Mrs. Hanamoku, His Holiness The Eternal Fishnu, His Holiness The Rubber Ducky Buddha of Joliet, and I attended a very nice Obon Festival last night. We had a (actually more than "a") bento with musubi, nasubi, inari, tomagoyaki, shoyu chicken! Wonderful! The Eternal Fishnu blessed the event with the largest turnout ever in the event's … Continue reading Obutsudan
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Genuine Fearlessness
Last Fall, the Rubber Ducky Buddha of Joliet and I were hiking around Canyonlands. "Is this catcus hiding under this ledge with its weapons deployed fearful?", asked Rubber Ducky. I thought about it for a few minutes. With Rubber Ducky, strange questions never have an obvious answer, so you need to deeply ponder his questions. … Continue reading Genuine Fearlessness
Everything Forms Every Thing
In annoyingly paradoxical Buddhist style I will now talk about how Everything Forms Every Thing, even though I just got through talking about how No Thing Exists. How can there be things that form when no things exist? No Thing Exists is a statement about the true nature of the Universe. Everything Forms Every Thing states … Continue reading Everything Forms Every Thing
No Thing Exists
In yesterday's post, See, I discussed the phrases "Nothing exists" versus "No thing exists". Let's recap that discussion from another point of view because this is a fundamental Buddhist/Zen topic. Think of having heard a Buddhist priest saying, "Everything is an illusion. Nothing exists." Does the priest mean there are no stars, no Earth, no chair I'm sitting in … Continue reading No Thing Exists
See
One of the most frustrating words used in modern Buddhist literature is "see". For example, "If you see the reality of the Universe, you will know that nothing exists and that all is One." That is an important statement because it just about defines enlightenment, even though it sounds like esoteric garbage. So how does … Continue reading See
Three Zen Stories
As with all old stories, Zen stories have spawned very many variations. I’ve chosen to take many liberties, recounting the stories in less “dated” (i.e.. “… a samurai entered a tea house …”) fashion. These three Zen stories are the foundation of Fishnu's teaching. They are extremely powerful, and at first sound simply like "Ah, … Continue reading Three Zen Stories
What are Enemies?
I once asked the Etnernal Fishnu, "Do you have any enemies?" EF: By your definition, yes, I do. But 'enemy' is a concept with meaning only in your fragmented view of the Universe. Me: Oooo, Oooo, Is he Lucifer, Satan ... Beezlebub?! No! Mara! EF: I know him as Master Pi Lau. Me: 'Pie-Lau'? Is … Continue reading What are Enemies?
How I Met Rubber Ducky
Now that Rubber Ducky is a Supremely Awakened One, I will tell the story of how I met Rubber Ducky. I found Rubber Ducky sitting on a stack of bathroom towels in a Fairfield Inn in Joliet, IL on July 12, 2013. At first, I thought this was just a little gift from the hotel, but … Continue reading How I Met Rubber Ducky
Which Way Do We Go?
On our last hike at Redfish Lake last week, The Eternal Fishnu swam onto this trail sign (he swims through air, space, things …) and said: "There is really an arrow pointing in EVERY direction, including upwards, downwards, and even through more dimensions. But for your flesh and blood vehicle, not all directions are available. … Continue reading Which Way Do We Go?
Predictive Models
The Miner's Lettuce is going to seed and will soon be gone. I told Fishnu about how the miner's of the California Gold Rush would suffer from Vitamin C deficiency over the Sierra winters, until this very edible plant, high in Vitamin C, sprouts up in the very early Spring, curing their scurvy. The funny … Continue reading Predictive Models
Fishnu 