Beach Rose (2)

I’m not a fun of cultivated garden rose yet I got a soft soft spot with Beach Rose. Beach Rose originated from north eastern side of the asia, China, Japan, Siberian sea shore. There was a popular misconception that the Beach Rose spread while riding on the sea wave —– but they came to the west by the human hand. Anyway the Beach Rose of which Japanese calls Hamanas makes impenetrable dense bush on the beach. And this Hamanas is a long cherished flower to the back-pack traverors — since they appeared in the many books, poems, sang in the songs — yet still, we could not see them often because this plant was not easy to handle with its dense sharp thorn = we had to go to the Hokkaido to see the Hamanas in a huge landscape. So, I dreamed like my far inspiring roman when I was in my secondry school boy —– and it took another 5 years for me to see the real flowers.

(This photo above was taken by 110 Pentax 24mm lens on Nikon Z7 — rest of the photos here were taken either by Helicoid (B) or ZM-2 lens)

Whatsoever, I’ve been seeing this rose in the past 18 years, since I came here. —– blaime, When I came here, I was a young(er) man. Ha ha ha.

.

Selfless — Mushin ?

In my blog, I’ve been talking about the way of conditioning our brain to omit the process of the amygdala where the tagging of the incoming signal to the “Self” would be made. In the normal way, we can separate the particular face or person to such as my wife, kids or my friend etc. against the other nobody. Or the certain possession, or the occurrence to mine or my concern otherwise to no interest. Therefore, if we do negate this tagging process, everything would lose significance and become a remote landscape. —– to a certain extent, as everything become to detached object, a worry to lose them or want more kind of greed would be no longer there. So does the emotional trouble of up and down in the relationship would be gone. (How boring you might say.) 😀 —– A bit more serious front, where the situation is a fight or flight. It is the moment to be or not to be. Yet still, we can be free from such trouble by avoiding to be overwhelmed. —– We can be cool.

Amygdala is a part of the limbic system = primitive part of the brain. = It’s mean, they are common with other animal and in fact, those primitive part alone can manage the primitive life. (Only human needs a big brain) In the limited narrow environment, and as the limited life form, such as a small reptile can live their perfect life. They may not have a complexed communication system or accumulated information system still, enough DNA information to navigate the environment and the response to the life’s each needs = where to live, how to eat, how to mate, where to lay eggs etc etc. As long as the one lives their life as their life, the life existing as a complete life form. Only very few creatures imagine the situation beyond what their existence is. (Other than human, such as the monkey use the tools, even crow knows to drop a shell from the air to clack it and eat = speculated expectation made by the brain power)

The funny origin of the Buddhists “No-self” was that it was conceived against the Vedic / Hindu idea of the Atoman (perpetual soul) still, not only that, from the point of Karma (interrelationship of cause and effect) how the soul can exist after the own body’s death, and from the observation of the facts that is we are walking, working without having clear conscious, and such state must be the state of the truth to be with Dharma. So, to do the things without having conscious, became the point to achieve. —– The remarkable achievement under such state (of Mushin) is the by-products of later days.

When the coming signal was diverted from the amygdala, where they goes ? = they might be treated as nothing or nobody and as it got no pre-tagging, it could be made to quite illational connection. As the amygdala could make very rational established responce, but, once it was diverted, the signal could be treated quite wiled way = this is the very hot bed of the creativity or known to be open-minded situation. —– When the signal couldn’t find its natural nest of “Mine or Ego” the stray info’ end-up in the bizzerre fancy shop ! 😀

.

Zen — Supernatural Phenomenon or Asperger Syndrome ?

While having a casual chat with artist friends over a coffee, I noticed that the popular concept towards the Zen seems to be somewhat distorted to that it has a kind of supernatural ability.   Indeed, when somebody wrote about the Zen story, it often describing how extraordinary or phenomenal.  Of course, ordinary people wouldn’t make a good talking piece.  It needs to be something special.  Then, a man dropped the words “Isn’t such person just an Asperger ?”   M m m ?  

Asperger Syndrome could be an interesting description of Zen.  I’m not an expert to talk about this topic still, my knowledge of Asperger seem to be matched to some pattern of the typical Zennist. = rather prefer to be alone and concentrating own interest or a particular subject into even an obsessive level.  And came up with some amazing creation or highly skilled work.   Indeed, such concentration, dedication might be attributed by the Zen ethos.  Yet still, we may not know whether it was the result of Zen or came from the person’s own tendency.

My character and the resulting life and lifestyle has been written on my palm since I was born.   So, even if I do something related to the  Zen, it is rather difficult to tell whether it was due to the Zen idea, otherwise, in reverse, that’s why I was attracted to the Zen.  (Which caused the other?)    In fact, Zen is a mere technic to silence the emotional region of the brain, by which, the one can gain the state of No-self, and in this state, the supernatural phenomenon could be seen or achieved. 

(The emotional region, namely Amigdara emphasize the incoming signal whether it is important to him or belongs to him or not.  They are in fact, the base of Ego and Greed.  Therefore it’s creating the mind which make-up the Self —– if this function was pathologically damaged, cognitive function to distinguish own possession, even to recognize own family member would be lost = everything would be seen detached) —– you may think they are quite a familiar character of good Buddhist though.

So the matter was not in Asperger kind but such No-self state has the key.  (Asperger seemed to lack a social connectivity = not able to see the relevance between the self and the others = simplly the person couldn’t feel who am I = it is almost the state of No-self.)   

Zen Buddhism may not be an invented idea but the recognition of such a hidden function of human nature by which the one could touch with invisible phenomenon.   Provably human history had been noticed such supernatural phenomenon, hence created many spiritual myths, such as God or Vedic philosophy etc.  —– It’s mean, it was not because of the existence of the God but because of the function of the brain which did see the supernatural phenomenon (though others may says it was a delusion).  Which has been interpreted in their own way, and created like a God story or Vedic story etc. (Though, the vision seems to be very vague, in other words any clear image or story was nothing but an interpretation = made-up story —– that’s why “What it is” was never described for “The Panya Paramita”) 

Lord Buddha was the one who noticed that such truth appears behind the state of No-self. (And Mahayana Buddhists try to describe them as the Panya Paramita)  That was why all the Buddhism teachings were aiming to gain the No-self.  (But, once become able to negate the function of Amigdara completly, and achieved the No-self, and able to detach from everything, the demerit become too much, (such as to forsake all the possessions or family) a kind of moderate teachings which says that yet to be is still be a part of Buddha become popular = which was called Mahayana.  (Yet to be perfect — this “yet”was misinterpreted to “need one more life” by the mixed-up of Hinduism.)

Whether it was Zen, Asperger or Autism still, life goes on —– not only sociable friendly person is a person in the society.     Zen exist for personal needs. 

.

Japanese Emperor Akihito abdicates

(Although no English, Global News viz has more detailed images)

The Emperor of Heisei era abdicated.

He did a great job over 30 years of his reign.  I hope he and the Empress Michiko have peaceful quiet life now on.    Load Buddha bless them.     (Though, he was not a Buddhist but the head of Shinto = In deed he was the descendant of the Amateras.)

.

Spiritualism

スピリチュアルショップといった店は意外とあちこちに在るようで、何やらエネルギーとかパワーが宿る石とか透視のできる水晶玉などを売っていたりする。で、しばらく前のこと、そんな店で自分はスピ派だと称する女性に出会った。何故か日本人で古代エジプト系のチャームをためつすがめつしていた。「はァ、そういうのに何かパワーでも有るンですか？」と不躾に声をかけたら「あァ、何か感じますね」とおっしゃる。「へェー、僕は手相に神秘線は在るがオカルトっぽいものは全く見えませんなァ」と返したら僕の手をのぞいて、「アッ、本物はヤバい」とのこと。スピ派というのはファッションアクセサリーのように雰囲気を楽しむものでガチのソーカとかゲンリは避けられるのだそうだ。同様に褝などはそのベジタリアン料理まではいいがその先はオタクより臭いのだとか。

そこから見たら今の日本に、家業の禅寺をつぐ必要のある人以外、何人ぐらいの人が自分の撰択で禅を学んでいるのか？ーーーさらに不思議なのは日本からこのブログへのアクセスが断えない「ダルマ/法と仏教の構造」のポストを読んでくれているのはいったい誰なのか？　そもそも、このポストをどうやって発見できたのか？（書いてある内容は素人受けする物ではないし、逆に本格的に仏教学を学んだ職業僧にとっては奇異過ぎるのではなかろうか？　いかに禅が自由な発想を呼ぶものとしてもあれはどうなのか？）

このブログでは禅仏教を専ら神経生理の自動制御に帰結して論じていますが、そこでは「だから何ンなの」はめったに出て来ない。自動制御の稼動状態（神ワザの正確さで黙々と作業するなど）は誰の目にも明らかであるから解り易い。しかしその背後には不可解なものが多すぎる上に「ホンマ？」がついて回る。無心になり、経験則やDNAに予めプログラムされた自動制御にコントロールを任せる。同様に人生をカルマの生起に任せる＝これで人智を超えたダルマによる完璧な対応処理が行なわれ全てメデタシメデタシとなれば文句ナシ。－－－とはいかない。都合良い神ワザ伝説はいくらでも並ベられるし、それをもってスピリチュアルな調和が得られるなどと強弁しても意味はないーーーつまりそれが真実ではないのだから。＝真実ではない所がダルマゆえの真実か？と、解ったようなシタリ顔してもまた無意味であるし、だからサトリは犬のクソと言ってみても何も始らない。　つまり完璧かつ有効な答はどこにも無い。

（実は禅の奥では片仮名のスピリチュアルとか本人の思い込みなどをはるかに超えた超常現象が起っているのです。（俗に目に付くものは神霊現象とかパラレルワールドとか呼ばれたりしているらしいですが）しかし、残念なことにそうした現象の証明や説明は全くできません。卑近な例で恐縮ですが小生の８１５０の怪なんてのは極めて厄介。(例えばダルマのような全能の神以外に当人の行動を予測してチケットの数字を予め準備する事などが可能か？)ーーーしかしこれが禅やダルマの神秘性と関係があるのか、単に当人の妄念の産物なのかは解らない。（なぜかそう思って行動しているとそのようになってしまう。）＝俗に因果応報と称される現象は単なる遇然ではなく、それなりのつながりを持っているようですし、現にそれが起っているのは間違いない事実です。ちょうど特定のDNAを持った人が特定の運命に従って生きているのと同様ですが、これに対する　何故か？　は永久に不可知でしょう。）（しかし、もしそうした超常現象の操作法が解ったなら、多数のグルが居るインドが核兵器や病院を持つ必要は無かったでしょう）

___/\___

.

 

 

釈尊のためらい―ーー梵天の勧請

仏伝によると釈尊は菩提樹の下で悟りを開かれた後も、その叡智を他の人に伝える事をため らわれたとか。何故ならその真実はあまりにも深遠すぎて伝え難く、かつ人にとって理解し難いものであったからと伝えられています。で、伝説によればそれを知った梵天（バラモン教の最高神ブラーマン）は、これは人類にとっての大損失と憂い、釈尊の元に参じるや是非とも教えを説いて欲しいと懇願したとか云々。

釈尊の初期の教えは先ず四聖諦、次に縁起の考えであったとされているのですが、それでは、と改めて考察してみると、明析な真実を指摘した四聖諦や極めて論理的な縁起思想の中に伝え難い複雑な真理が隠されていたとは考えられない。むしろここには、かの自我無我の問題が在ったと考える方が妥当ではないかと見えますが。

そもそもバラモン教、べーダ思想の根幹である霊魂の不滅に対して発想された無我の思想が

釈尊の悟りにおいて、その核心として確立されていなかったとは考え難い。（見ている当人＝主体が無いなら、無い主体が見た対象が存在するのも確かでは無いと、後の空観の根底を成す）（般若心経に書かれているような、はるか後年になってから弟子に加わった舎利子に対って、たかが菩薩如きが無我を大発見したなどと説教する話は全くの荒唐無稽）しかし、自我の問題ばかりは説明しようの無い難問が付いて回るのです。自我あるいは、霊魂は無いと言えるのは、その概念が在るからこそ成り立つので、それが初めから存在しなかったら発想すら出来ない。ちょうど色盲の人には色について説明しようが無いのと同じです。ーーーで、真に自我が無いならそれについて説明できる筈も無いし、そのふりをしながら言葉で説明するなどひどい欺瞞でしかない。伝え難く、理解し難い重要問題とは将にこの自我無我の難問であったに違い有ません。（だからこそ、それが憶測を呼び後の空観へと拡大発展していく事になった）

ーーーしかし、この壁をのり越えるのには別に梵天の登場を待つ必要は無かった、と言うよりそもそも言葉で説明する必要は無かったのです。要するに何かをやらせて見れば良い。人が何かをやる時、別に自我は必要ない。歩く目的やその損得を考えるなどと言うのはわざわざ考えた時に思い付く事であって、歩いている最中には何も考えていない。つまりそれをやっている本人がそれに気がつきさえすれば良いのです。（とは言うものの仲々気付けないもので、言葉の上で自我は存在しないなどと理解しても自分が無意識で歩いている事は自覚できない。(たった今、この文章を読んでいるのがあなた自身であることは自覚していなかったでしょう？）なにしろそれを自覚する自我が無い事が要点なのだからややこしい。いまわの際の

釈尊が「人の言葉を信じるな。自分で学ベ」と言い残したのはきわめて象徴的だったと言えますーーーーーあるいは何かのたとえ話しで解らせる事もできる。ここから仏教独特の行とか方便と呼ばれる教法が出てきた訳です。それらは皆、

釈尊の機知、その場の情況に即した発想から出て来たものだったのですが、言葉を介さずに無我、無私を教えるコツを掴むには梵天ではなく多少の時間が必要だった訳でしょう。しかし、臨機応変、言葉を介在させずに教えられた無我の教え(註参照)は、言葉として伝えられて書残される事もなく、当然のことながら教典にも登場して来なかった。＝だからこそ以心伝心や禅の伝統が起らざるを得なかった訳です。（梵天の話を書いた仏伝の作者は、この無私無我の構造を知らなかった＝つまり、仏教徒ではなく単に文章力にたけたバラモン僧であったと言う事です）

___/\___

（註）このリンクにある極めて珍らしい例外的記述はアーガマ経からの話ですが、実はここで全く自我を出す事無く無条件に追従して歩く事が教えられています。しかし、それについての説明は従弟のアナンダにすら告げられていません。（無意識に歩く事が肝心で、その理由とか説明は全く必要ない雑念である＝無意識で歩ける＝それはダルマが歩かせているのだから）

つまり仏教が目射すのは無私になってダルマと合―することで得られる完璧な調和です。

　.

Self again

To a Buddhist, self is the most problematic subject for ever.  Though, surprisingly very little was   written in the scripture.  Do you know why ?   Because, it was the first problem of all.   As you might know, that, in the Buddhism, there is no self. (How to write about which is not exist)

Yes — NO-SELF but in here there are already two problem was loaded.   When we say “Self” there are two meanings or the Aspects of it.   One of them is a part of our mind, somewhat related to the Ego.   And the other is the notion created by its observation.

= If you ARE true ( = Rationally coherent) Zen Buddhist, you can not say No-self. —– ?   Why ?    If there is really no Self, even a word “Self” can not exist.  (If you say “No-Self” there is one more self in your mind who is observing your mind = you are not yet in a state of Ichi-jo = oneness)

If there is a land where no crime neither criminal act exists, there couldn’t be a word / notion of crime there.   Exactly same to this, when there is no self, the word “Self” is not exists. (Unless it was a fraud)  On the time of

Lord Buddha, the followers could receive his teachings in an up to the occasion metaphor or so-called upaya often using the action, there was not much difficulty to understand it.    With, the notion of No-Self, therefore No Perpetual Soul, therefore No Reincarnation, therefore No cast was demonstrated in the Sanggha as a deed (not the verbal explanation) = Everybody was accepted and treated as an equal followers.

Though, hundreds of years later, on the time of Mahayana, the scripture writer had to invent a kind of printable expression to explain the “Selflessness” to the mass without using the word SELF, such as in the Vimalakirti sutra “To give without having the mind of giving is The true giving” or otherwise “See as not to see”, “Do while not to do” kind —– they are trying to express the act without having the conscious of action (not such as a gray zone between two.) —– yet now, quite a lot of people still thinking that to sacrifice own self is the selflessness. (it’s just a devotion —– while riding a bicycle, your body moves without your self-conscious, so, you don’t need a devotion for bicycle = just ride) = It’s the same, Buddhists doesn’t need to be a vegetarian.

___/\___

.

God and Heaven

The most fundamental difference of the western God and the eastern Heaven is, the one imagined in a brain (modeled from such as the Gilgamesh Myth) or the one observed as the natural phenomenon.   So that there could be a complaint to someone who created the idea of western God, why the Evil was also created ?  And there, the matter is whether you believe its story or not.  Unless you believe it, it doesn’t exists.  

In contrast, as everybody in the east can see, the Heaven or the Nature is existing even before the human being or the universe was created.  Whether it was believed or not, it is a real existance to anybody.    Therefore, they knew the utterly evil earthquake, tsunami, volcano etc are a part of the nature.   (If the people has  ever encountered those utmost power of the nature, they become aware, they have to live with this without making useless complaint. )   So, that is how those evil were accepted as their part of the destiny.   The system or the existence of those phenomena all together IS the existence of which the Buddhists calles the Dharma, or the Taoist calles Heaven.   The strange phenomenon is, some profound Zennists are able to communicate with this Heaven or Dharma.   (save, other than a nuts)   😀

.

Karma – Fate – (3)

This is yet another 8150 story.   On my life, the sign 8150 is regularly appear here and there = nothing special or I would say, they are a kind of road sign, OK to go.  Yet still, it may seen quite odd or even a supernatural phenomenon to others eyes.

In the world, there is a kind of people who proclaims that they ARE the chosen people though, it seems if it was a case they seemed to have far more share of the bad fortune all through the history.  =  It doesn’t seem that the God is anywhere near to their side.   From the eastern view, the idea of a personified God speaks same language and negotiable, sounds too odd, in comparison to the absolute eastern Heaven.   They are more like a children’s bed time story.   Yet still, you are free to believe any story.

Lord Buddha, as the enlightened teacher, he didn’t believe a God kind or after life as they are too irrational, and banned the magic kind of deceptive practice to his followers.  (Its mean, Tantra’s “Magic words”= Dharani is not the Buddhism, neither all sorts of Mahayana fantasies are nothing to do with the original teachings.  (They are the stories borrowed from the Veda = Brahmanism / Hinduism.)

Yet still, the belief of the Dharma and the Karma is in the teachings.   So, where those two seemingly conflicting idea reconcile ? —– In fact, they are the real phenomena and its rules.  They themselves exists like a phenomenon of lightning or thunder, they exists without the imaginary god of lightning or thunder. = Such Gods are nothing more than a children’s story.

So, does it mean, the Dharma and Karma are just the visible phenomena ?  or actual occurrences ? —– the rules  rules behind = invisible.   Those ruler IS the western equivalent of the God, but the Rules or Heaven is almost the abstract, —– we only see its sign.   And in my case, the sign was the number 8150 (and its variation).   When I see it’s there, I feel a kind of approval of me doing it.   Still, to find the address of the seller in China was also 8150 (in fact 518000) frightened me.  (By the way, the mysterious lens I talked about also having that number —– its mean, I was right to speak out)  😀 —– So, what’s all those mean ?  Even though, the Karma is abstract, it IS watching us and ruling our life.  It is not an imaginary existence.  It’s real.   (at least on my life = I was born to have this life while possessing the palm line which is saying the same = So, its benefit is, I don’t get ill or get accident. Except getting old.   😀 — getting old is a nature of the Karma ) —– I wouldn’t boast such as that I was chosen but I’m actuary seeing the Karma / Dharma is with me. —– though, as an honest feeling, it is a bit bothersome = leave me alone.  I want to have a bit more naughty life away from their watchful eyes.     😀  ) 

___/\___

.

Simple Fact = the Truth

It is a simple fact, in our daily life, unless we intentionally think “I am”, we are living without a conscious of self. —– Do you walk while thinking “I am walking” ? Or, are you reading this script here while aware of “My eyes are following this, letter by letter and my brain is taking and understanding its meanings in” —– I don’t think so. You are just walking without knowing who is walking or who makes you to walk. So does, you have been reading this without knowing who IS reading. In deed, You or Your-SELF haven’t been existing as a conscious. That’s because such as SELF is nothing other than a product of the thinking, in other words, it was an intentionally created imaginal figure which is to assert or to demonstrate the ownership of “this person”. In fact it IS a part of one’s desire, Ego and the Greed. So that, such as the SELF, let alone Perpetual self could not exists as a reality. It’s mean, such as a reincarnation could never possible to occur simply because the subject, the SELF, whom to be reincarnated is not existing. How could it be ?

It IS so simple as a straight fact yet still because of it, it is very difficult to explain why. Quite a lot of Buddhists tried to explain though all of them only made a simple truth more complicated. Because of the authoritative attitude of those monks, who want to make their word looks great, they made up unnecessarily heavy theory such as Void or so on. The truth to be with Dharma is not necessarily heavy matter such as even a seed of dandelion can fly away.

Lord Buddha’s teachings were not complicated or theoretical, in order to any followers can grasp the truth by themselves. (not by understanding the complicated words or teachings but through their own observation on the practice = not believe the words but get it by yourself) —– Such as the earliest teachings of 4 noble truth, they were not a kind of complicated deep theory but the clear fact or simple human reality. That’s reality IS the very truth. Like we are here IS the Dharma.

So, when Lord Buddha pointed out the Point, it went straight into the mind of the followers almost like a lightening, the followers could get the truth at once. ( it made a legend and the tradition of the instant enlightenment.)

So, even now those monks still keep talking complicated words and the fantasy of heavens. —– can’t those people open their eyes to see such simple reality and the truth ?

___/\___

.