[Buddha-l] Buddhism and blasphemy

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Joy Vriens schreef:

> Jørn Borup wrote:
>
>> Now, do any of you know about articles describing historical or 
>> modern situations of "Buddhism and blasphemy"?
>
>
> For me the whole history of Buddhism is one of 
> iconoclasms/caricatures, followed by integration of iconoclasms, 
> iconoclasms etc. The Buddha himself started with caricatures of 
> Brahmans, Jains etc. Then there was the affair of the wet dreams of an 
> Arhant, followed by the organised iconoclasm of Mahasanghika/Mahayana, 
> with Vimalakirti's iconoclastic virtuosity, Lin Tsi and other Ch'an 
> and Zen masters and not to forget esoteric Buddhism with its 
> mahaasiddhas and iconoclastic masterworks like the 
> Buddhakapaala-yoginii-tantra-raja. More recently Tibetan Buddhism had 
> its dge 'dun chos 'phel, putting the ashes of his cigarette on the 
> Budha's head, and not to forget Chogyam Trungpa.

You forget the best of all: Shugden and the Karmapa affair. The 
difference however is that most Buddhists don't suffer from tribalism 
and there are very few Buddhist leaders who hope to get more political 
power by raising a mob. Don't forget the lesson we have learned from 
'The Satanic verses', it's not the insult that causes the riots, but the 
habit of coming together on Friday and become collectively angry at the 
ennemy and the more crwod you can get togehter the better a mullah you 
are. I cannot imagine a member of the Buddhist sangha to get away with 
this and besides they don't have the training for it.

-- 


Erik


www.xs4all.nl/~jehms