Run for a Bus

On the way to a weekly gathering of the Wireless Wednesday

(WiFi Net geek’s work shop) at Greenwich,

I saw a back of a bus just gone from the stop.   Then the bus was stopped on a traffic light.

Can I catch it at the next bus stop ? —– should I run or not ? —– In fact, I did and managed

to get on board. (otherwise, it could have been another quarter to half an hour wait, as this service is

rather poor) —– it may not be an old Buddhist’s like hassle.

Is it ? —– Seeing a back of a bus, therefore accept the bad timing = is this, a grown-ups decent

contemplation ?    Rush to the next bus stop instead and catch it, isn’t this an effort we should give ?

(Don’t laugh this, as a mediocre Bus story = take it as a metaphor as we are always facing

this kind of situation every day.)

[]

When we faced a difficult situation,  even impossible or  too late.

One attitude is to give up, forget it, and just get on the life. This is one of the way to

keep one’s peace of mind.   As it accept the situation and follow the fate, it is quite

Buddhist’s like contemplation, some might say. —– is it ?

—– In reality, this is all about what we call [Decision making] in our life.

To see a possibility or feasibility (in comparison to one’s ability) and challenge it to do.

How important and how big the possibility = expectation to succeed.

Don’t expect too much. Know the one’s limit and the size, is the wise man’s advice,

hence, to [know who you are], and to have [humble life] is in fact, a kind of safe bet.

[]

In the early time, Buddhism took this approach, hence hundreds of rules of [Don’t do this]

of which some sect even calls them as Dharma (to call man’s words as Dharma is nothing but a

preposterous arrogance though) —– normally, do nothing would cause fewer possibilities of

making mistakes.

It looks true, as it would give a kind of peace at least  😀

Therefore, abandon the ordinary life, cessation of relation, complete detachment to the mess of

human life, not to do this and that etc etc —– then a question arose, what for we are here ?

—– is this what the Dharma created us for ?

What Buddha denied was the ego and the useless thinking. But those so-called rules are

nothing other than an artificially composed man’s idea remote from the human nature.

This was the beginning of the Mahayana Buddhism.

Exactly same logic to deny the ego / self was used to deny the idea to deny the human nature.

Hence the Mahayana approach was established = do what you need to do, suffer as you

have to suffer = this is what the Dharma is.

But when the one does something, what extent the person should go ?

What is within the limit of the Dharma, which isn’t go into the ego and the greed, obsession

—– then, the idea of  [Middle-way]  was developed.

[]

So, the real Buddhism wouldn’t impose you “not to run for a bus” 😀

Far from it, Dharma will count the effort of a person.

Since the Dharma is not for the degeneration, but for evolution and active development

= unless otherwise we are not here today as us, and being extinct long ago.

Run for the bus = the reason why the bus showed its back and halted on the traffic light was = it gave

an opportunity for me to run.    Take a risk.   Challenge the project which you conceived = you to

have conceived the idea was for you to challenge it task = otherwise the Dharma wouldn’t

have chosen you to conceive its idea in the first place.

Do your best. Just do it.

___/\___

—

Desire and Greed (2)

The first moment when I became aware the connection between Zen and the programming

of the subconsciousness (so-called mind-set) was, when I gave up any relation with woman.

It was triggered by two factors appeared on 1987. One was the first report of incurable new disease AIDS

(it didn’t have even a name then) = sexual relation is no longer safe.

And the other was the start of a trouble with a woman who exploited my VISA status by a false registration

of the marriage done in Japan, in order to get new passport and obtained the VISA masqueraded as my wife.

(It took 11 hearing in the High Court to make the Judge to realize it really happened without my knowledge.

—– Japanese Registrar had no way to know whether my signature was genuine or not and the name seal

was mine or false one, woman bought in the stationery shop, which she confessed and astonished the Judge)

(Yet still The Judge who didn’t even know the difference of [Void and Voidable Marriage] made

this to a valid marriage, hence it was brought up to the Court of Appeal)

= I really utterly fed up “Woman is nothing but a trouble” (in addition to this Judiciary is utterly rotten) 😀

(Funny story is, I was told that the trouble with woman will happen, by my mother as she read

my palm when I was 10 years old —– for me,  it sounds just an unscientific mambo-jumbo then)

[]

It caused me not only a deep psychological trauma but the situation itself made any relation impossible.

In order to fight over the validity of the marriage in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, it completely

consumed my time, finance and energy.  All of my friends were even amazed, how I could manage without

braking down.  ( Still,  it was not as heavy as mountain climbing as there may not be a danger of death.

After all, proceedings is the research of precedence and compiling documents = clerical work = Just do it )

—-whether it was my choice or not, I had to follow the situation and

think “I’m not in a position even to think about woman” = it was not a relative matter, but absolute

imperative = (this is so-called Mindfulness) — as this psyche sunk deep down to my subconscious, 

the notion of woman has disappeared and it became a distant land scape.

(Still, they are visually pretty land scape though,

they no longer appeal to my mind / in a sexual context —– then I realized

“Aha, this is the very eyes of so-called Medical Detachment of a Gynecologist” 😀 )

[]

So that, when I was a regular in the Fridge Club, Brixton London (Escape from Samsara), every weekend

for nearly 6 years, I was just dancing there without mixing with cloud.

Many people mistook me as a special security or under-cover policeman even the owner of the club,

because I don’t take alcohol neither drug, never talk with girls (except the bar staff) still always there.

In reality, seeing hundreds of half-naked girls shaking their bottom every week, made me even more

insensitive, if not utterly nauseating.

I was there not just for dancing, but like a zoological researcher to observe male-female behavior.

[]

As a matter of fact, I myself had amazed by this change of psyche.

Since, even the most fundamental instinct could disappear just with a mind-set,  it convinced me

that all the fancy stories in the martial art, sword mastery must be true = they really

able to overcome the fear of the death,  hence able to come closer to hair-line distance to the enemy’s sword.

—– Liberate the mind from the fear, hence able to obtain the ultimate freedom of the movements.

Then all the Zen stories, has started fallen into the places, like the pieces of Jigsaw Puzzle,

and it started to show whole picture of what the Zen is.

Zen is not an ideological / religious mambo-jumbo but a very logical / rational mind engineering.

—– As even the most fundamental instinct / sexual desire could be annihilated, why not any another desire or

the mind.   What is the point to be imprisoned by such desire or being obsessed and become greedy.

We can make ourselves free from any mind, idea or the situation, and able to choose what ever

better to do.   This freedom is the Enlightenment.

(But remember, don’t chose chocolate and junk food 😀 )

___/\___

—

Desire and GREED

There is a funny paradox in one’s greed.

The more the one chase its desire, more likely end up in misery, in stead to have a satisfaction.

It is said, there are only two motivations which drives the man’s life. One is the sex and the other is greed.

— it might be true as the fundamental instincts for survival are the own survival and the survival of the species.

For own survival, the one has to eat. To eat enough and well, it needs to find the source and the mean to get it

= virtually all the human culture is for this system, directory or indirectly.

And the cynics even said, to eat and live is for a purpose of to perform sex. (How exciting. —– but if it was the

case, surviving without performing a sexual act, is it a waste of the life ? —– somebody made a joke,

it’s a small change after spending spree 😀 )

[]

Eat just enough is classified as bare essential —– but more than that is called as [Greed] 😀

Eat more than necessary would end up with obesity but I may not be a good adviser for this topics since

I couldn’t understand why it happens, since I’m not an addict to any food and having the same body weight

(60kg) since I was 16 years old.

Yet, strangely I can eat an enormous amount in one go —– once, when I went to the Saudi Arabia, Jeddha to set up

an audio-visual multi-screen display for a Motor Show, as well as photographing all those process, I needed to

work pretty hard —– and seeing me eating two portions of meal, a man from advertising agency from Japan said

“Now I understand where your energy and the power came from”

“Of cause, you can’t fight with empty stomach” 😀

But, when the body needs very little, such as a time just dealing with electronic circuit, sitting all day = I even

forgot to eat. —– (Still, drink 1.5~2 litters / 3~4 pints of tea in a day = it is a must for my body)

So that, I have no idea how and why some people can keep eating while getting fat without feeling nausea.

—– couldn’t they feel what the body is telling and see the situation in the mirror ?

( uncontrollable addiction is different from a simple desire or greed, still as I wrote in the earliest post,

eating disorder such as anorexia is a wrong program in the subconsciousness = it’s a matter of the person’s

mind-set of which the Zen is specialized to deal with )

[]

Life is a total system. Hence, it’s called Life Style.

But this style is not like a fashion, it can not be simply changed day by day or each occasion.

And as it is the total system, it is hard to tinker the corner, as the system operates in relation to every

elements / subsystem. —– Mind set is synchronizing with this system.

Simple example is the shopping.   The food you buy is what you eat. = you may say “Of cause”

—– really ?  Just think, how much food you have been throwing away from the fridge or didn’t finish to eat.

[]

If you think to slim-down to simple life, you have to start to change from the shopping habit.

Buy only the food for bare essential, and make a pattern what to buy in where.  If you are likely to

eat little of that cooking, make it only small portion for just enough amount and finish all of them.

—– once the pattern is established, gradually remove a kind of food which is not essential or

self-indulgent kind, namely sweets, crisps and chocolate, even ice cream 🙂

Having the food on front and curve the desire is a fruitless attempt.

Better start with not to buy, not to have it.

So, set the mind [I can’t spend the money for this kind. I’m a poor person] —– (I don’t think if

anybody think, to buy chocolate is a sign of rich person though. 😀 )

[]

At Morison I buy Danish bread, Carrot, Onion, Sprouts, Leaf Tea and Honey. = Because I can choose exact size

of vegetable (because I eat all of them in one meal) and their Danish bread found to be the best so far.

At Lidl I buy Chicken, Apples, Tinned Fish  (my cloths, shoes and junk goods and tools = cheap :-D)

And Iceland, I buy only their Eggs and Single Cream (for Tea and for creamy soup).

At street market, I buy Green Pepper, strange fruits, and exotic vegetables. —– as this shopping habit is

fixed, I only goes to particular corner and I buy nothing else  ( to do Japanese cooking

I go up to the China Town to buy Tofu, Sea weed etc.)

Since, my mind got only those essentials, others such as sweets are just a passing land-scape.

[]

Here that paradox is = set the mind as poor person and abandon greed can bring the more

well-shaped rich life. = (Best of all, I don’t get ill. 🙂 )

———-

PS :  Some of you might be wondering, what I’m cooking out of such limited ingredients. —– I used to

think, I’m a good cook and when I ate something “Oh, I know how it was cooked and I can do too” though,

I gave up to think like this, as I became aware how it is the specialized and delicate area of the skill.

I left gourmet food to the specialized restaurant.  I know it’s there, but may not on my life.  That’s it.

To accept the limit is a part of the contemplation, and this is the departure away from the greed.

—

ZEN in Car Accident

A person who read previous post made me a question, saying

“How detached, emotionless mind can be compassionate in the same time ?”

“As I said, you can not understand it because you are thinking while you are sitting”

[]

—– away from the situation, not on the MOMENT, and thinking = brain is in the pure

thinking mode = all the data and the notion is just borrowed data from the memory bank.

Therefore, everything is individual abstract data = having no reality or its real connection =

in other words, they don’t have its entirety.   This is the limit of its ability of the THINKING.

[]

We human invented the tool, language for the convenience of the expression, communication

and for thinking process.    And each word is the representation of each categorized notion.

A word RED represents million of reddish color hue in one notion.

To explain Orange (color), we may say “It’s the color between Red and Yellow” eventhough, there are

million of different Orange.   (Still pretty simple and convenient isn’t it  🙂  )

But when it is more complicated and vague notions such as Detachment  or  Compassion, they are just

conveniently made-up notions and the words.   What is Detached, how far is Detached —– ? ? ?

Actually they are not more than a kind of metaphor to describe a kind of state of the mind.

That’s why, it is impossible to describe precisely a state of the mind in words.

[]

A man who had run into  34 cars pile-up on the M5 accident, described the situation

“When I saw the situation, it was an autopilot. I jumped out to help the other people.

A woman in a crushed car asked “My baby, my baby, take my baby”  I took the baby out”

In the pile-up, other cars, petrol tanker are on fire,  he himself could be in danger too .

Even another car may further crushed into his car —– yet,

regardless of such consideration (consideration itself may not there in that moment) he just

acted what he needed to do. —– (did he needed ? —– didn’t he needed just run away for safety ?)

How he knew what to do ? —– Was he a fire brigade and familiar with car accident ? —– I don’t think so.

[]

Suddenly involved in a car pile-up, fire, explosion, still not overwhelmed by its horror and fear

of own life, able to grasp the situation is nothing but the [Selfless], [Detached Eyes and the Mind].

And this very detached eyes saw the urgent needs of the other people, hence, he acted “autopilot”.

This was certainly the manifestation of the [Mushin].

And as he is a human, he instinctively knew what he got to do, and he did it in his best

in fully minded concentration = [Mindfulness].

This is what Buddhist call manifestation of the [Dharma and its wisdom].

In fact, there was only one mind. = All those selflessness, detached mind, mushin, mindfulness are only the

different aspects of the same mind = actually there was No-Mind = only the Dharma was.

Compassion was not from his emotion, but the Dharma’s expression.   Dharma autopilot him.

[]

I don’t think this man was a Buddhist. —– But this is the real virtue and its universality of the Dharma.

Everybody (Buddhist or not) is a part of the Dharma, everybody is having the nature like him.

Buddha saw this fact, and found the way and the practice to develop this nature to apply all

aspects of the life.  (not only in a situation like an accident or disaster —– still, it works best in such

moment, that’s why Zen asks the mind-set to face the situation,  “as if it is the moment of life or death” )

[]

( In reality,  we are sensing far more information on the spot,  far more than any AI program able to anticipate,

without having any signal compression or abstract categorization = RAW data from all the sensors in the body.

With those moment to moment, up to date information,  we are assessing,  judging what to do —– but all

done in the subconscious level = which we call the spontaneous response.

Because of this process is invisible,  and the RAW data containes even genetically inherited ancient information,

Buddha attributed this supreme process to also invisible Dharma. )

[]

—– So, this post clarified how detachment and compassion are in the same mind in the same time.

And it must be clear, it couldn’t be understood while you are sitting.    (When you are sitting, you can deal

with the matter of sitting —– this is what [Live in the Moment] mean.)

( Convinced ? 🙂 )

___/\___

—

Search Term

Like real life, there always is something unexpected, or couldn’t anticipate.

This Yoshizen’s blog was started just as a coincidence, hence no clear structure or design exist.

And it has been went on and on, resulted utterly assorted 260 posts now, and having total hit of 57,000 (!).

(I have no idea how many people — if 10 persons read 10 posts each, it would be counted as 100 hits)

In fact, it’s gave me a puzzle “How come” ? And I’m still puzzling, such as an occasion soon after it was posted,

suddenly it gone to popular arena and receiving amazing responses, —– How it happened  ?

There seems something strange communication exist among the readers of which I’m not fully understood.

How the readers able to know something interesting in here, before hand ?

Is it all because of the Google’s search engine ?  Or a kind of network of the readers, Emailing

the link each other, saying have look this one ?

[]

And pretty interesting to me is, I can see the search term which people used —– and end-up here 🙂

—– I don’t know whether a person expected to come here or somewhere else.

Some search terms such as [Make rice cake in 15 minutes], [Da vinch penis drawing] are most likely from

the memory of my old post, and wanted to find the same, probably to show others as a talking piece.

But some of them are utterly incomprehensible —– How it came to here ? Some are a term to look for a

porno site = when I tested the same, such as [female nude 3D] [japanese wife nude] it went into a sea

(million items) of Google lists.   So the question is,  how the person could manage to reach here without

leaving a Google foot-print ? Is there special access code to write Search Term into my Stats’ ?

—– What ever, it must be a great effort to achieve it.

[]

The terms which people has used, such as [Bodhitree in Japanese], [story+of+bodhidarma]

[Walking and not thinking the leg movement] — may originated from this blog though, the

person didn’t remember the name of the site = name is not the matter but the contents.

A flower rising from the water may teach a person what is the Dharma,  but the matter is

the way of its existence,  not the name = Lotus.

This blog might have inspired the readers and some may find the right direction of

their Pathway. = is what all about the role of this blog.   And the very reason to be here.

___/\___

—

Change PATHWAY ???

I’ve received rather heavy question as a comment on [Tiny Comment] post,

which said;

>>> I’m now at a crossroads in my working life. I work with disabled people (for some reason

I seem to work with blind and visually impaired) showing them ICT skills to communicate

with computers across the internet. As you know I also am an artist. Neither is making me a

living, but I find I cannot go back to cleaning toilets and doing basic manual work. Can I be

mindful and find my path again? Something (I do not know what, maybe slight sadness) tells

me I may need to change path completely…

[]

As a matter of fact I know this man many years as I’ve seen him everywhere, Art events, Computer events and

he is a friend of lots of my friends as well, yet ever knowing his full name or profession.

Hence, I gave him a nick name [Paul the Ubiquitous] in my diary 😀

In my notorious one glance, he was seen as a man of very wide faculty and extrovert, going round a lots

—– adrenaline driven very active person —– in other words, knowing a lots, but because the information

he has to deal with in his brain is so much, not necessary had a time to know a direction or who he is, yet

without knowing direction still able to proceed like a bulldozer, it often go against the other’s grain.

Life wouldn’t be smooth and sweet.

(The line between confidence and arrogance, active and pushy are very thin, but fundamental trouble is that

the [man of confidence] couldn’t guess the mind of the [man of no-confidence], such as even a use of technical

term or talking speed, often it is hard to follow the speed of brain of the [man of confidence] :-D)

[]

In the quote above, he said [change the path] —– I hope he is not mixing it up with

the so-called [Pathway] in the Buddhism.

In fact, it is not him, generally most of the people who was interested in the Buddhism having

a misunderstanding that the [Pathway] is the special process in the Buddhism study. —– Far

from it, it is the LIFE itself.    There is no double life or short cut  even in a Buddhist’s life.

Life is total and only one to a person, and it is the very  Pathway.  ( What makes the dairy life

into so-called Pathway is, how the person could find the core reality out of the mundane occurrences =

some may grasp the truth of whole life in one fallen leaf = it’s called direct transmission in Buddhism)

[]

While having a ruthless life to chase own greed, there is no redemption by the 10 minutes meditation in the

evening or some donation to the temple.  His life itself is not compatible with the Buddhism = the person is

taking a pathway of the greed = Karma follows accordingly.

( though, in Zen, as it follows Mahayana tradition, there is slightly different understanding that a part of the life,

such as [ruthless activity] can still have highest efficiency in Zen —– yet, overall repercussion of the Karma

comes from its totality of the life.  I don’t think the Supreme Sword Master Musashi got any regret when he died.

But I don’t think he needed to have, let alone wished to have Nirvana = He lived and died as a

man of the Sword = It was the Zen contemplation)

[]

So, the question is, whether [Paul the Ubiquitous] need to change his path (direction) —– ?

My view is, as he is living in the environment to deal with ICT, and blind people many years already, he must

have all the expertise, knows resources, possibilities, limitations, it is already his part of the life.

What he needs more is to open the eyes to see what he can do to those blind people —– find a new approach,

better technology to solve the problem.  Somebody in unique environment or position is, often because of

he was needed to be there —– could be a Karma.

Though, to fill the duty in the Karma, it needs to work hard = mindfulness mean the objective is only one,

don’t expect anything else, such as good business or fame.   ( let alone nice woman 😀 )

Being also as an artist mean, he must have an idea of unconventional approach = idea of pretty new device.

He could be an inventor as well.  Provided, he must know, he is an able person = He need to hear and

feel what blind and impaired people is feeling = the mind to hear and to know the other’s mind.

Buddhist’s listening ears and the compassion, above all clear open mind would be essential.

When the idea developed concrete, apply a grant etc to develop further. As the demography is changing,

this field having a priority in the society.    Believe your task and the duty in full.

Good luck.

___/\___

—

Tiny Comment — How Master Kogetsu got angry

If this is the first time for you to stumble this blog, you might be puzzled

as this blog is the most not Zen like place.

In here, there is no pretentious word game or glorious myth were told.   Especially,

if you have a romanticized idea of Zen as something intellectually hi-class culture,

you will be disappointed.  Zen is not an exclusive special culture nor peculiar practice.

Even so-called Enlightenment, Nirvana is NOT the hard to come-by

awkward commodity.  It is right there sitting next to you.

You just not see it because you believe, it must be the other side of the river, long way

beyond the Pathway, hence looking somewhere wrong place.

Far from it, it is nothing afar.   In this blog, I’m showing how Zen and Enlightenment is

ubiquitous and in fact, right inside of you.

It was not my opinion but simply this is what

Lord Buddha told, therefore what the Zen is.

Zen can be walking, can be cutting a lemon. In deed,

being yourself is the Zen and Enlightenment.

I show it to your eyes,  what I’m doing here.

non

When I faced Master Kogetsu in the Eiheiji Temple and told him that I was a

photographer, what he uttered was “What a hell, why a photographer kind of person

wondering the Zen Temple.  This is exactly the indication of that you couldn’t settle

and be diligent in your own life” “As you are a photographer, do the best photography

and become the best photographer. It is where your life is”. — In return I replied to

him “Wait a moment, why photographer can’t search the truth.   Have look, even

Lord Buddha himself did forsake the life of Royal prince and became a seeker.  Why not me ?”

“What? —– What a preposterous word you got, comparing yourself to

Lord Buddha is unforgivable”  (though, he didn’t hit me with a stick which was in his side.  :-))

non

Master Kogetsu was one of the highest Soto Zen priest ( wearing brown ), who was the

head of the Suzuka-dera Temple and visiting, serving fellow of the Eiheiji Temple.

(In fact, leaving the dairy chore to deal with dead man for the hand of young monks and

have a break, come to chat together with another priests in the Eiheiji Temple  🙂 )

Naturally he knew the Zen Buddhism back to back.   Hence, what he meant was, as he said,

the Enlightenment to a photographer is to live totally as a photographer.

There is no fancy myth or abstract enigma there.

As the Life itself is total already, 

Zen wouldn’t make it any more complicated,  simply Life is the Life.

To see as it is and to live as it is,  Just Do It which is due, is the Enlightenment.

non

Just like a lotus flower, being as the flower is the Dharma,

a photographer being as the photographer is the Dharma.

Being with Dharma mean, when the time comes it is the Nirvana.

(Photographer being as a photographer needs no pretence or thinking =

being in Mushin = his camera, his technique, his eyes and the subject,

all become one = Ichijo —– what the one needs more.

(in this instance, forget pretty model—– What model ?    😀 )

This was the way, how Sword Master perfected his skill, how Sword Smith

created his unbreakable sword —– even a Tea Master perfected his tea making.  

It was the Zen.  

Zen is not in the sitting posture, but in the every day’s life,  moment to moment.

non

When the historical Great Zen Masters got their Enlightenment all of them uttered

“It’s a Dog shit”

Yes, it is as ubiquitous as a dog shit, as the Master has been with himself all through his life.

No fancy or enigmatic mumbo-jumbo has been discovered.  The life as it is —– It is there.

(In other words, to invent or cling any fancy story is nothing short of a delusion).

My blog here is talking about this [Zen in action] —– action in everyday life.

___/\___

—

Quantitative Easing

When I was doing a voluntary work in a mountain shelter where we’ve been taking care of

up to 100 guests.   Still, 3 times every year we have to accommodate 300 guests for two ~

three nights at the so-called golden week on May and September, and the New Year holiday.

To feed 300 guests was nothing but a war. We keepers were in a constant battle of

cooking, serving, and washing. (In the same time, some senior keeper had to go out

to search missing person and some had to treat the injured person and so on)

In the kitchen front, we had only 70 or so dinner plates, and in such situation, serving a

meal of fixed menu, Cary Rice (because it can be served on one plate and a spoon = easiest

to serve and wash. ( No complaint. —– It’s a 2300m high mountain called Yatsugatake in

Nagano pref’ where snow fall could be up to 2m deep, winter temperature could be

dropped to -20 degree C. —– mind you, we keepers weren’t paid. We even had to pay a transport

to get there from our pocket.   If you don’t like don’t come,  was the base of rules.

Once in February, I learned how to live alone, without making even a single word,

as the owner has gone to the town and didn’t come back one month, just listening a

roar of snow storm and boiling noise of water on a stove was the life.

How nice to be in the remote mountain. 😀 )

non

When I was washing the dish to cater 300 guests, I noticed that the same plate is coming

back every 10 minutes —– I know it because the plate got minute spot on its edge.

While serving the guests, 70 plates rotating ( go-out with Cary Rice on it, and coming

back as an emptied plate ) = 4~5 times rotation would serve 300 people in 1 to 2 hours !

300 guest were served and they are satisfied (on the face. 😀 ) by the rotation of  70 plates.

non

It was an ingenious and intriguing imagination (joke), when I saw the economical situation, I found

the funny analogy between so-called Credit Crunch and the rotating plates. — as long as the plates

rotates 5 times in an hour or so, everybody will be fed before they feel hungry, or 300 guest were fed

and all of their stomachs were filled,  despite of only having 70 plates, 300 portion of the

requirement was fulfilled = 4.3 times more wealth has been created.

But if the speed slow down, someone end of the queue would be starved.   To alleviate the situation,

hand out a plate to each with a promise of that the food would be served soon = it’s called credit.

—– though, fundamental problem was, there are only 70 plates.

To calm the frustration of the guest, hand out 230 more paper dish to cover all 300 =

this is so-called Quantitative Easing. 😀

non

Everybody is expecting to get a meal while holding a paper dish in their hand.

We mankind has created funny system of economy and the false environment. — what’s this ? ? ?

—– I rather like to have, not a falsely inflated economy and uncertain promise, but to bring

fresh food material and cook by myself and eat = down to the earth humble life.

( Of cause, I know the politician and the bankers would say “ Don’t be limited by 70 plates,

create more wealth and spend it” —– ? ? ? Really ? —– [aren’t they stashing the wealth

created there, into their own pocket ? ]

It doesn’t need to see 70 plates. Everybody can see something utterly wrong

in the socioeconomic system today.  Raise your voice.  Make politician,

bankers to take notice.  So, go to the street,  join the protesters.

non

Simple LIFE / Humble LIFE

Simple life —– well well well. I’m well aware that I’ve been using this word rather casually and often.

After all, Zen Buddhism is not what we talk or think, but practice.

So, in practice am I having simple life ? ? ? —- In one glance, it is untrue.

I’m doing too many things and being involved too many activities —– often not necessary they

are what I’ve intended.  They just happened and came to my hand.

But, this is the most important core teaching in the ZEN.

When I do anything I only do one thing ( at a time ) = because of I’m doing only one thing,

it is very simple.   Just Do It.

non

Then Humble Life —– ?   This is definitely true on me.    Anyone can see it in distance.

May be indistinguishable from a vagrant.   Far remote of any concept of fashion, still strangely people says,

they can find me in the cloud easily since I’m looks always the same 😀

A secret behind of this, I’m buying the same cloths, some time many at once —– my signature attire of

white pullover, I got almost identical 5 of them.

When I buy underwear or socks kind, I buy many of them in one go, or after gave a close look and when

I found it is a good product, I go back to the shop and buy up many of them.

Like the socks, if they are all same made, I don’t need to have a trouble to find a matching pair 😀

After all, I’m lazy to think what to ware ( I don’t care the package, the matter is the contents ) —– if

the package is the same, I don’t need to think about when I put.   It’s true isn’t it ?

Laziness lead to the simplicity.     This is what the humble life become simple life. Ha ha ha. 😀

non

While having much enough to think about for a project or design, I wouldn’t like to spare the time to

mundane things —– sorry I wouldn’t pay much of attention to the room decoration.

Zen wouldn’t chase two rabbits, since we got only one life.   ( And we don’t wait to have another

life to finish the project —– as nobody ever did = nobody ever enlightened in the next life, 

since no such things ever exists in this world —– even Dalai Lama had to learn the Buddhism

from scratch = where all the wisdom supposed to be accumulated in his previous 13 lives ? )

So, Just Do It,  while it is in your hand.

___/\___

non

Bang in Trinity Gallery

Last Friday night,  there was an opening of an Art exhibition and the performance at the newly opened

art gallery called Trinity in Greenwich (5 minutes from Cutty Sark ship) (Click here for Info’)

Exhibition was titled [ Emblem – Deconstructed and Destroyed ] = installation using a lots of books, created

by Christina Mitrentse and the performance of   fire-play to burn a book = ( so, Destroyed ? )

May be only an Artist who is using fire powder to create ( or destroy ?) the Art =

Aoife Van Linden Tol  prepared the fuse and the explosive powder on a book.

( She is a qualified and licensed explosive handler !  )

While Aoife was preparing,  an Art Writer Douglas Park  recited a text he wrote for Aoife’s creation.

Then, she put light on fuse — Bushu shu shu shu  😀 —– And Bang , Pang  Pang —– !  😀

Then, it’s so-called Art Talks.

In the gallery floor, Christina’s installation. —————— And Aoife’s victims or her Art.

Something very unusual of this gallery is the structure of

the building,  hence floor plan for an art-space.

It got great height = 3 stories height and straight wall, but not

an expanse of  floor or side wall.

It’s mean, it is very useful for a kind of display or

performance having interaction with the

space above / another level of existences or

its symbolic expression.

In addition, outside garden having a lots of trees = good spooky back ground !

( In fact, I got quite few idea pretty suited for this space  🙂  )

—– unfortunately exhibition is only untill 2nd October.   Still, the gallery is having the series of

exhibitions,  I’m sure  next events should come soon. =

Check their website to find farther info’  <  http://www.hivelondon.org  >  <  Trinity  on  Facebook  >

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