Homeless monk's Employment Wanted ad

Homeless Noah Yuttadhammo's Employment Wanted ad.

It's been kind of a foggy, weird day for me. Like I'd been mugged.

But I got a personal email [really, an alert telling me a comment had been posted in Homeless Tom, another of my blogs], that has made me happy.

The blogpost to Homeless Tom was put up over a year ago. It's about an opinion piece I submitted to the Sacramento Bee in April of 2009, titled "Who the Sacramento Homeless Really Are, and How Best to Help Them. Guidance from an Insider."

In the piece, I wrote some things I now know are wrong by a country mile — like recommending sending money to funds-hoarding Loaves & Fishes or creepy VOA — but I also wrote this, as my recommendation of something the public should do for Homeless World Sacramento:

What do we need? Vegetables! There's lots and lots of sugar and starch in Homeless World, but artichokes and asparagus are next to unheard of. See if you can get your grocery store to help you out and sell you some produce that is being taken off the sales floor and GIVE it to you, or sell it to you at a deep discount, which you can GIVE to us!

Broccoli, green beans, asparagus, onions and tomatoes, hooray! If the quantity seems enough to provide a serving to feed a hundred-twenty, take what you collect to Union Gospel Mission [400 Bannon St.; Sacramento].

And I wrote this, which I stand by:

But savaged with problems or not, you will find, among the homeless, in greater proportion than in the general population, people with mighty hearts and kind natures – folks who are likable, lovable, thoughtful and as generous as they can be. Not surprisingly, Jesus was homeless [Matt 8:20], as was Buddha. And as are saints [like St. Francis and Margaret of Cortona] and bodhisattvas [like Layman Pang and Noah Yuttadhammo].

Noah posted a comment in May, 2009, which read:

You embarass me! I may be a homeless bum, but I'm no Bodhisattva. Just an ordinary bum. Next month I plan to hit the streets of Hollywood with the beggars. I already walk for alms here in North Hollywood, but I have a room in which to stay for the time being.

Thanks for the great article.

Peace and love,

Yuttadhammo

I responded (from two comments I wrote):

Yes, you don't accept that you are a bodhisattva -- you not being a mahayana buddhist -- but I arrogantly proclaim you one, anyway.

[also, yuttadhammo, there's that Classified ad thing.] J'accuse

That ad thing is pictured in this blogpost. How excellent to gain meditation training from an expert monk for the mere loan of a shed as a place to live!

By the way:  Don't miss Noah's wonderful blog, Truth is Within.

Noah's addition to the comment stream, today:

Ruined Monastery.

Sorry, I missed your replies. Forgot about that ad... well, I did end up staying under a picnic table once in North Hollywood. Just me, my robes and the cement. One of the best nights of my life.

Keep up the good work!

Ah ha! Curious thing, if you go to Noah's blogsite, one of the pictures in the Mast part, to the right, looks like Noah living under a tarp and in a tent.  The picture is titled "Ruined Monastery," which is sad, and explains Noah's sad-looking disposition, I think.  He looks (and is!) homeless, there, surely.

O, Noah!  You are tremendous, my bodhisattva friend.