What do I do with a statue of Buddha?

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aicirt said:
What is the purpose of Buddist monasteries and temples if not to worship?
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I am not an expert but from what I understand, Buddhists do not worship Buddha but that doesn’t mean that they don’t come together (temple) to worship. Buddhists are followers of Buddha and see him as an example to follow. He has attained fullfillment and others hope to someday do the same.

The Catholic equivalent might be Franciscans who do not worship St. Francis but join in common spiritual practices. Franciscans strive to be like St. Francis and since he is a saint, he has attained what we hope for.

My experience with Buddhist monasteries is that they are often similar to Catholic seminaries. They are places where men remove themselves from the world in order to delve more deeply into thier faith. Sometimes this is permanent but it may also be temporary.
 
Corki said:
I am not an expert but from what I understand, Buddhists do not worship Buddha but that doesn’t mean that they don’t come together (temple) to worship. Buddhists are followers of Buddha and see him as an example to follow. He has attained fullfillment and others hope to someday do the same.

The Catholic equivalent might be Franciscans who do not worship St. Francis but join in common spiritual practices. Franciscans strive to be like St. Francis and since he is a saint, he has attained what we hope for.

My experience with Buddhist monasteries is that they are often similar to Catholic seminaries. They are places where men remove themselves from the world in order to delve more deeply into thier faith. Sometimes this is permanent but it may also be temporary.
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Thanks for the explanation. I’m still feeling a little unsure about it because I’ve seen pictures of Buddists lighting candles in front of his image etc. I don’t own a statue of Mickey Mouse either and I’ve never seen anyone putting candles in front of it.

Personally, I would not have a statue of Buddha in my home. I would never destroy a statue because I don’t think that is right. If given one, I’d display it to please the person who gave it to me and put it away until his next visit.
 
aicirt said:
Thanks for the explanation. I’m still feeling a little unsure about it because I’ve seen pictures of Buddists lighting candles in front of his image etc. I don’t own a statue of Mickey Mouse either and I’ve never seen anyone putting candles in front of it.
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And that’s probably what Evangelicals think when they see pictures of Catholics lighting candles in front of statues of saints and the BVM. We don’t worship Mary or the saints but we focus on them in our prayers and strive to be like them. I am not saying that Catholics should be lighting candles in front of statues of Buddha but don’t jump to conclusions about what the practices mean. 🙂
 
Corki said:
And that’s probably what Evangelicals think when they see pictures of Catholics lighting candles in front of statues of saints and the BVM. We don’t worship Mary or the saints but we focus on them in our prayers and strive to be like them. I am not saying that Catholics should be lighting candles in front of statues of Buddha but don’t jump to conclusions about what the practices mean. 🙂
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Very true.
 
Here are my thoughts.

True, Buddha is not worshiped as a god. However, this statue represents a certain spiritual path that is inconsistent with Catholicism. This is why it is different then having a statue of Mickey Mouse or George Washington - they have no ideologies or spiritual practices associated with them.

The Buddha statue does. If I walk into a house and see Mickey Mouse statues I don’t think I’m jumping to a conclusion to think the owner of the house enjoys Disney things. In the same line I don’t think I’d be jumping to conclusions to think the owner of a house displaying Buddha statues enjoyed Buddhism. In the second situation however, enjoying Buddhism brings along an enjoyment of the spiritual practices of Buddhism.

Considering thus the implications, I would suggest burying the statue. This does not ‘spread’ Buddhism in any (however infinitesimal) way, it’s a sign of respect for disposing of blessed items in Catholicism so one cannot say you are being disrespectful to another religion, and it prevents any implication for support of Buddhism to visitors.
 
Why don’t you donate it to a Buddhist or a Buddhist temple in your friend’s name like when we make a donation in the name of someone? That way you respect your friend and you don’t have to have it in your house if your friend asks about it tell them you donated it in honor of your friendship because you wanted it to be in a place where it will be honored and respected as much as you respect your friendship with that friend.
 
blaskoman said:
Received a small statue of Buddha from a friend. The object is definately artful and appears that it could fetch a nice sum should I decide to sell it. I couldnt find the heart to decline the gift…however, I simply do not want this object in my house since I do not respect the Buddhist religion. How should I dispose of the object? It probably would be unethical to sell the statue since it was a gift (and do not need the money.) I cannot bring myself to re-gift it to someone else since the recipient may feel that I am pushing Buddhism.
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Respect for other religion is a must from us Christians. Since it is definitely artful, ask your friend where is a good place to put it.
 
I had a Buddha statue that I’d acquired during my pre-Catholic years in college. After I converted my husband and I drove it down the street to the Buddhist monastery and dropped it off. They were happy to have it.
 
blaskoman said:
Received a small statue of Buddha from a friend. The object is definately artful and appears that it could fetch a nice sum should I decide to sell it. I couldnt find the heart to decline the gift…however, I simply do not want this object in my house since I do not respect the Buddhist religion. How should I dispose of the object? It probably would be unethical to sell the statue since it was a gift (and do not need the money.) I cannot bring myself to re-gift it to someone else since the recipient may feel that I am pushing Buddhism.
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I used to have a Keeper of the Evil Eye that my dad gave me when he visited Jordan. It’s technically a pagan/Muslim symbol, so when I returned to Christ I didn’t feel right keeping it (disregarding the fact that many Greeks sell it at their churches…). I just gave it to a neighbor who collected antiques and didn’t think on it again. If you want to get rid of it, just give it as a gift to someone who you think might enjoy it 😃

On another note, I have a tiny statue of a Taoist god known as Daikoku in Japan (I forget his Chinese name) that I got for cheap at a Chinese antique store. I like it just because it’s cute, and I like many Asian cultures. I certainly don’t worship it or put it next to my icons (knowing precedent, I’d probably find it fallen over with its head off).
 
blaskoman said:
Received a small statue of Buddha from a friend. The object is definately artful and appears that it could fetch a nice sum should I decide to sell it. I couldnt find the heart to decline the gift…however, I simply do not want this object in my house since I do not respect the Buddhist religion. How should I dispose of the object? It probably would be unethical to sell the statue since it was a gift (and do not need the money.) I cannot bring myself to re-gift it to someone else since the recipient may feel that I am pushing Buddhism.
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Mail it to me. I’ll take it.
 
Corki said:
I am not saying that Catholics should be lighting candles in front of statues of Buddha but don’t jump to conclusions about what the practices mean. 🙂
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Gautama Buddha is a cannonized Catholic saint (known as St. Josaphat), so that’s really not too far off.
 
  1. Rub it’s belly
  2. Get Katchina dolls to keep it company.
  3. Get Troll dolls to keep it company.
  4. Get Matryoshka dolls to keep it company
  5. Re-do your interior decoration Asian to match it.
  6. Print out this picture: http://images.movieplayer.it/2003/01/03/keanu-reeves-in-una-scena-di-piccolo-buddha-269.jpg
Put it behind the statue. You can explain it’s a before and after of the prince, but, really, it’s just an excuse to put a pretty Keanu Reeves pic up.
  1. You did accept it for a reason. You didn’t want to hurt your friend’s feelings by refusing the gift. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I wouldn’t get rid of it or anything. Surely there is some where where it could go. Check out a Feng Sui website. See where one is supposed to put one of those and go accordingly. If nothing else, you could put it in a knick-knack nook or on a plant table.
 
planten said:
**The OP has already got two good replies. I would also suggest not to break or dishonor the statue. You do not believe in Budhism. But now that an appearance Budha has entered your home, do not make him go away. Place it in some respectable place in the house and do not talk to him.

If necessary, only look at him respectfully. But do not worship or bow or prostrate before the statue. That item is a statue. Do not make it an idol. There will be no harm to any one. Keep it.

You could do even better by getting hold of a reliable book on Budha. Read that book and learn about Budha now. Send blessings on Budha. He was a man of God, a pious person. .**
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Your religion says Muslim, but I’ve never heard of a Muslim considering the Buddha a man of God? Certainly he sought the truth, I think, and was a good person, but I’m not so sure he could be called a man of God.
 
abirdrrl said:
Wrong St. Josaphat. See newadvent.org/cathen/02297a.htm if you want a source biased toward traditional Catholicism.

New Advent says: **The story is a Christianized version of one of the legends of Buddha, as even the name Josaphat would seem to show. **
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My citation was also from New Advent.🙂

Your Josaphat:
Barlaam and Josaphat
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The principal characters of a legend of Christian antiquity, which was a favourite subject of writers in the Middle Ages.
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NOT a cannonized Saint.

The 16th/17th century St. Josaphat (my citation):
St. Josaphat Kuncevyc
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Martyr, born in the little town of Volodymyr in Lithuania (Volyn) in 1580 or – according to some writers – 1584; died at Vitebsk, Russia, 12 November, 1623.
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This one is the saint who has the same name as the character in the legend. Easy mistake to make.
 
Corki said:
They aren’t any more dangerous than the Kachina dolls I have in my Southwestern style family room. 😃 Maybe less so.
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Eeek! If those Kachina dolls are anything like the Zuni hunting fetish which troubled Karen Black in Trilogy of Terror (yeah, I’m that old) then I would definitely be concerned. :o

To me, the sensible thing seems to give the statue to a local Buddhist temple or monastery. That way you aren’t confronting your friend, and you aren’t being disrespectful to another faith tradition. Moreover, if your friend ever found out the statute was missing from your home, I think s/he would appreciate what you did with it.
 
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