Yokatta

My EDD benefits will be extended!

Time Flys

Wow, I need to get crackn only some 88 days now to Tokyo.  A lot more practice and money is needed!

Banned!

OMG

Google banned my ad sense account. They said "your AdSense
account has posed a significant risk to our AdWords advertisers."

What the Fudge!?

Sigh.. I guess I do not need another blog then...didn't even get my 20.00,  sniff sniff boo hoo.

Maybe I'll keep it any way ... maybe not... Hmm I'll think about it

No balance day

OMG,

I tend to be too focused sometimes. I spent the WHOLE day in front of the computer. I'm working several  websites for some three projects. I needed to refresh my mind on doing CSS. Man oh man, it was hard ! I had to basically start from the beginning to figure out things.
So what am I working on you ask? You did ask right?

Two things are Kyudo basically, maybe you could call it Karma Kyudo or Dharma Kyudo, ( see my other site fro an explanation, That new word should really bug some). Anyway I am doing a website for my Current Sensei. He does not charge e for lesson so I feel I should do something for him or the Dojo however you want at look at it: www.renseikankyudojo.info

The other is for my former Sensei with Chickun-ha. She has broken away from the Zenko group and asked me to redo her site. I said ok. She helped me get my son started in Kyudo: www.gingkokyudojo.org
I should design some cool mon for her as well to go with the site.
something like this:

The last is for a photo-book company/business I am going into with Sisuk , my Tai Chi Mantis Coach. That is not finished or close to it, so I can say or put up any thing on it, least someone rip me off, hahaha

So that's the local news, here I sat all day other than going down-stairs to sign some papers to finally sell the condo on a short sale. Even that is not complete yet, but close close close!! whoohoo

I-ching # 58/16

OK, so lets see how this will work out. On Friday morning LZ gave me an ad. The Boat supply store, at the Marine Yard where I keep my boat was looking for store help. Cool I thought. I'll send them a resume.

Friday night I thought, hmm I'll do a reading on my chances of this.
The question: "How does it look me working at SVN?"

Reading:

58. Tui / The Joyous, Lake

  above TUI  THE JOYOUS, LAKE
  below TUI  THE JOYOUS, LAKE

This hexagram, like sun, is one of the eight 

formed by doubling of a trigram. 
The trigram Tui denotes the youngest daughter;

it is symbolized by the 
smiling lake, and its attribute is joyousness. 

Contrary to appearances, it is not 
the yielding quality of the top line that 

accounts for joy here. The attribute of 
the yielding or dark principle is not joy 

but melancholy. However, joy is 
indicated by the fact that there are two 

strong lines within, expressing 
themselves through the medium of gentleness.
  True joy, therefore, rests on firmness and 

strength within, manifesting itself 
outwardly as yielding and gentle.

 THE JUDGMENT

 THE JOYOUS. Success.
 Perseverance is favorable.

The joyous mood is infectious and therefore 

brings success. But joy must be 
based on steadfastness if it is not to 

degenerate into uncontrolled mirth. 
Truth and strength must dwell in the heart,

while gentleness reveals itself in 
social intercourse. In this way one assumes 

the right attitude toward God and 
man and achieves something. Under certain

conditions, intimidation 
without gentleness may achieve something 

momentarily, but not for all 
time. When, on the other hand, the hearts 

of men are won by friendliness, 
they are led to take all hardships upon 

themselves willingly, and if need be 
will not shun death itself, so great 

is the power of joy over men.

 THE IMAGE

 Lakes resting one on the other:
 The image of THE JOYOUS.
 Thus the superior man joins with his friends
 For discussion and practice.

A lake evaporates upward and thus gradually 

dries up; but when two lakes 
are joined they do not dry up so readily, 

for one replenishes the other. It is 
the same in the field of knowledge. Knowledge 

should be a refreshing and 
vitalizing force. It becomes so only through 

stimulating intercourse with 
congenial friends with whom one holds discussion 

and practices application 
of the truths of life. In this way learning 

becomes many-sided and takes on a 
cheerful lightness, whereas there is always 

something ponderous and one-
sided about the learning of the self-taught.

 THE LINES

 Nine at the beginning means:
 Contented joyousness. Good fortune.

A quiet, wordless, self-contained joy, desiring

nothing from without and 
resting content with everything, remains free of 

all egotistic likes and dislikes. 
In this freedom lies good fortune, because it 

harbors the quiet security of a 
heart fortified within itself.

 ° Nine in the second place means:
 Sincere joyousness. Good fortune.
 Remorse disappears.

We often find ourselves associating with

inferior people in whose company 
we are tempted by pleasures that are 

inappropriate for the superior man. To 
participate in such pleasures would 

certainly bring remorse, for a superior 
man can find no real satisfaction in 

low pleasures. When, recognizing this, a 
man does not permit his will to swerve, 

so that he does not find such ways 
agreeable, not even dubious companions 

will venture to proffer any base 
pleasures, because he would not enjoy them.

Thus every cause for regret is 
removed.


 ° Nine in the fifth place means:
 Sincerity toward disintegrating influences

is dangerous.

Dangerous elements approach even the far 

best of men. If a man permits 
himself to have anything to do with them, 

their disintegrating influence acts 
slowly but surely, and inevitable brings 

dangers in its train. But if he 
recognizes the situation and can comprehend 

the danger, he knows how to 
protect himself and remains unharmed.

( this one does not sound that good, 

I need to be be on guard)

16. Yü / Enthusiasm

  above  CHêN  THE AROUSING, THUNDER
  below  K'UN  THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH


The strong line in the fourth place, that

of the leading official, meets with 
response and obedience from all the other

lines, which are all weak. The 
attribute of the upper trigram, Chên, is

movement; the attributes of K'un, the 
lower, are obedience and devotion. This 

begins a movement that meets with 
devotion and therefore inspires enthusiasm,

carrying all with it. Of great 
importance, furthermore, is the law of

movement along the line of least 
resistance, which in this hexagram is 

enunciated as the law for natural events 
and for human life.

 THE JUDGMENT

 ENTHUSIASM. It furthers one to install 

helpers
 And to set armies marching.

(Hmmm I wonder does this mean I should hit 

up my student who works there to put in a

good word for me )

Soooo, Sat. morning I get a call to come 

in Tues for an intereview. Whoohoo, The 

first interview call in a year.

Even that is something to find JOY in, ne!

Ok, so lets see what's next. Sometimes I read 

what I want to see not what it fully says...

This will be interesting.

to be con't

out there

Water behind fog
Sometimes hidden from the eyes
Hope can be water...

Come into the light my children...

Judgement

When you judge people it does not define them, it defines you... Royal-san

___________

Great I like this.

However, it came to me, just my mind trying to balance things. I must have some Libra in me.

If you make the judgement that someone is judgmental, are you not judging? (^_^)

..I'm just saying

 hahaha

Just one of those things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm  (^_^)

Chicken or the egg?

Just messing around (^_^)

Kyudo - Martial art or Art form

Read this > What do you think?

Zen-Kyudo

Now this is interesting.

So much flap about Kyudo not being Zen practice, being Zen practice.

I and others say anything can be Zen practice. But that is another story...

Anyway, here is a link from Japan. that labels many any arts "Zen" federations


Japan Links

Tao Te Ching

In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart... Lao Tzu

On such a winter's night

Long John's ...check
Heavy Watch Cap...check
Wool socks and gloves...check

Weds night Kung Fu
it's on!

Cloudy gray

More than a color
It can seep into bone
No where to run...

holiday is over.

It bums me when...

People do not respond to emailed questions.
People say they are going to do something and do not.
People talk loud for no reason.
People cut you off ( talking, driving, in line).
People over explain things.

Not too bad a list a guess, Maybe I'll come up with some more later.
Anyhow, I guess I need to work on these attachments/expectations.

_/|\_

Feng Shui, Tai Chi, Sailing & Zen

Sometimes I feel I'm really connected to the Force, at one with the Tao to speak and am able to write something that is fairly deep ( maybe just over my head), at lest sensible from weird point of view. Here are some of the past things from the old site:
Feng Shui, Tai Chi, Sailing & Zen

It came to me whilst returning from Tai Chi practice today that the four are very similar. According to the Tao Te Ching and the teachings of Lao Tzu they are most likely the same or at least brothers/sisters of the same mother. I had the revelation before about Feng Shui and sailing but today came the Tai Chi awareness and it all clicked. Like when I became a vegetarian while walking through a supermarket in the meat section seeing all the dead animals, but that is another story I digress. I saw the Zen tie-in earlier also while thinking about this sailing instructor in Japan that is a "Zen" master he teaches his advance students sailing with some aspects of Zen philosophy. I thought, yeah, I can see that!
It all makes sense. I named my boat "Zen" which is "Chan" in Chinese by the way. Chan Buddhism ( Zen in Japanese ) was developed in the Shaolin Temple which is where my Kung Fu roots are. I am something like a 10th or 11th generation Sifu/Shrfu/Sensei in direct linage I forget which, it is just for reference. Anyway in Chinese the last boat was named Kuan Yin. Kuan Yin is the Chinese Deity who achieved enlightenment. However instead of going to the next "level" plane of being let's say, she chose to stay behind and help lead/direct people to receive enlightenment. She is often shown as riding a Sea Dragon. Since my first boat was more of my learning venture, I felt "Zen" was a good name for this one, having achieved some further "enlightenment" about sailing. It will also take me to "Nirvana" in this case meaning "Blue Water" kind of deep thoughts ne?!
Anyway, Feng Shui is the Chinese study of balancing energy in your environment ( which I am certified by the way to do if you need a reading ). Feng Shui means wind and water. So obviously right, wind /water = sailing. Sailing is finding that balance between wind energy and water and the effect it has on your boat equals = sailing. The better balance there is, the faster and more efficient you sail. You, the boat, the wind and the water are in harmony, you have good "Feng Shui"
Now this also translates to Tai Chi. Tai Chi is the balancing of yin and yang, wind/water, positive/negative. I'm not speaking just of Tai Chi Chuan, which is translated out loosly to Grand Balanced/Harmonious Fist. I'm speaking of just Tai Chi the essence. The Yin /Yang symbol you see with the black and white. Hmm I just thought of some racial signification , but I'll go into that later perhaps. So referring back to balancing of the elements we can see how Tai Chi, Feng Shui and Sailing are related. Sailing balancing the effect of wind power/energy on your sail causing a Yin reaction on your boat eg: moving. That in turn translates into a yang energy on the water which in turn turns Yin as the boat passes through the water. Tai Chi, the better you're in balance with yourself and your opponent the better fighter or healthier ( from a non-violent spiritual perspective ) you are.
In Tai Chi Chuan it is us who are the Yang energy moving through air, which turns into Yin when doing the solo form. On the other side when doing push hands with a partner or combat, we change from Yin to Yang energy depending on what we need to accomplish or avoid, as in pain. In sailing we need to be aware of the changes in the wind in order to remain in harmony with the elements and move forward. With Tai Chi Chuan the Yang energy coming at us may be very violent eg: punches and kicks. We need to adjust our energy to be more Yin to absorb/redirect this violence back into our attacker or ground this energy so as we are not hurt. In the Sailing world sailing this would be gales, high winds, storms, etc. That energy needs to be absorbed/redirected into the sails, grounded into the water so that we are not hurt or stopped and continue to move forward or at the least in the case of heaving-to at peace/centered in the storm.
All take understanding of changes in energy flow, "feeling" the environment. Balancing the energy of the environment to archive harmony/peace/a state of Zen/a great sail

10 way to make sailing part of yoru Zen practice

Kuan Yin is considered patron of sailors

This is an old post form my sailing blog. Since this blog is a mixed bag I thought I'd put it up here for those who do not read my sailing blog.
Chan is about living fully, it is also about knowing we are part of everything, mindful, alert, relaxed, prepared, adaptable, connected but not attached, centered, doing one's best with everything, tying a dock line, hosting a sail, tacking, cleaning the head, battening down the hatches, you get the idea. With mindful, being the key word, it is something every  good sailor should be anyway. Here is my short list:
1. Check the weather
2. Check the wind
3. Check the boat for anomalies
4, Check your bilge
5. Check your sails (before leaving)
6. Check the area around you ( at, leaving, & away from the dock)
7. Check your safety equipment
8. Be aware of everything
9. Do not think about having fun
10. Be fun

I-Ching : #5...Calculated waiting Prt II

What happens sometimes when one does a reading is you get what is called a changing trigram. Meaning it is in transit. Another way of looking at it is the first one tells the present condition, the second tells what may come about on the current path. How that comes about is via changing lines. Say you throw a head, head, head, 3 coins, that gives a change line from yin to yang. These lines also give one more depth to the question asked. Something more to meditate on.

So in my question I got #5 changing to #45 . The changing line are , from the bottom up,
1-4. So I would look at the reading for these lines to zero in in more detail advice.

THE LINES

Nine at the beginning means:
Waiting in the meadow.
IT furthers one to abide in what endures.
No blame.

The danger is not yet close. One is still waiting
on the open plain.
Conditions are still simple, yet there is a feeling
of something impending.
One must continue to lead a regular life as long
as possible. Only in this way
does one guard against a premature waste of strength,
keep free of blame and
error that would become a source of weakness later on.

Nine in the second place means:
Waiting on the sand.
There is some gossip.
The end brings good fortune.

The danger gradually comes closer. Sand is near
the bank of the river, and
the water means danger. Disagreements crop up.
General unrest can easily
develop in such times, and we lay the blame on
one another. He who stays
calm will succeed in making things go well in
the end. Slander will be
silenced if we do not gratify it with injured
retorts.

Nine in the third place means:
Waiting in the mud
Brings about the arrival of the enemy.

Mud is no place for waiting, since it is already
being washed by the water of
the stream. Instead of having gathered strength
to cross the stream at one try,
one has made a premature start that has got him
no farther than the muddy
bank. Such an unfavorable position invites enemies
from without, who
naturally take advantage of it. Caution and a sense
of the seriousness of the
situation are all that can keep one from injury.

Six in the fourth place means:
Waiting in blood.
Get out of the pit.

The situation is extremely dangerous. IT is of utmost
gravity now--a matter
of life and death. Bloodshed seems imminent. There is
no going forward or
backward; we are cut off as if in a pit. Now we must
simply stand fast and let
fate take its course. This composure, which keeps us
from aggravating the
trouble by anything we might do, is the only way of
getting out of the
dangerous pit.

_______

Something to take note of is different I-Ching book give different interpretations of the reading. Not even so much different but they are explained differently. One set of words makes more sense than another but they have the same general meaning.

Ten lastly one read the general reading of the final Trigram

45.  Ts'ui / Gathering Together [Massing]

above  TUI  THE JOYOUS, LAKE
below  K'UN  THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

This hexagram is related in form and meaning to Pi,
HOLDING TOGETHER
(8). In the latter, water is over the earth; here a
lake is over the earth. But
since the lake is a place where water collects, the
idea of gathering together is
even more strongly expressed here than in the other
hexagram. The same
idea also arises from the fact that in the present
case it is two strong lines (the
fourth and the fifth) that bring about the gather
together, whereas in the
former case one strong line (the fifth) stands in
the midst of weak lines.

_______________________

of course there are those times when one goes huh?!
I do not get it
hahahaha.
One needs to have a good larf, then
meditate/pray more for clarity.

Sometimes another book is clearer
Such as this reading:
#5
Look for a time to take stock of what you have
and where you are going.
We are all a collection of gifts and deficits
and will act accordingly.
Be aware of the difficulties that you encounter
 without succumbing to them.
Be careful; danger is approaching.


_______sigh

What does mean? I see it as no rest,
find what you do well and develop it more,
you will need it. Do not be
seduced by the dark side. Well something
like that. more or less ,
I will need to meditate on it.

(^_^)

I-Ching : #5...Calculated waiting

I'm thinking one of the things I will keep track on here is my I-Ching readings. I do not do them that often however it will be a good way to keep a record and track of how correct they are. The I-Ching does not "tell" the future as such. It tells of the possible outcome given a certain set of behaviors as it were. I am still learning. The I-Ching is one of the oldest written books. When used with a clear mind and a connection to the "force" it can help one in making/maintaining the right choice, attitude. Any way it is entertaining experiment.

In the past I have yet to see it incorrect in it's assessments. I have however been incorrect in my interpretations. or...perhaps my perspective changed after the fact. It is however regardless interesting. It has in uses in the stock market for some, Feng Shui for others, war, love, business, whatever our human conditions.
The 64 trigrams cover all our earthly conditions. The I Ching has been used for more than 5000 years as an aid to making decisions, predicting the future, etc. So, if nothing else, it is a long-standing and popular source of wisdom and inspiration.

So for the New Year I did a reading with the question:

What is my best path for 2010.

One should not ask a yes or no question.

My Trigram is

5. Hsü / Waiting (Nourishment)

All beings have need of nourishment from above.
But the gift of food comes
in its own time, and for this one must wait.
This hexagram shows
the clouds in the heavens, giving rain to
refresh all that grows and to
provide mankind
with food and drink. The rain will come in
its own time. We cannot make it
come; we have to wait for it. The idea of
waiting is further suggested by the
attributes of the two trigrams--strength within,
 danger in from.
Strength in
the face of danger does not plunge ahead but
bides its time,
whereas weakness
in the face of danger grows agitated and
has not the patience to wait.

THE JUDGMENT

WAITING. If you are sincere,
You have light and success.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
It furthers one to cross the great water.

Waiting is not mere empty hoping. It has
the inner certainty of
reaching the
goal. Such certainty alone gives that light
which leads to success.
This leads
to the perseverance that brings good fortune
and bestows power
to cross the
great water. One is faced with a danger that
has to be overcome.
Weakness
and impatience can do nothing. Only a strong
man can stand up
to his fate,
for his inner security enables him to endure
to the end. This
strength shows
itself in uncompromising truthfulness
 [with himself]. It is only
when we
have the courage to face things exactly as
they are, without any
sort of self-
deception or illusion, that a light will
develop out of events,
by which the
path to success may be recognized. This
recognition must be
followed by
resolute and persevering action. For only
the man who goes to
meet his fate
resolutely is equipped to deal with it
adequately. Then he will
be able to cross
the great water--that is to say, he will
be capable of making
the necessary
decision and of surmounting the danger.

THE IMAGE

Clouds rise up to heaven:
The image of WAITING.
Thus the superior man eats and drinks,
Is joyous and of good cheer.

When clouds rise in the sky, it is a
sign that it will rain.
There is nothing to
do but to wait until after the rain
falls. It is the same in
life when destiny is at
work. We should not worry and seek to
shape the future by
interfering in
things before the time is ripe. We should
quietly fortify
the body with food
and drink and the mind with gladness and
 good cheer. Fate
comes when it
will, and thus we are ready.


_________________________

there is more to this, I will go into later.

so, to be cont'd

Nihon Style gohan

New Year's day was chilly
Japanese food warmed the soul
Helped put aside the knowledge
another year of growing old...

On a winter's day

All the leaves are brown
and the sky is gray
Oakland's dedicated do Taiji
on a winter's day

So it begins

Soft morning clouds
Water wet kisses the shore
Beauty needs no words

AKEMASHITE OMEDETOU GOZAIMASU!

New Tiger Year blooms
still the old Tiger rises
before the Sun shines


Happy New Year! Welcome to my new blog and the New Year. I'm not quite sure what will be here different from the other blogs maybe some verse, different photos, different thoughts. Why, well I have my rea$ons (^_^), you can help a brother out.
Lets see where it goes...

Douzo Yoroshiku