Buddhists and anime and ninjas, oh my!

Americans come to Buddhist practices for many reasons.  Tonight I got to learn a new one.

My experience is that most people who were not born into Buddhist families either begin to come to meditation groups or enter a more committed phase of practice when they are confronted with the truth of their suffering in a way that makes it unable to ignore.  Others recognize that they live in a way that feels unsettled or stressful, and they hope that mindfulness will teach them to get through the day in a calmer way.  For others (and this was more my approach), it is a gradual unfolding as the dharma becomes revealed over time, perhaps with moments of epiphany.

Tonight I was leading our Mindfulness and Meditation group, and we had some newer people there, one of whom was Chloe, a girl of about 8 or 9 who had come with her mother.  While I was setting up, I asked Chloe if she would like some crayons or something to do during the meditation.  She said, "Oh no, I like meditation!" I asked her if she thought she'd be more comfortable on a chair or on a cushion, and she thought she'd be more comfortable on a cushion.  So I took her to choose a zafu that she would like, and she helped her mother get set up.  She also informed me that she meditates in a different way than others, with her hands palms together, and first two fingers of each hand straight, and second two intertwined.

We began with a 10-minute settling meditation, then some open discussion about the book we're reading (Zen Heart), and then a longer guided meditation based on one of the practices.  During our discussion, I asked Chloe why she liked meditating.  She said because she likes the Japanese anime-style show, Naruto, in which some of the characters meditate.  Oh, and also there's a ninja.

Chloe had a difficult time with the longer meditation, and expressed the frustration many meditators feel at the difficulty of staying on the cushion.  She ultimately needed to leave a bit early.

Apparently we need more ninjas.