Monk Dies over Plate of Lentils by Sri Swami Bobo

The normally serene setting of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center - the verdant gardens and tranquil streams - erupted into chaos this afternoon, when a Monk, Nandamala Samvara, collapsed over a small plate of green lentils and fell to the ground dead. Several visitors at the center who witnessed the Monk’s death were still in shock and many said they heard a “popping sound, like a gun shot or a paper bag being karated.” The police have yet to label the death a homicide, but Captain Gaydos said early leads “point to a Chinese Nationalist or a dark hooded African-American male between 12 and 30.” Medical assistance was slow in being called because the Monks were engaged in silent culinary meditation.

Many of the Monks interviewed following Nandamala’s death described their fallen friend as “too chatty,” a “loud food chewer,” an “elaborate under garment wearer” and “jerk” whose fall to the floor was met with blank stares from one and all except the hysterics of the retreat center quests.


Please consult Monks and a Youth by John Gaydos.