in Buddha’s name

If the Buddha were alive today and saw the antics of the so-called Buddhist students over the Buddha Bar, he would probably term them unskilled.

The whole purpose of Buddhism is to go beyond the petty things that bother human beings; attachments to symbols, names, the supposedly sacred and profane.

By protesting against the Buddha Bar in Jakarta, by all accounts a place with bad service, these students have shown that they have failed to learn even the fundamental teachings of the Buddha and are excelling in sweating the small stuff.

Very off kilter this.

clipped from www.thejakartapost.com

Buddhist students seal Buddha-Bar

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 03/05/2009 5:45 PM | Jakarta

Dozens of Buddhist college students have on Thursday sealed an exclusive lounge and restaurant-type bar located on Jl Teuku Umar, Central Jakarta, after negotiating with the bar’s management.

“We’ve sealed the Buddha-Bar and this will remain until the matter is settled. The management team has also agreed not to open the bar,” Indonesian Buddhist Students Association (AMB) representative Widodo said, as quoted by kompas.com.

According to Widodo, the Jakarta administration has issued a letter to France regarding the widespread protest against the operation of Buddha-Bar, a famous hotel, restaurant and music chain run by the France-based George V Hotels and Resorts.

The bar’s local management has also filed a request for a name change, he added.

“So as long as the issue still stands, the bar will remain sealed,” the college student said.

3 thoughts on “in Buddha’s name”

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Daus says:

March 6, 2009 at 1:53 pm

I believe it is easier to change a cafe’s name than to revert people beliefs and faiths.

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Unspun says:

March 6, 2009 at 2:03 pm

@Daus: But that’s just it – the so called Buddhist students are acting inconsistently with the teachings of the Buddha.

Can you imagine a man who preaches non-attachment and transcendence of good and evil giving a toss whether a drinking place uses his title for their name?

BTW the Buddha is a title, Siddharta is the name of the current Buddha, according to Buddhist folklore.

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Happy-A says:

March 6, 2009 at 2:08 pm

These guys should just read Richard Carlson’s book, “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff” …

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