Mayberry "Ohm" F. D.

Lately, I’ve been reading about Buddhism.  The thing I like most about it is that it is based in common sense.  When I first thought heard about Buddhism, I thought it was reserved for those Asian men who wore robes and lived in Temples.  I thought they worshipped Buddha.  Boy, was I wrong! 

These monks and other followers don’t “worship” Buddha, they take his basic teachings and use them to live a better life.  At the same time, they do not follow any religion blindly.  Think of Buddhism as basic as living life in Mayberry R.F.D.  The concepts involve ideas and difficulties of normal, every day life.  Let me provide some scenarios if the town of Mayberry became Buddhists:

Goober to Gomer:  “Wanna hear my Buddhist impression?  Buddha-Buddha-Buddha!”

 (Think of his Cary Grant impression, Judy, Judy, Judy!)

Opie to Andy:  “Paw, I shot the Mama bird but didn’t know she had baby birds to feed.”

Andy to Opie:  “Opie, you had no right to kill that bird, regardless of whether it had baby birds or not.  What goes around, comes around.  You need to have respect for all living things.  Gate’, Gate’ Para- sumgate’, Gone! Gone! (Perfect Understanding)

Barney to Andy:  “Hey Ange, you and Helen going to the dance?”

Andy to Barney:  “Naw, I thought we’d have a dharma on the front porch instead.  You and Betty Lou should come over.”

Aunt Bee to Andy:  “Andy!  The freezer is broken!  I need to have it fixed!”

Andy to Aunt Bee:  “Aunt Bee, Call the monk!”

Aunt Bee to Andy:  “But, Andy!  I thought maybe…”

Andy to Aunt Bee:  “Call the monk!”

(Think of Andy's persistent response, Aunt Bee, Caaalllll the man!) 

Floyd, The Barber to Andy:  “Hey, Andy, I’m supposed to attend a barber’s convention in Mount Pilot next week.”

Andy: “All the way up in Mount Pilot? That’s great, Floyd”

Floyd, The Barber:  “I’m feeling anxious about it, there are going to be all these master barbers and experts from Mount Pilot and here I’ll be from little ole’ Mayberry.  They will all be better than me.”

Andy to Floyd:  “Kill the Buddha, Kill the Buddha!”

Floyd:  “Ah, Ah, Thanks, Andy.”

More Musings Later- (Shalom!)