Rajpal's Column

2nd April 2000

Monks and men leading from behind

By Rajpal Abeynayake

The Sinhala war had crashed like a thunderclap into the Sinhala heartland. A Buddhist monk had to be there to receive the pieces.

At about the time the Antonov fell into a teak plantation in Anuradhapura, I was chatting to two Thai scholars and a Malaysian in Colombo. The Thais had a great deal to say about the Buddhist monks of this land. Each time there was a decline in the Thai Buddhist ethos, the monks from Sri Lanka were called to the rescue.

Thailand as a result has a Lanka Nikaya, which is quite similar to the Siam that we have in Sri Lanka. But, Thailand has always considered Sri Lanka as the repository of good Buddhism. Generally, the Thais think of Sri Lankan Buddhists as the more conscientious variety. ("The Thai government condoned sex tourism in our country,'' says one of the scholars, bemoaning the Thai socio- political ethic.)

But, virtuous brother to the West, Sri Lanka, has been having all of the problems recently, which has our Thai scholar friends in quite a state of puzzlement.

Unrest and rebellion in Thailand have been restricted to one notable student uprising, which caused a change of government, and not much else of any importance. When this uprising occurred, the King of Thailand issued a general homily condemning the previous dispensation, and endorsing the need for change.

In Thailand, the prevailing edict is that the King cannot be brought into ridicule or be criticized. The law is enforced under pain of seven months imprisonment for violators. "The King has immense wealth,'' says our scholar friend, " and he steps out of his hiding place whenever there is trouble. The youth of today do not care tuppence for him, but the law is what keeps the King where he is.''

That statement says something about why Thailand, one Buddhist country, is peaceful, and why Sri Lanka, another isn't. Thailand is essentially pacifist and neo - liberal, where Buddhist monks are not considered a breed apart. Most Thais in the villages honour tradition by practising the routine of a Buddhist monk for at least three months in their lifetime.

Radicalism of any sort has been abandoned in this country, which goes after the twin gods of globalization and free trade as if there would be no tomorrow without these icons. Political soap boxes are not existent, and nobody exhorts anybody to do anything overtly political.

In contrast, the Reuters photograph about the Buddhist monk gazing at the downed plane necessarily casts Sri Lanka in its proper light. Here, Buddhist monks have not turned neo - liberal yet. They also pledge allegiance to nobody living, no King , no President.

For scores of years now, editorialists and pacifists have tried to analyze the mindset of the Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and have not turned up with anything useful. All those who have tried to thumb their noses at the saffron robed dispensation have come a cropper, almost always.

President Kumaratunga is a political amazon and modern day matriarch who has displayed her disdain for most institutions of society such as judges, community leaders and pensioners. At the beginning of her term, she showed signs that it is within her irreverent spirit to take on the Buddhist establishment.

But, she couldn't. Before long, she was seen to be literally genuflecting at the feet of the Mahanayakas and being almost childlike in bearing responsibility for the Dalada Maligawa security breach. (The Mahanayaka, after this event, is said to have been in a more than usually angry mood.) Then, she was seen to be appealing to the neo-liberal streak of the Mahanayakas by consenting to importing limousines ( Benz's ) for their use.

But, the political role of the Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka has not come under the microscope of the serious scholar, except sporadically of course . Scholars have kept their distance from the subject, which is volatile and is for the most part a minefield.

Monks here, though they have been radicalized unlike in Shangri-La -Thailand, have largely been agitators and backroom ideologues. There has been no Joan of Arc in any Sri Lankan monastery or nunnery, and that's something that should be written about or at least looked into.

Monks have rattled the soap boxes in Colombo and raised a ruckus in many parts of the city, and they have led from the front in many of the marches which have stood for asserting Sri Lankan nationhood. But, they have not provided any leadership in marshalling the youth to join the armed forces, at any time.

They have failed in whipping up a physical force to countenance the suicidal zeal of the Tamil Tigers. They have not been able to get others to go to war, and have not been able to go to war themselves. They have voiced the sentiments for needing to fight the Tigers, but have failed to provide any real inspiration for the fight.

So, they have been detached , unlike the Thai monks who in their own quaint way have been engaged. If there is a likeness of any Thai monk on Thai currency, no Thai will use that note to buy liquor, to gamble or go whoring. So says my scholar friend.

That reverence is missing here, the virtuous Buddhist country to the West of Bangkok. The monks are mostly used to the bully pulpit of the bana maduwa in these parts — perhaps they should have been pastors.

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