# Why are Buddha statues so popular in the west? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2022, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431 "2022-08-27T10:56:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/41 "2022-08-30T22:14:04Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > It certainly has a dogma. It just isn’t a monotheistic religion, being a reform of Hinduism circa 4th century BCE. I do not think we should talk about Buddhism without at least noting that there were already schisms upon Gautama’s death and even before, leading to different sects and movements. Different groups and regions would also tend to have their own artistic styles and symbolism. The earliest Buddhist art tended not to depict humans, focussing more on symbols like the Bodhi tree and the dharmachakra. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/42 "2022-08-30T23:18:41Z")
Yes, Buddhism isn’t one thing any more than any other major religion is. ---
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/43 "2022-10-21T02:01:46Z")
Lots of “non-religious westerners” love to attach themselves to foreign spiritual articles and artifacts that they do not really understand. Exotic = sophisticated. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/44 "2022-10-21T18:07:08Z")
And some people collect it for arts sake. I collect Gandaharan art and have a Buddha head grey schist fragment that is about 1800-1900 years old. I was raised protestant, and place no religious significance on the Buddha head I own, and own it for its artistic and artifact value. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/45 "2022-10-21T19:22:01Z")
I’m not Christian, but I have some Marian representations. They are from majority culture in my country, so hardly “exotic” or a attempt to make an identty statement. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/46 "2022-10-22T08:45:02Z")
I know a Frenchman who collects (certain kinds of) African masks. I have not taken the opportunity to ask him all about it and how he got into it. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/47 "2022-10-24T22:23:11Z")
Another atheist checking in - hard atheist - and I have a Buddha statue in my garden. It peaceful for me to look at and it brings me joy. Though I profess not to know much about the religion past that we are meant to suffer and so must meditate (or something). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/48 "2022-10-24T22:26:46Z")
On balance a sitting Buddha is a bit more peaceful-looking than a guy nailed to a piece of wood. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/50 "2025-04-02T11:45:36Z")
🥷!!! ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/51 "2025-04-02T16:06:22Z")
The usual picture you see of Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) is clearly not him, since it’s of a fat Chinese man. It’s based on a picture of the Chinese monk Qieci, who was also called Budai (as is mentioned in a previous post in this thread). Partly this is because Buddhism is not the religion of a large proportion of India. It’s common in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Sri Lanka (using proportion of the population, not the number), It’s actually slightly more common in the U.S., New Zealand, Australia, and Canada than in India (again, using proportion). So despite Siddhartha Gautama being Indian, much of the ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/52 "2025-04-02T16:09:00Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > It’s actually slightly more common in the U.S., New Zealand, Australia, and Canada than in India (again, using proportion). So despite Siddhartha Gautama being Indian, much of the Looks like Big Buddhism got Wendell… ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/53 "2025-04-02T16:33:50Z")
Wendel off the Wheel. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/54 "2025-04-02T16:48:15Z")
Also, I shall note that typing “Gautama Buddha” into Wikipedia comes up with a pretty decent gallery, but none of the images show a fat Chinese guy. ---
**Author:** ![LouMa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/louma/32/19472_2.png) [@LouMa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouMa)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/55 "2025-04-02T16:48:40Z")
Correct me if I am wrong but as far as I know the Buddhist swastikas have a turn to the left whereas the Nazi swastikas turn to the right. There have been quite a lot of misunderstandings on this ground. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/56 "2025-04-02T16:58:00Z")
The Jain swastika I was talking about definitely “turn to the right” (or is that the left?) One can definitely get into the semiotics of clockwise vs. anticlockwise but then you would be thinking a lot harder about it than any Nazi ever did (well, there may or may not be some Nazi bullshit on the subject, but even if there is you know how seriously to take it). But, yeah, swastika are not so popular in the West. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/57 "2025-04-02T17:03:43Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Also, I shall note that typing “Gautama Buddha” into Wikipedia comes up with a pretty decent gallery, but none of the images show a fat Chinese guy. The website below shows a lot of the Buddha statues you can get online. They’re a mixture of the ones that are fat bald guys and the ones that are thin guys with the pointed hat. So I exaggerated in saying that the usual picture was mostly a fat bald guy. It’s like what you get when you look at pictures of Jesus. Some of them do look plausibly like someone from Jesus’s time and place, but a lot of them look like a hippy Northern European: > **[buddha statue - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=8f1d7cfb950fe36b&rlz=1C1UEAD_enUS1138US1138&q=buddha%2Bstatue&fbs=ABzOT_CWdhQLP1FcmU5B0fn3xuWpA-dk4wpBWOGsoR7DG5zJBsxayPSIAqObp_AgjkUGqengxVrJ7hrmYmz7X2OZp_NIYfhIAjPnSJLO3GH6L0gKvo2Tkh6QAKzk8of0PuV9-Wgp61ExQJJc6NwjKzWwOk6ljnbTl4QG1CwANNMu_x9LKcKUmCnyhCzeaZhSTk-0L4HPJmC3LsAlvEIYkAE3INvfvAWc0Q&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwiEs5LP57mMAxXlFVkFHRQdJvAQtKgLegQIDhAB&biw=1920&bih=945&dpr=1&tbm=isch)** ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/58 "2025-04-02T17:05:16Z")
> [@LouMa](#): > > Correct me if I am wrong but as far as I know the Buddhist swastikas have a turn to the left whereas the Nazi swastikas turn to the right. There have been quite a lot of misunderstandings on this ground. That might well be, but understand that we in Germany are rather squeamish about the depiction of swastikas, no matter their orientation. There have been neo-nazis who tried to work around the prohibition of displaying nazi symbols by turning their swastikas around, but this doesn’t fly in most cases if the intention is clear. As I mentioned, depictions in other contexts like religious ones or in arts are a-ok. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/59 "2025-04-02T21:40:54Z")
In case anyone is curious, @crowmanyclouds didn’t bump this thread. A spammer (selling, as you might imagine, Buddha statues) did, and then got zapped. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/60 "2025-04-03T00:20:47Z")
Thank you. I had wondered. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431/61 "2025-04-03T00:24:45Z")
Yeah, I forgot my rule to only make snarky replies to spam threads and never to spam posts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buddha-statues-so-popular-in-the-west/970431.md?page=4)