HAVE YOURSELF A BUDDHIST LITTLE CHRISTMAS
I know. It's too late for a Christmas
article. But I have an excuse. I spent my Christmas in Hong Kong this year. Sounds
exotic and expensive, right? But for people in Tokyo, a vacation in Hong Kong
is about like going to Peurta Vallarta is for Americans or running off to Spain
is for the Brits. Besides, my way was paid by my company since they wanted
someone to be on hand for an Ultraman event down there on Boxing Day. For some
reason, several people seem interested in how I spend my Christmasses, so I
thought I'd tell you about this one.
Christmas in Hong Kong is a lot like
Christmas in Japan. Like Japan, Hong Kong has only a very small Christian
minority. But, also like Japan, they get into Christmas in a big way. The
buildings all over Hong Kong were done up in gigantic gaudy neon displays. The
one on this page was right next to our hotel on the Kowloon side and stood
about five stories tall. There were five or six others just as big all on the
same block. Across the bay on Hong Kong Island were displays that must have
been fifteen or twenty stories high. Every shop had Christmas decorations and
the shop keepers wished each customer a merry Christmas.
I saw an article in the paper over there that
said the Chinese government had decided to encourage Christmas celebrations all
over the country this year as a means of stimulating economic growth in the
traditionally slow Winter season. The only kind of Christmas celebrations they
were actively trying to discourage were those of a religious nature. Hong
Kong's people are still free to practice whatever religion they like. But, from
what I could see, they were hardly any less secular in their celebrations of
the holiday than the folks in the Mainland. I did get to see a children's
Christmas pageant featuring lots of little Chinese kids dressed up as Biblical
figures accompanied by an out of tune children's orchestra playing La Bamba.
But it was hard to tell just how religious the whole thing was supposed to be.
Christmas has caught on all over Asia in the
last few decades. But, while Americans and Europeans bemoan the
commercialization of a traditionally spiritual holiday, the Chinese and
Japanese seem hardly aware that Christmas has any other significance than as an
excuse to party and spend money. The Japanese seem surprised to learn that
Westerners generally see Christmas as a quiet time for family gatherings. In
Japan and Hong Kong, Christmas more closely resembles our Western New Year's
celebrations, characterized mostly by young folks getting together to party
hardy all night long. In Japan, New Year's Day is the holiday when all the
shops are closed and families get together to quietly reflect.
Personally, I don't see anything terribly
wrong with the commercialization of Christmas, nor would I get too over-heated
if some traditional Buddhist holiday -- say December 8th, the day of Buddha's
Enlightenment -- became an excuse for parties and spending sprees. Human beings
are creatures that like to exchange things with each other. A healthy economic
life is not a bad thing at all. Of course, like all things, it's best not to
overdo it because when you over-spend or party too hardy you only end up making
things miserable for yourself and those around you.
This Christmas I mostly did what everyone
does in Hong Kong. I walked around looking at the buildings and buying stuff.
In my case it was DVDs of Akira Kurosawa films which sell for HK $18 (about US
$2.50) a piece over there. And these are the legitimate licensed issues, not
bootlegs. I also picked up the Hong Kong VCD versions of Orgazmo and The Kid Stays in the Picture for about four bucks each. Plus I got a DVD of a BBC
special called Son of God real
cheap, too. All legit versions, mind you.
We also went out to Lantau Island to see a big bronze
Buddha up on top of a mountain peak there. Very cool. That's my wife Yuka
walking up the big steps to go get a good look at him. Naturally there were
souvenir shops all over this holy site. I got me a Buddha T-shirt. Later on I
picked up a red white and blue belt which says -- I kid you not -- "Buddha
is our guide" and "Punk is our attitude."
Of course, everything you buy comes with its
own little packet of misery attached. The more things you own, the more burdens
you have. You're dragging around this big weight, all your stuff, wherever you
go. If you own really nice expensive stuff you're always worried it's going to
be stolen or damaged. You agonize over it. You fret and fuss about each little
thing in your collection. I got bummed when I spilled some soy sauce on my
brand new Buddha shirt. And you always want more and more and more. Whatever
you have right now isn't good enough, there's always something missing, some
little gem you just have to have to complete your collection. When you don't
feel that desire, you get more miserable. It's like Viagra, y'know. I mean,
Jeez, that's all I need in life -- to be even more horny all the time. But when
we lose our desires, it's looked upon as the very worst thing that can happen.
Is it?
Most spiritual type folks long to try and
practice complete austerity, to give up all money and possessions. And if you
can manage that trick your life can be far happier. But most of us can't. I had
some friends who tried to run away from the tyranny of modern economic life and
live in a cabin out in the wilds of West Virginia, hunting rabbits for dinner
and cutting their own firewood. That didn't last long. But I admire them for at
least giving it a shot. Gudo Nishijima tells a story that when he was living at
a temple, they once received some sardines as a donation. Now traditionally
Buddhist monks aren't allowed to eat meat or fish. But if you get it as a
donation it's OK. When the monks got their hands on those fish, though, they
went completely nuts over it, turned into a bunch of ravenous animals. The
effort of giving up meat had only increased their craving for it. I'm sure for
most of us the effort to live entirely without possessions would only end up
increasing our greed rather than destroying it. So it's best to be content with
just enough. Learn to enjoy the fact that you want things you cannot afford.
Support the economic life of your community. Just watch yourself when you start
getting too greedy, when material things start to take on too great a
significance in your life. When that happens the pain it causes you will be
your reminder that things are getting out of hand. Just pay attention.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody!