- Laughing Buddha
- Laughing at you Buddha
- Laughing at us Buddha
- Laughing because it is funny Buddha
- Laughing because it is not funny, but what else can I do? Buddha
- There's still joy: Laugh Buddha
- I'm overdoing the wine Buddha
- Eat, Drink and be Merry because tomorrow may...Buddha
- You're not a Buddhist, so you shouldn't be guessing Buddha
I'm not a Buddhist, it's true, but I am fond of the writer Thich Nhat Hanh. So using that limited knowledge, I think the Buddha is laughing, in a metaphysical sense, at the idea that we are controlling the events around us, when in fact we are merely observing them as they occur. Focus on the breath, focus on the step, focus on this moment, this dish you are washing, this sentence you are writing, this character...
My next book is halfway completed using this method. I have survived the virus, eaten well, and continue to exercise. Life is good for us today, in this moment. But I do sneak out on the Internet every so often, and I am hounded by crazed control freaks on every side of the issue of viruses, transmission, fear, loathing...you name it. There is very little about this information that suggests we are not in control. In fact, quite the opposite. We are encouraged to imagine we are the very epicenter of control over protective supplies, plans, transmission of invisible particles, vaccines -- it is exhausting and no wonder the Buddha is laughing.
Ohm. My meditation mantra, since, as I mentioned, I am not a Buddhist is as follows:
God is love. Let God heal.
In the present moment.
