Dear Zen Friend
1)  Zendo is surrounded with half an inch snow. 

Winter is here. 

Anything happens in snow. 

A truck crashed into woods just before my eyes during last season. 

We should be cautious at every movement in winter. 

2)    Many YouTubes are uploaded daily. Among them, a fishing YouTube has been attractive these days. Fishing is new to me. It is fun to know a new thing. 

A group of people fish in the sea, on a river, at a pond as sports. They try to catch all kinds of fish, squid, octopus, crab. They use a rod and line, a net, a trap. There are many different items to use. New invention comes out every year. They can explain an item after an item endlessly. Fishing is a treasure of variety. 

When a person catches a big fish, his or her excitement is maxed. Such sentiment is shared among people on board. Even I am moved. That is why they are friends or we are friends. Sometimes a monster fish is caught. Pulling such a fish takes an hour. In the sea a danger comes out at any occasion. They do not need plan nor calculation to make up a panic situation.  

Not like a movie, a mistake is a good material. They challenge a new thing without fear. Collaboration among groups are often made. There is plenty of room to explore a fishing YouTube.  

Some often appear like a movie star. Everyone knows they did not take an acting class. Yet those stars are seen million times. Professional musicians, singers, or actors rather approach to them looking for their own appearances. 

10 years ago, there was M9 earthquake and huge tsunami in Japan. At that time few YouTubes were uploaded. YouTube, however’  was instantly acknowledged worldwide due to the disaster. 

Now anybody can upload YouTube or Twitter any time anywhere. TV stations and News corporations are watching YouTube network for getting news. What a change ten years have made! 

Movie was the greatest entertainment in 20th century.  My collection of DVD and VHS are full of its.masterpieces. We used to talk about famous movie stars whom we never met. Many movie scenes were socially memorized. In reality, movie is motion picture. It became more and more virtual. Special effects became CG ,  ultimate virtuality. I wondered how far we would be walking toward one virtual world.

Circus was the greatest show on earth in 19th century in America. Circus was a complex of big tents, big animals, and great performers. They traveled American continent. People saw beautiful swingings and gymnastic movements in a huge tent. Children fed and  touched big animals.  Everyone loved circus. Animals were real, performers were real, tents were real. 

YouTube is becoming the greatest entertainment in 21st century. It does not need a super star. It is not as costly as movie making. YouTube can show real lives more than movie did.  Those who have digested virtual reality may come back to real life through YouTube.  Real life is abundance.  

Regards.

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo