Okay, “Enlightenment or bust” might be a bit dramatic, but…

"Dang Zang" is an empty name. The blog has to do with the dharma; material related to Buddhist teachings (Tibetan style in particular, Kagyu in even more particular), meditation, gurus and lamas be they genuine or flaky, books and events. I do have a more personal blog, Pica Pica, and a site for my work.

Oh yes, it's by Alex Wilding

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  • The annual festival – postcript
    It happened. It went on very late. More than 300 people, many of whom came from all over Italy because, for instance, their grandmother came from here. I fluffed one line, but my little turn went down well enough – the cheer from the piazza demanded that I take a bow and flourish my hat […]
  • Our annual festival – preparation
    The village is a-buzz with excitement and activity! There is a connecting together of electric cables; a welding of steel trestles; a burning-off of the dirt on grilles; a setting up of lights; a preparation of beer dispensers… For tomorrow, our village has its annual festival! I too am making a small contribution. I shall […]
  • Nick and Sam’s post-wedding bash
    Nick and Sam got married in America, so had their post-wedding bash in Bristol […]
  • Comment on Wikileaks
    A good comment on the Wikileaks release of papers about Afghanistan at http://www.truth-out.org/national-insecurity-afraid-truth61841 […]
  • Festival of Hunger and Thirst
    Filatiera, festival […]
  • About the place
    How nice it is here! […]
  • Filling in
    I rather doubt if I will ever have time (and I doubt if you would be interested) to describe the whole process of getting here, so here are just a few pictures to give an impression. First of all, here is the container being filled up in Sydney with the possessions, some of which are […]
  • Hunting dogs
    What to say? There are hunting dogs here. […]
  • Greyhound transport
    Be very sure the greyhound has room if the journey is at all long […]
  • Landed and connected
    Arrived in Tuscany and connected to the net! […]
Tuesday February 24th, 2009. Posted by Alex:

Jewish Buddhism

This is not original, but it is funny (I think so, anyway):

Sayings of the Jewish Buddha

If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?

Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?

Drink tea and nourish life; with the first sip, joy; with the second sip, satisfaction; with the third sip, peace; with the fourth, a Danish.

Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another story.

Accept misfortune as a blessing. Do not wish for perfect health, or a life without problems. What would you talk about?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single Oy.

There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that?

Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.

The Tao does not speak. The Tao does not blame. The Tao does not take sides. The Tao has no expectations. The Tao demands nothing of others. The Tao is not Jewish.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Forget to do this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.

Let your mind be as a floating cloud. Let your stillness be as a wooded glen. And sit up straight. You’ll never meet the Buddha with such rounded shoulders.

Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers. Each flower blossoms ten thousand times. Each blossom has ten thousand petals. You might want to see a specialist.

Be aware of your body. Be aware of your perceptions. Keep in mind that not every physical sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.

The Torah says, Love your neighbor as yourself. The Buddha says, There is no self. So … maybe we’re off the hook?

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