The Second Arrow: Mindlessness-based Shpiel Ridiculousness A - TopicsExpress

The Second Arrow: Mindlessness-based Shpiel Ridiculousness A Purim Parody of the Classical Hindrances to Meditation And This Retreat (Purim is a silly serious Jewish holiday celebrated with parody, costume, and shpiel) Dress As Your Favorite Obstacle: Queen Esther/Delusion King Ahashverosh/Desire Haman/Aversion/Dukkah Dukkah/The Second Arrow Or Their Holiness Rabbi Baba Morde-Saki Kabat-Zinn, who have taken a vow of silence for the last 30 years, except after 9 pm at night. King Ahashverosh /Desire/the Medical Industrial Complex: Bring Queen Vashti to me – naked – I want to see her tetas! Off with her head! My pharmaceutical company will buy you lunch – and an all-expense paid retreat on a mountain! Quinoa with marinara sauce! I love this cushion – and the bod on the meditator in front of me! Shes in love with me! Did you know you can get chocolate caramel lattes on this mountain? Paid for by Pfizer – I got three! I cant wait to be an MBSR teacher. Maybe Jon and Saki will ask me to take over for them when they die: beaucoup bucks! Everyone will want to hear what a wise dharma teacher I am… Ad-lib on this theme… Invite all to breathe and notice the body and mind. Haman/Aversion/Dukkah Dukkah/The Second Arrow: I cant believe its raining. Why does this always happen to ME? Now my shoes are wet. They should have told us to bring two pair. Whos in charge of this thing? Im going to tell Jill: youre fired! This cushion hurts my back. Who can I kill? That stupid person making sounds with her mouth next to me… Thinks she’s gonna be an MBSR teacher. Yeah right. Stupid me. Coming here with all these stupid people. Ad-lib on this theme… Invite all to breathe and notice the body and mind. Queen Esther/Delusion: Im so lucky to be the queen and live in the palace. Im so spiritual – I dont need to meditate! Jon and Saki said – you already are whole. Do you think this nail polish goes with my shoes? Should I wear this to teach MBSR? I heard you can get a new eco-yoga mat – only $80 – maybe I can get online at the wireless café… Then I can make a flyer for MBSR for wealthy suburban moms – dont look at me like that! Poverty is boring! And global warming, and Prop Eight banning gay marriage, yada yada yada – Puh-leeze! Dont bother me! Ad-lib on this theme… Invite all to breathe and notice the body and mind. Their Holiness Rabbi Baba Morde-Saki Kabat-Zinn: Esther, this palace is a dukkha magnet! You must come out as a queer MBSR-nik! And save the people with MBSR! “Mi yodea im l’et k’zot higat l’malchut? Who knows if for just this moment you have risen to the palace?” This moment! You are the universe in this particular location! What will you do with your one wild and precious life? Let me introduce you to my old friends, old age, sickness, and death. Three for one special, for you! Put out an expensive fair-trade recycled welcome mat for them all! Who is this who wants to take revenge? Haman, the enemy, Western Medicine, is the same as Ha-Man, the manna that falls from heaven to nourish us. There is nothing to do. Rest in awareness. When we drink “ad she-lo yada,”-- until we do not know the difference between Morde-Saki and Haman – we can rest in non-dual mind without intoxicants. If it were up to you to breathe – youd be dead! Whoever it is that thinks it’s you – better stay away from anything in the body thats working really well. Ad-lib on this theme…Their Holiness will take questions… Reba Connell, February 2010, Mt. Madonna, California Mindfulness in Mind-Body Medicine Professional Training Written while I was supposed to have been meditating The original production was performed Purim evening at the end of the retreat. A scholarly introduction was provided by a rabbi and a Burmese monk, who were students on the retreat. The rabbi was asked to provide a very brief explanation of the holiday of Purim, and began with a joke, What does it mean when the rabbi puts his watch down on the podium before he starts talking? Nothing! To which the monk replied something to the effect of, Nothing! We have nothing, too! He was asked to provide a brief explanation of the second arrow, and provided a very interesting Buddhist story about something else. An actor shot another actor in the lotus position with a foam arrow, who tipped over onto the side, and someone called out meditator down! providing a hilarious image for silent meditation for the rest of the evening. Queen Esther could not stop royally improvising and would not leave the stage. Their Holiness Rabbi Baba Morde-Saki Kabat-Zinn would periodically stop, put their heads together, and whisper intently before turning back to the students. May all Jew-Bus and all beings be safe, happy, free, and hilarious.