Bam!
The World's largest Buddha.
And what's all the more interesting, I bought a Buddha bottle opener INSIDE the shrine (about thirty feet to the right) to commemorate my visit. Sure, I also picked up some blessed prayer beads, yadda yadda yadda... but the fact that the put Buddha’s face on a two dollar bottle opener within sight of this sacred representation of disowning the material distractions of the world? I just couldn't resist the... (what is that? It's not irony. Hypocrisy? That sounds too critical. I don't know. Whatever it was...) I just couldn't resist.
So if you wanna buy me a beer, Buddha will be there to serve us.
posted by Mo @ 7:39 AM
5 Comments:
I would go with hipocracy. Just goes to show what American culture has done to the Japanese. We introduce capitalism after WWII and they abandon a centries old religion.
Sad very sad.
Ah yes - I MUST reply to this with an important clarification!
While the west is indeed inundated with materialism, and we have proliferated capitalism in nations around the world - the selling of merchandise in a holy shrine is not an imported western ideal; repeat - not an imported western ideal.
In the predominantly Christian western countries we have the famous story of Jesus going ape shit in the temple and turning over the tables of the "moneychangers" (envision the lord shaking a furious fist, one of my favorite "Jesus is the Hulk" moments in the Bible.) But there is no such sentiment in these particular sects of Buddhism.
Rather, one of the main purposes of patronizing a temple, is to give money and purchase holy paraphernalia. They have been selling magic charms to bring fortune, love, intelligence, health, for hundreds of years. In the west we could consider this religious exploitation for a monetary gain, but in the east this is simply a service of the temple. The monks are the one's running around behind the counters, handling the money - making the sales.
It's Ok here, it's what they do. Strange to understand, I know. Yet another reason this culture is so difficult to explain. Ya'll just gotta come here for yourselves.
Well, I stand corrected. But I still think it is against the core of Budist philosophy.
Just so's ya know, I am not christian either.
Thanks for the return visit.
Did you see the wolf?
Sorry for the bad spelling it is early morning here and the old brain has not kicked in yet. LOL
I do like your site though.
heehee thanks. No worries about the spelling - if you see an error in my typing you must be equally forgiving. I hope i didn't sound too sanctamonious in my response. The great thing about this trip, is that your reaction is exactly in line to with what I may have said upon reading the same thing. But learning how and where my opinions can be altered is so wonderful for my personal growth, I just want to share it with the world. And I hope you didn't think I was presuming you individually were a christian, I moreso was making reference to the christianity that has permiated western culture. I wonder if other faiths have simmilar stories. Better yet, I wonder if Buddhism does? I agree, the Buddah man probably didn't have my souveir beer opener in mind when he set out to enlighten the world. I wonder how modern day folowers of the faith come to terms with this disparity between doctine and practice. All too interesting. Thanks for coming back to comment more.
Post a Comment
<< Home