Buddha Bar?
Dear all,
I found this interesting piece of news about a bar in Sabah (one of the 2 states located in East Malaysia) named Buddha Bar. A few weeks ago, it came onto mainstream media that the name of the bar displeased the public as they served alcoholic beverages. They found the name to be disrespectful towards Buddhism…
I just wanted to share this news with everyone so that we know how much most Malaysian people and the government respect Buddhism. It truly is a blessing to live in a country where there is mutual respect for the different religious beliefs that we have.
Always appreciate what we have and look at the positive parts of our lives.
Tsem Rinpoche
Buddha Bar renamed, its owner apologises for controversy
by Amy Dangin, Borneo Post, June 20, 2013
KOTA KINABALU, Sabah (Malaysia) — The Buddha Bar Sabah, which was opened recently, was forced to have its controversial name changed after the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM) urged the City Hall to revoke its licence.
Ethan Chung
MCA Publicity Bureau chief Datuk Heng Seai Kie supported the Association’s call as the choice of name for the club where alcoholic drinks are served was deemed to be “blasphemous against the holy Buddha”.
Its young owner, Ethan Chung, had since renamed the establishment to ‘Peacock Garden’ on June 17 and apologised for the controversial name that he initially chose.
“I have chosen to respect the City Hall’s order and chosen ‘Peacock Garden’ as the new name for our establishment, hoping that it would re-establish peaceful harmony among the community we operate with.
“There was no intention of offending anyone when we chose that name in the first place. More importantly, we practised what we thought would emulate Buddha’s honoured teachings whereby we dedicate Wednesdays to children with disabilities and orphans by donating 10 per cent of Wednesday’s profits to selected charitable organisations.
“We also reserve four employment positions for people with disabilities and four positions for weekend part-time jobs, especially for students.
“These were some of the things that we did at the Buddha Bar and will continue to do after we re-open the establishment as the Peacock Garden,” Chung said.
Having lost some of its employees following the controversy, Peacock Garden is now hiring, opening its doors for walk-in interviews from Monday to Friday, 5pm to 6pm.
On June 18, Heng issued a statement condemning the outlet for using ‘Buddha’ in its name, calling it an insult to the Buddhist community in Malaysia.
“As a devout Buddhist, the name ‘Buddha Bar’ is not only disrespectful to the revered Buddha but even more detrimental to the holiness of Buddhism.
“By putting ‘Buddha’ in the bar’s title, they had placed Buddha next to the unhealthy substance, alcohol, linking the two as equals. Drinking alcohol is not only a violation of the Five Precepts of Buddhism, it also goes against five thousand years of Buddhist culture,” she said in a statement.
“I urge the Kota Kinabalu City Hall to take prompt action to withdraw the establishment’s operating permit,” Heng added.
However, her outrage received mixed reactions.
One commenter wrote, “Buddha Bars exist all over the world. And again…, only in Malaysia it will incur the wrath of a deity. There must be something else very wrong with the way Malaysia treats its religions, when it makes ALL gods so angry over minor, minor things.”
Another wrote, “Leave them alone for God sake….why the politician always fuss something…there a lot of crimes need to be taking care of…Just do your bloody attention to more important things instead of creating unnecessary issue… People do charity…they have their own way…..It’s not your family business…unless the person want to have under table share is it? Buddha Bar is proper name…Sushi Bar…Burger Bar….Do those politicians understand or not the meaning of Bar…”
[Extracted from: http://buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=56,11503,0,0,1,0#.UcqOovn-KuK]
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Everyone has the right to practise their belief and religion. Hence we need to respect each other and form an understanding so we can live in peace and harmony.
To link Buddha to alcohol is not right as it is against the Buddha teaching. Therefore, the suggestion to change the bar’s name. Appreciate the owner Ethan for his understanding to resolve the matter.
i think this articles sums up why it is offensive for the Buddha bar and we should be respectful to the buddhist images http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,12476,0,0,1,0#.VgyyAo-qpBc
Its good to know that Malaysians have respect for the Buddhist people.
It is really obvious that they are putting down the Buddhist name.
If they call that restaurant Buddha bar and serve meat and alcoholic beverages means that Buddha is just some sort of normal person who just do what normal people do.
Its great that our Malaysian people took action against the name of the restaurant.
当大家看到佛的神像或名字就会联想这地方是~庄严的佛堂或斋餐厅，怎么能接受是一个酒吧。在这个世上每一个人都须要佛，学习佛法知识，只要出发点是正确，尊敬佛和没有滥用的话，我是可以接受的。最怕是有些地方连佛像都没有，怎能接触佛法，学习佛陀的智慧，那真是可悲了。
The Malaysian constitution protects the religious rights of all its citizens I am thankful that I live in the country whereby the rights and freedom to believe is uphold. Not only that it ensures that disrespect to one’s faith is not tolerated.
Our belief system is personal to us and it really matters to us. For Buddhist to associate intoxicants to the Buddha is like associating certain meats to certain faiths. It is saying the total opposite of what the faith represents.
very interesting post and I think some people really over-reacted. Yes it is disrespectful but it is not too harmful. But to consider the conditions in Msia where religion is quite sensitive, the ownder should have consider this before he made any choice.
It is very creative of him to choose the name, but to sell alcohol in the bar which named Buddha bar, it shows also how ignorance he is. If he sells non-alcohol drinks/foods or vegetarian food, then this Buddha bar will get famous and it matches very well with the bar.
This reminds the youngsters who try to be different and creative, that they should study and research more before doing something, think deeper and longer to make this society a cuter place with variety of opinions and voices, along with keeping the society a harmony happy place.
I think that is a great idea, Abby – to have a Buddha Bar which doesn’t serve alcohol and serves healthy wholesome food! Hmmmm a possible business idea 🙂
Personally i think there was an overreaction to the Buddha Bar too. Buddha Bars overseas are very classy joints. I guess people can develop wrong view about Buddhist images if they see them in non-virtuous environments, but a Buddhist imprint is still a Buddhist imprint and those who are at the bar may be the least likely people to go to a temple. What if they didn’t call the Buddha bar by that name but had Buddha images within the premises. Would there be a similar uproar?
And going back to if it was another religion – like a Jesus Bar, or a Krishna Bar or a Mohammed Bar, there would be probably even more of an uproar! If only we could be more respectful as well as less sensitive about religions, i think that there would be less wars in the world.
This is a very interesting topic. It can be a very controversial issue for some people. I am not sure how I feel about this issue, on one end I wouldn’t have taken notice nor would I have bothered about the name but on the other I can understand people’s dismay about naming a bar after Buddha whilst serving alcohol. There are many other bars which doesn’t necessarily serve alcohol yet are still called a bar. In any case it is still wonderful to know the government does act on respecting the religion in Malaysia, but it got me confused because I swear I could have recalled seeing another Buddha Bar in Kuala Lumpur. It is also still great to know Ethan Chung had gladly made the decision to change the name and also conducted some PR work to resolve the issue rather than to retaliate and cause an even bigger issue.
Dear Rinpoche, I still don’t get why did Ethan Chung named his bar “Buddha Bar”. I understand that he wanted to spread Buddhism but the part is why does he want to use an alcohol place to spread Buddhism? I hope that Ethan named this bar for a good reason.
In my opinion, i think the Malaysian Government did the right thing by complaining about the name. This shows that Malaysia actually cares for all religions that they do not want to name of that religion to be abused, or used in the wrong way. This makes me more comfortable to be a buddhist. I now know that my country, not only supports their own religion, but others as well.
I think it is a bit disrespectful and i am glad it got renamed. How some people are, it is just rude and disrespectful.It was good that the owner changed the name and apologised because at least that shows that he understands.thank you Rinpoche for sharing this.
I think we shouldn’t be so fixated on the aspects/labels of respect towards a Buddha statue. Of course we should respect ALL Buddha statues, but that doesn’t mean that naming a bar after a Buddha statue is disrespectful to Buddha.
Although drinking is discouraged in Buddhism, naming a bar after Buddha doesn’t condone drinking.
When our motivation is set right and the plan isn’t to harm people or any living beings, names are just labels, in my humble opinion.
We can name a school Buddha School but if the people in the school are behaving lewdly, does that mean it is better?
But all in all, kudos to the locals whom displays such respect towards Buddhism.
Thank you for sharing, Rinpoche!
I live in North America, and here it has become quite common to see Buddha statues in bars and lounges etc. In fact most home furniture sell some form of Buddha or Buddha head statue as well.
I’ve always asked myself those questions, for example seeing a Buddha statue plans seeds in people’s minds, but also reducing a Buddha statue to the level of being a decorative object is not treating it with proper respect.
Overall, it is best to have the proper respect towards Dharma representations, in fact respect that is something all Buddhists must contemplate continuously to increase their practice. But we can’t control other people’s minds (in fact many times we can’t even control our own mind) so if they act in improper way toward holy objects we should just feel sorry for them. Even then it still plants a seed in their minds for later.
I remember there is one Sutra where Shariputra was teaching a group who were all going to become Arhats, then Manjushri arrived and taught them the Mahayana instead and the whole group became very angry and left despising Buddhism. When Shariputra asked Manjushri why he did that, Manjushri replied that even thought there were all going to become Arhats, he foresaw that by teaching them the Mahayana he would plant the seed that would eventually allow them to reach full enlightenment.
It is good to see that Malaysians are embracing the Buddhist culture. but i dont like this way to sale meat and alcohol.have good thing and bad thing .
I’ve read about it about 1-2 weeks ago, from my point of view, I think that there’s no right or wrong. But to some typical Buddhists(no offense), they think that the bar’s name is an insult to The Buddha. Just like what Bryan has stated, alcohol itself is neutral, it’s just the way we use it. Some people use it for medical purpose and some for entertainment purpose, as long as the intention behind is positive.
Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
I think many Buddhists in Malaysia have over-reacted towards this issue. Ethan was not planning to run a bar full of vice, gangsters, hard drugs and prostitution with strip shows. His intention was to set up a bar that feels chic and trendy, a place where even families can come dine in. And if i’m not mistaken, he also had plans to organize social charity events and activities at his bar. Although the bar serves alcohol, one must understand that alcohol when consumed in a controlled manner, won’t lead to any harm.
There is nothing inherently evil about liquor, it is merely liquor. Even Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche used alcohol to spread Dharma. I also agree with what others are saying here that having Buddha images in a bar can help plant positive imprints on its patrons. Being too sensitive and over-reacting towards this Buddha Bar issue only creates the impression that Buddhists are somewhat fanatical, narrow-minded and intolerant. What are your impressions of people who go to the streets in massive protests, burning the flags of other countries, screaming holy war or start chanting death to the one who insulted their god/prophet/saint in something trivial such as a joke or cartoon?
Although Ethan did not face something as extreme as death threats or violence, my point is that the reaction he got was still excessive. Such over-zealousness will not attract people to Buddhism but merely drive them away. Instead of coming down hard on Ethan, these people should have used a more diplomatic approach. Perhaps engaging Ethan in a positive way and working together with him to help transform the bar into one that operates with Buddhist ideals in mind, if he is to continue using the “Buddha” theme. I’m sure Ethan would have complied well to such an approach. He seems to be a nice guy.
Buddhism can benefit greatly if its followers act in ways that inspire and touch others.
Classic example of misinformation and misinterpretation. I believe it is not wrong to put the name Buddha as part of an establishment that serves alcohol. This is because, the Buddha image itself is beyond the negative perception. It is merely our own deluded thoughts and perceptions that makes an association with the image and the so called negative element that is supposedly alcohol.
As Bryan said, alcohol in itself is NOT negative… how we respond or act after ingesting the substance is the problem. Having a the name Buddha or an image of a Buddha in such an establishment in my mind is a good thing as it will plant imprints on people that otherwise would not have access to such blessings.
It however has to be done in a tasteful and respective manner though. Just my two cents worth! 😉
Dear rinpoche i am very sorry for not doing the social media anymore, please please forgive me.
The commenters are so selfish, how sn they think that malaysia did a bad job by forcing the buddha bar to close down and deities and buddhas are getting angry over minir things. they call this minor? And this is also important to do, it is the government’s choice to do this action not yours. Yes i understand the meaning of bar but it is named after buddha. How about i name it with other religion they would of course do the same.
其实我觉得在这些场所里摆放佛像， 没有什么问题！ 一位这里的人都是一些只顾享乐的人。 这些可怜的朋友是非常需要佛法！
在这些地方常常都会发生打斗，可能因为这些佛像的加持，让这些事情减低！
坦白说， 是有点不尊敬！但是也要看他们的出发点！
Agreed with Helene, I don’t think it’s good nor bad to put “Buddha” as part of their name, but the motivation have to be pure.
As a bar, which open to public, it will attract many different people from many different background, some are Buddhist, some are not. By opening this “Buddha Bar” might be able to bring in Buddha imprint to people who are not interested in Buddhism at all. But at the same time, it might also bring negative image of Buddhism to those who have not deep understanding in Buddha teaching.
Alcohol itself have no good or bad karma, as it’s neutral, by depends how we use it. For example, in some traditional Chinese medicine, alcohol is wide use to get rid of negative wind in one’s body which is positive. But we also heard news that one have violence actions towards another after alcohol, so it’s still depends how we use it.
Well, but in a multi cultural country like Malaysia, the conservative way always work out better.
Its so inappropriate to name a bar “Buddha Bar” along with display of Buddha images associated with liquor and alcohol. Malaysia is a country tolerant of proper religious practice, so it was good the owner was sensitive enough to change the bar’s name to Peacock Bar instead, after public sentiments were against the original name.
做生意搞噱头本来就是无可厚非的事，可是如果侵犯宗教信仰的话，那就有欠理想了。佛陀的一生，都为了所有六道众生的利益，而不断的讲经说法，为世人带来了莫大的益处，那么一位伟大的佛所做的一切，应该得到世人的爱惜与尊重，如果要利用在生意上谋取利益，那就不很可以被人所接受了。所幸店主及时醒悟，才不至于种下恶因。
It is good to see that Malaysians are embracing the Buddhist culture. Even though they were using Buddhism as a form for a bar, at least there are some imprints given to those who are not Buddhist. If people think that meat and alcohol is good, then the image of Buddha will lead to their pleasure and imprints will be achieved.
In this Era most of us degenerate Buddha teaching so there is some good points that we should have more and more Buddha images surrounding us to recall our imprints or planted more seeds in our mind.
But at the same time we should respect to the holy words we use, this is a simple respectful attitude. We must avoid to misused the holy words…
There are quite a number of bars in Kuala Lumpur where they have Buddhas images/statues in their restaurant while serving meat and alcohol, but there were no actions taken against them. I mean, if the authorities want to implement the same policy, then it should be fair across the board.
I would agree that the authorities focus on solving other issues like crime instead of this.
To me, I feel that we are in the age of degeneration, and if we have Buddha statue in more places, it can at least plant some imprints. I don’t feel that putting Buddha in a bar is not respecting. Whether or not we place the Buddha in the bar has nothing to do with respect. If the Buddha statue is well clean, full of offering, etc, it is well respected, regardless where the statue is placed. There are many ppl who have Buddha statue and yet drink alcohol and consume meat, does it mean not respecting? My point is that we just need to be fair…
This is just so selfish. They do not know what Buddhism is about and people just criticize saying that The Buddhists should let it go. But if we were to flip the situation around and name the bar with other religious figures the rest of the people would just make a fuss as well.
We should never use another religion’s characters of main teaching materials and use it in ways that just goes against what the religion practices. We should have mutual respect to each other.
But I think that it is nice to see that the Malaysia government stepping in for this situation.
For what I think it is a good news to know Malaysian has the respect of religion but I think the motivation behind of choosing the name has to be positive too. There is no right nor wrong.