A statue of a Laughing Buddha
watches the traffic
on Hastings Street.
He laughs, I think,
at our frantic busyness,
and his large stomach
suggest one who is ready
to give birth
to compassion for all beings.

The Laughing Buddha
sits in front of
a Buddhist temple,
and the door
of the temple
is graced with Buddhist teachings.
“Be decent, wise
and don’t engage
in selfish competition,
but do meritorious deeds
for the benefit of others,”
is one of the teachings.

For months I repeated
this teaching
every time I caught the bus
in front of the temple.
“Be decent, wise
and don’t engage in selfish competition,
but do meritorious deeds
for the benefit of others.”
It became a mantra for me.
It helped me orient myself
to the events of the day.
The Laughing Buddha
became my friend.

One morning in late autumn
I was waiting for the bus,
and repeating my helpful mantra,
when I noticed
an old man shuffling along,
mumbling to himself.
his white hair was disheveled,
his clothes were as old
as he was,
and he looked confused
by the rush hour traffic
roaring by.

When he saw the Laughing Buddha,
the old man stopped
and gazed long and hard
at him.
Then he stepped
into the flowerbed
where the Buddha sat,
and carefully avoiding the flowers,
he slowly approached the statue,
one deliberate step at a time.
When he reached the Buddha,
he paused in intense concentration.
Then he threw his arms
around the neck
of the Laughing Buddha
and kissed him.
After that, he steppd back,
smiling.
Carefully, he made his way
to the sidewalk,
bowed to the Buddha,
and went on his way.