‘Buddha For Sale’

In the shadow of the violation of the Prophet of Islam by the Swedish artist Lars Vilks, a similar attack on the ”founder” of Buddhism is taking place. This violation of Buddha is not occurring in the pretext of a Western right to publish insulting material of non-Christian persons of prominence.

But through the exploitation of Buddha for economical purposes by Swedish Internet Companies offering mass produced Buddha objects intended to inaugurate an oriental mystique within the walls of the inner-city apartments and exclusive houses in the suburbs owned by the Swedish middle-class.

Internet companies, institutes for massage, restaurants, resellers of furnishing, and breeders of exotic cats all adopt Buddha in their uninhibited capitalist interests. As well as leaching the symbolic meaning which adherents of Buddhism ascribe to the Enlightened One. Some resellers of these, as they are marketed, oriental objects, also advertise that their Buddha statues are traded fairly or subscribe to the criteria for fair production.

It means the object has been manufactured by ecological material and is of high quality. Moreover, that ONE Company shall be the ONLY importer of the objects which in turn will be distributed to other resellers in Sweden ruthlessly capitalizing on Buddha.

The commercialization of Buddha is an insult to all adherents of the Buddhist tradition. And can be seen as an expression of the prevailing relation between the so called Third world and the postcolonial powers.

As a Sri Lankan adoptee living in Sweden it is impossible to experience feelings of pride for my country of origin, having a tradition of Buddhism for more than 2300 years, when Swedish Internet Companies manifest a right to offer Buddha for middle-class consumption. This right can be derived to the Western colonial time.

In 2007 Sweden acknowledged its participation in the world order during the Western colonial time, for instance, in the circulation of slaves from the Swedish colony Saint Barthélemy.

Now in 2010 Sweden should react and act against this circulation of oriental objects by prohibiting Swedish companies to use the prominent person of Buddhism both in their marketing and to function as resellers of Buddha objects.

This violation of Buddha is a colonial enterprising which exploits a non-European tradition. Although occurring in the pretext of the criteria for fair trade!

Daniel Cidrelius, a Sri Lankan adoptee in Sweden, MA of Social Anthropology.

- Asian Tribune -