Freeing ourselves from dukkha saves us energy, no different than how a well-tuned car engine is more energy efficient. We can use that freed energy to fuel us further through the chaotic Yin and Yang dynamics of our daily lives. We can divert that energy from anger, envy, jealously, etc towards improving our ability to … Continue reading Compound Interest of Enlightenment
Category: Rubber Ducky
Obutsudan
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
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
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
The Empty Cup Trail
I had not seen either Rubber Ducky Buddha of Joliet or Fishnu since after Bodhi Day in December 2017. On that Bodhi Day I was ordained a Zen priest by Rubber Ducky and given the name, Dukkha Hanamoku. It was my understanding that I would never see them again in this life. So I was … Continue reading The Empty Cup Trail
The Path
Rubber Ducky Buddha of Joliet is in samadhi, which has been the case as we approach Bodhi Day two weeks from today. So he wanted me to share the story of what he said as we looked at the petroglyph during this past sabbatical. I pointed to the spiral and self-deprecatingly joked that it looks … Continue reading The Path
Ugly Stage
I asked Rubber Ducky how one who attains an enlightened state can keep it. We've all had those experiences of Oneness and peace, but like a Pink Lady apple thrown into a vat of Red Delicious, it's assimilated back into that lowest common denominator slurry once we walk back into civilization. How can a snowball … Continue reading Ugly Stage
It’s Not Magic
The Christmas lights in my home office window went on early this year because of Rubber Ducky's enlightenment. The great part about having an awakened being like Rubber Ducky sitting on your home office window sill is that I can ask him about enlightenment. Here is a transcript of what Rubber Ducky explained to me … Continue reading It’s Not Magic
Bright Dot in the Sky
One morning during the Fall 2017, as Rubber Ducky Buddha of Joliet and I watched Venus rise (for the last time on this sabbatical), he asked, "What are we seeing?" The first thing that came to my mind is a bright dot in the sky. "Is that what it is?", Rubber Ducky asked. What didn't … Continue reading Bright Dot in the Sky
Am I Enlightened?
I asked Rubber Ducky some time during our hours-long drive from our Peaceful Slumber to a Residence Inn in the heart of the Big City: Am I enlightened? I asked him that because I feel different and have been acting differently the past few days, but it was at our magical sabbatical place with people … Continue reading Am I Enlightened?
Fishnu 