Japan Zen simple with Grandma Kinoe

Bodhidharma must be kidding because there's so much we can do, beginning with appreciation

(Lizzy Grant) Before she was Lana Del Rey, she wrote "Gramma" (about bad boy Axl Rose) #LDR

Japanese grandmother leads simple Zen life

(Japanese Grandma Kinoe) Living alone in the Japanese countryside: a day in the life of 93-year-old Grandmother Kinoe.

• 

  Minamoto Yoshiie at Nakoso barrier

  Wisdom Quarterly: Gramma Kinoe, should Lana Del Rey keep obsessing about love, relationships, men, lesbian summer crushes...
• Grandma Kinoe: What's a summer crush?
• WQ: It's like when, you know how sometimes at the all-girl schools in Japan you get carried away admiring the little uniforms they make us wear, and two students get, um, carried away?
• GK: Oh, you mean rezu-dōseiai (女性同性愛者).
• WQ: I guess. Lana just does it for attention and to be inclusive of her big LGBT fanbase.
• GK: What's a fan base?
• WQ: It's sort of, never mind that.
• GK: I mind that!
• WQ: It's like a base, for a fan, or fans.
• GK: Oh, you mean tessen (鉄扇) like for war.
• WQ: Yes, exactly. Look, you're living the "Zen" life. What's it like? Shouldn't you move to a temple nunnery-monastery (zendo) where everyone practices proper form, slows down, and goes the Way of the Tao, with the flow and wu-wei (noninterference)?
• GK: You mean seppuku (切腹, harakiri [ritual suicide])?!



Why does J art look cartoonish?

• WQ: No, no, like royal forms and formalities but in a dojo, bowing and turning, taking your shoes off and sitting correctly for zazen on zafu and zabuton, meditation cushion and mat.
• GK: Oh, you mean go to the senbutsu-jō (選仏場)? I can do that in the comfort of my own home...if my darn grandkids didn't keep filming me for these silly YouTube videos. What is a you tube anyway?
• WQ: It's like a tube for you.
• GK: Oh, you mean shiso-arabiki (粗びき) [sausage].
• WQ: No, no! That's pig slaughter and offal; YouTube is more like crockpot TikTok pig butchering and awful.
• GK: What's offal/awful?
• WQ: YouTube is. It's really gone downhill since all the corporate Google censorship.
• GK: OK, OK, enough chit-chatty. Let's listen to soothing music and talk about 21 healthy foods to add to diet.
• WQ: Yeah, good idea, Gramma.
• GK: "Gramma"? I'm Kinoe! Why does that girl keeping calling me "Gramma"?
• WQ: She's trying to perfect her practice of wabi-sabi (侘び寂び).
• GK: Oh, that makes sense! Good for her. Good luck, Lezzie!
• WQ: No, Grandma! It's Lizzy or Lana now.

Healing sounds of Japanese Zen

Healing sounds of Zen • eliminate negative energy • calm body and mind

Zen: The Art of Simple Living

Zen: The Art of Simple

Editor/translator Allison Markin Powell (shown here smiling) and author Shunmyo Masuno have 4.6 out of 5 stars (with 3,688 reviews) for this handy little guide. Relax and find happiness amid the swirl of the modern world with this internationally bestselling guide to simplifying life by a Japanese Buddhist priest who embodies the wisdom of Zen.

Drawing on centuries of wisdom, renowned Zen Buddhist Shunmyo Masuno applies the essence of Zen to modern life in clear, practical, easily adopted lessons -- one a day for 100 days. Discover how:

• lining up our shoes after we take them off can bring order to our lives
• putting down our forks after every bite can help us feel more grateful for what we have
• spending time barefoot can strengthen our bodies
• planting a flower and watching it grow can teach us to embrace change
• going outside to watch the sunset can make every day feel celebratory.

Author Zen Priest Shunmyo Masumo

In Zen: The Art of Simple Living, readers will learn to find happiness not by seeking out extraordinary experiences but by [moments of appreciation and] making small changes -- to what we do, how we think, how we interact with others, and how we APPRECIATE the present moment (yes, this one right NOW).

[This is what the historical Buddha called sati or "mindful awareness," diligence, vigilance, conscientiousness, wakefulness, and MINDFULNESS].

With each task, we open ourselves up to a renewed sense of peace and inner calm. More

Maybe centenarians are what they eat?

(PhytoWise) 21 foods that make Japanese people virtually immune to any illness for longevity

1. natto (whole fermented soybean)
2. miso (fermented soybean paste)
3. tofu (vegan soymilk bean curd cheese protein)
4. edamame (young saltwater boiled soy pods)
5. shoyu (umami savory soy sauce)
6. tsukemono (lactic acid pickles, sauerkraut)
7. [taiyaki] (murdered cooked fish)
8. sashimi (murdered raw fish, omega fatty acids)*
9. wakame, nori, and kombu (mineral-rich seaweed)
10. shirasu don (bowl of warm rice, calcium topping)
11. daikon winter radish (enzyme-rich)
12. beni imo (Okinawan-purple-sweet potato, anthocyanins)
13. shiitake and other mushrooms (dried savory beta-glucan)
14. goya bitter melon (bitter gourd, Momordica charantia)
15. J-rice (white and brown, polished and whole integral)
16. soba (buckwheat noodles, gluten-free with its own toxin)
17. matcha (green tea, phytonutrient-rich, antioxidant catechins)
18. yuzu (flavonoid-rich citrus zest, usually for warm soaking)
19. wasabi (horseradish vegetable with antimicrobial powers)
20. umeboshi (salted fermented citric acid apricot-like plum)
21. [*hemp seeds (raw Cannabis sativa, protein, EFA-rich): Gummy 'flower' on 4/20? Cannabis (ma huang)].

(Dan Martin) Eat like it's Japan every morning (one simple prep)

Unseen Japan: magical land of many worlds

UNSEEN JAPAN | The Secret and Incredible Places in Japan | Travel Video

(World Travel Doc) May 16, 2026: This documentary is a guide through the most extraordinary places in Japan, perfect for planning a trip. Discover wonderful Buddhist Japan through spectacular images and fascinating stories for an unforgettable journey through unseen places that will leave viewers breathless.

I think it's very wabi-sabi. Good work!

01:48 - Yakushima. 04:20 - Ishigaki and Yaeyama Islands. 07:09 - Shirakawa'go. 09:46 - Koyasan. 12:44 - Ise. 15:29 - Hakone. 18:15 - Nikko. 20:59 - Kanazawa. 23:42 - Takayama. 26:37 - Japanese Alps/Nagano. 29:28 - Mount Fuji. 33:14 - Kamakura. 36:12 - Yokohama. 39:03 - Tokyo. 43:12 - Kyoto. 47:09 - Arashiyama. 49:54 - Outro – Japan Beyond the Postcard.

Is this "hardcore" enough for you, American Zen Priest Brad Warner, the punk-monk?

• Egypt's Book of the Dead buried for thousands of years (MSN)
• Jeadora: ZenChic bra, seamless sexy push up wireless brassiere
• Grandma Kinoe; Lana Del Rey (as young Lizzy Grant); Shunmyo Masumo, Allison Markin Powell; Healing Zen Sounds; PhytoWise; Dan Martin; World Travel Doc; Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

End of Summer Beach Party Hike (9/26)

WHAT HAPPENED?

Vegan Spiritual No Meat and Mingle Party

We gathered about 10:00 am on a warm day, high tide, threat of a mysterious storm affecting the water due to some distant storm. We huddled and headed for the hills, six miles to the summit. Others biked, lounged on the sandy beach. Climbing to the first loop, some returned, whereas others soldiered on to the peak. Affirmations, a land acknowledgement to the Chumash's unceded land, and gratitude for all Nature were given at the top of the first loop. The cool breeze made the direct sun bearable, with temperatures in the upper seventies. Then we made our way down the mountain above Leo Carillo State Park to wooden tables tucked between PCH and the seashore. Dave got the BBQ grill going with Beyond Burgers and buns; Annie Vitality had a raw fruitcake; a special guest broke out his new product, vegan sorbet and gelato (the day's winner for biggest treat); everyone else had salads, rice, sauces, creams, sprouts, tofu dogs (Smart Life), cookies, and sundry creations. Lots of socializing, hugs, stories, a moving share by a Palestinian guest, who reports that Israelis (illegal occupation forces) have been changing "sewer water" signs with "drinking water" signs. Many of the Jewish anti-Zionist guests commiserated. When it was time to dance, we hit the water in high surf, rocks, and seaweed fragments as if some distant disturbance were  uprooting plants and coral.

If only all LA county beaches were paradise

Join Veggie Hikers, Vegan Spirituality, Dharma Buddhist Meditation...at summer's end for the “No Meat & Mingle” at Los Angeles' Leo Carrillo State Beach for our annual hike and vegan cookout!

Can’t make the hike? Attend the cookout BBQ (or vice versa). The hike starts at 10:00 am. The potluck cookout portion with beach BBQ starts at about 2:00 pm. Leashed dogs welcome at the beach, but not on the hiking trail.

• Beyond: The Plant Protein Company (soy-free, gluten-free, junk-free pea protein based)
• Veggie Burgers Every Which Way: Fresh, Flavorful, and Healthy Plant-Based Burgers―Plus Toppings, Sides, Buns, and More (Lukas Volger)
• Clean protein: Beyond's plant protein products
• Beyond Burger with flag: plant-based "meat" full of flavor with more nutrition and all the convenience we're used to
• Veg News: What do experts think of meatless burgers?

How the Beautiful People eat in sunny California -- full of compassion and savory flavor

We'll try to meditate on the Pacific in the Leo Carrillo Beach Cave, time and tide allowing

All the pleasure of savory (umami) chewing, none of the crime of killing helpless cows

Plant based foods are delicious

See details about the hike and where our cookout will be in the "Notes from Hosts" section. In order to participate in the potluck portion of the event, all participants must bring a ready-to-eat vegan dish to share or vegan items to grill and share (veggie kabobs, vegan burgers, tofu hotdogs, etc.) Not doing so may not seem fair to those of us who do.

VEGAN means leaving out dead animals and their byproducts, avoiding meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey -- free of all animal byproducts.

Everyone, bring a prepared dish and food to grill to serve at least 10 people to have enough food for all to enjoy. This is a FREE event. Donations welcome but not required. Funds pay pricey Meetup dues, supplies, and other costs for future potlucks.

• Annual Hike and Vegan Cookout at Leo Carrillo State Beach, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, 10:00 AM | Meetup
• It's Tolkien Week this end of the month

Mid-Autumn Fest, Hsi Lai, Los Angeles

Who possesses Buddha-nature?

.

Like Guanyin, Moon Goddess Chang'e shines.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, held in the month of September, is a community event that inspires mindfulness and reflection as friends and family gather together.

In keeping with Taiwanese and Chinese cultural tradition, treats such as rice ball desserts and yummy mooncakes are offered to the community.

Often, the youth make paper lanterns to adorn the festivities of the event or perform musical performances for the Buddhist community.

I am a lotus ready to bloom here and now.

As everyone contributes in some way to the event, both generosity and gratefulness can be observed in action.

Under the West Coast's bright full moon for the Mid-Autumn Festival, we often reflect on our own bright intrinsic Buddha-nature -- an inherent purity and perfection of the heart/mind. Similar to how sometimes the light of the Moon is hidden behind clouds, our own difficulties and hardships can sometimes obscure our intrinsic (and fundamentally good) nature.

Buddhist nuns sit under moon with American visitors for tea in courtyard of massive LA temple

.

Our Buddha-nature will shine through

It is through right-practice and right-mindfulness that we can dispel the dark clouds from our own minds/hearts and reveal the full splendor of our Buddha-nature, our innate capacity to attain enlightenment (bodhi) and liberation (nirvana), awakening to the great ultimate truths of existence.

"Coming West" (Hsi Lai) Temple welcomes all to share in this reflection while spending time with family and friends and visiting this nunnery and monastic complex during this month. More: Hsi Lai Temple

• Hsi Lai Calendar of Events
• Coming West Temple Programs
• Hsi Lai Vegetarian Food and Toy Drive
• Magical Lantern Festival at Coming West

• 

  Like a lotus, I can blossom in mud.

  The Tathāgatagarbha Sūtras use the image of a Buddha (a fully awakened being) inside a lotus flower as a metaphor for the tathāgatagarbha: Sanskrit तथागतगर्भ, buddha-dhātu, sugata-garbha, buddha-garbha  (a "womb for a buddha," us realizing our intrisnic Buddha-nature as human beings in this world that seems so far from budhhahood). The term Tathāgata-garbha can mean "the womb" or "embryo"... More
• Hsi Lai Temple (hsilai.org/en); CC Liu, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The 'Punk Rock Vegan Movie' (Moby)

(Moby) Punk Rock Vegan Movie

• Straight edge

Plant 5K trees in LA for Jane Goodall

They're taking our trees, Jane, and our babies need them! - I'll get them back, Friends.

Make a difference

"California Treeams.") Trees for Jane wants to thank everyone for their support for Trees for Jane! As of March 2022, if anyone wants to follow Jane Goodall (RIP) on her journey to save our forests and climate, visit Jane’s Green Hope a project of the Jane Goodall Institute.

Celebrate Earth Day and Dr. Jane Goodall’s birthday on April 3rd and all month long throughout April.

• Student-led initiative helping plant trees in response to Los Angeles wildfires kicks off in Pasadena (CBS Los Angeles)
• Memory lives on: Students begin tree-planting initiative, dedicating first to Dr. Jane Goodall (Pasadena Weekly)
• Planting Trees for Jane on Instagram
• Treeams: dreams of trees (Instagram)
• Dr. Jane Goodall on Instagram

Earth Day evolves to Earth Month

Let’s celebrate Earth Day and a woman who for over 60 years inspired and motivated millions of people across the world to live in greater harmony with nature and to take action on behalf of the planet we share with plants and animals.

Compelled by Dr. Goodall’s mission to live sustainably and with vegetarian compassion, we look with new hope for a brighter, greener future.

As she has shared, one of the most resilient and impressive forces on Earth is contained within the seeds of plant life, which can break through walls and always find a way. More: janegoodall.org

• Plant - Trees for Jane
• The hidden value of herbariums | LAist
• Guide to Mmaking SoCal cooler: How to plant trees

What's punk got to do with Buddhism?

(Jacob DeSio Reviews) Ideology over aesthetics: To be without rulers: SLC Punk: Punks v Posers

It's my look, but maybe it'll be my ideology.

Maybe it's just by chance that an American growing up in Amerikkka would gravitate towards punk rock's aggressive musick, rebellion, DIY ethic, and freedom-oriented rock aesthetic AND also toward the Teachings of the "Awakened One" (the Buddha). After all, if we were to translate the term "Budh-ism" into English, "Awakenism" would be a great start.

The Dharmic traditions all lean towards liberation (moksha, vimutti = "freedom") and, as such, they did not really begin as "religions." They're treated as religions now, to be sure. The British colonizers imposed that way of thinking on the various dharmas or "doctrines" of India, the paths to freedom taught by famous awakening teachers. It's good to say "awakening" here instead of "awakened" because Buddhism does not recognize that everyone who is called "enlightened" actually is. What the Buddha meant by the term is very specific. In Buddhism, arahant (Sanskrit arhat) is reserved for seven kinds of livings beings (the "noble ones" or Aryans):

1. stream enterer (three kinds of sotapannas):
1. one-seeder (ekabijin)
2. one who will be reborn at most seven times (sattakkhattuparama)
3. one reborn among noble families three or four times (kolankola).
2. once returner (sakkadagami)
3. non-returner (anagami)
4. fully awakened (arahant). One could say there are three kinds of arhats as well since in addition to being a "fully" awakened noble disciple, one might be a "non-teaching supremely enlightened person" (pacceka-buddha) or in extraordinarily rare instances, a "supremely enlightened teacher" (samma-sam-buddha).

• These descriptions are part of Early Buddhism, preserved in the Pali canon of Theravada Buddhism, specifically explained in The Path to Freedom (Vimutti-magga), condensed to just four kinds by lumping the three varieties of stream enterers into just one grouping in The Path of Purification (Visuddhi-magga). It seems that in these modern times, only Wisdom Quarterly cares about the distinction. Goodness knows that by borrowing from Brahmanism and Hinduism, later Mahayana movement writers have invented new categories like countless bodhisattvas, mahasattvas, and "Cosmic Buddhas" like Amitabbha, Vairocana, Ksitigarbha, and others to worship in place of taking guidance (sarana) from the historical Buddha Shakya-muni ("Sage of the Indo-Scythians/Sakas"), Siddhattha Gotama, Siddhartha Gautama.

But before actual stream entry (entering the "stream" or sota that inevitably leads to complete freedom = nirvana), there are practices and beliefs the Dharmic traditions have in common, like reaching samadhi ("stillness," "mental coherence" resulting in "superconsciousness," sublime states and transcendental realizations). In fact, many Indian traditions consider samadhi to be the ultimate goal, knowing nothing higher. The Buddha did certainly point higher, adding insight practices (vipassana) to the already known states of meditative absorptions (the dhyanas or in Pali jhanas).

Minor Threat: "I was early to finish. I was late to start. I might be an adult.

But I'm a minor at heart." Fugazi: I wait, I wait, I wait in the Waiting Room

The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Patanjali)

Why does Integral (Ashtanga) Yoga teach an eightfold system, as made popular by the sage Patanjali? It is precisely because of the historical Buddha's super popularity throughout the subcontinent at that time that Patanjali thought he should formulate the Vedic, Brahminical, Hindu (a term that would not be invented for centuries) path to samadhi in the same form as the Buddha's Ennobling (lit. Enlightening) Eightfold Path. "Noble" (Arya) means "enlightened."

Noble Eightfold Path (Dharma Wheel) | Zazzle

One has to slosh around through a lot of Western misinterpretations, explanations, practices, Eastern teachers, and etymologies to rectify one's understanding and remove the confusion that has settled on Eastern philosophy and Dharmic traditions to see it clearly. There have been many well-intentioned translators and teachers over the decades that have inadvertently muddied the water and introduced some wrong notions. It's inevitable. If one practices and practices, those misunderstanding get straightened out.

SLC Punk: The movie that ended the "poser" who poses w/o being punk

PUNK has always been about individualism, questioning, rebellion, a willingness to set off on one's own path of investigation, practice, and self-realization. No one can do it for us, and "faith" (particularly of the blind sort) is just not in the cards.

PUNK is fun and, at least in the past, was very funny. It was not profit-driven. The goal from the beginning was freedom, personal and social, to liberate oneself and others. Maybe no one agreed on what a revolution would look like, but the enemy was pretty clear: sexist/racist cops working for the economic elite to maintain the status quo, gatekeepers, authority figures, bosses, dictators, know-it-alls, the forces of oppression bearing down on our pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.

Henry Rollins' version of Black Flag had Ian Mackaye as a roadie

The founding ideals of our country never promised happiness, but those ideals did very clearly say we had a right to PURSUE happiness as we saw fit. In practice, it was nothing like that, just an Animal Farm/1984-style set of tricks, being told what to believe, how to behave, what to like, what to follow, and so on. Enough of that. The hippies were right, but they were no longer getting anywhere, so the pendulum had to swing the other way. Workers had to arise. Conservatives had to knock it off. Liberals had to wake up. Somebody had to flip off the patriarchy and its father figures.

The CIA, FBI, and PTB (powers that be) were not going to let this movement succeed any more than they had any of the previous ones. They can't stop these things, but they can guide them to implode. Movements are like that. What about individuals? What about intellectuals, poets, artists, and independent thinkers? The government has a game called whack-a-mole for that. They stop this rebellion or that, but another one will take its place. It's like Jello once said in "I Am the Owl." Black Flag had something to say beyond self-defeating aggression when they sang, "Rise Above." But the hippies had something to say, too. "What the world needs now is peace, love, and understanding" and, if not, then how about anarchy, hate, and profanities. How does that strike you, Society?

If England/Britain ruined us as a colony-cum-country, it had a little something to do with the rebellion:

(Jay Vee) Annie Nightingale's Punk and New Wave Years (BBC 4)

Germs "No God" (A Complete Anthology)

(egi alams) The Germs: The More Dangerous Sounding Darby Crash

• Seth Auberon, Dhr. Seven, Pfc. Sandoval, Wisdom Quarterly

Buddhism and Dalai Lama on meat eating

(Dalai Lamb) Can Buddhists eat meat? Dalai Lama finally explains

Can Buddhists eat meat?

(Buddha's Wisdom) Can Buddhist eat meat? One bowl, three Buddhisms

• What have we said time and again? Buddhists can do whatever they want. However, killing (or violating any of the other precepts) is not keeping in line with what the Buddha taught.
• "Pig's Delight" (sukaramaddava): truffles, but in the case of the final meal offering, inadvertently poisonous/toxic mushrooms picked in error thinking them truffles, which pigs love
• Rule: A Buddhist monastic is not allowed to eat three kinds of "meat" (slaughtered flesh) -- that of a living being that is seen, heard, or suspected of having been killed for one's sake

Did the Buddha pass away from eating meat or mushrooms or by choice?

The precise contents of the Buddha's final meal are not clear, due to variant scriptural traditions and ambiguity over the translation of certain significant terms like sukara-maddava.

The Theravada tradition generally believes that the Buddha was offered "pig's delight" (sukaramaddava) which could be slaughtered pork or some kind of mushroom/food pigs delight in that was offered by the blacksmith Cunda, while the Mahayana tradition believes that the Buddha consumed a truffle or other mushroom [mistaken to be edible].

These differing translations may reflect the different traditional views on Buddhist vegetarianism and the precepts for monastics (monks and nuns) [265] as well as laypersons.

Modern scholars disagree on this topic, arguing both for pig's delight, pig's flesh, or some kind of plant or mushroom that pigs delight in eating [z].

Whatever the case, none of the sources that mention the last meal attribute the Buddha's sickness to the meal itself [266]. But it is widely thought that he suffered severe illness from being unable to safely digest to toxic food, which he directed Cunda to dig a hole and bury rather than offering to any other monastic present at the meal.

As per the "Great Final Nirvana Discourse" (Mahaparinibbana Sutta), after the meal with Cunda the blacksmith, the Buddha and his monastic companions continued to walk until he was too weak to continue.

They stopped at Kushinagar (near modern Gorakphur, India), where Ānanda was directed by the Buddha to prepare a resting place of folded robes between two sala trees in a delightful grove [267, 268].

After announcing to the Monastic Sangha (spiritual community) that he would soon be passing away, reclining into final nirvana, the Buddha personally ordained one last novice into the Monastic Order. His name was Subhadda [267].

He then repeated his final exhortations to the Sangha, which was that when he was no longer present to guide them, the Dhamma and Vinaya (Doctrine and Discipline, Teaching and Training) was to be their guide.

Then he asked if anyone had any doubts about the Teachings, but nobody did [269]. The Buddha waited, satisfied that anyone who would have like to speak or ask any final question had the opportunity to do so.

His final words are reported to have been: "All formations (saṅkhāras, fabrications) are hurtling towards destruction. Strive for the goal with diligence (appamāda)." In Pali this is, "vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā" [270, 271].

He then entered the eight jhanas as his final meditation forward and then reversing, as verified by a psychic monk near him, reaching what is known as parinirvana ("final nirvana"). He did not "die," for if he had, he would be reborn as all ordinary being are reborn in accordance with their karma.

Rather than being reborn, "the Five Aggregates of physical and mental phenomena clung to as self that constitute a being cease to occur" [272] just as a fire, having exhausted its substrate of fuel goes out. But what is it that really goes out, a being? No, what goes out completely is ignorance.

The Mahaparinibbana Sutta reports that as his final act, the Buddha performed a final meditation of entering the first four material meditative absorptions (jhanas) consecutively, then the four immaterial absorptions, and finally a meditative dwelling known as "the extinction of feeling and perception" (nirodha-samāpatti), which should not be thought of as a permanent "extinction" since many Buddhist meditation practitioners are able to reach this attainment even now throughout life. It is said that only noble ones (those who have attained the stages of enlightenment) are able to reach it and can do so as often as they like as many times as they like. If it were a permanent extinction, no one would be able to do it a second, third, or thousandth time.

Before returning to the fourth absorption (jhana) right at the moment of passing into final nirvana without remainder [273, 268].

Having traveled and taught, the Buddha took his last meal, a sincere offering from a blacksmith named Cunda. But having eaten it, he fell violently ill. Not wishing that Cunda have remorse or misgivings about his offering, the Buddha instructed his personal attendant Ānanda to tell Cunda something.

The meal offering eaten at his place had nothing to do with his passing. Moreover, such an offering was an extraordinary source of merit because it was provided as a last meal for a buddha [262] tantamount to an offering of food to a bodhisatta before his attainment of supreme awakening (buddhahood, arahantship, great-enlightenment).

Bhikkhu Mettanando and Oskar von Hinüber argue that the Buddha passed away due to mesenteric infarction, a symptom of old age, rather than mushroom food poisoning [263, 264]. More