A very odd item was posted on the pr-inside.com website about Sarah Jessica Parker’s interest in Buddhism. Titled “Sarah Jessica Parker: Hollywood's Newest Jew-Bu?” It starts with a lead-in that is disingenuous to say the least:
“Vanishing from public view to her discreet Irish hideaway, superstar Parker seems to be seeking tranquility down a path that many of her faith have trodden in the past.”
Uhhh, you haven’t vanished from public view if a public relations firm is writing about your inner spiritual explorations. The real question is who or what the PR firm is flacking. As PR goes, this isn’t a very good story for SJP. It suggests that the reason for her interest in Buddhism is that her marriage is “incontinent.”
Before I even go on considering the reason for the story, I have to stop and ask what Jeff Culhane, the writer of the story, meant by using that word. Incontinent usually refers to the inability to control one’s excretory functions. Unless SJP or Matthew have had surgery recently, I don’t think that’s the issue.
Incontinence can also refer to an unrestrained expression of emotion — such as incontinent rage. Not being inside that relationship there’s no way of knowing, and I won’t speculate. Last, the word can mean a lack of sexual restraint, which, once again, there is no way of knowing. Except to say that given the public persona of both SJP and Matthew (who I had a crush on the moment I saw him in Torch Song Trilogy off Broadway years ago) none of these definitions seems to suit the situation. But what do I know?
Perhaps the whole story is a joke, since one “close confidante” quoted in the interview said: “ 'Sarah travels a lot, mostly by air. And in the Jewish mystical tradition -- where Judaism comes closest to Buddhism -- God exists on many planes.” Ba-da-bump.
Another quote in the article ends with an extremely random sentence, making me wonder whether an editor looked at this piece at all:
'Buddhism fills a void left by her traditional Jewish faith,' confides a close friend of Parker's. 'It's a way for her to understand and diminish personal suffering, let go of fears, and to get pieces of mind. She still appreciates the strong community and traditions of Judaism, but wants to discover the wisdom of another religion without abandoning her born faith. She enjoys getting mail.'
Mail? You lost me. So back to the question of why this story in the first place? SJP doesn’t need any publicity right now. Who else is mentioned in the story? Ajahn Brahm, author of 'Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?: Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life's Difficulties' is mentioned by name along with tbe book, but it hardly seems like a way to sell this volume. Other books mentioned are the usual Jubu suspects: "The Jew in the Lotus," "One God Clapping," and, of course, "Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist!"
Well, if all this reading is truly on her list it’s at least getting information from respected sources. I can only wish SJP discovers wisdom and peace in her search for the end of suffering. She isn't chasing the delusionary teachers whose spread their insanity — unlike Madonna, who decided she’s actually 36 years old because her Kabbalah teacher explained the mathematics of her recent 50th birthday mystically. Right.
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