My Policy for note (In Lieu of an Introduction)

It has been over a year since I started using note, but until recently, I didn't even know I could set up a profile. In lieu of a formal introduction, I would like to write down my policy for note.

My Childhood as a Bookworm

・I loved fairy tales, picture books, and mystery novels.
・I was extremely good at Japanese language studies.
・I was bad at arts and crafts.

My Aspirations as a Buddhist

・I want to draw picture books of Buddhist parables! I want to revive Buddhism by creating picture books!

When I first watched the anime "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" in 2018, I felt thatMadoka Kaname's wish:

"I want to erase all witches before they are even born. Every witch in the universe, past and future, with these hands."

wasinspired by the "vows" (seigan) that Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism make for their practice!I intuitively thought so.

Given the success of "Madoka Magica," I believe thatBuddhism still has a strong foundation to resonate with the Japanese people.However, I think thatthe way it has been developed as content has simply been a failure.

The reason for this failure is that there has been no content that clearly explains the basics of Mahayana Buddhism, such as
"Why is the Bodhicitta necessary?"
"What does it mean to stand in Bodhicitta?"
as a final goal.

"Madoka Magica" takes a different approach, and I believe it is a
"What does it mean to stand in Bodhicitta?"
"What does it mean to achieve Buddhahood?"
"What is the severity of Mahayana Buddhist practice?"
that explainsa grand Buddhist metaphor. That is what I think.

I do not yet know if turning Buddhist parables into picture books is content that truly fits the current era.

But at the very least, I don't think it's the same aslight novels, which must always face the reader and write the adventure stories of heroes/heroines.

Buddhist parables have a consistent purpose of"preaching the Buddha's teachings to the masses who cannot understand difficult philosophy."

I feel that the ability to create illustrations and videos with generative AI is a golden opportunity to turn these parables into picture books!

・I want to revive "Buddhist culture" based on the fundamental and common principles of Buddhism!

The sect I belong to is Nichiren Shoshu, which is"a sect aimed at missionary activities for its own sect,"but honestly, I think:

"Instead of being fixated on one's own sect, is there not a need toregain the momentum of 'Buddhism itself' andestablish the superiority of 'Buddhism itself'?

Certainly, telling a beginner, "First, it's Abhidharma! Let's read the'Abhidharmakosha-shastra'!" is a high hurdle. Too high. (Though I don't think any monk would say that.)

However, "The Questions of King Milinda" (the original Chinese translation is the "Naxian Biqiu Jing"), which has been translated by scholars like Hajime Nakamura, is in the form of"The Questions of King Milinda" is in the form ofa dialogue between a Greek king and an Indian Buddhist monk, and I feel that formodern Japanese people who are immersed in Western culture, there is a way to develop it as content.

Yes, I feel that the revival of Buddhism is something that is needed not in India, but in Japan.

That is how I feel.

Current specs and concerns

・My machine is an M3 MacBook Air named "Sarashina"
・As a UNIX engineer, I can install AI on macOS devices
・I can read classical Japanese and classical Chinese in their original form
・Since this is not my main profession, I have concerns about not being able to spend enough time on writing or art

Planned content for posts on note

・AI image generation

I am currently pushing for "Stable Diffusion," which can be installed on a local PC.The reason is that Buddhist tales can sometimes be sensitive in their text, which can conflict with AI usage rules.
For example, a well-known one is...

"A rabbit that could not prepare any food for an old man rushes into a fire itself to offer its own body."

...as you can see, there are depictions that appear extreme by modern common sense.Generative AI that creates images on the internet gets caught by terms and restrictions. With "Stable Diffusion," which can be installed on a local PC, there are not many such restrictions.

However, there are pros and cons to Stable Diffusion environments, and I am currently thinking of going with "Mochi Diffusion" and "ComfyUI."

・The reality of image editing and processing

After quitting my job as a guardian of a supercomputer, I was involved in operating an e-commerce site for second-hand goods, but I heard about a web design course and changed careers, receiving intensive training at a vocational school.

I am not an expert in using Photoshop, but I think that editing and processing are still necessary for image generation.

This is because generative AI images still have a "gacha"-like quality, and
"images with six fingers"
or
"images where the eyebrows and eyes are at different heights on the right and left" can sometimes be generated.

Sometimes you can deal with this by repeating the image generation many times or using AI paint tools, but editing the generated images yourself shortens the output time.I am thinking of posting about the reality of that.

・Introduction and reading of classical Buddhist texts in Japan/China

My sect is Nichiren Shoshu, but I intend to focus on introducing classical Buddhist texts related to the Lotus Sutra.For things unrelated to my sect, for example,
"Konjaku Monogatarishu"
"Hokke Genki"
and so on.