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| Sunday, 4 July 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Bhikkus in politics Role of the Maha Sangha by W. T. A. Leslie Fernando
For the first time in the history, nine Buddhist Bhikkus have been elected as a distinct group to the supreme legislature in Sri Lanka. Whether you like it or not they are a force to reckon with in the Parliament. This situation has evoked much interest as to the role of the Maha Sangha in our country. Under the Sinhala regime, Maha Sangha were the moral guide to the nation. The monastery was the centre of learning and instruction. Buddhist Vihares came into existence almost in every village and served as centres of spiritual life, education and culture. Maha Vihara and Abhayagiri Vihara in the capital Anuradhapura were equivalent of Universities, where both princes and commoners read. The Temple was not only the place from which radiated the spirit of religious devotion but also the force that invigorated people and bound them together. The Sangha were the mentors of people whose joys they shared and sorrows they assuaged. They were the guide of King's conscience. The Sangha were the link between people and the King. Guardians The Maha Sangha also acted with insight as the guides, guardians and sponsors of the material welfare of people. The Bhikkus as the upholders of religious and moral authority instructed laymen a code of moral principles. The Sangha in keeping with the traditions of Buddhism inculcated the spirit of tolerance among people. The Sinhalese under the benign influence of Buddhism and the benevolent guidance of Sangha became calm and frugal. They were unassuming and unpretentious. The food was simple. Although there was strife for power among princes, the life in the village was somewhat peaceful. The historical cities of Rajarata and Ruhuna, marvellous tanks and interconnecting canals, broad acres of paddy and voluminous works of art and literature all bear testimony to the glory and prosperity that had flowered during the time of the Sinhala Kings. Buddhism suffered a setback with the fall of the Sinhala regime, and with foreign domination. The Portugueses and the Dutch who occupied maritime provinces propagated Christian faith and imposed Western culture on people. They destroyed Buddhist temples and places of worship and relegated the Sangha to the background. The real setback became evident when the whole of Sri Lanka came under the British. As in most other colonies British made use of Christian missionaries for their imperial designs. They were given every encouragement and facilities to set up schools all over the country. Traditional The missionaries in turn disposed the rich traditions and culture of natives in the name of civilising people. Most of the higher strata in society who came under the direct influence of European missionaries abandoned our traditional and cultural values, felt ashamed of them as primitive and began to slavishly imitate the West. However the Maha Sangha, the patriotic Sinhalese and the peasant in the village preserved the Buddhist religion from the vicissitudes of centuries and safeguarded Sinhala culture from onslaught of the West. They often agitated for liberation from foreign domination and the maha Sangha played a leading role for emancipation of the nation. It is with pride that people commemorate Ven. Wariayapola Sumangala Thero who trampled the British flag and raised the Lion flag amidst the might of the British colonial power, Ven. Kudapola Rahula Thero who played a leading role in the rebellion of 1848 and laid down his life for the freedom of the motherland and Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera who outrivalled Christian intellectuals in the Panadura Debate. By the middle of the 19th century amidst the foreign domination and exploitation, a reaction against suppression of national sentiments came from the ranks of the Maha Sangha. On the face of overwhelming odds they set up Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara Pirivenas to revive Buddhist education. These two institutions became the pivot of Buddhist way of life and culture. In the meantime an account of the famous Panadura Debate held in 1873 had come into the hands of Colonel Steele Olcott in far America. He was so impressed by it, he came to Sri Lanka in 1880 to champion the cause of Buddhism in our country. Colonel Henry Olcott found that the Buddhists in Sri Lanka were crushed in their own land in between the British government and the Christian missionaries. He initiated a campaign for the restoration of Buddhism and formed the Buddhist Theosophical Society. Within few years this society was able to open three Buddhist colleges and about 200 schools with over 20,000 Buddhist students. In the beginning of the 20th century Anagarika Dharmapala clamoured against foreign domination and ridiculed those who embraced Western culture. Walisinghe Harischandra pioneered the restoration of Anuradhapura, the sacred city of Buddhists. Piyadasa Sirisena while generating patriotism denounced those who slavishly imitated the West. The efforts of such patriots made sinhalese conscious of their proud heritage. In due course the Sangha too came to the forefront. In 1940s a group of young Bhikkus who received University education realised that a minority elite have been suppressing the majority in Sri Lanka. They organised themselves centred round Vidyalankara Pirivena and allied with the leftists. These progressive Bhikkus campaigned for free education and helped to create a strong public opinion in its favour to get the Free Education Bill passed in the State Council. Sri Lanka obtained independence on February 4, 1948. Nevertheless morally and culturally it did not appear to be a free nation. In 1950s the Maha Sangha found that the legitimate rights of the Buddhists were ignored by the government. This time almost all the Buddhist Bhikkus resolved that there should be some sort of political struggle to lift the standards of the Buddhists. During the 1956 general elections they campaigned for the MEP all over the country and played a major role for the victory of the MEP. National The MEP government set up in 1956 brought about a social and cultural revolution in Sri Lanka. On the request of the Maha Sangha the Ministers of the MEP government took their oaths in the national costume. The phase was set up to revive Buddhism and resurge the glorious civilisation of the Sinhalese. The MEP regime made Sinhala the official language, instead of English and the higher echelons of administration gradually passed into the hands of the Sinhala educated. Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara Pirivenas were made Universities and learned Theras like Welivitiye Soratha, Kiriwaththuduwe Pragnasara, Kotahene Pragnakiththi, Bambarande Siri Seevalie, Kalukondayawe Pragnasekera, Yakkaduwe Pragnarama and Kotagama Vachchissara came into prominence. A special Ministry was set up for cultural affairs and there was a cultural renaissance all over the country. The national resurgence and cultural renaissance set in motion in 1956 is now being eroded in the midst of open economy. It is true that we have to move forward with the fast changing world. For this purpose we have to make use of scientific and technological advancement in the West. But that does not mean that we should sacrifice our much cherished spiritual, cultural and social values in the name of development. Today the whole social structure in Sri Lanka is undergoing a drastic change. Terrorism, gun culture, drug addiction, prostitution, child abuse, homosexuality, lesbianism, aids, promiscuous sexuality and free sex so rampant in the West have invaded the shores of Sri Lanka. Addiction to liquor, gambling, cheating, glaring dishonesty in public life, bribery and corruption have overridden our society. Commercialisation and consumerism have relegated our spiritual values. Our youth seem to be fancied by moral degeneration and lurid entertainments found in the West. We can see that everything the commoner gained has been neutralised due to private schools and international schools that have come up like mushrooms. the idea of 'free education' has almost vanished. There are shameless acts of proselytising by Fundamental Christian sects who offer money and other material inducements. Although this charge cannot be levelled against the Catholic Church, there are some Catholic priests who have formed their own organisations with foreign funds adopting subtle devices to get the Buddhists into their fold. Agendas Some of them used to carry pictures of Christ in one hand and that of the Buddha on the other advocating that Buddhism and Christianity which are poles apart as parallel religions. They want to get round Buddhists with hidden agendas. There are other Catholic priests who get Buddhist Bhikkus to preach Bana inside churches, erect pandols and illuminate lanterns for Vesak. Buddha is an enlightened human being who denied an omnipotent God. To adore such a personality in churches where the Holy Eucharist is present would amount to sacrilege from the Christian point of view and a big joke as well. There are some foreign agencies that drill Western concepts of morality into the minds of people undermining the wholesome values of our society and culture. They propagate ideas that lead to sexual misconduct. The manipulations of some foreign funded agencies have destabilised our country, weakened our economy, dislocated our spiritual and cultural values, ruined people and made them depend on the West. Some of the Maha Sangha who have been vociferous about this situation a couple of years ago have been made dormant by various devices. Some of them have been lured to work with N.G.O.s and others have been drawn into various multi-religious forums and alliances. The anti-national forces are achieving their objectives in a subtle manner. In these circumstances the Buddhist Bhikkus in Parliament should be vigilant. The whole world is watching their performance and they should be careful in every move they make. They should be conscious of the mandate of the people who have elected them and not enter into political squabbles so as to demean the venerated stature of the Maha Sangha. The Bhikkus elected to Parliament are from a group that is only a segment of the Maha Sangha in our country. Like in the colonial past there are various forces working underhand to break the link between the Bhikku and the laity. The Maha Sangha as a whole should regain their position in society and should guide the laity in the proper path. (The writer is a former High Court Judge) ************** We do not regret entering Parliament - JHU Leader
An eminent scholar in archaeology and leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thero in an interview with our staff reporter JAYANTHA SRI NISSANKA says that the JHU will withdraw from the Combined Opposition if the TNA brings the ISGA proposal for approval and the UNP attempts to topple the UPFA Government. He also says that the JHU does not regret entering Parliament as someone has to take the initiative to change the present political system. Excerpt of the interview: Q. You have completed three months in Parliament. What are your views of Parliament? A. We thought that Parliament was a place which took decisions for the betterment of the people and respected different opinion as well as democracy. But we realised we were wrong. Sri Lanka will have a bleak future if this state of affairs continues. After attacking our monks the UPFA alliance has become very unpopular in rural areas. Q. Are you unhappy about entering Parliament? A. Not at all. We must change this system. We will try our best to correct this Government until our last moment. That is why we have formed a Combined Opposition. Q. Are you going to take any action against the MPs who attacked your monks? A. We won't retaliate against the people who attacked us because we are followers of the Buddha. We are trying our best to explain the gravity of their behaviour and correct them. Q. Alliance MP Mervyn Silva has stated that he will set himself on fire if it is proved that he attacked any monk. What do you have to say about that? A. We know who attacked Ven. Sumangala Thero. We have the proof. But we do not expect him to burn and die. Q. How do you plan to establish the Dharma Rajjaya principles? A. We have decided to start it from the House before establishing the Dharma Rajjaya principles. For example SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem was insulted in the Government media over an illicit affair. But the same media and the Government are silent about the activities of a Deputy Minister, who was a former Cultural Minister caught by the Police while in a brothel. We try to achieve our Dharma Rajjaya principles by holding Bodu Samulus (Buddhist conferences) in different parts of the country. Q. Many parties are in the Combined Opposition including the TNA. How can your party be in a such a group? A. The aim of the Combined Opposition is to preserve democracy. We don't have party objectives. But if the TNA brings the ISGA proposal for approval and the UNP tries to topple the Government, we will withdraw our membership. Q. Why do you claim that the ISGA proposals will divide the country? A. The LTTE is trying tactfully to get Eelam through the ISGA proposals. That is why we are against it. Q. Why are you against devolution of power without dividing the country? A. It is a misleading statement. If we have two administrations that means there are two countries. In a small country like ours how can we have two police forces, two justice systems, two armed forces, etc. They don't directly call the ISGA a Parliament but it is similar to Parliament. Majority of the power in the ISGA will be vested with the LTTE. Q. Former Minister S. B. Dissanayake has said that the UPFA Government will be toppled next year. Will your party support such a move? A. Not at all. Just because we are in the Combined Opposition it does not mean we will support the UNP to achieve their agenda. We are there to preserve democracy as I stated earlier. People like this Government. That is why people elected the Alliance though they are short of few MPs. But if the Government collapses due to their own mistakes, we cannot help. Q. Will your party contest the next Presidential Election? A. We have not thought about it yet. Our aim is to establish the Dharma Rajjaya principles. If we can achieve it soon we don't want even to be in Parliament. Q. The Government is trying to abolish the Executive Presidency. What is your party's view on this? A. We are not supporting the illegal way of abolishing the Executive Presidency. A two third majority is mandatory to amend the Constitution but this Government does not have even a simple majority. Therefore, we cannot support illegal activities. Q. Some describe the JHU as a UNP proxy and alleged that the JHU had received money from the UNP for the election campaign. Is it true? A. Those are allegations to tarnish our reputation. I as the leader of the JHU totally reject those allegations. We entered politics due to the weakness of the UNP. They tried to divide the country. We came to prevent such moves. Q. Why is the JHU not contesting Provincial Council and Local Government elections? A. The Provincial Council system is a white elephant which wastes millions of public money. It was established for political purposes only for the North and the East. Most of the developmental work can be done effectively through the Government Agent in the area. Q. The JHU received only urban votes at the last General Election but failed to muster much support from rural areas. What is the reason? A. We did not have a medium to communicate with the rural masses. It was the reason for the low support. We did our campaign within one and half months. But today 75 per cent of the rural people are with us. Q. Will you support the Government's anti conversion Bill? A. We don't know the content of the Bill yet. We requested a copy of the draft Bill. We are also going to present a Bill to protect Buddhism. The Government is bound to protect Buddhism. But until we see it we cannot say anything. Q. The supreme Court gave a ruling against conversion. Therefore why do you need a separate Bill? A. Yes, but its only a judgement but not a law. It can be used as a precedent in the future. But we want to establish a law against conversion. The leader is bound to protect Buddhism and the country. |
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