Knowing Buddha (or the Knowing Buddha Organization, KBO) is a Buddhist

advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the developm ...

based in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. It campaigns against disrespectful uses of images of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

, and lobbies for laws to protect

Buddhism in Thailand Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school, which is followed by 95 percent of the population. Thailand has the second largest Buddhist population in the world, after China, with approximately 64 million Buddhists. Buddhism in Tha ...

. KBO was established in 2012 by former entrepreneur, ''

vipassana ''Samatha'' (Pāli; sa, शमथ ''śamatha''; ), "calm," "serenity," "tranquillity of awareness," and ''vipassanā'' (Pāli; Sanskrit ''vipaśyanā''), literally "special, super (''vi-''), seeing (''-passanā'')", are two qualities of the ...

'' meditation teacher and lay spiritual leader Acharavadee Wongsakon. Reports of its membership numbers range from 5,000 to 7,000. The organization aims to protect Buddhism by educating people on the proper form of respect that should be awarded to Buddha images. It also regularly protests against depictions of the Buddha it finds disrespectful, which it regards as

blasphemy Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...

. It has successfully pressured manufacturers to discontinue production of toilets bearing Buddha images in France and the Netherlands, and caused the cancellation of a ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...

'' magazine photoshoot involving Buddha images. It has also protested against the inclusion of a dog character named Buddha in Disney's ''

Air Buddies ''Air Buddies'' is a 2006 American sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some case ...

'' film series, as well as video games and comics featuring Buddha-inspired characters. Although the organization's activities are nonviolent, it has also lobbied for the enactment of blasphemy laws which would criminalize the act of disrespecting Buddhism, and for Buddhism to be enshrined as the

state religion A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular state, secular, is not n ...

. Observers and critics have accordingly pointed out that its ideals tend towards

fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...

and religious intolerance.

References

External links

*{{official site, https://www.knowingbuddha.org/ Buddhist organizations based in Thailand Buddhist organizations established in the 21st century 2012 establishments in Thailand Religious organizations established in 2012