Buddha-Bar Paris has been using the name and image of Buddha in it’s Bars and Hotels throughout the world. Typically the franchises has large statues of Buddha in their Bars and around dance floors and in restaurants. Do you find it disrespectful?
Many Buddhists have raised the concern of putting a Buddha statues in a bar because of alcohols sales. But if we change our perspective, the Buddha statue can actually give blessings and good imprints to the people who frequent the bars. People who go to Buddha-Bar most likely are not people who will go to a temple. The Buddha statue in the bar will leave an imprint in their mind. When the condition is right it will ripen. Yes, the bar is not the best place to install a Buddha, but it can be beneficial to all sentient beings in this degenerated era.
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Buddhists Demand HILTON Hotels STOP using Buddha Statues to promote Bars & Spas
October 15, 2019
Since its creation in 1996, Buddha-Bar Paris has been using the name and image of Buddha in it’s Bars and Hotels throughout the world. Typically the franchises has large statues of Buddha in their Bars and around dance floors and in restaurants, similar to a Buddhist temple.
What makes the use of Buddha’s image in these bars most insulting to Buddhists around the world is that Buddhism does not support the consumption of alcohol. So to use the Buddha’s image as decoration to promote the consumption and sale of alcohol and as a prop on dance floors and in restaurants is especially disrespectful and hurtful to Buddhists.
Now comes a further insult with the Buddha-Bar franchise opening the Siddhartha Lounge at Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah. (Siddhartha Gautama being the name of Buddha). This is in addition to the Buddha-Bar spa’s Hilton already operates. (nudity infront of a Buddha statue is considered highly disrespectful by Buddhists).
The Buddha–Bar, restaurant and hotel franchise created by French-Romanian restaurateur Raymond Visan and DJ Claude Challe, with its original location having opened in Paris, France.
According to the Knowing Buddha Organization in Thailand what the Buddha-Bar franchise is doing is not only disrespectful but it is immoral. The foundation points out that “Respect is Common Sense” Buddhists feel hurt by the misuse of the name and image of their father, as people of other faiths would be if the image of Christ or Mohammad were used to promote bars and nightclubs.
Raymond Visan according to Wikipedia had the idea of establishing the chain of restaurants and bars, which came from his fascination with the Bali. However at the age of 60 Visan suddenly died of terminal cancer. The franchise was continued by co-founder Claude Challe and Vi?an’s wife Tarja, who took over the reins of the Buddha Bar franchise upon Visan death.
Critics of the Visan’s and Claude Challe say that these self described “artists and creators” have created nothing but bad Karma and Sin for themselves. They suggest that Buddha-Bar franchise is a form of “grotesque Plagiarism ” which has merely Hijacked a 2500 year old religion, using the name and image of Buddha (who imparts peace, compassion and loving kindness), for the purpose of selling alcohol and making money. As any case of plagiarism it is expected that Buddha-Bar and Waldorf Astoria will soon find themselves in the courts say Buddhims advocats.
Buddhist around the world are calling the Boycotting of Waldorf Astoria Hotels Hilton Hotels, Buddha-Bars and the music of Claude Challe, demanding that they stop using the image of Buddha and instead create their own brand.
