Bodhisattva Ice Cream

A quick nudge today: go see Saint Misbehavin' at the IFC in New York City if you can.

A documentary biography of Wavy Gravy, born Hugh Romney, a clown, activist, commune leader, Woodstock veteran, and more-or-less awesome dude.

I knew little of Wavy Gravy, and frankly considered him an oddity, a leftover from the '60s.

Well, he's one of the tastiest leftovers ever, and this movie is a life-affirming paean to the spiritual life, albeit a bit off the beaten track. (There's a great review on This Week in New York, btw.)

From feeding and protecting the crowd at Woodstock with his Hog Farm commune via his own intuitive nonviolent communication, to raising money and traveling the Third World bringing eye care to the poorest, Wavy's life is a long strange trip indeed.

The itinerary of a boddhisattva, perhaps. A follower of the great Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, Gravy builds labyrinths, leads walking meditations, and conducts a kids' summer camp with a distinctly Buddhist savor, all the while including a lot of other flavors too--much like the eponymous chocolate hazelnut fudge swirl caramel-cashew-Brazil nut with roasted almonds one that he created for Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.

We all can't invent a flavor and get free ice cream for life like Gravy, but Michelle Esrick’s film is a testament that there's boddhisattvic activity for every taste.