How does Afro Latin play in east asian buddhists´everyday

Ordinary days are great. Productive, quiet and meditative, besides I get terrible headaches in crowds. However yesterday something persuaded me to go out and supposedly listen to a Secret Garden dj at the Styrbord Babord in Gothenburg.... but before I go on, how does afro latin actually look like in the everyday life of the rice eating east asian buddhists?

.......yes, ...offerings for their ancestors at the temple, try to be obedient towards their parents, respect for the teachers and then off these kids go happily and polish their skill in street fighting dance. Some street scene in Taiwan: Taiwan vs Japan.... in earlier time ... shiaolin desciples vs samurajs







... so anyway first we sat at the Da Matteo in Viktoriapassagen with eco gelato ( Italian sorbet ), Iced latte, and some panini etc. The atmosphere was very relaxing. The people helping us with our order were effective, friendly, available and helpful whenever we need something.

I read how the coffee shop´s profile goes its way back from an Italian life experience. As I mentioned earlier, I find italian culture similar to east asian in many ways. The generosity, the easy, direct and simple way of talking to another person. I have always wondered over the keywords to this. And it always goes back to one chinese everyday philosophy. The generosity of giving another person and the present circumstances your time at that moment. When you have this ability, only in this manner may you give others the chance to experience you in your ultimate intellect and understanding of things, and therefore only then will you feel appreciated and confirmed as you really are.

Anyway, later with the Secret Garden, I didn´t exactly understand if they were the ones performing just when we came in at around 8 ´clock pm or were they supposed to be expected a little bit later. However, we sat in there and enjoyed something to drink. The people were friendly, and the music was playing it cool and in rythm and tempo with the place which was slowly filling itself up with people. That kind of music which encourages hesitating people to sit down, and see what is going on. It has a certain class of its own which is intellectual, friendly, warmhearted, generous and fire enfusing, yet absolutely a peacemaker. A complete balance of yin and yang, and therefore extremely giving to the essential needs of human being, I thought.

But what more that has made me listen to the music, was somehow the east asian clang in it when it comes to the art of skill polishing. Both the music, the composing master behind it, and DJ exhibit great potential in what they do. So whatever more they shared that evening, or if they later increased the tempo to the R. Massip´s which was the one that has persuaded me to this place in the beginning, whatever I missed later was really a pity, but I really had to run to the bus that will bring me back to Tanumshede just before midnight, back to my ordinary everyday life.

... but like I said a pity, because just like east asians say about skill ... it´s not the expertism that is target. it´s the polishing of the skill ... the potential to perfection.... and many are really getting it right ....

The champion of the china dmc




Dj Eds of Taiwan:

Dj Kentaro of Japan:




.... so as I understand, no matter if it is music, martial art, or kitchen skill ... the principle of doing things in east asian meaning is the same: the goal is in polishing your skill to perfection...

.... yes, that reminds us to see things with a little bit of humor too, laughter is afterall an important ingredience in buddhistic understanding. Anyway the truth is perhaps, afro latin funk techno mixed mood really do have a great place in the everyday life of east asian buddhists afterall ...

Soldiers of east asian inspirations

Yes, now thinking about it, Japan has a lot to offer, and has given Europe a lot. Some important names on this intercultural exchanges in Sweden are: Dag Hermelin, Petter B, P. Bjerke, J. Ulvsgärd, Johanna Swanberg, ... and other more...


Yes, from Hello Kitty to the most traditional japanese, these people should be called soldiers of inspirations and ideas. And to that I would also say to the homepage: Res.se

.... but of course japanese don´t give away these knowledge free of charge. As the principle of the natural circle of life demands, give and take is a must: and therefore Sting and his band has to perform this excellent performance live in Tokyo for the japanese....



yes,there are people working behind so we can have as best sushi as can be made.... what can we do besides enjoying our best sushi? Give too. Support, mingle, be aware of the work of these people. How? Figure it out yourself... after so many sushi rice (rice as also a chinese symbol for wisdom: where chinese write down knowledge) I´m sure you know .... and I´m sure you even know that in the end you´ll also gain from it too ... Knowledge like happiness has a funny way of flying around in every ones life like a naughty dragon,... you´ll see.

Summer. Hopefully it will be a fine summer with wonderful activities for the teahouse. One activity anyway is a Presentation of Solivan Drexel on June 17, 2009, about the year he spent in Japan, zen understanding, zazen meditation and more.



Many people from Europe visit East Asia, eat, drink and talk with east asian people, but not all, and only very few succeeded in thinking and existing like east asian afterward. However, after speaking with Solivan Drexel personally and reading his draft of presentation, it was really like talking with and reading a writing of an east asian zen budddhist.

Really something to recommend for inner development therefore, ... that or maybe buy a day train ticket and go around town like holy macaroni with this song of Josh Groban in your head ...

... or if one would really like it associated with Japan, there is this other version with some japanese texts.

....or why not really get loose with the original artist of this song, Rod Stewart ...

...either way you choose or if you´ll choose both or everything, I´m sure Buddha will bless you!

Just a tribute from a wiser point of view

Well, that was just a tribute I wanted to give the 21th May tea, by reevaluating my own way of seeing thing, because I have seemed very critical about this tea the last time, and I know that it´s not really good to do that.



And as I have learned about tea drinking, mostly what counts is the tea drinker´s own mood and not really the quality of the tea. I´m really learning to be a good tea drinker in every sense, so I hope my last post shows how I was trying to rely more on my own way of seeing thing. That the same factor or the same tea can actually taste right, only because I was trying to see things another way. And tea really taste greater.

A tea created on the 21th of May 36 years ago: A subtle taste of sweetness

The computer is under maintenance and couldn´t load down any picture at all for now, but I guess some videos would do in the meantime.

Today 36 years ago, one particular tea was produced. If one has the same attitude as many have when they say " this taste doesn´t tell me anything at all " to genuine teas, one would certainly miss this particular one. Like a genuine subtile tea it expresses hardship belonging to any taste than it´s own, or integrating for anything as it is produced as it was. Made as it is and so should simply be understood and enjoyed as it is, just like it says in that song I am .. I said by Neil Diamond.

... but sometimes when one give it time until late in the season to blossom into another phase of taste, when it is a little bit stronger and less sensitive to storms and heavy rains, it is actually like the famous beautiful story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a book written by Richard Bach, about a seagull who almost was an outcast, a none-functional in its own flock, has finally succeeded in learning about the"higher plane of existence" (reminiscent of the beliefs of Chinese, in that there is no heaven but a better world found through perfection of knowledge. The book was later made into a film.



Teas do get stronger too with time. It´s inside of everyone and everything surely, even genuine subtle teas produced on the 21th of May. I still want to believe it is that way anyway ..... and until there is strength to fly again, the cliff is there for it , which hopefully remain intact against any villain and storm until the day when it sees the brave seagull again.

Some technical problems

Sorry for some temporary interruption in this blog lately due to technical faults. We´re now trying to put back one by one all the earlier posts that was taken out or not have been published due to some technical problems. We´re trying to be a better man.

The circle of life

Life is a process, and therefore probably negotiation is needed, so that life may go on, step by step, with the circle of life:

As the master explain about tea negotiations, in life too I think is the same, as long as one knows when to stop, then probably it´s alright to ask or bargain for your needs. As Elton John says too in The Lion King, ... it´s the circle of life, some eat some gets eaten, some say live and let live, some kings some soldiers, some father some child, some man some woman, each has his needs, but all agreed as they join the stampede: we should never take more than we give ..... so no matter if it´s a man or a woman negotiating for more, or a child asking for candies, yes, one may probably crave as one need, as long as one knows when is enough, and never take more than you give... then probably it´s alright to negotiate...

Brewing tea and tea ceremonies Part 3

Drinking tea full of vitality yet so fragile and sensitive

photo by: Naomi

Photos: Naomi

Drinking tea sometimes feels like music like this one sang by Faye Wong,
somehow full of vitality yet so fragile and sensitive,
...

Tea and a little reading

It´s raining, but after 20 years in Sweden, I know the sun is coming out soon, but just in case, I just got some warm tea anyway and some reading. Something about Gerárd Depardieu´s films, which mostly sell quite well even in Asia, it says here. I think he is a good actor asian or none asian. His international breakthrough in film industry is, The Green Card, with Andie Mcdowell. His film The Pact of Silence is also said to be good and has been shown around Asia.

Anyway, I got several invitations to concerts from friends. Very nice, but I think my blog has been very missguiding. I´m very much interested in art painting and photo and film editing, and found concert videos very interesting artistically, but otherwise, unless some private ones, I´m seldom in concerts or crowded places.

Well, that was a good tea.

The tea merchant and the tea buyer

Tea market can be very tough as mentioned earlier. In some cases, 4 years means not one single deal was made. Partly because of the distance between import/export places, and lack of direct communication between merchant and buyer. Some latest discussions in one particular case on this matter are:

1. The merchant runs series of advertisement on its tea products and place of location, but somehow failed to be present in each of the buyer´s visits. These give the buyer empty business trips and losses. Lately the merchant has posted another public information on its new location and its 36th anniversary, very tempting therefore, but due to several dissapointments in the part of the buyer, unless a personal invitation is received from the merchant personally, the buyer refused anymore.

3. The merchant´s criticism on the buyer´s seniority as a company. This is most probably because the merchant is not well informed of the chinese belief in age as wisdom. On the other hand, the buyer´s confident is well intact. The more it gathers tea knowledge by years the more it will demand better deal from the merchant!

4. The merchant has thousands other possible buyers, but the confidence of this particular buyer lies on the monetary possbility it holds. Most coins are two sided of similar quality. The buyer´s coins are two different sided, giving the merchant two possible monetary utility. One is most likely compatible to the merchant´s market profile, which is more than a black market or of any particular market era, it is a market profile very lost in between various human translated time, place and essence of being. On the other side of the coins is a monetary useful in ordinary common oppen market in case this even suited a more ordinary circumstances. This doesn´t however meant that one is forced to choose both side of the coins. An acknowledgement and respect of the other side of the coin´s existence is enough. As for the buyer, it is a side necessarily be acknowledged as part of its history.

5. The merchant expressed its wishes that the buyer publishes the tea products. Publications cost specially in terms if time, and as it is very deifficult without personal meeting with the tea merchant. The buyer therefore proposed a deal of 12 publications ( one publication a week ) for every one business meeting personally attented by the merchant and the buyer.

Summary for the most current issue: The buyer required a personal invitation personally signed by the merchant for every meeting required, specifically delivered to the buyer´s e-mail address, otherwise the buyer refused risking anymore empty business trips, but as proof of goodwill, the buyer offered one publication, on the house.

.........speaking about being lost in between human translated time, places and essence of being, I read some unpublished manuscript about the east being overpopulated by the western, as the west by the Easterns. Just right about act three .... one japanese soldier searching for someone he lost in New York , ........ Joe Cocker singing unchain my heart

Is everything in life really like negotiation? ... doors to be opened?

There were two more questions about life that has developed here lately, inspired from two great teamasters in Taiwan. Is everything in life really like opening some doors. I tried to open one door, and found out it´s not really just one door to open, but probably severals more until one reaches its destiny. Or is there really some destiny? Or perhaps life is just what I experienced of seemingly like endless of door opening, like tea, meant to be processed, drank, digested, reprocessed, reconsumed, and reprocessed again and so on ..... was that how you experience life too?

Photo: Naomi

......... or is life or even love like negotiation between a tea merchant and a buyer. A balance they may create between them, so that not one of them may fall, as they actually need each other. I myself went to a tea merchant lately, meaning to see the tea product, but the merchant himself wasn´t even there, nor the product. What was there was just some accesories to the tea product itself, some wonderful books about it, some promises perhaps...?... of how great this tea going to be ... ? how about you what was the negotiation you have been through lately like?

Photo: Naomi

... or it´s probably a whole philosophy to live on, where open mind is needed to able you too see it. See the solution. Where in negotiation have you gone wrong or right? Yes, probably an open mind is needed. An open mind so wide like the zen´s essence of time and space.

....like I think some sounds are like. A wider essence of time and space dimension, where past, present and future are one, east and west actually twins, and north is south in china. Where problems are actually solutions.... where one day actually means indifinitely..... where you can actually be me...and me you.... just like David Bowie wants you to understand..

Sorry for the missing posts...
Putting it back soon...meanwhile here´s the song Don´t get me wrong:

Some Italian visit at the teahouse

From left to right: Celina, Le Ly, Martine, Alice from Capo di Ponti / Photo by: Naomi

Italian culture touched our heart with this visit from a 15 year old high school exchange student of Capo di Ponti in Italy. It was a visit full of joy and youthful enthusiasm. Most of their tours and activities were done by the school of our community, and we stood as host family to one or two of these 24 italian students. Among others we visited a beautiful water fall in our area.

This is one of the exchange activities between schools in Italy, as well as some other european countries, and our community school. This also give our youths some chance to visit their countries later, like Le Ly 13 year old and Martine, also 13, thought of doing later.

Italian culture is not far from chinese when it comes to hospitality and generosity. Afterall, I thought noodles and spaghetti are not really far from each other either. Generosity as I said is one of what I can directly say of italians, then joy probably, when talking is also one of the main activity when gathered together just like chinese people do.

In this occassion, I thought very much of the great contribution of some great Italians or this culture have given the world. They may be in form of scientists, writers, philosophers etc., etc, but even great singers I admire. Luciano Pavarotti and the french born Emma Shapplin are one of the favorites I´d like to mention. And Song Zuying , as one of those brave easterns who has the courage to abolish the boundary between east and west with music.

I see both Pavarotti and Emma Shaplin as very "buddhist" when it comes to their way of understanding time. They had/have indeed succeded in taking away generation and era gaps into one and only music. Pavarotti has, and thankfully just before he passed away gone singing with as many younger music artists he could ever do duets with. One of these lucky young artist was Jon Bon Jovi when he sang The rain with this great italian tenor.

Emma shaplin with her admirable talent in joining two different musical epochs, while maintaining classic elegance.

Emma Shapplin: Ira di Dio

Song Zuying: Jasmin flower



And finally Emma Shapplin: Cuor senza sangue



... for those memorable moments with Capo di Ponti´s .... I hope everyone has enjoyed their tea tonight...

Tea and guitar competition

Photo: Naomi / Editing and design: Celina

I think appreciating tea are like appreciating music. It´s a matter of mood and taste. And again a matter of constructive competition. One of my first blog visitors was a taiwanese blog about guitar artists. They just got two demo videos so I couldn´t really say much about their music, but surely they are brilliant, as they seems to be proffessionals. Anyway, whenever it´s warm like this, it always reminds of my childhood home in Asia. I can hear my father playing some chinese notes on our old piano, which can likely be appreicated from a guitar too of course. I really love the sound anyway. They were simple notes, but soothing to the senses.

Nowadays, there are what they call electric guitars too, and I love to listen to them. Electric guitar on the other is a very sensual instrument. While searching some solo of Mark Knopfler, I stumbled over this musical video. It´s originally written by Knopfler, but played by a certain named Gaz, who seems to give this solo with more passion than Knopfler. Although as I understand from what I read, it seems to be actually Knopfler himself secretly playing them.

Anyway, here`s Mark Knopfler playing Dire Straits` Sultans of Swing:

But like in swimming or even in breakdancing today, chinese can never be defeated. They can always be considered as one of those who excels most of the time. It ´s hard to get the the good ones with high quality in youtube, but this one is great I think. Just before listening though, please be reminded of the art of appreciation. This one is a tougher one, so get ready for one:

Like soulmates, I think each music or sound has it´s own compatibility or alikeness with some tea, like another great teamaster who actually compare tea to music. Anyway, I wonder which tea goes with this solo called Going home, originally by Knopfler, played by Gaz:

And lastly, something that means a lot to me, The tunnel of Love, of Dire Straits, played by somebody called giasso in youtube. Now, please be ready and get your mood a little bit down for a lesser accompanied peice of play:

Have a lovely evening....