Well, we've all had a lot of fun dissecting the true meaning of mindfulness. Now let's move on to serious topics.
I just came across this trailer for the 1968 Japanese/American co-production The Green Slime (ガンマー第3号 宇宙大作戦, Gamma Dai San Go Uchu Dai Sakusen, Gamma 3 — Operation: Outer Space). This has got to be one of the greatest, most over-the-top promo videos I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of 'em, believe you me! Dig the groovy theme song at the end. This tune was covered by my former label mates and fellow garage-psych revivalists The Fuzztones.
Hey, and just by the way, another Buddhist word that should fuck off and die forever is skillful. Have you heard this one yet? In Buddhism there's this idea of what they call skillful means. It's the notion that Buddhist teachers use whatever they have at their disposal to teach in accordance with the audience they're addressing. These "skillful means" often do not appear much like what we usually think of as Buddhist teaching (i.e. lame ass fucks in robes sitting on raised platforms talking in soothing voices about beautiful spiritual things).
These days, though, the word "skillful" has become a trendy way for neo-Buddhists to say they like something. "Unskillful" means they don't like something. So if you do something your average neo-Buddhist these days likes he'll say, "That was skillful." And if he doesn't like the way you do it he'll say, in a sweet lilting little voice, "That was unskillful."
When this happens you have my express written permission to punch the person who says it in the solar plexus. Hard.
Skillful this, motherfucker!
In reality these folks have it all bass-ackwards. If you look at the literature most of the things that get pointed out as "skillful means" are things the person who experienced those self-same skillful means did not like at all, or didn't even get at the time.
Whatever. Have fun. I'm gonna go.
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