Bears and Siddhas

We went to a window store in Bay Ridge to get a screen, and this man who worked there let me take a picture of his bear tattoo once I expressed my admiration. He told me he had been down to the deep south to see a tattoo artist who specializes in covering up tattoos you regret having gotten, in this man's case, an image of his ex.

A cover-up tattoo artist is a very specialized talent, and I'm sure they have many sad stories to tell, although perhaps there's some kind of confidentiality ethic they uphold. I was just glad to see a bear on a man's arm, seemed like a good choice what with those long claws so perfect for pulverizing decayed wood, for clawing away what's dead and worn out, what no longer serves its purpose, so the light of morning can get into the wound.

The hand of the Siddha holds what I read in Holy Madness is a teaching mudra which slightly resembles the don't walk sign. And I'm sure, if my understanding of Buddhism is a good one, that the hand also says "stop." Stop mistaking appearances for reality. All that you thought is good in no more GOOD than anything else, all that you thought is BAD is no worse, let the addictive and materialist cycles fueled by mistaking one's experience of a thing for its essence stop. Stop thinking that all you need to do to alleviate your suffering is improve your situation by getting a better apartment, more better friends, cooler gadgets, nicer car, more nuanced wine, more effective drugs.

This teaching always reminds me to notice what my assumptions are about the things I reflect on. In this way anti-realism will never be trite, at least not for civilians to academic philosophy, and has the potential to bring humanity closer to overcoming the evils of reductionism and prejudice. But Jesus said it so charmingly, along the lines of, you know, before you can help remove the splinter in your brother's eye, you might want to take the log out of yours. Very funny, Jesus. Bear claws are really good for that. So the light of morning can get in.

L'Shana Tova!