Going against the stream

The relevance of Ananda Coomaraswamy as we enter the 21st century

• A revival

The Annual Ananda Coomaraswamy Memorial Oration was delivered by Manik Sandrasagara at the Indian Cultural Centre on August 21. Excerpts:

Today's lecture is based on an early Coomaraswamy article. This will take up 95% of our time. I refer to: Individuality, Autonomy and Function, the last essay from The Dance of Shiva, Fourteen Indian Essays, published in 1924. Individuality is Sva-bhava; Autonomy is sva-rajya; and Function is sva-dharma.

What relevance does Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy have to us 'moderns' and 'post-moderns' as we enter the coming millennium?

What was it that Coomaraswamy represented? He called it by many names. The Perennial Philosophy, the Sanatana or Akalika Dharma, the Lex Eterna. All his mature writings reflect this perspective. To children of Bharatha Mata, Coomaraswamy was a Rishi, a Seer a Wise Man. A man who reaffirms the eternal principle.

I have chosen one of Coomaraswamy's earlier articles as the basis of this talk because, I have to talk. Individuality, Autonomy and Function was written when Coomaraswamy was still a nationalist and finding his feet. If I were to talk on his mature writings I would have to do so in parables or remain silent. There would be no oration at all. Coomaraswamy's mature writings mostly concern Metaphysics and Symbolism - matters that are sacred and therefore secret....

On the other hand this early article reflects our present predicament as a people. This article is more relevant today than when it was first published in 1924. Unfolding events since it was written have proven Coomaraswamy right. I want to use the idealism and wisdom of the young Coomaraswamy to bring into focus the seriousness of the problems that face us. To provide each one of us with good and sufficient reason to think seriously and to take the internal and external action needed to preserve our cultural heritage. Which is to say our own futures, and those of our children and children's children.

We must reflect upon 'government'; which is not the same thing as 'politics', although politics affects government. The Buddha and today's scientists have one thing in common.... that they both recognize and proclaim that there is no effect without cause.

Everything that we see about us, anything that we can think of, without exception, is the effect of its own set of causes. Violence, hatred, division are all effects with their own causes. As are co-operation and amity. We do not believe that any sensible person would agree that an effect can arise without its own cause. Some causes have positive effects, some very negative. We must all clearly see the difference between the two - or we are like blind men sailing a ship. If we don't know what is a good wind and what is a bad wind for us; how can we find the harbour?

We call this discrimination. To know what is the path and what is not the path. This is true science and true science is eternal. I have mentioned science because I am employing the law of cause and effect. This was once common sense common to all.

Ananda Coomaraswamy uses this traditional knowledge to impart to us westernized orientals a new insight into the present political and social problems, which are of most concern to us: Autonomy, Human Rights and Social integration of disparate groups. These involve the very principle of government, namely the exercise of rulership.

So there we have it, again the paradox Coomaraswamy decribes, Only Government based on conscious co-operation, and not the will to govern others, can create a stable equilibrium! The "will to govern" must not be confused with the "will to power." The "will to govern" is the "will to govern others." The "will to power" is the "will to govern oneself". Those who wish to be free should have the "will to power" without the "will to govern." In this context, according to Coomaraswamy, everyone who believes in the self-determination of national groups is an anarchist.

However, a state of entire liberty can never be attained because the "will to govern" can never be totally eradicated. But we must never cease to keep the ideal in mind and avoid the pitfalls of mistaking our communal force for that which is best in us. Our true spirit.

We all know what is meant by a show of force. It is easy to confuse our force with our spirit. They are not the same. Devoid of spirit, communal force becomes fascism, which then tries to destroy whatever of the spirit is still left in those of other cultures and beliefs. Nazi Germany is a very good case to point, where this actually happened in our own lifetimes.

Against all of these nightmares we have only one defense, the ability to freely use our vote intelligently to change things harmoniously, and without the disruption of our social fabric.

Everywhere we look here and abroad the same socio-religious and ideological dynamics are at work. In the middle of all this, here we are. We are being affected and will continue to be affected by these factors. For us - the future must start from this moment.

To build secure foundations the work we must do is first internal, on ourselves, to get rid of our hatreds, aggressions, and suspicions. All religions have techniques for doing this, and all are valid.

We must remember that there is no more hard and difficult work than the purification of our own minds and behaviour towards one another. There is no other way to arrive at our goal. Let us first study that which unites us. Let us build on that.

For us from Kailash to Kataragama (often called Southern Kailash) there is one cultural pattern, this pattern dictates our way of life. We have for too long substituted Suddang Saranang Gatchami for Buddhang Saranang Gatchami. Consequently, we are fighting each other with borrowed ideas, monies and guns. As we enter the twenty-first century do we, an ancient and wise culture, stand empty handed? Is our contribution to global self-expression ignorance? What has happened to the Wisdom of India?

The wisdom of Lanka? Is Coomaraswamy only preserved in the pages of a book that is pulled annually from a dusty shelf? If we understand our heritage we will live it, and not just talk about it or write about it. "To know the tradition, live the tradition." How do we live the tradition when traditional lifestyles are being destroyed as they are considered an impediment to modern development? How do we protect that which we are studying?

A traditional culture, and knowledge of an ecologically sustainable way of life still exists in remote areas, uncontaminated by a mass-mediated growth-oriented consumer mentality.

Isolation, neglect and war have protected these areas. To the people who live here modern civilization is the greatest terrorist. This culture must be recognized as an asset and protected, not converted into a competitive monster. A return to peace could turn the entire North and the East of Sri Lanka or Eelam as some would have it into a marketplace for competing ideologies, goods and services. It will also signal the return of the international and local robber barons....

In this view Prabhakaran's war, while destroying the economy and spilling the blood of our youth, is on the other hand protecting Lanka from the onslaught of commerce. From this perspective Prabhakaran the Destroyer becomes Prabhakaran the Preserver. As long as the war continues it is bad for any business other than arms and war-related business.

It seems the guardian deities of Lanka have their own ideas. This island is protected, so proclaim both the oral and written tradition. Do we need another Avataric descent to settle the issue of the Gem Set Throne of Lanka or do we start now with the best use of our minds?

We are told that God responds to the quality of our imagination. That's what we need today, and that is what Coomaraswamy prescribes. Do we have the imagination? Can we reserve a small part of Lanka as a Living Heritage Conservation Zone? An area sacred to all communities. A Sanctuary, where we can live the lifestyle that traditional wisdom teaches and prescribes....

We (Cultural Survival and the Kataragama Devotees Trust) were in this region a month ago - Kudumbigala, Okanda, Bovatagala and Kumuna. We were moving with the Pada Yatra, the annual foot pilgrimage along the East Coast from Jaffna to Kataragama. We first walked this pilgrimage in 1971 and our teachers Yogar Swami and Swami Gauribala had done so for many years before that and as a result we are well known in the region. This region we believe is ruled by Skanda-Murukan, and his devotees have no fear.

Before we enter the Yala East Park we come upon the forest village of Panama. Everyone in Panama knows that they are a mixture of both Sinhala and Tamil. They will even today laughingly tell you what a joke it all is. Common sense prevails. Common sense rules. It is incumbent upon all of us that we don't convert these simple God-fearing people and their blessed surroundings into regions of conflict.

Let us all agree on just that. One small region of Lanka where we do not fight. This does not threaten anyone.

Enlightened self-interest demands that we retain a small part of Deviyange Kaele or 'God's own forest' as the Kataragama God's forest is called, for contemplation and not development. We need such a place to escape from the jaws of materialism and the modern mentality.

Let this be our sacred pledge for the millennium, our vision for the future. The vision we would like to be remembered for. That we will help preserve one small part of traditional Lanka as it is and treat it as Maturu Bhoomi.... This is what the people of the region want.

We all know it is 'going against the stream' like the Blessed One's Alms Bowl going up river, or the Water Cutting Ceremony at Kataragama.

Remember however, that life begins against the stream....

Always remember, that there are many worlds under the sun.... each of them a small or a large world.... Often with its own rules, laws and status, and its own particular way of looking at things.... its own world view, if you wish.

A way of seeing the part, or the whole. Everyone is entitled to this. We must all train ourselves to see the world in this special way - A Way that makes it meaningful and full of richness, and more important full of truth, with infinite possibilities.

I conclude with the greetings and blessings of Skanda-Murukan, also known as Coomaraswamy the Eternal Youth.

Haro Hara

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