a Buddhist PR disconnect?
genkaku
Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
Wrote this elsewhere and wondered what anyone might think...
Try looking up a Buddhist congregation in the United States ... or maybe elsewhere in the world. Am I wrong or does damn near every instructor or guru or lama or holy person associated with such a group -- the guys or gals in the leadership role -- have a smile on his or her face?
This seems to suggest that Buddhists are happy or nice or something similar in a positive realm. It's good PR.
AND YET....
Not a single statue said to represent the Buddha has a smile on his face. Or I can't find it on the giggling god Google. Not one ... unless we're going to call Hotei as an emanation of the Buddha.
If you were a leader of some sort, someone who emulated chants and robes and meditations and thereby asserted a comradeship with Gautama and was into Dharma PR, wouldn't you want to wipe that smile off your face and get with the Buddhist program?
Comments
This is true of just about anyone trying to sell something, be it a product or service. It may have nothing to do with religion per se. Salespersons are often very charming. They smile all the time. Go to any hindu new age group, you will find the same thing. Or any pentecostal group.
@genkaku
You are assuming that the Gandhara artists who first made statues of a dead Buddhist leader had any idea of who he was or what he looked like. If you follow the progression of representations back to the earliest statues you'll see much artistic license at work.
Should a Buddhist leader today pop a 100 snails on his head to appear more "with the program"?
The "program" is more about how to tread on the path towards sufferings cessation than what ever facial ticks happen to be in play at the time a photo is taken of a Buddhist teacher.
"Beware of unhappy Buddhists ! They are not really practicing .
.. . :om: .. . 
..-just being intellectual!"
I thought there were many smiling Buddhas (statue, painting, whatever). I mean that little curling up of the corners of the mouth, more than the Mona Lisa but less than a grin.
I think the Buddha statues have a serene look about them, a look of "contentment" .
..
haha! This is a funny topic! I was at a local Buddhist center a few years ago, that had a shop full of Buddhist paraphernalia, books by people in their sect, photos of prominent teachers, etc. And the person handling sales was commenting to someone, "I don't know why he looks so serious in that photo!" And that struck me as odd. And I asked, "Why should they always be smiling?" I mean, really, don't they get to be normal people, who get photographed in all kinds of poses and moods? It's not ok to look pensive? Do teachers always have to be "on", for the camera?
This might be slightly off topic so apologies if it is, but I feel it complements the thread in some strange way.....
When seeing images of the Buddha and images of Jesus the Christ...Jesus is often depicted troubled, in agony hanging off a blooded cross with the look of "Why me?" on his face, whilst the Buddha sits in a relaxed manner in serene contentment, that can only come from "knowing"...
On a personal note, if I was to see a so called Dharma teacher who always had a sour puss look about him/her...I would start to wonder if they have really got with the programme or just paying lip service to it...
Dharma from what "I" gather is a 24/7/365 thing which for the most part tends to start off on a very 'serious' note(a desire to end ones suffering) but as one progresses a long the path, seriousness become less and more lighthearted playfulness (with a slight touch of "Lets get down to business" seriousness) becomes the norm...Well that what I've found, with the "smiling" teachers I've come across, in fact some could have been stand up comics in another life/profession-they had a knack of cracking jokes and making their audience laugh.... but then I could be "seriously" wrong...
Maybe they smile because they are happy? https://www.google.com/search?q=buddha+smiling&client=firefox-a&hs=13H&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=np&biw=1024&bih=514&tbm=isch&imgil=yMWzKrmAqnFpHM%3A%3B4U-3Dla6WE5ZtM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.dreamstime.com%252Fstock-image-smiling-buddha-image25265671&source=iu&pf=m&fir=yMWzKrmAqnFpHM%3A%2C4U-3Dla6WE5ZtM%2C_&usg=__4pR41HIQYhykcDDbVDSEGSk7yfk=&ved=0CCkQyjc&ei=Uvg9VPHRGYawyQTNrIHgAw#facrc=&imgdii=&imgrc=yMWzKrmAqnFpHM%253A%3B4U-3Dla6WE5ZtM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fthumbs.dreamstime.com%252Fz%252Fsmiling-buddha-25265671.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.dreamstime.com%252Fstock-image-smiling-buddha-image25265671%3B1300%3B1065
Smiling for the camera is cultural. My grandparents on the pictures that were taken in the nineteen thirties I think, were staring deeply serious into the lens.
All old photo-portraits show serious faces; natural faces.
But I think there’s a point in what the OP says.
There’s a good chance that a Buddhist thinks he should be naturally friendly and worry-free and happy. A troubled or angry face would demonstrate his or her imperfection.
The smile is more than cultural; it is a religious attribute.
The “thuth” aspect of practice is under-estimated though.
Make a selfie with your phone and try not to pose for it at all. Get to terms with your true face.
That could be a new form of meditation.
One of my favourite portraits at a dharma centre I used to attend, was of the Dalai Lama in deep meditation. The mask was dropped and he looked miserable, world weary, all the woes of humanity on that face. Made Boddhidharma look photogenic . . .
Integrity is finding our real face but presenting for the needs of the world . . .
We may find happiness through practice but its true purpose is deadly serious. I doubt it serves anyone to make statues of Buddha grinning like an idiot, we get enough of that from our celebrity culture. And I've usually found the more someone tries to look happy the more miserable they are underneath.
No, because I would prefer my teachers to look like actual human beings rather than stone statues. Why? Because they actually are human beings, not statues!
Does that mean that Buddhists have to happy all the time? I hope not!
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Thich Nhat Hanh devotes entire teachings on the importance of smiling and even has smiling meditation.
^^^ That's riiiiight! ..
..
I was thinking of the discussion we were having in the other thread, about the importance of accepting who and where we are. At times that will include accepting that we're unhappy, for example. I'm not saying we should indulge the unhappiness, rather that it should be acknowledged.
Even toilets have happy faces.
More so finding contentment with what "is" and not like the ceiling painting happy clappy chappies . :clap: ..
As long as one is still smiling on the inside, it doesn't really matter..."Different strokes for different folks" I guess...
@genkaku, I agree. I get the impression that some of these super-smiley congregations are trying to attract Westerners who have become disenchanted with their grim native Catholicism or Calvinism. But the truth is, Buddhist meditation is no picnic either, when practiced intensively.
Personally I prefer the serene half-smile of the classic Buddha statues or even the fierce scowl of Bodhidharma to forced euphoria any day.
I probably wouldn't let anyone try teaching my kids about compassion if they look bitter and didn't smile.
easily found on the giggling googling . . .
Here is another. At Sukhothai.
How do I get rid of the thumbnail at the bottom of the post?
I'm not sure if you can delete the thumbnail (though I have a feeling I deleted it myself once before), but another option is to find an image hosting site (there are plenty, just search for "image host") and use that. It'll host the image for you; you just drop the image's direct link URL here after clicking the Image button.
That seems about right.