Editorial

8th November 1998

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Spreading the Dhamma

It's nice to see Sri Lanka giving some prominence to Buddhism, the religion of the majority, especially at a time when it has become fashionable to downplay it in the face of what has been loosely termed the ethnic conflict - and at a time when the controversial devolution package and comments by influential Cabinet Ministers have rubbed the Maha Sangha on the wrong side.

Giving Mercedes Benz cars to the Mahanayakes to placate them or win them over is not the way to promote the Buddha Sasana, something the State is expected to do. Rather it is by way of international seminars, financial assistance to temples and the study of the Dhamma and the spread of the Dhamma within the shores of the Island and outside.

We have an article in the Plus section about the spread of Buddhism to countries like Laos, Kampuchea and Thailand from Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka gained immense respect as a protector and an exponent of Buddhism but today complex new issues have emerged.

A lot of Japanese monies for instance is coming into projects here. While the yens go into pre-school montessories, refugee centres and orphanages somehow, some of the fund recipients, including some local monks, have a Mahayana flavour in their lifestyles.

One will note young monks with cellular phones having dinner at star class hotels. We see the Vinaya Rules being practised in the breach and chief priests unable to discipline some of them.

Externally Sri Lanka's ability to give leadership to the Buddhist world has been limited by the twin factors of the lack of financial resources and its compromised position due to the on-going war.

For instance, Sri Lanka cannot take up the case of Tibet and China's dominance over the Buddhist territory because China supplies our armed forces with arms and ammunition. We cannot take up the plight of the Buddhists in the Chittagong hilltracts because Bangladesh is a friend and SAARC member.

But we must. Sri Lanka has a moral responsibility to do so. Like when we spoke out when the Taleban threatened to blow the world's biggest stone image of the Buddha.

We commend the Government's initiative in holding the International Buddhist Conference from tomorrow. As everyone knows, from these conferences must flow deeds. Thousands of years ago Buddhism spread a wave of humanism throughout whole of Asia. It had pockets of influence amongst certain circles of the West. In the troubled times today in all Asia — war, economies and stock markets crashing, social morals getting more and more westernised inevitably seeping the bad with the good — a dose of the Dhamma may well be in order.

Political Column

Editorial/Opinion Contents