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I'm always uncomfortable seeing mass-market Buddhas in the homes of non-Buddhists. Religion isn't decor.

Where are those 2 chairs from in the first pic?

Actually, someone was selling Jesus and Pope Benedict bobblehead dolls before the Pope's visit. The DC metro used the Pope doll in a ad exhorting people to ride mass transit to see the Pope.

i would totally use a jesus statue as a coat rack. too bad atheism can't be incorporated into my decor...

Religion is OFTEN decor-- for believers and non-believers alike.

http://www.bobbleheadstore.net/bobble/jesus.htm

http://www.spiritualdecorstore.com/

There's tons of religious stuff used as decor, without it being used by a person who is a believer of that particular religion.

Plenty of angels and cherubs and crosses and saints over at Target in the garden department. Here's one description:
"Illuminate your patio, garden, walkway or driveway with this spiritual Cross Lights the Way solar statue. The center cross is actually a solar LED light that automatically comes on at dusk. Made of cast stone. Imported. 24Hx15L”."

Then there's all the Native American stuff that was swiped and used as decor without being Native American or having that set of beliefs.

Pick a group, and it has been a trend at some time. Or will be.

It's a sign of the times. People getting into meditation, yoga, furniture styles, etc.

They may not follow the eightfold path, but maybe they will learn a bit about it, out of curiosity.

And for those who recognize the Buddha, but not the term Eightfold Path, they can start over at the easy to follow Wiki article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path

I would not mean any disrespect by having the Buddha in my home. There is something very relaxing, comforting in the image of the Buddha that I do not feel with other religious symbols.

Perhaps it's the image of being at peace.

I am especially fond of the image used above with the flowers. I would gladly have that on my wall as a canvas or framed photo.

If it calms me, I think that is a good thing.

And if it is used purely as a decorative object, without regard, and I run across it, and it calms me, I think that is also a good thing.

Those unexpected encounters with the Buddha can be like a reminder, a sign, to remember the Eightfold Path.

What about using religious paintings as decoration? Couldn't this be seen in the same way?

i have to say... religion sure is decor in our house. moreover, atheism is ;)

we have a statuette of St. Francis, whom is holding his belly, standing by our Pepto and Tums in the medicine cabinet. we also have a few Virgine de Guadalupe candles scattered throughout the house.

now if only i could find a jesus large enough to hang my hat and coat on...

I agree with the commenter who said he finds the image of the comforting and therefore feels okay using it as decoration.

But there is a right and wrong way to do it. somehow when I look at the picture posted and see buddha statues along with what looks like an animal skin rug- something seems very wrong.

Religious imagery isn't decor? What about the restaurant chain Buca di Beppo, which has a "Pope Room" with statues, paintings and photographs of Popes, priests and nuns as the decor? Nobody seems too upset over that...

And how about religious imagery as fashion accessory? Walk into any jewelry store and see all the silver, gold and diamond encrusted crosses as pendants, earrings, etc. for sale. I wonder how Jesus would feel coming back and seeing the image of his torture device used as jewelry? If he had been hung or stabbed to death instead, would folks walk around with little nooses or knives?

BTW - I keep a Buddha in my bedroom at home and on my desk at the office. Folks often walk into my office and mention how calming my office feels...

I find images of the Buddha very appealing and calming, but I have never bought one because it seemed disrespectful that they're sold as "home decor" rather than sacred objects. I also found the (thankfully mostly expired) trend of decorating with crosses and other religious objects distasteful.

Religious images/figures are like any other cultural image/figure. Decorate away.

She didn't say it isn't used as decor. She said it shouldn't be.

Personally, I don't put up images of actual religions. It seems inappropriate. That's my only decor philosophy. Decor is still an individual thing, right?

Those chairs are lovely. Can anyone identify them?

"I find images of the Buddha very appealing and calming, but I have never bought one because it seemed disrespectful that they're sold as "home decor" rather than sacred objects."

This is how I feel as well.

On a more worldly note, is that blue & white wallpaper or fabric in the first picture? I adore it!

FYI: photo of chairs up top are from our Smallest Coolest Apartment 2006 winners, Jenny & Clove.

Does anyone have any good online stores to recommend to get Buddha decorations?

I use Buddha images throughout my decor, but have one specifically placed in an altar for mediation. The others throughout my home remind me to strive to live in harmony. I find them especially pleasant in a garden.

Thailand specifically prohibits tourists from purchasing Buddha images for use as "decoration". It is only enforced if they are found in customs and the images are confiscated. It is considered an insult in Thailand to display a Buddha image in a disrespectful manner such as on clothing. There was a huge boycot of a company for printing the image of Buddha on a swimsuit a few years back but I don't recall the company. I purchased many of mine at temples throughout Thailand so that the money would go to support the monks at the temples.

The space in the top picture is Jenny and Clove's place.

Original entry:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/small-cool-2006-entries/14-jenny-cloves-laish-pad-007000

Finalist entry:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/small-cool-2006-entries/finalist-10-jenny-cloves-laish-pad-007949

Update:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/house-tours/at-book-alert-update-on-jenny-and-clove-048816

The wall is fabric, and maybe they answer your question about the chairs somewhere in the above links.

I have a wonderful teak buddha I purchased in Thailand. I think it fine to use as a decorative piece as long as you are respectful that it has special meaning to many people.

I'm not Buddhist, but I occasionally burn incense and place fresh flowers beside mine as those are common offerings that Buddhists do. I really wish I could find a place to buy the yellow flower garlands they use in Thailand.

And, gosh darn it, I'm a "she"!

:::flashes boobies at the monitor:::

See?

Is it that I type like a guy? What does that mean anyway?

and the Star of David is a gang symbol...

I know people who have mezuzot in their home and aren't Jewish and don't even really know what it means.

It brings something to someone's life that if you are too busy being offended you will never understand.

I'm agnostic and nothing really bothers me. I have a Jesus action figure too.
If I were to identify with any religion, though, it would be Buddhism, and I'm one of those who find the image of the Buddha calming. My first was a marble one my father purchased in Korea or Vietnam, and I ended up collecting them somehow. My husband came with a few himself, but more of the restaurant kitsch variety.
I get not showing disrespect, but there are bigger fish to fry I remember being quite put out when the Taliban blew up those ancient Buddhas, so sad.

i used to have a small (15"h) buddha statue in one room on the floor, and a buddhist friend of mine very sweetly said that it shouldn't be placed on the floor, so i immediately put it on a bookshelf. she knew i didn't know better, and i obviously loved the buddha (insert any reason here) and i never thought about it again - until this post.

one personal preference - i have never agreed with any religious article or even family pix in the bathroom - just think about it - with all the goes on in there it may be the least respectful spot in the home. and even if u love the asian / zen spa vibe - there are alternatives to placing a religious figure in there: flowers/ stones/ candles/ seashells/ twigs/ stacks of fluffy white towels...

religion is like the spokes in a wheel - there are many different paths to God - and though u may be singular in your beliefs be generous in your humanity and respect.

I would have to agree that religious symbols seem appropriate as decor if you ascribe to the belief or use it respectfully, with the tenets of the faith in mind. Otherwise, yes, Buddha as coat rack or Jesus-bobblehead, I have a problem with. It's the objectification of an entire faith and of the person (buddha, Jesus, etc). Personally, even anything with cherubs or the pope room in buca bothers me. I wouldn't want a picture of my deceased grandmother turned into an ashtray. I agree with the article in the sense that it comes down to basic respect.

In my experience, most of the objects which use religious symbols as decor are produced in countries or by companies that are dominated by that faith (though not always). I have a Japanese Buddha in my living room and find it so calming that I will look to it to help me find a centered feeling.

Since I have lived in Japan for a long time, I've seen another side of this for a long time. That is, Christian symbols and images worn, displayed, or used decoratively with no faith behind them. It's not like Western folks are the only ones who use religious symbols as decor.

Everyone has to accept that religious symbols creep into everyday life and lose their original meaning as they are spread. Anyone who has seen maps full of backwards swastikas can digest that idea and understand it. The symbols aren't nearly as important as the beliefs that are behind them.

Buddhas of all shapes and sizes keep finding us, and we keep taking them in. In the fifteen years that my husband and I have been married, we've managed to accumulate five Buddhas in various postures without even trying. Each time a new Buddha finds his way here, we learn something new about what his particular posture means, which is kind of cool.

As a side note: While we like the Buddha, our three-year-old does not. There's a four-foot-high carved mask in our living room (which friends sent to us from Indonesia; we're still afraid to ask how much THAT cost) that Sam has a love/hate relationship with. He claims it's scarier than a Komodo dragon, but not as scary as a monster. We've nicknamed the mask "Brian" to make him more relatable, but with limited success so far.

I once told an Orthodox Jew that it was odd that I felt so comfortable having animist masks in my apartment but couldn't imagine a "bleeding Jesus" Spanish painting.

There was a moment of silence, the kind where you know that you've just said something VERY wrong but you don't know what.

Then he said "at least Christianity is monotheism."

Ahem...

I'm ecumenical - Ethiopian processional crosses, Buddhas, Himalayan masks, a Mexican nativity, a few Hindu godlings, a giant Turkish evil eye talisman. And does my collection of "silly" devils count?

An ex-New York friend in India asked me to send her a mezuzah - a fully consecrated on.

By the way, did you know that some of the earliest cultured pearls were of pearl Buddha?

"The Chinese knew that pearls could be made by the 1300s but did not expand on this for commerce, rather they made the occasional pearl buddha. A small limestone carving of a buddha would be placed in an oyster and allowed to grow for several years. The oyster would then be harvested and the pearl buddha collected as a miracle."

Source:
http://www.harlequinbeads.com/cgi-bin/beads/library/article.html?article=LIB00041

If you want to be technically honest, religions use the icons to appeal to people. It may be underlying or unintentional, but the translation of Buddhas into figures you can buy was made for inspiration. How can you look at it and say it doesn't belong with you when you shower every morning, or alongside your books, or to greet you when you come home? Same with Catholicism and possibly pagans especially, but many religions. Hearing lapsed Catholics talk about how they miss the "stuff" of being part of the church, the wood and glass and shapes and even some of the rituals had more substance to them, and I really think if that appeals to you, just reject the thoughts and be spiritual with the material objects that inspire you.

I'm an atheist, but I don't have strong opinions about religious objects. I actually have a lot of superstitious objects, once I took a look around. I was never religious, so I wouldn't be clinging to anything in particular, it's just stuff to me, and whatever someone was thinking when they made it that way, was based on their inspiration to make something of beauty for their faith and followers of it. You can't say it's not pretty or have an effect... I guess some people get sick over imagery or what they ultimately represent, and I just think they're things. Also, I like the irreverent generally, and I don't know how the author feels that Buddha is singled out in this respect. Certainly there are enough people who think if Jesus would give you the shirt off his back and his coat as well, he wouldn't mind holding coats either. He's very useful! How can you love thy neighbor real well without offering a place for them to hang their coat when they visit?

Anyway, Jesus loves you, God forgives you, Buddha's probably ok with it (that's the given gist of it, no?), etc. It's the people who make the false idols, and I think that's one of those things you're not supposed to do, and I think it means.. objects are not gods or nothin'. Put them where they will service you, be it in peace or humor.

A little background on our budhas since our apartment is featured at the top of the post. We purchased these pieces after the tsunami to support local artists in Thailand that we had met on our travels there.

Ironically, this was quite opposite of what is being discussed in this post. As artists ourselves, we knew that the local artists would be some of the hardest hit by the disaster & we wanted to help support them & their artmaking.

For what it is worth...
Jenny & Clove

By the way, Jenny & Clove in person are both so sweet and adorable that if you met them, you'd absolutely see light streaming through them as if they were illuminated baby Jesuses with light bulbs inside like they have in nativity scene yard ornaments.

You really CAN believe their intentions are good.

By the way, I have a paint-by-number painting of The Last Supper above the little bar thing in my kitchen, which hides my switchbox, and which brings me no end up pleasure, even though I'm not all that religious, and never was Catholic. But it's pretty and colorful and quietly serves a whole bouquet of functions for me.

If you'd like to support local artists from around the world
http://www.novica.com/

love,
Jenny & Clove

I guess Surya Das has never seen Divine Intervention's ... ahem... marital aids.

Hmm. As a practicing Buddhist, I have to say that I find getting upset about Buddha images is a bit contrary to the spirit of the whole thing! I love religious art generally and I think you can combine respect and playfulness without hurting feelings... but honestly, I don't really have a problem with art upsetting people occasionally either! It's probably good for them. I will say though that the proliferation of Buddhas as a gimmick for "mod Asian-inspired" decor sometimes makes me feel a little vulnerable about having any in my home as actual religious objects (since I know they do tend to make people roll their eyes). I'm still looking for a special one that will be a perfect reminder of mindfulness...

Anyone possibly know where to get a colored glass/crystal distressed looking buddha statue very similar to the one shown in the photo?

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Happy decorating!

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