This was a really interesting article, I particularly like the comparison you drew between Jesus and Buddha to strike the point home. I’m not religious but I could certainly emphasize with religious people of any faith and their issues with appropriation and defacement of sacred images. I’d say Buddhists have really shown their maturity as a religion and their tolerance as a people to manage these waters with composure, unlike other extremists in the recent news.
Thanks for your comment Nicholas. I think that appropriation is a topic that doesn’t see much air time, because dominant cultures don’t think it’s a problem. This is similar tho the way specific cultures and groups of people are viewed in mainstream media. We only see what the dominant, powerful and privileged group (which is predominantly white America) wants us to see. This is why black people and black culture, and Islamist people are viewed in such a stereotyped way. I think it is worth it to see that one group or one person does not define an entire nation or cultural group. This link will bring you to a video about the way the media portrays people depending on their skin colour. I think it’s worth it to look at it, and re-challenge stereotypes that we may place on people because of the media.
Yes, but any image can be appropriated by your own mind to have its own function–meaning you don’t have to passively accept any so-called “disrespect” because such would be your interpretation anyway–specifically, what I mean is that you get to choose the frame you put around the Buddha’s head. So, for example, there are a number of Buddhist goddesses who cut their own heads off. Consider that image and what it symbolizes? If you see an image in a different light, it has a different function. It is like a Zen koan. You have to unpack a decidedly jarring sentence to reveal the teacher’s message. It’s you who enlighten yourself. We get this opportunity on The Path…not to be passive-aggressive and criticize the fault(s) of others. We get to embrace every single appearance and see our reality dancing with us. In that case, the Buddha’s had on the ground becomes your best friend, reminding you every day to…
i just found this post in my attempt to find a solution to my giant buddha head in my garden. Once my sons Vietnamese girlfriend explained the above to me, Ive been woke as the kids say. Now what. What does one do with a previously purchased head of a diety. I can completly see how utterly thoughtless it was for me of me to buy the severed head of someone elses diety. Do I now- smash it? Give it away? What?
Please do not smash it! Even as a recreation of vandalism, it is still a representation of the Buddha and is deserving of respect. When our Buddha statues become worn and broken and warrant replacing, we have two options. One is taking them to a local Buddhist temple if you have one. Most temples have a room dedicated to old statuary. They will take care of him. If you are in the US—most Buddha heads are—you can check for a nearby temple here: http://www.buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/templechurch-directory/
If there isn’t one nearby, we’re told to bury him in the roots of a bohdi tree. Those don’t grow here, generally, but if you’re respectful about it, you can go out into your local forest and find a nice, large tree that speaks of strength and tranquility and bury him in the roots there.
I’m so sorry for the late message! Your best bet is to go to your closest Buddhist temple and check in with them – they do take in broken idols and may take in yours from you or give you other solutions for your head.
Very interesting article. I agree with you and believe we should very cautious and respectful when dealing with religion, culture and traditions. I like the examples you use about Bhudda. It is risky to use the symbol of any religion, no matter what, if you don’t understand what it represents. You can put in your garden whatever you want, but why a figure representing Bhudda? Sometimes consumerism and trends make us look very stupid.
Thank you so much for the history lesson about the desecration of Buddhist statues! I will pass it on, it needs to be more widely known. I think there is confusion about the Buddha head statues because of the long tradition of “busts” in Western artwork. You can find many “decapitated” statues of Jesus or Mary by simply googling “jesus bust” or “mary bust”, it’s not unusual or disrespectful at all. Another source of confusion is due to the fact that Western people have a long tradition of displaying images of people they admire, but don’t worship. For example Catholics display images of saints that they admire and wish to invoke or imitate, but they don’t worship them (despite the long history of protestants and muslims accusing Catholics of saint-worship). I can’t imagine my of my Catholic family being upset because non-catholics use the image of St francis to show their affinity for a man who shared their beliefs about love and respect for animals, even if he is an exclusively Catholic saint. Many Western composers and other artists in the 1800s for example, had the traditional bust of Beethoven in their house to inspire them in their own creative endeavors. Government buildings in Christian countries often have depictions of Greek and Roman deities as a symbols of the qualities they embody or realms that they rule—like justice, agriculture etc. American nerds often display the image of Einstein, vegetarians and anti-war activists display images of Ghandi. I’ve often seen the Buddha’s image displayed by therapists—people whose job it is to help others end their mental suffering. Ironically, the Buddha seems to be popular with those who are advocating nonviolence or religious tolerance, by promoting an alternative to what they see as exploitative and intolerant Abrahamic religions.Those people don’t wish to add to the violence by cultural appropriation, although that may be what they are doing through ignorance. There is a great need for Westerners to be educated on this subject, I’m so glad you are doing just that.
I think a line needs to be drawn between commercial and personal use of the Buddha’s name and image. The commercial use of Buddhism is very irritating, although it may stem from some good intentions about ethical products, it is also very likely just stemming from greed. Personal use can be for vanity or from real devotion or admiration, it is hard to judge just by appearances. Those who truly admire the Buddha do need to learn the rules for properly displaying his image, however many Westerners are unaware that these rules even exist. Some are unfamiliar to us, such the kitchen being an “unclean” area, or tattoos being “unclean”. Many, many Christians have religious tattoos to show their identity and devotion. I’ve noticed that Christians display religious items in the kitchen more than any other room, perhaps because they spend the most time in the kitchen and it is associated for them with family and service to others.
Also, Muslims and Hindus pay respect to Jesus/Issa, even though they aren’t Christian. Hindus have portrayed him in artwork, as a spiritual role model. Muslims and Hindus both pay respect to his shrine at Roza Bal, and the Christian community is not upset by this. In fact I think most would welcome it because it means those non-Christians who honor Jesus are coming closer to the “true” religion of Christianity.
BTW the proper distinction is Protestant/Catholic, not Christian/Catholic. Catholics are 100% Christian despite what some Protestants continue to claim. It’s a very common misconception.
Maybe people appreciate the culture of Asia and Asian symbols. It might not be a signal of disrespect to be critized. Buddhism is a beautiful way of life and it may be too demanding by the “purists” to expect following the religious by others.
Hey Missy! Thanks for commenting! Appreciation translates very differently to people based on the knowledge that they have in different subjects, and I think that’s key in understanding the issue with Buddha heads. We have a duty to listen to people who are a part of the culture , and have more knowledge about problematic issues than the average Westerner would.
If one believes that a religion is too demanding, I think that’s a key takeaway in realizing that maybe it’s not for that person, or everyone – as outsiders, we shouldn’t just parse religions into little bits that are more palatable and digestible. It can be disrespectful to do so!
I was wondering about the origin of tradition to use Buddha head as show piece , I matter of fact there a Thailand based movie about it, I didn’t receive such flow to put my word to explain why not to put Buddha head house which I received from you article really healthy and eye opening , thanks
Thank you for this informative post! I have recently been learning about Buddhism from a local temple (in the US) and since I started going there I started noticing the Buddha heads. I saw them at the craft store Michael’s and at an upscale jewelry store. I thought it was a bit weird but I didn’t know the history behind the decapitated statues.
Thank you for reading! It’s wonderful to see that you were able to take your learning here and apply it to your lived reality. That’s super important when talking about all kinds of inequalities or oppressive behaviours. 🙂
great article. as an east asian woman this is something that has bothered me but i did not have the vocabulary to explain it. thank you for adding your voice to the conversation
Solidarity under moments of oppression are important for us to be able to overcome those injustices. I’m glad that my voice could help. I’m also sorry that this is something that you have to contend with to begin with 😦
So basically, if you aren’t a Buddhist, don’t keep Buddhist imagey? Or just learn all the various rules about how to show it off when your mates come round – so you can say “Yeah, you know in the south Tibetan tradition, the inclusion of various deities stems from the original shamanic culture which previously…blah blah.”
Yeah yeah, whatever. Most Christians have a Mary or Jesus Floating around at home and haven’t read the bible in any great detail. It’s up to individuals to decide how they relate to the intellectual, spiritual and philosophical content of a system of ideas and values and equally, their choice about how to rememer and display that relationship to themselves remains out of your realm of concern.
If you’re upset that pretentious yuppies have a little Buddha head in the garden ‘cos of the “good vibes” – fine, that is rather annoying. But pedantic judgements regarding the rules for display or how “unclean” tattoos are is clearly just rubbish. Just let people get on with it.
“If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha”
My Buddha sometimes wears sunglasses and a Santa hat.
Buddhism has been tremendously important to my development as a human being and I have spent a good deal of time on it. As a consequence, I keep several idols – but then also have symbols from many religions in my home, not to mention different icons from opposing schools of Buddhist thought (No doubt that should not be in the same room!?).
As such, I would never show “Disrespect” to the images, I just ignore the dogma which attempts to instruct people on diet and sexuality. Rather, what is the content? What are the metaphysyical, ethical and emotional implications of Buddhist teachings? They are the more important issues to ask. Why not write an article expressing discontent with the people who don’t ask those questions?
Thanks for the comment! I feel like you’ve touched on a lot of very interesting topics that kind of help to prove why I felt the need to write this article.
Many Christians probably do have Mary and Jesus idols in their home- and that’s totally fine! They still define themselves within a specific faith, and it’s not up to us to decide “how Christian” someone has to be to include themselves in that faith. The key learning here is that many people outside of Christian or Catholic faiths would likely not have Jesus or Mary idols in their homes, gardens, or used as pieces just for style.
I think your practice, if that is what you define it as, demonstrates the way in which the West believes it can parse religions and faiths and use specific instances of them to their own benefit. I mention in the article that the West chooses to use the East in the way it sees fit, which shapes the idea of the East in the Western mind. We don’t let the East define itself and it’s traditions and instead try to take in which ever way we see fit. It’s definitely something to consider when we think we’re paying homage or respect to a culture- are we really if we continue to do these things when we know there are situations in which it’s not very respectful of the diversity around us?
Thank you so much for this powerful article & for shedding light on this issue. I have been studying Buddhism for years but, as a white woman, have been hyper aware of the privileged lens through which I understand the religion, culture, traditions & history. The fear of appropriating or offending has limited my spiritual practice & held me back from truly applying Buddhist principles; this article made me see how “unBuddha” this fear is because it takes away from the big picture of alleviating our collective suffering & societal injustice. I know this revelation was not at all your intention & maybe I’m completely off base…I guess I’m asking if you think it’s possible/appropriate to develop a Buddhist practice without appropriating?
It’s definitely possible to develop a Buddhist practice without appropriating! This article was speaking more to using Buddhism as a prop or for style without regard for the religion, its members, and without understanding new Western interest in Eastern religions. I think it’s important to understand how the Buddhist faith is being used by the West, while the West engages in poor regard for Eastern nations.
Hey there! Do you have any links to resources that talk about the history of thieves cutting off Buddha heads? Love this articles, and have shared it widely.
Hello, I thought your article was really cool. In the United States we don’t really have buddhists, they’re not very common. I’m white and have been researching buddhism and I want to become one because I like the core ideas they hold and really believe in their entire religion basically. But I don’t know if I’d be appropriating the culture. Can you tell me if I’m appropriating it??
Thank you for such an interesting article. I have been given a beautiful large copper Thai buddha for my garden by my boyfriend (now husband) and it’s been with us for almost 20 years now. I always made sure I honour this statue, put him in a beautiful location, facing East if I can, he has brought me continuity and a sense of serenity and peace, it’s my favourite ornament. I’m not a Buddhist, I don’t follow any religion, but I practice meditation and have a keen interest in Taoism and Chinese metaphysics, so Buddha statues really appeal to me. But one thing I have always been really uncomfortable about are severed Buddha heads. I never researched it before but to me it felt brutal and disrespectful when I’d see one and even though they are very common, and often quite good quality, I never wanted one. They made me feel profoundly sad. Now I know why! Thank you for pointing this out, it really makes complete sense.
As for cultural appropriation, personally I’m not into the “woke” overreacting to everything. As long as people know why a certain symbol or aesthetic appeals to them, and they are grateful and respectful toward the culture that provided it, as well as its people, I think it enriches the world. Personally, I’m always thrilled to see an aspect of my culture used by a different society, and if someone grossly misappropriates it, it just speaks volumes about them. I try to see the symbol of my culture as illuminating the personalities of others, which can be very useful.
I came across this post looking for information to explain why so many heads and, to a lesser extent, hands, of Buddha exist without a body attached to them. I could not disagree more about what is said in this post.
I may be too white for you to believe that I am Buddhist — and I am white as white can be — but I am a Theravadin and I identify that way.
One cannot “culturally appropriate” a Buddha image. The Buddha image comes principally from Greek sources. Yup, those pesky Europeans who settled in Bactria and Ghandara started making Buddha rupa. Later versions incorporated Asian styles, but the basic design came from statues of Apollo.
Second, it is perfectly fine to use a Buddha image as a decorator item. “Fat Buddha” and his friends have been wonderful in instilling interest in dharma for decades if not centuries. If someone likes their Z Gallery purchase, maybe they might be interested in some teachings from the suttas. We love it when people check out our religion.
Third, the Buddha is not a god. He is an extraordinary man. One is not insulting the man or showing disrespect when they pair his image with the begonias outside. Buddha reached nibbana and he is not coming back. Even if he knew about the decorator trade in his image, he would not care — after all, he achieved nibbana.
I came across this post after I started researching into Buddha heads specifically after my husband bought me one as a planter. I have a large concrete meditating Buddha that I have adored for years, it brings me so much joy and peace. So he thought it would be a cute gift and I just had a strange feeling so I looked it up. I do love the the planter and it feels wrong to get rid of it but I do not want to offend anyone. I do not identify as Buddhist, although I would like to. I love the core values and want to learn more, I just don’t know on the best way to go about it without appropriating it? I’m a Hispanic woman, living in the US, and was raised catholic but I never felt a connection like I have when I read into Buddhism.
On the one hand, if there was no exchange between cultures, whole genres of music would never exist and a lot of us would never have the pleasure of eating tacos. But I agree the Buddha heads are horrible. I’ve even seen some mounted on rods, like the way the English used to mount the heads of criminals on spikes and display them on London Bridge. And the context I see the heads in is always some magazine or website pushing trendy decor – the current vogue of having everything plain and gray, with small points of interest like a cushion, a potted plant, or a Buddha head. The only exception has been the movie Kundun – there is a scene where the monks are meditating in front of a huge head, but it has a multitude of butter lamps and offerings in front of it. And just because there was a big head in the movie doesn’t mean that there was actually one at the Potala.
By all means, bring a Buddha or Bodhisattva into your home if you want to, but be respectful.
I saw a house with a buddha head in the front yard and another by the front door. The house is owned by a family of immigrants from Asia who should know better.
This was a really interesting article, I particularly like the comparison you drew between Jesus and Buddha to strike the point home. I’m not religious but I could certainly emphasize with religious people of any faith and their issues with appropriation and defacement of sacred images. I’d say Buddhists have really shown their maturity as a religion and their tolerance as a people to manage these waters with composure, unlike other extremists in the recent news.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your comment Nicholas. I think that appropriation is a topic that doesn’t see much air time, because dominant cultures don’t think it’s a problem. This is similar tho the way specific cultures and groups of people are viewed in mainstream media. We only see what the dominant, powerful and privileged group (which is predominantly white America) wants us to see. This is why black people and black culture, and Islamist people are viewed in such a stereotyped way. I think it is worth it to see that one group or one person does not define an entire nation or cultural group. This link will bring you to a video about the way the media portrays people depending on their skin colour. I think it’s worth it to look at it, and re-challenge stereotypes that we may place on people because of the media.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, but any image can be appropriated by your own mind to have its own function–meaning you don’t have to passively accept any so-called “disrespect” because such would be your interpretation anyway–specifically, what I mean is that you get to choose the frame you put around the Buddha’s head. So, for example, there are a number of Buddhist goddesses who cut their own heads off. Consider that image and what it symbolizes? If you see an image in a different light, it has a different function. It is like a Zen koan. You have to unpack a decidedly jarring sentence to reveal the teacher’s message. It’s you who enlighten yourself. We get this opportunity on The Path…not to be passive-aggressive and criticize the fault(s) of others. We get to embrace every single appearance and see our reality dancing with us. In that case, the Buddha’s had on the ground becomes your best friend, reminding you every day to…
LikeLike
i just found this post in my attempt to find a solution to my giant buddha head in my garden. Once my sons Vietnamese girlfriend explained the above to me, Ive been woke as the kids say. Now what. What does one do with a previously purchased head of a diety. I can completly see how utterly thoughtless it was for me of me to buy the severed head of someone elses diety. Do I now- smash it? Give it away? What?
LikeLike
Please do not smash it! Even as a recreation of vandalism, it is still a representation of the Buddha and is deserving of respect. When our Buddha statues become worn and broken and warrant replacing, we have two options. One is taking them to a local Buddhist temple if you have one. Most temples have a room dedicated to old statuary. They will take care of him. If you are in the US—most Buddha heads are—you can check for a nearby temple here: http://www.buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/templechurch-directory/
If there isn’t one nearby, we’re told to bury him in the roots of a bohdi tree. Those don’t grow here, generally, but if you’re respectful about it, you can go out into your local forest and find a nice, large tree that speaks of strength and tranquility and bury him in the roots there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Laura,
I’m so sorry for the late message! Your best bet is to go to your closest Buddhist temple and check in with them – they do take in broken idols and may take in yours from you or give you other solutions for your head.
Thanks for being respectful about this!
Bhumika
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Very interesting article. I agree with you and believe we should very cautious and respectful when dealing with religion, culture and traditions. I like the examples you use about Bhudda. It is risky to use the symbol of any religion, no matter what, if you don’t understand what it represents. You can put in your garden whatever you want, but why a figure representing Bhudda? Sometimes consumerism and trends make us look very stupid.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for the history lesson about the desecration of Buddhist statues! I will pass it on, it needs to be more widely known. I think there is confusion about the Buddha head statues because of the long tradition of “busts” in Western artwork. You can find many “decapitated” statues of Jesus or Mary by simply googling “jesus bust” or “mary bust”, it’s not unusual or disrespectful at all. Another source of confusion is due to the fact that Western people have a long tradition of displaying images of people they admire, but don’t worship. For example Catholics display images of saints that they admire and wish to invoke or imitate, but they don’t worship them (despite the long history of protestants and muslims accusing Catholics of saint-worship). I can’t imagine my of my Catholic family being upset because non-catholics use the image of St francis to show their affinity for a man who shared their beliefs about love and respect for animals, even if he is an exclusively Catholic saint. Many Western composers and other artists in the 1800s for example, had the traditional bust of Beethoven in their house to inspire them in their own creative endeavors. Government buildings in Christian countries often have depictions of Greek and Roman deities as a symbols of the qualities they embody or realms that they rule—like justice, agriculture etc. American nerds often display the image of Einstein, vegetarians and anti-war activists display images of Ghandi. I’ve often seen the Buddha’s image displayed by therapists—people whose job it is to help others end their mental suffering. Ironically, the Buddha seems to be popular with those who are advocating nonviolence or religious tolerance, by promoting an alternative to what they see as exploitative and intolerant Abrahamic religions.Those people don’t wish to add to the violence by cultural appropriation, although that may be what they are doing through ignorance. There is a great need for Westerners to be educated on this subject, I’m so glad you are doing just that.
I think a line needs to be drawn between commercial and personal use of the Buddha’s name and image. The commercial use of Buddhism is very irritating, although it may stem from some good intentions about ethical products, it is also very likely just stemming from greed. Personal use can be for vanity or from real devotion or admiration, it is hard to judge just by appearances. Those who truly admire the Buddha do need to learn the rules for properly displaying his image, however many Westerners are unaware that these rules even exist. Some are unfamiliar to us, such the kitchen being an “unclean” area, or tattoos being “unclean”. Many, many Christians have religious tattoos to show their identity and devotion. I’ve noticed that Christians display religious items in the kitchen more than any other room, perhaps because they spend the most time in the kitchen and it is associated for them with family and service to others.
Also, Muslims and Hindus pay respect to Jesus/Issa, even though they aren’t Christian. Hindus have portrayed him in artwork, as a spiritual role model. Muslims and Hindus both pay respect to his shrine at Roza Bal, and the Christian community is not upset by this. In fact I think most would welcome it because it means those non-Christians who honor Jesus are coming closer to the “true” religion of Christianity.
BTW the proper distinction is Protestant/Catholic, not Christian/Catholic. Catholics are 100% Christian despite what some Protestants continue to claim. It’s a very common misconception.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe people appreciate the culture of Asia and Asian symbols. It might not be a signal of disrespect to be critized. Buddhism is a beautiful way of life and it may be too demanding by the “purists” to expect following the religious by others.
LikeLike
Hey Missy! Thanks for commenting! Appreciation translates very differently to people based on the knowledge that they have in different subjects, and I think that’s key in understanding the issue with Buddha heads. We have a duty to listen to people who are a part of the culture , and have more knowledge about problematic issues than the average Westerner would.
If one believes that a religion is too demanding, I think that’s a key takeaway in realizing that maybe it’s not for that person, or everyone – as outsiders, we shouldn’t just parse religions into little bits that are more palatable and digestible. It can be disrespectful to do so!
LikeLike
I was wondering about the origin of tradition to use Buddha head as show piece , I matter of fact there a Thailand based movie about it, I didn’t receive such flow to put my word to explain why not to put Buddha head house which I received from you article really healthy and eye opening , thanks
LikeLike
Thank you for this informative post! I have recently been learning about Buddhism from a local temple (in the US) and since I started going there I started noticing the Buddha heads. I saw them at the craft store Michael’s and at an upscale jewelry store. I thought it was a bit weird but I didn’t know the history behind the decapitated statues.
LikeLike
Thank you for reading! It’s wonderful to see that you were able to take your learning here and apply it to your lived reality. That’s super important when talking about all kinds of inequalities or oppressive behaviours. 🙂
LikeLike
great article. as an east asian woman this is something that has bothered me but i did not have the vocabulary to explain it. thank you for adding your voice to the conversation
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Solidarity under moments of oppression are important for us to be able to overcome those injustices. I’m glad that my voice could help. I’m also sorry that this is something that you have to contend with to begin with 😦
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So basically, if you aren’t a Buddhist, don’t keep Buddhist imagey? Or just learn all the various rules about how to show it off when your mates come round – so you can say “Yeah, you know in the south Tibetan tradition, the inclusion of various deities stems from the original shamanic culture which previously…blah blah.”
Yeah yeah, whatever. Most Christians have a Mary or Jesus Floating around at home and haven’t read the bible in any great detail. It’s up to individuals to decide how they relate to the intellectual, spiritual and philosophical content of a system of ideas and values and equally, their choice about how to rememer and display that relationship to themselves remains out of your realm of concern.
If you’re upset that pretentious yuppies have a little Buddha head in the garden ‘cos of the “good vibes” – fine, that is rather annoying. But pedantic judgements regarding the rules for display or how “unclean” tattoos are is clearly just rubbish. Just let people get on with it.
“If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha”
My Buddha sometimes wears sunglasses and a Santa hat.
Buddhism has been tremendously important to my development as a human being and I have spent a good deal of time on it. As a consequence, I keep several idols – but then also have symbols from many religions in my home, not to mention different icons from opposing schools of Buddhist thought (No doubt that should not be in the same room!?).
As such, I would never show “Disrespect” to the images, I just ignore the dogma which attempts to instruct people on diet and sexuality. Rather, what is the content? What are the metaphysyical, ethical and emotional implications of Buddhist teachings? They are the more important issues to ask. Why not write an article expressing discontent with the people who don’t ask those questions?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Rob!
Thanks for the comment! I feel like you’ve touched on a lot of very interesting topics that kind of help to prove why I felt the need to write this article.
Many Christians probably do have Mary and Jesus idols in their home- and that’s totally fine! They still define themselves within a specific faith, and it’s not up to us to decide “how Christian” someone has to be to include themselves in that faith. The key learning here is that many people outside of Christian or Catholic faiths would likely not have Jesus or Mary idols in their homes, gardens, or used as pieces just for style.
I think your practice, if that is what you define it as, demonstrates the way in which the West believes it can parse religions and faiths and use specific instances of them to their own benefit. I mention in the article that the West chooses to use the East in the way it sees fit, which shapes the idea of the East in the Western mind. We don’t let the East define itself and it’s traditions and instead try to take in which ever way we see fit. It’s definitely something to consider when we think we’re paying homage or respect to a culture- are we really if we continue to do these things when we know there are situations in which it’s not very respectful of the diversity around us?
Thanks!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you so much for this powerful article & for shedding light on this issue. I have been studying Buddhism for years but, as a white woman, have been hyper aware of the privileged lens through which I understand the religion, culture, traditions & history. The fear of appropriating or offending has limited my spiritual practice & held me back from truly applying Buddhist principles; this article made me see how “unBuddha” this fear is because it takes away from the big picture of alleviating our collective suffering & societal injustice. I know this revelation was not at all your intention & maybe I’m completely off base…I guess I’m asking if you think it’s possible/appropriate to develop a Buddhist practice without appropriating?
LikeLike
Hi there,
It’s definitely possible to develop a Buddhist practice without appropriating! This article was speaking more to using Buddhism as a prop or for style without regard for the religion, its members, and without understanding new Western interest in Eastern religions. I think it’s important to understand how the Buddhist faith is being used by the West, while the West engages in poor regard for Eastern nations.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hey there! Do you have any links to resources that talk about the history of thieves cutting off Buddha heads? Love this articles, and have shared it widely.
LikeLike
Hi there!
Take a look at the link below about thieves and the black market Buddha head trade: https://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/arhats/
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Hello, I thought your article was really cool. In the United States we don’t really have buddhists, they’re not very common. I’m white and have been researching buddhism and I want to become one because I like the core ideas they hold and really believe in their entire religion basically. But I don’t know if I’d be appropriating the culture. Can you tell me if I’m appropriating it??
LikeLike
Thank you for such an interesting article. I have been given a beautiful large copper Thai buddha for my garden by my boyfriend (now husband) and it’s been with us for almost 20 years now. I always made sure I honour this statue, put him in a beautiful location, facing East if I can, he has brought me continuity and a sense of serenity and peace, it’s my favourite ornament. I’m not a Buddhist, I don’t follow any religion, but I practice meditation and have a keen interest in Taoism and Chinese metaphysics, so Buddha statues really appeal to me. But one thing I have always been really uncomfortable about are severed Buddha heads. I never researched it before but to me it felt brutal and disrespectful when I’d see one and even though they are very common, and often quite good quality, I never wanted one. They made me feel profoundly sad. Now I know why! Thank you for pointing this out, it really makes complete sense.
As for cultural appropriation, personally I’m not into the “woke” overreacting to everything. As long as people know why a certain symbol or aesthetic appeals to them, and they are grateful and respectful toward the culture that provided it, as well as its people, I think it enriches the world. Personally, I’m always thrilled to see an aspect of my culture used by a different society, and if someone grossly misappropriates it, it just speaks volumes about them. I try to see the symbol of my culture as illuminating the personalities of others, which can be very useful.
LikeLike
I came across this post looking for information to explain why so many heads and, to a lesser extent, hands, of Buddha exist without a body attached to them. I could not disagree more about what is said in this post.
I may be too white for you to believe that I am Buddhist — and I am white as white can be — but I am a Theravadin and I identify that way.
One cannot “culturally appropriate” a Buddha image. The Buddha image comes principally from Greek sources. Yup, those pesky Europeans who settled in Bactria and Ghandara started making Buddha rupa. Later versions incorporated Asian styles, but the basic design came from statues of Apollo.
Second, it is perfectly fine to use a Buddha image as a decorator item. “Fat Buddha” and his friends have been wonderful in instilling interest in dharma for decades if not centuries. If someone likes their Z Gallery purchase, maybe they might be interested in some teachings from the suttas. We love it when people check out our religion.
Third, the Buddha is not a god. He is an extraordinary man. One is not insulting the man or showing disrespect when they pair his image with the begonias outside. Buddha reached nibbana and he is not coming back. Even if he knew about the decorator trade in his image, he would not care — after all, he achieved nibbana.
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I came across this post after I started researching into Buddha heads specifically after my husband bought me one as a planter. I have a large concrete meditating Buddha that I have adored for years, it brings me so much joy and peace. So he thought it would be a cute gift and I just had a strange feeling so I looked it up. I do love the the planter and it feels wrong to get rid of it but I do not want to offend anyone. I do not identify as Buddhist, although I would like to. I love the core values and want to learn more, I just don’t know on the best way to go about it without appropriating it? I’m a Hispanic woman, living in the US, and was raised catholic but I never felt a connection like I have when I read into Buddhism.
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On the one hand, if there was no exchange between cultures, whole genres of music would never exist and a lot of us would never have the pleasure of eating tacos. But I agree the Buddha heads are horrible. I’ve even seen some mounted on rods, like the way the English used to mount the heads of criminals on spikes and display them on London Bridge. And the context I see the heads in is always some magazine or website pushing trendy decor – the current vogue of having everything plain and gray, with small points of interest like a cushion, a potted plant, or a Buddha head. The only exception has been the movie Kundun – there is a scene where the monks are meditating in front of a huge head, but it has a multitude of butter lamps and offerings in front of it. And just because there was a big head in the movie doesn’t mean that there was actually one at the Potala.
By all means, bring a Buddha or Bodhisattva into your home if you want to, but be respectful.
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I saw a house with a buddha head in the front yard and another by the front door. The house is owned by a family of immigrants from Asia who should know better.
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