“Where is SLB hiding their awakened ones? If you have them, show them to us, so their light may shine upon our darkness. If you do not have them, then admit that your system is simply not working.”

Surely, a very valid argument!

Same way please would you advise the people who have faith on GOD to admit that their system is also not working, as they do not have evidence to prove the existance of GOD.

Yonder, thanks for your very logical argument!

Where is SLB hiding their awakened ones? If you have them, show them to us, so their light may shine upon our darkness. If you do not have them, then admit that your system is simply not working.

When Buddha himself was asked to summarize his teaching, he said,
Commit not a single unwholesome action,
Cultivate a wealth of virtue,
To tame this mind of ours,
This is the teaching of all the buddhas.
To say, “commit not a single unwholesome action”, means to abandon unwholesome, harmful and negative actions which are the cause of suffering, for both ourselves and others. To “cultivate a wealth of virtue” is to adopt the positive, beneficial and wholesome actions that are the cause of happiness, again for both ourselves and others. Most important of all, however, is “to tame this mind of ours”.

Yonder

I love people, be they Sinhalese or Tamil; Black, white or brown. I refuse to be hateful and waste my life.

My purpose in writing was out of love for all. I believe that telling the truth out of love is necessary for rebuke, correction and better life of all. But whenever the lack of accountability, truth and justice are exposed, it is the guilty persons who deny the truth, panic most and talk much. Pride prevents them to be remorseful.

I also believe that justice and accountability should originate from governments in power for the safety, love and well being of all people. They are elected to be in power to do that.

That is the reason for my opinion. It is based on the principle I value most, inherited by being in my faith.

Because, Buddhism DOES NOT need anyones Protection.

The state and the world view needs to be separated.

Where the state manages the affairs of the state and it’s people.

Whilst those that are followers of the Buddha the Buddhist must look after the Buddhism (Buddha Sasana).

Therefore, as a Buddhist I totally support the removal of “Foremost place to Buddhism..” provided for in Sri Lankan Constitution.

Because as Buddhists we know what is required to give foremost place and what not.

During the time of king’s this made sense. But with complete democracy this does not make sense.

Thanks for your response reasonably supported by good facts and examples. I respect , appriciate and hope it as an essential discipline to maintain in putting forward somebodiy’s views into broad society as there may be alternative views. Rational arguments are not only a challenge to the opposition but a respect paid to them.

There are various methods that can be used to make a big effect of one’s message on the target group. But one should not take the advantages of these methodologies in a healthy dialogue but should rely on reasoning based on facts and figures, if wishes to arrrive at a reasonable coclution at the end of the dialogue. If one’s objective in the dialogue is the win as in a school debate or he/she has an ulterior motive other than the enthuciasm for finding reasonable solution for the subject let them have arguments on their way. Any fool can use such unethical methods to make fatal effect on the other party to achieve his goal. However, a respectable debator should abstain from such behaviour and should play a fair game.He or she should play within the rules of the game. Sonud effects or ground cheers must not be decisive force. He/she should stick to the richness of his contents as his main tool.

We know how much harm an emotional message can make on individuals and society. An incidet reported in 90′s in Colombo, a youth killing both his parents on the infuence of the preaching of a religious cult. Hitler brain washed German’s to kill millions of innocent jews. So one must be careful when using words.

The message I wanted to convey was that the players should have the dicipline to play within the rule of the game. Writers should not throw each and every stone they can catch at others. What I wanted was to stand up against the anarchical and unruly culture prevailing in the stage.

Thanks!

mainly wanted to convey was that the culture of anarchical and unruly criticisms could harm the healthy culture of dialogues. In my view one should know his or her limits

“The core of the arguments of the writer is to criticise the present government for mis-using buddhism in its incorrect activities. Criticising the government for its blunders is perfectly agreeable. But the writer has not given any examples as to how and where the government is using buddhism in support of its misconducts. He has to support his proposition. Your propositions are not universal truths to accept without proofs.”

The ignorance or its pretense is never short in supply. With monks doing street battles and such monks and and buddhism triumphalists boosting this govt’s power base are just some of the examples. In a short note as that of the author’s cannot be what a book may resort to explain but going by what you (Yapa) write, your eyes seem to be closed to the happenings in SL or, as I mentioned, just one of your preferred gimmicks.

The author’s argument that not all fall within the hammer of his, I would hasten to add that this situation is typical of not just Buddhism. In India, a mosque was razed to the ground because Hindus there believed that it was built on the birthplace of Rama. Never mind that this was never proven but the govt of the day just watched idly and let this blunder happen. Thirteen girls died in a fire because the “guardians” of Islam in Saudi Arabia refused to allow them to escape because they were not properly dressed. Letting them die was more honourable than letting them out, so they argued. So long as any religion is dragged into the political sphere, then it MUST face the scrutiny it deserves. That is why some countries have been wise to believe that religion has no place in running the affairs of the state.

The fate of buddhism in SL would be dragged through the streets until it is confined to where it truly belongs. From someone who gave up power and politics, the behaviour of some of the politically inclined monks, it is not only appalling, it is shameful.

I am not quite sure where some of the response to this article are coming from! Surely, it is quite visible that Buddhism is being misused in this nation to create animosity, division, supremacy of power, and that a dictatorship kind of governance that passes for democracy is seen as “good” because it promotes the place of Buddhism vigorously. That Buddhism is now not a way of life for those in governance, but a tool of power and greed for more is quite obvious.

However, the fact of the matter is that we are as a nation now immersed in a pseudo Buddhism by the govt and the sangha. Both of whom hold the future of this nation in their hands. We have become a nation that is co-ercing its Buddhists into believing that Buddhism has the right to repress, kill in the name of the success of Buddhism.

How is a nation like ours, that has transformed Buddhism – the essence of the Buddha’s teachings of non-violence and “maithriya” – into sustaining attitudes and beliefs that are intolerant and violent, to emerge from the hell that it is creating for itself?

It makes it worse when Sinhalese chauvinism is linked to Buddhist chauvinism. I suspect this is why it is so difficult to work through a solution in this nation that accomodates all people as equals. This is not to say that the Tamil community or Muslim community are not chauvinistic – all races and religions have the potential and capacity , and all often have their dimensions of it. However, when this kind of monomaniacal fervour is focused within a small island that is shared by a multicultural citizenry then what do we do?

The multiculturalism does not come only from the existence of Northern/ Northeastern Tamils and Hindus. We also have Muslims, Colombo Chettis, Indian Tamils, Burghers. We have Islam. Catholicism, Christianity all having a presence in our nation. What will Buddhist Chauvinistic governance and predominance do to the colourful and rich multicultural heritage that makes this nation unique?

The Máhavihara Sect in Anuradhapura ear was totally committed to replace the tripitaka abhidamma with a certain kind of ethno-cracy that would superiorize a section of the populace. In fact they waged ideological and political war against the Abayagiriya Vihara fraternity and made sure the Abayagiriya bikkhus were cast out of the society, for their apparent broader and liberal concepts (see Ven. Rangama Chandawimal’s PhD these on this. 2007:11-60)
So when analysing one needs to avoid the illusion that in Sri Lanka we have Theravada Buddhism. What we have successfully produced is a Protestant Sinhala Buddhism. Recently Ananda Abeysekara (2002) and Premakurama de Silva (2006) have argued for new reading of this Buddhist Political Anthropology in SL.

Yes Britain has decriminalised homosexuality etc in its post Christian age( now). But we in Sri Lnaka are still shackled by Judeo Christian thought of a bygone era( Victorian times). Buddhist nationalism and HIndu nationalism is a product of anti colonial movements gone wrong( I dont agree with both Dharma Rajya in Sri Lanka or India).
Hindutva and Budhism nationalism etc in South Asia is a product of trying to semetisise( to make a Semetic replica) non-Abrahamic religions as a way of competing with the structure of Christianity and Islam. The idea of ‘ conversion’ – lies prejudice. It assumes the sole spiritual and moral truth to be expounded. And as with all self totalising ideologies like Marxism and Abrahamic faiths as practiced by the majority shall not rest untill the entirety f the human population is brought under its rule. Taking reguge in the triple gems or Diksha is not the same as cOnversion. fURTHER MORE WE DONT HAVE THE STRUCTURAL QUALITY OF pOSTECY AS IN aBRAHAMIC RELIGIONS.
During the colonial period Buddhist/HIndu reformers( who were mainlly schooled in the Judeo Chriatian traditions and versed in it’s conceptualisations) tried to make a ‘religion’ out of Budhism and HInduism. In fact hinduism is a collection opposing and differing faiths/traditions all clustered to one.
I think it is best that we dont make Budhism and ‘HInduism’ into ‘religions’. We dont need apostasy, blasphemy etc
Please read Prof Balagangadharas The heathen in its Blindness. After Edward SAids Orientalism this is porbably the most important book to understand South ASian social/’religious’ thought.

I think you agree that reading and listening to monotonous arguments and dialogues are boring. I think you also must have bored listening to and reading limited number of political glossary words almost always appeared in elite websites mainly confined to the section of society with english eloquence. I have seen them play with their Glossary words over the nets, undisturbed by the commons as these elites are protected with the iron cage of english which is untouchable by there poors. Therefore this elite class runs a one horse race in these websites and always ensures with certainity, of their wins. In the arguments in these websites we often can see “I scratch your back and you scratch my back” policy prevailing and all of them are happy to win all of their one supporting the other arguments. We know that birds of a fether theory and also the saying that “a dog is a lion in his cage”.

In view of this, I would like to add a diffent dimension to these arguments looking at them from a different perspective. I Would like to begin it with you Mr. Thambipillai. OK?

Here the methodology I am using is the one used by an answer script examiner, in order to evaluate an essay of a student. On the basis acceptable norms in literature he evaluate the essay to find its success.

In the case of Mr. Thambipillai’s essay he has sarted it with some relevent and good quotations, which is an exellent way to begin a persuasive essay. A brilliant start.

According to accepted norms, an essay basically consists of an arguable statement(s) (statement sentence(s)) and sound arguments backed by facts and examples to arrive at conclusion(s) and recommendations. This is the bottomline and I hope acceptable without many disputes.

Onthe basis of above I would like to analyze the rest of the essay of Mr. Thambipillai starting from paragraph 04, keeping aside the quotations he has mentiond in previous three paragraphs.

Forth paragraph is consists of two arguable statements (statement setences). He tries to equae the second sentence to the first one however, has he provided any facts or examples to substantiate contents of thi statements. Trying to looking for the first sentece to support the second is a cunning but a feeble effort to replace the lack of facts, evidence and examples for the arguments.

Next para, “The collective prudence of the Sinhalese was substituted by an “iron cage” irrationality in their reasoning.
Do you find anything given to support this opinion?This is just another arbitary, partial and obstinate statement.

Fifth para, “Strong evasive tactics to bring out truth and justice elegantly displayed the lack of responsibility by the state”.
Why don’t you name some of these tactics in support of your argument?

Sixth is “Corporately, the Sinhalese now violate their authority and responsibilty by uttering and propagating untruth on Tamil matters using their “nursaries” abroad – Buddhist temples, Sinhala organisations and government missions- breeding principles and practice of anti-Tamilism, repression, Tamil persecution and state terror. This cancer is allowed to grow by the state”
In this statement nothing but his prejudice and hatred are used in the place of evidence to support his ill- treated argument.

In the last paragraph before coclusions and recommendations he has mentioned about some chemical bomb throughing at civillians. Why don’t you give evidence in this regard giving when and where it happened?

In view of above, do you think that two last conclusion & recommendation paragraphs are reasonably deducedfrom his propositions? If not arn’t they should be considred as biased and prejudiced subjective statements? If so, are these bullshits worthwhile publishing in a respectable website? In what respects are these better than nanny stories? I have no idea. Any fool can make gossips. But please as civilized men and wome, refrain from propogating wrong ideas to gain undue advantages.Please my dear enough is enough! Don’t propogate anger and hatred, you will never reap anything fruitful out of them. Don’ try to throw petrol to the fire. Act unbised in good faith. That is the key to win.

If you REALLY want to speak in defense of Buddhism, take on the Sangha as a first step.

I also read very briefly about Nick Griffin. The Tamil poeple had to put up with Nick Griffin after Nick Griffin after Nick Griffin in power. now, I am not quiet sure what we are putting up with in power.

As I see, the writer uses popular doctrines of buddhism in paragraph 3 to cover up his unsound and bitter arguments in the rest of his essay. This prevents one rejecting whole of his article, since there is some thuth within the article consequent to this inclusion. Other than in a few places I do not differ from his writing in paragraph 3 . Cever! clever!! You are very tacful in your writing.
However, the writer can not claim the credit of the contents of this paragraph, but he is indebt to buddhism as he has used them to decorate his hypothetical arguments. Here the writer has used the prestige & the honour, the buddhism is having in the Sri Lankan society to discredit the government saying that it is misusing the buddhism. A very effective way of attacikg some body is branding him as a enemy of an honourable and respectable person or a thing. Marx or Lenin can be quoted to justify killing of Trostky.

The core of the arguments of the writer is to criticise the present government for mis-using buddhism in its incorrect activities. Criticising the government for its blunders is perfectly agreeable. But the writer has not given any examples as to how and where the government is using buddhism in support of its misconducts. He has to support his proposition. Your propositions are not universal truths to accept without proofs.

You are saying about a “politicized version of buddhism”. Can you specifically define what it is? These are vague and ambiguous heaps of words that can only arouse emotions of people, but has no definite meaning. Be specific in your arguments. Just throughing high sounding words can make only deception, not sound arguments.

We will analyze and see another part of his essay pasted below.

“To be clear, this piece is NOT meant to criticize the ordinary Buddhists who honestly practice their faith and conviction as a way of life. The vast majority of them do not realize that they are themselves manipulated as pawns by the feudal-colonial politics of Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism and how it serves to reinforce, perpetuate and enforce the comprador Capitalist class dictatorship over their lives. This piece is directed squarely against that fascist coterie of the ruling class that is usurping the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha to entrench and extend their fundamentalist-hegemonic authority over all of society. ”

Can you please tell us as to how you came to know that vast majority of buddhists are manupulated as pawns by the ……………? Arn’t these very arbitary , stubborn and emotional statements? If these are not unsupported words of rubbish, tell me some other word to call them.

It seems that the writer has a lot of things in mind to communicate to the people. But I don’t see any array in his thoughts. They are very un-orderly. Either he had not set his goal of the essay before hand or he must have ewnt biased in the enthuciasm to publish something to catch the attention of the people. Before putting forward to the people pelese try ascertain the good and bad consequences it can impose on socity. It is a responsibility of a writer. Please know your rights and responsibilities.

Your article reminds me of what James Madison US President and Father of the Constitution is supposed to have said: “I belive there are more intances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”

Truth and justice are essentials of democracy. Truth creates conscience and authority. When an impartial judge, in a good judicial system, says “you are guilty”, he sends the message “stop it” to the people.

Life is not what you want but what you must do. Governance is not about what a government wants to do but what a government MUST do. Responsibility of governence emanates from this principle.

About seven decades ago, Adolf Hitler, helped himself exempt from accountability for the lives of Jews. For the past 37 years, governments of Sri Lanka(SL) got themselves exempt from their accountability for the lives of Tamils, by a unilateral constitution of 1972, violating the UN conventions.

The collective prudence of the Sinhalese was substituted by an “iron cage” irrationality in their reasoning.

Strong evasive tactics to bring out truth and justice elegantly displayed the lack of responsibility by the state.

Corporately, the Sinhalese now violate their authority and responsibilty by uttering and propagating untruth on Tamil matters using their “nursaries” abroad – Buddhist temples, Sinhala organisations and government missions- breeding principles and practice of anti-Tamilism, repression, Tamil persecution and state terror. This cancer is allowed to grow by the state.

For these reasons the government of Sri Lanka does not and will not want to be accountable for throwing chemical bombs at civilians. massacring about 20,000 of them during the last days of the war, arbitrary killings, disappearances and rape violations carried out contarary to the UN conventions.

Such attitudes by any state is defiant and criminal. The resolution passed last week unanimously by 60 votes in the EU parliament and action taken by the US is not sufficient enough to prevent the persecution of Tamils and bring about a change in attitude in SL.

What is required is stringent sanctions, by the entire human kind, through the UN, International Criminal Court and the World Court. Till them accountability will remain non existent in SL.

“eg the criminalization of homosexuality, anti-abortion, anti-prostitution.” -the laws pertaining to these are seriously out of date. The change can only come through Parliament. No doubt the Judeo Christian values and the colonials are responsible for imposing those laws on us-but it is upto us Buddhists, Christians, Muslims to get rid of them or change them to suit modern times. In many ways we are not a modern society. The outdated laws are a part of the problem.

I have lived in the UK in the 1990′s and can tell you that the UK has changed its victorian era laws on abortion, prostitution, homosexuality etc. Most of the changes to such laws came in the late 1950′s and 1960′s. As an example-The 1957 Wolfenden Report was a report sponsored by the government which suggested that homosexual behaviour between consenting adults should no longer be a criminal offence on the grounds that homosexuality impinged upon civil liberties. The Report investigated the current law on homosexuality and prostitution.
The proposal was the principal and most controversial recommendation put forward by the 13-member committee chaired by Sir John Wolfenden, Vice-Chancellor of Reading University.

“The construction of a fundamentalist-theocratic state is in full swing. Instead of legitimizing the right to abortion and providing modern medical facilities as a basic human right of women to control their own bodies and their lives, illegal abortion clinics-the only ones there are- are raided. Hotels and lodging houses are raided to arrest any form of ‘illegal’ romantic interludes. Couples are arrested or intimidated on the beach and other places where they seek privacy. The internet and movies are to be censured. Adults only films are to be banned.”

I totally agree with you on the above. I am also against the move to publish the pictures of porn actresess in the newspapers for identification purposes. They are also human beings. Then again People are not going to stop smoking or drinking just by banning Tobacco and Alcohol advertising. However, education in schools can lessen such habits.
Is this not a nanny state that we live in ? I have not known this country to be this ultra conservative during previous regimes. It is not only the regime but the public is equally to blame.