The recent article in the Winnipeg Free Press, It’s Wrong to Cheapen Great Eastern Religions, talking about using eastern religious iconography for monetary gains got under my skin. Some things should not be used to make a dollar. First, they give a great shout out to Dharma Burgers, then they give the example of Victoria Secret using the Buddha image but their main example was the opening of the Buddha Bar. A bar and the Buddha? So I did what any one would do and decided to see if I had a Buddha type bar in my city; Denver, CO. And we do. Its called the Funky Buddha Lounge, their logo is a smiling Buddha with his thumbs up and they sell alcohol and other things. But one image, for a costume ball, was just too much. It is their smiling Buddha disguised as what appears to be the devil. Wow! The Buddha as the devil? Really? Would anyone think that the Buddha would dress up as what is regarded by many people in the world as the ultimate evil of the universe? Too much for MF1B. What is your take on it?
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Not really surprised, I think due to the fact that as Buddhists we don’t really get into people’s faces and are not proselytizing there are some gross misconceptions. Mainly that it’s not offensive to make fun of it, look at the Simpson’s clip this past week. It pretty hits the head on the nail.
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