u/yamatofuji

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​In the traditions of the great 13th-century Japanese masters, we find two distinct but converging paths toward awakening: the Zen of Dogen Zenji and the Shin Buddhism of Shinran Shonin.

Though their methods differ in form, their spiritual essence remains a singular experience of non-duality.

​Master Dogen taught the principle of "Shusho-itto," the oneness of practice and enlightenment.

In Zen, sitting meditation (zazen) is not a means to an end; it is not a tool used to acquire a future state of grace. Instead, the act of sitting is itself the manifestation of Buddha-nature.

As Dogen expressed, "To practice is itself the whole of realization."

​Shinran Shonin, the founder of Shin Buddhism, proposed a parallel logic through "shinjin" (the entrusting heart). Just as Dogen saw sitting as enlightenment, Shinran viewed the "Nembutsu" the recitation of "Namu Amida Butsu" as identical to awakening.

It is the voice of the Infinite calling out within the finite human being.

​The primary distinction lies in the environment of the practitioner.

Zen traditionally flourished in the stillness of the monastery, requiring a dedicated withdrawal from the secular world. Shin, however, was designed for the "secular world," intended to be practiced in the midst of a common lifestyle.

​For path walker, these two paths offer the "best of both worlds."

The Pure Land of Shin is found to be the same as the Pure Mind of Zen.

Whether one is on the meditation cushion in silent inquiry or navigating the complexities of daily life with a heart of gratitude, the objective is the same: to dissolve the ego and flow with the Dharma-stream.

​By treating zazen and nembutsu as interchangeable vehicles, we find that the "narrow way" of discipline and the "broad way" of grace are two sides of the same coin.

In my direct experience, there is no longer a sharp line between the sacred and the ordinary.

All of life becomes the practice; all of life becomes the awakening. Meow....

🙏

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Beloved, years ago, back when I was just a teenager and going to sesshins all the time, I had this experience that stayed with me forever.

​Growing up, it was all about the grades and the hard work at school.

My own needs or how I actually felt? That didn't really count.

I didn't really count.

For the longest time, no matter what I achieved, I carried this heavy weight, like I didn't actually have permission to just be...

But then, during one particular weeksesshin, everything suddenly flipped.

​By the third day, I was absolutely struggling. My teenage knees were screaming from the hours on the cushion, my back was a mess, and I was just exhausted with a splitting headache. I tried every trick in the book to handle the pain. I’d hear the Zen master’s voice in my head:

“Put your attention right in the pain.”

Then, when that failed: “Move your attention away, find a spot that doesn’t hurt.” I’d command myself to relax, check my posture, and count those breaths... one, two, three.

Sometimes the pain hit so many places at once I just couldn't keep up. I tried to "let it be," but nothing made the burden any lighter.

​I realized I was doing that thing again, trying way too hard.

Trying to control the whole experience. It was totally backfiring and getting in my way, but I had no idea how to just stop.

​I eventually brought it up during dokusan. The gang leader told me, “Trying not to do something is the hardest part. Just sit with a question instead.”

It helped for a minute, but then I’d just slide right back into the struggle. By the second question, I was losing heart. I kept thinking, “How much longer is this? Can I even do this?”

I just wanted to go home.

​Then came day five. I told myself: “Let it go. Stop trying to carry the suffering and just be there.”

I decided to get out of my head and just try to enjoy things. Suddenly, everything shifted. The morning sutras sounded incredible. I felt this weird, beautiful connection to everything, the energy in the room, a blackbird singing outside, even a butterfly that landed on my notebook while I was writing. I finally relaxed.

The pain actually started to fade.

​The theme that week was ‘Intimacy, seeing and being seen,’ and ja, it hit me(:

During zazen, out of nowhere, I was just flooded with this realization: “I’m allowed to be here! I’m allowed to be seen!”

I’d never felt anything like it it was in my very bones. I felt huge, light, like I could finally breathe. It felt like a tiny spark of enlightenment. I wanted to scream it out like Mt.Fuji: “Voilà, qui je suis!” Look, this is me! I’m here! I matter!

​But I was in a silent retreat, so I stayed still. I just sat there, crying quiet tears of pure joy. Everything felt different after that, the way I sat, the way I walked. I felt strong, full of life, and totally supported. Voilà.

Gassho,

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​Hoi colleagues,

​I’m currently mapping out my academic travel for the next year or two and I’m starting to feel a bit of 'mega-conference' burnout.

While the massive events are great for networking, the sessions can feel like a marathon of industry-sponsored talks, and I often leave feeling like I didn't actually gain many new surgical pearls.

​I’m looking for the 'Hidden Gems.' I want to find the conferences that offer the best balance of clinical ROI, surgical skill-up (wet labs/live surgery), and a location that makes the jet lag worth it.

My previous stop this year was the ESCRS in Londen, before that, Dutch Ophthalmology Congress, in Groningen, Netherlands.

I’m excited for the local vibe, but it got me thinking about where to go next.

​For those who travel internationally, I’d love your "insider" take on:

​The Best "Skill-Up": Which congress actually made you a better surgeon the following Monday? (e.g., Is ESCRS still the gold standard for anterior segment, or is something like the DOC in Germany better?)

​The Hidden Gems: Are there niche meetings (like Floretina in Italy, the JOS in Japan, or the WOC) that exceeded your expectations?

​The Language Barrier: For the regional meetings (SFO in France, DOG in Germany, etc.), is the English-speaker experience manageable, or is it mostly local-language sessions?

​The Vibe: Is it high-intensity academics, or "social networking on a beach"?

🙏

Hoi(: a study presented at the ESCRS (European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons) Congress in London highlighted a alarming trend regarding cosmetic eyelash extensions and ocular surface breakdown.

​Researchers surveyed 345 women (ages 16–28) using lash extensions:

​Symptom Rate: Nearly half (47.6%) reported chronic ocular discomfort, redness, tearing, or itching post-procedure.

​Gland Damage: In pt getting extensions 10+ times, 85% developed clinical Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).

​Mite Infestation: Microscopic epilation analysis on regular users revealed active Demodex folliculorum infestations in 24 out of 25 patients (96%), with 18 showing marked skin/follicle irritation.

As a ordinary nobody ​I think ehy this matters clinically?

Because the combination of glue toxicity, mechanical trauma, lack of proper eyelid hygiene (patients are often told not to rub or wash their extensions thoroughly to preserve them), and trapped sebum creates a perfect breeding ground for Demodex.

​As refractive and anterior segment colleagues note, compromised tear film and destroyed meibomian glands before procedures like LASIK or cataract surgery significantly worsen post-op outcomes and dry eye symptoms.

My question as ordinary nobody, are you colleagues seeing an influx of young patients presenting with Demodex blepharitis and severe MGD due to lash extensions in your clinics?

What treatments (TPO/Lotilaner, IPL, tea tree oil) are working best for your patients who refuse to give up the extensions? Thank you for your time in advance

🙏

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I wanted to share a few thoughts on how we might reframe this conversation toward a more integrative approach, and I’d love to hear your perspectives.

Perhaps we should move away from viewing this as an "either LDL or metabolism" dichotomy.

The question is not which single marker is correct, but how we can synthesize lipids, metabolic health, markers of inflammation, hormonal dynamics, and cardiovascular imaging to refine individual risk prediction.

We know unequivocally that LDL plays a causal role in atherosclerosis. At the same time, we recognize that not every lipid profile carries the same physiological implications. A atherogenic phenotype marked by abundant small dense LDL (sdLDL), hypertriglyceridemia, and insulin resistance presents a distinctly different risk architecture than a profile dominated by large, buoyant LDL particles, low triglycerides, and high HDL.

The critical open question is whether, and to what extent, these distinct metabolic phenotypes translate into differential long-term cardiovascular outcomes. We simply do not have all the answers yet.

The question isn't which marker is right, but how we can combine lipids, metabolic health, inflammatory markers, hormones, and imaging to better predict individual cardiovascular risk.

That is precisely why continued, rigorous scientific investigation into these nuances is essential, provided we do so without disregarding our established body of evidence regarding ApoB and LDL-C. Staying both genuinely curious and critically minded is the only way forward.

How are you approaching this nuance in your clinical practice (e.g., ordering ApoB, NMR lipoprofiles, or CAC scoring for border/intermediate-risk patients)?

🪷

As a ordinary nobody here I wrote a tighter, clinical summary focused solely on the methodology, outcomes, and surgical implications.

Title: 3-Year ESCRS 2026 Data: TransPRK vs. Alcohol-Assisted PRK (Dr. Robert Ang)

Study Design & Parameters

Cohort: Contralateral-eye randomized trial (n eyes, mean baseline -3.6D SE).

Arm 1 (TransPRK): Single-step, all-laser surface ablation using B&L Teneo M2 (54mu default epithelial profile).

Arm 2 (Conventional PRK): Alcohol-assisted epithelial removal followed by stromal ablation.

Protocol: Both arms received MMC 0.02% for 30 seconds.

3-Year Outcomes

Refractive Predictability: Near-plano SE achieved in both groups at 1 year, stable through 36 months (mean residual cylinder 0.4D.

Efficacy & Safety: 96% achieved 20/20 UDVA in both arms. 0% lost lines of CDVA. No haze reported in either group through 6 months.

Healing & Discomfort: Re-epithelialization took 2.5\\3 days for both platforms. Pain profiles were equivalent, lasting 2 days (contrary to expectations of lower pain with TransPRK).

So as a ordinary nobody I see that, workflow shifted majority of primary surface ablations to TransPRK for faster surgical time and equivalent safety/efficacy.

Exceptions for Manual Debridement:

Patients with a history of recurrent epithelial erosions (EER).

Enhancement/retreatment cases where epithelial profile uniformity cannot be assured.

Source: Ophthalmology Times Report on ESCRS 2026 Presentation

Question is: considering that single-step TransPRK relies on a standardized 54 μm epithelial ablation profile, how are you handling custom adjustments for eyes with non-standard central epithelial thickness mapped on OCT, and does the lack of significant pain reduction with TransPRK align with what you will observe in your own surface ablation cohort?

🙏

if roughly 10% of a human body is Hydrogen dating back to the beginning of time, and the rest consists of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen forged in the hearts of dying stars, then Sapiens is simply a temporary arrangement of eternal atoms.

​From this perspective, "death" isn't the end of a person; it’s just the universe reclaiming its hardware to run different software.

As a species, 13.8 billion years old beings just happen to be in "human" phase right now.

enjoy the journey kiddos (:

🛶🌌

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The practice of Zazen (seated meditation) teaches us to remain still amidst the storms of the mind.

As a ordinary nobody the cold shower I'm using as a companion to meditation, is a gateway to presence, resilience, and vitality.

​Here are eleven reasons from Yamato Fuji, to embrace the cold, weaving the wisdom of the masters with the observations of contemporary science.

​1. The Awakening of Inner Fire (Thermogenesis)

​Just as we stir the embers of our awareness, cold water ignites the body’s metabolic fire. Scientifically, exposure to cold activates brown adipose tissue (BAT). Unlike white fat, brown fat burns calories to generate heat, turning your physical form into a more efficient vessel of energy.

​2. The Great Circulation (Vascular Flow)

​In Zen, we speak of the unobstructed flow of Qi. When the cold hits, your peripheral blood vessels constrict and then dilate, a process called vasoconstriction and vasodilation. This "pumping" action flushes the system, ensuring that life-giving oxygen reaches the deepest recesses of your cells.

​3. The Sudden Satori (Alertness)

​A cold shower is a bell of mindfulness. The shock triggers a surge in norepinephrine and beta-endorphins, providing a sharp, lucid clarity that far surpasses the jittery stimulation of caffeine.

You are not merely awake; you are present.

​4. Mastery Over the Elements (Adaptation)

​The way walkers does not complain about the winter; they become the winter.

Regular cold exposure strengthens your homeostatic system, teaching your body to regulate its temperature more effectively. You will find that the biting wind no longer disturbs your inner calm.

​5. Stewardship of the Earth (Simplicity)

​Zen is the path of "just enough." By tempering your body to require less external heat, you reduce your reliance on artificial warmth. This is both a practice of personal frugality and a compassionate act toward the environment.

​6. The Radiance of the Vessel (Dermatological Health)

​The skin is the boundary between the self and the world. While hot water strips away protective oils, cold water flattens the sebaceous follicles and tightens the pores. This results in skin that is resilient, firm, and clear—a reflection of a disciplined life.

​7. The Joy of Non-Attachment (Endorphin Release)

​By leaning into the discomfort of the cold, you break the cycle of "seeking pleasure and avoiding pain." This surrender triggers a profound release of endorphins, the body’s natural joy-bringers.

One emerges from the water not shivering, but smiling.

​8. The Restoration of the Warrior (Muscle Recovery)

​After physical exertion, the muscles may hold the heat of inflammation. Cold water acts as a balm, reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and speeding the repair of tissues. It is the silence that follows the shout of movement.

​9. The Unshakable Shield (Immune Resilience)

​A disciplined body is a fortress. Studies suggest that those who undergo brief, daily cold exposure show an increase in white blood cell counts and antioxidant levels (such as glutathione). You become less susceptible to the passing illnesses of the seasons.

​10. The Breath of Life (Respiratory Depth)

​The initial shock of cold water demands a deep, instinctive intake of breath. This forces you to master your diaphragmatic breathing, increasing your lung capacity and oxygenating the blood, much like the deep breaths taken during long periods of meditation.

​11. The Training of the Will (Mental Fortitude)

​The final and most vital reason is the cultivation of "Spirit." Every time you stand before the cold tap and choose to turn it, you are conquering the ego’s desire for comfort. This builds a "muscle of the will" that serves you in every challenge life presents. To master the water is to begin the journey of mastering the self.

​The water is cold, yet it burns the dross away. Stand still. Breathe. Begin.

Gassho

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hoi(:

I am an ordinary nobody and a Soto Zen practitioner with many years of Zazen experience. I live in Amsterdam and have been connecting with Zen friends in your beautiful city for quite some time.

​I’m looking to reach out to locals who might be interested in a synchronized meditation session every monday at 22:00 CET.

Let's light up the bridge between Amsterdam and St. Petersburg through shared stillness and a focus on peace, given everything going on.

​We'll not use a specific app to coordinate the timing and stay connected during the sit, just spontaneous. sit.

If you are part of the local community or just interested in joining a moment of silence for solidarity, send me a message so I can share the details.

I'd love to hear how the local practice is going there.

​Gassho,

🪷

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​Hlhoi (: while some readers agree Dostoevsky wrote The Idiot to portray a completely beautiful, Christ-like soul, comparative religious essays have long pointed out that Prince Myshkin is one of the closest literary approximations of a Zen master ever written.

​In my observation the cross-cultural ties between Russian literature and Eastern philosophy Ive noted that Myshkin perfectly embodies the Zen state of Mushin, which translates to "No-Mind."

This is not a lack of intelligence; it is a state of consciousness entirely free from personal pride, social masks, and calculating self-interest.

Because Myshkin completely lacks the defensive, plotting armor of the human ego, high society views him as a literal idiot.

In reality, his mind acts like a clear mirror, perfectly reflecting the unfiltered truth, pain, and hidden motives of everyone he meets without analyzing or judging them.

​This connection is so profound that prominent Japanese literary and cinematic adaptations of the novel have explicitly framed Myshkin’s radical compassion as the ultimate ideal of the Bodhisattva, a being who delays their own peace to absorb the suffering of others.

Even Myshkin’s epileptic auras, which he describes as moments of absolute harmony and ultimate synthesis where time stands still, read identically to classic descriptions of Satori, the sudden, flash-of-lightning awakening found in Zen practice.

​However, the novel also hits on a tragic Zen warning through Myshkin.

In Eastern philosophy, pure compassion must be balanced with absolute, practical clarity. Because Myshkin acts out of a pure, detached love that refuses to make hard, earthly choices, his presence accidentally shatters the lives of the flawed people around him. He tries to heal a broken world using pure spiritual emptiness, proving how terrifyingly difficult it is to live with a completely egoless heart in a chaotic, ego-driven reality.

​Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Does seeing Myshkin through a Zen lens of No-Mind change how you view his ultimate breakdown at the end of the novel?

Gassho,

Truth is not a heavy pack of facts you haul up a mountain, it is the sudden, breath-taking click of the cosmic lock opening, revealing that the universe was never hidden from you at all.

It is the moment you step out of the heavy, conceptual theater of the mind, drop the terrifying costumes of your drama, and wake up to the glowing, whole reality that has been pulsing quietly beneath your story all along. When that light breaks through, nothing is gained and nothing is lost, but the emotional storms born of your rigid thoughts instantly lose their power to pull you under.

You break out of the prison of your own illusions. The heavy iron links of anxiety, possessiveness, and fear are shattered,not by fighting them, but through the sharp, lovingly precise hammer of present awareness.

As a ordinary nobody my observation is, when that veil falls away, what comes out of you is a sudden, uncontrollable burst of pure laughter. But it isn't the proud, greedy laugh of someone who just won a prize or struck it rich.

Oh no, it’s far sweeter and infinitely softer than that. It is the quiet, marvelous chuckle of a weary traveler who spends years searching the entire world for their lost spectacles, only to sit down, reach deep into their old coat pocket, and find them sitting there the whole time. You were always home.

You were always That.

It’s like that exquisite morning on Vulture Peak. The crowd gathered around Buddha, waiting for a long, intellectual lecture, a big mind-trip of words. But the Teacher just stood there in absolute, radiating silence. He simply reached out and held up a single, humble flower, looking out at everyone with pure, boundless love.

The crowd was stuck in their heads, trying to analyze it, trying to figure out the secret code. But one beautiful soul, Kasyapa looked at the flower, looked at his master, and his heart just melted open.

A soft, radiant smile swept across his face. No words needed to be spoken; the divine spark jumped directly from one open heart to another, leaving a mark of pure, luminous peace.

Whether that sudden awakening arrives through the soft beauty of a blossom, the fierce shock of a Zen master’s shout, or the gentle absurdity of realizing you've been searching for what you already are, the heart recognizes itself, smiles, and finally rests.

🪷