Enlightenment through entertainment?

Every Monday, I attend Kadam Morten's class (see my May 2nd post), sponsored by the Chakrasambara Buddhist Center.

For more info see: http://www.meditationinnewyork.org/

This class concluded his series on The Compassionate Warrior: The Six Practices of a Bodhisattva. It was entitled "Concentration: Power of the Focused Mind."

If I didn't know his presentation style better, one could have mistaken Kadam Morten's countenance as stern. The focused, skilled mind is no laughing matter in Buddhist thought--well, actually everything is a laughing matter in Buddhist thought.

For example, the following joke is one which I'm told His Holiness the Dalai Lama is quite fond of:

What did the Buddhist monk say to the hotdog vendor? "Make me one with everything."

When the monk asked for his change, the vendor replied, "Change comes from within."

Buddhist humor, no less than a skilled mind, is actually an exercise in accomplishing multiple tasks with one clean and efficient gesture. The joke (and the famous "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" is most certainly a form of joking) rips up language and preconception--it's a form of entertainment. Comedy is effective--especially stand up--when the practitioner is focused on disrobing cliche.

Similarly, Kadam Morten's style is light-hearted but tough-minded. However, as I noted, his approach to the topic of Concentration had a tactical urgency to it. It is his belief that the focused mind is the finest weapon wielded by the compassionate warrior, an illusion smashing nuke, as it were. 

Kadam pointed to distraction, particularly our attachment to being "plugged in," the new human condition lived "online," as the counter-measure to this weapon. 

OK, so far nothing new or groundbreaking. Admittedly, freeing the mind and focusing it is also not new... we just never seem to get it. So these poor Buddhist monks have to repeat themselves over and over until we lay-practitioners catch up. 

When I asked him if that meant unplugging as the solution--he shook his head. Buddhist approaches very rarely advise a retreat from the world. Instead, the idea is to re-contextualize the world from your mind's point-of-view. Everything is an obstacle course for your mind to train. 

Solipsistic much? Yes, very. And that's a good thing because it allows one to be genuinely compassionate and generous. 

I then asked him if unplugging isn't the way to go per se, what challenges does entertainment provide for the mind? He pointed to TV's preoccupation with death. For the average western person, distance from death is at a maximum right now. Actual death's visibility is either sanitized, or removed completely. The nature of the impermanence of all things is less keenly felt now more than ever before. As such, Kadam suggested that every time we see death on TV or in cinema, it can serve as a strong reminder to consider one of the most important precepts of wisdom: everything dies. Please consider it and do not welcome fear into your mind as you do so.

Of course, such meditation begs the important question (also too oft repeated but rarely put into practice): what would you do if today was your last? 

Live that way by choice. Because one day it really will be your last day. 

Conclusion: Focus. And make absolutely certain that you are entertained and are entertaining during that process.