Dark Chocolate

I forgot to mention that the previous post was fueled by a gift from Brother Don Croner, just back from another wander down Beijing way. Coming over for a hot cuppa joe, he presented me with a bag of loose Yunnan tea. Call it our Transcontinental Caffeine Exchange Program. He claimed it’s a black tea, but it looks like a black/green blend, if such things exist. In any case, he recommended it with honey. Following the master’s instructions, I plopped a dollop of Mongolia’s finest in my mug and found he did not mislead me. It was divine. Drank the whole pot.

Also regarding the previous post I meant to indulge in a bit of self-congratulation. My more mature impulses ruled the day (an extraordinarily rare event you’re privileged to witness) and I managed to resist titling it Mon Kampf. Mostly out of respect to Luke Distelhorst, who insists his name has Dutch origins, but Dutch, Deutsch, who can parse these things? Best not to risk it. I also scratched Mon Dieu. If there is an Intelligent Designer, he ain’t hearkening to me.

Anyway, about the tea. I gather such from-the-source, brewable delicacies are prominent in the Western marketplace these days. What a marvelous choice for stocking-stuffers or a gift to bring to your holiday parties.

By contrast, I’ve discovered an atrocious product I hope never finds its way down any chimneys or anywhere else and quickly goes the way of the Dodo bird.

I don’t read Buddhist magazines much, so it was with the curious puzzlement of an anthropologist that I flipped through one recently. I was astounded by how sophisticated the marketing had become. Centers, teaching tours, publishers, shrine supplies – the ads had become so slick. And that’s fine, if a little self-important, some of it. It’s nice when things look nice. But in its wake was the thing I’d dreaded most about the development of Buddhism in the West. Acres of ads from those looking to cash in with Buddhist kitsch.

And, again, OK, whatever. There’s only supply when there’s demand. There’s plenty of Buddha-themed Kutesy Krap that finds its way into Mongolia from China. But then some things cross the line from being mere kitsch to actually giving offense and kicking in a concern for the karma of the producers and the consumers. The product that’s recently crawled under my skin is the Chocolate Meditating Buddha and his companions Chocolate Buddha and, Lord help us, Green Tara (technically Brown Tara, but anyway…). I came across it almost simultaneously at an E-Sangha discussion, and also at The Worst Horse’s “Dharma Burger” page.

This bums me out in the same way as do Buddha images on workout or other clothes or, unbelievably, on the seat of one’s pants (and with impossibly perfect irony, they used Vajrasattva, the Buddha of Purification). These products encourage karmically detrimental uses of such images – sweating into them (and throwing them into the laundry bag with your underwear), sitting on them (image is from jeans made by a company called True Religion, I swear. And now they seem to be collector’s items. Usually these jeans will set you back 2-3 bills, but this cat wants $2200 for a pair!), eating them. Why is that?

Well, as we begin to explore the spiritual path, we’re taught to discriminate between what is ordinary and what is extraordinary. In this world, there are representations of the Buddha’s body, speech and mind – images, texts and stupas respectively. If we become an Official Buddhist with the taking of Refuge Vows, there are certain commitments we keep. Patrul Rinpoche explains in part: “Having taken refuge in the Buddha, honor and respect even a tiny piece of broken statue representing him. Raise it above your head, put it somewhere clean, have faith and perceive it with pure vision, considering it as the true Jewel of the Buddha.” This is because karma consists of the mental impressions of our actions. If we consider these representations extraordinary and treat them as such, we develop the habit of honoring our own Buddha Nature, of which they are a reflection. In this way, we create virtue, the source of our future happiness and, ultimately, our liberation from samsara.

If, however, we treat a Buddha image like we would an Easter bunny, we accrue the mental habit of treating it as completely ordinary and just another source for a sensory hit. We literally turn the Buddha into shit. Patrul Rinpoche goes further:

"These days, some people claim to be followers of the Three Jewels but do not have the slightest respect for their representations. They consider paintings and statues representing the Buddha or books containing his words to be ordinary goods to be sold or pawned. This is called 'living by holding the Three Jewels to ransom' and is a very severe fault."

Am I reacting too strongly? I don’t think so, but maybe you have other ideas and can share them in the comments. But if these chocolates bug you too, you can do as I’ve done and urge Chocolate Deities to stop producing Buddha images to gnaw on (politely, please!) at: devichocolate@chocolatedeities.com.

Comments

[don]

Check out this Dharma Wear from the 2002 Kalachakra Initiation in Graz, Austria. Actually the tea is a black variety known as Yunnan Black Gold which is for sale in Beijing.

[Konchog]

Gaaah! That's what I'm talking about! See that vein pulsing at my temple? Thanks, Don.

And isn't Yunnan Black Gold also available in certain Amsterdam coffee shops?

[Christian]

This reminds me of a TV show about buddhism in France, back in 1998. There was a Tibetan Rinpoche (can't find the Who's Who of Tibetan Clerics to tell you more) and he was asked if he wasn't bothered by the increased usage of Buddhist imagery in advertisement. This holy man smiled maliciously and said: "Why would I care, since I cannot do anything about it?"

And I would dare to go further: why care about these companies and these persons who sell and buy Buddhist kitsch? I mean, the karmic boomerang would hit a Buddhist doing this, not a non-Buddhist, am I wrong (note that I am wrong several times a week:-)? At least, this is how I understand the comment of Patrul Rinpoche (a great master): in a buddhist society as Tibet was, better behave buddhistically. I believe some context is missing. Otherwise, it would be akin to magic, like there is an intrinsic charm in the the representations of the Buddha. (This would set, by the way, the ground to the traditional idolatry critic from some of our Christian friends against Buddhism.)

If there is such a thing on Earth as a "buddhist company", and that this company sells whatever profaned representation of the Buddha, then a friendly advice to change business would be understandable. Similarly, if a potential buyer is a buddhist and is attracted to these goods, then, again, the advice might be good. Otherwise it is pure stalking and harassment, no? (I think the e-mail address is over-reaction.)

It is like when some Muslim clerics want Europe to forbid certain representations of Mohammed, because they are profane. Actually, for most people, the pictures were mostly of poor quality and bad taste, but profane for some few Muslims only (not even all, far from it, because most European Muslims have brains, understand the rules of democracy and even have self-control too).

Europe civil society is, after many centuries of struggle, democratic, protects freedom of speech (with a different flavour as the USA) and is legally profane. And mostly non-muslim in practice. It is like requiring from an atheistic to show respect for a Christian cross.

Have you read about the Christmas trees at the Seattle airport? Should the airport display some Buddha relics in the airport or else threat to sue if the trees are not removed?

...

Why just not forget all this at once and drink some hot tea, waiting joyfully for Christmas? (Yes, Buddhists too.)

Nice post, tough!;-)

[minnie]

ok, then, i have a question. franklin created a design that had kali as a knitter. is kali hindu or buddhist? i suppose that is the relevant question.

the other question i have is do you object to those images being on a t-shirt, if it's a proclamation of faith? i've known lots of people who wear christian t-shirts, and claim the same. i also know a lot of wiccans who would do the same. i know you don't like the idea of sweating on the images, but is a t-shirt the same idea, and sacriledgeous (i know that's not spelled right, lol)

[Konchog]

Suppose I should be clearer. I'm not opposed to Buddha images being used for ordinary purposes, like advertising. I'm opposed when their use puts the consumer in a position of accruing a negative mental habit. Like eating a Buddha for sensory gratification. Or sitting on them, or throwing them in a bag with your dirty socks. It's not just Buddhists who are subject to karma.

But I gotta watch it, as far as my own anger is concerned. As always, it's Shantideva who comes to mind:

"Even those who vilify or undermine
The sacred Doctrine, images and stupas
Are not the proper objects of our anger;
The Buddhas are themselves untouched thereby."

[Jenn]

I can understand what you are saying. Several years ago my teacher, a Shingon Vajracarya, gave me two prints of the Kongoukai (Diamond World) and Taizoukai (Womb World) mandalas. The only place in my whole apartment where I could hang them directly across from each other on their respective east/west walls was in my dining room/office. They hang from the window (facing in) and a closet door.

A few months ago I did an immense amount of laundry, much of which had to be hung to dry. I ran out of places to hang things. Every windowframe, doorway, etc. was covered and there was still more to hang. I looked at the closet door, knowing that if I opened it and hung things from the top of the door, I could get everything hung up somewhere, but I just couldn't hang drying laundry over Dainichi Nyorai.

But at the same time, I have a collection of Buddha statues all over the place as decoration. The difference? I guess because I know that if I got a Buddha image that I was going to be meditating in front of (no, I don't have a shrine) that I would choose a Buddha, have the statue carved, and then my teacher would "open its eyes." So the cheap resin ones I bought at Pier One and Target don't really count to me.

It is a contradiction, and I'm glad you wrote this post so that I can contemplate it.

[Carol]

I could be the devil's advocate here and mention that for me, eating chocolate is an act of worship... but I know what Konchog is trying to say. Having spent 4 years in the muslim world, I am hypersensitive about the sanctity of anything religious. The jeans with the buddha on the butt are inexcusable, as are the skimpy tee shirts!

So here's a question for the panel. I'm working with several manuscripts, I make copies, I practice my vocabulary by writing things out by hand... what do I do with the drafts and practice pages? To be honest, I've been tossing bits of my diamond cutter trascription in my recycle pile... but my originals hold the place of honor on my alter.

[Don]

In all fairness I should have pointed out that the Dharma Wear I alluded to above was part of an exhibition illustrating the dubious usages of Buddhist images. The organizer of this exhibition, Martin Brauen, later published a book entitled Dreamworld Tibet which also deals with this subject. Included among many other items displayed in the book is the infamous Buddha Doormat, which invites you to wipe your feet on an image of the Buddha. Among less objectionable items is an Apple Computer ad featuring our own beloved Glenn Mullin. If you cannot resist this kind of stuff get your very own Kalachakra Watch here.

[wangjel]

yes i guess good to care about the "wiew"

[Pixie]

Dharma wear. Eek! Dont know what appalls me more actually. The use of sacred images in this way or the fact that the t-shirt tucked INTO shorts...the horror, the horror....

XXPixieXX

[Konchog]

Don -- seriously? Buddha doormat? I need smelling salts. And thanks for the clarification. I thought that gear was for sale at Graz!

Carol -- with texts, even fragments, Buddhists generally set them aside and burn them in a clean place at some point. But I'm a bit agnostic about recycling. Just don't line the bird cage!

Good point, Pixie, and funny! Welcome to the DODR Komment Karnival!

[Pixie]

Upon further reflection of your post Konchog, I find a certain well known famous Zen Buddhist story comes to mind, which you are no doubt familiar with. It concerns a wandering monk who, upon finding shelter for the night in a wayside shrine, in order to keep warm burns the painted wooden image of the Buddha therein.

I would write more but, whilst its morning where you are, its darkest night here in dear old Blighty, and I if I don’t want to find myself nodding off on the cushion the ‘morrow I should really go to my bed.

Thank you for the welcome btw, right back at you.

Be well, be happy and mind your head!

XXPixieXX

[Konchog]

Well, Pixie, it's Synchronicity Day. That's exactly the story the company's president sent me in a reply email as part of her rationalization.

Don't think it's exactly applicable, though. In a time of need, the monk was demonstrating the view of emptiness and its result as non-attachment. Later he replaced the image and lit incense to honor it!

[Pixie]

Spooky! As I said, t'was just what came to mind. I certainly don’t see it as any kind of justification for their use of Buddhist imagery for chocolate bars, t-shirts etc. I can see how it might be used (incorrectly) as a rationalization though, and shall bear it in mind when making my complaint.

This is my understanding of the issue, and please correct me if I am in error.
There are two points here that I see. Firstly such images are sacred. Period. So to use them in ways in which they become defiled - as discussed above - is clearly incorrect.
The tale of the cold monk doesn’t work as justification, because themes of emptiness and impermanence are clearly not replicated.
If I walk into a shop selling Buddha Bling* and help my self to a Mandala of the five Buddhas t-shirt because I am cold, or munch on a bar of White Tara chocolate because I am hungry then wander out again, I think security would be all over my a*se! However I’m sure my explanation of how I was simply faced with basic needs which I satisfied in a practical manner would appease the Judge.
I’m sure that my offer to paint a thangka as a replacement for what I’ve used would be fine with the storekeeper too….Hmmm perhaps I should try it next time I’m in need ;-)

The second issue is that by putting such images on items for commercial sale, this may encourage greed, desire and other unhealthy feelings to arise. Indeed, in those of us who find these things offensive, it has caused feelings of anger to arise!

Finally, for what it’s worth, I don’t like to see anyone’s images of faith used in such a way. I know for sure that my Muslim friends would be highly un-amused about the word of Allah encapsulated in a chocolate bar! (I also note that that particular image has not been used, I think Ill ask why…)

A further question for the massive - what should one if presented with such a 'gift' from well meaning but non-Buddhist friends or family?

XXPixieXX
*Expression shamelessly borrowed from Worst Horse :-)

[Christian]

The story you refer is probably one attributed to Tan-hsia Tien-jan (739-824). He told the monk, who surprised him burning the statue, that he was looking for relics in the ashes, and the monk, in shock, told him that there wasn't any. "So I request two more statues to maintain the fire." The version of the story I have ends by the enlightenment of the monk, named Hsiang. Nice trick!

Anyway, it is a lame excuse from the company, of course.

I don't think that only buddhists deal with karma, but that breaking a vow is much worse than not taking a vow and doing whatever would have been prohibited. I don't say that doing whatever one wants does not lead to bad consequences, just that it is worse. In my (unenlightened) opinion, this is the whole point of vows: create positive patterns of thought and behaviours which, in the future, will be a starway to the Awakening or Hell, if broken. I believe this is why the dalai-lama advise not to change religions.

In my last comment I tried to say that it is worse for a buddhist to profane a buddhist representation than for a non-buddhist, even if (agreed, Konchog) this could also lead to a bad pattern of causes and consequences. Note also that intention is very important in the creation of karma, even if not whole story, and if one does not know that he is profaning some object, the intention is missing.

Plus, the historical context in which Patrul Rinpoche expressed himself was missing, and buddhist teachings often depend heavily on the context, like the time, the audience, the omens etc. Shantideva seems deeper to me, in that sense.

Now, I sense there is a cultural difference at stake here. A difference between Americans and Europeans, especially French and British, two countries with the highest rate of agnostics or atheists. In France, especially, people respect religions in general, but it is considered something intimate, personal, that should not be exposed, like your underwear, otherwise it would be considered as imposed on others. Religion can be harshly criticised (see a best-seller of 2005, by an atheist philosopher named Michel Onfray) and then there is a debate etc. which is always interesting to follow in the media. In the USA, there is so much praise for the freedom of speech, but a general censorship about religions. (Except that I found in the movies that the Catholics are more often presented in a bad light, than the Protestants. A case of undying papophobia, perhaps.)

This French attitude toward the sacred assume that no object is, in itself, sacred; it is the relationship between a person and this object that makes it sacred. So, chocolate can be sacred? That's the difficult point... Is the e-meter of the scientology sacred or a hoax? Is the flying saucers of the Raelians (a French sucessful export, unfortunately) sacred? What is a religion? Soon we come to think all or nothing...

And this is a can of worms, I am afraid. The only way of keeping a society which is multicultural, multireligious, at peace is to declare the common space secular. Just pretending, as in the USA, that it is secular, will not work if the society hosts more people from different religions (It is not the case, though, since the latinos are often Christians and are the increasing minority.) because, in practice, it is very Christian. (A president swearing on a religious book is the summary of what I mean.)

Therefore, requiring from a non-buddhist to respect a buddhist image is akin to harassment, no matter the buddhist think she/he is right, that she/he is acting for the good of the non-buddhist etc.

Remember that it is not in the buddhist way to impose its religion on others. One cannot criticise the Christian missionaries and at the same time pressure non-buddhists to comply with one's buddhist vision of the social contract.

I don't mean that a buddhist should not feel offended by anything, not at all. Be offended, why not, one only see his own limits. But do not forget the CIVIL society rules, that should, in my mind, be kept secular for everybody's sake in the end.

[Ariel]

This is a very interesting conversation. I had not heard it expressed before that karma is the accumulation of the mental impressions of our actions -- is that what was said? Please correct me on this. This would mean even the thought of any given action influences the world, and then to bring it into actual fruitiion byb dwelling on it and making it into some tangible reality is much more potent... is that right?
Anyway help me here, please, because I agree that marketing Green-Tara chocolate bars or whatever is in poor taste and taking the spiritual potency of her image and then trashing it. But.. it will sound bad, but why then did I see a huge poster of the Dalai Lama along the 405 freeway close to the LA Int'l Airport several years back, as an ad for a type of computer? (I think the tag line was "think differently" or some 2-word catch-phrase like that.) They couldn't have done that without his knowledge, could they? It was a big company, either IBM or Mac, but I can't remember which -- all I remember is that huge image along the freeway there.

[Konchog]

Agreed that intention, bolstered by vows, makes the karma much stronger, as is the point of such undertakings. No one would dream of requiring the respect of sacred images -- we have this recurring debate in the U.S. at election time about legislating against the burning of the flag -- because that veers society toward regimes like the Taliban. (The Taliban brings up a good example. When they blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas, most of the outcry was from archaeologists. Buddhists were bummed out about it, but really only because of the negative karma incurred by those who ordered the action, and those who carried it out.)Legislating (victimless) morality almost always seems to be a bad idea. But the other extreme is silence when we have a chance to educate and request the respect of others.

Shantideva has two more nuggets of wisdom here. One resonates with Christian's citing of the lama's interview in France where Shantideva says, "If you can do something about a problem, why worry about it? If you can't do something about a problem, why worry about it?" He also employs a metaphor where he points out that it's impossible to cover the whole earth with leather, but if you simply strap sandals onto your own feet, it's as if the earth is so covered.

Anyway, Ariel, yes, karma is often cited as "action," but it's the mental impressions of actions that carry forward after death and form future mental patterns, experiences, sometimes whole lifetimes. There are a dizzying array of factors that modify this. It's a fascinating subject. I'll be teaching on it the next two Sundays if you want to come to UB! And yes, even the way we think creates impressions, even if not carried out by the body or speech. That's why Buddhists focus so much on mind training, to establish virtuous thought patterns, from which actions will then naturally flow.