Chicken Soup for the Soul 20th Anniversary Edition by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Amy Newmark, Heidi Krupp
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vegetarian. I do my best to get non-factory-farmed meat and eat as consciously as possible. But in this moment, in front of the monks, I became an instant vegan. I was careful about my choices from the salad bar. No cheese. No dressings with dairy. No chicken or tuna from the salad bar. Just some lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, nuts and vinaigrette for me! It seemed like such a small meal, but so what — I was there for the wisdom. I thought I’d just get a big Diet Coke to fill me up for the rest of the meal while the monks and I got down to some serious dharma talking!
So as I came back to the seat; I saw the monks ordering food.
And to my SHOCK, the wisest of the monks, the man who gave the dharma talk, ordered a STEAK! And another one ordered steak and the other two ordered chicken!
I was now in total shock.
Here I was the meat eater, pretending to be a vegan in the presence of the monks, and they were about to go to TOWN on some meat! And not meat from a local provider — SIZZLER steak and chicken! I just didn’t get it.
So the meal went along and I was dying to ask them about why they were eating meat, but I just couldn’t do it. We talked. Finally the meal came, boom — two steaks and two chickens! And I was stuck with my puny excuse for a salad. They even asked me if I was hungry ’cuz I had so little to eat.
So as the monks dove into their food, which included dead animals, I finally couldn’t take it anymore! I popped! I stopped the conversation and said, “Okay, okay! Hold on you guys! What’s up with the meat? You guys are Buddhist monks. Aren’t you committed to Metta, which is unconditional love for all sentient beings?”
And without a twitch, the wise old monk looked up from his steak and looked at me and said, “We have a phrase around the Ashram...”
And then he paused. One of those dramatic wisdom pauses like something EPIC was about to come out of his mouth.
He said, “And that phrase is... Not Buddha YET!” And with that they went about their meals.
I couldn’t believe it! Are you freakin’ kidding me! Not Buddha yet! In the moment it felt like a copout, but as I began to reflect on this phrase later in life, I saw the wisdom in it. Now I know what some of you must be thinking: “What a copout. So that means he can kill people, too? Because he’s NOT BUDDHA YET?” This obviously shouldn’t be used to justify bad behavior. That being said, I think it was one of the most honest things I’ve ever heard a “spiritual” person say to me.
The idea of not being Buddha yet is huge. We can let ourselves off the hook for not being spiritually “perfect” and instead take the journey into our ever so precious imperfection. We end up shriveling up our life when we do not allow ourselves to be human.
~Mastin Kipp
My Sister, My Friend
A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.
~Isadora James
T ara looked so happy in her cheerleading uniform, like all the other girls who were a year ahead of me. And she knew every cheer well enough to teach me, even though I wasn’t on the squad.
Sitting on the sidelines, with my chubby cheeks propped on my hands, I watched how she radiated confidence and poise, and thought, “Wow. I want to be like that.”
Five years later, she came home from middle school with tales of lockers and crushes. She wore jeans that would never fit me and seemed to already be popular, which didn’t surprise me at all.
As I sat there restricted in my scoliosis back brace, I watched her giggling on the phone with a friend, and thought, “Wow. I want to be like that.”
One year later, she bounced up to the stage, ready to sing her heart out at a theater audition. As I watched from the back row, running my tongue along my braces, I considered finding a place to hide so I wouldn’t have to sing next.
When she belted out the lyrics, with her head high and her arms spread wide, I stared in awe and
So as I came back to the seat; I saw the monks ordering food.
And to my SHOCK, the wisest of the monks, the man who gave the dharma talk, ordered a STEAK! And another one ordered steak and the other two ordered chicken!
I was now in total shock.
Here I was the meat eater, pretending to be a vegan in the presence of the monks, and they were about to go to TOWN on some meat! And not meat from a local provider — SIZZLER steak and chicken! I just didn’t get it.
So the meal went along and I was dying to ask them about why they were eating meat, but I just couldn’t do it. We talked. Finally the meal came, boom — two steaks and two chickens! And I was stuck with my puny excuse for a salad. They even asked me if I was hungry ’cuz I had so little to eat.
So as the monks dove into their food, which included dead animals, I finally couldn’t take it anymore! I popped! I stopped the conversation and said, “Okay, okay! Hold on you guys! What’s up with the meat? You guys are Buddhist monks. Aren’t you committed to Metta, which is unconditional love for all sentient beings?”
And without a twitch, the wise old monk looked up from his steak and looked at me and said, “We have a phrase around the Ashram...”
And then he paused. One of those dramatic wisdom pauses like something EPIC was about to come out of his mouth.
He said, “And that phrase is... Not Buddha YET!” And with that they went about their meals.
I couldn’t believe it! Are you freakin’ kidding me! Not Buddha yet! In the moment it felt like a copout, but as I began to reflect on this phrase later in life, I saw the wisdom in it. Now I know what some of you must be thinking: “What a copout. So that means he can kill people, too? Because he’s NOT BUDDHA YET?” This obviously shouldn’t be used to justify bad behavior. That being said, I think it was one of the most honest things I’ve ever heard a “spiritual” person say to me.
The idea of not being Buddha yet is huge. We can let ourselves off the hook for not being spiritually “perfect” and instead take the journey into our ever so precious imperfection. We end up shriveling up our life when we do not allow ourselves to be human.
~Mastin Kipp
My Sister, My Friend
A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.
~Isadora James
T ara looked so happy in her cheerleading uniform, like all the other girls who were a year ahead of me. And she knew every cheer well enough to teach me, even though I wasn’t on the squad.
Sitting on the sidelines, with my chubby cheeks propped on my hands, I watched how she radiated confidence and poise, and thought, “Wow. I want to be like that.”
Five years later, she came home from middle school with tales of lockers and crushes. She wore jeans that would never fit me and seemed to already be popular, which didn’t surprise me at all.
As I sat there restricted in my scoliosis back brace, I watched her giggling on the phone with a friend, and thought, “Wow. I want to be like that.”
One year later, she bounced up to the stage, ready to sing her heart out at a theater audition. As I watched from the back row, running my tongue along my braces, I considered finding a place to hide so I wouldn’t have to sing next.
When she belted out the lyrics, with her head high and her arms spread wide, I stared in awe and
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