Student broke no laws with Buddha-Ultraman paintings: law expert

[snoop1130]

Student broke no laws with Buddha-Ultraman paintings: law expert

By THE NATION

 

Prinya

 

Thammasat University (TU) law lecturer Prinya Thaewanarumitkul has offered legal aid to the fourth-year Nakhon Ratchasima university student who is being targeted for depicting Buddha as Ultraman in paintings that were displayed in a shopping mall exhibition early this month.

 

Prinya, who is also vice rector for administration and sustainability at the TU Rangsit campus, said he doesn’t believe the student has violated any laws with her paintings. 

 

In a Facebook post, Prinya said Buddhists should realise that Buddha images were first created by Greek artists 500 years after Lord Buddha’s passing, and that the facial features of these statues were like those of Greek gods. He also pointed out that the face of Ultraman, designed by Thai filmmaker and special-effects creator Sompote Saengduenchai, was inspired by a Sukhothai-era Buddha image. Sompote developed the Ultraman character while he was working for Tsuburaya Productions. 

 

“I was awestruck by the Buddha-Ultraman paintings and did not find them insulting. Buddhism teaches ‘detachment’ not ‘attachment’. Buddha’s teachings in Pali say ‘sabbe dhamma nalang abhiniwesaya’ or ‘do not get attached to things’. If someone is unhappy about the Buddha-Ultraman paintings, they can express their dissatisfaction with moderation without getting too attached to the argument. Forcing the student to apologise to monks was already a step too far, and filing a police complaint against her was ridiculous,” he said. 

 

Prinya added that as a law expert, he cannot see what law the student has broken and that the matter can only be seen from a what is “appropriate or inappropriate” viewpoint.

 

“If the police take the complaint up for prosecution, I will help the student fight the legal battle,” he added. 

 

Earlier this week, the “Chao Phut Phalang Phaendin” (Buddhists who are the power of the land) group filed a complaint with the Crime Suppression Division against the student, her teacher and exhibition organisers. They also demanded that national artist Chalermchai Kositpipat and well-known lawyer Decha Kittiwithiyanan be arrested for publicly supporting the student. 

 

The group claims the five individuals violated the Penal Code’s Article 206 (anything done to an object or place of worship of any group or persons in a manner that is likely to insult them).

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30376169

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-09-13

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[billd766]

I hope that this goes to court and she wins. She can then with her lawyer, sue the hard core "Buddhists" for defamation and get every satang they have.

[HeyHeyHey]

This is Thailand - it doesn't matter if you broke or not broke the law

[Longcut]

So, now it's a crime to project Lord Buddha as a hero?  Wow! for a minute I thought I was in Islam.

[Myran]

"He also pointed out that the face of Ultraman, designed by Thai filmmaker and special-effects creator Sompote Saengduenchai"

 

Excuse me? Sompote didn't have anything to do with the creation of Ultraman. He tried to claim he had the international rights to the character at one point, but it was ultimately established in court that the document he had as "proof" was fake, and he was banned from using the character and had to pay for infringement.

[Sticky Wicket]

[Sir Dude]

Art is not a crime other than in the worst societies. If it is, then it is a sad reflection on the control freak nature of said society. Thailand will soon out-Nazi the Chinese on several fronts, which is nuts.  

[sherwood]

Stupid just gets better and better every day in this land of stupid. 

And I only just got here

I have a dog that is smarter than my neighbours, struth.

[RichardColeman]

This guy's in trouble then !

 

[Nyezhov]

27 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

Art is not a crime other than in the worst societies. If it is, then it is a sad reflection on the control freak nature of said society. Thailand will soon out-Nazi the Chinese on several fronts, which is nuts.  

The problem with art is that its only "art" in the eye of the beholder.

 

And those who defend art qua art are the true control freaks, since they want to everyone to accept what their eyes behold.

 

Its an unsolveable philosophical battle.

 

[Greyhat]

Some of the best art is controversial, she's succeeded in provoking thought and discussion throughout an entire nation.

[MartinKal]

13 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

The problem with art is that its only "art" in the eye of the beholder.

 

And those who defend art qua art are the true control freaks, since they want to everyone to accept what their eyes behold.

 

Its an unsolveable philosophical battle.

 

Art isn't something you accept or reject. It's not true or false. It's something you conjure with.

[rtco]

So would these be illegal? ... all my own work btw!

[Enzian]

Does anyone have a link or just information regarding this academic's assertion that Greek artists created the first known images purporting to represent the Buddha? I know there was Greek contact with India, in the times of Alexander and other, but this is something I've never come across.

[bamboozled]

Farcical and sad. The whole idea of suing her for defaming the Buddha goes against Buddhist teachings completely. Alas, just like the Christian nut jobs. And Muslim nut jobs. And Jewish nut jobs. And.... Have I left anybody out? I surely have. Religion poisons everything.

[SanookTeufel]

4 hours ago, bamboozled said:

Farcical and sad. The whole idea of suing her for defaming the Buddha goes against Buddhist teachings completely. Alas, just like the Christian nut jobs. And Muslim nut jobs. And Jewish nut jobs. And.... Have I left anybody out? I surely have. Religion poisons everything.

That could be considered offensive, although I doubt you were concerned with that.

Buddhism isn't a "religion" so much as it is a philosophy of life... Buddhists take "the middle path" The Buddhists who are upset by this and take it to extremes are not following the middle path closely enough, that's basically what the lawyer and other (who are more than likely Buddhist) are saying.

I myself, was at first slightly upset by it but ended up deciding to let it go for the same reasons written in the article and I understood that by being upset by it, I was attaching myself without reason to something that doesn't personally effect me.

[connda]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“I was awestruck by the Buddha-Ultraman paintings and did not find them insulting. Buddhism teaches ‘detachment’ not ‘attachment’. Buddha’s teachings in Pali say ‘sabbe dhamma nalang abhiniwesaya’ or ‘do not get attached to things’. If someone is unhappy about the Buddha-Ultraman paintings, they can express their dissatisfaction with moderation without getting too attached to the argument. Forcing the student to apologise to monks was already a step too far, and filing a police complaint against her was ridiculous,” he said. 

Sadu, sadu, sadu.

The terminally offended, self-designated protectors of Buddhism who are screaming for blood are - well, not exemplifying Buddhist compassion nor a sense restraint.  They should perhaps ask themselves the question, "What would Buddha do?"  I guarantee the man, Siddhartha Guatama would not have be raging and demanding government sanctions and jail for someone painting his picture in a modern context. 
Once these terminally offended protectors of Buddhism move on, perhaps they can come to our local temple and rail at the school kids who attend evening chanting in shorts and tee-shirts.  Our abbot welcomed them with open arms as did we all - but no doubt the protectors of Buddhism would want to send the kids to jail along with their parents for offending the terminally offended with their lack of respectable dress.  Most of us were very happy just to see some young people at the wat and joining in the services.
Very sad when angry people who have a lack of basic compassion christen themselves as the protectors of their religion and then seek to harm others while wielding the righteousness of their chosen dogma. 
Talk about delusion.  Senior monks have already stated these people are making a mountain out of a mole hill.  Hopefully they have enough respect for the Sangha to tone down their deluded rhetoric. 

[Selatan]

20 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

This guy's in trouble then !

 

This is Budai ("Cloth Sack"), a Chinese Buddhist Monk, often mistaken as the Buddha by Westerners.

[Myran]

38 minutes ago, Selatan said:

This is Budai ("Cloth Sack"), a Chinese Buddhist Monk, often mistaken as the Buddha by Westerners.

Buddha doesn't necessarily refer to Siddharta Gautama, it is a title. Budai was regarded as and referred to by many as Buddha.

[Sydebolle]

As mentioned by a Thai scholar the other day

Here’s the problem: Too few people follow the teachings of Lord Buddha.
To0 many people instead worship trees, statues and shaved-head dudes in yellow robes.

 

I rest my case!

[Nyezhov]

11 hours ago, bamboozled said:

Religion poisons everything.

So does secularism but let's not go there.

[Isaanbiker]

Prinya, who is also vice rector for administration and sustainability at the TU Rangsit campus, said he doesn’t believe the student has violated any laws with her paintings. 

 

In a country where most people don't know who Siddhartha Gautama was, very frightening what they do to "their"religion.

 

   How many people even know that Ganesha is actually a Hindu sculpture. "borrowed by Thais?"

 

The same happens with "Christian" TV preachers and those who believe in having many virgins when they kill other people and get killed by doing so.

 

   What a sad world we live in.  

Edited September 14, 2019 by Isaanbiker

[olfu]

Its kinda self-obvious all religions should be private matter.

[CaptainNemo]

On 9/13/2019 at 6:18 PM, Sir Dude said:

Art is not a crime other than in the worst societies. If it is, then it is a sad reflection on the control freak nature of said society. Thailand will soon out-Nazi the Chinese on several fronts, which is nuts.  

 

Ancient ginger Tocharian wallpaintings of Buddha... it was pasty white-skinned ginners who spread Buddhism from northern India into China, and thence into SEAsia, thousands of years ago.

Dessiccated remains of Twyry people with witches hats have been found in the Takla Makan desert.

[djayz]

More religious freaks making a mountain out of a mole hill. If they all had jobs or hobbies, they wouldn't have time for this nonsense. 

[Selatan]

6 hours ago, Myran said:

Buddha doesn't necessarily refer to Siddharta Gautama, it is a title. Budai was regarded as and referred to by many as Buddha.

I typed "Buddha" with uppercase B, not with lowercase b, so I knew what I was talking about about. Whether Budai was Angida the Arahant during the Buddha's time or Maitreya the Bodhisattva that would become the next buddha, Budai was definitely no buddha, although many called him the Laughing Buddha. The popular nickname given to him may have caused many to assume that he was a buddha.

[Chazar]

Incredible, your country is  going down the pan, you have a dictatorship but...........oh  my goodness they did a nasty painting....this is how the Thai education system has failed them all by indoctrination of rubbish.