A Samadhi Buddha statue which was found ‘decorating’ an ornamental fish tank in a restaurant in New Zealand has now being deposited at the Auckland Buddhist Viharaya in Bombay Hill following the intervention of a visiting Sri Lankan.
<>Susantha Wijayanayake, a Sri Lankan company director, who was on holiday with his wife in New Zealand, was shocked to see a Buddha statue submerged in a fish tank at Kelly Tarlton’s restaurant in Auckland.As this outrageous act was an insult to Buddhism, he had taken it up with the restaurant’s management, which had pleaded ignorance.
"The management had no hidden agenda — it was simply that they didn’t know that treating a Samadhi Buddha statue in this manner offended Buddhists", Wijayanayake said.
While being apologetic, the management had claimed that the Auckland Buddhist Association (OBA) was aware of the presence of this Buddha statue in the restaurant. "But when I called the OBA, the president denied any knowledge of it".
He said later the OBA committee had met and resolved to visit this restaurant on a fact-finding mission. "Following these developments, the statue was installed at the Auckland Buddhist Viharaya".
Paying a tribute to Kelly Tarlton’s management, Wijayanayake said, "they simply didn’t know they were offending millions of Buddhists the world over by placing a Buddha statue inside a fish tank. When this was pointed out, they were apologetic".
He said he was also shocked to see a restaurant by the name of ‘Buddha Lounge Cafe’ during his stay in Auckland. (SP)
