Financial Times

Letter
Stop offensive use of Buddhism for business promotion
Nirvana is regarded as the ultimate state of salvation and happiness that is available to the followers of the Buddhist religion.

Buddhists hold this view as nirvana opens the doors to freedom, from the unending samsaric cycle of birth, old age, decay, death, to persons who practise and perfect the important and sublime principles of giving of alms (dana), moral restraint (sila) and samadhi / meditation (bhavana). The practise of these principles is of paramount importance, as it helps to eliminate craving (thanha), hatred (vairaya) and avijja (ignorance) - major defilements obstructing the path to nirvana.

A recent advertisement by the Taj Exotica Hotel, Bentota on the other hand envisages nirvana as a state providing freedom from exhaustion through opportunities for indulgence in the mundane pleasures laid out at facilities, such as sauna, discotheques, massage rooms, bars etc.

Interestingly, this reveals a concept of an amazing short-cut to the realisation of nirvana and tells readers that this hallowed state can be reached without going through the arduous and protracted process of the practice of dana, sila, samadhi / bhavana.

This advertisement is outrageous and an attempt, wittingly or unwittingly, to bring dishonour and disrepute to Buddhism and its followers. It is well known that the manufacturing of certain business products such as women's lingerie had been undertaken in recent times by international manufacturers and they had used the sacrosanct Buddha image as a tool for the purpose of promoting the sales of their products.

The widespread discontent and resentment generated by these activities had a strong impact on the manufacturer concerned and they stopped making the controversial products. The hotel advertising stunt can be regarded as one of the more recent attempts that have been made in this un-salutary direction.

I am convinced that devout followers of Buddhism as well as fair-minded followers of other religious faiths will unite in supporting a request for:

* A public apology by the hotel for the sacrilegious act, and

* An undertaking that they desist from the publication of such advertisements in the future.

S. Weerasinghe
Nugegoda

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