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Thread: Breaking Protocol

  1. #11
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    Re: Breaking Protocol

    I recently watched the documentary called "What Remains Of Us" is very good story about beautiful Canadian Tibetan Buddhist who travel home to Tibet with secret message from his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

    It showed earnest praying Buddhist laying flat on ground while Chinese tourist ran around taking photos of them and lauging. It really upset me...that they were so disrespectful the humble servant of God.

    Then it remind me of a year ago...Google Earth send hired freelance, amature photographer to photo every place. Our gated community they were also trying to get in and take pictures of our homes. We found a lady in a car on our private drive trying to take those 360 photos.

    We had our private security police kick her out immediately. She was put on a banned list. If a person is on private property, you have every right to tell them to leave...and call the police if they will not.

    Just last week the Buddhist temple here in Louisville was vandalized and the perp spray painted the holy statues...and then in black paint spray horrible words about the Buddha on Temple sign. It's a sad day, but be wary of those taking pictures. Perhaps to see what security there is...or to post publicly as the woman working freelance for Google.

  2. #12

    Re: Breaking Protocol

    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Mind View Post
    Vannakkam:
    Besides the obvious rudeness and disrespect, I wonder what temples do or can do within the law when this happens. If you wear your shoes blatantly into a mosque or light up a cigarette inside a Christian church, is there any legal precedent. Do we have the right to call the cops and/or ban people?
    You may ask your temple manager to check with local officials as to any ordinances regarding access to religious institutions. They would be your first point of contact. Churches, temples, mosques, etc. may have additional protections that common private property does not.

  3. #13
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    Re: Breaking Protocol

    Lucrosus: Welcome to HDF.

    The problem doesn't happen a lot, but I do have a Hindu lawyer friend who would be interested. Next time I talk to him, I''ll see what he has to say. Part of the problem is Hindu temples are non-congregational and just 'open' a lot. I think if this chap would have tried his stunt when others were in the temple, he may well have been shown the door.

    Aum Namasivaya

  4. #14
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    Re: Breaking Protocol

    I've never had anyone tell me it's disrespectful to take pictures inside temples. In fact, I have a whole Picasa album of Hindu temple photos in Malaysia (and one in Singapore). http://picasaweb.google.com/scottyma.../HinduTemples#

  5. #15
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    Re: Breaking Protocol

    Vannakkam: So I asked my lawyer friend about this. Turns out at least in Canada we have a lot of legal rights. Basically it is private property, but we 'grant access' to individuals. If said individual is breaking the rules or guidelines of the temple, we can ask him to leave, call the police to get him to leave, and even ban him from coming again. The law is very much on the side of religious institutions. The person asking him to leave has to be in a position of authority, which could mean a trustee of the temple, a manager, or the priest. So who knows the next time someone comes in and is disobeying the rules. I am grateful at least that the law would side with the temple, very clearly.

    Thank you, Lucrosus, for the suggestion.

    I hope it never comes to that. But it does show you in a way the strength of the South-North divide in Hinduism.

    Aum Namasivaya
    Last edited by Eastern Mind; 03 April 2010 at 01:59 PM.

  6. #16
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    Re: Breaking Protocol

    Quote Originally Posted by ScottMalaysia View Post
    I've never had anyone tell me it's disrespectful to take pictures inside temples. In fact, I have a whole Picasa album of Hindu temple photos in Malaysia (and one in Singapore). http://picasaweb.google.com/scottyma.../HinduTemples#

    Vannakkam Scott: You do have a nice collection there. I know if it were me, I would probably ask first, especially in the South Indian style temples. But then I wouldn't be taking pictures anyway because I'm just not a picture kind of guy.

    Aum Namasivaya

  7. #17
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    Re: Breaking Protocol

    A temple is not exactly a secular, public place like a town hall. Even a town hall has certain rules which you must observe. Temples have a right to frame and enforce the rules they deem fit. If you do not like those rules, then don't visit them.

    Photography at every odd hour does tend to be disruptive. Those camera happy people will never dream of a click inside a mosque when namaz is going on. They dare not enter a mosque with shoes on.

    When you visit a religious place, you must observe certain rules.

  8. #18
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    Re: Breaking Protocol

    Namaste!

    The temple I attend has a posted sign for "No Photography", and despite the incredible temptation to take photos, I have resisted the urge. However, on large festival days and during privately sponsored pujas, devotees and family members will take photos quite openly. Despite this, I still feel as though I should respect the temple policy. I may ask permission in the future (for a project I want to work on) but until then I think the respectful thing to do is let the deities have their privacy In the end I doubt God cares, but I think it's out of respect for the worshipers more then anything else.

    Peace!
    "God will not have his work made manifest by cowards."
    ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


  9. #19
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    Re: Breaking Protocol

    Vannakkam Jodhaa: Putting up the rules and enforcing them can be a tough call. Perhaps the board there has made a conscious decision to not enforce the rules because that sometimes comes across as being more disruptive than the photography itself. There is also the question of who is to enforce. Here, you have to have someone who is willing to enforce the rules present. If not, then yes, people will get away with it. Normally the intent is to not take photos of the deities, so they just put up a sign for 'no photography at all'. Perhaps they don't take such a harsh stand on the family pictures. Still, its easy to step outside. Unless the individuals cannot read English, and I know it, I do get annoyed at someone breaking the rules, just as speeders whizzing past you on a highway are annoying. Personally, I would never consider taking a picture inside a temple.

    Certainly, its difficult for most of us Hindus who are shy by nature to walk up to a total stranger and say something. I have done it though ... on the wearing of hats, on talking on a cellphone, on talking too much during a puja, etc. In the legal sense, the temple is considered private property, and are within their rights to have someone removed, by calling the police, if necessary. We haven't yet had to do that, but we have had to deal with minor levels of beligerence. One guy taking pictures, after being asked to stop politely, asked to see the temple president, and got told off even worse. I haven't see him come back, but quite frankly, our religion doesn't need people like that.

    Aum Namasivaya

  10. #20
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    Re: Breaking Protocol

    Namaste,


    There have been times when people have been unable to control their children. (and I don't mean infants -that's out of most people's control). But often devotees will let their children run around and scream loudly in the worship area, which always bothers me. Some devotees will also answer cell phones during pujas. I think it's not too much to ask for someone to turn off their phone for the brief time they are in the temple. I try my best to ignore it and tell myself I don't know what their situation is. Perhaps they have an ill relative and they are waiting for updates on their condition.

    I think ultimately we have to look to ourselves for how to behave. We can't really say "Well, they were breaking the rules, so it's okay for me to." We are responsible for how we conduct ourselves.

    Peace!
    "God will not have his work made manifest by cowards."
    ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


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