Moreover, though this is so,
flowers fall when we cling to them,
and weeds only grow when we dislike them.”
—Dogen (1200-1253), Shobogenzo
Turn a weed into a flower
Weeds
Reply
The Power of Emptiness
form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness, emptiness itself form.
[UPDATE] I will be giving a lecture at the University in Magdeburg and Stendal on June 19 and 20, 2012.
[UPDATE] – The demonstration with the Magdeburg Hemispheres has been replicated in Grenoble in 2007 and BoingBoing shows the video on the occasion of the anniversary of the original experiment on May 8.
Read more about the history and science of the Magdeburg Hemispheres at the Skulls in the Stars blog. via BoingBoing.
Otto von Guericke's 'Magdeburg hemispheres' experiment
Magdeburg for me was always about the power of emptiness, how emptiness holds together the two halves of the whole. (read more about the experiment first conducted in 1656) This Fall for the first time I had the chance to visit Magdeburg, a town that has been around for over 1200 years.
Magdeburg was a hot place some 1000 years ago where more history happened that in many of today’s capitals of the world. Since 1991 Magdeburg has a college with an additional campus in Stendal, a town that has been around for only 800 years.
The Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences had invited me 
to give a talk about Memory: „Domi-No:Digital Media as Memory
Places“ [the talk was similar to the talk I gave at TEDx Vienna] an interesting topic in a part of the world that has switched memories recently as the Berlin Wall fell and the German Democratic Republic disappeared.
Mr. Schmotz - left, Michael Herzog - right
Prof. Dr. Michael Herzog had invited me to give the talk and Mr. Klaus Schmotz, the Oberbürgermeister of Stendal (what’s an Oberbürgermeister in English?) received us in his office at the main square in Stendal.
It was quite a day late in October, Michael had managed all the logistics which was quite a task as I gave the talk twice – in Magdeburg and in Stendal and we had to use some eight different trains, busses, subways, trams to get to the different places. I always enjoy working with students and this was especially rewarding as the two groups of students were very interested and asked lots of questions. I hope to be able to go back and work more interactively with the groups. At the end of the day a group led by the Prorector picked my brains about academic outreach and alumni programs in the US to learn from cultural differences how the university can benefit. A very interesting discourse. Then after a dinner more trains and busses and trams until we finally reached home by 11 PM for some well-deserved classical music.
There’s much more to Magdeburg than emptiness but the students can definitely benefit from understanding that there is a lot of memory that is not remembered and that not knowing is sometimes the most valuable piece to learn.
More to follow…
Originally published 15 Dec 2011
Buttonwillow
Lost in Time (c) S. B.
I always had this interest in seemingly lost and forgotten towns. Not the truly forgotten and therefore famous places. More the ones that are not even famous for being forgotten. Maybe not forgotten enough – yet. Anyone can exit the Autostrada A21 at Cremona to visit some tourist attractions. The next exit – almost blocked by spider webs due to its rare use – is the interesting one, arriving at a small town square completely asleep – maybe for years already, probably just for the siesta from 1 – 3.30. This is where the unexpected nothing happens. The great café that serves you nothing because it is closed, the store where you can’t buy anything, the church you can’t visit.
This Italian town is lost – I can’t remember where it exactly was and poking around on Google maps led to nothing. Some places I visit on a more or less regular schedule. Among them is Buttonwillow, a place I discovered when LA Weekly ran a story in 1997 [needs reference] from a writer who spent a week at the Buttonwillow onramp. Since then whenever I drive I-5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco, I try to make time to go to Buttonwillow – a 4 mi detour into nowhere.
After a long time I’ve been back yesterday. The Buttonwillow onramp hosted the first Starbucks on I-5 across from the truck stop and now even has an Indian Restaurant.
Always a great place to shoot photos – no tourists run between you and your lens I added to my collection. Earlier shots are all analog and I will post them after scanning.
Buttonwillow has a lot of memories and no tangible paraphernalia. I do have the original LA Weekly story on paper – no URL available – maybe I can add it here.
If you drive I-5 in the Central Valley, take the time and visit Buttonwillow.
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- Lost in Time (c) S. B.
Not knowing is most intimate
Jizô asked Hôgen, “Where are you going, senior monk?”
Hôgen said, “I am on pilgrimage, following the wind.”
Jizô said, “What are you on pilgrimage for?”
Hôgen said, “I don’t know.”
Jizô said, “Not knowing is most intimate.”
Hôgen suddenly attained great enlightenment.
Book of Serenity, Case 20 – quoted after Illusory Flowers in an Empty Sky
My Dharma Friend and Zen Beginner A.W. wrote an extensive comment on Intimacy as Zen Lingo. In Zen “Intimacy” is a terminus technicus, whereas in common language it is misused in the same way as terms like “adult”, “graphic”, or “explicit” (always referring to fun and healthy stuff like sex, not to bad stuff like guns and violence). Intimate parts [NSFW in U.S.] are therefore “body parts usually covered in public” (Wikipedia). In French male private parts are called “bijoux de famille” (family jewelry).
“What do home health aides, call center operators, prostitutes, sperm donors, nail manicurists, and housecleaners have in common?” asks the book Intimate Labors: Cultures, Technologies, and the Politics of Care. Ed. by Eileen Boris and Rhacel Salazar Parreñas. – Stanford UP, 2010. [Amazon]. 
On a side note: the paperback edition on Amazon is new $23.95 with “4 used from $125.82″ (as of 2/22/12) – go figure what’s so special about the used edition…”
I’m more interested in intimacy in Zen than in intimacy in Zen Center, especially where it refers to practice. The most intimate relationship comes from the complete contact you need to make with an experience when you don’t know – don’t know what happens next, don’t know why it happens. And in quite motionless sitting, where you know exactly where you are – on your cushion – and you know exactly what will happen next – nothing – for another 39 minutes – this experience is most direct, most intimate.
The translations of the Koans of the Book of Serenity can be found here.
There is a discussion of the Koan also here.
Now – going skin-deep is this really intimate? preferably on your back where you can’t see it? Check the Tattoo templates – the images are copyright protected and locked, so I cannot promote the work of Master Takase here – you need to go to their website to see the tattoo on the back of the girl. But then, not knowing … you get the idea
Read the Book of Serenity. [Amazon]
Also check Berry Graham on his experience of intimacy with a photography.
This blog entry is work in progress and I will continue to add to it – so when you subscribe to floblogg you may get multiple email alerts.
Don’t try this with eBooks
Replicating / replacing paper books with electronic books becomes more and more viable as devices provide a better reading experience – and this works fine as long as you “just want to read the words – yet there is more to the experience. Understanding that every medium has its own qualities and potential is essential to appreciate it.
Try this with eBooks:
(via Mediabistro, Facebook)
And now go get a book – Here’s a list of independent bookstores in the US. I added Bird &Beckett in my new neighborhood Glen Park – great place to teach M about books and a wonderful reminder of the bookstore of Dr. Posch in my old neighborhood.