For my blog on Buddhist stereotypes I decided to search for cartoons or comics relating to Buddhism. I decided to go search for comics because I feel that comics, particularly those in the newspaper every day, are an engrained tradition in American culture. Growing up I can remember my parents and grandparents reading the comics every morning after finishing the paper, and this is a tradition that my sister and I have carried on.
I found two comics that I feel are related and represent American stereotypes toward the Buddhist community, but before I share these comic I wanted to share an image that I saw on The Daily What’s website last year. This image became an internet sensation after it showed the google auto fill’s responses when typing in “Why are (Jews, Christians, Muslims or Buddhists)”. These responses show some of the stereotypes that are associated with these religions. I thought it was interesting to take note that the only one that applied to Buddhists was the stereotype that they are always happy.
Now for my comics, The first comic shows some Monks having a contest to reach enlightenment first, and the second comic shows a couple watching “The Amazing Race to Enlightenment”
I felt that these comics represent the stereotypes that achieving enlightenment, and that Buddhism itself, was a fast, easy process that is a joking matter. These comics do not represent a positive stereotype at all. In chapter five of Brad Warner’s book Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate, Warner discusses the Westernized Buddhism. Warner notes that the some of the western Buddhists that popped in the United States seemed “Unrelated to anything I had devoted myself to studying and practicing for two decades.”(Page 26). Warner stated that “it seemed like the media were chasing after tawdry fantasies promoted by charlatans in pretty robes…”(Page 26). Warner also states that that one of the worst ideas in western Buddhist practices was “the idea that there are ways to speed a person to enlightenment.”(Page 27). The stereotype westerners have developed that Buddhism enlightenment is something that is easy to achieve and that is something that takes no time at all is not only an incorrect concept but it could also be a dangerous one. On page 30-31 Warner discusses a story he heard of a woman that had a mental breakdown after being pushed by a Zen temple that advertized having the fast way to enlightenment. After discussing this event Warner states “God knows what kind of things some of the victims of those instant-enlightenment seminars are going through now.”(Page 31). While the concept that Buddhist enlightenment takes little to no time at all to complete might be seen as a good stereotype Warner shows that it isn’t because it puts false hopes into the religion and causes people to see the religion as something that shouldn’t be taken seriously. Warner also notes that the more these western ideas about the easiness of Buddhism become popular knowledge the more you have people trying to make a quick buck off the religion. This concept of easiness that is applied to Buddhism is a negative stereotype as it allows the religion to lose some of its seriousness among some westerners and others.
I completely agree with you here. This is a great stereotype to address. I can definitely see how one may think that this is a positive stereotype, but as you mentioned it gives people false hope. No one is going to reach enlightenment fast. Just like any religion it seems that it is something to work at, not just something that is given to you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Warner says about the stereotype that enlightenment happens over night. For everyone to assume that enlightenment is this over night accomplishment is just wrong. That would mean that all the teachings of Buddha are irrelevant and that the religion itself is a joke. Which to me is plain out disrespectful to the Buddhist religion.
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