Photography / Zappa Photo

” What a Hell,  Frank Zappa is doing in a  ZEN  blog ? “

It was rather unexpected turn of the situation.

Since one of my great  friend artist, Wayne Chisnall mentioned this blog and me as a photographer in his

blog spot,  it became necessary to explain about my photography. (—–of strange kind  :-))

Frank Zappa and me on the live stage (Copyright reserved/ 2009/ Yoshi Imamura )

The photo above was taken by my hand made camera called Yoshi-handy,  with

17mm fish-eye lens attached on the 6 x 6 film format, hence it create whole circular image.

(On this photo above, the lens attached was Nikon Fish-eye 16mm of which the Lens-hood was removed)

——As Zappa was so intrigued by this camera and its effect, he asked me to produce as

strange as possible photos.  —– And this is it.

When I was young, my interest was the nature. Close-up

photography was the essential tool and to do it I needed

to improvise or modify the equipments.—- If I got

to do, do it.   If I didn’t know how, learn it or try it.

If not successful try again and again.

The camera here left, the body was hack-sawed and

made the lens to tilt, enabling a focus from lens front

to infinity in one picture.—— When I modified EOS, the boss of R & D in the Canon asked me,

How I could make the camera working again ?   I answered ” If Canon can, I can do too, as

we are the same human being “.

Why not.    Ha ha ha   😀

( If you are the person who expected to see lots of photos—— Have a break, and see ” Zen in  Action”

It would be a fun ! )

Wayne’s Blog        < http://waynechisnall.blogspot.com >  or click / Associates / Wayne Chisnall

Buddha’s Foot Step

This is the foot print of the Buddha——well in fact it was the first attempt to

make “Buddha-2009” ‘s right foot, and I made another to attach

to his body. ——–so that this one was left as independent piece.

With up side down, it looked just like a foot print.

Yes, this is the Buddha’s foot print. It lead us, humankind for the

past 2500 years as the guiding light.

————–

It was created from a sheet of aluminium panel by just pressing it by hand.

If you press a sheet of metal, it will bend. And if you further press bent metal

it will be curved further. Keep pressing it again and again, just do it.

On the end flat metal may even become round sphere.

——You might have read a Zen story telling the rain drops curves the rock.

Well this is it.

Odd News

Strangely you may think though, I have appeared in the BBC News Site,

but not as Yoshizen, but aka /  Yoshi Imamura, demonstrating

” Psycho-kinetic Motor “ and in the video clip ” Pendulum Clock “

made out of computer HDD, and above all, the figure of the

” Buddha-2009 ” also appeared ( with the rotating light as his heart ).

http:// news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8125259.stm

(or Click top right column / ASSOCIATE / BBC News)

—————

I’m going to put the Buddha-2009’s full picture in this blog

in near future, though just give you a brief explanation how and why

the Buddha was depicted in this manner.

——- More than 20 years ago, I saw an image of a stone carving of

Buddha in his asceticism practice, almost skeleton like figure from

Gandhara, and I was deeply struck by it.

So that when I decided to create Buddha’s stature 7 years ago, I designed

to make him like a skeleton of which the head is a clear glass sphere

as the Buddhism stands on the selflessness.

The heart shows perpetually changing pattern of light, since

nothing stays permanent. —– etc (all the Buddhism teachings

are symbolised and depicted in here)

——-This is a sample of the Zen Buddhism in action, not in talking.

And my way to the Nirvana.

Starting point of Yoshizen

It was the last moment as I was leaving the temple, when Master Kogetsu stopped me at the gate and asked me,

“I’ve been wondering since I saw you on the first day. Who the devil this guy ?

Have a tea and talk before you go”

While receiving his tea I told him who I am.

Finding my father’s name in the Soto Temples Directory and heard that I was a veteran mountain climber,

he understood why he felt me as if I were a seasoned monk.

It was the time soon after the collapse of the 70th students’ uprise (lots of ex-activist left Japan then) and

my Degree was in Sociology, I had enough ammunition to ask him about the viability of the Buddhism

in the aspect of the society and human existence.

His answer was what I wrote before, still I promised him I’ll see him again.

I’m afraid it must be too late to report him back, still I feel my duty to tell his tombstone what I found.

——Since, without encountering Master Kogetsu, Yoshizen couldn’t exist today and I believe it was

the destined Karma.

And me to encounter a new friend who directed me to Zen blog site, and me to start blogging was

also a pre-destined Karma which meant me, the time is ripe.

[]

PS :  To follow-up this, you may read a post “Tiny Comment” which would explain the point best.

[]

Who is Yoshizen?

I’ve born in a Zen temple, as my farther happen to be a priest there, though I’m not a

monk yet, since I still have a lots of hair on the top.        Ha Ha Ha.

Before I left Japan, I spent a time in the Eihei-ji Tmple, where Master Kogetsu sentenced me

“You never get enlightenment, since you know too much which keep you

away from the Enlightenment”——it was nearly 40 years ago.

Yet still, I used my damned knowledge, science, history of human evolution,

neuroscience, psychology, etc, above all common sense,  to evaluate Zen phenomenon,

while actually testing the many different practices and body action.

My question was, What is Zen, and why and how the Zen created and shaped the human

activity, such as Ethics, Tea ceremony, Martial art— down to all aspects of daily life

(of Japanese especially).   And I went back to the most likely original form of the

Lord Buddha’s teachings, not necessary from the Scriptures which seems to be heavily

re-written for the sake of glorifying the Lord Buddha,

but followed the likely psyche of the Lord Buddha himself then.

The best sample is, whether the Spirit remain after a person’s death and the Heaven or

Hell exist ?  — When the Disciples asked this question, the Lord Buddha said to be kept silent.

Such an enlightened man who dare to utter, “The life is to get ill, suffering, get old and die”

could  mislead the followers by giving an illusion of the paradise ? ——- I don’t think so.

(The idea of the Mahayana Buddhism, the Heaven, the Savior, the Supreme God, came from

the influence of the teachings of a Christian Apostle Tomas who came to the southern India

and built / opened number of churches 2000 years ago, not from the Brahmanism / Hinduism.)

If the Lord Buddha could accept the idea of perpetual sou Atomanl, which is the idea of Brahmanism,

he could choose to be a Brahman high priest as he was the Royal Prince.

Since he rejected Brahmanism and the existence of perpetual soul or reincarnation, while saying

“When you die, it will be the end of all the sufferings, this is the Nirvana”,

it was really the revolutionary idea then.

—–To be continued—–

( this is the first time I ever expressed my view of the Buddhism in a public arena

and I would like to hear what you say)