Proper "disposal" of a Buddha statue

Originally Posted by Dar

The way I remember 'the line from the book' is that if you see someone on the side of the road (or in the middle of it or way out in the bushes ) and the say they are the Buddha, kill them, because the true Buddha lies within (us) . Makes mega-sense to me . No external authority over matters of Spirit. Kick that Guru out of town, be your own Jesus , etc. . Heresy to some, but the next step for many . The civil rights movement got more attention , but there was/is a spiritual rights movement too

Ah, good old Rinzai. It's saying that you can't have any real communication if you don't meet people as equals. Sooooo, no titles, no authorities, no hierarchies. At least that's what I get out of it. Maybe Linji Yixuan would whack me with his fly whisk.

As for the OP, traditionally, the statue should be disposed of in a reverent manner, not thrown in the trash or any of that. Wrap it in cloth and bury it while chanting mantras, or better yet, contact a monastery and ask them exactly how to go about it.