thread: 2007-01-25 : Worship followup
On 2007-01-25, Curly wrote:
The storefront Buddhist temple downstairs has a cardboard box full of oranges, marked 'FREE'.
I've been grabbing one each morning, when I walk the dog.
They're really good. I figured it was because they ripen for a few days
on the ancestors' altar, before they're put in the FREE box. Either that or they're blessed with kung-fu powers.
The other day, there were bundles of long, red, unused incense sticks in the box, too. It occured to me then that the oranges—like the incense—were in the box so that people would have a supply to bring-in and offer. Not take away and eat. I took another orange anyway, and ate it.
Today I didn't take an orange, but only because we were on the other side of the street, and I wasn't going to cross the damn street just to steal an orange.
So. Was it a desecration to take the oranges, when I thought they were for eating? Intent doesn't matter?
I even thought that it might count as a prayer to eat the orange. Does sincerely intending it as a prayer make it one?
Now that I know they aren't for eating, is my blasphemy worse? Or does bad intent count against me/ even tho good intent doesn't spare me?
What about being too lazy to cross the street—is my sloth to be commended, because it stopped my reign of blasphemy?
Delicious, delicious blasphemy.
What should I do tomorrow?
