Why does anybody want to live in Sri Lanka, if there are other choices? Why deal with corruption, stupidity, headless bodies and bodiless heads, if you have a choice.
These are questions that seem to come up more often than I like.
What did the great sage of India have to say about location? I turn to the Mangala Sutra, A discourse on blessings, in Buddha’s own words, and translated to English by Henepola Gunaratana Thera.
To reside in a suitable location
To have past good deeds doneTo set oneself in the right direction
This is a blessing supreme
(Patirupadesavaso ca; Pubbe ca katapunnata;
Attasammapanidhi ca; etam mangalam uttamam)
There it is. The second verse in the Mangala Sutra. Buddha did not go as far as realtors to say location, location, location, but he did say to get your location right. First decide what is suitable for you.
For me what makes Sri Lanka unsuitable as a location is not the usual list of corruption… etc., but the Buddhist monks who are calling for war, and the chanting of pirit that nobody understands and pansil nobody intends to keep. Mixing of Buddhism and Nakshtra can be added to the list.
What attracts me also has much to do with Buddhism. Picking Sepalika flowers off the meadow on a poya morning and visiting Mihintale on Poson night. Those associations tie me down to this place. [Sepalika is the only flower (?) that you might offer after it has fallen. So delicate with a fragrance so subtle.]
If a truly Buddhist community is the object, one is perhaps better off in Los Angeles, USA or other foreign place where there are communities of true practitioners. To me, somehow, the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha there fail to connect with the sounds, smells and sensations that I associate with Buddhism.
What else does Sri Lanka offer or not offer?
Mangala sutra begins with,
Asevana ca balanam panditanan ca sevana;
Puja ca pujaniyanam etam mangalam uttam
To associate not with the foolish
To be with the wise
To honor the worthy ones
This is a blessing supreme.
To find a monk worthy of obeisance or a friendship worth sustaining is indeed a blessing supreme. As a returnee home after many years I have much to discover. At first glance I saw all monks here either as hate mongers or mudalalis, but, then I found you need to look deeper. For example, until recently I did not know that the very old monk I have seen round the temple I visit is the most venerable Davuldeniye Gnanissra thero, the chief incumbent of Amarapura Nikaya. One of these days I might get a chance to talk to him.
Interestingly, the Mangala sutra, [according to my limited understanding], has very little to say about social action. It essentially says to care for ones mother, father, spouse, children and relatives. Be good and do good to those around you.
Fourth and fifth verses in Mangala Sutra:
To be well caring of mother, of father
Looking after spouse and children
To engage in a harmless occupation
This is a blessing supreme
Selfless giving, living the just life
Open hands to all relatives
And blameless action
This is a blessing supreme
But take the last set of blessings. It is that set that grabs me most and makes me want to repeat it day after day, moment after moment, hoping the real meaning would sink in.
Last set of blessings, Mangala Sutra:
A mind unshaken
When touched by the worldly states
Sorrowless, stainless, and secure
This is the blessing supreme
How can you remain unmoved by corruption, stupidity, headless bodies and bodiless heads? Apparently, in later years, the Buddha watched his Shakya clan get decimated by the Kosala kings and did not intervene [Pankaj Mishra in, An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World]. Buddha intervened in a fight over a river but at some point he had to give up, I suppose.
Michael Ondaatje got it right. To me, the running theme in his two seminal works—English Patient and Anil’s Ghost—is about finding inner strength through your craft when the world around you is falling apart. In the English Patient, the young Canadian nurse Hana saw her best friend blow up in a land mine and decided to opt out with one hopeless patient and care for him. What I remember most about Kip, the young Sikh mine sweeper, is his almost robotic attention to his task.
All the characters in Anil’s Ghost find solace in their craft and in each other in the middle of a strange war. Anil, the forensic anthropologist; Sarath, the archaeologist; Ananda the artist, and lastly Gamini the doctor even as he tended to the body of his brother’s body, a victim of the same war.
Mangala Sutra, third verse:
Great learning and craft
And a discipline well-trained in
And whatever utterance is well-spoken
This is a blessing supreme
Difficult times or not Sri Lanka is the place for me and the Mangala Sutra tells me to stay put, apply my craft as best as I can, take care of those around me, speak kindly, speak well, and above all, stay unshaken or try at least.
—————————————————————————-
Mangala Sutra or Great Discourse on Blessings
(Translation, by Dr. Henepola Gunaratana Nayaka Thera, Bhavan Society, High View, West Virginia, USA)
Thus have I heard. One time the exalted one was living near Savatthi, in Jeta’s Grove, the monastery of Anathapindika. Then, in the middle of the night, a certain deity of astounding beauty, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the exalted one. Drawing near, she paid homage to the Exalted One and stood to one side. Standing thus the deity addressed the Exalted One in verse:
Many deities and humans have pondered on blessings,
Desiring their well-being. Tell me the blessings supreme.
Buddha’s reply:
To associate not with the foolish
To be with the wise
To honor the worthy ones
This is a blessing supreme.
To reside in a suitable location
To have past good deeds done
To set oneself in the right direction
This is a blessing supreme
Great learning and craft
And a discipline well-trained in
And whatever utterance is well-spoken
This is a blessing supreme
To be well caring of mother, of father
Looking after spouse and children
To engage in a harmless occupation
This is a blessing supreme
Selfless giving, living the just life
Open hands to all relatives
And blameless action
This is a blessing supreme
To cease and abstain from evil
Complete restraint from intoxicants
To be diligent in virtuous practices
This is a blessing supreme
To be reverent and humble
Content and grateful
To hear the Dhamma at the right time
This is a blessing supreme
To be patient and obedient
The seeing of recluses
To discuss the Dhamma at the right time
This is a blessing supreme
To austerely and purely
To see the Noble truths
And to realize Nibbana
This is the blessing supreme
A mind unshaken
When touched by the worldly states
Sorrowless, stainless, and secure
This is the blessing supreme
Those who have fulfilled all these
Are everywhere invincible
They find well-being everywhere
Theirs is the blessing supreme
Janapathi said:
Hi,
Very nice thoughts. I just browsed through my old emails to find the below section of an email that my Uncle wrote to me sometimes back when I was having the same question, why Sri Lanka? Is it worth?
——————
Having been round the world a bit, I really feel that Srilanka is a paradise of sorts and it’s a chosen few who are blessed to live there. A handful of greedy people have ruined the place. Yet, you dig into the interior and you can still experience the essence of nature’s gift to this lovely Isle. I am a great admirer of natures bounty to this our country and
it’s this that takes me on outings round the country even in my old age, with only an old lady to keep me company. I only hope the up and coming younger generations will make this country the Utopia it was
meant to be, and people like you and my sons have a contribution to make. Do go out to the world, reap the best out of it, and return to where you were blessed to be born. That’s the doctrine I preach, Send this message across to all your friends and cousins.
——————————-
Janapathi
sach said:
I made an entry on my blog yesterday which is an answer to your question in one sense. Go check it out. It’s called “Are we making a political statement?”
Iran said:
The world (or more correctly, the west) appears infatuated with “Muslim fanaticism.” We are told over and over again that Islam preaches fanaticism, and that Muslims are allegedly violent and have a blind hatred of non-Muslims. But really, how true are these vacuous claims? They are stories made to justify violent attacks on the Muslim community around the world, and take attention away from those who really harbour ill-will against followers of other religions. The media has not given enough attention to the insidious campaign that is taking place this very minute to reduce and wipeout Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and the various other religious traditions that are followed by large sections of humanity.
When I look around, the only people I see trying to wipe out other religions and other peoples’ belief systems are the Christian evangelists and their loud supporters. I have never ever encountered a Buddhist, Hindu or Muslim preacher barging in on my privacy and pushing their holy books in my face, nor have I seen Buddhists, Hindus or Muslims set up organizations purely for the sake of converting others through hook and crook. Despite having a similar religious heritage, we can clearly see that it is the Christian evangelists who are the real religious extremists, and not the Muslims as loudly claimed by various sections of the media.
Christian evangelism today does not appear to have any respect for cultural and religious diversity. Its aim is to wipe out all non-Christian cultural and religious traditions and replace them with Christianity – more often than not the western version of it, which has very little in common with the country or society it is targetting. Many tribal societies across the world have lost their heritage and are in the process of losing them due to the activities of these evangelists. In refusing to see the good in other religions and other ways-of-life, Christian evangelists take on an extremely fundamentalist position that is an affront not only to non-Christians, but to moderate Christians as well.
I am often quite amazed and plainly shocked at the fanatical zeal shown by these Christian evangelists, who wish to convert the entire world to Christianity through whatever means necessary. Entire organizations, or more correctly enterprises, have been set up with the sole purpose of “harvesting souls for God,” and there are many individuals whose job in life is to convert non-Christians to Christianity, and they are paid handsomely to do it. No expense is spared in this task of trying to bring every single person on planet earth to the “light of Jesus Christ,” and no thought whatsoever is given to the religious and cultural diversity that makes this world such a wonderful place.
For these extremists, the sooner all the non-Christian “pagan” and “Satan-inspired” religions perish or are annihilated, the better the world will be; a rather fanatical, nazi-esque position if there ever was one. By sending evangelist teams around the world and setting up shop in non-Christian majority countries, these evangelist organisations work to destroy the pillars of religious coexistence and tolerance and erect their own pillars of religious supremacy and intolerance in those countries. And Sri Lanka is just another one of their many targets – yet another country “infested with evil pagans” who need to be brought to the “light of Jesus Christ.”
With the kind of mentality explained above, these evangelists have no qualms about using whatever means necessary to gain converts. As they have invaded countries that may not be wealthy, and as is the case in Sri Lanka, they use material inducements to convert the poor and destitute non-Christians to Christianity. For them, buying souls for their God is not an issue, but the tally of supposedly “saved souls” is. Conversion today has become a big business with big bucks behind it, and, unfortunately, the world we live in appears a battle ground for the Christian evangelists where the competitors are not only the non-Christian religions but rival Christian sects as well.
And to them, all is fair in war. Encouraging new converts to smash statues of the Buddha and Hindu gods and godesses, burn pictures of the Buddha and Hindu gods and godesses, burn Dharma books and renounce “pagan” cultural activities are all considered suitable methods of propagating Christanity. Giving potential child converts biscuits fashioned in the shape of a Buddha image, and encouraging the kids to eat them while preaching Christianity do not strike the evangelists as insensitive and indecent. And following in the footsepts of the colonials in Sri Lanka, these cash-rich evangelists offer food, money and employment to convince poor Sri Lankans to convert to Christianity, asserting that it is the Christian God that is the harbinger of prosperity and that it is the “Satan-inspired” Buddhist/Hindu/Muslim traditions that continue to keep them in poverty.
It is no wonder that many Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and moderate Christians are simply apalled at the way the evangelists carry out their proselytism, and are extremely worried about the impact it will have on religious harmony in this country. It can already be seen that the provocative activities of Christian evangelists have led to the destabilsation of peace and harmony among the various religious communities, and if these evangelists continue with their unethical and iconoclastic methods of proselytism the situation is bound to get worse. Sri Lanka could very well do without these people who are hell-bent on creating a religious imbroglio in this beautiful island.
Christian evangelists in Sri Lanka and the greater Asian region need to reconsider their unethical and aggresive methods of proselytism. They need to start according respect to other systems of belief instead of treating them as sworn enemies. The current mentality that drives proselytism, as well as the actual methods of proselytism employed by the evangelists are going against accepted norms of decency and are creating a negative image of Christianity at large.
By caring naught for religious harmony in Sri Lanka, Christian evangelists are doing this country a huge disfavour. And as Sri Lankans, we cannot sit idly by and watch the religious harmony which we treasure so much disintegrate before our very eyes. We cannot affort to ignore the threat unethical and aggressive evangelism poses to peace and harmony in this country. To do so would mean the victory of fundamentalism and intolerance.
So there is an important question that we must ask ourselves: when will the ideological and iconoclastic war waged by Christian evangelists against the Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims of this country end? Because as long as the evangelists wage a war to dismantle and/or destroy Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam in this country, there can never be true religious harmony. A predator-prey relationship is not conducive to peace and is always marked by stress. This is especially the case for the prey. The predatory desire to see other religions perish and to have Christianity “triumph” over these other religions cannot be condoned and should never be condoned by anyone with a sense of decency. It is a fundamentalist position that is not in tune with our culture and way of life which gives priority to religious harmony and religious tolerance.
Religious pluralism is what Sri Lanka is about and the evangelists want to destroy that. We cannot and must not let them succeed.
m.phillips said:
Please, please, dont look at Sri Lankan problems without first considering history, especially British history, arms industry, (sea)trade lanes and now big oil.
The egos and greed of Sri Lankan leaders (tamil & sinhalese)are being used by these unseen forces (some may call it evil forces) to create havoc for the normal person on the street.
Only when the leaders realise that they are just pawns and then start to resolve problems between themselves, will the carnage and agony come to a stop. This is not easy.
For the rest of us who are just appalled at daily news reports, we can do something more than just speaking or expressing our opinions. We must meditate (or pray)for the deliverance of the leaders (both sides)from the clutches of evil (ego, greed, external evil forces in the form of arms peddlars, big business, etc).
Dharsh said:
Sujata, please keep your holier-than-thou attitude to yourself. You are one of those Buddhists who take delight in going \”hey! Look at what a wonderful, brilliant Buddhist I am! I\’m not like those other Buddhists, I\’m so much better than those monks as well!\”
\”Good Buddhists\” don\’t gloat like you, and neither do they put down one of the pillars of the Triple Gem – in this case the Sangha. Without the Sangha there would be no Buddhism in this world, and you probably wouldn\’t be a Buddhist and have the opportunity to gloat about what a \”good\” Buddhist you are. If you hate the Sangha so much, perhaps you need to practice Buddhism YOURSELF instead of berating others.
Aththa said:
Why is it that M Philips blames history, foreign forces, big oil (for God’s sake, does this mean that there is a dark conspiracy being hatched in Houston about the imaginary oil in Pesalai, talked about since 1963), our leaders, but not the people (mostly Sinhala)who gave MR his razor thin majority (that too many people seem to have forgotten)?
There is no point in developing lists of culpable parties: look in the mirror. The enemy is us.
That is, in the spirit of the Shakyamuni, what you must do. Stop blaming the world; look inward. Cease victim talk; take responsibility.
Sujata said:
True, the Sangha have kept the Dhamma alive but has it not become a one-way thing? The Sangha recite in Pali and we repeat without understanding.
As for putting down the triple gem–I am not doing that because monks who use words of hate are not part of the Sangha anymore.
Prabhath Sirisena said:
Please don’t undermine the sacrifices the Sangha of this country have made for generations.
As for excellent Sinhala dhamma talks, one only has to visit Mahamevna.
Sujata said:
As Rambukkanna siddharata Hamuduruwo said, we constantly hear dhamma talks but we are still in darkness (budu bana asuwa niranthare… api thawamath vanantare.)
Any more or any better Dhamma talks or Dhamma intepretations can do very little I think. I prefer to hear buddha’s own words in a language I can understand. I internalize what I hear better then.
Buddha preached in pali but in simple to understand metaphors and phrases. A translation of a verse in Karaniya metta sutra, that I read recently, says “whatever living beings there may be, without exception”. A similar translation into Sinhala and chanting in sinhala would make a difference I think. We would truly understand the gravity of calling ourselves buddhists. It is a huge commitment. Prabaharan can not be an exception.
It is said that christianity became a people’s relgion after the bible was translated from latin to local languages. Buddhism too will become a people’s religion if we take it upon ourselves to intenralize the words of the Buddha.
Samhita said:
Aththa,
thank you for your input!
CEASE VICTIM TALK; TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!
Omsalot said:
Oooh look! More of Sujata’s evil Sri Lankan monks at work! For shame, giving Dhamma talks in Sinhala AND Tamil! Disgusting Sri Lankan monks trying to build bridges between two communities! Doesn’t it gross you out? I’m sure Sujata will be wringing her hands in agony. Afterall, she is the only real Buddhist and the Sangha can’t compare to her.
Vesak celebrations in Chennai
Hiran H. Senewiratne
Devotees Pictures by Sumanachandra Ariyawansa
CHENNAI: Vesak is the holiest day in Buddhism and it marks the birth, the Enlightenment, and the passing away of the Buddha. This day is celebrated all over the world and in Chennai too Vesak was celebrated in grand style.
The Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka Chennai Centre took a lead role in this which saw the participation of many Sri Lankans and Indians. It was assisted by Ven Palpola Vippassi Thera of Palpola Vippassi Foundation in Sri Lanka.
Mahabodi Society is one of the few places that propagate Buddhism in India. The Society took special interest to celebrate this year’s 2550 Vesak in a grand scale. The Mahabodhi building was illuminated colourfully and Vesak lanterns enhanced the Vesak feeling. The Mahabodhi Society coordinated many religious activities on two days with the participation of leading Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka. At the event, observation of Astanga seela was held and the entire event was broadcast to Sri Lanka.
As a part of the celebration many Buddha Poojas and almsgivings were held to mark the 25 50th Buddha Jayanthi.
The Mahabodhi temple at Chennai
The monk in-charge of Chennai Mahabodhi Centre Ven. Katudora Sumana Thera said the Mahabodhi Society also had organised a temporary ordination programme to help people obtain an understanding on the Theravada Buddhism.
He said that they have all the resources to conduct the temporary ordination programme, which is very popular among the Tamils living in Chennai. There was a remarkable increase of Tamils embracing Buddhism in Chennai, he said.
Ven. Sumana also said that many leading Buddhist monks including Ven Niyangoda Vijitha Thera, Ven Welimada Dammagawesi Thera, Ven. Dr. Thiniyawala Thera and Ven. Banagala Upathissa Thera were some of the venerable participant monks at the Chennai Vesak celebrations. Ven. Sumana Thera said that many bhikkhus delivered their Dhamma desana both in Tamil and Sinhala at the event.
Further, on the day of the Vesak a meditation programme and pirith-chanting programme were organised to make this year meaningful, he said. On the 13th of May medical camps and an eye camp were held at the Mahabodhi main hall.
Several lecture programmes on Buddhism were organised by Mahabodhi Society by Professor S. Pathmanathan, University of Tamil Nadu and a special Vesak lecture was presented by the Commissioner of Customs-Chennai S. Subramaniam. Ambassador and Deputy High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in South India Sumith Nakandala released a book on Buddhism.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2006/05/31/fea07.asp
Sujata said:
Medium of language for Buddhism is something that needs debate but my argument is about the need to understand the words and phrases that we use, as we use them, whatever the medium of chanting.
Omasalot gives a good reason for staying with Pali as the medium of language for buddhism. Pali probably will remain the universal language of Buddhism, and bridge language differences.
Another good reason for staying with Pali is the poetic quality of the sutras and the difficulty of achieving the same in translation.
I like Henepola Gunratana Thera’s English translations because he has tried to reproduce the Sutras as verses. I did not find the same effect in Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera’s Sinhala translations. There are differences in the two translations.
For example, part of Gunratana Thera’s translation of Karaniya Metta Sutra goes as:
Whatever living beings there may be
Without exception; weak or strong
Long or large; medium or strong
Subtle of gross.
Gnanananda Thera’s translation is more direct and has no apparent emphasis as in “with no exception” that we find in the other. Perhaps only another pali scholar can say whether the Gunaratana Thera’s expression is accurate. For me personally the difficulty of the practice of Metta for the lay person or anybody hits home in the expression “without exception’.
I must have had spent countless 45-minute or so periods of Buddhist instruction in school from Grade 1 to 10. I wish they taught us Pali then.
Susantha said:
sangha r those 8 persons. if one wants to be one of these and thinks morning noon and night of wanting to be one of these and one keeps the precepts and are generous in thoughts, words and actions then i think everything happens to your better.
ALAM said:
i am a muslim sri lanken living out of the country for the past 15 years every year at least twice i visit my country.i invite all my brothers and sisters sri lankens to read and accept islam as a way of life.
WHY? IF U LOOK AT BUDDHISM PRAYING TO IDOLS MADE OF STONES/RECTING IN PALI(THE LANGUAGE IS A DEAD LANGUAGE) /AND BELEVNG IN SALVATION OF NOTHINGNESS IS CLEAR CASE OF UNSCIENTFIC THNKNG.
IF YOU DARE READ QURAN AND STORY OF THE PROPHET
Robert Shumake said:
Your blog is so informative … ..I just bookmarked you….keep up the good work!!!!
Hey, I found your blog in a new directory of blogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, anyway cool blog, I bookmarked you. 🙂
–Robert Shumake Fifth Third
SDM said:
Hi, Can you please let me know from where I can find the buddha discoures conducted in sri lanka in his 3 visits to sri lanka
Thanks