It is not too difficult today to reach balance. Just following these simple advices from Laotsi – the Chinese primordial master- will make it even simpler. We are reaching a point in society where we dont miss anything material nor spiritual, everything is so clearly disclosed in front of our eyes and the minds work much more open than before (but if you get meditative you go faster) . Now if desires are kept on a low level it will happen something incredible that there are no words to explain it. i dont even know how to write it. But this is the key for any kind of policy today. the only requirements are the right men. They have to be brave and cool; they have to belong to some sort of another race, another kind of personality which is different and it is not really easy to find, but they exist for sure. Because now we have everything and everyOne on this planet. It’s Amazing.
Laotsi’s proposal is really interesting and original, it’s not just something empty or meaningless or old. It’s so modern and can meet a win-to-win elaboration. Very smart application. Very new and so useful.
If those who are excellent find no preferment,
the people will cease to contend for promotion.
If goods that are hard to obtain are not favored,
the people will cease to turn robbers or bandits.
If things much desired are kept under cover,
disturbance will cease in the minds of the people.
In Hong Kong you get EVERYTHING from any point of view, that is why many people who have lived here a long part of their life can miss the everthing feeling. And that’s what makes this city so unique in the whole world and the kind of place to not be missed once in life. It is just unbelievable! Moreover, if you are a content person that is not seeking special entertainments or adventures in life, Hong Kong is still perfect for you because of its deep Chinese heritage which is all pervading in people and happenings here! There are no cities like Hong Kong, where progress is showering from all sides, there is no fear of Big plannings ahead in the years, a character which is blossoming nd blossoming every day. If you come to Hong Kong you will leave transformed for sure. In a world that cannot escape the game of transformations, this city is playing each card with the professional skills of a champion.
My new route at sunset betwen traffic jam in the heart town and the Chinese sea flowing thru the beautiful hills (and hundreds islands).
Two things were told to us: one was to be thankful, so we built nations around it, and you can do that. And the other thing was enjoy life. That’s a rule, a law. Enjoy life. You’re supposed to. You can only do as much as you can do and then when you do that, you’re supposed to get outside and enjoy life.
…And an extract of his speech at UN in New York in 1993
Our societies are based upon great democratic principles of the authority of the people and equal responsibilities for the men and the women. This was a great way of life across this Great Turtle Island and freedom with respect was everywhere. Our leaders were instructed to be men of vision and to make every decision on behalf of the seventh generation to come; to have compassion and love for those generations yet unborn. We were instructed to give thanks for All That Sustains Us.
Thus, we created great ceremonies of thanksgiving for the life-giving forces of the Natural World, as long as we carried out our ceremonies, life would continue. We were told that `The Seed is the Law.’ Indeed, it is The Law of Life. It is The Law of Regeneration. Within the seed is the mysterious force of life and creation. Our mothers nurture and guard that seed and we respect and love them for that. Just as we love I hi do’ hah, our Mother Earth, for the same spiritual work and mystery.
We were instructed to be generous and to share equally with our brothers and sisters so that all may be content. We were instructed to respect and love our Elders, to serve them in their declining years, to cherish one another. We were instructed to love our children, indeed, to love ALL children. We were told that there would come a time when parents would fail this obligation and we could judge the decline of humanity by how we treat our children.
We were told that there would come a time when the world would be covered with smoke, and that it would take our elders and our children. It was difficult to comprehend at the time, but now all we have to do is but to walk outside to experience that statement. We were told that there would come a time when we could not find clean water to wash ourselves, to cook our foods, to make our medicines, and to drink. And there would be disease and great suffering. Today we can see this and we peer into the future with great apprehension. We were told there would come a time when, tending our gardens, we would pull up our plants and the vines would be empty. Our precious seed would begin to disappear. We were instructed that we would see a time when young men would pace back and forth in front of their chiefs and leaders in defiance and confusion.
There are some specific issues I must bring forward on behalf of our Nations and Peoples.
Everytime i enter a modern shopping mall here in town a breeze of sophisticateness punctually blows around me. It’s not that i spend the time shopping during my visit but most of all tasting the colors, the architecture, the large space in name of the which we all sacrifice the space of our own homes in Hong Kong. Have a look from this past weekend.
Few but useful Airport check in counters inside the mall:
One day we can decide let’s create somethinga nd let’s meditate at the same time. There are things we do with special care and heart which can lead us into meditation, into yoga, and into a state of thoughtless awareness, a natural state of inner pleasure and peace which all our body, mind and senses strongly require in certain moments. Which kind of creations we can achieve? Few examples (very personal examples though):
Dance meditation: some delightful music on or a DVD of Indian classical steps and heaven here i come. Thoughts stop absolutely. Body follows the music and start creating steps arranging them for the next performance.
Painting meditation: with a large drawer full of different boxes of crayons, pick the one suiting the mood and start drawing on a canvas or a card. Mind becomes of the same colors and shape, in full sync.
Knitting meditation: sitting comfortably on a sofa or on the floor, crossed leg and right needle with threads. the work begins, a simple scarf or a headband, i cant go further that that now…
Cooking meditation: put at least 4 ingredients together to make a delicious meal and offer it to the first person next to you. it’s like alchemy, you are a magician of a chef.
Hand made jewerly meditation: collect beautiful beads and silver wire, combine them together with yoru fingers and metal tools. a new magic for awsome gifts and a great idea of a business.
Hand made cosmetics meditation: it is possible that your meditation is so powerful that you go secure with alterating of dosages and et voila’, a new fragrance and a unique piece of solid soap or shower cream is ready.
Diary meditation: it’s a tricky meditation: where is your attention? now it’s time to drop down the great findings of the day.
and last but not least we have to add…
Blogging meditation: for the ones who blog with the flow and literally dont have to think about their contents because they are already somewhere ready to be disclosed at the right moment.
When I came to the United States I was surprised that there were so many translations of the I Ching in English. I cannot immagine how these translators all found the I Ching scholars and did the decades of study necessary to truly learn the I Ching.
To the Chinese, the I Ching is like a Holy Bible written by the four most honored sages in our history – Fu Xi, King Wen, the Duke of Zhou and Confucious. The Chinese translation of Holy Bible is Sheng Ching. Sheng is equivalent to holy, and Ching means classic. Chinese understand that Ching is the Tao, the Truth, the holiest of the ancient books, and because they revere and respect the sacred writings of the Jews and the Christian church, they honor the Bible by calling it Ching.
The I Ching is truly a profound book. It is the source of much of Chinese culture. Originally, the I Ching was a handbook for divination. After Confucius and his students had written the commentaries, it became known as a book of ancient wisdom. It is a book that not only tells one who consults it about the present situation and future potential but also gives instruction about what to do and not to do to obtain good fortune and to avoid misfortune. But one still retains free choice. The guidance is based upon comprehensive observations of natural laws by ancient sages and their profound experiences of the principle of cause and effect.
These are excerpts from the Preface of The Complete I Ching by Taoist Master Alfred Huang. Before coming to China I used to consult I Ching alone or with friends, in Italy for example this book is definitely appreciated and studied by people who meditate and seek for self knowledge in their daily life. Here in Hong Kong i still did not find anybody who throughly knows about it and some local people often comment not really positively about it.
This master suggests that the best English versions of I Ching are: Richard Wilhelm’s and James Legge’s although westernized. He adds that
… the ideal translation should be English but Chinese in essence. As a book of divination, Confucius’s commentaries are crucial. The Chinese call Confucius’s commentaries the Ten Wings. They believe that the I Ching depends on the Ten Wings to be able to fly. In other words, without Confucius’s commentaries the I Ching cannot be understood.
I felt I had no choice because the more I meditated the more I felt that I had an obligation to work out a translation of the I Ching based entirely on Chinese concepts. I began to realize that during his last years, Master Yin’s proposal to teach me the I Ching was not accidental. There was a reason. I sense now that in this great time of change, when people are longing to transform and the situation is ripe, a new translation of I Ching based upon ancient Chinese wisdom and experience might be helpful for those making their own choices to enter the twenty-first century with confidence.
It is an ancient yet extremely modern concept. Thoughtless is the state of the person who is always focused and happy, whose creativity constantly flows with brilliance and purity, no space for misinterpretations, sadness, stupidity and other kinds of imbalances. This concept is related to a positive and healthy state of mind, very close to the ideal lifestyle which we want to create nowadays in our urban and no urban environments. Hence, it is a concept valid and fully adaptable to the toys manufacture.
Focus: to transmit feelings of joy, lightness, fun, simplicity.
Design: preference of rounded shapes, elements & inspirations from the nature, fresh character and great characters.
Toy materials: soft materials, attractive to the hands, really easy to handle and carry, not harsh, sometimes not hard at all, fabrics, an examplary line where the child can have complete control on it and does not have to ask the parents to do something (like changing batteries, push the button ecc).
Example of toy:From the idea of Sensitive Floor, developed by IO Agency last year: an interactive video projection designed specifically to be walked on. ~~~~> Brought to toy industry in form of a….
… scene – projector which creates, on the wall, a touch sensitive playing platform. Scenes can include:
a. interactive art scenes
b. learning games
c. story telling sequences
two examples of scenes:
1. A spiral is projected and a small elephant has to be accompanied by one finger along the spiral path from the outside to the inside extreme.
2. Moving sea Waves are projected with floating jellyfish. When a jelly is fully covered by the hand it will disappear but another jelly will appear in another corner of the sea scenario.
How to use it: the projector can be placed on a cabinet, and images will appear on the wall or furniture cabinet in front of it.
friend: this thing is …
me: ?
friend: not cool
friend: i mean
friend: the toy
me: yes
friend: no words
me: i know
friend: why do they have to make it
me: i posted in my blog and left coments to the others
me: but it shows how they are making all kinds of experiments
friend: ya
me: without knowing anything for real
me: that s the main point actually
friend: ya
me: they are trying and trying
me: in the maze of their mind
friend: this will take them nowhere or perhaps somewhere
friend: it proves the capacity of brain waves
me: we dont know where, we just know where we are going for sure eheheh
friend: ya
At the recent Toy Fair 2009 in New York a company presented this head belt which is supposed to covert the mind energy (the tester said “vibrations”) into movement of the ball you guide with an hand remote control. They are doing a lot of experiments in Toy industry, some of them are quite fun and thoughtless / mind blowing, others a big waste of skills and talents; i want to give you some updatings in the next post since at my office our team is focused on electronic game designing. Cool stuff!
Mughal emperors were fond of gardens and beauty. The design of their architecture is mostly brilliant and peaceful. They were known for four major types of garden: palace, terraced, waterfront and tomb gardens. There is a garden, now in ruin, across the river from the Taj Mahal which is known as “Moonlight Garden“. Quoted by Rabindranath Tagore.
Yet one solitary tear
Would hang on the cheek of time
In the form
Of this white and gleaming Taj Mahal
Well, it was built as a mirror image in order to allow the court to enjoy the reflection of the glooming marble artwork during the evenings of full moon. Water is one of the central element to refresh the air and it is used in form of cascades and fountains, often flowing thru channels and pools just like in the Taj Mahal. A classical Mughal garden includes symmetrical design and lots of water.
Iran is the sacred area on the planet where Mughal design originated. Infact the same word Paradise is the Persian pairi (around) and daeza (wall). Garden flowers are depicted thru words in fabulous Persian poetries and in the sacred Koran. Flowers are also engraved in the marble inlay that today represents the Gardens of Paradise as symbolized in the sacred book. In 2001 the Bradford Mughal garden was inaugurated in North England to reflect the cultural diversity of the area next to Cartwright Hall, which disposes of contemporary South Asian art exhibits.
It is beautiful to see how the design of certain style flourishes in one place and then moves to another one. And people can admire the original feature of the original design truly better in the second place than in the first. It’s fascinating. This is what happened to the buddhist Chinese architecture which originated here in China during the Tang Dinasty and can be nowaday found quite intact in the island of Japan.
There is almost no need to go and seek for informations about this period because the temples speak by themselves. They are charged with silence, dignity and sober beauty. These qualities are certainly the same residing in the ancient Chinese spirit which was moreless lost for all these years. These are the blossoming times and the meaning of strenght and power animating this spirit must come back now.
