Via Phayul.com:

Recently Keds — a unit of Kansas-based Collective Brands, Inc. and a mass-marketer of canvas-top — sneakers came out with a new line of sneakers called ‘Tibetan Buddhist Shoes’. These bear images of the Dalai Lama, the Buddha, holy mantras and other sacred images that Buddhist all over the world revere. Buddhists generally keep these images and scripts in temples, monasteries and on altars in their homes.

Keds’ commercial trumpets:
“Gorgeous shoes! They’re Keds, so they’re sturdy and comfy, yet they’re beautiful because of the images on them. How unique is this! A Tibetan Buddhist image in brilliant pinks, yellows, oranges and blues. Colorful and Beautiful!”

The last three words should read — Shameful and Disrespectful!

What do you think? More here.

Update: There’s a possibility these are an urban myth of sorts. If you have a pair — of these shoes, I mean! — send a photo so we know they’re real. They currently don’t seem to be on the Keds site and one diligent dharma-friend is looking into it for us all….

Hey, Buddhists, and yogis! Sure, you know about Nike’s appalling contributions to human suffering.

But now they have Dharma-clothing.

What’s so “dharma” about it? Well, nothing. Just the name.

But doesn’t that name just speak to you?

Tiger Woods is now wearing one, as he told ESPN:

“It’s Buddhist, it’s for protection and strength and I certainly need that,” he said, adding that he began wearing the bracelet before he went into rehabilitation and that he intends to wear it forever.

Via a press release:

Steve Madden, a leading designer and marketer of fashion footwear and accessories for women, men and children, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of privately held Big Buddha, Inc., a designer and marketer of fashion-forward handbags. Founded by Jeremy Bassan in 2003, Big Buddha sells its trend-right handbags to specialty retailers, better department stores and online retailers. Big Buddha had net sales in 2009 of approximately $13 million (unaudited).

That’s one expensive Dharma-Burger.

This woman does not kid around. I first made contact with her a short while ago on Shambhala SunSpace and now she’s written her first guest post there.

Lots more to come – thanks to the many of you who’ve emailed and commented lately. You’ll be seeing your contributions here soon, once I dig out from the current workload.

Via the Bhutan Observer:

Sight-seeing in Switzerland does not leave a vacationer horrified, but Prabhat Choudhary, his wife and daughter were shocked to see a Lord Buddha statue garlanded with a pair of shoes at a footwear shop in Geneva.

“We were strolling on shopping street when my 15-year-old daughter insisted that we got into ‘Anne Fontaine’, a designer footwear shop. There in the shop, we saw a 4-ft statue of Lord Buddha on the shelf displaying shoes and slippers, garlanded with a pair of shoes,” Prabhat, a realtor, recalled.

The family was shocked. Prabhat’s daughter, was furious. Though her parents were a bit frightened, she persuaded them to let her shoot the sight with her videocam. The girl, a student of Patna’s prestigious Notre Dame Academy, accomplished her mission without anyone – the shop staff or the crowd of customers – knowing about it.

Back home, Prabhat has sent a letter to the ministry of external affairs, requesting it to take up the matter with Swiss authorities.

Big thanks to reader Derek, who sends notice that you can now put Dainichi Nyorai — a.k.a. the Buddha of Cosmic Light and Truth, a.k.a. Mahavairocana — on your butt, thanks to these jeans.

As Derek notes, they even come “complete with seed syllable!”

For a little more on Dainichi Nyorai (including a truly beautiful rendering), check out this page from the artist Yasutaka Horie. His work is incredible.

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!

Via FashionMagazine.us:

“This Meditation Pod Chair from PlushPod.com looks fresh, inviting and if it helps you on your path to Enlightment, hey, what more could you ask for?”

The designer says it’s intended to be “a sacred space for one or two people.” Huh.

We’ve featured the store True Religion before (Sam DeWitt once sent a photo of their sign, which featured Hotei playing a guitar (for some reason or other)), but now reader Lee D. sends this window shot and write-up:

“I stumbled on Buddha here in the Columbus Circle mall in NYC. Not sure which was more weird, using Buddha to hawk jeans or his image with the words ‘TRUE RELIGION’ on the window!

Plus, jeans can’t be the most comfortable pant for zazen out there.”

Nice catch, Lee. Thanks for sending.

By the way, Lee’s email also included this post-script:

“HA! one of the spelling correction words Gmail suggests for zazen is ‘ignore’.”