(Mikey & Wyatt) Spring 2024: When You Catch Your Best Friend “Hanging Out” With Your Girlfriend because your best bud doesn’t want to cheat with your ex, but what choice is there when Eros or Cupid run the show and call the shots? Directed by Wyatt Gallitz (wyattgallitz). Written by Wyatt Gallitz and Mikey Brockmann. Director of Photography: Andrew Judge l (liltoasterofficial). Edited by Mikey Brockmann. Performed by Claire Rice (clairebellerice), Mikey Brockmann (mikeybrockmann), and Mitch McMahon (mitchm659).
It's spooky time in the capital of the world, Los Angeles/Hollywood. One can tell because it gets dark sooner and cools off at night, unlike the holy city of Phoenix that burns by day to arise at night still burning.
The Latin communities in both Southwest metropolises are working on those costumes and make up tutorials. It's not easy being a ravishing Catrina to his Mara (the King of Death, sometimes appearing as Skeletor and sometimes as Santa Muerte).
But Mara is an old foe in Buddhism -- the ender of everything, which could end in peace if it weren't for all that attachment. Mara Devaputra ("Death Born-among-angels"), like a cross between Cupid and Lucifer in the West (Kamadeva and Vemacritin in the East), encourages
- sensuality
- affection
- attachment
- grasping
- clinging
We love, we cling, it's normal or at least very usual and commonplace. English hardly has words for the problem. If we were speaking Ancient Greek or Sanskrit, it might immediately make sense.
We are not talking about healthy concern, affection (kindness and comfort), nurturing, compassion, joy in the joy of others, loving-kindness (metta). All of these are wonderful. What would life be without them?
But there's a dark side, a creepy side, a -- ugh -- clingy side. What depravity enters our lustful longings, what greed poisons our ambitions to succeed and be safe, to enjoy sensual pleasures and satisfy our wants. Fire good. It warms. Brushfire bad. It destroys. It isn't just the size. It's how it quickly gets out of all control.
When we started, it was just an itsy-bitsy straying. It's so hard to walk the narrow way. When we on full moon observance days begin to rein (reign) it in, we begin to cultivate the sort of karma (mental, verbal, and physical deeds) that bring about happiness.
- Los Angeles Full Moon Buddhist Observance (Uposatha) during the Rains Retreat (Vassa) on Sunday, October 13th, 2024, at the Mindfulness Meditation Center in Covina, Los Angeles (SGV)
What is "happiness"? It is that feeling of accomplishment for receiving what is welcome, pleasant, easy to endure. It's easy to distinguish from dukkha (disappointment or suffering), which is hard if not impossible to endure, most unwelcome and unpleasant.
"Karma" means what we do now conditions what comes about then. Now and then, now and then, even the then only really manifests now. And all the nows can be considered to previous thens to come.
Spooky. What will we wear? Will we win a prize? Will everyone look and point and smile? What about the real Day of the Dead when we die? That's unthinkable, the impossible possibility!
But at that time, the Buddha said, it's great to have a store of good karma (merit, punna) to fall back on.
It's like the old saying, "Q: When is the best time to plant a tree? A: Thirty years ago. Q: When is the second best time? A: Right now."
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