Invasion of the Buddhist Vampires

Rod at the incomparable Dharmablog The Worst Horse just recently wrote a blog post asking his readership if they are Buddhist Goths or Buddhist Vampires.

It’s a must read… MUST READ…

OK. So we have some decisions to make.. Goth or Vampire? Poseur or true supporter of a scene? Hot Topic shopper or homemade white t-shirt with stencil lettering maker? Skater with busted up knees or poser whose only skate action is to carry it under your pits.

Coming out of the 80′s punk scene in a small town in Canada, I had my share of lumps (both physical and mental) which came from being outside of the norm (manifesting as both supporting the underdog in my belief system or in the reverse black mohawk and trenchcoat that I wore). I was very much into giving back to the scene and believed in the power of social change regardless of what freak flag you flew. These are still part of my core beliefs.

Fast forward after university when one day, I was sitting in a cafe and a charming guy came up to me in a cafe, noticed I was reading the Shambhala Sun and asked to borrow it (smooth pick up line huh?). It worked and when he returned it to me, he had written a note to me on Winnie the Pooh stationary about how I needed to be sure that my interest in Buddhism wasn’t purely for show or just to be cool in the eyes of others. A genuine enough gesture which won over my heart but seemed funny given that he switched belief systems several times over the course of our courtship (namely: pagan, Aboriginal, Muslim).

I must admit that receiving that note from him miffed me to no end. Buddhism to me has never been about being trendy or seeming cool (I wholeheartedly believe that sitting for hours in a boiling meditation centre on a beautiful summer day or reading sutras until your eyes go blurry on a daily basis may lose its appeal to those poseurs for sure!)

Fast forward again to a year ago, when I was introduced to my new future family in law and the 20-somethings all were aglow asking me questions about Buddhism and then the G bomb dropped when one asked – “Are you a punk or a goth?” It was a question I’d never been asked before and the genuine nature of it didn’t bother me at all. I had realized that for someone who tried to practice to shed labels in this relative reality I’m in, I very much did identify myself as a Buddhist punk (although even that term was co-opted by a trendy fashion label at one point!)

So back to the Vampire/Goth discussion. I’m down with joining other ‘Vampire slayers’ like Rod in exposing these creatures to the light and working to destroy the delusions that bind us into thinking we need hotrod flames on our mediation benches, tantric sexchairs and Ed Hardy branded meditation timers.

We will not be co-opted.

Now I MUST share this cartoon from the awesome Mitch Clem and his webcomic Nothing Nice to Say which sums this “Hot Topic” up quite nicely.