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[Al M.]

The number of audio brands that use (abuse?) Buddhist terminology/expressions to name/sell their products has always seemed strange to me. However, as someone with a deep respect for the history and integrity of Buddhist teachings (and as a relatively new Zen practitioner), I'm feeling more strongly now that appropriating Buddhist terms as 'branding' in order to profit off of their intrinsically deep and multifaceted meanings is a vulgar practice, akin to cultural appropriation. I can't imagine any sincere practicing Buddhist would engage with the market this way to sell their products. I own a Shunyata ethernet cable (in my main system) and an iFi Zen streamer (in a second system), but am generally going to avoid future purchases of products with Buddhist names in them.

The companies that use these terms for audio products are numerous: Shunyata, Ifi, Acoustic Zen, Decware, ZenWave, Prana Fidelity, PranaWire, ZenSati, Innuos, Nirvana Audio, SB Acoustics, Isoacoustics... and possibly others.

Anyone else find this practice similarly off-putting? Would products with Islamic, Christian, or Hebrew names ever sell in the western marketplace?

I don't understand the outrage. To focus on two of the brands you mention, all my analog signal cables and power cords are ZenWave, and my speakers are PranaFidelity Dhyana. I am super happy with both brands.

 

[Al M.]

The entire Schiit brand is appropriated from Norse mythology.

Oh yeah, and I have a Schiit Yggdrasil DAC, too. I guess by now I am a serial offender.

 

[Maril555]

The number of audio brands that use (abuse?) Buddhist terminology/expressions to name/sell their products has always seemed strange to me. However, as someone with a deep respect for the history and integrity of Buddhist teachings (and as a relatively new Zen practitioner), I'm feeling more strongly now that appropriating Buddhist terms as 'branding' in order to profit off of their intrinsically deep and multifaceted meanings is a vulgar practice, akin to cultural appropriation. I can't imagine any sincere practicing Buddhist would engage with the market this way to sell their products. I own a Shunyata ethernet cable (in my main system) and an iFi Zen streamer (in a second system), but am generally going to avoid future purchases of products with Buddhist names in them.

The companies that use these terms for audio products are numerous: Shunyata, Ifi, Acoustic Zen, Decware, ZenWave, Prana Fidelity, PranaWire, ZenSati, Innuos, Nirvana Audio, SB Acoustics, Isoacoustics... and possibly others.

Anyone else find this practice similarly off-putting? Would products with Islamic, Christian, or Hebrew names ever sell in the western marketplace?

seems we are dealing with a severe case of cultural appropriation here. What an outrage.
Somebody gotta put a stop to it

 

[Maril555]

The number of audio brands that use (abuse?) Buddhist terminology/expressions to name/sell their products has always seemed strange to me. However, as someone with a deep respect for the history and integrity of Buddhist teachings (and as a relatively new Zen practitioner), I'm feeling more strongly now that appropriating Buddhist terms as 'branding' in order to profit off of their intrinsically deep and multifaceted meanings is a vulgar practice, akin to cultural appropriation. I can't imagine any sincere practicing Buddhist would engage with the market this way to sell their products. I own a Shunyata ethernet cable (in my main system) and an iFi Zen streamer (in a second system), but am generally going to avoid future purchases of products with Buddhist names in them.

The companies that use these terms for audio products are numerous: Shunyata, Ifi, Acoustic Zen, Decware, ZenWave, Prana Fidelity, PranaWire, ZenSati, Innuos, Nirvana Audio, SB Acoustics, Isoacoustics... and possibly others.

Anyone else find this practice similarly off-putting? Would products with Islamic, Christian, or Hebrew names ever sell in the western marketplace?

Did you miss a memo?
Came out Nov 6
I think it is 312, 53, 217

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...FWIW I met HH about 30 years ago. Funny guy. I used to teach at a Buddhist University in Kyoto. I'm not offended by zen-ish names. Doubt HH would be either. BTW: Steve N. of PranaFidelity seems a serious and respectful person and practitioner. Eating dinner with him, I did not get the feeling he would think he was misappropriating anything, although that would not be for me to say. Perhaps, like many new practitioners, you are thinking too much @Redwoodaudio ? A question, not an accusation. Big planet. Room for many frequencies.

 

[PeterA]

To answer the OP two questions: no and yes.

 

[Ron Resnick]

The number of audio brands that use (abuse?) Buddhist terminology/expressions to name/sell their products has always seemed strange to me. . . .

The companies that use these terms for audio products are numerous: . . . Prana Fidelity . . .

There is no "abuse" here. Steven Norber is a genuinely zen, earthy, Buddhist-type guy.

He should not be on your black list.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Would products with Islamic . . . names ever sell in the western marketplace?

IED Footers?

 

[Gregm]

SB Acoustics, Isoacoustics... and possibly others.

With all due respect, you can go ahead & purchase those. Acoustics, Iso, etc are Greek words.
Similarly, Gaia, Epsilon, Sigma, Alpha, Heracles, Cassandra, Meta, Mega, kilo, Giga, etc. Regards

 

[ssfas]

I didn't mean local restaurants (except for Tex-Mex) but the food in each of those countries. Middle East cuisine is also excellent. In fact, I have not been to a place where the food wasn't good (stick to the Fish and Chips) in the 42 or so countries that I have visited. People everywhere love to eat and take pride in their cooking.

You should try traditional Bhutanese or Ladakhi cuisine. Unless you're a native, it's near inedible. The Bhutanese favourite is cold long beans in some sort of goat's milk broth. Utterly vile.

Ladakh is technically in India, so saying "I like Indian food", which generally I do, is clearly a generalisation from which Ladakh needs excluding. Saying "I like Italian" is much more of a generalising crime, not that I've ever had anything bad in Italy. There's a great place in Jaffa whose menu is hummus, hummus, hummus and hummus. They only sell hummus, four types, ordering one of each is not uncommon. Service is very fast.

Here's the Japanese culturally appropriated version of fish and no chips.You can't do that with a haddock.

 

[spiritofmusic]

I always wondered how Taiko would go "bigger" in naming the successor to the Extreme.
Well, they succeeded, lol.
What's bigger than Olympus?

 

[Synaxis]

What's bigger than Olympus?

Wicked-Mega-Ultra Olympus