Op Ed: How Not to Treat the Buddha

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
By Didi Kirsten Tatlow

People walk around the Buddha Statue holding candles during Makha Bucha Day at Buddhist Park in in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand in February.

CHINA---Would you be offended by a toilet seat cover sporting an image of Jesus? Or Muhammad? Some Thai Buddhists are upset that Buddha’s image is being taken in vain by “foreigners” who, they say, see it as a philosophical and not a religious symbol and don’t give Buddha the respect he deserves. These sentiments flared anew last week after reports of a hotel in France with a “Little Buddha” room that includes a toilet cover with Buddha’s image. [link]