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Expert: - 8/7/2006


Question
Hello my husband and I have just opened a restaurant and both of us observe the buddhism beliefs and we wanted to put a statue in the restaurant, however the only available place to put the statue is near the bathrooms, but not in them since I know this disrespectful..Is is disrespectful to place the statue near the bathroom?

Answer
Hi Corrine,

Thank you for asking me.

Congratulation on your new venture!  May you prosper!  

If you have a free mind, then you actually can place the image anywhere you like.  However, with due respect to the holy image, we use our discretion to place it in a more respectable location.  It also depends on where you are, I mean, which country you are in.  In Buddhist countries, there are always certain alloted location for the image.  This is purely tradition and complying to social norm.  If you are not in  those countries, then it is quite "safe" to place it in any respectable location without causing any offence to anyone.  I don't think it is disrespectful to place it near the bathroom.  If you are not in a Buddhist country, then you may want to place it in a discreet and yet commanding location, say around the cashier's corner.

But please be cautious if others have different views and opinions.  There are a lot of ignorant and superstitous people around.  Just ignore them.  

Smile from justinchoo :-)

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Justin Choo

Expertise

When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.

Experience

I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple. My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @ http://www.ksridhammananda.com

Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.

Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @ http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/ Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)

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