In My Next Life, I Want To Be a Japanese Buddhist Monk
Two years ago I said I wanted to be a Japanese construction worker in my next life, but I’ve changed my mind. I now want to be a Japanese Buddhist monk. There are a variety of sects with different practices, but generally speaking, they’re not burdened with vows of poverty or celibacy. However, their numbers are declining, and many are trying to do something about it:
…with the rise in funeral parlors in Japan cutting into what had been a Buddhist monopoly, coupled with decreasing interest in Buddhism in general, Buddhist monks are worried about their future. Each year, lack of financial support shutters about 1,000 of Japan’s 80,000 Buddhist temples, some of them with vibrant histories stretching back centuries.
To counter this trend, Buddhist monks have taken to the airwaves, the stage and even to the club scene in an advertising effort that is as cutting-edge as it is astonishing.
That quote is from an article about a monk who raps (click the link above to see a video of him). The monk who got my attention the most, however, is Strong Machine 1. He’s a break dancer, and has trained his daughter – Strong Machine 2 – to form a father-daughter team. Here they are at the Anime Matsuri festival earlier this year:
Strong Machine 2′s career has taken off. She’s been in several music videos and TV commercials in Japan. If you want to see more, she’s the girl wearing the randoseru in this Polysics video (good dancing, irritating music).
Here’s a Buddhist monk with a couple of great custom cars (the first two in the video are his – see English translations of the highlights at Pink Tentacle):
In the past, some Buddhist monks in northern Japan figured out a grueling procedure to mummify themselves while still alive. Of course, the end result was death. That’s not the kind of monk I want to come back as though. I’d rather come back as an accomplished break dancer or have a mind boggling custom car 
.
