An Analysis of Buddhist Decor through William James

                Le Petit Café, situated in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, seems like your average location for a weekend meal. Offering popular brunch options such as eggs benedict and buttermilk pancakes, this was the last place I thought I’d find anything religious. As I was being seated, however, I found the atmosphere to be very calming—numerous waterfalls, dim lighting, and unavoidable images of the Buddha were carefully placed around the café.

            I asked my server about these images, many which came in the form of statues placed in nooks and crannies throughout the seating areas. He told me that many were gifts from the owner’s regulars, who would bring them to him from their vacations and travels abroad. I then asked if the owner was Buddhist himself, in which the server replied that he was not, but he was very spiritual and appreciated both the décor and the spirituality associated with the Buddha.

            Buddhism influence was not only present in the décor as I also noticed that the menu had the following meditation,

“May I be filled with loving kindness.

May I be well.

May I be peaceful and at ease.

May I be happy.”

This is a meditation associated with Ancient Tibetan Buddhism and its text was imposed on an image of the Buddha on the reverse side of the juice menu. The juice choices included “balancing, mindfulness, spiritual awakening” all concepts of Buddhist teachings. Again, this shows the integration of Buddhist values into the overall ambiance of the café itself.

Although there is often tension between those who consider themselves Buddhist and those who use Buddhist-inspired images as décor, what I was most interested in was the connection between Mahayana Buddhism and the cafe’s theme. Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the community and places importance on helping others reach enlightenment. This is in contrast with the other main sect, Theravada Buddhism, which focuses on the way of wisdom and the journey one makes as an individual to reach enlightenment. Using the metaphor I learned in Faith and Critical Reasoning, Mahayana is the big raft while Theravada is the little raft. This showcases the nature of these two main sects of Buddhism—one as the big raft, can carry more than just oneself, and stresses the importance of the community while the other as the little raft, can only carry one, and stresses the importance of the individual.

Tibetan Buddhism then, as part of the Mahayana tradition, emphasizes the community, an aspect which I found to be repeated in the café’s décor. Although I could make the case for religious appropriation, I could also look at the way in which all these images and statues were brought together in this one café through community. As the community is an important aspect of Mahayana Buddhism, I was struck with the sense that though the owner was not necessarily Buddhist himself, he was not using the image of Buddha for purely aesthetic reasons. Through his customers (who for him, would make up his community), he was given these gifts from around the world. Thus, in a sense, the various statues situated around the café do relate to Buddhism. It may not be in the purest, religious sense, however, they all share an aspect of community, a huge teaching of Mahayana Buddhism.

As a practicing Buddhist myself, I am always aware of the constant commodification of the image of Buddha. From retail chain furniture stores to small family-owned coffee shops, there are countless times where I am struck with the sense that the face of the figure Buddhists so revere is being used simply as a fashion statement. There are many instances when I feel as though my religion is used only to satisfy someone’s aesthetic, with little respect for the actual culture and religion. However, as Le Petit Café shows, there are ways in which non-Buddhists are able to use the image of Buddhist in a deeper and respectful way. It is through the context of the acquisition of these various artifacts that I was able to let go of my instant judgment and view the use of the Buddhist images in a more positive way.

Thus, in connection to this course, as we looked at William James and his overall project in The Varieties of Religious Experience, it is possible to view the Buddhist-inspired décor through his criteria of empirical and dogmatic judgment. By viewing it dogmatically, I can express my earlier views and look at the café as simply appropriating the religion I practice for a pleasing atmosphere. It is true that had I not inquired about it, this view may have prevailed. However, because I chose to speak to the server about it, my view then shifted to be an empiricist one and through the new information I received, I found it much easier to connect the values of Buddhism to the artifacts themselves. By allowing myself to critically analyze these artifacts not simply at face value, I was able to make a more holistic analysis of the usage of Buddhist images as décor. 

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Religion

While on my way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art one day, I stumbled upon a cross composed of flowers in the midst of a pile of trash on 84th Street between Park & Madison.  This spontaneous expression of religion was undoubtedly ignored by many passers-by, but it definitely stood out to me.

The first thing I noticed was the juxtaposition of the scene, the stark contrast between the cross, made of beautiful flowers, and the pile, composed of endless bags of dirty garbage.  Upon further reflection, this reminded me of one of the six theories of religion we discussed in class: religion as a house of refuge.  Looking at this image symbolically, the bags of trash represent hardships.  They are unpleasant, unwanted, and daunting to deal with.  The floral cross, then, represents the tendency of people to consult religion when they need comfort and strength as a result of their hardships.  This metaphor was further emphasized by the scent of the area.  While piles of trash normally smell rather bad, this area was free of any unpleasant air.  As a matter of fact, the cross produced a lovely floral scent that masked any garbage-related scent, which only reinforces the important role of religion in overcoming the daunting hardships people face.

To me, this scene emphasizes that hardships and religion coexist.  In a way, I think religion is sort of dependent on hardships.  I feel as though if people didn’t face hard times, they wouldn’t feel as compelled to engage in religious activities.  So in this way, the difficulties people face support existing religious tendencies. This is depicted in the image, as the heaps of garbage are literally upholding the cross.

I think religion can be one of those things that comes into your life when you least expect it, or maybe when you need it most.  I found myself thinking about what would’ve happened if I took a different route to the Met that day.  I wouldn’t have witnessed this cross & trash combination, and probably wouldn’t have even known it was ever there.  I think this is indicative of the tendency of religion to impact people unexpectedly.  I also noticed that while this scene was obviously not witnessed by everyone, it was accessible for everyone, which I think emphasizes the communal aspect of religion.

Witnessing this accidental monument caused me to think differently about what I consider to be “religious.”  What I really liked about this particular religious setup was the spontaneity of it.  It was tucked away on a quiet street, and caught me by complete surprise.  While it undeniably bears some sort of message, it likely was unintentional in that regard.  It was one of those things that held my attention, but didn’t seek it.  I think this is such a cool lens through which religion can be viewed.  The adjective “religious” doesn’t have to be reserved for structured and formal components of faith.  It can be used casually and refer to things we encounter every day.  While a discarded floral arrangement amongst a trash heap might not mean anything to one person, it might bear extreme religious significance to another.  People can take from this religious expression whatever they need, which relates to another theory of religion: religion as a jug.  Everyone who passed by this cross on top of the trash probably had a unique reaction to it, or it triggered a thought for them that was different from what other people thought after seeing it.  People formed this scene to fit their own needs, and filled it with their own meaning.  I find it so interesting that people can look at the same image and have such distinct reactions, in the same way that people can practice the same religion and have very distinct experiences.  This represents the personal aspect of religion, and how people can really customize their faith to fit their own needs.

Stumbling upon this religious setup allowed me to better understand different theories of religion.  The floral cross surrounded by trash also enlightened me to the casual, more everyday side of religion that I sometimes fail to acknowledge, and reminded me that religion is personal and very different for everyone.  I think this spontaneous expression of religion was a good way for me to begin to seek out expressions of religion in more unconventional ways and redefine what I consider “religious.”

Forever 21's Powerful Religious Message

Starting a few weeks ago, with this religious artifacts assignment on my mind, I began walking around New York in a different way, constantly searching for a meaningful religious artifact to find, analyze, and post about. After going a few weeks with no luck, having nothing stand out or strike me, I found my religious artifact in a place I least expected: Forever 21.  Having just purchased something from the popular clothing store, I can back to my room, took the article of clothing out of the store’s signature yellow bag, and proceeded to discard the bag in the trash.   Only as I was about to throw the bag away did I see, printed in small black font on the bottom of the bag the words John 3:16.  Though I immediately recognized the phrase as arguably one of the most famous/popular Bible verses, I was completely confused as to why it was printed on the bottom of a Forever 21 bag. But then I thought of this assignment, and I thought of how many religious artifacts are often hidden in plain sight, or are found in places one would never expect, and I began to analyze the meaning and significance of printing the location of this popular Bible verse on the bottom of every single Forever 21 bag.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Millions of people shop annually at Forever 21, a massive store with hundreds of locations across the country.  People of many different faiths and religious beliefs shop at the store: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Buddhists, and people of various other faiths all shop at this store, and all receive one of these bags, directing them to the above Bible verse.

John 3:16 is printed on each individual bag as a symbol of the company owners’ Christian faith.  However, it is more significant than that; it goes beyond that. By printing John 3:16 on each bag, each bag is turned into an important religious artifact, and in a way, brings deeper significance to the items that go inside that bag. It goes along with the ‘How Things Matter Essay’ in the sense that belief is not the only component to religion, things have significance.  The bag and the items inside the bag take on religious meaning as they are transformed items with evangelical qualities: they are helping to spread the good news of this verse and of Christianity in general.  And they are doing this in plain sight, those in a place that is completely unexpected.

This is an example of how everyday things can be transformed into religious artifacts, or transformed into unconventional ways to spread (in this case Christian) faith. I think that printing this in an unexpected place, a shopping bag, demonstrates new and advanced ways of spreading religion. We no longer spread religion only by word of mouth, or by priests and evangelists; we can use unconventional ways to do so today, and that is an amazing thing.  After doing some more research, I found that the store owners who decided upon printing this verse on the bag, are not only Christians, but they are born-again Christians.  Reading this, I thought of how they must have been compelled, by some aspect in their life, to convert back to Christianity.  I then thought that maybe by printing this on every bag, they want to not only spread the good news of this verse, but also guide someone else in the direction of Christian rebirth.  Whether it is a Forever 21 shopper who sees the small print as they are throwing the bag away and curiously looks up the verse, the person walking about their day who finds a discarded Forever 21 bag on the side of the street, or even an employee who is inquisitive about the verse, having this on the bottom of each bag demonstrates the owners faith while also spreading the message to others.

Why this verse?  Even if the goal of the owners was to spread Christianity to their customers while demonstrating their own faith, why would they chose this verse? Not only does the thing itself matter, the bag with the location of the verse printed on it, but the words of the verse matter too.  I believe they chose this verse because it has been referred to as “the gospel in a nutshell.” It encompasses the complete message of Christianity in one short sentence: that God gave his only son so we could live.  I personally think that is a message strong enough to, if not convert the curious customer, inquisitive person who finds the bag on the street, or interested employee, at least make them think about religion, faith, and the message of the gospel in a new way.  I can atest to this, as I was definitely moved by the powerful message when I looked it up after seeing it on the bag. Also by not printing the entirety of the verse itself; by only printing the location, it strikes the curiosity in people to do some more research. It allows people to actually think about the message as they are reading it because they are curious.

Some see the bottom of the bag and already know that particular Bible verse, these people can be reaffirmed in their faith.  Some see the bag and have no idea what it means, they are most likely going to be curious enough to look it up, and maybe it will have a powerful effect on them. Some will see it and not care, they’ll be completely unchanged. But enough people will be positively affected by the small printing of John 3:16 on the bottom of every Forever 21 bag, to make it a significant, yet unconventional religious artifact.

A plastic shopping bag, an extremely common artifact, transformed into a powerful religious relic with just one simple phrase: John 3:16. It is something that thousands of shoppers receive daily and carry with them, some knowing the bag’s religious significance and some not. These bags reside in people’s homes nationwide, garbage cans everywhere, and are littered on streets and roads all around. Though anywhere the bag resides, it maintains its religious significance. No matter where it is, the plastic yellow bag remains a representation of the complete and total essence of Christianity. Whether customers, passersby, or employees choose to discover the significance of this seemingly useless piece of plastic is up to them.  

So as I left Forever 21 having just made my purchase and began to walk home I, like many others in my same position, left with the every intention of eventually throwing away this seemingly purposeless bag (other than being a temporary placeholder for my new clothes), not yet realizing its significant religious purpose.

Religion and Culture Combined through Art

Painting in Empellón Al Pastor

There are various religions and cultures within the world. It's common knowledge that religion and culture have always informed and shaped each other Whey they overlap, however, sometimes the result is disastrous. Other times they result in beauty. Such is the case for the piece of art that hangs in Empellón Al Pastor. 

The painting depicts an image of a woman in yellow and green in Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) attire. Upon seeing this piece of art, I recognized religious and cultural history combined through art. According to National Geographic Education, "Dia de los Muertos honors the dead with festivals and lively celebrations, a typically Latin American custom that combines indigenous Aztec ritual with Catholicism." It is an artistic celebration of life, religion, cultures and community through beautiful art. Sitting in the restaurant and enjoying some delicious and authentic Mexican food, I examined and enjoyed the atmosphere. The restaurant bursts with local graffiti artists' creations of modern and religious art, classic rock music and a generally welcoming and familial vibe. This made me realize how appropriate it was for the woman in yellow and green to be hanging there to greet customers; she and the restaurant informed and shaped each other through their authentic combination of community, culture, religion, and art. This realization prompted me to then think further. 

First, I began to think of the many ways in which culture shapes religion. My first thought was of the Catholic Church and how modern culture is changing the doctrines of the Church to make the faith traditions not only more up-to-date and more modern, but also more accessible and open to people of various backgrounds and cultures. For example, in older times homosexuality and members of the LGBTQ community would have been condemned and discriminated against. Today however, (and unfortunately this isn't true for all peoples, cultures and religions) there has been a considerable shift in the Church particularly toward acceptance of homosexuality, with the Pope even asking who he was to judge homosexual priests. One only has to look in their own backyard for signs of this as well, with Saint Paul's Catholic Church and Fordham's faith communities and retreats for those of the LGBTQ community. Furthermore, there are current ongoing discussions regarding topics like marriage, and the relationship between church and state. Culture and modernity are shaping religion, even if there is still a very long way to go. 

Second, as I thought of art and culture, I was reminded of Celia from our class text The Damnation of Theron Ware. Celia, who considers herself Greek--for the arts--has a soul that is infected by her senses. She wants to experience life and all things that make it, well, lively, and her desires and resources to do so make her uninhibited. Like the Day of the Dead, she is unaffected by grief and mourning (while, yes, she has her moments), but is rather a celebrator of and for the beauty and acceptance of change and art. Her art in a sense is her personal faith, her personal religion and culture, and that makes her--as well as her beliefs--unique. In the same sense, the way in which Empellón Al Pastor exists within the lower east side of Manhattan (which in itself has a plethora of religious and cultural claims), is unique, as it seeks to combine those religious and cultural identities of Mexican history to form its own. Through this, the message of authenticity and uniqueness at Empellón is important to the way cultures exist within each other.

Finally, I thought of how the culture I claim affects my own religion and culture. Do I let the things of my personal and immediate culture (i.e. my studies, television, music, society, etc.) get in the way of my growth within my own faith identity? Or do I let culture assist my growth in my religion? Do I allow my religion to inform my culture? Where do the lines overlap? 

Ultimately, I am left with one final question after my experience with Empellón Al Pastor, and the woman in yellow and green. Where else can I see beauty through the combination of religion and culture? 

--Antoinette Swanson




Empellón Al Pastor located at: 

132 St. Marks Place, New York, NY 10009

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