Sayings of the Jewish Buddhist

Sayings of the Jewish Buddhist

If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?

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.

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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3 thoughts on “Sayings of the Jewish Buddhist

  1. I understand from a friend that this content is from the book Haikus for Jews by David Bader. What is your source? I don’t see it listed.

  2. Hi Michael, This is Rick Reisboard from our Newark days. Bet you don’t remember me, but I recall that your house was a kind of hub for a bunch of us on bikes who hung together. In those days visiting friends at their homes was not that common. Meeting somewhere and going on various jaunts was done most often. Nice to see another Weequahic guy doing well.