Recreational Buddha

From Brian in Abilene, posted with no comments...

No actual offense is intended to any Buddhists (current or in future incarnations) who may be reading this.

From Wikipedia, with annotations by yours truly.

The Buddha games list is a list of games which it is reputed that Gautama Buddha said that he would not play. As such it dates from the 5th century BC and is the earliest known list of games.
There is some debate about the translation of some of the games mentioned, and the list given here is based on the translation by T.W. Rhys Davids of the Brahmajâla Sutta (Digha Nikaya 1, translated in Dialogues of the Buddha) and is in the same order given in the original. It is also given in a number of other Buddhist works, including the Vinaya Pitaka.

-- Games on boards with 8 or 10 rows. Note that Chess as we know it was not invented at this time. (Yeah, man. The Buddha ain't gonna join your chess club. Geek.)
-- The same games played on imaginary boards. (Whoa ... that's heavy, maaaan.)
-- Marking diagrams on the floor such that the player can only walk on certain places. (You mean like ... er ... crosswalks? Aha! Down with crosswalks!)
-- Using nails to place or remove pieces from a heap with the loser being the one who causes the heap to wobble (such as pick-up sticks). (I knew there was a reason I didn't like that damned Jenga game.)
-- Throwing dice. (Again, uh oh. My years of D&D back in high school and college will single-handedly keep me reincarnating for the near future.)
-- Hitting a short stick with a long stick (there is still some debate about the translation of this line) This game ... I ... I MUST HAVE IT.
-- Drawing a figure on the ground or wall after dipping a finger in lac, red dye, flour or water, and having the other players guess what the picture is going to be. (Buddha Hates Pictionary!)
-- Ball games. (There goes all of Western society.)
-- Playing with toy pipes made of leaves. (As opposed to putting leaves in toy pipes. Which is only legal in Amsterdam, I think.)
-- Ploughing with a toy plough. (Because that's fun!)
-- Somersaulting. (I never could do one, so I'm safe here.)
-- Playing with toy windmills. (A problem that even today plagues our youth.)
-- Playing with toy measures. ("Hey, Billy! Let's go see if the curb is level!" "Rockin'!")
-- Playing with toy carts. (No Hot Wheels.)
-- Playing with toy bows. (No more scaring your sister/the dog/your school guidance counselor.)
-- Guessing at letters traced with the finger in the air or on a friend's back. (A sure way to get a harassment suit these days.)
-- Guessing a friend's thoughts. (If I could do this, I wouldn't be worried about seeking enlightenment. It'd be rich!)
-- Imitating deformities.

While one can certainly agree with the last one (and playing with toy windmills has never been my thang), doesn't this list cover just about every cool game ever made?

Apparently, the Buddha had no problem with card games, so those are safe if you wish to still get together with friends on the weekends and still remove yourself from the karmic wheel of eternal Samsara. It's nice to know that one can take the Vow of the Bodhisattva, resolving to save all things from ignorance and move creation toward enlightenment, while still enjoying the occasional round of Go Fish.

The idea of the Dalai Lama playin' a mean game of 21 has to make you smile, at least somewhat.

Brian
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