Zen/Buddhist brand names

[GeneChing]

This has been a pet peeve of mine for a while now. What is up with all these Zen/Buddhist products in the West? For example, check out Lucky Beer (http://www.luckydrinkco.com/luckybeer/verify.php?l=o). I confess, the bottles are cool, but 'Enlightened Lager'? When is there going to be a Catholic Beer with bottles shaped like a crucifixion?
http://www.luckydrinkco.com/luckybeer/img/bottle.png

What about Zen Floor Cleaner (https://www.zenhomecleaning.com/store/index.php/all-products/floor-cleaner.html?___SID=U)? I'd like to be able to get some Muslim Floor Cleaner please.
https://www.zenhomecleaning.com/store/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/f/l/floor-cleaner.jpg

How about the Zen High Chair (http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=900002&e=storeproduct&pid=43982&section=babygear) from Fisher-Price?
http://www.fisher-price.com/img/product_shots/L7031_b_1.jpg

Are there Jew High Chairs? And of course, there's the Zen mp3 player (http://www.creative.com/products/mp3/), which is just perfect for long zazen sessions.
http://www.creative.com/products/mp3/images/zenxfi3/zenxfi3_mhl_bg_1.jpg


:rolleyes:

I'm launching this thread in hopes that the rest of you will add to it with more odd Zen/Buddhist brand names.

[sanjuro_ronin]

http://cdn3.findthebest.com/sites/default/files/675/media/images/HeBrew_Messiah_Bold.jpg

[Lucas]

http://www.parentingclan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/high-chair_sijzh_48_6r5hQ_20137.jpg

[Sima Rong]

Chan Buddhist brands...hmm... let me think....
Here are the Trappist Monk beer brands though:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:De_zeven_trappisten.jpg

[GeneChing]

That actually descends from a monastic tradition. I'm more interested in products that don't have any real connect to Zen/Buddhism.

Like Zen dog beds (http://www.petzenproducts.com/Dog_Bed_Roll_wBowls__p50504.htm)
http://www.siteadmin.biz/custfiles/90/ity/50504_md.jpg

or Zen magnets (http://zenmagnets.com/)
http://zenmagnets.com/images/front1.jpg

or Zen underwater Camera lenses (http://www.zenunderwater.com/products.php). http://www.zenunderwater.com/images/products/1212178591__5280788.jpg:confused:

[wenshu]

http://pics3.city-data.com/businesses/p/9/1/8/3/6029183.JPG

[Sima Rong]

http://fooducopia.com/257-zen-rabbit-baking-company

and Gratitude Cookies.

Of course, you will also need a Zen Coaster/bottle opener:

http://www.porreda.com/acatalog/Zen_Coaster_Bottle_Opener.html

[Bacon]

When is there going to be a Catholic Beer with bottles shaped like a crucifixion?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/49/Frangelico.jpg/185px-Frangelico.jpg

Close enough...

[GeneChing]

You too, s_r, but I still think the milofo beer bottle takes it to another level.

Of course, there's the Buddha Lounge in SF Chinatown (Grant & Washington). It's a legendary dive bar, so much so that they don't need no stinkin' website. I remembered this because I just looked up Buddha Bar, which I saw at a store last night. Here's the Buddha Bar (http://www.philosophersguild.com/Buddha-Bar.html), and it keeps strange company.
http://www.philosophersguild.com/images/P/2332-01.jpg

In all fairness, the same company also make a Last Supper Bar (http://www.philosophersguild.com/Last-Supper-Bar.html)
http://www.philosophersguild.com/images/P/2334-01.jpg

and a Priest Rabbi Penguin Bar (http://www.philosophersguild.com/Priest-Rabbi-Penguin-Bar.html).
http://www.philosophersguild.com/images/P/2340-01.jpg

Also check this out:


Buddhists outraged at Buddha's images on shoes (http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,11029,0,0,1,0)
PTI Aug 2, 2012
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/picture/upload/shoes.jpg
WASHINGTON, USA -- The Tibetan and the Buddhist community are outraged at a California-based company for promoting a range of shoes with the Lord Buddha's images.

Tibetans and Bhutanese Buddhists have written to the company, Icon Shoes, to express their disgust. They have flooded the company's Facebook page with protest notes.

"Unfortunately, it is a basic Buddhist tradition to treat images of Buddhist deities with reverence. Having the images on shoes is disrespect to the Buddhists," wrote Bhuchung Tsering form International Campaign for Tibet.

"Could you kindly consider this and withdraw the shoes from your catalogue," the Tibetan leader demanded.

The North American member of the Tibetan Parliament, Tashi Namgyal, wrote a protest letter to Icon Shoe.

"I came across shoes with image of Lord Buddha on it, manufactured by your company. I was totally shocked and dismayed at being so insensitive," wrote Namgyal.

"Lord Buddha is worshiped by millions of people around the world including the writer of this letter... Therefore, I would like to strongly urge your company to recall every merchandise sold with Buddha's image and stop not only selling such merchandises but manufacture of such products. Above all, I want you to tender unqualified apology posted on your website," Tashi demanded.

Based out of Palm Desert, California, ICON was launched in 1999 by a Hollywood filmmaker and art collector.

"Icon is for the art lover and the woman who loves shoes and handbags. We support artists by paying royalty for the use of their art," the company says on its Facebook page.

"I really think you should stop manufacturing the shoes with Buddha's imprint... it is totally against Buddhist sentiment," wrote one Tshewant Gyeltshen on the company's Facebook page.

"I am Buddhist. Your idea of putting Lord Buddha's image on footwear is unethical," said one Yoezer Gempo.

"Why do they have to put Lord Buddha's image on shoes? Among Buddhist we don't even let our shadow fall on His image. It cannot be ignorance since they had the guts to run a company and even call the pattern 'Thangka of the Buddha'," wrote an angry Passang Tshering on his blog.

I should note that despite being Buddhist, I don't find these that offensive. True, I said it is a "pet peeve" but it's really more amusing to me personally.

[Punch.HeadButt]

Of course, there's the Buddha Lounge in SF Chinatown (Grant & Washington). It's a legendary dive bar, so much so that they don't need no stinkin' website.

I got hammered there once without even realizing what it was. Me and my brother-in-law were wandering around looking for a bar, both already a little buzzed from a family dinner. We stumbled in there and got good and plastered. It wasn't until I re-visited Chinatown with my girl that I realized the place was called Buddha Lounge. I couldn't help myself, I just started laughing. :D

The bartender was awesome. Nice guy and generous with the drinks. Don't remember his name (shocker).

I always call the place "Buddha Bar", though.

[RenDaHai]

That lucky beer bottle is AWESOME. I want to buy that for the bottle alone, I don't care what it tastes like.

[Lucas]

http://rookery.s3.amazonaws.com/775500/775501_3e45_625x1000.jpg

[taai gihk yahn]

What about Zen Floor Cleaner (https://www.zenhomecleaning.com/store/index.php/all-products/floor-cleaner.html?___SID=U)?

well, on one hand, this isn't too far off the mark - I mean, Ch'an is all about seeing suchness for what it is, so the idea of cleaning the mind isn't inconsistent - in the Hui Neng Sutra, a monk writes the poem about the ind being a mirror without a speck of dust upon it;

of course, OTOH, Hui Neng then responds to the poem that there is no dust, no mirror; indeed, not a single thing can be said to exist; which would suggest that there is nothing to clean; making the point of cleaning fluid moot;

Zen Cleaner checkmates itself!

[taai gihk yahn]

I should note that despite being Buddhist, I don't find these that offensive. True, I said it is a "pet peeve" but it's really more amusing to me personally.

getting offended at this sort of thing as a Buddhist would, to me, demonstrate a profound lack of understanding of the Buddha's teachings at a fundamental level; heck, some Ch'an people woud be like, "why isn't the Buddha's pic on the sole of the shoe?"

[GeneChing]

I hear what you're saying tgy, but it is a slippery slope, one that often causes nibbler Buddhists to get deluded. Firstly, there are many sects of Buddhism that don't adhere to the Chan take at all. The most dominant faction in China is probably Pure Land, and they can be a lot like Born Again Christians except that they swap the power of prayer with chant. They would be as ****ed off about Buddha on a shoe as Muslims would be if Mohammed was on a shoe.

But more to the point, it gets back the the ol' Shaolin sausage problem. The abbot was right to shut down the sale of Shaolin sausage. My only regret there was that I didn't save a Shaolin sausage label, for posterity's sake. I ate one before they were banned and back when I was eating meat sausage. It was nasty...like a Vienna sausage but longer with more nitrates and MSG.

But I digress. Despite the mirror/no mirror view in Chan, you must draw the line somewhere. Some practitioners use that argument to defend their carnivorousness. I have heard of one who used it to defend his bestiality. Others might use it to defend their pedophilia. There must be a line somewhere.

Meanwhile, here's another Buddha Bar (http://www.buddhabarnyc.com/). I wonder if there are any Buddha Butchers. I found a Buddha Butter dish (http://www.perpetualkid.com/buddha-butter-dish.aspx).
http://edgecastcdn.net/800034/www.perpetualkid.com/productimages/lg2/BUTR-0108.jpg
;)

[GeneChing]

Zen thong (http://www.cafepress.com/+zen_classic_thong,207001876)
http://i1.cpcache.com/product/207001876/zen_classic_thong.jpg?color=White&height=460&width=460

And this one, you just gotta click the link and see: Tenga 3D Zen (http://www.tenga-global.com/products/3d/3d_zen.php) WARNING: NSFW

[GeneChing]

But I'll still add to this thread. Here's an Indian Zen smart phone. :confused:


Festive season at R 7999 with Zen UltraTab A900 (http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/GAD-festive-season-at-rs-7999-with-zen-ultratab-a900-4020780-NOR.html)
Dailybhaskar.com | Nov 07, 2012, 15:41PM IST

http://i10.dainikbhaskar.com/thumbnail/636x303/web2images/www.dailybhaskar.com/2012/11/07/2354_zen-ultratab-a900.jpg

Zen mobiles, the Indian company known for selling phones with better battery life and good sound quality has released another tablet device this week. The new Zen Ultra Tab A900 is the latest in the series, which is now available at a decent price of Rs 7999. At this price it makes a perfect gift to your child this festive season, which will not make a big dent in your pocket.

The tablet is a 9 inch device with a TFT capacitive multi touch display screen. The screen supports 800 by 480 pixel resolution. The weight is on a high side, it is about 513 grams. The internal memory of the phone is 4 GB and the RAM is 512 MB. In case you need you can always expand the memory Expandable Memory up to 32GB

The tablet runs the Android 4.0 Ice cream sandwich operating system on a 1.5 GHz Cortex A9 processor. It has got a 1.3 megapixel front camera and supports multiple forms of image formats, audio and audio-visual files.

The connectivity is provided through 3G dongle or data card, Wi-Fi, Ethernet support and USB. You get more than 30 pre installed customized apps with the tablet to add to the fun of the festive season. The battery is the most exciting part- a 4000 mAh Battery which is very good for a continuous 8 hours of Internet surfing and 4 hours of video playback when using earphones.

[GeneChing]

This is on the peninsula, not far from my home (so I'd never stay there).

The Zen Hotel (http://www.thezenhotel.com/)

[GeneChing]

I forgot about this thread. Then, just the other day, I saw a license plate frame that said Zen Auto (http://www.zenauto.biz/) and my mind was confabulated with potential Zen vehicle puns.

Then I read this article:



Startups fighting over the word 'zen’ (http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Startups-are-fighting-over-the-word-zen-5968580.php)
By Kristen V. Brown
Updated 2:25 pm, Friday, December 19, 2014

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/33/07/32/7108236/3/920x920.jpg
Photo: Paul Chinn
We looked at come of the largest public offerings in the past 12 months. Zendesk's new office building is seen in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, July 8, 2014. The new offices at 1019 Market Street adds additional space for as many as 460 employees with 250 already occupying the 7-story building. **MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE/NO SALES-MAGS OUT-TV OUT**


Zen is having a moment, in the tech world at least. For starters, there is Zenefits, the benefits startup; Zenfolio for photo hosting; and ZenPayroll for, well, payroll.

So many startups now include the word “zen” in their name that Zendesk, the cloud customer support company, felt forced to do something decidedly un-zen about it. The 7-year-old San Francisco company has filed nearly three dozen proceedings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to block other tech companies from using the word “zen.”

There may not be enough zen to go around.

The tech world is known for its bizarre naming trends — as affordable URLs and untrademarked names have dwindled in supply, dropped vowels (Tumblr), odd suffixes (Storify) and bizarre compound words (Pinterest) have proliferated.

Zen, meanwhile, manages to communicate a lot with just three letters.

“It’s just a beautiful, small word,” said David Placek, founder of the naming company Lexicon Branding. “It has great structure, it’s easy to pronounce and it easily communicates a great metaphor, especially when you’re talking about companies that do things like payroll or accounting.”

Joshua Reeves, the CEO of ZenPayroll, said that the company was looking for a name that communicated the company’s goals of making payroll a simple, “peaceful” process for small businesses, rather than the headache it more often is.

In his new book “Startupland,” Zendesk CEO Mikkel Svane describes how the company’s founders settled on its name.

“Our philosophy was to be elegant and bring peace of mind to customer support in an enlightened way,” he wrote. “Zen was enlightenment — Zendesk.”

That, and the domain name would cost them only $1,000.

Zen, of course, refers to a school of Buddhism formalized in China during the sixth century.

But ever since ’60s hippie culture popularized the term in the U.S., it has widely been used to refer to more than just a religious practice. Longtime NBA coach and executive Phil Jackson is often referred to by his nickname, the “Zen Master.”

Hard to pin down

“There are so many associations now. It’s hard to really pin down exactly what zen means today,” said James Robson, a Buddhism scholar at Harvard University. “Each generation kind of fills the word with its own meaning.”

“The tech company appropriation of zen is just the most recent iteration of a phenomena that has been going on for a very long time.”

Nancy Friedman, a branding consultant who chronicles zen company names on Pinterest, pointed out that business jargon is filled with religious language, like the word “brand evangelist.”

Tech lingo is particularly laden with “zen” references. Take the term “zenmail,” a once-buzzy word for e-mails that include only a subject line. Or Zen Coding, a widely used Web programming plug-in.

“Zen has been used in tech for a long time,” said Friedman. “It seems like people in the West feel OK appropriating Eastern religion without the fear of seeming sacrilegious.”

There are presently 724 live trademarks containing the word “zen” registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

For Zendesk, ideas associated with zen are now deeply ingrained in the company’s culture and branding. The company mascot is a laughing Buddha, dubbed “The Mentor,” who wears a telephone headset. In its old Market Street headquarters, Asian-inspired green lotus leaves hung over employees’ desks.

The company says it has reason to be protective of its name.

“We first established the Zendesk brand in 2007, and it’s been tremendously valuable for us,” the company said in a statement to The Chronicle. “We have obviously noticed the proliferation of Zen names in business technology and services and it does concern us because of the likelihood that it will create confusion among customers and prospective customers.”

Trademark protections

It is not unusual for brands to aggressively protect trademarks — recently the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A tried to stop a Vermont kale enthusiast from registering the phrase “Eat More Kale,” claiming it was too similar to its trademarked “Eat Mor Chikin” slogan.

Zendesk claims that it only seeks to obstruct other companies from adding zen to their name when it could “create a genuine likelihood of confusion with our well-known brand.”

During the past few years, it has filed proceedings against ZenPayroll, ZenCash, Zenware, Zenbillings, Zendo and Zendeals, among others.

Mark Lemley, a trademark expert at Stanford Law School, said that as a business-to-business company, Zendesk could have a hard time proving its customers might genuinely accidentally purchase ZenPayroll’s software for payroll instead of its own customer service software.

“It will have a hard time opposing marks that share only the word zen in common (like, say, Zenefits),” he said.

In some cases, the companies Zendesk has sought to block have just given up, like the startup Zenbillings, which renamed itself Simplero because it lacked funding to pay trademark attorneys to plead its case.

Zendesk recently sought to obstruct one trademark and cancel another owned by ZenCash, an invoice management startup. ZenCash is even one of Zendesk’s customers.

“We don’t do anything competitive with them,” said CEO Brandon Cotter. “Zendesk is bullying all of the zen companies. Which is a little ironic.”

Then again, zen may not be so great of a company name, after all.

“I’m not so sure it’s really good to use in a name anymore,” said Placek, the naming expert. “There is so much zen clutter.”

Kristen V. Brown is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kbrown@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kristenvbrown

It was all very 'zen' :p (yea, just be thankful I didn't go for those vehicle puns (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68293-Chinese-puns)...)

[David Jamieson]

Remember, your enlightenment is not authentic unless you masturbate with the zen fleshlight™.

Yeesh, no really I'm seriously of the mind that many marketeers are just mentally ill. lol

[GeneChing]

...but oh so worthy of this here thread. :rolleyes:


Kyoto confectioner selling hemp-infused Buddha head chocolates (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/01/18/kyoto-confectioner-selling-hemp-infused-buddha-head-chocolates/)
Casey Baseel10 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/bc-3.png?w=580&h=577

If you’ve got such a powerful sweet tooth that you worship chocolate, these might be just the treats for you.

Being located in Kyoto, Japan’s center of traditional culture, you might imagine chocolate specialist Cacao Magic’s offerings to have an elegant air to them. You’d be right, too, as the confectioner’s sweets are designed to be a treat for the eyes as well as the palate.

You may also expect Cacao Magic to produce some uniquely Japanese chocolates, and again you’d be right. While most of its candies take the orthodox forms of hearts, squares, and discs, you’ll also find something called the amasumi butsuda in the product lineup. “Butsuda” means “head of the Buddha,” and that’s exactly what they look like, as you can see in the photo above.

But butsuda is only half of the name, and thus half of the story, of amasumi butsuda. “Sumi” means “charcoal,” and while they may not be such a common seasoning in Western cuisine, it’s not an entirely unprecedented flavoring in Japan.

What is unusual though, even by Japanese standards, is the “ama” portion of amasumi” which means “hemp.”

Yes, mixed in with the chocolate used to make amasumi butsuda is a measure of hemp charcoal. Given the stringent anti-drug stance taken by both Japanese law and culture at large, it’s unlikely that eating amasumi butsuda will cause any of the narcotic effects associated with other uses of the herb.

▼ It’s also worth noting that Cacao Magic is neither a head shop nor specifically courting the stoner crowd, as the rest of its extensive catalogue of chocolates is entirely hemp-free.
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/bc-2.png?w=580&h=180

Instead, Cacao Magic simply states that the special ingredient adds “a deep flavor” to the dark chocolate from which the tiny heads are shaped.

If you’re interested in finding out just what exactly that deep flavor is, Cacao Magic is currently taking preorders for amasumi butsuda through its website here, with prices starting at 1,500 yen (US$12.50) for a pack of three.

Source: Hachima Kiko
Images: Cacao Magic (edited by RocketNews24)

[GeneChing]

I just had to post this somewhere here today. There is a 'vehicle' pun to be made here.


Zen-sational: Toyota creates Buddhism-inspired wooden car (https://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/zen-sational-toyota-creates-buddhism-inspired-wooden-car)
Last Updated: 05/04/2016
Toyota has unveiled a unique new concept ahead of this year's Milan Design Week, an electric roadster manufactured entirely of wood and inspired by Zen philosophy.
Ryan McElroy

https://www.carkeys.co.uk/Media/Default/Content/News%20Images/SETSUNA_003-1.jpg

Although these days carbon fibre and lightweight aluminium are the de rigeur materials for carmakers, Toyota is to unveil a new concept car made only of wood.

The Japanese manufacturer has built its unique concept, called the Setsuna and due to debut at the upcoming Milan Design Week, from 86 hand-crafted panels of cedar mounted on a birch frame.

Built using a traditional Japanese joinery technique known as ‘okuriari’, the car uses no nails or screws and instead relies on perfectly carved joints to maintain its structural integrity.

https://www.carkeys.co.uk/Media/Default/Content/News%20Images/SETSUNA_005.jpg

28mph top speed

Crafted to look like an old open-top roadster, the Setsuna is powered by six electric batteries, which give it a range of up to 16 miles and a top speed of a rather placid 28mph.

However, speed wasn’t the object of the concept’s design according to Kenji Tsuji, the Setsuna’s lead designer; instead, it’s supposed to make its driver feel more connected to the car.

He said: “When we created the Setsuna, we envisaged a family pouring its love into it over generations so that the car gains an irreplaceable value.

https://www.carkeys.co.uk/Media/Default/Content/News%20Images/SETSUNA_019.jpg

Unique hand-crafted design

“Continuous development is possible in the form of bonds between the car and the family, like the growth rings of a tree.”

Durable but prone to change over time, the wooden car concept is meant to demonstrate the developing relationships between people, their cars and each other, Toyota added.

The name itself, Setsuna, is designed to express the Buddhist concept of time and is intended to remind its owner to live every moment to its fullest potential.

https://www.carkeys.co.uk/Media/Default/Content/News%20Images/SETSUNA_027-1.jpg

Zen-inspired concept

Even the dash-mounted dial counts time in hours, days and years up to 100 years in the future, designed as a Zen exercise to encourage the driver to value the experience of driving rather than just clocking up the miles.

Unfortunately, as cool as it is, the Setsuna has been built exclusively for Milan Design Week and is not authorised for road use, so don’t expect to see one parked in your driveway any time soon.

[David Jamieson]

9759
This is a zen motorcycle.

[GeneChing]

Zen Bidet (http://www.zenbidet.com/)

http://www.zenbidet.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/cropped-cropped-websiteBanner002.png

Clean never felt so fresh!


Never mind bringing Xmas back. I want to see a toilet plunger brand called "Christ".

:rolleyes:

[David Jamieson]

Never mind bringing Xmas back. I want to see a toilet plunger brand called "Christ".

:rolleyes:

"Christ! My arse is clean!" Christ™ Bidets, flush the sin away!


couldn't find the plungers man.

[GeneChing]

Zen Berry? WTH?


Streetwise: Point Brewery rolls out Zen Berry for Ciderboys (http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/story/news/local/2017/10/19/streetwise-point-brewery-zen-berry-ciderboys/769853001/)
Nathan Vine, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Published 8:33 a.m. CT Oct. 19, 2017 | Updated 8:40 a.m. CT Oct. 19, 2017


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWvqQ-Om1yk

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/99edded40869b5f6921c0b30f3b3802858945011/c=0-15-480-655&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/2017/10/16/WIGroup/StevensPoint/636437702528945523-ZenBerry.png
(Photo: Courtesy of Stevens Point Brewery)

STEVENS POINT - The Stevens Point Brewery has released Zen Berry as the newest offering from Ciderboys, its line of hard ciders.

Available in six packs of 12-ounce bottles and on draft, Zen Berry is a limited edition release that will be available through Nov. 30 or as supplies last, according to the Ciderboys’ website.

According to a release, Zen Berry “combines the sweetness of apple cider with the fruity tartness of boysenberry, a hybrid of raspberry, European blackberry, and American dewberry first developed in California in the 1920s.”

The Ciderboys’ lineup includes year-round offerings First Press, Strawberry Magic and British Dry. Seasonal offerings include Grand Mimosa, Cranberry Road, Raspberry Smash, Pineapple Hula, Peach County, and Mad Bark.

For more information about the Ciderboys, please visit www.ciderboys.com or call 1-800-369-4911.

See something? Say something. Bug reporter Nathan Vine with news at 715-345-2252 or nvine@gannett.com; on Twitter: @NathanAVine.

[GeneChing]

Not really a brand per se. More of a label. A crappy label at that. Zen is calm, but not relaxed in a easy way.


Chinese 'Generation Zen' millennials choosing smartphones over communist values (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/03/chinese-millennials-choosing-smartphones-communist-values/)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2018/01/03/TELEMMGLPICT000132349328_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberW d9EgFPZtcLiMQfyf2A9a6I9YchsjMeADBa08.jpeg?imwidth= 1400
Chinese millennials are said to be shunning Communist party values CREDIT: JOHANNES EISELE/ AFP
Jamie Fullerton, xiamen
3 JANUARY 2018 • 4:13PM

China’s ruling communist party is concerned that swathes of politically apathetic millennials, branded the ‘Zen-generation’, are sauntering through life in a passive and unpatriotic way - raising doubts about their loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party.

In the past few months the buzzphrase ‘Zen-generation’, based on the Buddhist notion of a relaxed, Zen attitude, has gone viral online. It is used to describe young Chinese who choose easy, often low-paid careers ahead of challenging, higher-paid roles and eschew the often demanding social pressures of Chinese society.

They are generally born after 1990 and are defined by having a blasé attitude to jobs, politics, and pretty much anything else in life.

With the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) currently on a drive to shore up party loyalty, one of its media outlets, Youth.cn, has dubbed this trend a “total tragedy”. As well as a lack of political loyalty, the state-controlled newspaper The Global Times added that there was concern that such attitudes could hold back Chinese society in the long term.

Members of ‘Zen-generation’, according to the newspaper, “are seemingly fine with anything that happens to them. They are not inspired by any patriotic drive or the Party's political catchphrases. They are simply indifferent.

“In other words, there are few things they care about. Be it missing the bus, getting turned down for a promotion or failing to find a spouse, they simply shrug and move on.”

The Global Times quoted a 23 year-old graduate named Xiaoyue, who identified as a Zen-generation member, as saying her attitude to life "is a bit different from pessimism.”

She added: "I feel it tiring to compete with others or strive, for whatever it may be in life. We just don't have big ambitions; we don't want to be number one. We are happy with an average life, and we are optimistic.”

Xiaoyue said she turned down a well-paid position in favour of an easier life in the civil service, and stayed single to avoid "troublesome" relationships, according to the paper.

In response to the phrase going viral, Youth.cn, the mouthpiece of China’s Communist Youth League, ran an article with the headline "So-called 'Zen-generation' are a total tragedy for youth.”

The website said: "Only when the young have ambitions and are responsible can a nation have prospects." It added that young people should "pursue their dreams with sweat and to always fight for their family and their country."

Many members of ‘Zen-generation’ embrace the term, buying clothes with the phrase written on them. Some believe their lifestyles are reactions to the salary-obsessed mentality that instilled in much of Chinese society, and its cutthroat graduate jobs market.

The Global Times said: “Some say this new trend is a passive reaction against the rapid reforms, changes and developments of modern-day Chinese society, which has made many young adults feel ‘helpless’ and ‘left behind’. Rather than fight against it, these Buddha-like youngsters resignedly accept their lot in life.”

Of equal concern to the party is these people not engaging with the CPC’s varied attempts to advertise communist ideals to China’s younger generations. In the last year the party has used rap videos, matchmaking events and concerts by hologram-rendered virtual pop stars to promote itself.

However, the growth of party membership figures has been slowing. In 2015, 965,000 members joined the party, the lowest growth figure since 2012, making the total amount around 89 million.

The decline in growth cannot simply be put down to a lack of interest, however. President Xi Jinping, who took power in 2012, has overseen a huge crackdown corruption that has seen many officials purged from the party. He has also asked for the party to only keep “quality” members.

[GeneChing]

This article got me thinking about our old Zen/Buddhist brand names (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64553-Zen-Buddhist-brand-names) thread. The photo in the article is NOT the Vegas bar and sushi joint, but classic beloved watering hole in SF Chinatown. Haven't been there in years. Fond memories of that place. Any of the SF members here know what I'm talking about.

For that reason alone, I'm launching a new Buddha Bar (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70863-Buddha-Bar) thread.


Does Buddhism Need a Blasphemy “Army”? (https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/buddhism-blasphemy-army/)
An organization that combats “profane” depictions of the Buddha raises questions about disrespect, appropriation, and policing others’ behavior.
By Matthew Gindin JUL 03, 2018

https://cdn.tricycle.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/buddhabar-1001x667.jpg
A Buddha Bar in San Francisco. Photo by Thomas Hawk | https://tricy.cl/2u0Hpc8

When I was a monk in the Thai Forest tradition, I took a meditative camping trip to the mesas of Southwestern Utah along with a group of mostly Thai monks. This occasioned a drive through Las Vegas, where we passed a billboard advertising a sushi restaurant called Buddha Bar, whose ad campaign featured an image of the Buddha along with lingerie-clad waitresses offering trays of drinks. “Ai!” cried one of the Thai monks, followed by several other exclamations of discomfort and indignation. It wasn’t the presence of the erotic that disturbed us (nude or erotic imagery can be found in Thai temples, too), but rather the use of Buddhist imagery for such crass commercial purposes.

In the Thai tradition, Buddha images, along with other embodiments of the dharma like stupas, relics, and sacred texts, are treated with the utmost respect. They are always placed highest in the room. One does not point one’s feet toward them. And one should never sit on them, put their images on secular clothing, or use them for commercial purposes. Yet such “profane” uses of sacred Buddhist objects or imagery have become common in North America and Europe. And Asian Buddhists have noticed.

The Knowing Buddha Organization (KBO) was formed in Thailand in 2012 to combat global disrespect toward Buddhist imagery. The KBO—which boasted 5,000 members in 2016, according to a study by religious studies scholar Michael Jerryson—has been rapidly growing and is now even receiving support from the Thai government. The group has pressured manufacturers in France and the Netherlands to remove decorative Buddha images from toilets and caused Maxim magazine to cancel a photo shoot in the US that featured buddhas. They have also created an online guide to avoid showing disrespecting to Buddha images, making such suggestions as greeting one with a wai (hands pressed together in respect), not placing Buddha images on the lower part of the body or in the low parts of a room, not decorating mundane objects with them, not featuring them in tattoos, and not selling them as merchandise.

“We speak out to protect Buddhism by giving correct knowledge on proper treatments [sic] to Buddha images and symbols,” reads the KBO website. “In recent years, Buddha images and statues have been used as ‘Buddhist Art’ for decorations—such as furniture, rather than as a remembrance of his compassion with respect and gratitude.”

But are such concerns with the way people treat Buddha statues Buddhist? In the Brahma Net Sutta (DN 1), the Buddha says, “Monks, if others were to speak in dispraise of me, in dispraise of the dhamma, or in dispraise of the sangha, neither hatred nor antagonism nor displeasure of mind would be proper. If others were to speak in dispraise of me . . . and at that you would be upset and angered, that would be an obstruction for you yourselves.”

In other words, being upset about or monitoring others’ respect toward the Triple Gem can interfere with our practice.

In addition to concerns over the obstacles that our anger can create, the KBO’s campaigns may strike some people as uncomfortably reminiscent of violent protests over cartoons of Mohammed or Hindu riots in India against perceptions of Muslims disrespecting sacred sites or religious rules. Although KBO is explicitly nonviolent, at their annual thousand-strong marches down Khaosan Road in Bangkok, they identify themselves as a “Dharma Army” (kawngtaptham)—which is likely to provoke unease in some observers.

On the other hand, it is admittedly curious that in a time when there is a passionate debate about cultural appropriation and someone can get mobbed online for wearing a Chinese dress to a prom, no concern over the insensitive appropriation of Buddhist imagery seems to have arisen in the public sphere. There may be several factors behind this: a more laissez-faire attitude toward religious imagery in the largely secular West, an ignorance of the vocabulary of respect with which traditional Buddhists treat such images, or a perception that Buddhists would be easygoing about such things.

Although customs about what constitutes respect and disrespect will differ among cultures and lineages, traditions around the world believe in the importance of showing respect for the Triple Gem—the Buddha, the dharma [Buddhist teachings], and the sangha [the community of practitioners]. In this view, disrespect of the Triple Gem has negative spiritual consequences—it creates bad karma. In most cases, however, Buddhists trust the law of karma to work out the consequences of disrespect, and don’t police others’ respect themselves.

Nothing in the Brahma Net Sutta mitigates against the KBO’s campaign to educate people in how to respect Buddhist sentiments and avoid cultural appropriation and insensitivity, although it also suggests such activities carry dangers for those pursuing them. The sutta reminds us that such activities should always be carried out without anger or ill-feeling, and in ways that don’t pose obstacles to our actual practice of the dharma. According to the study by the religious studies scholar Jerryson, Acharavadee Wongsakon, the Thai entrepreneur who founded KBO, made the following reassuring statement at a 2016 march: “With a campaign of over a thousand people, this army does not possess guns or swords. It has no malice or any hidden ill-intent.”

Nevertheless, the secretariat of KBO in 2016, Sayan Chueyuksorn, remarked to Jerryson that he agreed with Sri Lanka’s deportation of tourists for having Buddha tattoos as well as Myanmar’s jailing a bar owner and manager for featuring a Buddha wearing headphones, saying that KBO hoped and expected Thai laws to move in that direction. Faced with the prospect of people facing the real world violence of jail time or deportation for conceptual violence against mere symbols, it would seem wiser for Buddhists to lean err on the side of tolerance as a prophylaxis against sliding into strong-arming others in the name of Buddha.

The last time I was in Vegas, no longer a monk but passing through with my wife and son, Buddha Bar and its like-minded confrere, Little Buddha Restaurant, were both gone. The Buddha warned us not to speculate over the specific workings of karma, so I’ll refrain, but the law of impermanence was clearly manifest.


Matthew Gindin is a journalist and meditation teacher in Vancouver, British Columbia. A former monk in the Thai Forest tradition, he is the author of Everyone in Love: The Beautiful Theology of Rav Yehuda Ashlag.

[David Jamieson]

I almost never get offended at exploitation or appropriation anymore.
Most times, it's bemusing, sometimes it's hilarious, otherwise, no matter what, it's temporary. :p

[GeneChing]

I almost never get offended at exploitation or appropriation anymore.
Most times, it's bemusing, sometimes it's hilarious, otherwise, no matter what, it's temporary. :p
Don't get me wrong with this. I'm not offended. I'm more amused. But being Buddhist myself, I do like to point out the inequality by swapping these zen/buddhist brand names with christian/jew/muslim names.

Right now, I'm indulging in some Zen Party Mix for my office desk snack. It's not bad really, except for the title that sounds like the worse meditation music mix ever. :p


ZEN PARTY MIX (https://sunridgefarms.com/products/snacks_trail_mixes/snack_and_trail_mixes-natural_5/zen-party-mix/868252)

https://d118auby4pbja1.cloudfront.net/products/868252.jpg

The perfect blend of nuts and crackers combine to make a great snack mix with our Zen Party Mix. Tasty sesame sticks along with roasted peanuts, chili crackers, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and tamari roasted almonds all combine to make a light and healthy snack mix perfect for all types of parties. They are also great after a long day on the trail and enjoying the campfire. Kosher Parve (no Dairy).


But I must confess, it's good marketing. I only got this because of the name. And I might even get it again. ;)

[GeneChing]

Zen Is Not A Perfume (https://www.lionsroar.com/zen-is-not-a-perfume/)
BY JAN CHOZEN BAYS| DECEMBER 24, 2018

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In the Fall 2002 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly, Jan Chozen Bays offered this open letter to purveyors of commercial products bearing the label “Zen.”

https://www.lionsroar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/christin-hume-505815-unsplash-copy.jpg
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

As someone who has practiced Zen for thirty years and is called a Zen master by some, I know I should have mastered allowing irritation to arise but not persist. But I haven’t. There’s one thing that really makes me crabby. It is the way the label “Zen” is plastered on anything anyone wants to sell, from perfume to computers.

The point of Zen practice is not to sell anything or anyone. It is not a name for a product. Enlightenment is not something to acquire. It is a process, lifelong—or lifetimes long. It is very hard and very rewarding work.

Zen is not a perfume. The point of Zen is not to cover up the stink of the sweating, striving self. The point of Zen is to put the entire mass of self-centered, self-serving strategies on a funeral pyre, strike a match and burn it down to clean ash. That ash serves as wholesome fertilizer for whatever life arises next, whether cabbage or king.

Does the name Zen really apply to what you are trying to sell or how you sell it?

I hereby ask all those who slap the label “Zen” on their beer bottles, paint it on signs outside their curio shops, or dot.com it on their website, to please think for a moment whether you deserve to use it. Do you know what the word “Zen” means? Have your ad agency guys even looked it up in a Buddhist dictionary? It means samadhi, a profoundly pure and quiet state of mind acquired—no, not acquired! uncovered— through deep meditation. Probably not acquired through buying your product.

At our Zen monastery (which I am not trying to sell, as we just bought it) we have a small business that we call ZenWorks. We think it’s a good name, because we know from personal experience that Zen does work. We’ve watched it transform our greed, anger, and delusion, albeit more slowly than we would like. We also picked the name because our products—air-filled meditation cushions and elevated meditation benches—make the work of Zen easier for those practitioners whose mind and heart are still willing but whose older, bulkier, and stiffer bodies are beginning to complain. We feel we have earned the name and we work at serving it.

Does the name Zen really apply to what you are trying to sell or how you sell it? Two fundamental tenets of Buddhist practice are to want little and to be easily satisfied. Is that your aim? Are you helping people to live a life of less suffering and more happiness through continuous practice of meditation, virtue, and insight?

Think for a moment. Would it make sense to pick names like Catholic Computers, Baptist Bubble Bath, or Lutheran Lager? Would you title a book Jesus and the Art of Selling Jewelry, or Methodism and the Art of Making Muffins? It’s disrespectful to use a name you did not earn.

If you should wish to use the name Zen honestly, let me know. I’d be happy to help you set up a meditation hall in your shop and teach the benefits of Zen practice to your employees. But you have to give them enough time to do it so that it becomes an integral part of their lives, their work, and finally, down the assembly line, your product.

I’m sitting on my cushion (ZenAir™) next to the phone. Give me a call.

This is my point exactly. Although I see more of the humor in it than Master Jan Chozen Bays. :cool:

[GeneChing]

There are probably enough Buddhist Beers (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?6266-Beer) now to make a separate thread from our Zen/Buddhist brand names (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64553-Zen-Buddhist-brand-names) one.

I want some Funky Jesus Beer. :p

Funky Buddha Brewery (https://funkybuddhabrewery.com/)

https://funkybuddhabrewery.com/sites/all/themes/fb_bs/images/logo-lg.png

Funky Buddha Brewery was founded in 2010 in Boca Raton, Florida, and is committed to producing bold craft beers that marry culinary-inspired ingredients with time-honored technique. Our mantra is big, bold flavors, made exactingly with natural ingredients. So, for example, if we say a beer will taste like peanut butter and jelly, you can be sure you’ll smell and taste the fresh roasted peanuts and fruity berry jam. Our flagship beers such as Hop Gun IPA and Floridian Hefeweizen, also strive towards big, bold flavor. It’s who we are.

Our Brewery is located in the heart of Oakland Park’s new Culinary Arts District. The 110,000 sq-ft facility is powered by a 30-barrel, three-piece brewhouse, which feeds nearly 45,000 BBLs of capacity, making us South Florida’s largest craft microbrewery. Each of our distinctive beers is brewed using the finest, all-natural ingredients. We offer tours of our facility, scratch-made grub, and dozens of delicious beers on tap daily.

You can sample our creations in our spacious tap room - open 7 days a week, 11:30am to midnight - as well as in bars and restaurants all across South Florida. Or just pick up a six pack of Hop Gun or Floridian or one of our seasonal offerings at major retailers throughout Florida. And of course, we still brew at our original location in Boca Raton, the Funky Buddha Brewery & Lounge, which has become a test kitchen for our more experimental brews.

See you soon for a pint! Cheers!

https://funkybuddhabrewery.com/sites/default/files/slideshow/boxofbuddhasslider.jpg

[GeneChing]

A cup ramen for Zen Buddhists: New Shindo Ramen Zendo noodles are meat, dairy and egg free (https://soranews24.com/2020/02/07/a-cup-ramen-for-zen-buddhists-new-shindo-ramen-zendo-noodles-are-meat-dairy-and-egg-free/)
Katy Kelly 15 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/d12837-3-900898-2.jpg

These ascetic noodles taste like soy sauce, and leave out all animal products — as well as the five pungent roots!

Sometimes what we think we want and what we need are at odds. Perhaps your body thinks it wants a gigantic slab of beef on a burger, but you’d actually be much more spiritually satisfied with a meatless curry. This goes double in recent times, seeing how the meat industry has a not-insignificant impact on the environment, and so it’s little wonder that the food industry is looking for ways to cater to vegetarian and vegan palates.

But as it turns out, there’s a set of experts who are old hands at this whole “restrictive diet” thing. That’s right: Buddhist monks! Shojin ryori is the name given to the diet eaten by devout monks, and while said diet varies based on location and teachings, the general rules remain the same: no meat, no eggs, no fish — and none of the five pungent roots either. This refers to aromatic roots: garlic, Allium chinense, asafoetida, shallot and mountain leek, all of which are said to “excite and stimulate” the palate.

Shoji Ramen Zendo, a cup ramen brand that went on sale on February 1, promises to avoid animal products — as well as any exciting and stimulating flavors.

▼ Even the packaging is calm, clean and minimalistic.
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/ramennnn.jpg

Zen-Foods, creator of Shoji Ramen Zendo, spent three whole years perfecting their recipe to provide a wholesome, nourishing meal for vegetarians and vegans…while honoring the principles of an austere Zen diet. They’ve dabbled in the cup ramen market prior to this, but this marks Zen-Foods’ first soy sauce ramen, and unlike their previous offerings the Shoji Ramen Zendo comes with soy meat toppings!

▼ Rather than aromatic herbs, this ramen uses bok choy, ginseng and pumpkin for added flavor.
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/d12837-3-132309-1.jpg

The base for the broth was created by brewing Japanese kelp alongside other vegetables in soy sauce, and results in a mellow, “nostalgic” flavor that even meat-eaters should be able to appreciate. And at under 300 kilocalories, it’s a light and refreshing meal that won’t leave you feeling as encumbered as other variations on cup ramen that we could name.

Don’t hold your breath waiting to see this frugal noodle cup on supermarket shelves, though. If you want to taste this healthy twist on a classic snack, you’ll need to order it directly for now, from the supplier in a case of twelve for 3,600 yen plus tax (US$32.78).

Source, images: PR Times
Related: Zen Foods I'd support these if they were available, even if it's almost $3 per cup.

THREADS
Shaolin diet, vegetarianism and stuff (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?61187-Shaolin-diet-vegetarianism-and-stuff)
Zen/Buddhist brand names (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64553-Zen-Buddhist-brand-names)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZgeF5SrCAg

[rett2]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c9-XaA2f00

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsU5jnBaoxY

So basically it's a mini-********-lightsaber?

[GeneChing]

Not quite a Buddhist brand name (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64553-Zen-Buddhist-brand-names), but definitely Bodhidharma (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?2128-Bodhidharma)related.



ASICS GEL-LYTE III "Baltic Jewel" Channels Buddhist Energy With Daruma Doll Inspiration (https://hypebeast.com/2020/12/asics-gel-lyte-iii-og-daruma-doll-baltic-jewel-buddhism-bodhidharma)
Paying homage to its Japanese roots.
Footwear
Dec 22, 2020
By Eric Brain

https://image-cdn.hypb.st/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2020%2F12%2F asics-gel-lyte-iii-og-daruma-doll-baltic-jewel-buddhism-bodhidharma-1.jpeg?q=80&w=1000&cbr=1&fit=max

ASICS pays homage to its Japanese heritage with its latest GEL-LYTE III sneaker, serving a “Baltic Jewel” pair that features inspiration from Daruma dolls.

These traditional Japanese dolls are modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen, or Ch’an Buddhism. Although the dolls typically appear in red, they can be served in various other bold colors such as the bright teal found on the sneaker above.

No matter what color they’re presented in, a Daruma doll always depicts a bearded man. In ASICS’ sneaker, the black beard seen on the rubberized hangtag has been continued into the sneaker’s design, with patent black leather taking form on the mid-panel branding stripes and heel section.

Elsewhere, gold has been used to highlight areas such as the heel and signature GEL-LYTE III components all around, while perforated white leather on the toe box and mid-panel cuts through the bright colors.

Naturally, the pair is finished with its foot-hugging split tongue construction and a tri-density midsole for immense amounts of comfort and support, all while delivering unrivaled amounts of shock absorption.

Take a look at the ASICS GEL-LYTE III in “Baltic Jewel” above, and pick up a pair for yourself from stockists such as Footpatrol. The pair retails for £105 GBP (approx. $140 USD).

In case you missed it, read up on how New Balance won 2020.

These should be red, not teal.