Not the hand, Not the wind

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Homage to the Zen Master Mumon's commentary on the Huineng's flag koan.

D3 200f2 + TC17EII (340mm) 1/8 f/29 ISO200 a little cool on WB, Landscape Picture Control, HH w/VR

Just a very little sharpening and dust removal (lots, closed down aperture focused the lens dust?)... No effects.

Thanks for looking & commenting.

Cheers,

-Michael-

[denise ippolito]

Michael, It's beautiful. I like the colors and swirls of movement. Very nicely done.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Michael,

re:

"Homage to the Zen Master Mumon's commentary on the Huineng's flag koan."

Can you please explain the above?

Just a very little sharpening and dust removal (lots, closed down aperture focused the lens dust?)...

Yes, when you stop way down you will see any microscopic dust on your sensor. That is why we recommend cleaning your sensor with a Lens Pen when you will be doing blurs or macro:

https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=13

BTW, I like the image. Is it all from wind blur?

[Julie Kenward]

I want to know how you did this, too. The movement is beautiful and very serene!

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Denise, Artie, Julie,

Greetings. Thanks much for the comments. It's all wind blur (no intentional camera movement, used VR), reflected sun off grass tops, shooting not quite directly into the sun. Very windy. Got the idea from doing the long exposure theme a few weeks ago.

The title is in reference is to the Zen koan (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gateless_Gate ) Eno's flag (I should have stuck to the Japanese reference rather than inserting the Chinese name).

Two monks were watching a flag flapping in the wind. One said to the other, "The flag is moving."
The other replied, "The wind is moving."
Eno overheard this. He said, "Not the flag, not the wind; mind is moving."
The two monks were struck with awe.

That's the koan. Mumon's commentary on the koan is something like, it is not the wind, flag or mind that moves.
The monks were trying to buy iron and Eno gave them gold. The patriarch (Eno) was being too compasionate and disgraced himself.

Wind, flag and mind moves,
All confirmed as guilty of error.
Only we know our mouth is opened,
we do not know our speech went wrong.

The koan and the commentary capture the essence of Zen (for me). I recalled these things as I was working on this image.

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Michael, Thanks for the info and the wonderful story. So the koan is the lesson?

[Indranil Sircar]

Beautiful image, Michael. I can feel the whip of the wind... nice effect and love the color.

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Artie,

"So the koan is the lesson?"

Koans are knotty stories or statements... paradoxical. It's been said they elude resolution by means of thinking. They are the essence of Zen and it's said that study of them can lead to enlightenment. Describing them is almost a paradoxical practice in itself (how do you study something that eludes resolution by thinking?).

So in the spirit of Zen, the answer to your question is no.

Ah, here's a little Zen saying that works for photographers:

The one who is good at shooting does not hit the center of the target.

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

I like that last quote a lot...
Nice image by the way :)

[Kerry Perkins]

I love the sense of swirling motion here Michael and the lovely green tones.

I have always loved the Zen saying that the late Frank Zappa said in a concert once - "nothing is what I want". ;)

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Michael, Thanks for your enlightening comments. I am a lover of what is, (Byron Katie: www.thework.com). My understanding are that her teaching have Buddhist roots.

[Ed Vatza]

I'm just a guy from the streets of Pennsylvania but it reminds me of advice I often give to friends in the field on windy days - "Be one with the wind!" Yes, be one with the wind and you can still create beautiful images like one. Very well thought out and captured.