ZEN: Wash your bowl (comics)

Wisdom Quarterly, Koan Study Group (PasaDharma.org), The Book of Equanimity

A slice of wisdom from Zen Comics by Ionna Salajan (via voiceofhappiness)

 
PREFACE TO THE ASSEMBLY
When food comes, fill the mouth.
When sleep comes, close the eyes.
When washing the face, rub the nose.
When taking off straw sandals, touch the feet.
At such times, if you miss the point, take a light and search hard in the depths of the night.
How will you meet this?

MAIN CASE
Attention!
A monk pleaded with Joshu, "Your student has just entered the monastery. Please, master, instruct me."
Joshu asked, "Did you finish your rice gruel?"
The monk replied, "I have finished eating."
Joshu remarked, "Then wash your bowl."

APPRECIATORY VERSE
When the gruel's finished, have him wash the bowl.
Suddenly the mind-ground naturally meets itself.
Right then the monastery's guest is replete.
Tell me: Is any enlightenment in there or not?
   

Cryptic commentary

Yogi Seven, Roshi Albrizze, Mara Shaeffer, Wisdom Quarterly

Zazen is "just sitting." But mindfulness and clear comprehension (sati-sampajanna) extends to all activities. Just breath, just eat... Not thinking, one is aware. There is no intermediate thought about it, no filtering or distorting. One is aware just of what is. BE HERE NOW. This is it. This is life. This is worth living. What to do? Be. Where to do it? Here. When? Now. Sitting goes to absorption with singleminded concentration (Sanskrit dhyana, Pali jhana, Japanese zen). Therefore, when one is tired, sleep. When one is hungry, eat. (And while eating, just eat). Then wash your bowl. Zen stages of stillness are ecstatic meditative experiences. But to say so destroys the student by setting up expectations. To say that nothing ever happens other than sitting destroys the teacher: Who needs a guru or "Zen Master" if nothing will ever happen? Nevertheless, "After the ecstasy, the laundry." So when you eat, don't forget the dishes.

• Zen Practice: A Guide for Beginners (zenguide.com)

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Berkeley Buddhist Veggie Recipes

Berkeley Buddhist Monastery; Wisdom Quarterly

Grilled Kabobs (berkeleymonastery.org)

  

INGREDIENTS

12 cherry tomatoes

12 sweet mini peppers

12 zucchini cubes, 1/4 inch

12 brown or button mushrooms

12 firm fried tofu or tempeh cubes 1/2 inch

12 smoked gluten (seitan) or veggie meat cubes 1/2 inch

1 tbsp black sesame seeds

2 tbsp soy sauce paste

2 tbsp Taiwanese BBQ saute paste

PREPARATION

Slice zucchini, cube tofu, cube gluten. Mix black sesame seeds, soy sauce paste, and saute paste. Pre-marinate tofu in the fridge for 3 hours before grilling. Skewer all ingredients and brush with sauce mixture. Set the oven to broil (about 500 degrees), grill kabobs, turning if desired. Remove after 3-6 minutes. Serve over rice or salad. Serves 4. More

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The Summer of Naked Bath Salt "Zombies"

Examiner.com; Wisdom Quarterly

Going to extremes: results from tanning spray vs. bath salt abuse (examiner.com)

 

The summer of naked bath salts-induced attacks continues apace. The latest abuser of the powerful hallucinogen was a brand-new mother in Altoona, Pennsylvania, who couldn’t wait until she had left the maternity ward to smoke a dose, strip naked, and embark on a violent rampage. The Altoona Mirror reports that on June 17th, two days after giving birth, 31-year-old Carla Murphy (shown above at right) was found by a nurse rolling around on a shower floor naked and confused. When roused, Murphy sprung into frenetic action, taking off down the hall, screaming profanities, and kicking and punching whoever crossed her path. Hospital medical personnel were able to restrain her long enough to administer the anti-psychotic drug Haldol. More

Z.E.R.O. "ZOMBIE PREPAREDNESS KITS" FOR SALE (ONLY $24,000)

• Latest naked "zombie" on bath salts threatens to eat arresting police officers
• NYS mom high on "bath salts" Tasered to death after attacking 3-year-old son
• First photos of face-eating victim; another naked man on "bath salts"
• Self-professed cannibal porn star nabbed by German police
• Did the CDC really need to reassure Americans there is no zombie apolcalypse?
• Another story of cannibalism surfaces, suspect under arrest
• Victim of face-eating attack in Miami graduated from Stuyvesant HS in NYC
• Naked man who chewed off face of another was high on LSD
• Miami police shoot and kill naked man chewing on another’s face
• Brazilian trio arrested for making turnovers out of two murder victims
• Homeless AZ man skins and eats cat, wears intestines as necklace
• Man arrested for hacking CT resident to death, eating eye and brain
• Zombie alert: Man tries to chew woman’s face off; a murderer strips
• Police Tase naked 80-year-old woman swinging cane at them

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Buddha Boy eats, drinks, speaks (video)

Team Palden Dorje; PaldenDorje.com; Seven, Dorrian, Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

On April 11th, 2012, at 1:32 pm local time [Wisdom Quarterly's spiritual hero] Buddha Boy (aka Ram Bahadur Bomjon, now Maha Sambodhi Dharmasangha guru-jii, formerly Tapaswi Palden Dorje) took wholesome food and water offered by his assistant monk named Buddha.

   

Why do we revere a guru?

Martilmb (LandOfMedicineBuddha.org); Amber Dorrian, Wisdom Quarterly

Buddha Boy takes offered food (TeamPaldenDorje)

According to many Buddhists, particularly Mahayanists, the purpose of this life is to help others. This is more pronounced in a subdivision of Mahayana known as Vajrayana. Bodhisattvas and Vajrasattvas help free all sentient beings from the suffering they experience and to lead them all to peerless enlightenment, a state beyond sorrow. But in order help sentient beings, first we ourselves must reach enlightenment (becoming at least stream enterers). In order to do that, we need the twin tools of compassion and wisdom. the best teachers are those accomplished in these qualities. There is an ancient Indian devotional practice called guru puja ("worship" or devotedness) to connect with such the guru (teacher) and thank him/her for teachings given. Northern California's LOMB performs such rituals. And at the end of June 2012, the "Relics Tour" comes to LOMB.

2012 Dharma Speech

English translation edited by Wisdom Quarterly

Buddha Boy's Maitreya Puja (paldenjorje.com)

(March 21) Having followed the path of the true Dharma in search of purest path, I am giving the timeless message at the world Peace Maitri Puja (Loving-Kindness Devotional). It lovingly benefits all Dharma-loving followers striving for the liberation of all sentient beings from suffering and pain. This takes the form of the Guru-Marga (Path of following a Teacher). The Bodhi Shravan Dharma Sangha (Enlightened Wanderer Liberating-Truth Community), which was established having arrived on Earth 35,000 years ago according to the Maitri Calender. Just as a flower without obstruction freely offers its beauty and fragrance to the entire universe, so should humans eliminate from their lives attachment (clinging), anger, greediness, craving for sensual desires, pride, wrath, violence, killing (motivated by aversion or fear), and other defilements. For unless one cultivates the true Dharma's precepts, the fragrant flower cannot blossom. These things are obstructions, obstacles, hindrances.
   

Buddha Boy addresses followers June 4th, 2011

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