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.