Fancy Vinegar Flask ! ——- ? ? ?

Week ago I’ve bought rather fancy item from Lidl shop.  

I don’t know the name which the receipt said Geschenkset.  = Anyhow

this is a Glass Flask to serve Vinegar and Olive-oil on the dining table. 

They were sold as a gift set (for a Xmas ?) —– Olive-oil and a Vinegar

together with a glass flask for £7.99 !

In fact, I was not interested in to

buy Olive-oil nor Vinegar, but

fascinated by the design of

glass which I can use it to

design strange sculpture kind.

Though, watching this many

days, I still couldn’t figure out

“How to make this” —– how a

Glass Craftsman made this !

Simplified description is, “Small glass flask inside of larger flask”

though, it is an utter puzzle to me = How it was made ? —— through a

hole of large flask, inserts a glass pipe with melted glass on the tip-end

and blow it up to make a small flask inside, and weld two together on

the edge of the hole —– though,  as the photo above showed, the neck of

the small flask is not an one-piece straight pipe = inside small flask was

made separately and the outside pipe was welded later.  But how ? ? ?

= If anybody who is reading this knows about the way to make,

please put a comment “How it was done” !

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Looks false image ! ?

They are the Photos from Greenwich London though, as you may feel,

somewhat all fishy image.  😀 —– Fishy if not irritating.

It’s definitely wrong —– isn’t it ?

M m m m m ?

Ha ha ha, you got to be joking.

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On the River Thames

Photo session in Greenwich naturally came down to the river side.

I saw swans on the Thames before, but this time there were quite few

Cormorants = may be Thames got enough number of fish now.  🙂

The Seagull I saw this time were rather small kind and doesn’t show much

dramatic flight ! —– (By the way, the photos in this post were all taken by

Tamron SP 500 mm F8 / Canon 5D Mk-III  and on the AV mode)

Of cause the Greenwich is a place on the Thames River. (southern side of it,

in more accurate term) and used to be the centre of the Global  Navigation Technology.  

In order to make a sea journey accurate and safe, Sea Chart / World Map has to have

exact positioning to the giography, hence the angular grid to define the Global position

was invented and made the imaginaly line running North to South, and a line running

on the Royal Observatory in Greenwich was made as the original point = 0 degree !  

Since the Sun goes round, “If you found the Sun in Exact south at 1:00 Pm Exact, you are

on the Longitude of 15 degree west”.   And on the Equinox Day, the hight of the Sun on

the 12:00 Noon Exact, tells you where you are on the Latitude. (If the Sun was 90 degree

on top of your head mean, you are on the 0 degree (Equator) or If the Sun was just on

the horizon (0 degree) , you are on the North or South Pole ! = How lucky you are 🙂 )

—– It’s mean, to have an exact measurement was crucial = not only an instrument to

measure the angle but also a watch, which can tell exact time.  (Hence, Briton and other

Nautical Giant (= other colonialist) Dutch were competing to invent accurate clock. )

Anyhow, it was a time when British Empire was ruling all the 7 seas.  

Not much activities these days but the remains became good show-piece for tourism.

Basically, Photography is the response to the MOMENT, 

but to capture a flying bird is a bit physically demanding task.  

Ha~ he~, —– once I was a young man.   Ha ha ha  😀

[]

Autumn Color

I popped out to the Greenwich with my friend who just bought DSLR this week

for a sort of photo session.  He has been watching YouTube Tuitorial viz kind of

“How to make a good photo” and “How to use DSLR”, though, they are still a

theory or knowledge. = Same as a Buddhist’s idea, it takes enough practice to

sink into a level of spontaneity. = Look into view-finder and see the Matter is

such as That “Depth of Field” what a viz told him. —– Anticipate, if the depth

changed what would be looks like then. —– Then own control starts.

Anyone can learn good composition / framing from the sample “To make Post Card

like scene to Post Card like Picture” though, to make “Nothing Special image to

Interesting Photo” need to have a good photographic talent. —– Exaggerate or

enhance the color would make a photo something looks nice though, its saturated

color gives irritation to the eyes too. = Here is the “Middle way” = the level of

saturation which our brain thinks !!! is always too much to our subconscious, since

our subconscious follow what is natural.    (Photos here are over saturated  🙂 )

Are you convinced ?  —– Take Middle way.  

(Looks unusual doesn’t necessary mean Special.

= in most of the case, it is just odd.  🙂

[]

Buddha’s Hesitation

Regardless, whether it showed real historical facts or not, still a kind of life history of

Lord Buddha has been well established and well known. = So, everybody knows his young

name, Siddhartha Gautama and a story, after he got his enlightenment, he became Buddha.

—– But, how about a story, that after he found the truth and reached to his enlightenment,

yet he said to have hesitated whether should he tell what he found to the others or just

remain quiet and wait to see own Nirvana, because the truth what he found was

too difficult to make others to understand.

[]

But the supreme God of the Universe, Brahman was frightened of this, if

Lord Buddha keeps the secret of  Truth in him and takes it to his grave, the man kind will

loose only the chance to learn it to save whole man kind from their sufferings, for ever.  

(—– Don’t ask me how Brahman did become aware of this —– If Brahman had such

Super natural power to know everything happening in the world, why he didn’t teach

such wisdom to the man, instead to bother the idea of yet another mortals.)

—– Anyhow, Brahman said to have come and begged to

Lord Buddha to teach the truth. —– So, what was that very Truth ? ? ?

(which would save the man, though too difficult to be understood by the man.)

[]

Many hundreds years after

Lord Buddha’s death, the new trend of Mahayana Buddhism created thousands of

enlightened Buddha and Bodhisattva —- during 2000 years history, they must be hundreds

of the thousands altogether.   If there are such number of the enlightened Buddha and

Bodhisattva, among them, at least some of them must had a very bright brain and clearly

aware what made him to get enlightened —– So, has any of them ever elucidated what the

supreme truth was —– Yet still, there was NON at all.

Only something related to this was, that the Zen Masters found it was the Dog Shit.

[]

Mahayana Scriptures says, the supreme wisdom is

“Panya-Paramita” “Anutra Samyak-SamBodhi” —– So, What ?

= WAS this “Supreme wisdom”  the one which gave a headache to

Lord Buddha for how to explain and make others to understand ?    If so, did any

one of those mass-produced Buddha ever got eternal life thanks to this secret Truth ?

Or this wisdom ever made any country free from the war ?    Nothing !    

No such wisdom, called Panya-Paramita had substance.

(Don’t make an excuse, by yet another Heaven’s story such as “Maitreya will tell it in future” )

[]

Looking through all the teachings in the Buddhism, there is No super-natural mambo-jumbo.

= Everything is easily comprehendable to normal brain, if not some of them are a bit harsh

or not very easy to keep-up, still, it is hard to imagine if there was any

“Hard to comprehend enigmatic issue” was ever existed on top of those,

especially considering  that No abstracts or Metaphysical illusion was in the

Lord Buddha’s teachings —– BUT if it was the notion of Selflessness, it was not only against

the common belief then, but also it would be very tricky matter to explain therefore,  this

trickiness would best match the trouble as a possibility, in his starting point. 

Assuming, —– if it was not a kind of fancy idea with magical power,

but simply the notion of Selflessness.  

—– The idea of Selflessness would make a perfect answer to the problem which the people

had been facing then. = Their fear to be trapped in the endless cycle of death and rebirth.  

(= It was a belief of New religion in the Brahmanism then = Hinduism now.)  

Against this, the answer of  “There couldn’t be such rebirth, because there is

NO soul or the Self remain after the death, which

could reincarnate to the next life”  was a perfect explanation. ——– But the trouble to

Lord Buddha was,  as the Self isn’t existing, there couldn’t be its notion, nor the word “Self”

= He couldn’t explain the phenomenon of the Selflessness without using the word “Self”.

(If he use the word “Self”, in effect it was the recognition of the existence of the “Self”).

Even worse, the phenomenon of the Selflessness is, not only in the depth of

Subconsciousness, but such notion or the word Subconsciousness itself wasn’t existing then.

—– until he found the way “Just let the people DO the things where Selflessness naturally

occur, which makes them to learn it by themselves, without needs of verbal explanation”

= So, with this solution,

Lord Buddha started to teach.  =  (Therefore, this was the origin of all the Buddhist’s

tradition such as “Selflessness”   “Without thinking = Mushin”  

“Without Word = but Direct Transmission”   “Learn through the Practice”)

Lord Buddha didn’t need to have a push from Brahman to start his teachings in deed !

(Still, making-up of such fancy story highlights the fact, that the original teachings has

been completely mixed-up with Hinduism then.)

___/\___

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Halloween ? —– Yah, it’s coming !

Nothing special, I just came across the girls who seemed to have a rehearsal kind

for a tomorrow’s event.  (I guess  🙂 )

The color has been a bit over saturated. —– It wouldn’t harm anyone.  🙂  

Have a funful Halloween.

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Eating Kombu / Kelp Sea-weed

Since I don’t have a habit to pick up a cracker / biscuit or sweet kind, instead,

I’m having a kind of light cooking for an odd bite. 

I wrote about green-bean / string-bean with Goma-ae source, daikon etc etc before.  

And here, how about boiled Kombu / Kelp.

Although, I, myself never seen how it’s grow in the sea bottom, Kelp is not a special

sea-weed, it said to have deep forest of sea-weed of which each Kelp is 20~30m long !  

—- I saw them when they were spread and dried on the beach = 1′ wide of long long strip.

And, neither they are special item in Japanese or Chinese food shop.  

 Japanese eat them most commonly for Dashi (soup-base) and in many other cooking.  

(I don’t think, I need to repeat how nutritiously good they are, as it was too well known.  🙂 ) 

 

I have no idea how Chinese eat them still, we can buy dried Kelp easily and quite cheap

in Chinese shop. (Photo Left) 

To make Kombu-maki — first soak  the dried kelp strip in the warm water for 10 min’ or

so and thoroughly wash-off the sand and dirt.  Then cross-cut them 2~3″ and roll-up.

(Authentic Japanese Kombu-maki roll was tied-up by edible Kanpyo string though

I short-cut it with tooth-pick. Photo Center )   And boil them in the plain water half to

one hour, then add a packet of Dashi or if you like fishy taste, add a piece of dried squid

as well. (photo Right) —– and after while, add a Soy source according to your taste, and

if you like even a bit of sugar ( I like to put some hot staff as well) — keep boil them until

rolled Kombu become very soft. ( I heard, the authentic one was slow-cooked over night !)

[]

(Boil them how many hours depend on the quality of the Kombu and your taste. — even

from the same pack, some Kombu would be boiled very soft, less than one hour though,

tough one may be still hard even after two hours. —– If you found it still hard, just put

it back to a pan and boil further.  🙂 )  Generally, Japanese Kombu / Kelp is soft and good to

eat but more expensive —– still, considering the serious environmental pollution problem

in China, may be spent a bit more and buy it in the Japanese shop could be wiser choice.

Most of the Japanese Kombu came from northern Japan / Hokkaido where no problem of

radiation scare has been reported — thanks goodness.   

[] 

Exists or Not-exists ? —– Where is the SELF ?

Probably the most fundamental matter in the Buddhism is the Selflessness / Mushin.

—– though, this matter questions the credibility of the one who observes its existence, it is

nothing like a scientific objective proof of existence, it’s far more complicated or confused.

[]

Therefore, here, the most funniest paradox in the human culture comes in.

If you deny the existence of the Self, you can not argue or even put the matter on the table.

= because, its notion itself isn’t exists, there is no word to describe it.

= how to starts arguments ?

—– If the society has no system of personal possession, everything belongs to everybody, so,

there couldn’t be a notion of “theft” let alone the very word “theft”. 

If the Self is not exists, no word of SELF, let alone SELFLESS could ever exists.

So, without the notion of Self, how to argue about whether it exists or not.    😀

[]

Lord Buddha’s teachings were described as “Explain unexplainable” “Describe indescribable”.

In definition, Selflessness couldn’t be taught.   Selflessness itself is exists though, you can’t

detect or noticed, let alone capture it in objective observation nor describe it in the words.

Because, to notice “it is there”, it’s mean the observer, who was separated from the subject

= independent self is already THERE ! = You are the established EGO.

[]

So, Lord Buddha just gave an instruction what to do, but never explained why or what was

the intention.   (Like, just let Kisa Gotami to run about, or Churi Pantac to sweep the garden.)

—– While doing it, they will get used with its work or practice, hence became able to do it

without conscious = Selfless —– this was what the teachings were intended though,

it shouldn’t be objectively noticed or talked about. = the matter is, JUST DO IT.

[]

Once it was talked about, it became a NOTION and a WORD, it became independent

existence called knowledge.   Once the notion and the words “I’m cutting Lemon” was

established, “I” who cut the Lemon became THE Existence. —– but, you supposed to cut

a Lemon in Mushin, without the Self.   Without such conscious, Just Cut a Lemon, slice

by slice —– your knife, the lemon, your action were all fused in one, with the Dharma

= this is the state of Ichijo / Oneness. —– BUT, once the observant eyes started to see the

situation objectively and started to give a thought or two, the Observer and Be-observed

alienated = the harmony to be in the Ichijo has broken.

[]

In the Vimalakirti Sutra, when he was asked about what is this Oneness, he answered with

NO word (= and the silence hit the people like roaring thunder !) In fact this was exactly what

Lord Buddha did when he was asked about “after life”.

Oneness (Ichijo / Fuji) could exists if no Self was there.   And as NO self exists, of cause, there

couldn’t be any possibility of After-life or Reincarnation, and no such notion or word to

describe it could exist.   Hence, just a silence = Strongest denial !

(If he was to explain, “There is no Reincarnation because No-Self” it’s effectively recognize

the existence of the Self by the use of the Notion and the word “Self”.  

—– It is the same situation, if the one says “I’m sitting in silence”    😀 )

[]

It seems that the author of Vimalakirti Sutra did know what the mind of Selfless, as the

descriptions were spot on though, I’m not sure about the other Mahayana Sutra, and the

author (compiler ?) such as Nagarjuna —– he seemed to have written them from the

knowledge just heard from others.   They were the scripture for the sake of the arguments

and those arguments, theoretical explanation seemed nothing to do with

actual Selflessness and the Void.

—– Selflessness is everywhere, as you are reading this blog without noticing that your eyes

have been following the lines. = as everybody has born with Dharma, everybody has

Selflessness yet, masking it with the useless thinking and the Ego which has been kept you

away from getting enlightened.

May be just forget those words, Selflessness, Void kind of thinkings, and just take a walk

may open your eyes much clearer.

___/\___

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Hart Mantra — True or False ?

So called Hart Mantra (Sutra) / 般若心経 might be the most well-known Buddhist’s scripture among it’s 3,000 books, except to the followers of the Pure-land sect. (Pure-land sect prohibits their followers to read this scripture !)

[]So, other than the Pure-land sect, all the Buddhist are accepting the teachings written in this Sutra —– are they ?    

Its scripture said that “When all-seen Bodhisattva / 観自在菩薩, (suppose to be         

Lord Buddha himself though, Bodhisattva is the one yet to be Enlightened = can not to be a Buddha) practising Supreme Wisdom / Panya-Paramita / 般若波羅蜜多, found that the 5 aggregates (effectively everything) are Void, therefore resolved all the (cause of) sufferings, (thence told to) Shariputra that “The existences (Form) are no different from the non-existence (Void) —– which is the teachings of the Voidness in the existences and the Voidness in our own perception, therefore the Voidness of our own existence = hence No-self.

—– sound not much wrong in the Mahayana Buddhism’s context. —– (If we could ignore the silly ignorance in this scripture such as “Bodhisattva who haven’t reached Enlightenment yet still able to have all-seen power and teach one of the senior disciple, Shariputra who has been reached Enlightenment already”)   

Shariputra was not the earliest original disciples.   He joined the sangha long after Lord Buddha started teaching.   If this Sutra has any historical significance, it showed that Lord Buddha found the Voidness long after he started teaching. —– It couldn’t be true at all !   Such fundamentals in the teachings, should have had sorted out on the beginning.   Because, that must be his Enlightenment.

The main question what Lord Buddha had to find an answer was, to explain to the people who has been frightened by the idea of being trapped in the endless cycle of rebirth / reincarnation, even to reborn to a beast (= new trend of Vedic belief or beginning of the Hinduism) by showing them “There couldn’t be any possibility of rebirth, because the Self / Atoman (which Vedic teachings said) is not exists”. As he found the answer in the theory of Karma (Moment to moment inter-dependency of the existences) that the permanent Self couldn’t be existed. So, he started teaching of those truths. —– otherwise, what was he teaching before he found this Voidness ?

[]Further more, historian found a funny origin of this Hart Sutra (+Mantra), that this sutra has been written (or compiled) in China in 7^th century and then translated back to Sanskrit, therefore, we better not to take its contents as in its face value but to see it as a theoretical metaphor.

—– Of cause, many fantastic story in the Mahayana scripture are nothing to do with original teachings. —– Use your common sense,

Lord Buddha wouldn’t have said any fantasy as he rejected useless thinking as a delusion.  Naturally, he never showed a miracle or magic kind and prohibited such practice to the followers. = its mean, that the scripture which contained “Mantra” (or Dharani — which supposed to have a magical power ) is not the Buddhism at all.  You know this is why

Lord Buddha taught “Don’t believe what others said or you read, but find it out by yourself”

Blind Buddhists are worse than an ignorant, because he believes that he knew something. 😀

The matter in the Buddhism is, not about to know the words such as Voidness or Selflessness, but actually being Selfless.   Actually being Selfless mean, when you read those few lines in here,  just now (or few seconds ago ?) you didn’t aware that YOU are reading this. —– so, without having any conscious of the SELF (who supposed to read this), how you could manage to read this?      WHO the person reading this blog minutes ago ? = YOU have to sort it out by your self, —– When you were convinced that you don’t need to have your SELF-conscious to DO the things, you ARE most likely found yourself detached from the Ego, Greed, Fear, Lust etc. too, exactly the same practice which

Lord Buddha started to teach  2,500 years ago.  

___/\___

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PS: If you were confused of “Mantra” or “Sutra” —– The main body of scripture is the Sutra.  And last line of the words “Jate Jate, Para-Jate ~ ~ ~ Bodhi-suwaka” is the Mantra, which supposed to have magical power hence never translated but chant as they are.    Though, the meaning is = (as those words are infact common with ordinary Hindi today = since I noticed while listening Asian Radio here.) = Go Go, Go more, You Go Further, To be Enlightened.

—– Para is same as in  “Para-mount”, Bodhi is same as in  “Bodhi-sattva”.   🙂

* Beliefe of magical power in the words = Mantra / Dharani  is a practice of Tantra sect.  Nothing to do with

Lord Buddha’s teachings.  =  Last quarter of this Heart Mantra is praising and promoting  the “Power of the Panya Paramita Mantra” though, such notion is all in the mind or only imaginary existence.   (If there is any power, why India need to spend so much money for their military weapon.) 

All the products of imagination are nothing but the Delusion. It’s not the Buddhism. So, those scriptures are the evidence how the Chinese author was ignorant to the original teachings. —–

Lord Buddha left the last words”never idolize and worship me” = so, why needs to worship mere scripture written by a person who even didn’t know the teachings ! 

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Toy for a Grown-up / Rhythm Indicator

This electronic device is —– I may say, Rhythm-Indicator !

When I was a Disco-King (you believe or not 😀 ) often people (other keen dancer) asked

me a question about the way I dance, which is completely free movement hence virtually

no pattern still exactly follow and synchronizing with the Rhythm —– I needed to explain

what the Rhythm is.

Since I’ve been almost a fixture of the club, I also made enormous observation of the

people’s dance movement.    Among the many funny discovery, the most interesting

phenomenon was, that some of the people dance with the song, not with rhythm beat,

therefore it looks odd and off the rhythm still,  the person was not aware of it but

pretty much enjoying the dance  (in fact nothing wrong with it ! )

And another discovery was that the Spanish moves a moment later than the beat.  (It is

common with the Flamenco Dance, the movement occur not at the tense moment of the

beat, but the moment when its highest tension collapsed ! ! ! )

[]

Anyhow, to talk about the Rhythm in the noisiest environment, it’s easier to show it visual.

So, I made this Rhythm-Indicator  (but only for a Rock beat)   which shows the emphasis of

the 8 beat in red, amber, green, small green LEDs.   And I explained, the movement what

the Rhythm demands, not what I want to move. = So, the movement was the exact reflection

of the music in each moment, not a pattern in fashion  (such as in a film) or choreographed

planed movement. —–  Funny things even among the keen dancer was, that they dance

what they want = regardless the different music, still repeat the same movement !

(= What is the point to have different music.   😀 )

My indicator shows 8 beat, strong, weak so on, and having BPM (speed) controller, and a

Selector for x2 and ½ speed.   The Reset button was to synchronize with rhythm cycle. —– so,

in operation, reset to the first base drum, and adjust the speed to match the music =

Red LED to come coincided with every base drum of following cycle.

Voila’ the rhythm of the music was visually indicated.

—– To put the circuit and the batteries in a thin cosmetic case, I needed to curve the inside

to make a bit more space.    (It was long before SMD components or Lithium battery.)

[]

Though, even in the same music, same song, the speed is not constant and the pattern and the

use of percussion is changing. (that’s the way to make a music more dynamic and exciting).

—– So, inevitably, I had to design more elaborated system such as automatically pick-up the

base drum and synchronize the LED to the Rhythm cycle.

But instead to develop Rhythm-Indicator Mk-II, I changed the direction to design the

Sound-reactive Disco Pendant. = It was a by-product of the Base Drum synchronizing circuit.

—– I’ll show you those Sound-reactive LED Pendant in the coming posts.

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