Yoshizen's Blog

Photos in Tone

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Nature has its own tone, under rather subdued light, it’s shows subtle shade.  

Shape and its 3D structure may not as clear like the image under the direct light though,

we are not necessary need to see such detail.  

Subtle shade seemed to show more of what they are as it is.

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Just see and appreciate as they are, without imposing my view is in fact less tiring and

able to relax.  After all, the photos here are not for any scientific or reference purpose.  

They are just what they are today as I’m here on this moment.

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Robot astronaut Kirobo

This is an article from  Gizmag —– it looks cute and interesting story.

—– Even a grown-up astronaut, not a Hary-Potters kids,  feel comfort talking with robot

might be a reflection of Japanese Shinto religion, which sees the spirit in any beings.

Robot astronaut Kirobo headed for ISS in August

By

June 26, 2013

Kirobo will travel to the ISS on August 4
 In what may not be the most historic event in space exploration, but may be the cutest, Toyota has
announced that the Kibo Robot Project’s “robot astronaut” Kirobo will be sent to the
International Space Station (ISS) on August 4. Unlike its human counterparts, the 13.4-in (34 cm) tall
humanoid robot will travel aboard an unmanned Kounotori 4 cargo spacecraft launched from
the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center atop a H-IIB rocket.
Once at the ISS, Kirobo is scheduled to conduct the first-ever robot-human
conversation experiments in December.
 Weighing only a kilogram (2.2 lb), Kirobo is one of two humanoid verbal-communication robots
built by the Kibo Robot Project; a partnership that includes Dentsu, the Research Center for
Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo, Robo Garage, and Toyota.
It’s based on the commercial Robi kit robot with modifications for operating safely in zero gravity,
face recognition and, according to its developers, the ability to recognize emotions.
Toyota provided the speech-recognition software while Dentsu programmed the robot’s
speech content as well as being responsible for overall project management.
Kirobo won’t have much to do on board the ISS at first, aside from uttering its first words in space,
because it will be awaiting the arrival of Commander Koichi Wakata in November or December.
Until then, conversation with Kirobo will be somewhat limited because it only speaks Japanese.
Formal conversation tests are slated to begin in December. Meanwhile the backup ”ground crew”
robot Mirata will be used to verify the experiments and help troubleshoot any problems that Kirobo
may encounter, as well as fulfilling public relations duties. The development partners hope that
lessons learned in the experiment will help in improving their own robots.
Kirobo is expected to return to Earth in December 2014.

The video below (in Japanese) shows Kirobo going through its paces.

Source: Toyota

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Cuckoo’s Spit

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I think the plant is Lavender, and every year, it seems a lots of Cuckoo came here

and have a spit fight.   (Some says it was not Cuckoo but a snake  🙂 )

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Still, inside, the nymphs of  Frog-hopper ( Cercopoidea)  called Spittlebugs are growing

while sucking the sup from the plant, and making a bubble foam to hide. 

May be strong taste of Lavender repel another insects.    The photo, center shows a

Frog-hopper  just left a froth home, then the body color darken.  (right photo)

This insect is, despite its minute size, ( you believe or not) a cousin of  Cicada, hence

they are a miniature version of their cousin, and having the same habit to suck a sup.  

(Though, I don’t know how this insect coming back next year —- egg stays somewhere

(inside of plant ?) or the female pass over a winter ? —– Does anybody know ? )

Nature’s system and it’s life cycle always fascinates me.  — Even such minute fragile life

has their own system to weather the element and manage the continuation of species

—– for millions of years !   Has they got wisdom let alone a brain ?   Or all in their GENE ?  

How those GENE has been programmed ?

—–  So, the Buddhist calls it the Dharma.   System and the governing rules.

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Eucalyptus and Bumble Bee

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Eucalyptus are very common in this country still not well known with it’s flowers.

This one bloom every year on their hedge of one of neighbours.  And when it bloom,

the Bumble Bees are frantic, literally as busy as bee.    Never pose to a camera.   😀

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Eucalyptus only came from Australia.  In the same extent, Protea only came from

South Africa. —– Still, such as Tree fern or Cycad can come from both countries.  

Because those living fossil plants spread all over one big continents called  Pangaea  

which was separated to Africa, Australia, America etc. together with their plants.

(then their own peculiar plants evolved separately).

( Plants on Pangaea didn’t have flower —– where is the origin of flowering Gene ? ? ? ) 

—– So, it’s interesting, why the honeys from those plants are still the same ? ? ?  🙂

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Buddha’s Silence

After I wrote [Moksa / Moksha] I had some talk with a man who is a staunching believer of

“to gain higher conscious to attain enlightenment, to escape from the cycle of re-birth”. 

—– naturally he didn’t like my view of that the current Buddhism is a mixed-up.

[]

While wondering  why the people couldn’t understand such obvious historical fact and rational

conclusion.   I try to see the Wiki kind in the net, to see what others are writing about what

Lord Buddha’s silence toward the question.   (I normally refer to the collection of Buddhism

scriptures in modern Japanese translation) — then I found those writers in Wiki kind, often use the

term “Samsara” etc. which is a Hindu term, and the use of the word such as [SELF] was rather in

casual way.   I realized, this must be yet another case of   “writer is not necessary understand

what the  [Selflessness]  in the original teachings”.

[]

Lord Buddha’s silence said to be occurred in two kind of questions.

One was about the world or space, whether it is infinite and eternal or not.

And the other was such as what would happen to the Spirit or the Self after the death.  

—– a funny connection to those questions, I remember an episode in the Agama Sutra, which I

wrote in a post [Three times Buddha] there could be a fixed attitude in

Lord Buddha’s responce.

After try to teach in tree different approaches, if they didn’t work, he just stop to talk.

[]

Lord Buddha’s teachings about the SELF was nothing like other Guru or Philosophers’, such as

theoretical argument of “if the self exists —- blah blah” “if not blah blah—” but

a definite phenomenon exists in our mind (brain) such as I wrote in a post

[ Selflessness demonstrated]. —– This is the very Selflessness what

Lord Buddha had based on in his teachings.   This was the reason why the another episode

[Test of Selflessness]  existed. — (Of cause, on the assumption, those episodes are true historical

event ) as I explained, this Selflessness (in fact virtually all of his teachings) was not a subject of

logical argument but just to be sublimated to the depth of unconsciousness and just to be.

Like “Honesty” it’s not a matter of understanding the meaning of  word.  Just Don’t lie.

The only rule was Just do it, Just be it.   No question.  No thinking.

= If the one was really in Selfless state, no question of such as “After death” could arise.

( Being oneself without having even a conscious to be oneself,  no separate objective view toward

the self, let alone to the future after the death. —– no such mind could exists)

Honest man never think, nor need to think about the eyes of other people.

—– therefore, when he was asked the very question, he must be very

annoyed, hence ignored it and kept silence.

Even a conscious of self  is not in the living body, how it could remain after the death.

(Self is a product of intentional thinking = delusion.  Hence, when the producer dies, its product too) 

And as all the existences are inter-dependent and keep changing, how could we know

how far it extend and what happenes next moment = as nothing would last for ever.

(—- Don’t you remember what I’ve taught ?    Don’t ask obvious question again ! )

Lord Buddha didn’t even explain why he smiled, nor he would why he didn’t answer.

___/\___

[]

(The trouble of those Wiki authors are, that they are thinking the SELF is yet another

existence.  But, in the original Buddhism teachings, the matter was its NON existence.

= talk about what not there is pointless. —– in fact, it indicates, that they are not

Buddhism scholar but probably Hindu writer who is familiar with the idea of “Atoman”

Lord Buddha’s  Selflessness is the VOID of it, unlike an idea of Box contains “Kind Mind”

or “Self-Sacrificing Mind”  “Supreme Holy Mind” etc. —— but  Box itself is NOT there.

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Images in Hackney / Fish-eye Vision

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Those are the photos, which I’ve clicked the camera on the street of Hackney.  

As the default of the optical design, the image was heavily distorted.  

Which people dubbed as fish-eye lens effect.   

Some people hate this effect saying too unnatural —- ?  is it ?

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Everybody knows perspective.    If you see a thing in distance, it looks smaller.

Assuming, you are standing on front of a huge building, 50m tall and 100m wide.  

You are standing from the central door abut 25m or so distance, facing the

building straight.  = From this stance, you can just see whole building in one picture.  

The building spread side to side about 120~140 degree in angle on your view.  

The center of building looks so high on front of you. —– yet far away,  you can see

the end of building = it looks not as high as in the center, because of perspective.

While you are standing and able to see whole building in one picture —– Don’t

you think something wrong ?  = Despite the building was built with straight lines

both end of the same building looks smaller in the same time.  = ONLY a conclusion

is “You are not able to see straight line as a straight line = it’s bent down in both end”

In fact, as the eyes are ball-shaped,  we never see straight line in our optical image,

except the one run straight in the center.   All the straight lines are in the imagination,  

or “Re-construction”  in our visual cortex in the brain.

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So, I would say,  this is our natural vision. = only the center of our eyes shows  

straight line, and the both end of image, lines are converging = above,  down ward,

below, up ward = you see  —– or ARE you still clinging your illusion ?    

Ha ha ha.     I’m kidding.  😀

(In real life,  if you see a straight line looked carved,  you got to see a doctor.  

Despite  we definitely having blind-spot in each eyes,  no body see any blank in

our vision,  our brain re-configuring the visual signal perfect (well, more or less)

we see the straight building straight — in fact,  what is “to see it as it is in open eyes”

a good question.   😀 )

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Hackspace

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There is a gathering place and their work shop for the electronic hackers called  

Hackspace  in Hackney, London.  —– Why Hackspace in Hackney may not have

any connection and I’m not interested in pun.   😀

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And this evening, a group of enthusiast of  Arduino (ready to use programmable

controller)  demonstrate what he has done.

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(A guy in the photo right was going to demonstrate how he programmed an

Arduino device to control his industrial robot)

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(They got quite hefty collection of books which may cover all the question ! )

To deal with even the same electronics, there are hundred of different approaches.   

Some are purely pursuit how the electronics work, others are to achieve the

purpose,  by utilizing the electronics, electro-mechanics —– and to use it in

likely way to the most unlikely way etc etc.  the possibilities are literally endless.

Other group, Dorkbot is a group using the electronics, electrics in rather strange way,

or they may say, more artistic way  😀   —–  And I’m saying my sculptures are often

happen to move —– to make it, it often need to have a mechanism and its controller,

in most of the case it was done by the electro-mechanics.  (It could be done with pure

clock-work as well though, it would be more time-consuming to make)

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One of the largest group, this  Hackspace  are having  700 members and two floor

huge space in a building, of which basement is for storage and a GOOD workshop.

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It seems, quite few heavy machineries were donated by the academic institute such as

Imperial College (when they got new one, old one has to go somewhere, anyway  🙂 ) 

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And the place is 24 hours open for the members to use the space and work shop,

otherwise just come and chat ! —— for a monthly pay of  £5 ~£15  depend on

how often you suppose to use.  (Can you believe ! )

Their website is —–   Hackspace (link)

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Moksa / Moksha

Time to time I encounter the people who use a word Moksa or Moksha.

Most of the case they are not a Buddhist but somewhat around of it, such as Herbalist,

Acupuncturist, Psychoanalyst, or so-called New-age type of people who knew or read

something about “Higher state of Consciousness” kind.  (Buzz word “Higher” would

satisfy the Ego = I’m better than others. 😀  —– thus,  able to sell more books)

Yet still, a sect of Buddhism, Theravada who supposed to maintain the older form of

Buddhism, is using this word Moksha instead of Nirvana.

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Even among the Mahayana Buddhists, their understanding of the Buddhism is to deal with

this endless cycle of re-birth / Samsara, and to close this cycle is the Nirvana.

And most of the Buddhists believe, this is the fundamentals of the Buddhism.

This must be the biggest blunder and a fraud in the human history.

[]

This matter has been the most grievous headache to decipher Buddhism to me.

Lord Buddha’s teaching has broken the tradition and the popular belief of the

perpetual soul.   As everything is in the Karma, relating and depending each

other, non can remain for ever.   Naturally, when the body has died, the mind,

the soul resided in there, ceased to exist = So, this is the end of the suffering of

the person, hence it is the Nirvana.

So that, how come, why after one’s death, the person

has to suffer rebirth, to keep having the trouble of so-called Samsara   ? ? ?

[]

Utterly contrary to popular belief, the idea of Samsara was not what

Lord Buddha taught. —– I haven’t traced all of his words in the scriptures still,

just give a rational thought,  it is obviously THE self-contradiction of which NO

Lord Buddha would have made.

Lord Buddha might have used the word “Samsara” for a sake of convenience,

when he talked to mass audience who was not educated but

at least know it mean the trouble of the life.  —– Assuming, if

Lord Buddha said, “My teaching will save you from the trouble of Smsara

—– What he meant was   “Trouble of the  IDEA  of Samsara”   since,

such IDEA itself is nothing but a false DELUSION which fooled the people.

Lord Buddha needed to teach and save the people who has been suffering

from a fear of such deluded IDEA,  saying  ” Don’t worry no such re-birth

would ever happen,  since the soul wouldn’t remain after the death”  (But

people’s fear is a cash-cow of  Guru and Monks, they changed the story)

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It seemed, this “Story-Change” had happened in the earliest stage of the Buddhism history,

long before even the Agama Sutra was written.   Considering that Theravada sect is using

a word Moksha which was originated from a popular Cult then who taught the idea of

Samsara and the Moksa, this mixed-up must be happened long before the birth of

Mahayana Buddhism.

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The IDEA of said ancient Cult was that all the life-form born as its own stage of progression

from the lowest to highest,  hence this idea became the Cast System in the Hinduism.

And according to the one’s deed, if the one did good enough, the one will reborn in the higher

cast but did bad goes back to the lower, even down to be a beast.  This cycle of Rebirth is

the Samsara,  and only the highest will get ultimate  Moksa to end this cycle.

Lord Buddha totally against this IDEA,  hence in his Sangha, all the followers were

treated as equal  (NO cast),  and he taught, ultimate goal can be reached in one  life

as Nirvana  (NOT the Hindu idea of Moksa which may takes several lives to reach ).

[][]

Lord Buddha’s teachings were “How to acquire the mind-set [Detachment

Mushin, Selflessness] to deal with harsh reality in life, and to see the TRUTH”.

= The Truth, “No such things like SELF exists, hence nothing to be Reincarnated”

and to live in this truthful life, the one can reach peaceful Nirvana.

He did not teach a product of  imagination, far from it, he fought against it.

—– If you believe otherwise, please show me a FACT of Rebirth.

Lord Buddha was not such idiot to teach dubious imaginary story.

___/\___

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Beach Rose

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I don’t think I need to show whole plant of this Rose as you can find them just round

corner of street — with a sweet fragrance but having such dense sharp prickles. 

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I thought this rose, Rosa rugosa is a common rose in any sea coast in the northern

country though, it seems it was originated from east, and once introduced to the west,  

it spread everywhere since,  even they were classified as “Invasive plant” in the US.

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The reason why I thought they are common was that I was thinking their seed pod 

(some people calls them “Sea tomato” ) was carried by the sea stream and spread

to other places.  —– When I saw them first time in the northern Japan, where people

call them as Hamanasu or Hamanashi,  I was overwhelmed by its impenetrable bush 

spread on a sea  side as far as I can see.  Then,  its sweet fragrance was embedded to my

subconscious alongside a Song “Shiretoko-Ryojo” (知床旅情/A memory in Shiretoko)

Since, I was on the way to Shiretoko Peninsula with the botanists who wants to see an

unique species of Violet only grow in a remote corner of that Peninsula.

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So that, when I saw this rose again on the shore of  Helsingor, Denmark,  just outside

of Kronborg Castle  (famous for Hamlet)  33 years ago, its smell instantly took me

back into its old memory.  ( Sigh !   How far, we have drifted —— 🙂 )  

Though, in reality, her ancestor didn’t come riding on the wave, but travelled in a box.

( Not so romantic.    How shame.   🙂 )

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ヨシ禅縁起

(これは友人に送った手紙の拔粋で,まァ日本霊異記,仏教説話の現代版ですな)

———————————————————–

昔母親が僕の手相を読みながら 「お前は下らない事ばかりやっているが,曲った事だけはやらない。それに使命を負って生れていますからそれを果すまでは絶対に犬死にする事はないし,そもそも不動様が付いているので全く心配していません」と言い放ってくれた事があった。    しかし,なんで俺ごときに,わざわざ不動様の番が付かねばならぬのか? 

この意味が把めたのは実に厄年も過ぎてからで ーーー ハタ!そう言えばえらくヤバい所を歩き回っていた割にマムシ、ハブはおろかサソリ、毒グモの類に出合った事も無い。 考えてみるとそもそも病気にかからない。 岩場で二度も転落しながら全くの無傷。 大転倒してスキーを二本も折りながら何の怪我も無し。 一方、背後から刺してくれた者、裏切ってくれた者が突然癌にかかってコロッと死んだり、もっとひどいのは死ぬ事もならず苦しみ続けている。 山で嫌がらせのしごきをやってくれた男は即、雪盲で動きもとれなくなって痛みでひいひい泣いていた。(因みにこの男、しばらく前に山に登ったものの徹底して暴風雨にたたられたとか=神サマ後々までかなりしつこいらしい。笑)  偉そうに命令はするが自分では薪切りも荷上げもやらなかった小屋番の五人は還暦を迎える事もなく他界して当時のメンバーはあとー人しか生残っていない。(ずっと後になって知った訳だが全く異った状況と死因ながら五人が次々に、というのには流石に目をむいた) ーーー 小生が常連になると店や団体は大繫盛,逆に行くのを止めるとそこは倒産する。—–(ディスコ四軒,カフェ二軒,三団体, 山小屋二軒) 遇然にしてはちょっとタイミングが重なり過ぎている。(全て知らないうちにそうなっていたので,小生が呪いをかけた訳ではない---念の為)(例外的にBrixtonのクラブスタッフには予め警告を与え次の仕事捜しを勧めておいたのだが、六ヶ月後現実につぶれるまでは誰も本気にしなかったようだ。)

[]で,もっと奇妙なのが[8150の怪]といふ奴で,こちらの関係先,立回り先,それこそ電話番号から

1-A09A4124-001--8150

銀行口座,

2-A09A4120-001--8150ブログの統計ページ,

3-A09A4122-001--8150ユーチューブの整理番号に至るまで,

将に「張番中]とばかりにこの数字現れる。 ---数字学の人によるとこれは語呂合せ通りに[ハイゴレイ,背後霊]の告知なんだそうな。---思い込みにしては,本人が選んでいる番号ではないし,それが勝手に現れて来るのは止めようもなく,現に個人向けの物に出て来る事実は動かし難い。---しかし、どんなメカニズムで現れて来るのかね?

[]と言うのを逆から考えてみて,ハタと思い当ったのは,実は小生は元々坊主になる為の修業をさせられていたのではと。 虫や花の自然観察から始まって科学一般,一方では詩人逹の人間学,次に社会学で視野を広げる一方,山登りの有無を言わせぬ荒行と,小屋番の只働き = そりゃ無私無心の達人にもなるさ。 (永平寺の香月師はそれを一目で見拔いた訳だ)

で,幸か不幸か裁判沙汰で仕事を離れ,改めて禅なるものを考えるうちに無私無心と神経生理との関係に気が付き,禅と仏教の謎が一気に解けた。

[    で,これも何故か遇然,ブログを始める事になり,書始めてから気付いたのは,どうやらこれは

釈尊以来,2500年間で初めての解釈,ひょっとしてこれはえらい大役で,これが母親の言っていた使命なるものではなかろうか? もしそうであるなら,そりゃ不動明王の加護,背後霊の加護が付くと言うのも納得が行く。---逆に見れば,これが必要であったからこそ,全てがここに集束すべく物事が生起して来た,生起すべく配置されていたという事だろう。 

遇然のように見えているが実は全て起るべく定まっていた訳です。(これを運命と呼ぶ)

[]唯一困るのは,小生のブログでは元々の仏教に怪し気なナンジャモンジャは(あれはヒンズーや土俗タントラの混交)存在しないし

釈尊もそれに対する質問は無視して黙っていたとされている(無記)---それではこの不動明王と言うのは何者で,そもそも小生の運命を規定するダルマに意志や意図が有るのかと言う難問が出てしまう。

ダルマは単に縁起が網のよう連鎖した[空]で意図を持たない無私である筈。(まァそれは不可知と逃げるのですが) (しかし,これも逆説で,もし小生のやっている事,書いている事がダルマや

釈尊の意図に反しているならそれこそ大逆罪で,とっくの昔にコロッと死んでいた筈だし,嫌がらせやハッカー攻撃を受けてブログもつぶれていた筈。)ーーー結果として何故か小生が禅仏教の基になった脳生理について語る事になった。 小生自身は悟りを得ようとも教祖になる気もさらさら無く単に迷信に侵された仏教者,研究者に[これが本来の教えというものを証したいだけで,2500年の間に一人ぐらいは,これをやる奴が居ても良かろうと言う事です。

[] これを整理,組識化し,宗教化するも哲学化するもそれは誰かの仕事で,それも因果の生起として起るものなら起り,仏教も元々の形に戻るでしょう。あるいは,鼻クソとして消えるものなら消えて行く。  それがダルマの意志,と言うものでありそれが己れに付いたカルマです。 

合掌 良禅拝

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