Pimp my Zendo - Sonja deWit

So here’s my idea for Sangha Sundays. I’m just throwing this out, O.K., but once you get what I’m saying, I’ll bet the ideas come flooding in.

Our Zendo is so Twelfth-Century Japanese minimalist. No one’s going to disagree with me on that one. My point is, it’s time to move into the moment.

Start with the walls. The walls of this place are simply begging for something. Kids with finger paints, kids with crayons, kids with felt pens. I would personally go for those big brushes they use in pre-school, loaded with goops of gorgeous colour. Go nuts, kids!

The top half of the walls we give to the young men in the Sangha. Each one gets a couple of spray cans. To keep with the Zen theme, they do a tag from the Final Instruction of Daito Kokushi. I’d like to see a few Mr. Natural cartoons in the bathroom, which is, I suppose, my generation showing.

Next, the zabutons. They are so black. What’s with all the black everywhere? We need to revisit black as the no-colour of choice here. As a decorator statement, what is it saying? Like, this is the true expression of our fundamental no-self? At the very least, I’d like to see a few sequins, a bit of appliqué. OK, say it: colour! Ditto for the zafus. Braid, tassels, brocade – these are style choices that say cushion, and possibly they say zafu as well.

We are going to banish the word “tacky” from our vocabulary. After all, “to set up likes and dislikes is nothing but the mind’s disease”.

The next thing I’d like to tackle is the black martial arts suit. I see a lot of sloppy fits. Also, the black again. Black is pretty dark, when you think about it. This is the fashion statement we want to make? It’s enlightenment, people, not enblackenment!

Then of course, the Buddha figurines. This will be an individual thing. I see something psychedelic, but again, I am at home in the Sixties. What we do, we plaster-cast a couple of trays of Buddhas, and each member plus family and/or friend paints his or her own. Why limit yourself? Do two or three! Buddhas everywhere!

These are just a few suggestions but you see where I’m going with this. There’s a lot of areas I haven’t even touched on, that can use a little sprucing up. It’s the perfect activity for Sangha Sundays. With a little imagination, we’ll have enough to keep us busy for years to come.