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At the family Channukah dinner tonight, my sister gave me a lovely mala (prayer beads) bracelet, and a mug that says "wake up!" on it.
On the surface, it's an amusing gift. But there's more to it than that, since my sister is a practicing Buddhist.
"Wake up" is the call of Buddhism, where waking up into enlightenment is the path and the goal. And so every morning, when I pour coffee into my mug, I will be reminded not only to wake up, but also to wake up.
And yes, in my family, the non-observant Jew and the practicing Buddhist get together for latkes. That's how we roll...
and we have both apple sauce AND sour cream.
(my sister also referred to the contents of the monastery's gift shop/website as "dharma bling." It's entirely possible I laughed so hard I snarfed my wine)
*unfair, as I've lit the menorah every night. A holiday that celebrates reducing our reliance on oil/making things last longer is a good thing to observe, IMO
On the surface, it's an amusing gift. But there's more to it than that, since my sister is a practicing Buddhist.
"Wake up" is the call of Buddhism, where waking up into enlightenment is the path and the goal. And so every morning, when I pour coffee into my mug, I will be reminded not only to wake up, but also to wake up.
And yes, in my family, the non-observant Jew and the practicing Buddhist get together for latkes. That's how we roll...
and we have both apple sauce AND sour cream.
(my sister also referred to the contents of the monastery's gift shop/website as "dharma bling." It's entirely possible I laughed so hard I snarfed my wine)
*unfair, as I've lit the menorah every night. A holiday that celebrates reducing our reliance on oil/making things last longer is a good thing to observe, IMO
