The continuing controversy surrounding what once was the first Buddha Bar in Asia has led to a Buddhist organisation issuing the first religious edict reminding Indonesian followers that drinking alcohol is forbidden.
The Sangha Mahayana Indonesia issued a dharma nioga, an edict the group's Gunabhadra Mahasthavira described as like 'an Islamic fatwa'.
'It works like how a fatwa works for Muslims. It is a religious statement. It says what is allowed and what is not allowed for Buddhist people,' he said. 'In this case, we reminded Buddhists that drinking is not allowed. They should know that, since it is part of the basic teachings of Buddhism.'
The Sangha Mahayana Indonesia is a group of Indonesian Buddhist monks that functions as guardian of the Buddhist Mahayana teachings in the mostly Muslim country. It claims to have more than 100 monks.
Mr Gunabhadra said they felt the need to issue the edict because the storm surrounding the Buddha Bar might have led to confusion about the relationship between Buddhism and alcohol.
'The dharma nioga is not strictly related to the Buddha Bar, but since the case is not going away, we felt we should say it again and strengthen the message,' he said.
