[Here we are going to give further development based on the mails after our 4th of December’s posting on “The Greedy Buddha” issue ]
Letter from BCCUK:
The Proprietor
The Greedy Buddha
144 Wandsworth Bridge Road
Fulham
London
SW6 2UH
|
Date 04/12/2010 |
Dear Mr. Ram Thapa,
I am writing to update you with the current situation regarding the Buddhist Community and the issues raised with the name of your restaurant.
I have now sent an email out to all the members to calm them down. In my email, I also expressed that you were sincerely apologetic and wished to take action to rectify this situation as soon as possible.
To start rebuilding your relationship with the community, it would be a good idea for you to write an official letter with your apology and your plan of action. I will then circulate it to all the members who may have been angered and/or offended.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Regards
Kaji Sherpa
BCCUK President
Response from “The Greedy Buddha” restaurant owner
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 12:08:37 +0000
From: info@thegreedybuddha.com
To: explore70@hotmail.com
CC: kikusu4835@yahoo.com; gopaltumchharai@googlemail.com; ksherpagurkha@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: ‘ग्रिडी बुद्ध’ नाम बारे
Thank you for your interest in the name of my restaurant, if i look back now i probably could have chosen a different name.
It never occurred to me that some people might not read it in the same context as i do,(also my dry sense of humor does not help), when we chose the name our idea was simple, to put two opposite words together so that it would be obviously silly (or even stupid) to make people smile and remember, but recently a few people have been very upset, and some even threatening which disappoints me, as i have always felt Buddhist are compassionate and peaceful people, but i am more disappointed that it has upset people.
I have been brought up to believe in the saying “sticks and stones” so just because somebody insults me by calling me a name, I don’t believe it makes me that, my wife who was raised as a Buddhist, would say to me that you look with your heart and not your eyes, because your eyes see material things.
I am not a religious person, i do not hate Buddhism or religion have always felt that if i am a good person then that is all I need, and because of that I have respected Buddhism and what they believe.
I am sorry if you or anyone else have been offended, that was never my intention, i will seriously consider this situation and what i have done.
Information about “The Greedy Buddha” restaurant owner commitment:
Dear all,
I am writing to you all regarding the concerns raised over the restaurant named ‘The Greedy Buddha’.
Yesterday, on the 3rd of December, I had a clear conversation with Mr. Ram Thapa, the owner of the restaurant. I highlighted the fact that the name of the restaurant was insensitive, inappropriate, offensive, and devalued the core principles of Buddhism therefore was simply unacceptable! He is now fully aware of the anger, and negative impact it has had on the Buddhist community.
Mr. Ram has now made a promise to change the name of the restaurant as soon as he can. He stated his intentions were not to cause any offense or be insensitive; it was a matter of ignorance on his behalf, for which he is truly sorry. Mr. Thapa also asked for forgiveness from the community.
I would therefore like to request you all not to send Mr. Thapa any more angry emails. He has made it clear to me that he intends to take action as soon as possible. The best approach and an approach most reflective of our Buddhist beliefs is one of a peaceful nature. I propose we accept his apology, and give him a realistic and reasonable matter of time to change the name.
If however, appropriate further action is not taken, we can re-approach the issue with more pressure! But for now, such measures seem unnecessary!
Regards
Kaji Sherpa
Chairman of the Buddhist Community Centre UK
35.387579
-85.962483