Oldie But Goodie

From Longtime Buddy Mervyn*, and especially for my Tribe Readers:

ZEN JUDAISM
If there is no self,
Whose arthritis is this?

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

Wherever you go, there you are.
Your luggage, that’s another story.

Drink tea and nourish life.
With the first sip…joy.
With the second…satisfaction.
With the third, peace.
With the fourth, a danish.

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?
Bupkes.

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


*My buddy Mervyn looks so Jewish that even at bar mitzvahs, people ask:  “Who’s that Jewish-looking guy?” 

That said, he’s the worst Jew since Genghis Khan.  Frum, he is not.

4 comments

  1. Hey Kim,
    Thanks for the morning laugh. I am reminded of another work blending an aspect of eastern culture with Judaism .. there’s the famous (in some circles) book … Haikus for Jews … come to think of it, I need to find my copy. If Mervyn doesn’t have it, I bet it would make a good gift for him.

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

    Whenever something goes wrong I always say those are the things you look back and remember most.

    Walking back home from a college football game I drunkenly fell down the hill and sprained my ankle. Had to hobble around on it the rest of the night (while applying more alcohol). Couldn’t tell you who won the game, but man, I sure do remember missing that first step.

    1. Yep. Forty-two years on, I still remember the “Night of the Green Lizards.”
      151 Bacardi Rum, and green Creme DeMint.
      I remember the vileness of that combination and breaking up a — judo throw demonstration attempted by my brother and his friend. His friend worked for the people who owned the bar, so I knew that if the bouncers misunderstood what was happening, there was no gamble on who would be thrown out.
      And I haven’t touched rum or mint flavored liqueur since.

  3. There has been much online conspiratorial crap about Zionists controlling everything from Biden to bowel movements (there is a difference, trust me). It would be nice to come across some good Jewish satire on the subject. Does anyone reading have a link or two? My searches turned up bupkes.

    Did find some haikus for jews:
    http://sumware.com/jewHaiku.html

    Also, Bader’s book – download as PDF
    https://www.readbookpage.com/files/ebook.php?id=MMbO7_zRotUC&item=Haikus%20for%20Jews

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