be a Buddha for a while, because it's good to be zen

I don’t think I’m done for this. Would be good, but it’s more realistic to give up…

This is now:

“If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let’em go, because, man, they’re gone.”
– Jack Handey

peace of mind. but you can’t be the Buddha forever. Not even the Buddha could! Because, as he himself taught, everything changes, every one of the ten thousand things ceases to be someday.

With so many things dying around me (my blog Andariego, some old watches somebody gave me long ago, so many things) it’s time to change, again.

Change into something I still don’t clearly know.
But something I dearly await.

but necessary.

For now, enough zen. I’ve been focusing too much on balance, now I’m going on to actions! That’s definitely what I need, that’s my fuel, only few things satisfy me as much as a day filled from A to Z.

Mouh, I feel I’ve got enough energy for, for… For cleaning my room, heck, no mountain would resist me!

/alreadygone

most of the weekend ‘cos of my stomach. That was very Zen.

41. Following
When the great man learns the Way, he follows it with diligence;
When the common man learns the Way, he follows it on occasion;
When the mean man learns the Way, he laughs out loud;
Those who do not laugh, do not learn at all.

Therefore it is said:
Who understands the Way seems foolish;
Who progresses on the Way seems to fail;
Who follows the Way seems to wander.

For the finest harmony appears plain;
The brightest truth appears coloured;
The richest character appears incomplete;
The bravest heart appears meek;
The simplest nature appears inconstant.

The square, perfected, has no corner;
Music, perfected, has no melody;
Love, perfected, has no climax;
Art, perfected, has no meaning.

The Way can be neither sensed nor known:
It transmits sensation and transcends knowledge.

The avatar I’ve chosen is Hotei, the Japanese form of a Chinese Buddha, Pu-Tai, the Buddha of Happiness and Contentment. With his big, fat belly and bright smile, it may be the most popular form of Buddha in the West.

Hotei is a happy hobo that goes from town to town carrying lots of small and beautiful presents for children; he’s always smiling, always drinking and enjoying life at its fullest. He is said to be one of the incarnations (“avatars”, properly) of Lord Maitreya, the Buddha Still to Come.

More info on Hotei, here

I like Hotei because he sums up the contribution China made to Buddhism: instead of the cold and sometimes rigid precepts of Hinayana Buddhism, like abstaining from any kind of pleasure, he gives us a very mundane and essentially lovable image of religion and trascendence; the small, wonderful, instant illumination you can have from watching the sun behind red clouds or the smile of the ones you love.

So, even though I love my Spike Spiegel (from Cowboy Bebop) avatar, here I am, now, as Hotei. A life a definitely would have liked to live!

I feel like being a Buddha for a while… Anyone wants to join?

I’ve got plenty of Buddhas there, the one in my room just loves photos. As soon as there’s sun he opens the window to feel the cold breeze while he’s meditating.

Nothing pretentious, it’s just a zen goal in the midst of a too agitated emotional life of mine. So, zen, my friends.