A Fool for Buddha

In a report back to the community David wrote how:

“A young woman shared that not long ago her email address was hijacked and a message was sent out to everybody in her address book. According to the message, she was in Africa on a vacation and her passport and money had been taken and she was in need of some money to get out of this desperate situation. 

“It wasn’t very long before the hoax was discovered and nobody who received the message was taken in… except Aitken Roshi, who had been corresponding with ‘her’ asking about the best way to get the money to her.

“Fortunately, the ‘real’ her thought to contact Roshi to warn him and he hadn’t yet sent the money.

“After he discovered that the message had been a hoax, he wrote a letter to the people who had perpetrated the hoax, chastising them for what they had tried to do.”

David adds, “His telling her about writing that letter was the last conversation she had with him.” Sort of a final teaching for her…

And it was for me, too. This anecdote caught me in a couple of ways.

Not least was the fact that I am a much more cynical observer of the human condition. I get an email like that, and indeed, I have on several occasions now, and I just assume it’s a con. I attempt to contact the person whose identity had been hijacked and warn them. And I send out warnings to others who appear to have been contacted as well that this is a scam and a rather common one.

In my notes, particularly to the others on the recipient list, if its there, I usually throw in pointers such as noting how vague actual identifying details are, peculiar spellings of words or usages not common in the American vernacular.

But, this is the point: I assume the worst.

Aitken Roshi, on the other hand, assumed all was true. And proceeded directly to do what he could about the situation with that working assumption.

He’s the perfect mark in a scam that appeals not to one’s worst instincts like the just give me your bank identification numbers and I’ll be sending you millions of dollars to hold, and for which you’ll collect an unearned but sizable commission, but rather to one’s best, of wanting to help somebody in a pickle.

Now with his recent death there’s been a bit of a movement to sanctify the old roshi. To hear some accounts you’d think his poop didn’t stink. And, as someone who owes him so much, I absolutely understand the inclination.

But that wasn’t him. He wasn’t plaster. What he taught was being real. And real poop stinks.

So, here’s a more real story than some that have been told. Filled with lots of shadows for those who like such things.

Like me.

This was a foolish thing he was doing. Come on…

A pretty obvious scam, and he was falling for it, hook, line and sinker.

And his heart was absolutely in the right place.

They speak of fools for Christ.

Here’s a fool for Buddha.

But, what’s the take away? Is there a lesson for us hoping to walk an authentic spiritual path? I believe there is.

I don’t think it is that we should be less critical. Frankly, I can’t be other than I am. And trying to make me more gullible isn’t any kind of favor…

But, whoever we are, however we are, we can throw our hearts wide open.

And take the moment as we are.

But take it.

So, Aitken Roshi did it his way. He was invited into a moment of encounter, and took it. And in his taking showed us through his relentless vulnerability and honesty what it looks like.

Along with some of the possible consequences. And with everything including consequences, well, that’s it, the real it.

The big it.

The deal for us, is to do it our way, each of us, our way.

But to do it.

To throw the doors of the heart wide.

And see what happens…