Coffee shops and Zen Buddhists. (971 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.55 on 23 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Lyric (View user info) at 2004-03-10 02:18:25 EST
Partly inspired by: http://www.ubersite.com/m/27248
Coffee shops hold a special place in my heart. I can think back many years to many different memories that involve a coffee shop. Good times, bad times, and above all, some very fucked up encounters. Because if you're a crazy person, where else are you going to go to spread your crazy love around? Pizza Hut? I don't think so. It's all about the coffee shops.
Take last week, for example.
There are about four of us sitting around a table, enjoying our coffees and lattes and cappufrappuspressotinos. We get onto the subject of a philosophy class that we are all taking at the university. Specifically, we are discussing our professor's obvious lack of knowledge in many different religions. See, each day, we discuss all the key points of a certain religion. Last week, it was Hinduism, and this week, it was Zen Buddhism. Do you how our professor taught us about Zen Buddhism?
"Alright, everyone... we're going to practice the key point of a Zen Buddhist. I would like you all to meditate, in your seats, for apporimately *stops and checks his watch* 15 minutes. After this time, we will discuss it. No talking. Go."
Needless to say, I did not pay this fucker money to teach me how to not talk for 15 minutes.
So, there we were later on, hanging out and discussing... well, bitching, rather... about this pointless class. We got onto the subject of Zen Buddhism itself, and vocally decided that we had learned nothing about it.
"Seriously," I said. "I wouldn't have minded so much, but he didn't even tell us the principles that Buddhism is based on. I learned nothing."
As we continue talking -fine, fine, bitching- about it, I notice this older, scruffy-looking dude continuously glance over at us. He looks like he wants to say something, and I'm considering just asking him to. He's making me nervous, with his freaky-deaky Rasputin-looking eyes. Finally, he seems to get sick of our complaining and clears his throat.
"Excuse me... I don't mean to interrupt, but I think I overheard you all discussing Zen Buddhists? And you commented that you did not quite understand the principles behind this?"
I can't look away. I can't say anything. I just nod in affirmation. His eyes...
"Well. As it just so happens, my counterparts (he nods to two women sitting at his table - equally scruffy and with equally fucked-up eyes) and I are in this city to do a sort of workshop and lecture on Zen Buddhism. Allow me to elaborate."
What followed was almost a half-hour of this man talking. I don't really remember details, because he had this deep, lilting, kind of sing-songy voice. I swear he hypnotized us. I think he just told us the basics behind Zen Buddhism, but for all I know, he was instilling instructions for us to kill the president of Malaysia if we heard "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. No, wait. That was Zoolander. Okay, never mind.
Anyways, the next thing I remember, he and his "counterparts" are getting up to leave. He wishes us a good evening, and then turns his Rasputin eyes on us once more:
"Don't forget what I have shared with you."
We promised him we wouldn't, and he turned to leave. We all kind of looked at each, sort of shocked, I guess, at what had just happened. But he wasn't done yet. Oh, no. He appeared back over the shoulder of one of my friends.
"Remember this, as well. Find the person within you that you were... before your parents were born."
And then he was gone.
To be totally honest, I have met a fair amount of weird people before. They say weird things, they do weird things, and they might even look weird to match.
But this the first time I have met a spiritually-charged weird person. Who likes coffee. And lecturing strangers. And has a long, mountain man beard, and a dumb hat. With eyes like Rasputin!
"Remember this, as well. Find the person within you that you were... before your parents were born."
Yeah. I still don't get it.
User Reviews
Submitted by Istaros (user info) at 2004-11-12 17:16:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
"'Remember this, as well. Find the person within you that you were... before your parents were born.'
Yeah. I still don't get it."
how much of your personality is due to your upbringing -the values, thoughts, mannerisms, etc., that your parents consciously and purposefully instilled in you? haven't you ever wanted to escape that, to just be YOU?
Submitted by hairycoo (user info) at 2004-04-02 18:06:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
the coffee shops in Amsterdam create the best conversation.
Submitted by Deisangua (user info) at 2004-03-19 07:26:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
+1 for the post.
+2 because Rasputin is awesome.
Submitted by deano (user info) at 2004-03-19 04:40:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Liked a lot.
Do not walk in front of me, for I may not follow
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead the way
Do not walk beside me either, just f*#k off and leave me alone.
Submitted by Jocko_Johnson (user info) at 2004-03-19 04:26:16 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by Azure (user info) at 2004-03-15 02:51:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Nice
Submitted by Circe (user info) at 2004-03-15 01:06:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Nifty. I liked this a lot.
Submitted by Nator (user info) at 2004-03-11 17:03:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Coffeeshop? Oh, as in actual coffee. Sorry, I was confused.
Submitted by ohlookasquirrel (user info) at 2004-03-11 11:49:41 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Made me smile.
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2004-03-11 10:59:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
The most I've ever learned of Buddhism is in Jack Kerouac books.
This was quite the nice post.
Submitted by jumpinjellyfish (user info) at 2004-03-10 11:25:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
The only thing I know about Zen came from reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"...but I liked your story.
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-03-10 11:23:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
It is too clear and so it is hard to see.
A dunce once searched for fire with a lighted lantern.
Had he known what fire was,
He could have cooked his rice much sooner.
Submitted by Razor (user info) at 2004-03-10 10:36:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
"Remember this, as well. Find the person within you that you were... before your parents were born."
That is a famous Zen "koan".
Koans are questions with no answers... "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
They are designed to fuck you up and confuse you, so you are jolted out of your normal method of thinking and are open to new ideas.
Looks like it worked.
P.S.
The version of that koan that I see much more often is "What did your face look like before your parents were born?"
Submitted by UrbaneMischief (user info) at 2004-03-10 10:34:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I love you Hot Lisa
Submitted by The_taste_of_Monkeys (user info) at 2004-03-10 09:54:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
you should have shot, stabbed poisoned and hung him before throwing him in a freezing river to test if it really was rasputin.
Submitted by The_taste_of_Monkeys (user info) at 2004-03-10 09:54:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
you should have shot, stabbed poisoned and hung him before throwing him in a freezing river to test if it reall was rasputin.
Submitted by dohnuts (user info) at 2004-03-10 09:47:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Your professor was right on track.
Submitted by Genko at 2004-03-10 03:35:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Get back to me, eh?
Where's my prize?
Submitted by Sideburns (user info) at 2004-03-10 03:17:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment, fish fuckers
Submitted by Kristen (user info) at 2004-03-10 02:44:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Can I get in on the prize action?
Submitted by Genko (user info) at 2004-03-10 02:36:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Touche. +2 for prizes.
Submitted by Lyric (user info) at 2004-03-10 02:33:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
And Genko wins a prize!
What prize?
I'm not sure, actually.... I will get back to you.
Submitted by Genko (user info) at 2004-03-10 02:30:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Good post, not +2 because I suspect it's only here to sweep your picture off the front page.