> But if Buddhists do it, somehow its an issue. I think there's a bit of ugly Orientalism at play here. I can say only for myself, and with me it is not Orient

> But if Buddhists do it, somehow its an issue. I think there's a bit of ugly Orientalism at play here. I can say only for myself, and with me it is not Orientalism. What I knew about buddhism from our culture was awe-inspiring. They are not stupid christians o muslims, they are enlightened monks spendinv their lives sitting on top of a mountain, practicing their minds, blah-blah-blah... But at some point you hear a story that shatters the illusion. Buddhists are nothing special. For me it was a story of tourists that were imprisoned on Sri-Lanka for their frivolous treatment of a statue of Buddha. Buddhism is an opium for masses, like all other religions. This revelation comes as a disappointing surprise, and it brings buddhism down from a pedestal of the only truly sensible religion. But it doesn't make it in any way worse than Christianity or Islam. Just worse than I thought.