Garden Hotei

So, the couple called Empty Hand Zen Center one evening and said that they had a Buddha statue that they wanted to donate and they were bringing it right over. Susan was the only one there to receive them. Turns out the statue was of Hotei, the Laughing Buddha, instead of a stately statue of Shakyamuni sitting in meditation that everyone would love to have in their Zen garden. Also turns out the the statue weighs a ton, and nobody could move it. So it sat in the EHZC parking lot for awhile until a bunch of strong Sangha members muscled it into the corner of the garden. Now, a year later, it is slightly hidden but much beloved by everyone who happens on it. [NOTE: The whole story makes a nice counterpart to a previous post (see Misplaced Hotei)].

Misplaced Hotei

This somewhat battered, styrofoam Hotei Buddha was seen sitting out in the middle of an agricultural field while driving to Felipe Carrillo Puerto in Quintana Roo, Mexico.  I later got the story that villagers from a nearby community had carved it for their carnival day the year before, and then Hurricane Dean (see Selva Maya Interrupted) blew it into the field.  And there it sat. Smiling. May all beings be happy.