Queen Lolo
March 8, 2005
"Don't Know" Mind Meets The Ninja
Oh happy day. I get a reply from Rev. Greg. I’d emailed him offering to send a sample blog as my “application” to become a regular contributor. I’m a writer, a Buddhist, a fan of “Fraught with Peril.” I figure it would be nice to have a cyber home for the scribblings of my seeking mind.
“Okay,” replies Rev. Greg, “But it had better be about Ninjas, and not about how evil they are either!”
Oy. What does a Buddhist mother on the Westside of Los Angeles know from Ninjas? If they have anything to do with martial arts, forget it. I might break a nail, or God forbid a sweat. With two girly daughters and a metro-sexual Jewish husband in the fashion business, the only warriors we’re likely to discuss over dinner are rivals Brittany Spears and Christina Aguilera. Or Sketchers vs. Steve Madden.
Come to think of it, I did once discuss Ninjas with another homeschooling mom. She was panicking over her toddler’s possible corruption by TV exposure to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But alas, all-knowing Buddha Nature whispers loud and clear. Rev. Greg isn’t talking about Ninja reptile cartoons.
No fear. “Beginner’s Mind” is always a good starting point. And with the power of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, something will surely come along to fill the gaps and endear me to the Powers That Be.
Sure enough, less than 24 hours later, I get an unsolicited email from the novelty store, Archee McPhee. Subject line, “Ninjas Make You Cool!” The email reads, “The Ninja Attack Ninja Flinger is here! What is it? A catapult that launches ninjas at stuff you want to launch ninjas at, which is everything, right? It comes with the four coolest ninjas ever. If you only buy one thing ever again, THIS IS IT.”
“THIS IS IT” indeed!
I copy, paste, and forward the synchronistic ad to Rev. Greg. He shoots back an email, “OH!!!! OH!!!! OH!!!! You are SOOOOOOOOOOOO in FWP!”
You gotta love the Internet. It’s the perfect vehicle for Instant Karma. Mission accomplished and I’m in the world that is Fraught With Peril.
Somehow this all sends me back a decade or so. I’d been hired to write a direct mail promotion for a well-known entertainment magazine. My first meeting was with the publisher, a regal woman with an air of old-world sophistication and a heavy Eastern European accent. I’m sitting in her Beverly Hills office, ready to be briefed for the assignment. She leans across her massive antique desk, looks me in the eye and says, “I have only one requirement for this sales piece. Make sure it includes the word “FUCK.”
Now this was before I discovered chanting. So even though I was far more familiar with “fuck” than with I am with “Ninjas,” it took me several months to complete that writing assignment (once I’d regained my composure). Yet this little Ninja little ditty took a mere matter of days! And I still know nothing about Ninjas.
If this ain’t actual proof, I don’t know what is.
Thank you, Rev. Greg, for inviting me along.
Long live the dharma!
Queen Lolo
Posted by at August 12, 2007 05:06 AM