Quest of Better = Zen Mind

If you think about all aspects of Zen, you might noticed a point, which might be “The Point” in “The Zen”.

There are many books, collection of so-called Mondo = Question and the Answer — (though, they are mostly Rinzai approach).  Yet still, there is no ultimate sample like = “If you can answer this, you have reached to the Zen, or even the Enlightenment” kind.  —– Do you know why ?  Because, Zen is not a notion or thinking nor one answer or one point to reach.  Zen is a process.   A finger pointing the Moon.   Does anybody ever reached to the Moon ?   No.    Zen is not the Moon.   Nor Enlightenment.   Finger never reach the Moon.   But without the finger, there couldn’t be any Zen.    Because, Zen is in its process.    The process, try to reach.   Kneeling, a bit by bit —– ? to where ? —– to the better.   Go better mean, not to remain in the same place. —– in this aspect, Soto’s doing approach is easier than the Rinzai’s thinking approach. = This is the reason why most of practice for Zen learning was originated from Soto Zen.   That’s how all those achievement was made such as in the crafts skill, sword making, martial art etc. etc.   

You might have noticed, yes, this is the other version of the photo on the previous post.   This photo looks too ordinary = I chose darker one which may give a bit more dubious impression.   And made the image a bit of adjustment —> right hand side up a bit to break a balance and give even more un-settled feeling.  Then trimmed the top further to show the metallic forks more and gave even brutal, uneasy, un natural feeling.   —– you can see those differences on front but if it was a notion in your head, such as “The post should give rather heavy impression”  = How can you find the answer, what to do.    Seeing the things on front and adjust them to achieve certain direction would be easier —– but not in a thinking.   So, this was the point, how the idea of Kaizen was developed, and how Japanese created many small marvels in the electronics still, not able to invent iPhone. (Japanese was making over-spec mobile-phones but couldn’t conceive a fundamentally different phone system. = adding one more spec can be done as a Kaizen step, but iPhone kind was too far for the  Kaizen approach = It needed to change whole thinking from the start.) 

Zen culture is Doing, and its matter is “Keep Doing while aiming better” —– We may achieve Doing in Mushin = almost like a robot.   But aiming better is the matter of the Mind-set = with a full concentration, keep clear eyes on it down to the minute detail, and see what it should be.  = This is the ZEN practice. = In short, say to do A, having a mind-set “Do better A” and this mind-set might be sublimated down to the subconscious level IS Zen ! ~ ~ ~ and then, when you can do A with no mind at all, neither care anything (let A to have its own Karma) you ARE enlightened !  —– Unless otherwise, all the bicycle rider who doesn’t care any mind-set would become a Zen master.  (That’s why the enlightened master does looks exactry the same to the outside non-person.     😀  )

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