Jerry Garcia is a God, not the only God, but no doubt a God. I dont credit this to the idea that we can all have our own God in our mind. I just realized tonight. I've known for a long, long time....but realized the simple truth of the fact tonight
Jerry Garcia possessed a guitar skill that opened my mind to an experience of a higher or transcendental reality similar to Sakyumani Buddha's skill of articulating a way to open our minds and our hearts to this transcendental reality. Like Buddha and Buddhism, Jerry also started a tradition of a way to a higher reality, jamband concerts. In this way, it could be said that he is a reincarnation of the "spirit" or "way" of buddha! cliche, yes, fun, hell fucking yes.
there have been some who have seriously suggested that jerry garcia was a bodhisattva... (on a semi-related note: when a deadhead friend took mythologist joseph campbell (author of: the power of myth; the masks of god; the hero with a thousand faces, etc.) to a grateful dead concert, he soaked in the atmosphere of the crowd awaiting the band to take the stage, and the roar as the music started, and the group mind that often can form when 25,000 folks are tuned into the same thought, and the energy and spirit that was being shared that night... and he knew right away that a dead concert is a religious gathering of the dionysian variety (vs. "appolonian")...
That's a really cool theory. Couldn't probably work a whole freaking religion round it. How can you tell, ever asked him and got an answer? I think Buddhists are agnostics, they just do their thing and don't really care about the big picture stuff. Hence they have no solid cosmology theories. Should probably verify that stuff in the Buddhism forum. I'm not an authority or even a follower of said religion.