On the Horse we sometimes call ‘em Dharma-Burgers. Over at his new Tumblr, “Dispirited Dave” calls ‘em “examples of the sometimes rather odd/clashing use of the Buddha as an image in the West.”

Check them out here: http://dispirited-dave.tumblr.com/. It’ll be fun to see what else pops up there.

So. It’s come to this.

Forget what you know about “Zen.” Now it’s a “designer masturbator” that ”has flowing ribs that supply soft and gentle stimulation all over.”

Here’s the proof.

Bodhichitta — maybe you’ve heard the term. But what is it? Well, the Shambhala Publications online glossary (a great thing!) defines it as:

Bodhichitta Skt., lit., “awakened mind”; the mind of enlightenment, one of the central no­tions of Mahāyāna Buddhism. In the Tibetan tradition it is seen as having two aspects, rela­tive and absolute. The relative mind of enlight­enment is divided again into two phases (1) the intention and wish, nurtured by limitless com­passion, to attain liberation (nirvāna) for the sake of the welfare of all beings and (2) actual entry into meditation, the purpose of which is the acquisition of the appropriate means to ac­tualize this wish. The absolute mind of enlightenment is viewed as the vision of the true nature of phenomena. The various methods for arousing the mind of enlightenment stem primarily from Atīsha and entered into all schools of Tibetan Bud­dhism through him.

Pretty heady stuff, eh? Thank god we can just forget about all that, and simply think of it, instead, as a new line of bubble baths:
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“Bodhichitta — You’re soaking in it!”

Thanks to my brother Konchog Norbu for the heads-up (and photo) on this one. As always. …And if you’re into this sort of thing, go here to learn more about the Bodhichitta product line.

Look, it’s Eddie Murphy, meditating, in his new film, A Thousand Words. The premise sounds okay, but then again, I said that about Mike Myers’ The Love Guru when it was announced, and let’s just say things didn’t turn out that way.

Learn more about both via this Metro story about comedy and spirituality and when they do and don’t mix so well.

PS: It at least has to be better than “Rude Buddha.”

“We recently displayed poor judgment in running an advertisement that included an image of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama,” said Jacquie Berglund, CEO of Finnegans Beer. “We apologize for this and want to reassure all who were offended that we have pulled the advertisement and it will not run again.”

Here’s the whole story.

And now for something completely different: Doomsday Book is a forthcoming Korean sci-fi/thriller film which, among other things, includes the story of a sentient robot who, on the poster asks, “On the last day of Earth, shall I be saved?” According to Beyond Hollywood, the robot “works at a temple, [and] finds enlightenment. A robot repair man named Park Do-Won (Kim Kang-Woo) and a Bodhisattva Hye-Joo (Kim Gyu-Ri) then try to protect the robot from the robot company.”

After the jump: the film’s loud, action-packed trailer. (more…)

“Dharma-Burgers,” as I’ve said, aren’t some new fast-food sandwich — though they can be every bit as dubious as a Mc-DLT and a super-sized “New Coke.” A “Dharma-Burger” is, actually, any example of Buddhist ideas or imagery employed in the marketing or production of (usually non-Buddhist) services and consumables. Sometimes they’re okay. Sometimes, they’re beyond the pale. What do you make of this one?

That’s right. It’s the sign for a Portuguese strip club called the Buda Bar. (more…)

Honestly, I think this Dharma-Burger is cool. It makes sense, it’s safe, it seems to be well-designed: It’s the electric butter lamp.

Really. Offered by “Offering Light” who describes the product as:

We design and create innovative electric butter lamps for butter lamp offerings, Buddhist lamp offerings & Tibetan light offerings. [...]

How do butter lamp offerings become safe and clean? Make them with flameless candles! Learn how you can brighten up your world with these electric butter lamps.

Our Offering Lights are a brand new illumination on this classic Tibetan Buddhist ritual. It uses earth-friendly, super low-energy LED flameless tea lights that flicker just like real candles! Order now–you’ll love them!

I don’t have one so can’t vouch for the product but I have no problem endorsing the idea and the spirit behind it. Check ‘em out here.

PS: Thanks to online friend Ross B. for bringing this to my attention.

I just learned that that’s how comedian Eddie Pepitone identifies and markets himself. (A documentary by the same name is also forthcoming.)

So is he Buddhist? I can’t really tell. His new album is called “A Great Stillness.” That seems like something, no? A Google search turns up a reference or two or three to Pepitone from Zen teacher Brad Warner — who counts the comic among his favorites — and some gags from the Pepitone’s Twitter feed:

• “Watching Saturday Night Live is like watching a Buddhist monk light himself on fire except for no reason.”
• “As a buddhist child I got teased a lot for renouncing all thought.”
• “I studied zen Buddhism with Maharishi Gus Lobotomovich and he always said “shit, did you hear that?”

And here’s a quote from a new AV Club interview with Pepitone: “You wanna give life meaning against all of this pain and anguish. You’re trying to give it meaning and you’re trying to be happy, but you have all this stuff that is in the way. And that’s the stuff I talk about.”

Know anything about the Bitter Buddha? Let us know.

Did you know Bugs Bunny traveled to Tibet? It’s true, NYC’s Rubin Museum of Art tells us by way of its Facebook feed, providing this classic comic book cover as proof…

The Rubin offers us the opportunity to “learn more about how prevailing perceptions of Tibet and the visual narrative evolved over time.” Their exhibit, Hero, Villain, Yeti: Tibet in Comics opens December 9, 2011. Click here for details. You’ll see comics discussed here on the Horse, like the Green Lama, plus much more like, Milarepa and Dalai Lama comics(!).

PS: Comics or not, The Rubin would be a must-see anyway!