Memo to Sri Lanka: Forward ‘offensive’ Buddha aprons

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2016
Memo to Sri Lanka: Forward ‘offensive’ Buddha aprons

Re: “Sri Lankan customs seize ‘offensive’ Buddha aprons,” Quick News, World, December 23.

Sri Lankan customs officials are said to be in “a bit of a quandary” as to what to do with a Slovenia-bound shipment of aprons featuring a Buddha image that is transiting their country. The aprons are offensive to Sri Lankan Buddhists, but to destroy them would also be offensive.
If the officials confiscate or destroy the aprons, that would be theft, which Buddhism prohibits. The simplest solution is to speed the aprons on to their destination as quickly as possible. After all, presumably the Slovenians either have already paid for them or will do so on arrival. So let them sort out the problem.
A wise principle to follow in such situations is “When in doubt, pass the buck.”
Solomon