A few quick comments on "She of Little Faith" from a Buddhist fan of The Simpsons.
First of all, "the Sunnydale Buddhist Temple" was an interesting hodge-podge of items you'd be unlikely to find in any single temple anywhere ... which arguably makes it "generic," I suppose.
The temple exterior is (more or less) traditional Chinese.
The rock garden that Richard Gere is tending is Japanese Zen. (Incidentally, in real life you usually find rock gardens *outside* the temple!) Is it possible that this is a veiled reference to Gere's initial interest in Japanese Zen, which he practised for several years before discovering, and committing to, Tibetan Buddhism? Er, probably not...
The "laughing Buddha" at the front of the temple is a Chinese figure known as Pu-tai, popularly regarded as an incarnation of Maitreya, the Buddha to come. Chinese Buddhists sometimes view him as a god of good luck and prosperity. Now, you wouldn't normally see one in the place of honour in the centre of the temple's main shrine; this spot is usually reserved for a statue of THE Buddha, namely the historical Sakyamuni Buddha. So that was actually a little odd. (One reason why my husband and I *especially* enjoyed the line "Who's the Buddha?")
"Om mani padme hum" is the most famous Buddhist mantra - the mantra of compassion. Interestingly, aside from Richard Gere and the reference to the Dalai Lama, this was the only Tibetan Buddhist element to appear in the episode.
*Something* (not sure what) was shown at the back of the temple, next to the door. Gotta say, if it was meant to be a stepped table full of votive candles, 'twas more Catholic than Buddhist.
And on the plus side:
1 - The thumbnail summary of Buddhist tenets was actually pretty good. Less toe-curling than that "King of the Hill" episode, for sure.
2 - I never thought I'd hear either of these phrases on a Simpsons episode, but there they were: "All things are empty of inherent existence" and "Free Tibet!"
Frankly, I was surprised that FOX went along with that second line ... until I realized that Richard Gere probably wouldn't have agreed to appear on the show unless it included an explicit reference to the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
3 - And again we hear the very important question, "Who wears short shorts?" I'm going to add that mantra to MY daily practice...
Gert Wallage (not representing all Buddhists everywhere)