[Buddha-l] Buddhism and Blasphemy

[Vicente Gonzalez]

Chris wrote:

C> Your observations are welcome (at least by myself). I do
C> wonder, however, which particular "this thread" you're referring
C> to.

probably she is referring to this type of comments:

" 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 agree with this woman. It is very easy talking in that way, when we
are rich and our stomachs are plenty. Today many western people
they feel attraction by other religious views to  project the
need of sophistication, beauty, intellectuality, etc.. Religion also
start to become a transnational matter. However, one cannot judge
the things in a simplistic way. Islam religion has many similar
wonderful views. In the past they were in providers of that same
fascination in front a barbaric Christendom. 

The Islam History has anthropomorphic representations of their
symbols, the humor sense and the rest. What Islam denies is the
adoration to idols. It is not so different of early Buddhist art,
in where one can see Buddha as an empty space surrounded by his
followers. In a similar sense, Ibn Al Arif said "Al-lah is not visible
like when we are seeing with the eyes; only when all the formulas
vanish" 

However, today the circumstances are different. If we should to
imagine the Danish episode arising in a spontaneous way (hard to
imagine) the procedure of the Danish government is so perfect and
civilized as blind and ethnocentric. 3/4 of this world still are in
development and we are not living alone. Many muslim people need
urgently a job and a life, and it is also our responsibility, because
we have a debt of exploitation in those countries.

In such conditions, nobody can expect to see the Islam pervaded by the
style of Ibn Al Arif, Nasid al-Ard and others to satisfy the western
expectative of the many supposed defenders of the tolerance and the
rest.  We have Buddhas inside pubs and nobody is concerned about this.
However, if one try to apply the same criteria to the rest of the
world it will be an ethnocentric view. Unfortunately, massively
present in our countries.

At the other side, I think quite hypocrite claiming the defence of
expression freedom in this matter when in the Western world we have
strong laws to protect the image of our national symbols and rulers.
Maybe are we saying that national symbols are in a higher level than
religious ones?. So I think that in any way. because all the great
religions they are of Universal ambit. Therefore if the matter is
to respect symbols, the religious symbols should be in a higher level
than those of our respective countries.

I think that any ruler has the ancient duty to protect the religions
life inside his land. And today it is equally valid. In my view, the
western countries still are very far to contemplate all the religions
inside their countries as their owns. Just they are seeing some
foreign people with foreign beliefs, and ignoring the new reality of
this world. We cannot forget our past maked with nations and we cannot
find a different view for a peaceful future.

About the lack of freedom of expression and censure, come on..
it is everywhere. In this same scholar Buddhist world, anyone can try
a search for all the works available about Schopenhauer. Despite he is
the more coincidental philosopher with Buddhism, one can check the
obvious censure, the astonishing absence, the auto-restraint and the
rest. Censure it's implicit in any ambit so we cannot make such
hypocrite exercise. 

I am an stronger defender of laity. However, at least I don't
understand laity as a way to eradicate the religious feeling. It is
impossible, btw. On the contrary, I see laity as a good way to
conserve all them enough far of power and politics affairs, then in
their better purity available. In this laity, the respect and
knowledge of all them becomes an implicit thing. Those actual projects
for the laity that sometimes we see in Europe still are a very coarse
thing, and still very far of the reality in our streets.


best regards,