The strong is not strong because his strength. Zen - 2

One of the most mysterious but interesting statement in Zen discussion is "Everything is Nothing and Nothing is Everything." There are millions of interpretation on this statement. Think about Roman empire, Mongolian Kingdom, Third Reich, Japan Pacific Empire. Historically, they were there prosperous and strong. They looked like imperishable. But, all of them are gone. Gone as if they were not existing from the very beginning. Still it does not mean all human society was gone. It is still there and benefiting at the same time stressing people.

In this sense, this statement is quite correct when we take a look at history from time length. Then, why the strong is not strong because his sgrength? The entire sentence reads "The strong is not strong because of his strength, but because of his weakness. The strong will not lose because of his weakness, but of his strength". There were very strong clan in 15th century Japan, the time of black age. The name is "Takeda". The head of the clan, Shingen Takeda was smart strategist. One of the early adopter of "Guns" brought into Japan. He trained his gunmen and formed gun unit. His army was called strongest in Japan that time.

After the death of Shingen Takeda, his son, Katsuyori, inherited his army. His army was supposed to be as strong as his fathers. He fought against Nobunaga Oda. (Nagashino War - refer to image left - Public Domain) Katsuyori was so confident that his army with gun unit can defeat Oda. But, Nobunaga Oda studied everything about his gun army unit of Takeda and imported newer guns from Europe to win against Takeda. If Katsuyori's army was not famous for the strength of gun power, Oda would not have been aware of it, and could not study about it. To me, this example is typical on "The strong lost due to its strength." How do you think?

Related post:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/strong-is-not-strong-because-his.html

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The strong is not strong because his strength. Zen - 1

Zen became one of main streams of Buddhism in China in 6th century. The form sitting both legs crossed is famous world wide. This style of sitting was not invented in China. It was there since Yoga in India. This sitting form was used by Chinese priest, Daruma, in 6th century, who started Zen. It was said that he was against King that time and put in the jail. He kept himself sitting for 9 years and lost both arms and legs, but he gained ultimate status of mind and opened his Buddhism, Zen.

Left Image - Daruma who started Zen practice of Buddhism.
Source Wikipedia Japanese version
Public Domain

Zen teaches people that anybody can reach to ultimate status of mind if one trains himself. Kung-Fu started from Zen. Zen style meditation started from this Buddhism. Because it asks people train themselves, this was well adopted by Samurai people in Japan in 15th - 17th century. It is under Zen philosophy Samurai believed to die or to live should have same meaning if meaningful.

Although Zen was well adopted and known by people all over the world by its powerful meditation practices, there is a part of Zen, which is not well known. It is brain training. If you are interested in Asian Philosophy, you might have heard "Everything is Nothing and Nothing is Everything". It is hard to understand even for Asians like me who tried to adopt Karate, Kendo, Martial Arts Trainings based on Zen Spirit. It sounds contradictory, sometimes des not make sense, but sometimes contains truth.

Still sometimes there are interesting philosophy which makes me think in depth and length. One of them is saying "The real strong is not strong because of his strength, but because of his weakness".

As said it is not easy to analyze and explain, but I do my best for coming several posts to let you touch upon Zen spirit.

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10 Promises To My Dog

Xue Er (Snowy) is our first dog as explained in my article before. She is giving us hard time adjusting with her and lots of enjoyment at the same time. Life is interesting in some way. When we pay attention to our puppy, Xue Er, we start to come across lots of dog thing. There are some important change of our lives, which we believe Xue Er gave to us, but I will write about it when it was all done. Today, I wanted to share a Japanese movie which made us cry. Its title is "10 promises to my dog". Opening of the movie already caught my eyes and ears, it said.

"God created human beings. Next day, God found they are so vulnerable. So, He decided give them dogs."

YouTube Link is below. Seeing is believing.



The movie released in Japanese Theaters in March, 2008. This is about relationship between a girl who lost her mother and her dog, golden retriever puppy. The girl's mother before she died taught her girl how to build relationship with her new puppy, "Socks". It is written:

1) Listen patiently to what I have to say.
2) Trust me, for I am always on your side.
3) Play with me a lot.
4) Don’t forget that I have feelings too.
5) Let’s never fight, ‘Cause someday, I’ll be big enough to win.
6) If I don’t obey you, I have a good reason.
7) You have school, and friends. But as for me, I only have you.
8) Stay my best friend even when I’m old.
9) I’ll only live about ten years, so let’s make every moment count.
10) I’ll never forget our life together. So when my time comes, please be by my side.

I can spend whole day explaining this movie, but I recommend you to watch this movie if you are a dog lover. Here is the link:

http://www.nipponcinema.com/db/review/10_promises_to_my_dog/

Wiki has motion picture file:
http://asianmediawiki.com/10_Promises_To_My_Dog

As for Xue Er, my wife and I decided her English name to be "Snowy", instead of "Snow" as my English blog friend called her so. Snowy is growing incredibly fast. She is becoming bigger and bigger, stronger and stronger everyday. Unbelievable. Below is the recent picture we took.

Related posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/our-new-family-member.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/our-new-family-member-xue-er-snow-house.html

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What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -8

Another important figure in Alcatraz is Warden and Officers in Alcatraz. Show room in Alcatraz displays mannequin of the officer in Alcatraz used to be. Please see the picture left. They lived in the island with their family. Across the road of the jail house building, there are individual house ruin of the wardens and officers. Higher class officers could live in individual house. Now, if I wanted house like them with great view to San Francisco city, I might have needed to spend well over 1 million dollars.

Also, their children were attending schools in San Francisco across the bay. They were taking ferries every morning and evening to attend their schools. In comparison with inmates, their lives might not have been so bad, I thought. However, my blog friend told me that lives of officers in prisons and jails are not easy. It could be as bad as prisoners. They need to be tensed 24/7. If something happens, they need to fight to their lives. Prisoners are not nice to them. They must be tough to inmates. The jail island made lives of all related people tough, it looks like.



Island being independent from outer society, equipped with many functions. They had their own fire fighting unit. The picture left is the fire truck preserved in the island.










Related posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-7.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-6.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-5.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-4.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-3.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-2.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html

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What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -7

Attempts to escape from Alcatraz were on going. Official record is "34 Escape Attempts, 7 killed, 2 drowned, 5 missing, 20 arrested". Included in the missing were "Frank Morris" and Anglin brothers as shown the movie "Escape from Alcatraz". Frank Morris was sent to Alcatraz in 1960. He planned and attempted prison break in 1962 with John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Allen West. They built raft and their own dolls, continued to dig to escape for 2 years. They executed their plan June 11, 1962. Allen West could not join the escape.

FBI started search immediately, but they could not find them. They could not find their bodies as well. All they found were a part of their raft, bags of Anglins, etc... FBI and Alcatraz authority decided that they were drowned and died. But government decided to close Alcatraz Prison about 1 year after this escape.

Picture uploaded here are above left "Frank Morris, John and Clarence Anglin (Left to Right), and their dolls" and "Original Federal Signboard showing what Alcatraz is".

Related posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-6.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-5.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-4.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-3.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-2.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html

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What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -6

I ended my last post showing you the picture left in last post. This is the windows inmates can look out. What they could see was the picture right below. It is not just through this window, but prisoners could have full view of San Francisco city. It was also said that in festive time, Independence Day, Christmas, etc..., prisoners could watch city dressed up with illuminations, fireworks, and could even hear people partying, singing, dancing, enjoying...

It would have been unendurable torture for prisoners who could feel, sense, watch, hear the people free enjoying themselves in special occasions. They must have wanted to close their eyes, cover their ears. But they could still feel what is happening on the other side of the Bay. How horrible. What kind of malicious torture human beings could do to the other human beings even they are criminals.

The last picture below left shows windows which were used for the visitors to talk with prisoners.

Related posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-5.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-4.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-3.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-2.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html


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What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -5

There are a lot of things that could be written about Alcatraz. But, seeing is believing. So, let me upload some pictures I took in the trip and explain each of them one by one.

First picture to your left is dining space. It is not so easy to see, but there is cooking facilities inside of the bars.




Right side picture is a black board seen in the higher part of the Dining Cell picture above. It is the menu placed on the top of the entrance overhead. The board was showing breakfast of the day. "Assorted Dry Cereals", "Stewed Whole Wheat", " 1 Scrambled EG", "2 Milk", "Stewed Fruit", "Toast", etc...

On the top can read "21 March 1963"

Their breakfast on March 21, 1963 does not look so bad.

Last picture below is the corner of Jail Cell. There is a window looks like a window of submarine or battle ship. There are some kind of story behind the picture.

Related posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-4.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-3.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-2.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html


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What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -4

All they have inside of island is Jail Building. White hospital like looking building is the building for jail facility. Other than that, there are some small houses for wardens and wardens' family live. Stepping into the jail building, you will be guided first to shower place. It may be the first place where the prisoners were taken when sent to Alcatraz. In here, you can rent narration unit explaining histories of Alcatraz as you walk through the island. There are translation narration unit is available for Japanese, Chinese, etc... My wife chose Chinese unit and she told me that their Chinese is natural.

Now let's walk into the center of cell area. Please take a look at the picture left above. Both side of not so wide hallway there are small cells which were individual cells for prisoners. They are incredibly small. Cells were lined up side by side and three stories. The ceiling of each cell is low. Wall to wall distance feel like you stretch both arms and both hands can touch right and left wall. I would say animals living environment in zoo looks much better than this.

Right side picture is taken from outside. It would not take more than 3 days to make me totally crazy if I continue to live in the place like this.

The last picture left below was taken from inside of the cell to look out position. How dreadful!

Related Posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-3.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-2.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html

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What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -3

Travel time in Alcatraz Island Ferry to Alcatraz is incredibly short. It does not take more than 15 minutes to reach the island. Even there is no enough time to enjoy views of San Francisco city area or Golden Gate Bridge, despite the fact that there are great view over them, since location of this island is in the best location to view over San Francisco city, Marine County, and East Bay.

We can freely visit Alcatraz now since the jail was closed and it is now a part of Golden Gate National Park. For the criminals sent to Alcatraz, it meant "Death Sentence" for them. In the Ferry Boarding Area, just next to Al Capone picture, a picture of wall graffiti of unknown prisoner says "You will sent to jail if you break the law. If you break a rule in jail, you will be sent to Alcatraz". Do you feel hearing a prisoner sobbing in his jail cell? When I posted an article in Japanese, my blog friend commented. "It is great to take a look into infamous jail island without committing a crime". I replied back to him. "Simple crime is not enough to be sent to Alcatraz. You need to commit a crime of Al Capone level to be sent there."

As mentioned above, it is a part of Golden Gate National Park, so the rule of thumb is "Don't carry in anything, don't carry out anything, other than you throw away garbage and you buy souvenirs." As soon as arriving at the front gate of the jail, you will be given 10 minutes explanation about the history of Alcatraz and visiting rules.

Are you ready for walking into the jail chamber?

Related Posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-2.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html

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What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -2

Alcatraz Island (map) is located on the northern part of San Francisco Bay, between Fisherman's Wharf and Marine County. As I mentioned, it is so close to Fisherman's Wharf that almost everybody wonder if it is really the infamous jail island which was called inescapable. If you are well prepared to the temperature of the water using diving suits and protected by emergency rescue boat or co swimmer, a good swimmer will be able to swim the distance. It was couple of years ago, 6 years old boy could swim from Alcatraz to Fisherman's Wharf this way.

Alcatraz Ferry Boarding Area
Then, why is this jail island is inescapable? Talking with some people, you will get several different answers. Water is too cold to keep swimming the distance without body temperature protection. San Francisco Bay looks serene in the surface. But there are violent tide deep in the ocean. And it changes directions so often. No swimmer can be out of influence of this violent tide. Swimming at night is almost killing yourself. Man-eating sharks are active especially at night. I assume all of these are true. These all factors are working together to prevent prisoners to escape from Alcatraz.

I will talk about it later in my article, but officially, there was no one who escaped from Alcatraz alive during its history served as a jail island.

Ferries to Alcatraz depart from pier 33. If you stay in San Francisco and hope to visit to Alcatraz, I would suggest to select weekday and make reservation 3-5 days before your scheduled visit. Weekends' tickets are sometimes sold out for next 2-3 weeks. In the ferry boarding area, there are exhibitions of infamous criminals jailed in Alcatraz, including Al Capone in the picture below.

Related Post:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html

Most infamous prisoner in Alcatraz is Al Capone
Display in Alcatraz Ferry Borading Area
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What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -1

You drive in San Francisco city. You drive from Union Square area heading north toward Fisherman's Wharf, taking Leavenworth Street. Around the place where Leavenworth comes across Lombard Street on the top of the hill, the road starts to be downhill. In front of your wind shield, lower part of your eye sight, you are now viewing northern part of San Francisco Bay. You will recognize there is an island, shaped really like a huge battleship, with sharp steep edge standing rectangular from ocean surface.

You are watching Alcatraz Island known as "Jail Island" in San Francisco Bay.

I have known the name "Alcatraz" from movies and stories even before I came to San Francisco. It is world famous (or infamous). It was 1985 when I saw it from Fisherman's Wharf. I talked to myself. "Is it the island which is famous "Infamous?" as inescapable island jail?" The island had a unusual shape as I mentioned. The both edges of the island was not slope, they were sharp steep cliff as I mentioned above. It also looked like a huge ship. It gave me an impression immediately that it is a big "Battleship", not usual ship. But, other than that, with shiny California sun shine, it did not look like a jail at all.

In addition, the island looked too close to the Fisherman's Wharf to be "an inescapable island jail". I am a swimmer. I can swim 2-3 miles with no problem. I know the danger of making mistake on measuring and estimating the distance to my goal point for long distance swimming in ocean. It can kill me. Roughly measuring only the distance from Wharf's coast to Alcatraz, I was confident the distance is short enough that I can swim to the island.



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Trip to Death Valley -4

Where has the name "Death Valley" came from? Such a simple but dreadful name. Many people may wonder as I did. In the Gold Rush period starting 1984, this valley was seemed short cut to Gold Mine area for everybody go to West. Due to the harsh nature, the people who once went into the valley, had never came out. The record shows that it was only one cart came out of the valley. One of the people came out of the valley said "Good Bye, Death Valley". Then people started to call this place Death Valley.

This desert extends over 2 states, California and Nevada. The area became "National Park" in 1994 under Bill Clinton administration. It is now under Federal Management.

The desert is so desolate. But it keeps some beauty. The beauty is almost noble. Maybe this impression of mine came from the nature who does not allow compromises to people. I was amazed by the scenery which was breath taking, stood there wordless. Still, when our tour guide called and bus started to move, I felt relieved.



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