What Would Buddha Do if someone were to make cartoon of him or even to go so far as to mock him or the Dharma or the Sangha? Would he call for people to burn flags, or building, or assassinate infidels?
Fortunately there is no need to guess. Here is what the Buddha taught his followers:
"Monks, if anyone should speak in disparagement of me, of the Dhamma, or of the Sangha, you should not be angry, resentful or upset on that account. If you were to be angry or displeased at such disparagement, that would only be a hindrance to you. For if others disparage me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, and you were angry or displeased, can you recognize whether what they say is right or not?"
"No, Lord"
"If others disparage me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, then you must explain what is incorrect as being incorrect, saying: 'That is incorrect, that is false, that is not our way, that is not found among us.'
"But, monks, if others should speak in praise of me, of the Dhamma or of the Sangha, you should not on that account be pleased, happy or elated. If you were to be pleased, happy or elated at such praise, that would be a hindrance to you. If others praise me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, you should acknowledge that truth of what is true, saying: 'That is correct, that is right, that is our way, that is found among us.'"
(p. 68, The Long Discourses of the Buddha)
And so you don't often see masses of Buddhist bludgeoning and gashing themselves into a bloody frenzy over something that happened more than a thousand years ago, nor will you see Buddhist crying for blood and vengeance and killing each other over an unflattering cartoon. Buddhists do get into fights and misbehave (even the monastics) but generally this is something of an aberration and not business as usual.
When I look to the teachings and example of Shakyamuni Buddha, I find that they provide a very high standard of maturity, that even many in first world countries would be hard put to live up to. The Buddha, however, asserted that all of us have it in us to do so.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
Rev. Ryuei -
Thanks for sharing this with us. I think this is a lesson that all Buddhists ought to keep firmly in mind, especially given the general socio-religio-political climate today in the US and the world.
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Posted by: Engyo Mike Barrett at February 10, 2006 04:31 AMI do remember a petition that went around online a couple of years ago in regard to a movie poster which showed a man sitting on the head of a Buddha statue. As I recall, the Theravadan community was particularly upset by this display and asked that the poster be changed. Does anybody else here remmeber that incident? Obviously, there wasn't any bloodshed over this.
Although I'm pretty sure I practiced Islam in some past incarnation, I hope to steer clear of patriarchal monotheism in the future (particularly if I'm born as a female). We really need to get a better handle on things than what the "Big Three" allow. Chirp chirp (virtual crickets) Byrd in LA
Posted by: Byrd in LA at February 10, 2006 11:12 AMByrd & all -
There was also the 2004 Buddha Bikini incident; the retailer eventually pulled the particular bikinis off the shelves. I believe that most of the outcry came from the Theravadin community at that time as well; if I remember correctly it was a commonly Theravadin Buddha image used.
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Posted by: Engyo Mike Barrett at February 13, 2006 07:10 AMAs usual Buddhism is pretty much common sense, that's why I like it. Keep up the good work in keeping us informed.
Jean Anker
Posted by: Jean Anker at February 17, 2006 05:01 PMManual Trackback. This post is cited in Blogmandu, Roundup for Feb 12 - 18, 2006.
http://zenunbound.com/2006/02/roundup-for-feb-12-18-2006.html
Blogmandu is the Buddhist Blog Carnival. We tap into the Buddhoblogosphere each week and sample some of the flavors and share some of the tastiest posts with you.
Posted by: Tom at February 17, 2006 11:57 PM