Buddhism blows!
Actually, Buddhism sucks butt I am the Buddha.
After one solid week of funeral Buddhism—-It sucks and so does Christianity, Islam, Judaism and All-the-other-isms when it comes to death.
But, for the past week it has been the Buddha that bites because I have been paying out my nose, ears and butt for a Japanese funneral for my family. More about this later…Sorry about the lack of funny Japanese news for the past week. I need to get unpacked. Read Part 2, “Japanese funeral fun, meh.”
<–a typical Japanese funerary offering, a case of YEBISU beer.
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October 23rd, 2006 at 11:01 pm
I don’t think Buddha mandated any kind of funeral ritual. Also, that picture of the gold fatass isn’t buddha. He’s some chinese lohan/arhat named ho tai poshang, I think.
October 23rd, 2006 at 11:26 pm
Yeap, that’s what burns me the most is that I don’t think Buddha was anti-ritual and anti-graven images. And yes I do know that the “gold fatass isn’t buddha” — in Japan it’s often faux-idenitfied as a “laughing Buddha” and one within the 10,000 incarations of of Buddha. Leave it it the Japanese to turn Hoi Toi into a Buddhaesque Japanese god “Ebisu” holding Buddhist prayer beads (数珠 juzu).
October 24th, 2006 at 5:23 am
yea buddhism has been illegitimately embellished by many people/cultures. some forms even resemble christianity which really freaks me out. (pure land, etc)
October 24th, 2006 at 6:01 am
I think it’s rather trippy that Buddhist god ” Ebisu “(恵比寿)- usually pictured as a well-rounded man- is the patron god of merchants…the logo butt boy of the Ebisu brand of beer here in Japan. Fun!
October 24th, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Well, technically it’s “Yebisu” beer but they mean Ebisu –a buddha of business– as you can see in the beer label I added to the bottom of the story. Opps, I meant the “god of business” but the Japanese are constantly blurring that distiction and I’m sure Ebisu-sama is too drunk and giggly to take offense. :-)