Do You Want to Have Fun or Are You a Buddhist?

Lebemann Oder Buddhist 1I’m in Munich (München), Germany this week. Yesterday I was walking around the city and I spotted a flyer pasted to a lamppost that said “Lebemann Oder Buddhist” and showed a mustachioed man in sunglasses getting cuddly with a girl in a bikini. My friend Annette who was with me translated the phrase as, “Do you want to have fun or are you a Buddhist?” I think it’s an ad for some film.

Google Translate says this phrase means, “Playboy or Buddhist.” But I prefer Annette’s translation because it allows me to talk about something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I know I’ve said this sort of thing on this page before, but I really think it bears repeating.

Buddhists are often viewed as stoic, humorless people who fear enjoyment and fun. They shave their heads, put on funny clothes and hide themselves away in monasteries far from the world. There they spend their days contemplating their navels and avoiding human interaction.

When they do show up in cities and towns, we are amazed. “My God, Marvin! That one is using a cellphone! And look! That one has sunglasses! Quick! Take a picture!”

And yet, for me, Buddhism has always been about having a good time.

I’m being completely serious here. When I was a young man, I had already decided that life was full of misery and despair. Even though I had a pretty comfortable middle class upbringing, and even though I had already traveled much of the world before I was 12 years old, I found most of my life to be crushingly depressing. I couldn’t understand what made people want to go on. It all seemed so bleak and horrible.

I was surrounded by people who seemed to be having a lot more fun than me. They were going to parties and football games and getting drunk or stoned, getting laid, having a grand old time, while I festered away in my basement with my Univox Les Paul copy electric guitar and Big Muff fuzztone trying to figure out how to make the most offensive racket possible to express my outrage at the entire culture. I was not a happy camper.

It wasn’t all horror, of course. I had a very pretty girlfriend throughout most of high school who shared a lot of the same frustrations as me. I had a band. I had a small cadre of nerdy friends to hang out with and complain about the jocks and preppies to. But most of the time I just hated everything.

When I encountered Zen Buddhism, it didn’t seem to be an escape from the world. It seemed to be a way to confront it and learn to have a good time for once in my sucky life. I learned that having a good time wasn’t about manipulating the world so that you’d find yourself in situations that the general population regarded as “fun” – like getting high, going to parties, getting laid, and so on. It was about learning to look at everything that was happening, learning to be fully present at every moment, not just the ones that were deemed by the masses to be the fun moments.

I learned to have fun while waiting for a bus. I learned to have fun while working at pointless, low-paying jobs that I hated. I learned to enjoy cleaning Shithead, my cat’s litter box. And when something actually fun came along, I learned to enjoy that even more than I had before because I wasn’t so neurotically afraid that it was going to end. I knew it was going to end, but I also knew that whatever came after would also have its own pleasures even if nobody in their right mind would regard that thing as pleasurable.

So to me it’s not a choice between having fun and being a Buddhist. Being a Buddhist is how I have fun.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go out and look at Munich for a while. I’m sure the subway stations here are absolutely fascinating!

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All this fun costs money, your kind donations are always appreciated. I go on tours like this partly because it’s one of the few ways to get paid for what I do. But I can’t tour all year round, so whatever you send me really makes a difference. Thank you!

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Here’s my upcoming events schedule:

UPCOMING EVENTS

Oct. 12-17 Retreat at Benediktushof near Würzburg, Germany

Oct 18 8:00am — 6:00pm Retreat in Bonn, Germany

Oct. 19 4:00pm 3 Schätze Shop Bonn, Germany

Oct 20 Lecture in Hamburg, Germany

Oct 24: Lecture/Movie screening in Groningen, Netherlands

Oct 25: Day-long zazen in Groningen, Netherlands

Oct 26: Movie screening in Eindhoven, Netherlands at Natlab

Oct 27: Evening zazen in Eindhoven, Netherlands

Oct 28: Evening zazen in Nijmegen, Netherlands

Oct 29: Lecture in Amsterdam, Netherlands  at “De Roos” bookstore from 19.00-21.00  (P Cornelisz Hooftstr 183)

Oct 30: Lecture in Utrecht, Netherlands at “De wijze kater” bookstore from 19.00-21.00 ( Mariaplaats 1,  Utrecht)

Nov 1-2: Retreat in Utrecht, Netherlands

Nov. 2: Movie screening in Utrecht, Netherlands at ACU

Nov 6-8: Retreat in Hebden Bridge, UK

Nov 9: Noon — 5pm  Manchester, UK

Dec. 5-7 Three-Day Zazen and Yoga Retreat at Mt. Baldy (near Los Angeles, CA)

 

EVENTS YOU ALREADY MISSED

Oct. 1 Turku Panimoravintola Koulu, Finland– Movie screening

Oct. 2 Helsinki, Finland — Lecture Event

Oct. 3-5 Helsinki, Finland Zen retreat at Helsinki Zen Center

Oct. 6 Movie Screening in Espoo, Finland

Oct. 8 Lecture in Munich, Germany

Oct. 10-11 Retreat in Munich, Germany

45 Responses

Page 1 of 1
  1. The Idiot
    The Idiot October 9, 2014 at 4:29 am |

    1

  2. Mumbles
    Mumbles October 9, 2014 at 4:45 am |

    Wait, Playboyism is trying to lure German Buddhists away from the fold with “fun?” Heathen Pagans (the name of my first band)!!

  3. UnSan
    UnSan October 9, 2014 at 5:17 am |

    “Lebemann” is like the “man about town” / bon vivant figure…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbzs_5gD2DM

  4. Hungry Ghost
    Hungry Ghost October 9, 2014 at 6:22 am |

    The Vimalakirti Sutra is kind of fun.

  5. Shamon
    Shamon October 9, 2014 at 6:35 am |

    I always think Zen IS fun!!

  6. Alan Sailer
    Alan Sailer October 9, 2014 at 9:08 am |

    Zen and Fun.

    That’s sounds great. Can’t wait for it to happen. Not gonna hold my breath though.

    Sitting is almost exactly as tedious as it was seven years ago.

    Big sigh.

  7. sri_barence
    sri_barence October 9, 2014 at 9:38 am |

    Last night at the Dharma Talk, Paul Majchrzyk JDPSN was going on about how hard it was to do Zen retreats, and how we can learn from the suck that is doing a 3-or-more day retreat. And all the time he was saying that, I was thinking how much I love doing those kinds of retreats. Am I missing something? Where is the horrid, sucky, difficult Zen I keep hearing about? I want some too!

    Here’s some of Paul’s talk about practice, from 24-Sep-2012.

  8. sri_barence
    sri_barence October 9, 2014 at 9:38 am |

    hmmm. link didn’t work. how’s this?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUUTyG744XU

  9. Harlan
    Harlan October 9, 2014 at 9:46 am |
  10. Alan Sailer
    Alan Sailer October 9, 2014 at 10:02 am |

    Thanks Harlan. Finally someone here linked to a song I know…

    Cheers.

  11. The Idiot
    The Idiot October 9, 2014 at 7:25 pm |
    1. minkfoot
      minkfoot October 10, 2014 at 6:30 am |

      Reminds me of a recent retreat.

  12. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote October 10, 2014 at 9:48 am |

    I sat the first day of the Denko-e sesshin down at Jikoji on Wednesday.

    Wonderful people. By the closing bell of the last period before dinner, I set a personal best for consecutive seconds asleep and dreaming in the lotus.

    The good news, as far as I was concerned, was that I didn’t lose feeling in my legs to such an extent that I fell over when I got up. I haven’t actually fallen over in the past, but I’ve come close.

    I found that by close of day my practice consisted of observing the lower lumbar vertebrae; that seemed to help me realize the activity.

    https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152353268360658

  13. Alan Sailer
    Alan Sailer October 10, 2014 at 11:59 am |

    Mark,

    It’s an interesting factum that you use a kinesthetic technique to help keep you grounded in zazen. Would you describe your primary way of gathering information from the world as physical?

    I know that Joko Beck suggested using traffic sounds as a way of staying present. And she was trained as a concert pianist so sound was important to her.

    I have my primary way of experiencing as visual which is obviously hard to use when facing a blank wall.

    It would be interesting to find out if there is any correlation between the attention anchor that various long term meditators use and what their primary sense mode is.

    Cheers.

    1. Mumbles
      Mumbles October 10, 2014 at 8:10 pm |

      Poopin’?

  14. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote October 10, 2014 at 9:48 pm |

    Alan, I don’t know if you happened to cast a glance at my treatment of that old Buddhist Fuxi’s bait, but in fact I built on our discussion here a little bit:

    “The tight connection between the sense of vision and the sense of location in three-dimensional space is demonstrated by the common feeling that awareness is located in the head, somewhere behind the eyes. If the sense of location in space is exercised through the distinction of motion in each of the three planes, that is to say through the distinction of the motions of pitch, roll, and yaw, the connection between the sense of vision and the sense of location may relax sufficiently to allow the location of awareness to shift somewhat from behind the eyes. If the eyes are closed, the location of awareness may even seem to shift spontaneously from one location in the body to another, as may sometimes be observed in the moments just before sleep.”

    and this:

    “The sense of vision can be experienced separately from the sense of location and from the sense of placement and weight in the parts of the body; given such an experience, the relinquishment of volition can allow the sense of location to shift as proprioception and weight enter in, and anything that enters into the sense of location can be realized as activity of posture and carriage…”

    That last would be my reference, in saying “my practice consisted of observing the lower lumbar vertebrae; that seemed to help me realize the activity”.

  15. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote October 10, 2014 at 9:56 pm |

    If anybody missed the link a couple of threads back and would like to cast a glance, the place to go is here.

  16. The Grand Canyon
    The Grand Canyon October 11, 2014 at 5:11 am |

    “Sound like bullshit to me.”
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-79SOEhLiQ

  17. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote October 11, 2014 at 8:57 pm |

    what, me bullshit? I resemble that song title!

  18. Harlan
    Harlan October 11, 2014 at 11:09 pm |

    Bullshit? Smells like.. teen spirit.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbdM7yuNGYI

  19. The Grand Canyon
    The Grand Canyon October 12, 2014 at 4:26 am |
    1. Mumbles
      Mumbles October 12, 2014 at 9:12 am |

      May be a connection -I’m generalizing here- between tantric rites involving the imbibing of male and female sexual fluids, Crowley’s OTO, and some Nazi’s, but maybe not. Only in the sense of misunderstanding one (Hindu) tantric trick for another (Tibetan Buddhist).

  20. Michel
    Michel October 12, 2014 at 6:17 am |

    Seems a bit biased to me. Although most of what he writes is true, it seems to overlook the thin knowledge that Far Easterners seem to have of Western things. This is still quite true with modern Japaneses; so I must think that it is not that clean cut.

  21. minkfoot
    minkfoot October 12, 2014 at 9:47 am |

    Alan sed:
    Sitting is almost exactly as tedious as it was seven years ago.

    Big sigh.

    You would rather have “interesting experiences”? Tedium is vastly underappreciated.

    😐

  22. Alan Sailer
    Alan Sailer October 12, 2014 at 12:24 pm |

    minkfoot,

    Yeah I’m very aware of the peril behind wishing for interesting experiences.

    None the less, when Brad starts waxing about having fun doing this or that crappy thing I admit to feeling a pang of envy. Followed by a wave of grouch.

    My direct experience of zen has been tedious. I have had no “oh-my-gosh” positive experiences. And also very few “what-the-hell-I-didn’t-order-this” events. I realize on an intellectual level that this is a good thing.

    But my “oh so close to the surface” greedy mind wants something to, well…um…happen.

    Cheers.

  23. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote October 12, 2014 at 5:28 pm |

    So, Alan- I take your point with regard to sesshin.

    Sitting at home in the morning and usually a shorter sitting before bed is a different story, though, at least for me. There, I actually do have fun, even though I’m sitting in the lotus (which is not a natural pose for me).

    I have great fun. goobers of fun. Gosh, o golly, do I have fun. ok, maybe not that much fun, but a big part of what brings me back to the cushion in the morning is the feeling that the posture gets me together, and it feels like the posture is growing my ability to feel.

    I think it was on this very comment thread that once upon a time there was general agreement that the average was better than it used to be, not that the lows were not almost as low and the highs close to what they were, but that somehow the ground where most of the day goes on was slightly more tractable for letting the posture do its thing with the rest in the morning.

    But with a cup of coffee, I can almost be convinced that Kobun was a genius when he said, “take your time with the lotus”, I’m having that much fun.

  24. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote October 12, 2014 at 5:33 pm |

    bullet holes in the mailbox, keyholes in my mind:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcMap3J0uuE

  25. The Idiot
    The Idiot October 13, 2014 at 6:26 am |

    To stop thinking, all you really need to do is stop using energy to regurgitate and ruminate upon thoughts. It’s a matter of not starting rather than stopping.

    1. mb
      mb October 13, 2014 at 10:18 am |

      For those of us who are not super-experienced meditators, often the initial experiences we confront in meditation are just of how out-of-control and involuntary the mind’s activities are. And maybe we need the full tour over a long period of time to see how every strategy to control or suppress or quiet the mind actually results in utter an failure to achieve any of that. And only then, when the failure of such efforts become painfully obvious, does the possibility of “not starting” become real. It’s amazing how strong the propensity to “fix” things are.

      1. The Idiot
        The Idiot October 14, 2014 at 3:13 pm |

        Well, there’s always something you can do about that.

  26. SamsaricHelicoid
    SamsaricHelicoid October 13, 2014 at 8:04 am |

    “It’s a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money.” – Albert Camus

    Have to pay property tax, insurance, and get your food somehow (unless you have exceptional knowledge in permaculture or self-sustainable techniques).

    Stop making me laugh. Even if you do Zazen you cannot be happy without money.

    Give me a ton of money and leave me alone. My happiness is proportional to the amount of time I spend away from 95% of people.

  27. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote October 13, 2014 at 9:25 am |
    1. Fred
      Fred October 13, 2014 at 10:56 am |

      Alan, in 81-82 I use to sit in ecstasy every day, with tears rolling down my face.

      It doesn’t mean anything. It could have just have been a manic state
      unleashed through concentrated focus, and the unhooking from the normal
      routine keeping everything in check.

  28. Alan Sailer
    Alan Sailer October 13, 2014 at 11:31 am |

    Fred,

    Thanks for the reassurance. I wasn’t clear in my previous posts that I was just noting the facts about my meditation experiences. No big highs, not many weird lows, just sustained tedium. I can’t think of anyway to say this without sounding like I am complaining.

    It’s also an undeniable fact that I want something more. And I know wanting something more is the basic problem.

    To sum it up, sitting practice is a boring pain in the ass and I’m grateful to be able to continue with it.

    Cheers.

  29. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote October 14, 2014 at 9:27 am |

    “No big highs, not many weird lows, just sustained tedium”

    “No longer chokin’ on the hair of dog
    Been a couple of weeks now since I came out of the fog
    The highs are slightly higher, the lows are just as low
    It’s a mild improvement on the average even so.

    Every little bit counts.
    though it may not count for much
    could be long-forgotten
    by the time you add them up”:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqLqGzo8ifk

  30. Fred
    Fred October 15, 2014 at 7:06 am |

    No high, no low, no trance upon the absolute.

  31. The Idiot
    The Idiot October 15, 2014 at 2:42 pm |

    Ok, I’ll bite. Is there *anything* that is ‘upon the absolute’? If not you could just start using a shorthand for these responses.

    Like…

    BUBBA

    1. Fred
      Fred October 15, 2014 at 3:18 pm |

      “Ok, I’ll bite.”
      Bite what?

      “Is there *anything* that is ‘upon the absolute’?”
      No self said Kobun Chino

      “If not you could just start using a shorthand for these responses.”
      Yes, while holding the hand of the absolute, …

      “Like…BUBBA”
      NSUTA

  32. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote October 15, 2014 at 3:39 pm |

    From the Terebess site, attributed to Fuxi:

    “Each night, (one) embraces a Buddha while sleeping,
    Each morning, (one) gets up again with him.
    When rising or sitting, both watch and follow one another,
    Whether speaking or not, both are in the same place,
    They never even for a moment part,
    (But) are like the body and its shadow.
    If you wish to know the Buddha’s whereabouts,
    In the sound of (your own) voice, there is he.”

  33. Fred
    Fred October 15, 2014 at 4:58 pm |
  34. Fred
    Fred October 15, 2014 at 5:37 pm |

    the handless hold the hoe
    the bridge but not the river flows
    BUBBA

    1. The Idiot
      The Idiot October 17, 2014 at 5:51 pm |

      Oh Fred. I truly laughed out loud. Thanks :o)

  35. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote October 15, 2014 at 10:25 pm |

    Bubba the Rat: He assists the Mayor of Munchkin Land in getting Dorothy and the Lion out of Poppyfields.

    http://imgc-cn.artprintimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/60/6066/UIZD100Z/posters/christopher-weyant-the-wicked-witch-of-the-southwest-new-yorker-cartoon.jpg

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