Question: “I don’t understand how it could be disrespectful to show off statues, pictures, or even tattoos representing Buddhism. The way I look at it is a way of making our beliefs known and being proud to show them off, but not necessarily for attention. That’s like saying people that get tattoos of the cross is disrespectful to Christianity. I understand where you’re coming from but I also feel like there’s other ways to look at it.”
Why are you wanting to make your beliefs known? Showing them off to be proud is just a nicer way of saying ‘attention.’ Are you Buddhist because you practice Buddhism, or are you Buddhist because you want people to know you’re Buddhist?
There’s nothing wrong with “showing” tattoos off if and when people ask about it. But people with cross tattoos don’t go around saying, “Hey! Here’s my new cross tattoo! I want to show it to you because I’m Christian!”
Of course there are different ways to look at things, but as a general Buddhist practice, we don’t go around telling people we’re Buddhist. Like any religion/belief, it is personal, not public – no one’s business but our own. If people are curious and have questions, by all means help enlighten them, but we are not Buddhist-thumpers forcing people to notice that we’re “different.”
Smile and be well!