Re: beginners luck

[Junichi Uenohata <jayjayjay@mindspring.com>]

At 02:23 PM 5/13/97 -0400, you wrote:

... But I will say this: If there is such a thing as zen through
photographing, I feel you can acheive it with an M.



An intersting comment. Zen is one sect of Buddhism which emphasizes the notion
of "Jyou-Jyu-Zaga", which means you keep seeking truth whenever and wherever
you are through everything you do. It is, in other words, a faith that through
all the actions you make in your daily life, you keep seeking truth, not through
studying by books, but through thinking by yourself through your own behaviors.

In zen, "eveything you do" is at the same time a thinking process. Your
heart and mind is constantly working, trying to be aware and sense the
truth. In a way, Zen is an interesting attempt to blurr the border between
the brain and
heart and behind that attempt, there is a faith that the truth will reveal
itself "in you". This discovery of truth is called "Ken-Sho", meaning the
discovery of your true self. 

If you could believe in such a state of mind and heart, literally everything
you do could be the practice of Zen. The question is, then, what sort of things
one should do. Yes, in Zen, you must make decisions as to what sort of actions
and behaviors could help you discover yourself. If that is the case, photography
must be one of those decisions you make.

I am not sure whether a Leica M could help you do this. But I can not deny that
I sense a better chance to touch something more fundamental through a Leica M
compared to other heavily plastic, electronic gadets. In Leica M, I can feel
the existence of human hands, massaging each element from a clear concept and
vision into functionality and form.

I do not intend to practice Zen by using my Leica M3. But maybe it does not
matter. Even if I do not consciously seek truth through Leica M photography,
the Leica M might be helping me getting closer to find my true self and
consequently, to a true vision of the things to be.

Leica M cameras maybe expensive. But considering the chance that it maybe able
to take you to places where you did not even imagine you would go, I believe
it is a very good and justifiable investment. 

Maybe I sounded a bit presumptuous, but I do feel this way abou Leica M cameras.
They are beautiful. By the way, in Zen Buddhism, it is said that one out of
every tens of thousands will reach the state of "Ken-Sho". But others who do
not reach there are definitely not losers, as they all participate in a
meaningful process.

Jay