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September 13, 2005
Note to Buddhists with Cell Phones
What ringtone is your cell set on? The Milkshake remix? Do you jump when you hear the first few bars of Jessica Simpson's "These Boots Are Made For Walking"? If so, you've been led astray...even if you're not a Buddhist (which I don't claim to be). But don't despair, the right path has shown itself. I've just been reading on the Buddhist Channel News Network that sayings recorded by one of Thailand's leading monks are to be released as mobile phone ringtones. Now, instead of hearing "LET'S GET RETARDED IN HERE!" when your upset ex is calling, you could take a deep breath and listen to what your ringer has to say:
"Anger is stupidity, fury is madness - if you don't succumb to anger, you won't succumb to stupidity and madness."
It would help to hear this before you pick up the phone to your uptight parole officer:
Compose yourself before answering this call. Avoid being irascible and causing disputes."
This one for when your boss is calling you into work on your only day off:
"It is better to sweat from hard work than cry from laziness, which encourages poverty,"
Unfortunately, these ringtones are available only in Thailand and they are spoken in Thai. Do you think there'd be a US market? Maybe with Christian teachings. How about a direct quote from Jesus:
"There is a saying, 'Love your friends and hate your enemies.' But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven."
Maybe Bush needs one of those for every time Osama calls from the mountains.
Cell phones are everywhere these days... It suprised me to see that Thailand has more mobile phones per person than the US does, by far. It makes sense when I think about it though, as a lack of infrastructure and the availability of wireless networks even in the smallest rural villages makes a cell phone the perfect tool to stay connected, whether it's with the Top 40 list or Phra Phayom Kalayano's teachings. Next is ringback tones, so that the caller gets to listen as well while you scramble to pick up your phone. Pretty cool, I'd say.
Posted by Tom Bodhi at September 13, 2005 10:32 AM
Comments
Very funny! Actually, Thich Nhat Hanh and Ram Das are two teachers who have reminded me to hear the sound of the refrigerator, the phone, or even a siren as a call to consciousness and an invitation to breathe, relax, and smile. I love the idea of the cell phone as spiritual teacher-- it's a machine animated by human voices, a strange symbiosis of mechanical parts and global consciousness.
Posted by: emma at September 13, 2005 12:09 PM
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