Nara priest flogs Buddha

[Ketou]

Why not....

Nara ex-priest admits Buddhist statue thefts

NARA (Kyodo) A former priest in Nara Prefecture was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stealing four Buddhist statues from a temple and is suspected of more related heists, police said.

Nara police believe Kiyotaka Kanafuri, 62, was involved in least 11 more statue thefts in the prefecture this year.

[Hikonejou]

As a Buddhist, I find that sort of act to be unbelievably despicable!

I have read several reports of Buddha's missing from small Shinto Shrines in Japan lately, and I pretty much assumed that 99% of the theives were foreigners, because many foreigners in Japan have no cultural relevance to Japan, but in this case, it was from one of their own, and not only from one of their own, but from a former Japanese Buddhist Priest.

This case has certainly made me rethink my opinion.

[kurohinge1]

. . . I have read several reports of Buddha's missing from small Shinto Shrines in Japan lately, and I pretty much assumed that 99% of the theives were foreigners . . .

Reminds me of Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV)

[INDENT]"What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again]

And here's one "we prepared earlier" - 21 Buddhas Liberated (a different (Japanese) man, but of a similar age)

[Visitor K]

I have read several reports of Buddha's missing from small Shinto Shrines in Japan lately, and I pretty much assumed that 99% of the theives were foreigners, because many foreigners in Japan have no cultural relevance to Japan, but in this case, it was from one of their own, and not only from one of their own, but from a former Japanese Buddhist Priest.

i dont come on the boards that often anymore, so excuse me if this is unwarranted, but have you ever been to japan?
99% of japanese (to fight hyperbole with hyperbole) have no relevance when it comes to buddhism.

[Hikonejou]

Not Buddhism...Shintoism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto

And yes, I lived in Japan for 12 Years and I am married to a Japanese.

[maraboutslim]

99% of japanese (to fight hyperbole with hyperbole) have no relevance when it comes to buddhism.

I have to disagree with this. Buddhism over the last 1500 years has undergone a syncretism with Shinto and an integration into Japanese culture, beliefs, and daily life to such an extent that the Japanese do not even recognize their beliefs or practices as being "Buddhist" or "Shinto", but simply consider them to be "Japanese." But from the outside we can identify where these beliefs and practices came from, and many would be assigned a Buddhist origin.

[Visitor K]

Not Buddhism...Shintoism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto

shin what?
you mentioned buddhism in your post, plus the priest worked at a temple and stole buddhist statues.. but all exaggeration aside, i can agree with what maraboutslim had to say.