Yes: this is a real cover for a real album (Karma. Bloody. Karma.), by a real band — the notorious Cattle Decapitation.

With a name like that, you might think that these guys, who play metal in the death-metal/grindcore vein, are insensitive, bloodthirsty goons. But nope. They’re actually really quite concerned with such things as animal rights, vegetarianism, and the ecology.

The cover depicts a six-armed, knife-wielding, bull-headed figure that’s quite obviously a nod to the wrathful deities of tantric Buddhism (and also some of the gods of Hinduism).

It’s even levitating, in meditation, over the slaughterhouse drain. Strangely, it’s kind of a nice touch…

If you’ve spent any time on the web, you’ve almost certainly run across the “lolcats” of the website, I Can Has Cheezburger. (The Horse is not ashamed to admit it’s a favorite time-waster and smile-putter-onner.)

A full investigation of the site (no small feat) turns up an interesting fact: some lolcats are, it seems, “Buddha-curious.” Dig:

And then there’s this one sent by reader Luz G., featuring HHDL. (“This is is the first picture of HH Dalai Lama that I’ve seen where he is not smiling.”) Don’t get it, frankly, but what the hey. Thanks, Luz!

Okay, maybe you don’t understand the world of the lolcats. Helpfully, this new appreciation from Salon.com can set you straight on the indisputable connection between lolcats and the “tragedy of the human condition.”

[Here's another "Dharma-Burger Classic" from our old, defunct blog. But maybe it's new to you?]

In late May (2007), Reuters reported that Café Press, which sells shirts and other merchandise online, pulled some of these due to pressure from the Thai government.

The offending items? “G-string underwear and T-shirts for dogs” which bore an image of the Buddha. (The news agency would have done well to be a bit more clear—the company was in fact enabling an on-line seller to purvey underwear for humans, as well as shirts for dogs.)

It’s a common Thai belief believe that our canine friends are, in fact, inferior to us humans. I for one can’t say that I agree—I think it’s safe to say that you’ll never, ever see a dog hawking cheap bedroom-wear on the internet, offensive or otherwise.

…Speaking of dogs: we stumbled upon this shot by Vicki Rogers, and just loved and wanted to share it:

The verdict is in:

Does a dog have Buddha-nature?

Most definitely.

It’s a rainy day Day-After-Thanksgiving, with little to do. How ’bout an animated Dharma-Burger, or two?

(Sorry for the Yogi Bear-style rhyme, but it’s infectious.) Fact is, this one’s more an Asia-Burger. Yogi’s Treasure Hunt: Beswitched, Buddha’d, and Bewildered comes complete with mildly “Asian” music, geisha and sumo stereotypes, and a reference to “the mysterious Orient” (when was this written, anyway?). Also notable: the way the cartoon seems to encourage the thieving of priceless religious relics, and the two strange, seemingly sexual innuendos included. It’s also woefully unfunny. As Top Cat himself says in this cartoon, “The Buddha you found ain’t the real McCoy.”

On the other side of the spectrum is Super Tibetan Racer. This sweet little animated short may ring true with anyone who’s ever sat meditation and thought, I’m getting there!, only to crash and burn. Enjoy.

…Happy Thanksgiving to you. Even if you’re not in the States, just think of it as “Extra-Mindful-Gratitude Day.” Though, of course, yesterday’s events in Mumbai present additional challenges to all of us who struggle to stay at least seemingly sane in a seemingly insane world…

All the more reason to be grateful and mindful — because it benefits all beings when we are.

Speaking of Thanksgiving and benefiting beings: if you’d like to spare the turkey and still spoil yourself, Barbara at About.com has some suggestions and recipes you might want to check out. (Here’s another recent T-Day post that will make ya think, too.)

Huge thanks to reader Amelus for sending this tasty bit of weirdness. Its source is the Buddhist teacher Luang Por, who seems to be affiliated with DMC. No, not DMC of RUN-DMC (though, can you imagine?), but instead the Dhamma Media Channel, a Thai TV and web operation whose tagline is pretty heavy: “The Only One.” Well, whoa.

(Amelus also sends this morsel of a Dharma-Burger. As he suggests so succinctly and sarcastically: “Zen: Japanese fast food!” Thanks again, Amelus.)

The other day we pointed you to an article that Nate at Precious Metal linked to about wasps having built a nest in the shape of a Buddha.

Not to be outdone, Cambodian termites are now getting in on the act. Here’s a link from jaunted, and another from the Inquirer in the Philippines.

Thanks to kin for this one.

The redoubtable Philip Ryan over at the Tricycle blog honored the Horse today in a short roundup of “Great Buddhist Blogs,” saying “The Horse fills a need we had no idea we had. Where else can you find dharma-burgers and body vows? There’s nothing else like it. Ingenious, informative, in-your-face.”

It’s a particular honor because, for a while now, when people have asked me who I’m reading I always mention him, saying, “If you’re not reading Philip Ryan, you’re missing out.” So thanks, Philip!

And while we’re talking about honors, this tattoo, showed on one of the Horse’s early “Body Vows” collections, has been selected to illustrate the Wikipedia entry for the great Indian mythic yogi, Kukkuripa. Cool.

A team of explorer dudes from Japan, led by explorer dude Yoshiteru Takahashi, think so.

Via The Daily Mail:

“Footprints from the legendary Yeti have been found in the snow-covered slopes of the Himalayas, a Japanese team of explorers claimed today.

“The adventurers could hardly contain their excitement as they told of finding the 8in-long footprints which bore a close resemblance to those of humans…”

Read the rest here.

Thanks to reader “EdaMammy” (great nickname) who sends this one:

“Nothing wickedly funny, perhaps, but I found and screen-capped the enclosed image whilst going about my daily business today.

“Hope you enjoy. ^_^ ”

Yep. Thanks, and, _/|\_.