It’s a trip back in time — via another interesting find from the always-interesting Konchog Norbu, who writes:

OK, here’s a VERY curious bit of cultural anthropology… A couple days ago I watched a documentary on the rise of post-punk British synth-pop (don’t ask). I discovered that arguably the first synth-pop single — The Human League’s ‘Being Boiled’ (1978) — begins with the line, “Listen to the voice of Buddha”!

KN goes on to say:

I’d never heard it before; my tastes ran to the more extreme. The song seems to be a protest of the cruelty of boiling worms for silk making (sericulture) and references Buddha throughout. Fascinating. …There were remixes in ’80 and ’82, and if you scan YouTube there’s even a live Chili Peppers cover!

Thanks, Konchog!

In case you missed it on this past Sunday’s Simpsons.

Ya gotta love everything about this Japanese video depicting a Buddhist statue made of 20,000 insects — the concept; the dramatic music; the canned, disgusted screaming in the background.

And you gotta love the intention. Talk about recycling.

Via JapanProbe, with thanks.

Haven’t seen it personally, but here’s the cover for (and an article about) “Tibetan Rock Dog,” a new graphic novel by a Chinese rock star.

Its story “unfolds in Tibet, where a Tibetan mastiff named Metal grows up in a Buddhist temple after his parents and siblings die protecting a peasant family. His grandfather, who learned the secrets of walking upright and speaking human language, trains him in canine meditation and teaches him about his ancient enemy, the Tibetan wolf. A rock musician on a pilgrimage adopts Metal as a son and takes him back to Beijing…. He forms a rock band with the friends he meets at obedience school.”

So many Dharma-Burgers, so little time. So let’s just jump in and see some of what’s come into the Horse’s in-box over the past few days:

The ever eagle-eyed Sam DeWitt sends this shot from the current Snickers campaign, and writes:

“Really? Nutvana™? With a trademark and everything? Will I get sued if I try to start being hip and dropping ‘nutvana’ in casual conversation?… As the kids say – Whatever!”

Alice of the great NOT2W0 blog writes to share two new Burgers
1) Seat Karma: Live entertainment ticketing search engine and broker.

Company Profile:
http://seatkarma.com/company.php

2) Zendals: Sandals with massage balls at the sole. I saw this on someone yesterday in the locker room at the gym. Link here.

And here’s one from the always mighty (and often moving) blogger, monk, and relentless friend of the Horse, Konchog Norbu:

“Oy gevalt. It’s endless. You could have a separate blog just for Zen-Burgers. Latest arising. I think I’m supposed to know who Tara Stiles is, but I really don’t.”

Lastly — for now, that is; there are still plenty more in the ol’ in-box to get to — Clint B. sends a link to the “Birdvana” shirt, (main graphic picture here; not picture is some writing that says “The duck seeks only bread.”) writing, simply, “Rod, I just don’t know what to make of this one.”

Me neither. I was about to say I kinda liked it, actually, until I just started thinking: “Oh, gee, a graphic of a cartoon animal, meditating? That’s pretty goofy.”

(Whatever you do, readers, please don’t scroll to the top of this page right now.) ; )

Thanks, everyone. Keep ‘em coming, and I’ll do my best to keep up!

Thanks to reader Todd H. for pointing this one out, a comic for all the cat- (and/or Zen-) lovers out there, via Speed Bump.

Kinda reminiscent of the “Zen Cat” shirt depicted here, in the old Dharma-Burger archives.

Two new items for y’all, via the mighty Konchog Norbu. (Shocker!):

First, he writes: “OK, dude, this is def one for the Horse. You ain’t seen nothing until you’ve seen the Dalai Lama and Obama, holding a pie around which it says, “Give Peace a Pie, eat it up every day,” rendered…in an art quilt. Yes. Swear. Behold “Olama: Two Guys and a Pie,” courtesy of my vajra sister and enthusiastic quilter Ani Dara.

Secondly, he sends on this report from a sacred hog ceremony in Taipei. Who knew?

This just in from good ole Konchog:

“My cousin in Seattle tipped me off to this. The Seattle Times just ran a piece on Whidbey Island, on which there’s a 72-acre park, preserve and retreat called ‘Earth Sanctuary.’ It was founded by one Chuck Pettis. Sez the article:

Pettis, 60, the owner of a Seattle advertising and marketing firm, is a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. In 2000, using money from an investment in high-tech stock one of his clients gave him as a payment for his services, he bought a small house surrounded by forest to use as a retreat center. (more…)

Again, not really. But this dog, from Disney’s movie Space Buddies, is named Buddha, and the website Monsters & Critics describes him as: “a yoga-lovin’ puppy who is obsessed with outer space. He is the voice of wisdom in the litter and he’s always telling the other Buddies that helping others is the surest way to help yourself. This pooch is wise beyond his years! Likes: Space, baseball, yoga, and meditation; Dislikes: Stress and red meat.”

Well, okay then. …The trailer for the film doesn’t mention anything about “Buddha” (much less meditation) but if you’re a little kid — or the kind of adult who likes the idea of astronaut jumpsuits with built-in tail-sleeves, or seeing a CGI-effect’d dog say “fashizzle” or fart in in zero-gravity — then this is for you.

Via Huffington Post:

“…it’s clear that this Buddhist monastery is like no other, for this handful of monks live with some of the deadliest animals in the world…”

OK, lolcats they ain’t… but these Thai tigers and their Buddhist monastic keepers do deserve to be seen.

Thanks to Sam DeWitt for finding them and passing them on…