I’m reading the web through different eyes. I’m thinking (which isn’t always such a good idea) that I’m not using the right words to get Jizo into the mainstream of American consciousness.
I just visited a site I was almost afraid to see: cabinporn.com. I thought it might be real porn, shot in cabins. Who knows? Still, I trusted the person who had it on their Facebook page. It was a lovely site. Nothing pornographic, in the 1990 definition of porn, completely pornographic in the 2014 popular way of catching your attention with the word.
Clearly, from all the E-Commerce reports I have read about Jizo & Chibi, I know people love my work if they know who Jizo is. Unfortunately, most people don’t know.
I just read a piece about how a cancer diagnosis gets us focused on what we really want. I know what I really want and I already get to do everything I want to do — I love seeing patients in my office, I love painting Jizo and sending Jizo pendants and art and photos to the people who buy them. I also love my husband, my horse and my two dogs and a few great friends.
But if I were given a diagnosis that gave me six more months to live, I might just take the leap and change the name of my blog to Jizo Porn. I’ve been considering a name change to The Jizo Journal to make it more keyword-friendly (it seems Chibi is getting in Jizo’s way when it comes to algorithms and search engines). But who needs another frigging Journal when really what gets attention — even mindful attention — is sex. Sex. Tantric, hot, Jizo sex.
I don’t have a terminal diagnosis. And so I wonder. I debate.
Am I being impatient? Maybe. Not sure. We are coming up on five years here, me and my little enterprise, my little legacy project and yes, many people have said many nice things. I always remember Jan Chozen Bays telling me, “Making Jizo is one thing, marketing him is quite another.” I am not a salesperson, I am a psychotherapist and a writer, I paint and I ride a horse named Bodhi. I have a lovely husband and two amazing dogs. I don’t know the first thing about selling, but I do know how to tell stories.
I know there are radically cool Buddhists who call themselves Buddha Riot or Radical Zen, or even Zen Sluts. But when you visit these sorts of sites (no links provided), it’s not slutty and it’s not even radical. Maybe it’s what too many self-published words are creating — we have to shout radical-ish words to be heard amidst the confetti of 140 characters. So I thought I should take Jizo Porn out for a spin and see what happens. I will also likely try The Jizo Orgasm, because you really can’t have a great orgasm without being grounded, right? I remember when I saw the musical Avenue Q in London, one of the biggest laughs was a Cookie Monster character who would intone one word: “PORN!” and the audience would roar. Still, I will also so try Jizo Haiku and I may just fall back on The Jizo Journal as a name change.
On Ebay, next to all the antique Jizo statues, are dolls in bondage, like the rope tied Jizo (Shibarare Jizo). When I see her, it’s a little jarring but she’s becoming ubiquitous, so maybe I need to listen to this basic instinct and follow it, for at least a few blogs. Initially, I was going to use her image, but one of my Jizo peeps told me it was just not in keeping with my work. I had to agree.
Let me know your thoughts. I am sincere. If it takes the word porn to bring the Buddhist protector of women, children and travelers into the West, then I will shoulder on, porn and all. So long as I am laughing and equanimous, it’s all right.
Shibarare Jizo
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