Well, recently in Sri Lanka, three tourists took pictures of themselves kissing a buddha statue, they were lighthearted photos, they didn't set out to cause offence. Then someone saw the photos and they got sentenced to jail, with six months hard labour... thankfully suspended, so they won't actually go to jail.fernrichardson wrote:I am hoping that you all can help educate me on the issues regarding using Buddha statues in the garden
So, while it is acceptable in the west, in some Buddhist countries it's a big deal."They were convicted under a section of the Penal Code which outlaws deeds intended to wound or insult "the religious feelings of any class of persons" through acts committed in, upon or near sacred objects or places of worship."
In 2010 two Sri Lankan Muslim traders were given suspended jail sentences for selling keyrings containing an image of Buddha.
That same year Sri Lanka denied a visa to the R&B star Akon, who had been due to perform a concert. It happened after public protests over one of his music videos which briefly showed scantily-clad women dancing in front of a Buddha statue.
Who's your book aimed at? Conservative Buddhists (some might say fanatical), or secular westerners?
I say go for it.