Plastic Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva Stories #17
The Plastic Bodhisattva is popular everywhere but also despised everywhere. It is very puzzled and helpless about being caught in such a dilemma. Compared to the rare Gold Bodhisattva, Silver Bodhisattva, or the less rare Copper Bodhisattva, Iron Bodhisattva, the Plastic Bodhisattva follows the convenient path, ferrying sentient beings in a skillful way. However, the Plastic Bodhisattva has never received the respect a Bodhisattva deserves, let alone worship. The only feeling it gives you is that it’s cheap.
Compared to the ancient Bodhisattvas, the Plastic Bodhisattva was born quite recently, with only a history of about a hundred years. It’s no wonder that the Plastic Bodhisattva is a bit self-satisfied, considering the widespread impact it has had on sentient beings at such a young age. Especially in the second half of the twentieth century, the Plastic Bodhisattva infiltrated every corner of the human world, with every daily necessity replaced by plastic. Plastic cutlery, plastic containers, plastic boxes, plastic bags, plastic stationery, as well as plastic schoolbags, plastic ornaments, plastic records, plastic film, plastic banknotes, etc. The Plastic Bodhisattva has a very high ability to transform, is flexible in character, nimble in movement, as well as durable and not easily damaged. It has surpassed all Bodhisattvas that have ever existed and brought blessings to the human world.
Safety and kindness are also strengths of the Plastic Bodhisattva. Therefore, children’s toys are all incarnations of the Plastic Bodhisattva. Plastic dolls, blocks, balls, musical instruments, kitchenware, food, trains, guns... none of them will harm a child’s body. As for adult products, whether for pleasure or practical needs, the Plastic Bodhisattva is the unparalleled choice. The Plastic Bodhisattva is truly a Bodhisattva that cherishes the human body; no wonder even medical supplies, such as syringes, gloves, protective clothing, etc., are all made with it, because they can be disposed of after use, which is very hygienic. The Plastic Bodhisattva is not afraid of self-sacrifice; it has infinite incarnations, inexhaustible even when abandoned. Isn’t that the greatest virtue in the world?
The Plastic Bodhisattva is omnipresent, but its omnipresence is precisely the problem. People have discovered that the Plastic Bodhisattva has damaged the environment because it is stubborn and refuses to decompose easily. The convenient methods have become massive misuse and massive disposal. Plastic bags, forks, spoons, straws, etc., accumulate in the soil in large quantities, and even if they decompose, they turn into harmful microplastics, entering nature, polluting water sources, and poisoning living beings. It’s utterly unexpected that the safety-conscious Plastic Bodhisattva has become a danger to the world; the Bodhisattva that cherishes the human body has also become the culprit of doing harm to the human body. Because of this, the Plastic Bodhisattva is very troubled.
The Plastic Bodhisattva, skilled at taking on different forms and imitating, is also criticized for being fake. Because it is synthetic, inorganic, and lifeless. Plastic Bodhisattva can’t help but feel wronged: aren’t the Gold Bodhisattva, Silver Bodhisattva, and Copper Bodhisattva all made from mined minerals? Aren’t the Wood Bodhisattva, Stone Bodhisattva, and Mud Bodhisattva all subjected to extraction and processing? I am refined from petroleum products, my past life was biological remains, so how can you say I am unnatural, that I am a counterfeit? Isn’t everything interdependent, with no absolute self-nature? If you say it’s fake, then everything is fake; if you say it’s true, then everything is true. Plastic Bodhisattva insists on its own views and will not give in, making people feel that it is indeed very stubborn, very plastic.
Because of resisting the cycle of reincarnation, the Plastic Bodhisattva nearly had its Bodhisattva status revoked. It’s not that it is unwilling to cooperate, for example by using biodegradable substances, or by reducing misuse and disposal. But all this is not the fault of the Plastic Bodhisattva, it is the fault of humans; it’s not a problem with the convenient methods, but humans have twisted these methods. With so much misunderstanding and under so much attack, the Plastic Bodhisattva is sad but tearless. After all, the Plastic Bodhisattva was born with a plastic face, insoluble in water, and emits unpleasant smoke when burned. Although it benefits all beings, it is not very loved among them. Aren’t humans too ungrateful?
When it comes to manifesting a Bodhisattva’s form, the Plastic Bodhisattva has never had such fortune. Historically, Bodhisattva statues have been carved or cast from various materials, with poses that are either dignified, luxurious, majestic, or simple, but there has never been one made of plastic. The disdain for the Plastic Bodhisattva couldn’t be more severe. Although the Plastic Bodhisattva feels aggrieved, it can only see this as an opportunity to practice the Paramita of Endurance.
Eventually, the Plastic Bodhisattva found a figurine resembling a Bodhisattva which is made of plastic. It is a kind of model of anime characters, very popular among anime fans. Among them is a very popular piece about demon-slaying, which features a character with a robust physique resembling a Zen monk, hands together in prayer, holding Buddhist prayer beads, and having “Namo Amitabha” (Trust in or homage to Amita Buddha) written on the collar. He is blind in both eyes, with tears streaming down the face, as if full of compassion for the sufferings of the world. The Plastic Bodhisattva wishes to manifest and be incarnated in this form, so that it could finally stand on the altar. And if it could be accompanied by a few plastic flowers and some plastic fruits, it would be nearly perfect.