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.”
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.
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.
You may have seen that the awesome blogger TMcG, on her blog Full Contact Enlightenment, recently shared that she has bought a new skateboard deck from Skull Skates. Part of the company’s “True Champions of Justice” series (which also features Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Mother Theresa), the deck pictures the Dalai Lama, accompanied by the maxim, “Be Kind Whenever Possible, It Is Always Possible.”
Some people are less thrilled than TMcG is about the deck. Blogger/activist (and friend) Heidiminx thinks it’s “disrespectful to the max” to depict His Holiness there, especially since most skaters are likely to grind the bottom of the deck. She’s encouraging online friends to write the company and share their thoughts, though she reports that “When I left a comment on their page that this was disrespectful, they deleted it.”
So what do you think? Is it disrespectful? Sure, it’s not what an adherent of Tibetan Buddhism would do, but it seems (to me, at least) like a gesture/idea made out of respect. Personally, I think it’s cool that Skull feels it’s worth depicting such “True Champions of Justice” — it’s more meaningful than much of the usual skate-deck art fare. Likewise, TMcG has followed up with a comment from Skull that seems to satisfy her sense that her purchase wasn’t ill-placed. Check it out and join the discussion here.
Not that he’s endorsing it, but the people at Victorinox say that His Holiness uses one of their famous Swiss Army Knives — at least according to this new Bloomberg article.
Being that he’s an avid tinkerer, it only makes sense… (I’ve almost always had one; I can think of no other item that could make me feel, so much, like a boy and like “a man” at the same time. What with the saw, and the magnifying glass, and the little scissors, one was always ready. And then when you got older, you never had to look far for a corkscrew or a bottle opener…)
Anyway, odd for them to drop His Holiness’s name… But they dropped the Pope’s, too. Hitting all the Religious Knife-lover’s Market bases, I guess.
Their last T-shirt made quite a splash. Now New York City’s Interdependence Project has created a new shirt meant to benefit their efforts, and to spread the love via the idea of metta, or lovingkindness. Says the IDP site:
“This shirt is a reminder of the preciousness of being human, and the capacity we have to love ourselves, our friends, our family and our enemies with unconditional attention and kindness.”
The shirt is responsibly made and, if you order by Feb 3, you’ll have it by Valentine’s Day. (US orders only.) Nice gift, right? And for a very worthy cause. Check it out here.
Joining Ethan and Rinpoche are Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara of the NYC Village Zendo and Nalandabodhi’s Mitra Mark Power. It’s a good question.
And there are some good responses here, no?
Not really! But here’s a diversion. Via CNN: “What do you get if you mix one U.S. president, green tea ice cream and a Buddha statue?” Not exactly a barnburner of a story, maybe, but it’s nice to see Kamakura’s Buddha on the news.
Cool. There’s gonna be a new Buddha Machine, called the Chan Fang (or “Zen Room”) Buddha Machine. Details here.
The original Buddha Machine is a very favorite thing of mine. So what is this little contraption? Read a write-up from the Worst Horse archives.
New York City’s The Interdependence Project has made a head-turner of a new T-shirt:
What’s the story here? Well, as the IDP site says, “Wearing this tee is a reminder to stay in touch with the reality of impermanence as well as a way to support the efforts of the Interdependence Project.” To do so, click here.
If the IDP ever makes one with the same slogan in small reverse type, a la Memento, I’m all over it.
Update: after expressing some of my developing reservations about the shirt to the IDP’s Ethan Nichtern, I was invited to share said comments on the IDP blog. See this post: Sure, “This Body Will Be a Corpse”… but should I wear a shirt that says so?
