Comments on: A is for Adhi Vesak

By: Thilak Gunaratne

Thilak Gunaratne — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 04:41:03 +0000

I have to say what Sam Tmbimpillai has written is out of context and not relevant to what is under discussion in these pages. Let him take it up in a different forum, if he so wishes to rekindle an ugly chapter of this country, which many would love to erase off their minds.

Thilak Gunaratne

By: RR

RR — Tue, 18 May 2010 00:44:30 +0000

“In countries with a Christian majority the Christian holidays are celebrated.In Sri Lanka all the minority religions have holidays for their events as well;something unprecedented in the world.”

This is true.

No Christian majority country officially celebrates and provides holidays for the sacred days of non-Christian traditions, despite calling themselves “multicultural.”

Only two Muslim majority countries officially provide space for minority religions – Malaysia and Bangladesh. However, this is a better record than Christian majority countries.

By: longus

longus — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:08:19 +0000

Dear Samtambi,You are back into playing your old record.It’s high time that you realized that it is a bit out of tune now!
Who displaced 300,000 civilians from their homes?It is the LTTE,in order to use them as a human shield.
Civilians getting caught in the cross-fire is nothing new in the history of mankind i.e.history of war.Most of them were fired at by the LTTE.
Your out of the topic account stinks of bias,Sam.
In countries with a Christian majority the Christian holidays are celebrated.In Sri Lanka all the minority religions have holidays for their events as well;something unprecedented in the world.

By: Sam Thambipillai

Sam Thambipillai — Mon, 17 May 2010 11:40:37 +0000

Are Poya holidays doing anything to bring the needed spirituality to do justice to all the citizens in the island? The answer is “NO”.

A civilised society or nation, through its judicial system, makes a criminal to understand that his criminal acts are wrong, unacceptable and punishable by mankind. Then, the people also get a clear message that criminality will always go with accountability for the crime in a court of law.

Sinhalese soldiers committed war crimes by killing about 40,000 Tamil civilaians and displacing about 300,000 persons from their homes, during the third week of May last year.

The soldiers who committed those war crimes should have been by now arrested, handcuffed, locked up behind bars as dangerous criminals and brought to justice.

Instead, this week of atrocious and barbaric Tamil genocidal acts of 2009 is being celeberated as “war heroes week”; confirming that the governement in colombo is a colonial master, militarily occupying Tamil Eelam(TE).

Obviously, the principle that is being applied is “a colonial master can kill his colonial subjects and need not be brought to justice”.

Therefore, responsibility for Tamil lives in TE is non existent and accountability by the Sri Lankan state is absent.

IF Adolf Hitler would have won the war with the Allied Forces in 1940’s, the war criminals who committed the genocide of Jews would have been called “war heroes” to this day, and the world would have consequently turned out to be a massive genocidal theatre.

Although, one year has passed since the genocidal massacre, the UN and the International Community, though obliged, have not taken any concrete action to punish the war criminals in SL.

Such an attitude will definitely send a wrong signal to rogue regimes to commit similar crimes against humanity.

By: RR

RR — Mon, 17 May 2010 06:02:30 +0000

Many people would like to know the religious significance of the full moon and new moon days. To Buddhists, there is a special religious significance especially on full day because certain important and outstanding events connected with the life of Lord Buddha took place on full moon days. The Buddha was born on a full moon day. His renunciation took place on a full moon day. His Enlightenment, the delivery of His first sermon, His passing away into Nibbana and many other important events associated with His life-span of eighty years, occurred on full moon days.

It is believed that the moon, like the other planets, exerts a considerable degree of influence on human beings. Our human body consists of about seventy percent liquid. It is accepted by physicians that our bodily fluids flow more freely at the time of full moon. Researchers have found that certain phases of the moon not only affect humans and animals, but also influence plant life and other elements.

In view of the possible influence of the moon, the ancient sages advised the people to refrain from various commitments on this particular day and take it easy for the day. They are advised to relax their minds on this particular day and to devote their time to spiritual pursuits.

http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/whatbudbeliev/217.htm

By: longus

longus — Mon, 17 May 2010 01:46:40 +0000

justita,It’s simply bacause the three most important events in the Buddha’s life are said to have taken place on a Vesak full moon day.There are other minor events that are also said to have taken place on other full moon days throughout the year.That is why Sri Lankan Buddhists consider the full moon day as a day of religious observances

By: justitia

justitia — Sun, 16 May 2010 19:11:05 +0000

Did the Lord Buddha ever say anything about his followers having to live according the phases of the moon.
Can anyone explain?
I remember when there were four ‘poya’ days each month, and week days varied from 4 to 6 days – sometimes saturdays and sundays too became working days. The calender was a mess and nothing could be planned ahead.