Building sand castles for charity

‘No regrets’ spouted the words from the TV box as an advert about chocolate completed its 30 second cycle.

'Again'. Ono sighed. He was sat on a small cushion meditating in the morning sun on the small terrace, when weirdly the TV had turned on by itself. New technology? He tried to ignore it as he focused on his meditation from the third floor apartment, while overlooking a grey solemn London in the year 2049.

It was something about the words 'no regrets' that sent a shiver down his spine, a memory, perhaps and thought of regrets of how his life could have been, had he not become a Zen Buddhist Monk and come to England.

'We want to make a difference,' said Ono, 'the idea is to embrace poverty as according to the Zen philosophy.'

Ono and Harrison were brother in-laws, but they really they looked nothing alike. Ono had a huge unmisable golf sized permanent bump on his forehead which had been there since birth and was tall and already with receding hair at the tender age of 29. Harrison, who was two years the younger, was much more of a stockier build than his half-brother, far shorter, but with the great fortune of possessing golden flowing locks, just like his mother's had been.

"Second chances” TV show had been a huge success for Harrison and Ono, that was much true, and they were now two very rich American-Japanese born monks of the Zen Buddhism order living together in a small apartment in the West part of London.

‘There is no such thing as second chances. That’s why we called it second chances. It’s ironic.’

‘Uh-huh.’

Said the article in one of the tabloids last week.

‘Our TV show is about making the point that in life you can actually have as many chances as you want. Just don’t become too attached to any of it.’ said Ono soberly, with a tint of sudden passion in his voice.

'Was what they were doing right?' thought Ono, as he continued to stare across the dab colourless city.

Four months ago, the idea for the show had come to Ono like a flash of lightening during a visit to the ‘Feinting Goat’ bar in Soho, where they usually went to go and chat to the locals.

It always drew a lot of attention of course, their presence there and even before the production of the award winning show, they had become minor celebrities. These two Monks were probably the most popular and now wealthiest Monks on the planet, but their success came with a price. The thought of it made Ono's heart sink - this wasn't meant to be how it all turned out. Their wealth went completely against the concept of embracing poverty, and was going completely against the Zen philosophy and way of thinking.

It all began 5 years ago when their fortunes took a turn for the better or worse (depending on how you look at it) and were invited to run a Buddhist temple in London. London had brought them a lot of success, despite the country's devestation.

The idea of their TV programme “Second chances” aimed to bring Zen Buddhism to the West in one last attempt to persuade the masses in European countries like the UK, a fallen giant, the 'true ways of Zen'.

Present day.

Journalist Sarah Pipkin had joined Ono and they both now sat on the small terrace looking out at a grey overcast London, with Sarah clutching a pen and small notepad, as Harrison prepared the drinks in the kitchen.

The plump forty-something journalist Sarah Pipkin peered and squinted menancingly at the monk named Ono through mirky glass covered eyes, while at the same time listened to the same advert on the TV, playing in the background, about chocolate which seemed to come on whether the TV was turned on or not. New technology.

While the journalist deliberated, Ono was reflecting on his parent’s decision 25 years ago to move from America to misty and rainy Japan. ‘No regrets, no regrets.’

A flock of birds, each the size of Ono's hand swept back and forth across the balcony. Below there was the ugly junk yard still, about the size of a football pitch, positioned next to the narrow river. ‘Pah’ ‘London.’ 

‘You zon’t like?’ asked Sarah Pipkin with a hint of sarcasm in broken English, she began to softly bite the end of her pen in thought.

‘How on earth did we end up here?’ Thought Ono.

‘Well?’ asked Sarah Pipkin again, ‘What do you zzink about it?’

‘Think about what?’

‘Uugggh you’re not even listening to me are you?’ she said angrily, 'the interview has started Mr. Greenley!'

At that moment, Harrison arrived with a tray of drinks to break the sudden awkwardness of the exchange, to the relief of Ono. He was not ready for this - her presence had brought an air of 'prickliness'. 'Breathe it in and accept. Let the energy flow. It is what it is.' He managed to calm himself.

The second Monk unsteadily placed the black plastic tray on the small table and began to pour some tea into the three cups from a porcelain pot which was as white as field of snow, but in the shape of a cat.

Sarah watched him with one eye brow firmly raised.

‘I love cats,’ said Monk Harrison shrugging as he poured the tea, ‘sorry I don’t have anything stronger.’

‘Like what?’ asked Sarah.

‘Oh I don’t know some sort of alcoholic drink…you seem like the sort of…’ Harrison stopped himself before he could finish the sentence and began to turn slightly red.

‘…the sort of person who enjoys an alcoholic drink at 11am in the morning,’ Sarah finished for him, ‘nice manners.’ Her English accent seemed to get stronger when she was angry.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Harrison awkwardly before leaving the condiments on the table and hurrying back into the kitchen.

Both men were dressed in the traditional Zen custom; simple mustard yellow robes, but that didn't matter, the interview was going awfully so far.

'So where did the idea of your show "Second Chances" begin?

Ono held his cup of tea delicately between two thin fingers as he described that Zen means meditation in Sanskrit and it is a tradition of Buddhism that originated in India, grew in China and came to fulfilment in Japan.

Ono continued to talk about how in the late 2020s a second wave of hippies, similar to the 1970s, rebelled from the new impositions applied by UK and US governments and resulted in people seeking to discover a second drug boom of hallugeogenic drugs and travel to exotic places around the world to discover enlightenment. History repeating itself.

Ono's father and Harrison's mother serendipitously met abroad in mystical Japan at this time while Ono was just four and after that Harrison was born. Their parents had joined a Zen community led by senior monks and became western converts to the faction. So the two half brothers were brought up in this environment.

‘It was probably the coolest fucking thing to be part of a Zen community at that time and to then be anointed as a Zen Buddhist monk as well – well that was like winning the baseball series – ultimate coolness,' said Harrison, backing up his brother.

‘You two don’t seem like monks!’ said Sarah making everyone laugh.

‘Maybe not.’ said the first monk.

‘Like it or not though – we are,’ added Harrison.

Harrison took over, and sitting down, went on to describe that the two half brothers, had grown up together in the spiritual community, and since home schooling kindergarten had been attached at the hip. They almost did everything together as children and were still friends to this day. Soaking up the Zen traditions they were exposed to on a daily basis within the friendly community. Coming to England was just another step on their spiritual journey and practise.

‘My parents were hippies at that time and were looking for adventures – they travelled everywhere my father told me; Asia, South America, Antarctica. But it was when they got to Japan that they stayed, they were looking for something more - they weren't into to drugs.' finished Harrison.

'So why come to the UK in these difficult times?' asked Sarah.

'Oh I dont know - we were invited.'

'Tell me, how does the show work?

Ono filled her in.

Ono turned away again to gaze out from the small terrace overlooking a warm, but still boringly overcast London. He felt tired.

Sarah was sat nearby to the barriers, ashen faced, in her mid forties as she finished to scribble down some notes. While Harrison poured her amother cup of green tea. 'Nonsensical garbage' were two of the words he could see upside down from the corner of his eye, as she covered the page with her arms.

‘Sure you don’t want coffee?’ he asked again, convinced Sarah was merely ‘putting a face on it’ and was actually restraining a deep desire for caffeine or a shot of whisky.

‘No thank you,’ she said, managing to force a smile, despite her general grumpy temperament. Sarah wasn’t a fan of monks. Especially not visiting them in their small apartment. She was used to interviewing celebrities and politicians talking shop. A liquid lunch of pink champagne and salmon sarnies and maybe a back handed slap on the behind for good measure. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and it was a wonder it hadn’t snapped under the weight. In a word: she was bored stiff.

Sarah, leant forward slightly and pounced back in journalist mode like a prowling over weight leopard; she wanted this interview over. Done and dusted. Shockingly she already was stifling a yawn. Couldn’t be helped. She had really drawn the short straw in interviewing these two and had better stories to chase down in usual circumstances... except there had been nothing usual in the quick rise to fame the two monks had had with their new celebrity based TV show “second chances” which had brought in 12 million watchers since its first week of showing on ITV, and only grown in popularity in the past few months. Bosses' wishes..

‘The brand new TV show as you know is called “second chances” but the name is a bit of a joke really, because well…there is no such thing.’ Ono gave his friend a sly wink.

'What do you mean? asked Sarah.

‘To think about life in such a limited way, is the wrong way to go about it,’ said Ono, ‘put that in your article! ‘and by thinking in this way, you are merely justifying yourself to suffering and disappointment.’

‘You two are two of a kind,’ said Sarah dully, looking around.

‘In Zen Buddhism we believe in embracing poverty, so all the money made by the programme will be sent to those in need,’ said Ono, then retorted. ‘We don’t keep a cent for ourselves…why are you looking at your watch all the time? I don’t even own a watch. Here in England, everyone is in such a hurry!’

‘Oh sorry – it’s juzt I has another meeting at 12.30pm.’ Lied Sarah, looking the other way again, mannishly leaning forward, legs spread, with hands together, her slight Italian accent returned.

'In our perspective, the people of the UK have had an opportunity for a lot of people to look deep within for spiritual comprehension in near impossible years. Ofcourse they adapted - they had to. But for many it was hard - so so hard - BUT - in our perspective it was a real blessing for the people. We are here to illuminate. To show them the way of calmness.'

‘Yes. Sometimes for days we are happy to just sit in a sunny garden somewhere drinking tea, or if it is raining as it often does in your country, we go and meditate inside the London Buddhist temple, simply listening to the rain,’ said Harrison thoughtfully, ‘we are Zen monks after all!’

‘The idea of our programme is to convey to all watchers of the show that the typical westernised viewpoint is in fact flawed.’

'People won't accept it,' guessed Sarah.

'Then why our popularity?'

'hmm'

‘Our society is built on valuing the inner world of individuals. Is that something that people in the West could truly accept?

‘Do you really believe that?’ Implored Pipkin.

‘Ofcourse. That is why we are here.’ Continued the Monk Ono, ‘to try to win over these lovely people here – in a society where the outer world is regarded as far more valuable than the inner. We can help them take the final step to see the light. After that, they won't need governments anymore.'

'I've heard that one before.'

‘Perhaps we can convince them.’

‘And perhaps not,’ fired back Sarah.

‘Ooooooohhh.’ The two monks chimed.

‘Make us look good!’ said Harrison as the journalist promptly left down the stairwell and immediately headed for the offices at the Guardian back in Islington when the interview was over,

‘Don’t worry - I’ll be in touch!’

So how do you think it went?’ asked Ono hopefully, slumping back in his chair and sipping his second cup of tea.

‘Not well.’

‘Doesn’t matter.’

‘Why?’

‘We’re Zen monks.’