The Little Mahayana Vehicle that could

I've talked a lot about the benefits of idolatry, poetic idolatry, and using stuff to help your meditation or work out. But this one popped into my head and I think it is genius because it is crazy. It can be used o work out, but it actually has very little to do with Kung Fu.

The idea popped into my head through that Gospel of Thomas legend where a child Jesus turns clay into live birds, and I thought about how children often take a car or a train and make it come to life. I imagined doing this as an adult, and then I imagined doing it in a serious adult manner. I mean using the full extent of your adult body, and full concentration of your adult mind.

It would be easier than parkour, because it would be the car that would flipping off of things, or flying through the air like a spaceship. You really would look crazy though. so you might have to do this with kids... just for cover. Haha!

Maybe I should make a video of myself doing this.

In any case, that's the idea, that you are meditating through creative play, with the car/vehicle and so it is the vehicle that a meditation aid... much like bells, or beads, or statues, or incense.


Maybe I got the idea because I bought that Nepalese singing bowl for Noah and have put it on our family altar. I have been using it as a bell, the way Thich Naht Hanh says to. I forge exactly what he suggested, but we are ringing it three times. And each time we are supposed to think of the love and happiness and harmony of our family. I realized that this is just easier than saying an our father together, less limiting, simpler, and sort of non denominational as well.

Plus then we try to make the singing sound with the bowl.

I let the kids touch the altar. It is not a traditional Chinese altar in that sense. The Goddess on it is Nike (Victoria, or Our Lady of Victories in later cultures). There is a dragon and a rock too. But I want it to be sacred. So it's not so much "Don't touch" it's more like "Touch with reverence respect and mindfulness."

It would be cool to have a little vehicle too. But it might get too crowded. We could use any toy car I guess. But if you made your own, even if it was out of cardboard.. mor maybe the boats Noah keeps making, that is more special  isn't it?