Buddhist Arts and Its Use in Hotel Decoration: Appropriate or Not ?

Abstract

This paper aims to study an issue raised by the use of Buddhist arts to decorate hotels regarding to its appropriateness according to the principle of respect in the Triple Gems. It was found that the use stemmed from good intentions to display the Buddhist arts as national identity and disseminate Buddhism in a way permissible in modern days. The appropriateness of its use depends on decoration methods. If they are used to decorate a specific area separate from others in the hotel, that is appropriate. However, if they are included in decoration of different areas in the hotel, a consideration should be given to the types of arts being used. Paintings and sculptures are permissible in some rooms such as bedrooms and living rooms but not in others such as toilets, bathrooms and entertainment rooms