Weekend Dichotomy

As the Clash song goes: "Well, I just got back and I wish I never leave now..."

I jut returned from Las Vegas for a work event. Last week, Zen Retreat, this week Las Vegas. I have only heard one suggestion that would be farther off and that would be if I went to Amsterdam. I have never been a Vegas fan. We went there about 10 years ago at the suggestion that "you just have to see it". I agree, to some degree, that it is a spectacle to see, a unique place in our country, a famous landmark to a degree, like the Mount Rushmore of excess.

I understand if you enjoy gambling, enjoy nightlife and walking the streets with oversized drinks this would be a great place, and I don't really fault those who enjoy it. I don't. Even less so lately.

I tried get involved, I played a slot machine (Star Wars) and was really bored in about the time it took half of my $2 to go through a penny slot. There is no strategy, just the repeated pressing on the button that makes your money go away. This machine, by the way has been designed to slowly remove you from your money. Slowly, so you feel like you are winning, but ultimately, its main purpose is to remove your money from you. Some people enjoy the process, they are entertaining to a degree, but I really just can't stand more then a few minutes watching, then I get bored.

One thing that Vegas does have that I am a fan of is good restaurants. I really do like trying all sorts of food and they have some really great ones there. One night we went to "Tao" (the restaurant, not like the "unnamed" source of all things). This place was really beautiful - looked like a huge temple complete with 2 story Buddha statue and decor. Now, I was really, actually kinda torn by this place. The food was great, but pricey and I really liked the interior, but part of me was really getting upset over the commercialization of the statues and the theme in general. Here was all of these great pieces of art and what they represent is not the debauchery of a vegas restaurant. They even had a large photo of a Tibetan monk on the wall. I doubt he expected his image to sit over this place when it was made.

So again - this Dichotomy of approaches came into my head. I enjoyed myself, food was great, it was nice to be in a cool restaurant with my wife, having fun. Although, by doing so, I add to the "ok-ness" of using a figure of Buddha as decor. This type of thing never really bothered me as it does now. I wonder what response people would have if they had a nightclub with a two story Jesus statue over the dinning room and pictures of nuns on the wall (no doubt this concept will be a night club there by next year). They certainly didn't like that I started doing prostrations in the middle of the walkway (I didn't really do that, but maybe should have).


Ultimately, these are just statues and nothing more. There is nothing "holy" about them. Heck, Holy isn't really a part of the Buddhist concept, and these are no more then carved wood and plaster. They could be in the shape of a ScoobyDoo or a Bust of Elvis, but in this case they are in the shape of the Buddha. So, does that make it a bad thing - or just ridiculous? Some people don't think its a good idea to put a Buddhist statue in the bathroom. I used to feel the same. I think the zen approach wouldn't be so upset by that - taking a shit is as Buddhist as prostrations and beads. Maybe we should put more statues in the bathroom to remember that.

One thing that I find being in these situations, like in Vegas, and maybe its what bothered me more, is that it was easier to be tempted to do things I am trying not to do. Like drink alcohol in excess, like eat in excess, or spend money in excess (which happens there whether you try or not). But putting myself into those situations, it is harder to act how I would like to. So, why do it? I can tell you I didn't do any prostration while I was there, even though I intended to. I didn't meditate once, as has been my practice lately.

Living in the "mundane" world as we are said to be, is hard enough without the added tempation. Monks who live in monestaries are doing so to remove themselves one more step from the "mundane" world and avoid even regular temptations that distract us from practice. Living in the shit makes your job harder, but can also make your practice stronger.

So, I didn't like Vegas before I went, and still don't, but this time I actually knew why. I put myself in check alot. I considered my precepts much more then I normally have to. I learned that between the choice of prostrations, sleeping on the floor and eating my food out of a begging bowl, or a cushy hotel room and nightlife, I am happier and more comfortable in the first situation. I guess that is all part of the trip.

So, as they say "what happens in Vegas, stays in vegas". My hope is that it all stays in Vegas, contained and at a great distance.