Letters to the Editor

Unethical conversions
A call to Buddhist and Christian leaders
It is nothing less than tragic, as I see it, to observe the sort of unholy war developing over the allegations of unethical conversions of poor Buddhists by some evangelical Christian groups.

Even if the cases and the extent of such conversions have not been disclosed, the issue has, by its own momentum, been shifting from the unethical aspect of conversions to conversions itself, a different and much wider issue.

As a Christian, I would confess to a feeling of shame if in fact such unethical acts as alleged have been committed and even if to no significant degree. At the same time, knowing as I think I do of what is in the Buddha Dharma, I would, if I were a Buddhist, be no less ashamed of what has been the Buddhist reaction in speech and action, if media reports of them are substantially correct. Rather than let these reactions develop as they well might, and be left to the government to control, it seems to me that Buddhist and Christian leaders should together deal with them. To me this seems a good opportunity for Buddhist and Christian leaders to pool their religious resources in working out how the present tensions had best be resolved.

More, this could well also be the beginning of a joint effort in building up and helping Buddhists and Christians to the kind of relationship based on the values in Buddhism of maithri (compassion), karuna (loving kindness), and upekkha (equanimity), as taught by the Lord Buddha; and in Christianity of the selfless and self-sacrificing love as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Buddhists would recall these words of the founder of Buddhism: "Hatred never ceases through hatred in the world. This is an eternal law." Christians may be reminded of these words of Christ in His Sermon on the Mount: ".....but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you....."

Countdown to the polls
The final results of the General Elections of December 2001, at a glance, reveal much that is relevant to the present scenario, as it would virtually be the take-off point for the next general election. UNP 4,086,026 votes and 109 seats.
PA 3,330,815 votes and 77 seats
JVP 815,353 votes and 16 seats
TULF 348,164 votes and 15 seats
SLMC 105, 346 votes and 5 seats
EPDP 72,783 votes and 3 seats

With all the gerrymandering with the Constitution under PR, a breakdown of the voting pattern is most startling! While the UNP with 4,086,026 votes gained 109 seats, the PA with 3,330,815 votes gained 32 seats less. What is crucial is that the UNP gained a mere 608,252 votes more than in October 2000, against the loss of a mere 570,086 votes by the PA to produce this result. The JVP too increased its score to 815,353 with a gain of 296, 579 votes (16 seats).

Needless to say, a crucial factor on which the country would vote, will be the peace talks with the LTTE. With the multitude of other issues that have surfaced, the party at the wicket seems to be groping for survival -why not appeal against bad light ?

We have not witnessed in Sri Lanka an avalanche since PR was introduced, but the present polarization of forces is so formidable that a clean sweep at the polls with even a 2/3rds majority cannot be ruled out. To get that, all the alliance has to win is 130-135 seats with two thirds of the National List seats making up the balance.

There are many more singles, doubles and trebles yet to come into the alliance. Those who gave birth to PR should already be turning in their graves!

Death fasts: Illegal? Unbuddhistic?
Death fasts are the 'in thing' these days, even among the yellow-robed.
I wish to pose two sets of questions with regard to this practice of 'self-murder', to two different groups of experts.

The first set is addressed to those well versed in the law.
1. Is 'attempted suicide' a punishable offence?
2. Is not 'fasting unto death' attempted suicide?
3. Is it not obligatory on the part of law enforcers to prevent a punishable offence?

4. If the answer to the above three questions is yes, why is it that 'fasters unto death', are not arrested within 24 to 48 hours of embarking on a fast, which, they have admitted, is with the objective of killing themselves?
Have they not admitted 'guilty' to the crime of 'attempted suicide'?

My second set of questions is posed to those who really know and understand 'The Word of the Buddha'/Buddha Dhamma, as it appears in the recognized Pali canon. It is not addressed to those self-appointed 'Crusaders', 'The Defenders of the Faith', who in the process of advocating their brand of Buddhism, spew hate by word, electronic mail and even by arson (there are so-called intellectuals among these 'Crusaders' who adopt this advocacy in very subtle ways), thereby striking at the very core of the Buddha's teaching of metta, towards friend and perceived foe, alike.

1. Is not one of the five precepts an 'undertaking not to take life'?
2. Does the above not apply to the taking of one's own life, to self-slaughter?
3. Is it ethical for a Buddhist to take his own life?

4. Is it ethical for a Buddhist monk, whose fundamental obligation to society and to himself is to spread the Word of the Buddha, to take his own life, even if he believes it is to 'save the religion'?
I shal1 await the answers anxiously.

I cry for my Negombo
I don't see the beautiful sunset on the beach anymore
The smell of rotten fish and little huts all over
Where can I sit and see the waves roll over
The esplanade where many games I cheered
Why can't they get it cleared ?

Prawns, crabs have I none
Can I have them even for fun ?
Why oh! Why cannot we get men of steel
Who can look after all these without a deal?

Oh! Negombo where is your mighty son
Who will work and fight not for a sum
Come send him to us soon
Before all these smells go to the moon.

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