The SailFar interviews

[Zen]

This is Zen your roving reporter for SailFar.net news and intereviews.
I will be heading off to Japan (flying) in two weeks. I have the good fortune to have a meeting with Akoi, Yoh Sensei upon arrival in Japan. I will be going to see him directly from the Airport once landed even before going home.  ;)

Yoh Sensei runs a major sailing school and teaching ASA yachting courses in Japan as well as managing a major yacht harbor. He is also a Zen priest.

For those of you not familair with him
http://www.aokiyacht.com/aoki/sailing-e.htm

Please list any questions you would like me to ask him, I will post the answers once a get a conection and time from Japan.

[Bubba the Pirate]

What is the sound of one sail flapping?   


I mean no disrespect.   I think the laughing Buddha would appreciate that I couldn't resist the allusion.   

I am interested to know if he thinks of Zen and/or Buddhism as a religion or a philosophy.  I've heard it, especially Zen, described both ways.  Is it more spiritual or more a way of thinking? Or feeling vs. thinking?

I went through a Zen period in my long journey.   Somewhere, in storage, I have a shelf length of books on Buddhism.   I have been an atheist for 15 years, but feel that if I ever reverted to anything it could only be to Zen and/or Buddhism.  It seems almost compatible in many ways.

I think there are many aspects, and even much of the same value, in sailing, especially singlehanding, as in my experience with meditation.   How did he experience this when he was out there on the sea alone? 

TrT

[AdriftAtSea]

What is the sound of one sail flapping?

Bad sail trim.  :D

Have a good trip...take lots of photos...and have a safe flight both ways... watch out for the idiots at TSA... who have thought of new and interesting ways to confound and annoy the traveler.

[maxiSwede]

[quote
I am interested to know if he thinks of Zen and/or Buddhism as a religion or a philosophy. 

How can it be defined as a religion, when they don´t acknowledge a God?

;D  Laughing Buddha hits it  ;)

[maxiSwede]

Christ! I don´t believe what I am seing here... I type God, and it reads gosh on the screen. Who is editing my posts?
???

[maxiSwede]

And once more!  Is g-o-d a forbidden word to use??  I must have eaten some faulty mushrooms or...

[Bubba the Pirate]

By gosh, wikipedia has this to say:

>>>quote<<<
A Religion is a set of beliefs and practices generally held by a human community, involving adherence to codified beliefs and rituals and study of ancestral or cultural traditions and mythology, as well as personal faith and mystic experience. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.

Religion is often described as a communal system for the coherence of belief focusing on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine, or of the highest truth. Moral codes, practices, values, institutions, traditions, and rituals are often traditionally associated with the core belief, and these may have some overlap with concepts in secular philosophy. Religion can also be described as a way of life.
>>>end quote<<<

I'd actually be more interested in a philosophy than a religion. 

TrT

[s/v Faith]

And once more!  Is g-o-d a forbidden word to use??  I must have eaten some faulty mushrooms or...

Maybe it WAS the mushrooms.... ??????

  Maybe you typed Gosh...  ;)









Just kidding...  ;D

[Zen]

Good grief!

It is both, it is nether, It is not about words or labels...

[Zen]

The questions were suppose to be on SAILING, sailing/boat related this is a sailing forum.
Zen, is it a religon is not a sailing related question. Zen pHilosophy and sailing would be in context.

[Captain Smollett]

Good grief!

It is both, it is nether, It is not about words or labels...

Good point.  Grog to ya!

To bring it make On Topic, here's a question you could ask:

From his perspective as an instructor, what interest does he see in cruising in Japan compared to say the US?  What are his, and Japan's sailors in general, views on "small" boat cruising and voyaging?

Would he be interested in being a SailFar forum member?   ;D ;D

[Zen]

Thank you,

perfect ! ;D

[maxiSwede]

From his perspective as an instructor, what interest does he see in cruising in Japan compared to say the US?  What are his, and Japan's sailors in general, views on "small" boat cruising and voyaging?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Splendid! I would be quite interested in general info on Japan as a cruising ground, and on the Japanese boating community as such...

Can´t recall I´ve ever came across a pilot or something on Japan. As a martial arts instructor since ages I would laso be interested in ..... (deleted: Off Topic)

What about the Zen approach to sailing?! 

[Captain Smollett]

Hey Zen, How about a short list of good anchorages in Japan?   ;D

[s/v Faith]

I wonder about the trend in the west of 'bigger is better', compared to the market in Japan. 

Knowing that many boats in Japan are 'drystack' and very $$$ to maintain, I wonder if the SailFar idea has found some new refinements?  I bet that there is a lot of market pressure to build more features into smaller boats, and if there is anything happening that may help provide a model to reverse the trend.....

(if this even makes sense)...  ;D

[David_Old_Jersey]

I would also be interested to know a little bit more about how the leisure boat scene works in Japan, especially given their tendency to come up with ideas and gadgets.

Also whether Japanese folk tend to go long distance cruising and if so where?

Not sure how "Zen" these questions are..........

[Bubba the Pirate]

Zen, I didn't mean to get us off on the wrong foot.   

I had fun sailing a couple times one summer with a guy who was a Japanese Champion 505 sailor.   I've never been much of a racer, but we had fun bombing around Lake Lansing from the Michigan State U. Sailing Club dock.   

He worked for Sony.  I'd have to look up his name.


I wonder if Japan has the same friction with regard to Anchoring as we have here in the States.   

I am intrigued by Zen but am not a spiritual guy.  Hence, my previous. 

TrT

[macdiver]

In a parachuting magazine recently, there was a discussion on the benefits of yoga and meditation helping a person remain calm in an emergency. 

As a zen priest and sailing instructor, has he seen similar benefits of regular meditation helping a person remain calm in a stressful situation?

[AdriftAtSea]

I'd be interesting hearing about areas of interest in that part of the world.  In the sailing press, Japan, China and Korea aren't really well represented, with the exception of some Japanese singlehanders making the news on occasion.   What are popular destinations in that part of the world.  Do they have a sailing culture similar to what is found in the UK, US and other parts of the world???

[CapnK]

Good idea, Zen, neat. There are some things I have wondered about how serious Zen/Eastern sailors would do as regards their usual land-based lifestyle being replaced/displaced on long sea journeys/living aboard for years kind of stuff. :) Here goes...

Us "Westerners" (called that even though we are east of the Far East at least 1/2 the time...) :D tend to regard our foodstuffs as energy, energy which hopefully will also taste good.
We make it, and as soon as it is ready, eat it, and then perhaps belch as we move on to the next thing we are doing.
It is very much just a function, only slightly more ceremonial than other functions, like say elimination, because it is performed (generally) with others, whereas elimination is primarily a solo occupation (thank goodness!).

My understanding of the Eastern way of thought is that mealtimes and foods are regarded in a much more ceremonial manner (as are many of the things in Life), almost religious, certainly reverantly.
There are certain conventions and structures based around food and eating that recognize a belief that there is deeper value to them than just plain nutrients.
So I would think that things meal-related - maybe even to galley planning and outfitting - might be very different on an Easterners cruising boat.
Are they? Or would they just live basically as a Westerner does in regards to food while on passage, and resume more usual eating habits when back at anchor?

One other thing: Feng Shui. Do they even attempt it on a boat? :D
I mean - boats swing at anchor, courses differ, there's *no way* to set the things on a boat up so that they stay in a good healthy alignment, right?
So - would boats have an inherently good Feng Shui anyway, because they are on the water, because they are living things?

That's what I would think would be the answer. ;D