I'd planned to be out of town at a conference all weekend, so I didn't make any arrangements to attend NYC's World Science Festival, which is being ably chronicled over at Science Fair. Alas, the events I'd wanted to see are sold out, and in my infinite wisdom the very time I'd chosen to drop by the Street Fair at Washington Square Park was during the thunderstorm. Still, it was cool to see the little kids with their galactic face paint--as well as the Park's atheist protestor who, given the immediate context, seemed a bit redundant.

On the way to the Fair, I had a religious experience of another sort, this time at the Madison Square Park Kids Fest. The event announced as I walked through: Karma Kids Story Time Yoga. Which got me thinking of the question I'd ask if I were a precocious Karma Kid--namely, if reality is an illusion, why do I have to go to school?

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A voice from the ethereal realm has called unto to me to feature Divine Interventions, an inspired example of commercial "religious obscenity." DI's products are primarily from the Christian tradition, tho they also include Moses and the Buddha--but not Muhammad.

Posted by jat at 05:25 PM | Permalink

The standard history was that oil paining began in fifteenth-century Europe.

So much for that theory.

Above: a newly discovered 7th-century Afghan cave mural pointed with oil by monks, depicting the "Buddha in vermillion robes sitting cross-legged amid palm leaves and mythological creatures."

Truly inspiration, though given the historic significance I would probably have been just have impressed if the painting had been a ghost sign.

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"The monk also persuaded Paris to give away a piece of diamond jewellery as they wandered the streets together."

UPDATE: Oh no!

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BLDGBLOG has the scoop on this innovative project: "Jeffrey Inaba and C-LAB have created this mandala of consumption, refuse, and plastic waste, with one side dedicated to the "hydration compulsion" that helps puts millions of one-use bottles in places bottles aren't meant to be."

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Drilling for oil in the Great Salt Lake may destroy this piece of conceptual art, "one of the great works of mysticism in the 20th century." Step back and you'll see an a culture clash beyond art versus commerce--while the American norm is toward eternal preservation, the equally sublime Tibetan Buddhist sand mandala is made to be destroyed.

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Just in time from Valentine's Day, Sugah! offers this line of chocolates designed to reflect seven different--and distinctly NSFW--positions from the Kama Sutra. Of course, if you're reading this blog, I'm sure you're only interested in its religious significance:

Tantra is the philosophy of Spirituality, art and science that has eroticism at its core. Like our approach to chocolate, the Tantric approach to life is joyful and sensual.

Chocolate has long been heralded for its aphrodisiacal qualities. Ancient Tantric teachings have long been used to spice up new and old relationships. Take your lovemaking to new heights and treat yourself and your partner to a little something more than some fine chocolate with our tantric tablet collection.

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Via nonprofit IT expert Beth Kanter, a photo from Cambodia "of the donation box at the Watt in Roteang Village where the Sharing Foundation has most of its programs." The inscription reads "donation to the Buddha."

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One of my favorite Socratic dialogues is the Euthydemus, in which Plato explores the link between words and things. One of the limitations of language highlighted in the wordplay of this text is the way that one word can mean different things.

For instance, take the classical Greek verb "porneuo." In English we translate this most directly as "to prostitute", with its most common usage in the passive voice signifying "to engage in prostitution." Yet if we look at the most ubiquitous English cognate--porn--we find that it is rarely if ever used in reference to people classed as prostitutes, either by law or convention, despite the fact that any number of people depicted in pornography are doing so for money. Indeed, depending on the jurisdiction or observer the person depicted in the image need not be engaged in a sexual act at all; mere exposure of certain body parts may suffice.

Then there are other languages in which the word porn has no reference to sex at all--and that's the story behind the picture above. Design blog Eyeteeth explains:

One of the reasons my wife Mok goes by her nickname is that in the U.S. she's sometimes met with snickers when she says her given name: Julaporn.

But in Thailand, the word "porn" has a very different meaning. It's the name of the king's daughter (and technically, no one else is supposed to use it) and means "silk." Often a part of women's names, "porn" is a formal and somewhat antiquated word for a blessing from God. So the name literally refers to the ceremonial silk one would present to monks at a Buddhist temple: prayer silk, if you will.

For a complete explanation of Julaporn's neon sign, check out the rest of this enlightening post!

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Core77 asks: "What's the sound of one hand texting? And where is this trend going? Our predictions: Unitarian KVM switches, Santeria iPods, Mormon USB hubs with up to seven connections."

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Shaolin monks have decided not to perform their zen-based kung fu at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where wushu martial arts will be on display:

"Chinese wushu belongs to competitive sports, whereas Shaolin wushu belongs to traditional martial arts," said Qian Daliang, general manager of the Henan Shaolin Temple Development Company.

"The two have different natures, standards and connotations. Performance in Chinese martial arts can be quantified, but Shaolin wushu cannot be measured in that way, as it contains Buddhist elements and showcases a harmonious combination of Buddhism and kung fu."

Below:  Shaolin monks display their discipline's sublime spirituality in the window of the London Planet Hollywood, promoting their current dinner theatre show Shaolin Monks Kung Fu Master at the PizzaExpress Covent Garden.

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Is this statue a hate crime?

Police in the UK are investigating that very question.  The rationale:  this statue, a depiction of the Buddha with banana-and-egg genitalia that is part of artist Colin Self's intentionally provocative The Trilogy: The Iconoclasts, violates the U.K.'s Racial and Religious Hatred Act of 2006.  While the investigation continues, the gallery has agreed to display the piece with its back to the window.

This police inquiry provides additional evidence that the West is moving toward an age of enforced Religious Realism.  By realism here I don't mean accuracy, but rather an idealized depiction, akin to the stirring portraits of Soviet dictators and robust peasants in the Socialist Realism of Stalinist art.  Whether the motivation is regard for diversity or fear of offense the effect is the same.  The only permitted visual depiction of religion is one that portrays its subject as noble and pure.

What do we lose?  A world without profane religious art is a world that has lost touch with its own religious history.  The originators of our enduring religious traditions weren't afraid of a sacred sphere rife with blasphemy and body parts--they reveled in the contradictions, and if we acknowledged their legacy as it was and not as we would like to be, laws such as the one described above would not exist.

Case in point:  the palad khik, traditional religious amulets from Thailand.  Although palad khik may sound exotically new age, the name actually refers to a surrogate penis.  The amulets--crafted by monks in the shape of a penis and adorned with sacred invocations and spiritual imagery--make the so-called iconoclasm of postmodern art seem rather tame.  

Yes, we could legislate a world where the only sacred penis is one that we revere, but c'mon, that would just be silly. 

HT:  the always fun and informative Alt Religion!   

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Today's New York Times Magazine has a feature highlighting the famed ice Buddha sculpture at Megu, a local restaurant. The accompanying photo:

Ummmmm . . .

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Terms such as "evangelist" and "evangelical" derive from the Greek verb "euangelizo," commonly translated along the lines of "to announce good news." The concept of news here isn't a reference to journalism per se, but judging from the following internal memo from the Executive Editor of the Seattle Times news might have a spiritual significance beyond the religion beat. The occasion: dressing down reporters who cheered the resignation of Karl Rove:

I ask you all to leave your personal politics at the front door for one simple reason: A good newsroom is a sacred and magical place in which we can and should test every assumption, challenge each other's thinking, ask the fundamental questions those in power hope we will overlook.

Of course, this might just be a colossal ruse to get the newspaper to fund training in appreciation for, um, multiple positions at San Francisco's Sacred Space Institute!

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That's right--these are Om earrings from Hinky Imports, which offers a rich array of jewelry and other items from Tibet and China. Be sure also to check out Hinky's collection of Tibetan singing bowls, which were mentioned in yesterday's article on Himalayan craft.

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From a newspaper article on a Vancouver Himalayan art store, a meditation on the transformative power of craft:

While Lama is Buddhist, he prefers not to carry religious or overtly spiritual items in his store. He would rather quietly and holistically apply what he has absorbed from Buddhism into his daily life.

"I focus on art and culture, not religion or politics. We need an artifact like a singing bowl that everyone can use, not an image or a statue for decoration."

While open to requests for more religious items, he wants to share with his customers the humble power that multi-dimensional folk art possesses. Picking up a silver pendant, he describes how the ancient emblem keeps the wearer from harm, how it opens to store medicine or photos inside, and finally points out its all-around beauty as a piece of jewelry.

. . .

Like Lama's own practice of Buddhism, the spirituality inherent in readily-usable folk art is sometimes obscure, but to discover that deeper content lies just beneath the surface comes as no surprise. Relying on a strong foundation and a daily personal practice of meditation, Lama says that Buddhism has served him in his life to "always keep cooled down," as it fosters forgiveness, friendship and respect for other cultures.

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Slate's Blogging the Bible covers Proverbs today, and the article sports a wonderful interfaith pun:

(This is less a proverb than a Zen koan. Or perhaps, since this is the Hebrew Bible we are talking about, a Zen Cohen.)

Also worth a look:  The hostile New Age takeover of Yoga.

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+2 Amulet of Protection, originally uploaded by rubicon.

"An amulet blessed by a buddhist priest. It was given to me by my mother when the family left for china.

I was born in the year of the ox in the lunar calender, hence the picture of it. On the reverse is a representation of the goddess Guan Ying.

The chinese characters can be translated into 'safe and sound for life.' The swastikas are a buddhist symbol and have nothing to do with Nazism.

I'm not religious, but I keep it in my wallet anyway. "

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This is a yab yum pendant sold by Tantrika International, an NGO dedicated to promoting tantric yoga.  As Alt Religion's symbol guide explains,

A yab-yum icon is a meditational tool, one of many seemingly contradictory images of sex or death used to achieve the insight that leads to spiritual liberation.

There are several types of yab-yum, each depicting a tantric deity (compassion) in sexual union with his consort. (wisdom), each with its own layers of additional symbolism.

Like the Hindu Shatkona or the Taoist yin-yang, the image represents dual forces in union, which united, create a transcendent unity.

In the U.S., tantric yoga is primarily seen as a means of enhancing the sexual experience, but in reality tantra is more complex.  As Dr. Judy Kuriansky explains in her illuminating guide to tantric sex, heightened sexual pleasure is but one possible effect of tantric meditation.  It can serve equally well to create a sense of inner peace and interpersonal connection.  

Why do so many people find tantric meditation helpful?  At base, tantra serves to foster rhythmic synchronization, a pattern integral to personal identity in all its forms.    

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One of the things you lose when drawing a line between business & social enterprise is stuff like this:

The Buddha Belt, from uncannily prophetic Project Runway contestant Angela Keslar.  Click the pic for a nice little story about how the Buddha belt helped one Manhattan girl be enterprisingly social.

Hat tip: the cheerily charitable Blogging Project Runway.

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Zoe Lucker plays a vixen on the BBC hit, Footballers' Wives, and she is rumored to play a much-vaunted villain on the upcoming third season of Doctor Who.  But behind the glitz and glamour she also has developed a more spiritual side.

Click here for an article on how an encounter with the Dalai Lama led her to become move beyond the flashy "wag and slag" lifestyle--and to film a documentary called Date with the Dalai.

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Art historian Barbara Maria Stafford has described how years ago the Wunderkammer, or "cabinet of wonders," stimulated the popular imagination by projecting a macrocosm into a microcosm: “compressing something into a box makes things more special than they are in and of themselves, producing a network where objects speak to each other and us across time and space." 

Above, a Wunderkammer of a more modern & personal sort--a shaving shelf that the ever-perceptive Hillary Johnson delightfully likens to a Buddhist altar. 

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Continuing this week's occasional theme of emerging designers' jewelry of the spirit is, well, Jewelry of the Spirit, created by Liz Alpert. 

Besides depicting her designs, Liz's web site tells the intriguing story of how breaking her back in ski accident led her to find healing power in natural beauty.  Follow the links to learn more about the larger movements of which Liz is a part--including the Reconnection, a healing movement out of Hollywood that has made Liz its official jewelry designer.

SMALL WORLD EXTRA:

Liz Alpert is the niece of Richard Alpert, more popularly known as Ram Dass.

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Want to know about this beaded shrine?  The photographer reveals more here.

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Halfway through the work week and getting a bit worn out?  Many churches try to help by holding a midweek prayer meeting, which gives people a chance to connect, encourage and recharge.

While the midweek meeting particularly thrives within more conservative churches, that is not always the case.  The picture above shows a rosary used in Wednesday meetings at San Francisco's Ebenezer Lutheran Church, a feminist community of faith.  The gold figure on the end is a woman, but it is not Mary or a saint--this is a Goddess Rosary.

At herchurch.org, the Church provides an extensive explanation of the theology behind the Goddess Rosary, from female metaphors of the divine to reconstructionist Christian feminism.  It also describes in depth  the midweek rosary prayer meetings, where people recite this variation on the "Hail Mary":

Hail Goddess full of grace. 
Blessed are you
and blessed are all the fruits 
of your womb.
For you are the MOTHER of us all.
Hear us now
and in all our needs.
O blessed be, O blessed be.  Amen

And blessed art thou, Jennifer Rose Emick of About.com's excellent Alt Religion site, for sending this link!

CONTROVERSY EXTRA:  Although the Goddess Rosary has been around for a while, it has recently become a cause celebre among more traditional Christian sites in the blogosphere.  Is the use of goddess imagery in Christian feminism "rank heresy"?  If the problem is borrowing from "pagan" imagery, is mainstream Catholicism's devotion to Mary any more orthodox?  And is laughing at people and calling them "kooky" the hallmark of Christian love?

I report.  You decide.

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From an English page on a Chinese-language Tibetan website: 

"In Tibet, Buddhist believers think it a great and meritorious deed to make rosaries with their own skulls."

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What makes this Tibetan Buddhist rosary, or mala, different from the Catholic & Islamic rosaries seen so far on this site? 

Well, it has more beads--108, to be exact--but if it's just more beads you want, you can always buy a bunch of other rosaries.  No, what makes these mala special is the source from which they're carved.

A human skull.

Like any number of spiritual movements throughout history, Tibetan Buddhism incorporates reminders of mortality in its rituals & beliefs.  Modern-day skull chic reflects a similar impulse, and lest certain folks think this is a sign of rampant paganism, it would be good to remember that Christianity itself has a long tradition of skull & bone devotion.  In fact, this site sells a Christian rosary carved from Tibetan skulls.

Ain't ecumenism grand?

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A little while back we talked about the Buddhist ritual of creating--then destroying--a mandala made of sand. The video below shows a snippet of the destruction ceremony.

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If you're in Seoul, South Korea, and want to see some historic Hindu & Buddhist jewelry, check out the new exhibit of Indonesian treasures at the National Museum of Korea. 

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An article in today's Syracuse Post-Standard reminds us that the purveyors of spiritual bling live not only in the ethereal net, but the material realm. 

As the article relates, Seven Rays, a storied seller of new age books and jewelry, had announced that it would close this upcoming spring, but a couple entrepreneurial (and spiritual) employees are trying to keep it alive by opening a similar shop with the same name. 

The key to success, the employees believe is community--while anyone can buy things on the web, stores such as Seven Rays offer classes and meetings for spiritual seekers.  The new store would also have more things for kids.

If getting reborn in a new shell means we get more Buddha Beanies, I'm all for it!  Here's wishing everyone at Seven Rays all the best. 

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