“So You Think You Can Be Buddha?” to debut this Summer

Mark Burnett. Photo by Angela George, CC BY-SA 3.0.

If a reality television star can be president, why not Buddha? This past February, the Lion’s Roar Foundation was approached by TV producer Mark Burnett (Survivor; The Apprentice). Refreshingly, Burnett wants to use his significant media muscle to address the rapidly worsening condition of samsara in our time.

“We can no longer wait for Maitreya’s arrival in some distant, nearly immeasurable time,” Burnett says in the press release announcing So You Think You Can Be Buddha?, a new reality/game-show to be produced for FOX with the consultation of the staff of the Lion’s Roar Foundation. “Things are bad, and any non-self-respecting Buddha must know it. We need and demand the arrival of the future Buddha now. To facilitate the discovery of the future Buddha—we are taking applications for worthy candidates to participate in a show that will truly change how you view reality.”

So You Think You Can Be Buddha? will run for ten weeks this summer, with a panel of celebrity Buddhists and non-Buddhists including Goldie Hawn, Bill O’Reilly, and Larry the Cable Guy, who will judge candidates for Maitreya, the future Buddha, in the following categories, among others:

• The 24 major and 80 minor marks: how much do you look like a Buddha?
• Chairing it: can you radiant enlightenment sitting in a chair, like Maitreya?
• Wheel-balancing: how cool and comfortable do you look walking around holding a dharmachakra poised on a lotus?

In addition, candidates will participate in a fashion show modeling silk garments from Tusita Heaven®. They will also have to perform a song and dance number. Just hearing the song and seeing the dance must result in enlightenment for at least one audience member, or the candidate will be eliminated in a ceremony led by the show’s host, Flavor Flav.