Zen Dreams (Day 5 of Back Injury)



Great Book on Related Topic

 I found these quotes and the book to the left just randomly Google-Searching random words: "Zen Dreams". A technique that we used to use by thinking on a topic and just turning to any page in any book and see if our questions were answered (very holographic universe--very background song of exploded stars). Now with the internet...much easier. Anyway, I found these 2 quotes on a lonely blog with only 2 entries: Zen Dreams. One by the brilliant mind of Franz Kafka, another is an Ancient Sanskrit translation by Nobel Prize Winner Octavio Paz.

All of this wisdom from a random google search of random words. Maybe hurting my back was something I need to do every few years to step at least my left foot on the Zen road I so often loose.

You Need Not Leave Your Room

“You need not leave your room.

Remain sitting at your table and listen.

You need not even listen, simply wait.

You need not even wait, just learn to become quiet,

and still, and solitary.

The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked.

It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”

- Franz Kafka

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No One Behind, No One Ahead

“No one behind, no one ahead.
The path the ancients cleared has closed.
And the other path, everyone’s path,
Easy and wide, goes nowhere.
I am alone and find my way.”

- Ancient Sanskrit verse adapted by Octavio Paz

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"Look and Ye Shall Find, Furball!"

- Daffy Duck to Buggs Bunny
as he tried to find a pearl and become a "Wealthy Miser".
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Ko's Last Thoughts

9th century Japanese warrior monk and crime lord known only as Ko lay on his deathbed. He had spent his early life perfecting his naginata and his spirit at Ten Lion's Monastery. But at 43, disuaded with the nature of the world at that time, he had taken his zen training and become a fearsome underworld figure. Smiling as he died, he conveyed his final thoughts to his Number One Man who had poisoned him to take his master's position. Ko refused to retire and give rule of his criminal empire to his underling because Ko said the man was nothing but a thug and butcher; he called him "The World." The man was massive and skilled with a wooden hammer but he could never beat lithe Ko in combat. Poisoning was his answer to his master's slights. As Ko died he whispered his final thoughts to "The World" :

"Beneathe 1000 excuses lies the truth: You can't, you won't, or you are too afraid. Rid your life of excuses and self lies. Elevation of self comes from admitting you are only standing on the ground or a hole in your case." Ko managed a smile and continued. "Be honest with yourself, World, because then and only then can you realise the truth of all truths: You are Everything." Ko yelled with his last ghasp, "You are Nothing!" And then he closed his eyes and whispered one final thing, poison dripping from his mouth. The World leaned in close to drain one last bit of blood-knowledge from his former master...Ko bit The World's jugular out and howled madly through a mouth full of arterial spray, "YOU ARE THUNDER PERFECT!" Both men died and the story was written down by Ko's Number Two Man who was secretly a woman named Nasunse the Immortal and passed down through the Yakuza and Monks of all Buddhist disciplines to this day.

--From The Book: Buddhas and Bandits by Evad Nalpac

Getting Hurt Make Mongo Smart or The Holographic Universe



Click Mongo for Our Theory on Everything

  When Mongo Hurt...Mongo Get Smart: So after watching Samurai Champloo I watched a Documentary on PBS: Fabric of the Cosmos: Holographic Universe. The show was very informative, though a bit boring (PBS is taking a hit in this economy)--the topic however is close to my heart and imagination. Modern physics is leading us closer and closer to the conclusion that our universe is indeed a hologram. Dr. Leonard Susskind in a long standing "fight" with Professor Stephen Hawking over the nature of matter entering a black hole...Hawking said matter vanishes when entering a black hole which goes against all the laws of physics to date and Susskind said it did not and could not just "vanish" that even black holes obeyed physics... (I am a novice at this so if I am butchering it I apologize. watch the video link for the best of the battle!). Susskind was right. He discovered that the event horizon around a black hole stores the information of the object dropping into the black hole holographically so the object does indeed enter the black hole but its information "it's digital 1's and 0's" is stored thus not just vanishing. And he went on to surmise (though the theorem is not originally his) that the Universe itself could in fact be just a 4-d holographic projection of a 3-D boundary somewhere at the edge of the universe. This conclusion makes the Super String Theory of the Universe much easier to swallow and explains why some sub atomic particles, despite their distance apart, seem to be able to be able to "communicate" with each other. It is not because they have some magic telepathy but are infact, like a hologram, pieces of the same whole. Yes, it is like our universe is a computer program (like in the Matrix) where its information is what defines it more than its mass and volume...they are illusionary.

The Ancients and Buddhists have always believed that this world is just an illusion and that the self is just experiencing it as if on an amusement ride. Life, death, rebirth, etc. etc.

 A world to power. (Mongo say: our 650lb. Tire is a HEAVY hologram, man...made of some fat photons). It gets into the the shared reality theories, taking them out of the "New Age" closet and giving it Scientific validity... Science and Mysticism drifting dangerously close together. Much like the occurences of the 50's, 60's and 70's when the Poets, Hippies, Buddhists, and Scientists were all drinking the same Kool Aide. Beatles and Gurus and Einstein Oh MY!

Anyway, a very fascinating time in Quantum Physics and String Theory indeed. If it helps...(for non-physicists like me) When you look into a mirror, it looks real, the Universe could be much the same way. And if you weren't here to view it it would not exist...or you wouldn't...or you are the mirror and the image and the viewer. Just ask Alice when she's ten feet tall. Below are some interesting links to play with. But explore yourself. The beauty of the web is that you can have instant access to the highest end theorems of the day (Mongo say you also can get a lot of videos of cute cats).

(Getting hurt make Mongo smart. )

SUSSKIND vs. Hawking
Nova: The Fabric of the Cosmos

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Leonard_Susskind

http://www.crystalinks.com/holographic.html

http://www.multiversaljourneys.com/
Buddhist View

We Are But Stardust and Memories of Long Ago

  Nasunse Samaska said: "We are but Stardust and the Memories of Forgotten Dreams." Nasunse was a notorious female Ronin and Spy in the Nobunaga days of Ancient Japan. She wrote many manuals on The Hidden Blade, Love, Flower Arranging, Espionage and Persuasion. Also much poetry. Mostly her poetry and Zen thoughts survived. This particular quote I enjoy meditating on (especially with my back out I have very little else to do!).
The Quote is from a longer poem:

"We are but stardust and memories of Forgotten Dreams,
Only our minds are servant to wind and cherry blossoms.
We sit in the nothing, swirling our feet in this life until it is done.
Then comes the rain and the smell of new grass."

Try meditating on it and see where it takes you.

(What? I'm a warrior poet like the old samurai and the Scots, you slobs. Get some culture. I'm goin' for some more Icy-Hot.)

Sunday 11/6 Next Flip Date 10:30 am

  Yes. I goofed up my back after my 415 deadlift filming my dealift band tutorial (see October 31st post). (415 lift not shown in the video because I had to take the bands off to do it) Hee, hee. I love irony. I did not stretch or loosen up. It was 7:30 am and I was bored at school because there was a delayed opening and I didn't know it and...OKAY, OKAY...I was a moron! I do it once every other year. (The hurt my back thing. I am a moron a lot more than that...jeeze.) We will, however, still have strongman on Sunday morning. But you clowns will be setting up and breaking it down! So if you come you should plan on staying until its over to help. Got it. Good. Now I have to go ICY-HOT the crap out of my poor widdle backy. (I love the Icy-Hot roll on or stick. It is awesome if you have never tried it. Coach Jones turned me on to it before he switched to Horse Liniment...the big bastard.)

The Eagle Has Landed (Zen Commentary)

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/eagle-crashes-into-skydivers-parachute/1jrt90bjn?q=Jokeroo&rel=msn&from=en-us_msnhp&form=msnrll&overlaytype=multimediaviewer&name=hpvideo3&csid=ux-en-us&initialmoduleindex=3&src=v5:share:permalink:

Eagle Crashes Into Skydiver's Parachute

Skydiver Vladimir Tsar'kov captured dramatic video of an eagle that became entangled in his parachute during a jump over the Himalayas. Despite a rough landing, both Tsar’kov and the bird were okay.
I thought I was having a bad day yesterday... well I guess mine kind of went like this guys only without the cool parachuting over the Himalayas and the eagle. Well, okay my day sucked, but I didn't resort to "anger". I kept my cool like the parachuter. A good day. Not Zen-pretty...but I didn't take the bait to rage. Anyway. Rough landing, but still here. Amazing how the brain tells you you are a puska when you don't just dead punch some wise-arse in the face. All the scenarios play over and over as to what you "should have done" still though. Stupid brain. Guess that's why we practice our Zen. To detatch, to not become emotional in minor conflicts or major for that matter. A great man once said "Anytime you lash out in anger you have lost the fight, whether you win or not...you have lost." Yesterday I did not lose. And the parachuter did not lose. And the guy who said the anger quote was one bad-arse samurai. Anyway...cool eagle-parachute video...have fun and stay cool.

FLIPPIN Today 11/2 Wednesday

    Flippin TODAY. 11/2 Be there. 2:30 Giiirls. The old man's back is out so you all are doin set up and clean up or else we aren't goin today--- so be there on time and plan to stay till the end (3:30ish) if you are comin to HELP CLEAN UP.

Si-Hing Jimmy Karat---ay Knockout. Nice.

Before he he came to the light-side of Wing Tsun Kung Fu, my Si-Hing (Older Kung Fu Brother) was a Karate Man and only bled on the inside. He had a Chain Belt and everythang. Check out this nasty spinnin knock--oout. (He's in white..)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=118153024878608