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I'm a lay Buddhist and it's almost Christmas, and I would like to know if it is acceptable for Buddhists to celebrate Santa Claus. I have children and want them to be happy. Does anyone know the answer to this question? Thanks! P.S. My question is somewhat related to this one.

Lotus
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To quote the eminent Rev. Lovejoy - "Santa doesn't leave presents under the Bodhi Tree!" ;-)

https://www.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/1dfa24e6-d8cf-48c2-9f6d-2f5eaef9209e

Of course it's acceptable! If Buddha isn't merriment, then what good is it?

user20010
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  • I don't disagree with the overall message. I only want to encourage to keep the fourth prescrept in mind to not lie. My advice would be to handle it like you would theater or movies. Play and act your role but don't get caught up in lies. – user19838 Dec 13 '20 at 15:07
  • @user19838 Thanks for the advice! – Lotus Dec 13 '20 at 15:21
  • @user20010 Why are you talking about an anti-Buddhist TV show? This is a serious Buddhism Q&A. Please refrain from talking about this kind of stuff. Note: I accepted the answer at first since I didn't know that what you were talking about was an anti-Buddhist TV show. "Rev. Lovejoy" is not a real person, he's just a dude from a TV show. – Lotus Dec 14 '20 at 00:08
  • An old woman built a hermitage for a monk and supported him for twenty years. One day, to test the extent of the monk’s enlightenment and understanding, she sent a young, beautiful, girl to the hut with orders to embrace him. When the girl embraced the monk and asked, “How is this?” He replied stiffly, “A withered tree among frozen rocks; not a trace of warmth for three winters.” Hearing of the monk’s response, the old woman grabbed a stick, went to the hermitage, beat him and chased him out of the hut. She then put the hermitage to the torch and burned it to the ground. – user20010 Dec 14 '20 at 02:13
  • Now step aside. I've got a torch for that thatched roof over your head. X-D – user20010 Dec 14 '20 at 02:14
  • Um, what do you mean? (Sorry if I've offended you; I didn't mean to do that. :) – Lotus Dec 14 '20 at 11:38
  • Its a koan. What's represented in the story is a monk who is super serious about his practice. So serious, in fact, that he basically becomes a dead hunk of stone. Someone sitting with this koan would say "no warmth" on their out breath and investigate those places in their lives where the burdensome seriousness of their practice is keeping "the warmth" of life from reaching them. – user20010 Dec 14 '20 at 12:04
  • I just moved this conversation to chat. Thanks! – Lotus Dec 14 '20 at 12:31
  • The original text makes no mention of the woman instructing the young girl to embrace the monk to test him, nor about the girl being attractive. She instructs the girl to - the closest approximate translation is "to wait on him" as in "to serve him food and drink". The koan is as much about the old woman's reaction as it is about the monk's. The monk's answer is in the form and includes the mandated seasonal theme of a Haiku. It symbolizes by contrast the summer (of life) now long passed. From that perspective there is warmth and wisdom in the hermit's response, but not in the old woman's. – Codosaur Dec 15 '20 at 08:55
  • I'd be curious to see that version if you could provide it. Mine is from Entangling Vines c. 1689 and its that one that my line of Rizai works with. Frankly, I'm not sure how the version you're talking about is particularly useful. But again, without seeing the text, I can't really comment. – user20010 Dec 15 '20 at 11:57
  • Interesting. It's in my copy of the Record of the Transmission of the Lamp too. That dates to about 1007 CE. Same basic text though. – user20010 Dec 15 '20 at 12:19
  • So basically your version is the monk saying that his dick doesn't work anymore?? –  Dec 15 '20 at 13:10
  • @000 If you want to continue the discussion, please use the chat link I provided above. Thank you. – Lotus Dec 15 '20 at 14:48