Zen thinking — [Void] in the real life

After years or months I don’t remember still, I suddenly realized a significance

of the words in an episode in the Agama Sutra.

(= I described it in the post [Three times Buddha] )

[]

“Thinking without thinking” sound  Zen like approach you may think though,

it is nothing fancy at all = 90% of our thinking was actually done in this way.

With utter annoyance of the philosophers, this fact was revealed to the mankind

when a Brain Scanner was first introduced = after all, we, the most intelligent

creature on the planet is not necessary consciously carrying-out our

thinking process.  —– (We only conscious of it’s process after it was converted to

the lexical code on the last moment.)

The reality is, when we say “I think”, in fact, the most of the thinking has been

already done a moment ago without us noticing it.

 And in the almost all the case, so-called  “My Decision” was actually made

out of our conscious. 

So, “thinking without thinking” is in reality “thinking without noticing that

I was thinking” = we are in deed always keep thinking or our brain is always active

yet simply we are not aware of it.    So that, not only an obvious “work-out to solve

an arithmetic problem kind” of conscious thinking, even so-called meditation is

nothing but a practice of “latent thinking process”and often, our brain find a

connection, even an answer from completely unrelated matter. (Very creative !)

[]

There was not a significant issue I was facing, or even an important question =

therefore it was not “posted” in my mind = just there as one of the memory, yet,

a passage in the scripture was suddenly highlighted and gained the significance.

= A ha ! I found it’s here.

(Answer was always given when we are not intentionally seeking = When 

our mind was free — or in the state of Mushin or in the Void, suddenly

the connection was made.  —– some time in the bathroom.  😀 )

[]

Lord Buddha told the horse trainer “Stop speaking is the same to kill the person”

(Please read the post.) —– this is not just an action on the mouth, but the hole

mind-set = In the mind-set, the person became a landscape hence no longer

recognized as a person.    So, its existence is “Exists as not Exists” = this is

nothing but a state of “Void”. = In deed, this is the very core of what

Lord Buddha’s teaching was, and what all about the Zen Buddhism is.

To detach and free the Mind and see the Void and by freeing the mind,

it enables us to see the dynamism of Karma and the Dharma, hence enables

to live with Dharma moment to moment.

—– This is THE paradox, “By detaching the view and emotionally free from the

subject, thence the mind can see subject even more in it’s details”.

= Because, the mind is not stack in a small part of the subject or fixed view, but

it is seeing the subject in any point and from any angle.

= this is the very Clear Eyes to see the Truth.

And the way to gain the Enlightenment.

___/\___

[]

 

 

Green Karenisque Photo

If the camera was shaken while the shutter was open = image get blurred.

Still, if the shutter duration was very short (fast shutter speed) and made

the length of blurr short and negligible,  we can accept it is sharp enough.

(So, when you shoot moving subject, use higher shutter speed = image was

not still though, our eyes may not able to see such detail and think it sharp.)

But when the image showed a lots of blurr, we see it different.  Intellectually it

wouldn’t make any sense as the subject though, we see it a kind of sign,

unknown symbol or illegible message. 

—– We just open our mind while abandoning to think what it IS. 

When you see a blurred photo like this, you might thought that the camera was

vigorously shaken or twisted.  Though, in reality, it was made by a small wobble

of the wrist when shutter button was pressed, that all.  If you put two rulers or

something straight from right hand side center of rotation to one streak of  light,

you may measure the radial angle of the movement. = It’s only about 3 degree !

(Still, it is a combination of the movement, the shutter speed and the lens

focal length. = if the shutter speed was longer and the lens (Zoom position) was 

longer, the brurr would be much more.)  

When I was in my Uni’  I had  free access to our Photo dark-room and able to do

all sorts of Photographic experiments.  And on top of this, I had access to the

engineering workshop of the Technology Dept’ not mention their skip was filled 

with discarded materials and the broken machines = I could make all sorts of

things, while using even big engineering machine.  

So, when I wanted to try blurring effect, I made a Camera Rotating Bracket  

which can rotates the camera at the center of the image and corners —–

then I realized that to make rotating blurr does not need to rotates the camera 

but just radially wobble the direction of the lens.  (It’s the same, to draw a circle,

you don’t need to rotates a pencil with caliper but just move a pencil circular.)

But shake the camera straight is a bit different from rotates.

How fast is depend on the shutter speed and the pattern of subject.

Just try and see the effect.   (And try again and again. )  

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Karenisque Flower Photo

Here again, those are the photos created, while the camera was shaken. 

Anyhow, as it was not for scientific, critical needs, photo or the visual image

doesn’t need to be sharp and clear. Hence, the Impressionist’s paintings

has been appreciated on the wall.

Photo above top was made by a bit of off focus,  

and the bottom photo was made by a shake.   🙂

You may not know that the photography can be a good exercise too !  😀

So on.  It’s a good twist Sir !

If you can’t attach Pinhole on your camera, still want to take other than

an ordinary sharp, well focused photo, why not try shake your camera.

They are THE Photographs too !  (Why not.    😀 )

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Szondi Test

Those few days, here my blog got sudden

spike of twice as much access. Apparently,

the visitors were coming to see the post

“Szondi Test”.

I don’t know why though, my guess was

that somebody might have talked about

the Szondi Test referring to my post,

somewhere on the SNS.

Though, as I don’t do any SNS (because of

No Face****, I can’t click “Like” and my Twitter accounts were  

created by somebody-else, I have No access) = I can’t check what’s going on there.

So, wondering, is there any talking going on ?  —> I Googled and

realized that now there are iPhone App, Android App of Szondi Test exists ! 

People are always interested in Self Psychological Profiling Test = It is a reflection of

strong Self conscious / Ego and in the same time yet another sign of rack of Confidence.

It is a funny paradox, the stronger the Ego, the Psychological Insecurity is even stronger.

(The trouble is, they don’t know who the Self is ! = therefore, interested in

Psychological Test.)   So, in reality, very few people has strong Ego with firm Confidence !

(save the case of utter idiot. 😀 )

[]

When Szondi Test was conducted under well controlled environment, and the person

having the test has no priory knowledge of “the Test” = test will show very accurate

assessment of the personality.   Though, as it is the test to chose the faces of Like and

Dislike, once the person become aware what kind of choice would make what result,

it would be easily biased with a pretense.

Originally, Szondi Test was designed based on the phenomenon that the person can

intuitively know the other person who got the same psychological tendency and

prefer the similar person.  (the words [Like] or [Kind] are typically showing this =

“We like similar kind” hence “Feather gathers” 🙂 )

[]

Whether it is a looks or an inner “Type” they are created by the Gene configuration.

We are seeing the most typical case over the Identical Twin = they are not only

looks the same but also having the same voice, same way of speaking etc etc —–

even the fate is often the same.

Interesting recent study shows that, the married couple, if both of them got the

same type of Gene configuration, is less likely separates or divorce.

And the most intriguing phenomenon must be the “Genetic Sexual Attraction” =

Brother and sister (often the twin) who has been separated on the birth, growing

up not knowing each other’s existence.   Then in a seer coincidence, encounter

each other, and fallen in love and get married without knowing that they were

in fact, a brother and a sister.

= The same type of Gene configuration strongly attract each other and we know it

intuitively.    (In the US, there is an organization of those hundreds of families.)

So does the Szondi Test, it is based on our intuitive sense to distinguish “Like Kind”, 

because our psychological type is also created by the Gene configuration.

[]

A funny question is, able to sense the other’s invisible Genetic Sign, why the person

couldn’t find who he (she) is ? = Because, the most of us couldn’t assess ourselves

without the Ego and the conscious thinking  (= wishful thinking or self-blame kind

and always try to justify otherwise make an excuse)

= that is where Buddhist’s approach comes in.

To judge the photos of the Szondi Test, there is no information hence, photos has to

be seen purely with intuition alone.

Same to this, to see “Who the Self is ?” the person has to see the self as if it was a

detached landscape.   (I mean, see the self as a visual image, not in a drama of

verbal description = relative position and the posture is more important than the

conversation which has taken place there then — then you may start to see the

pattern of “Who you are” among the thousand of memories.)

Some of the people strongly believe the Free Choice and the dominance of Nurture,

hence against the Determinism though, we all knew, often with almost an annoyance,

how we were caste by the birth = Gene.

We can easily copy or mimic others (as Nurture mean) and speak brah brah, though,

the posture when we try to act still reveal Who I am <— See This !

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Still we also know —– supposed to be the same Gene configuration (as it’s from the

same parents) though, how often the Brothers are so different and argue each other. 🙂

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Photografica-Karenisque

Among the WordPress photo-bloggers, Karen of Draw and Shoot is a photographer

I’m following more than 3 years as she is the Photographer who can capture

the air beyond the image can tell. 

So, I want to learn from her a lot though, art is not a kind of faculty we can copy

but we have to born with, still, some of her technique such as intentionally blurr

the image or make it out of focus, could be  somewhat superficially mimicked.

—– anyhow, those are the first attempt to learn.  🙂

(Shaking thousand times, there could be a moment to discover a secret.  🙂 )

Of cause, even making identical image doesn’t mean able to create the same art.

(anyway, I don’t have the same woods or the river, not mention the same snow ! )

—– buying the same camera, in order to take same good photo like a famous

photographer — is a well repeated joke.    And using the same technique doesn’t

make same photo is “strangely” true !

[]  

Many years ago, I set-up the lighting and a model to teach portrait photo to the

students of  St. Martin’s.

While shooting, I found a tick on the model’s expression, so, I asked a student

“Hey give me the camera, let me click” and took a photo using her camera.  

I did twice of this during a session.  — When the film was developed and a contact

print was made, the other graphic student of  St. Martin pointed out those two

photos which I took, saying that they are looks different. (but not know why.)

The same lighting, the same model sitting on the same chair.  Camera and the

lens was the same and on the same film, still the differences were clearly visible.

= If the photographer couldn’t make such difference, better go to another 

profession.   And the art student who couldn’t distinguish the difference

among the shots, better change the school.  

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Unanswered Questions 無記

Without doubt, the biggest problem in Buddhism is that against some questions why

Lord Buddha didn’t give an answer.  

This is an issue known as “10 (or 14) Unanswered questions” which was known in Japan and China [無記] = Muki or Wu-ji. —– With seeing all those questions, it is obvious, no answer was given to the matter of [Infinite] [Eternal] kind, the time and the space of the Universe, and the matter related to [I] or [Self].

—- obviously, like us, a small mortals fussing about the infinite eternal Universe kind of imaginary matter IS utterly waste of the time.    (Especially when Einstein was not born yet. 😀 )

And the matter of I or Self is not existing = Who can give an answer for “Non-existent phantom” = this was the very fundamental stance of what

Lord Buddha taught, strangely you may think, it was not elucidated in the scripture. —– Why ? Because, such matter was not existing = how to elucidate the Self which is not exists. —– After all, there was no teachings of abstract nor imaginary idea = its mean there was no “Spiritual kind of concept” in the Buddhism.

[]In fact, this is the question even bigger than the “Unanswered Question”.

Lord Buddha denying the existence of the Self / Atman was his fundamental stance therefore, the “matter of the existence of the Self” itself was not existed = because,his own Self was not there. = When he couldn’t see his own Self, in his own mind, how he could guess other’s mind and analyze “so-called Self”. 

(It may sound complicated though, IT’S simple — for instance, you may suffer from Alien fever symptom from the space though, actually no such illness ever existed = it was your imagination.   In such situation, what is the point to discuss the matter — only the remedy is you to open the eyes and become aware that no such fever exist and symptom was own delusion !)

Lord Buddha’s teaching of No-Self couldn’t have even an explanation because the word to deny the Self is, “in effect” recognize the existence of the Self.  It sound strange though, this teachings of Selflessness was not necessary understood even by his closest attendance, Ananda (he was a cousin of Lord Buddha) as he kept asking why not answer.)

When ever a kind of explanation of No-Self appeared in the scripture, it was a kind of metaphor, such as to explain what is Real Giving = “Giving without having a conscious of “I’m giving” is the Real Giving”.    Or even worse, “Giving as not Giving” — You can not understand this by reading or by thinking —- but only by DOING.

(I’m sure, if you DO the giving million times, you will become an expert of giving to hand-out the money to a needy, food for a hungry, a rope for a man to hung without need to think ! ) Like the teachings through Tea-making — after 10, 20 years of practice, when the person fully mastered and able to make a perfect Tea, even with the eyes closed, it’s mean all the procedure has been completely programmed into own subconscious and the motor-region of the brain, therefore all the process of Tea-making could be done without the Self or any thinking (= it has all been done in Mushin) — still, it doesn’t necessary the person did (intellectually) understood the Selflessness.  ( —– Ideally, the person can make a Tea without having any notion of Zen or Buddhism even Tea-making is the best, and it IS closest to be an Ichijo.)

It would be much clearer to see it in the case how to ride a Bicycle = there is no theory or explanation or understanding is necessary, but by actually master it by the body you can ride it. —– Then, when you ride it, you can do it without a conscious of that you ARE riding the bicycle = “You ARE riding it without your SELF” and more importantly, this selfless condition / situation IS NOT an imaginary / spiritual matter. = IT IS A HARD EXISTENCE. = And to become aware or grasp this condition as it IS (without the literal interpretation = without thinking) IS what all about the the teachings of Lord Buddha.  = Just to be riding, as to be Ichijo in riding, even without having the awareness of riding, of course, without the conscious of “Me riding this” = IS the situation becoming a part of the Dharma, or the Dharma itself. (= when you became able to glasp this Dharma, it is your Clear Eyes = So as the Dharma IS not an abstract idea neither imaginary existence = this HARD FACT is the Enlightenment though, in reality, what you ARE seeing IS the same existence and the same fact = this world (nothing new neither special) = hence, it’s a Dog Shit.

And this tradition = learn from the practice, only kept Zen Buddhism as Buddhism of No-Self —– not by the scripture which doesn’t contain the explanation of  [Selflessness]  anyway. —– Think, Selflessness IS NOT a spiritual matter at all.  It IS a fact “you can do it without your own conscious” and its physical, neuro-phisiological mechanism IS the Selflessness.

___/\___

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Pippin’s Art

As I described in the other post,  South London Deptford is a peculiar town.

And an artist Steven Pippin must be the most well known (to the certain

people) peculiar resident there.   On the Deptford High Street,  his studio

or work-shop having a sign as an Optician.   (I haven’t ask him why though,

I guess, may be because he is dealing with “Optical things”  🙂 )

So, in his “shop front” there are numerous “Kind of Camera” or “Used to be a

Camera” which are heavily modified or some might say “almost destroyed.” 

Whether his art lies in the resulting images created by those cameras or the

Camera itself is the Sculpture —– or the action to make those Cameras are

the conceptual art ? —– is a question but I couldn’t find an answer yet.

Like a typical artist, he seemed to care little and just doing what he want to do.

(Right = Pippin.  Center = Julian,  and James —– we three were from the

Wireless Workshop in Greenwich)

Often, his creation was more of the destruction — such as to make a camera

explode or shot with a gun.

But his recent project  [ Ω = 1 ]  is a kind of autonomous  machine to keep a

pencil standing upright. = It’s a X-Y optical feed-back system, and he want to put

this machine installed on top of the tall tower. —– (on the end, he seemed to 

persuade the people of the [Sky-tree (634 m tall)] in Tokyo to install this on top.)

(I guess, this optical feed-back system would  work only on the solid ground.  

If the machine itself, with optical detector altogether moves (not just wobbling

pencil), its movement may go beyond the feed-back range, as the Sky-tree’s top  

sways more than 5 meters, wen hit by an earthquake or strong wind ! )

—– incidentally, the link for the anti-shake structure of the Sky-tree Tower 

[Shin-bashira] and  [Mitsubishi Counter-weight system].

By the way, the reason why Sky-tree was 634 m tall was because it’s in Tokyo where

used to be called the county of Musashi. (to pronounce  6=Mu, 3= San, 4=Shi) 😀

Photo Left = Carl Zeiss’ folding camera “Zeiss Ikonta” was burnt to produce

the image of the  “End of the Camera”.   In his “Aladdin’s cave” it’s hard to

guess what there and what for or what would it become to.    🙂

He got fully equipped work shop and all those tools are pretty familiar to me.

Though, to the local folks, the world see through his window must be

the remotest world, let alone to understand the significance of the

[Half-cut Camera] !

So, whether his studio is transparent or invisible to the people or not,

a gap on the street itself shows the mysterious zone in the human mind.

Ω[]

Wash Grapes

Grape is one of the most ancient fruits recorded in the human history 

though, as it is the cousin of Ivy,  I guess,  in the ancient time its

fruits must be as small as Ivy’s berry.   (about 1/4″ — 6 mm big ?)

Any how, the matter here is not a big (or small) issue at all = the way to serve.

—– In my bad boy’s habit,  there is nothing but a pleasure to steal a fruits.

(Fortunately or unfortunately I didn’t grown up to acquire the pleasure to

steal a woman.   😀  —– before read such menu available

I’ve become a monk (?)  —– how shame,  what a boring life isn’t it ! )

[]

To pick  and eat a fruit in the (Somebody else’s) garden, I wouldn’t be bothered

to wash it while presuming that the dirt has been washed away by the rain, and

no human hand ever touched it anyway. 

Though, when I bought it from a shop, I suspect it has been handled rather

dusty condition hence they are not clean. —– So, how to wash it ?

Long before,  I was washing the bunch of grapes under a jet of water then later

changed to wash each individual fruits —– I mean one by one,  since when

I noticed some time, some of them were covered with quite stubborn film of dirt.

( Remember, we eat grapes with its skin !  —– Japanese grapes can be skinned !  )

And these days,  I separate each fruit from a bunch and wash them in a plastic

bawl under the running water while make them well rubbing each other.

[]

Considering the amount of dust we are inhaling and eating, which may consists

sand or dried soil, even dried dog shit etc etc, without  knowing,  some dirt on

the occasional grapes wouldn’t make any concern.  —– So,  is this a matter of

principal or most likely the personality ? —– A kind of contemplation such as

“Resisting the dirt would be useless” may have an effect still,  the sense of 

cleanliness came from one’s up-bringing, and IS the one’s second nature.

[]

So, as a practice, how about the point of  so-called “Mindfulness” or “Middle way”

= how can we be “single-minded” and in the same time “be tolerant”.

(Is it a funny question ? )

If you think this is a funny question,  your understanding of Buddhism was wrong.

Wrong in the “Thinking” of  both  “Mindfulness” and the ” Middle way”.

[]

We don’t need to think about how to wash or how to eat grapes.   We should just Do.

= Wash or not wash what so ever you Do, IS a reflection of WHO YOU ARE.   As you

are born to be under the own Karma,  to follow it,  is the most natural way to live.  

And to be natural, need no thinking = just to be the own.  

No thinking or no conscious mean no Self is there.  And no Self,  no conscious mean

no intentional thinking NOR being not natural,  hence no over doing = Middle way.  

Without the Self, still able to do what necessary to Do, IS the Mindful way.

In fact, all the teachings of Buddhism are [ To be done without conscious ].

= Live without a conscious of Self IS Selfless.  Do without thinking IS Mushin.

When you Do the thing, there are no other things in the mind IS Mindfulness.

And when you Do,  no intentional thinking is there, therefore

Do only naturally you need to Do,  IS  Middle way.

If you are Doing something special to be a Buddhist,  IS not Buddhism.

[ Buddhism is Do nothing special, Think nothing as Thinking.

This IS why, Buddhism mean the VOID.  —– And this was what

Lord Buddha taught though, it was not fully understood by even

the author of scripture. ]

___/\___ 

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Snap-shot by DD-Pinhole

All the photos here were taken by my ” Wide-angle Double-density Pinhole” on

Canon 5D Mk-III.  In fact on that day, I went for a walk only with this lens (?)

and the Tamron 500 mm Mirror lens, hoping to see Parakeets.

Original pinhole got about 60 degree of view though, with the additional concave

lens ( from a Canon Zoom lens) the angle was greatly widened to nearly 100 degree.

You may guess that the Pinhole Camera needs to have long exposure though,

with the advantage of Hi-ISO digital camera, such as with ISO 12,500,  the shutter

time can be  1/80~1/8 like this outside shot. —– who care with slightly

blared photo on 1/4 or 1/2 slow shutter any way.  😀

The best thing was,  no visual details were given in the image,  

no further information would be needed.   Photo has atmosphere only.

So, the photography (for me at least) purely a fun.

No complicated notion about the subjects or message in the photo 

= image or the subjects were there just as they are.

To see the world in clear eyes, the world showed its fuzzy nature.

This paradox is what the Dharma is.

 ___/\___

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Snap-shot in the Park

I think they are the Canadian Geese but I’m not sure as the

color is dark grey — or are they juvenile ?

And they are the Coots.  Unlike ducklings,  Coot’s chick looks rather odd.

Now I realized, Coot’s chicks got full-size foot !    But no web — how

those chicks can swim ?   (Photo right )

[]

I think, most of the bird’s chicks are not cute or I rather say, they are ugly.

When I was young, I rose a pigeon chick whose mother didn’t return few

days after egg hatched.  New born chick was almost naked with few yellow hair still,

the beak was quite big, and eat a lot. —– I had to feed the chick mouth-feed while

chowing the grain myself.   When chick got stomach-full, the eaten grain or maze

were visible under the thin skin.   So, chick walks with full-up chest while shaking ass.  

= looks awful — not mention utterly noisy begging call, and shit everywhere.   😦   🙂

Still, this chick became a fully grown-up pigeon though, she (he ?) was completely 

imprinted me as the kind, and couldn’t become a member of pigeon society.    So, 

even after became independent, she stayed under the roof many many years. 

—– I don’t know whether I did good things to her or not = wasn’t that better, leave

her fate to the nature and let the chick dies ?    Good but heavy question.

You may say, why Dandelion here ? —– Well, all the photos here were taken

by 500 mm Mirror lens.    And my mirror lens works well as a Macro lens too.

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