The Laughing Lama.

That video was brought to my attention by Budding Buddhist and it has become one of my favorites. I watch it often. Recently His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama visited Taiwan and this was my favorite moment of the event, which I read in this article.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the Dalai Lama asked that a small table in front of his seat be removed. However, as officials were in the process of removing it, it collapsed, to a complete silence in the audience. The Dalai Lama broke the silence with loud laughter, which triggered more laughter and applauses from the crowd.

James: I can't get enough of the DL's smiling, laughing and relaxing demeanor. Every time I see his warm, cheery face I can't help but smile too and the same goes when I see or hear him laugh. His laugh is infectious and sincere like the unstifled belly laughs you hear from kids. They (like he) are usually unencumbered with feelings of low self-esteem or a compulsive neurosis over their laugh and body language. That said, at the same time he's that big brother who has seen a lot and traveled many places both in our physical world and within the dungeons of the mind. The older brother who gives you the exact advice needed without being condescending, mean or grumpy.

In fact I can't think of a time when I've seen or heard of the Dalai Lama being grumpy--have any of you? He seems like the kind of person who can give you criticism with a smile and a laugh to where you thank-him for it. He truly is a great master and I really like that he goes against a common view of a Buddhist master as being stern, cold and always intensely serious. I'm not anywhere near the understanding of the Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh but I'd say that laughter and enlightenment go hand in hand. It's certainly a great way to reduce stress and suffering and besides that; in the end (as Shinzen said recently)what's their to do but laugh at this silly world?

~Peace to all beings~

Kanye West: Superzero or Supervillian?

I be so bad


It has been a hard couple of weeks for Kanye West. After stealing the spotlight from Taylor Swift at an awards ceremony that few watched or cared about, West has been the subject of hatred and ridicule from no less than Mr. Obama himself. Future Twits looks into the future and reveals that things are about to get worse for West before they get better.

Future Twit for October 22, 2009


@KanyeEast It's been a hard couple of months since I stole the thunder of Taylor Swift at the MTV music awards. I have been shot, stabbed, hung by the neck until almost dead, burned, maimed, mocked, and called a jackass by the President of the United States (takes one to know one). Women scream when I approach, men vomit and
ask God to die, and little kids run up and kick me in the crotch.
I be pimpin'

I've changed my name to one that's much more incognito. I feel safer now.

@AngryWhiteWoman: Kanye, you are the devil incarnate! How dare you hurt that poor . . . what-her-face-country-singer-girl. You are what is wrong with America! People have died because of you!



Yeah, dat right

@KanyeEast: Oh no, they found me!

@AnnoyingLittleGirl: My doggy had a puppy, and that puppy died. When I asked mommy what happened to the puppy, she said that it died because it was sad because Kanye West was mean to Taylor Swift and made her cry. Mr. West, why did you kill my puppy?
In trainin'

@AngryWhiteMan: West, you are a sick man! If I weren't so fat from years of eating Burger King, I would kick your ass! As it stands, I'll have to try to cut you off in traffic instead.

@KanyeEast: Why do you people hate me? What did I do to you? Sure, I was a jerk at a contrived television award ceremony. But, so what? All it did was make that Swift girl famous (for a few weeks at least), made me relevant again, and made Obama shove his foot in his mouth (not the first time; not the last time).

Don't you people have better things to do with your lives than to hate celebrities you've never even met before (and aren't likely to meet either)?

@AngryWhiteWoman: You know, Mr. West, you're right. We should find better things to do with our time. Let's go attack that child molester, Michael Jackson!

@AngryWhiteMan: No wait! He's dead.

@AngryWhiteWoman: That's right. He's not a villian anymore – he's a hero! Lets go buy his albums and lots of useless memorabilia crap.

@AnnoyingLittleGirl: Mommy, mommy, can Michael Jackson touch me too?

@AngryWhiteWoman: No, but we'll go see if Keith Olbermann is home.


Give me sum suga!