Eastern / Buddhist / Oriental wall hangings

[alarne2004]

Hi everyone - does anyone know where (internet or Sheffield) I can find some eastern / Buddhist / oriental fabric wall hangings for me flat? And I've tried Ellis's in Broomhill already

[Plain Talker]

Drat, Ellis's was the first place I was going to suggest.

[purdyamos]

If Evolution on Orchard Square don't have any, they may well know who does. It's a Buddhist company.

 

I don't know how much you've tried googling for online suppliers, but the Tibetan word for them is Thangka, that will broaden your search options. Apologies if you already knew that.

[alarne2004]

Thanks purdyvamos; I've trawled Evolution for loads of nice hippyish stuff and was thinking about going back there and asking - I definitely will do though now, thanks. And I've Googled aplenty but I didn't know any Tibetan...so that will help I'm sure

 

Are there any other actual stores that you might know - even in the outskirts of Sheffield - as opposed to t'interweb?

[callippo]

not a good idea to display Buddhist imagery, especially Buddhas themselves, in the kitchen and/or the bathroom. Real Buddhists, as opposed to hippies, find it offensive. They're fed up with mostly westerners having what they often regard as being a fetishistic attitude towards Buddhism, which is why it is strictly speaking forbidden to export Buddhas outside many Buddhist countries without special permission.

[Plain Talker]

not a good idea to display Buddhist imagery, especially Buddhas themselves, in the kitchen and/or the bathroom. Real Buddhists, as opposed to hippies, find it offensive. They're fed up with mostly westerners having what they often regard as being a fetishistic attitude towards Buddhism, which is why it is strictly speaking forbidden to export Buddhas outside many Buddhist countries without special permission.

 

That's good, and useful information, Calippo.

 

Although not Buddhist, myself, and quite unlikely to display Buddist imagery, I didn't know it was offensive to have a Buddha in the Kitchen. (I don't think I'd want any religious artefacts in a bathroom, anyway, but I would never have imagined that even displaying Buddhist imagery in a kitchen could cause offence to a Buddhist.

[purdyamos]

That's good, and useful information, Calippo.

 

Although not Buddhist, myself, and quite unlikely to display Buddist imagery, I didn't know it was offensive to have a Buddha in the Kitchen. (I don't think I'd want any religious artefacts in a bathroom, anyway, but I would never have imagined that even displaying Buddhist imagery in a kitchen could cause offence to a Buddhist.

 

I've never heard that either PT. What I understand about Buddhism is that when it comes to offence, what matters is the intention of the act. I also take issue with Calippo's rather ridiculous 'Real'/'Hippy' division of the entire Buddhist world. I think his own prejudices are showing. It's that kind of rigid polarisation that characterizes what Buddhism doesn't stand for.

 

Perhaps it is the custom not to have an image in the kitchen, but the judgemental and dualistic way it's presented above runs rather counter to the underlying spirit of Buddhism itself. Objects themselves aren't inherently sacred. There's even a Zen (I think) story where a monk is in a freezing hut with barely any fuel, meditating in front of a wooden statue of Buddha. The Zen master finds him and throws the statue on the fire because it's *just a bit of wood* and worshipping a bit of wood rather than understanding the underlying meaning of things is daft.

 

I've got a couple of Buddhist things in my kitchen, a little book and an image, but far from being fetishistic or offensive, I use them in the waiting times while things are cooking to contemplate and clear a bit of mental weather. If I had Eastern guests visiting and I knew that they might find that offensive, it might be good manners to move them. I'd also wager that they'd understand that my reasons for having them there were sound if we discussed it, even if it was not the convention in their own country.

 

The middle way isn't about possessiveness, them-and-us, dogmatic rules, *things* or dividing people into categories of good/bad right/wrong. I'd stick my neck out and say that anyone Calippo knows who takes such lines has missed the original point of Buddhism, just as so many rigid Christians, Muslims, Socialists, Whatevers have around the world with their own chosen pool of ideas.

 

Zen Buddhists of Japan were vigorous supporters of the notoriously sadistic and supremacist regime of WW2. On the other hand a number of the 'hippies' are genuinely trying to live a humble and compassionate existence, giving their time/resources to the poor and vulnerable in their neck of the woods or simply taming their demons to become better people. Who might the 'Real' Buddhists be in that comparison?

 

Just sayin'...

 

Back to alarne2004 anyway.

 

I have never tried shopping for Thangkas so I can't give help from experience I'm afraid. It also depends on what sort of thing you're envisioning. There's Tibetan Mandelas for instance, then there's Zen/Chan calligraphy and caricature which is very different, with all sorts in between. You don't mention if you're wanting something with specific meaning or just like the artistic style, but it's about finding the right keywords to search for I suppose.

[callippo]

real Buddhist people, from Buddhist majority countries and whose ancestors have been Buddhists for a millenia plus, find any Buddhas in the bathroom or kitchen, pretty offensive, even though they're well used to westerners not having the first clue about the basic nuts and bolts of their beliefs, and making a fetish about them. They almost expect it in fact.

 

it's also inappropriate to display Buddhas in a room with a bed in it if you possibly can, though could understand it if sombody has limited space in their accommodation and have to compromise on this. In a large house, better-off people often have an entire room set apart as a shrine, and with nothing else in it, such as humdrum things like a toolbox or a seldom used excercise bike, that people might store in their spare rooms in the west.

 

typically in people's houses Buddhas are displayed quite high up, in a position of reverence so you can't look down at them. They might even be the first thing you see when you step foot in the building, in the entrance hall.

 

you might know about these conventions if you had spent an appreciable amount of time in a Buddhist country. Always seeing Buddhas in respectable settings, rather than next to a breadbin or in their case, rice cooker, in the kitchen or a bottle of shampoo in the bathroom is just something you pick up on, like avoiding pointing at anybody with your finger, never showing anybody the soles of your feet or your shoes, taking your shoes off whenever you enter someone's house, not just a temple, and avoiding touching or rubbing someone on the head - plus any number of dozens of little traits.

[Chris_Sleeps]

real Buddhist people, from Buddhist majority countries and whose ancestors have been Buddhists for a millenia plus, find any Buddhas in the bathroom or kitchen, pretty offensive, even though they're well used to westerners not having the first clue about the basic nuts and bolts of their beliefs, and making a fetish about them. They almost expect it in fact.

I've always found Buddhism to be free from dogma. I've studied Zen a little and this is quite open, but i know Tibetan Buddhism is a little more dogmatic and ceremonial. Yet still, searching for information only brings up your own post. I'm not doubting you, i'm just saying i've never read this before.

[Chris_Sleeps]

There's even a Zen (I think) story where a monk is in a freezing hut with barely any fuel, meditating in front of a wooden statue of Buddha. The Zen master finds him and throws the statue on the fire because it's *just a bit of wood* and worshipping a bit of wood rather than understanding the underlying meaning of things is daft.

After my light reading on the subject, i find the idea of a golden buddha statue very far from what i've learnt. I guess human beings have the ability to misconstrue almost anything.