July 10, 2009 at 17:25The Just-In-Time Principle in Zen
Draw bamboo for ten years,
become bamboo, then
forget all about bamboos
when you draw.
Georges Dutuy We
continue to move towards the goal - kanban in the IT industry. In this article, I will talk about the cultural and ideological origins of the kaizen business model. In my story, I will mainly rely on the wonderful book of the Japanese philosopher Daisetsu Taitaro Suzuki, “Fundamentals of Zen Buddhism.” The book is magnificent, with an unusual heat for the Japanese, the author reveals to the readers the eastern perception of the world. We will trace the philosophy of Zen in modern Japanese corporations, which should help us in the future to correctly apply the kaizen methods in our work, here I primarily mean kanban.
Zen is a religion. The followers of this religion claim that the world is divided into the world of feelings, the world of reason and the spiritual world. It is further stated in Zen that the mind which should serve man takes up too much space in the process of world perception and prevents the comprehension of spiritual life. In fact, the world of feelings, the world of reason and spirit is one, and if a person realizes this, he will become free and achieve a state of harmony with the world. In understanding the world, Zen attaches crucial importance to personal experience and has the following features:
When all these aspects of Zen are approved, we see a definite attitude of Zen towards life in general. When he expresses himself in art, he composes what can be called the spirit of Zen Buddhist aesthetics. It manifests itself in simplicity, immediacy, courage, exaltation, detachment from the outside world, deepening inward, indifference to form.
The following is an extensive quote from Daisetsu Taitaro Suzuki's book “Fundamentals of Zen Buddhism,” in which I highlighted the key points for our question:
“To illustrate, let me dwell on Japanese painting, known as“ Sumie ”. Sumie is not a painting in the strict sense of the word: it is a kind of black and white sketch. Ink is made from soot and glue, and the brush is made from sheep’s or badger’s wool, and it can hold a large amount of this liquid. The paper used for the drawing is quite thin and absorbs a large amount of ink, which differs sharply from the canvas used by the artists in oil, and this contrast is of great importance for the artist of the genre of sumie. The reason why such material is chosen to convey the artist’s inspiration is because ego inspiration must be conveyedas soon as possible . If the brush lingers too long, the paper will tear. Lines should be drawn as quickly as possible , and their number should be minimal, only the most necessary lines are drawn. No slowness , no erasure, no repetition, retouching, no alteration, no "treatment", no installation is allowed . Once applied, smears cannot be washed off, reapplied and are not subject to further corrections or finishing touches.. Any smear applied after is sharply and painfully released due to the specific properties of the paper. The artist must constantly, completely and involuntarily follow his inspiration. He simply allows him to control his hands, fingers and brush, as if they, together with his whole being, are just a tool in the hands of someone else who temporarily moved into it. We can say that the brush does the work itself, regardless of the artistwhich simply allows her to move without any conscious effort. If any logical connection or reflection appears between the brush and the paper, the whole effect disappears. So sumy is born. ... The line drawn by the artist of the genre of sumie is distinguished by completeness, nothing can go beyond it, nothing can fix it; it is as inevitable as a flash of lightning: the artist himself cannot remove it; this explains the beauty of the line. “Things are beautiful where they are inevitable , that is, when they are a free manifestation of the spirit.”
If we read the description of the sumie technique, we will notice something in common with the kanban system:
Every moment of work must be performed efficiently . “Doubt in one brush stroke ruins the picture as a whole. In the sum - the paper will tear, in the kanban - the rhythm of work will be violated, there will be a shortage of individual parts with a general overabundance.
All actions obey the general order. Brush strokes in sum, each of which individually can mean anything, on the whole form the big picture. Each action in kanban in itself does not make any sense if one action does not draw out another after itself, making up the general process.
It is impossible to copy the picture of sumy, and it is also impossible to copy the kanban methodology from one enterprise to another.
It is impossible to draw up a plan in advance , according to which a sheet of paper using the sumie technique will be filled. The artist knows what result he should get, but he does not know what will appear on a piece of paper first, and then what. And in kanban there is no detailed plan for each link, there is only a general sales plan.
Sumie is the embodiment of poverty . Poverty of form, poverty of technology, poverty of material, poverty of content. This is an extremely economical type of painting. In kanban, the principle of economy is embodied in a small amount of stocks, in a tightly organized chain of interaction.
Kanban, the same reflection of Zen in material culture, as sumi painting. He also has his own aesthetics. But, unlike sumi, kanban can be transferred from Japanese soil to any other. And in the continuation of this cycle, we will talk about the use of kanban in software development.
become bamboo, then
forget all about bamboos
when you draw.
Georges Dutuy We
continue to move towards the goal - kanban in the IT industry. In this article, I will talk about the cultural and ideological origins of the kaizen business model. In my story, I will mainly rely on the wonderful book of the Japanese philosopher Daisetsu Taitaro Suzuki, “Fundamentals of Zen Buddhism.” The book is magnificent, with an unusual heat for the Japanese, the author reveals to the readers the eastern perception of the world. We will trace the philosophy of Zen in modern Japanese corporations, which should help us in the future to correctly apply the kaizen methods in our work, here I primarily mean kanban.
What is zen
Zen is a religion. The followers of this religion claim that the world is divided into the world of feelings, the world of reason and the spiritual world. It is further stated in Zen that the mind which should serve man takes up too much space in the process of world perception and prevents the comprehension of spiritual life. In fact, the world of feelings, the world of reason and spirit is one, and if a person realizes this, he will become free and achieve a state of harmony with the world. In understanding the world, Zen attaches crucial importance to personal experience and has the following features:
- Neglecting the form.
- Zen's inward orientation implies that it directly appeals to the spirit of man.
Immediacy is a synonym for simplicity. When all the fanciful forms of expression of ideas are discarded, one blade of grass replaces the sixteen-foot Buddha Vairochana. - Poverty and simplicity combine in Zen, but just being poor and humble does not yet have Zen.
- In Zen, facts and experience are valued more than images, symbols, and concepts — in other words, the essence in Zen is everything, and the form is nothing.
- What could be called "eternal solitude" is closely related to the essence of Zen. This is a certain feeling of absolute, detachment from the outside world.
When all these aspects of Zen are approved, we see a definite attitude of Zen towards life in general. When he expresses himself in art, he composes what can be called the spirit of Zen Buddhist aesthetics. It manifests itself in simplicity, immediacy, courage, exaltation, detachment from the outside world, deepening inward, indifference to form.
Sumie
The following is an extensive quote from Daisetsu Taitaro Suzuki's book “Fundamentals of Zen Buddhism,” in which I highlighted the key points for our question:
“To illustrate, let me dwell on Japanese painting, known as“ Sumie ”. Sumie is not a painting in the strict sense of the word: it is a kind of black and white sketch. Ink is made from soot and glue, and the brush is made from sheep’s or badger’s wool, and it can hold a large amount of this liquid. The paper used for the drawing is quite thin and absorbs a large amount of ink, which differs sharply from the canvas used by the artists in oil, and this contrast is of great importance for the artist of the genre of sumie. The reason why such material is chosen to convey the artist’s inspiration is because ego inspiration must be conveyedas soon as possible . If the brush lingers too long, the paper will tear. Lines should be drawn as quickly as possible , and their number should be minimal, only the most necessary lines are drawn. No slowness , no erasure, no repetition, retouching, no alteration, no "treatment", no installation is allowed . Once applied, smears cannot be washed off, reapplied and are not subject to further corrections or finishing touches.. Any smear applied after is sharply and painfully released due to the specific properties of the paper. The artist must constantly, completely and involuntarily follow his inspiration. He simply allows him to control his hands, fingers and brush, as if they, together with his whole being, are just a tool in the hands of someone else who temporarily moved into it. We can say that the brush does the work itself, regardless of the artistwhich simply allows her to move without any conscious effort. If any logical connection or reflection appears between the brush and the paper, the whole effect disappears. So sumy is born. ... The line drawn by the artist of the genre of sumie is distinguished by completeness, nothing can go beyond it, nothing can fix it; it is as inevitable as a flash of lightning: the artist himself cannot remove it; this explains the beauty of the line. “Things are beautiful where they are inevitable , that is, when they are a free manifestation of the spirit.”
Sumie and Kanban
If we read the description of the sumie technique, we will notice something in common with the kanban system:
Every moment of work must be performed efficiently . “Doubt in one brush stroke ruins the picture as a whole. In the sum - the paper will tear, in the kanban - the rhythm of work will be violated, there will be a shortage of individual parts with a general overabundance.
All actions obey the general order. Brush strokes in sum, each of which individually can mean anything, on the whole form the big picture. Each action in kanban in itself does not make any sense if one action does not draw out another after itself, making up the general process.
It is impossible to copy the picture of sumy, and it is also impossible to copy the kanban methodology from one enterprise to another.
It is impossible to draw up a plan in advance , according to which a sheet of paper using the sumie technique will be filled. The artist knows what result he should get, but he does not know what will appear on a piece of paper first, and then what. And in kanban there is no detailed plan for each link, there is only a general sales plan.
Sumie is the embodiment of poverty . Poverty of form, poverty of technology, poverty of material, poverty of content. This is an extremely economical type of painting. In kanban, the principle of economy is embodied in a small amount of stocks, in a tightly organized chain of interaction.
Total
Kanban, the same reflection of Zen in material culture, as sumi painting. He also has his own aesthetics. But, unlike sumi, kanban can be transferred from Japanese soil to any other. And in the continuation of this cycle, we will talk about the use of kanban in software development.