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.”
“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…)
I’ve got to hand it to Lady Gaga. Not only is she, when it comes to fashion, rather like the Honey Badger — but she really goes out there to find and create harmony for those among us who feel a bit more “on our own” than others. Her song, “Born This Way,” is all about accepting people despite, and because of, their differences, and now she’s guest-edited the ubiquitous free newspaper, The Metro, with an eye towards acting “as a nurturing and compassionate force to those in need.”
As a Buddhist, it’s really refreshing to see a pop-star so outwardly embodying these values. But I also have to say that — again, just as a Buddhist — it’s also disconcerting to see her quote on the of cover her Metro issue: “Let identity be your religion.” I understand that Gaga’s not a Buddhist, and we’re all of course allowed to have different views, but I thought it was worth exploring some of what the Buddha had to say about identity.
Sleeping Beauty actress Emily Browning has told CBS News Entertainment that she dealt with possible discomfort while filming nude scenes for that film via the practice of meditation. Her words:
“I taught myself to meditate in those scenes. I wasn’t present in those scenes at all, so they didn’t really have as much effect on me.”
That’s cool that she found a way to deal, but does that sound like meditation to you? She may not have been sleeping, but she doesn’t seem to have really been awake, either.
Following up on the story of “Sex and Zen” — a 3D porn film the Horse first told you about way back in January of ’09: that film has now, according to AFP, “broken [Hong Kong's] first-day box office record previously set by Hollywood blockbuster Avatar.” Not sure how I feel about this Dharma-Burger’s massive success. But then, I like sex, I like Zen, and I hated Avatar. So hey.
Here‘s the story. Thanks to dharma-bruddha Josh Bartok for the tip. Josh is a respected teacher and a maker of Buddhist books (as an editor at Wisdom Publications). Check out his Boston-based sangha here.
“Western Buddhism has a long path to travel before becoming something that resists, rather than supplements, consumerism,” argues a new article from The Guardian. That’s sort what The Worst Horse is about, so I have no beef with that contention. The article raises some good points. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t sweep through things and oversimplify, etc, but hey, I’m short on time.*
Though not so short on time that I can’t have a good laugh. Which I definitely did.
What I don’t understand about the article — besides the headline, “Buddhism is the new opium of the people” — is the choice of accompanying imagery. The Guardian, to my mind, often does things right. So why the paper chose a cross-legged, shirtless, hair-gelled Bro-Dude to illustrate the article is beyond me.
But, again, it sure did make me laugh. That really is about the silliest thing I’ve ever seen.
* And following up: the article really does have some notable weaknesses. For example: it says that “There is no word for meditation in the early Buddhist lexicon” — which is simply untrue. As my friend Joshua Easton of Dana Wiki writes: “Sure there is: jhāna [dhyana]. Bam! That took two second on Wikipedia.” And the ending contention is so needlessly black and white in a way that The Worst Horse has been trying to undo here for some six years now: “This is the choice: genuine reform, or a tawdry golden statue in the corner of your living room.”
Pink Mountain Travels and Tours is, the company says, “the first and only travel and tour agency for/by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) in Nepal.” And as Sify News reports, Pink Mountain’s first group bookings “are not from bridal pairs or honeymooning couples but from gay Buddhists who want to follow in the Buddha’s footsteps and meditate in his birthplace.”
Many of Pink Mountain’s customers are members of Europe’s Gay Buddhist Sangh (GBS), whose charter reads that the organization seeks “to introduce the teachings of the Buddha to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) folk in such a way that we honour and respect all beings and where they are in their lives, and help them to preserve a healthy and positive self-image, particularly about their sexuality.”
For more on Pink Mountain, visit them online here.
Sri Lanka is considering banning miniskirts.
Why? Because of Akon’s 2010 video — you know, the one that included scantily clad women dancing around a pool overlooked by a big ol’ Buddha statue? (More on that here. Though, sadly, the actual video is now offline.) And so the pendulum swings…
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.
…just typically lame? See this (unfortunately typo-laden) report.
I’ll spare you the Buddhism/Booty-ism jokes. Besides, the Buddha only appears in a flash or two in this video. Is it insulting to Buddhism? Maybe. But that’s probably the least of its problems.
“Trying to find the words… without being disrespectful.” I think it’s safe to say you’d better try again, Akon. Just as I’m trying to find the words to describe the way you portray women without being disrespectful. And failing.
I like hip-hop. I like R&B. I like sex. And I’d like to think I have a sense of humor. But this is just vapid, tired, mimbo, bullshit. Buddha or not.
03/22/2010 UPDATE: Akon says he doesn’t mean to dis. Well, not Buddhism, at least.
