognitive function works.

The harder we try, we are even deeper caught up with same pattern. —— this is the moment we need

to have open mind.—– NOT concentrate, stop gazing at but take aback, and just to be passive.

Here the paradox again.  The more you looking into, you can not see —– because what you are

looking is what you want to see / your imagined pattern. —– (But how do you know You know it.)

——- Then what I found was, on the corner of my desk, something poking out of a milk-cartoon  was

that Chinese toy upside-down.  Only I didn’t know,  what it looks like the bottom of it upside-down  😀

We need to open our eyes with open mind.  Detached mind can see the world better.   😀

___/\___

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