Yesterday I skipped updating my blog. I felt drained of energy, and a Japanese pop song called "Monkey Magic" kept looping in my head.
From there my thoughts took a strange turn— to Emperor Go-Daigo, a 14th-century Japanese ruler whose name includes the word "daigo." Somehow, in my silly imagination, this became "Emperor Yogurt II"!?
There is a Japanese expression "daigomi," which means the essence or the best part of something. It comes from "daigo," a refined dairy product, somewhat like yogurt. In Mahayana Buddhism, "daigo" became a metaphor for the supreme taste of ultimate truth. Just as milk is gradually refined into daigo, listening to the Dharma can lead step by step to the taste of truth.
Strangely enough, a pop song led me to reflect on the very heart of Buddhism. After dinner, I think I’ll have a spoonful of yogurt. This too, perhaps, is the daigomi of a bonpu—an ordinary foolish being like me.
日本語版note:「ゴダイゴ」→「後醍醐天皇」→「ヨーグルト天皇二世」（！？）
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