The Buddha Smiles: Dharma cartoons
The Buddha Smiles is a delightful gathering of Mari Gayatri Stein’s cartoons, or "Dharmatoons" as she calls them.
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| Cambodian novice caresses the Buddha's smile |
Q: Most religious leaders don't, but the Buddha smiles? A: Yes, he is always depicted with a subtle smile, what one might describe as a gentle smirk if the connotation were not misleading. He is at ease, at peace, at rest, able to dip into the Fruits of Recluseship, namely, the bliss of the absorptions (jhanas, the eight attainments, right samādhi) at will and transcend even that supersensual happiness to touch the transcendent bliss of nirvana, the end of all unhappiness. Moreover, he smiles when he sees a noteworthy thing, of which his attendant monk, Ven. Ananda, will later inquire. The Buddha's smile acts as a signal in many sutras, an invitation to for Ananda to inquire what brought the smile about. It is unclear if the smile happened to the Buddha, as it does to us when something strikes us as funny, interesting, or curious or if the Buddha flashed it specifically to be asked what had struck him as worthy of taking note.- Buddhist psychology (Abhidhamma) describes the hasituppāda-citta, literally the "mind-moment (citta) or consciousness (viññāna) producing mirth (smile)."
- It is found in the Abhidhammattha Sangaha as a name for the joyful mind-consciousness element (mano-viññāna-dhātu, see Table I. 72) arising as functional consciousness independent of karma (i.e., kriya or kiriya-citta), only in the arahant (Appendix) (Ven. Nyanatiloka, Buddhist Dictionary entry hasituppāda edited by Dhr. Seven).
- The Buddha is full of happiness (sukha), having found and repeatedly tested and confirmed the escape from all misery (dukkha) here and now and hereafter, namely, access to the absorptions and nirvana-with-remainder at any moment and nirvana-without-remainder once the body passes.
The book follows a group of humans and non-humans as they seek their enlightenment, exposing their strengths and weaknesses (and ours as well) in the process.
The Buddha Smiles gently teaches the nature of Buddhist thought through cartoons on the Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path, and the nature of the Five Hindrances along the path.
It is the first full-length book of Buddhist cartoons unless one counts Ioanna Salajan's
Zen Comics, which came out in 1974 or 1982's
Zen Comics II.
Comics communicate the Zen spirit perfectly. Laughter deflates pretension, and a good rap on the head sometimes transcends so-called logic (the hubris of rationality and reason). In the words of Zen, "Nothing is left for you but to laugh!"
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