By

Prasad Gunewardene

Buddha’s doctrine is practical and powerful than the executive powers and privileges enjoyed by political leaders and politicians by virtue of being elected to such offices through the votes of the people. Those leaders rule through provisions embedded in Constitutions to either consolidate or protect them. Some use such Constitutions with a view to rule forever. But Nature and the Doctrine of Buddha is more powerful.

Over the past four decades with an executive system of Constitution in force we’ve witnessed how our Rulers used the Constitution for their benefit. They paid homage to many venerated Buddhist Temples and Sites and made pledges for the people and the country from those hallowed precincts. The valuable advice given by true Buddhist prelates were ignored. Leading Buddhist prelates were either insulted or intimidated to safeguard political power.

This Writer is a Catholic who has hope and faith in his religion whilst respecting and following the Doctrine of Buddha which is the only practical way to lead a brave life with a clear conscience.

The Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic) in Kandy is a sacred place where none could make false pledges or use it as a platform for political gain. The advice of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Prelates should not be ignored. They advice and preach for the betterment of the nation and the people and not for the promotion of politics. During the past four decades our Leaders and politicians visited this hallowed precincts and the Temple to pay homage and ignored the advice given by the Mahanayakas’. Similarly advice given by scholar monks too was ignored. There were reports of intimidation of reputed and respected monks by politicians.

When elections come, politicians who are opposed to the advice of true Buddhist prelates either intimidate or insult them. History records many errors committed by our politicians who either ignored or acted against the advice of the Mahanayaka Theras of the Asgiriya and Malwatte Chapters. When President Ranasinghe Premadasa was elected to office he ceremonially addressed the nation from the Paththirippuwa of Dalada Maligawa. He was advised by the two Chapters to board the Paththirippuwa alone without his family as the fair gender boarding the Paththirippuwa contravened hallowed spiritual traditions. If done, it would have adverse and drastic consequences in the future, the two Prelates warned. President Premadasa ignored the advice of the monks and went ahead with his programme.

Next, President Chandrika Kumaratunga when elected as President made a pledge from that hallowed precincts that she would scrap the Executive Presidency and return as Prime Minister. She failed to honour the solemn pledge she made from that hallowed precincts. She contested the second time for the Presidency and was injured in the eye by a LTTE bomb explosion in Colombo during the polls campaign. She took oath at an unpublicized ceremony on her re-election as President with a dispute hanging about the period of her first term and the beginning of her second term.

As Sri Lanka was getting ready to celebrate her fiftieth Independence Day in the historic city of Kandy with Prince Charles and Princess Diana in attendance, LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran ordered his ruthless terror gang to launch an attack on the Dalada Maligawa, the most hallowed Temple of the Buddhists in this country in 1998. The brutal attack brought doom to the LTTE and not the country. The Asgiriya and Malwatte Chapters hurt over the tragic fate that befell the hallowed Temple predicted an end to Prabhakaran and his terror gang within a decade. Exactly ten years later Prabhakaran and his band of ruthless terrorists were eliminated by the brave Armed Forces.

These examples were cited for the education of our present day politicians. Buddhism and Buddhist sites are not meant to practice politics. In the recent past, during the August general election campaign, our political candidates clamouring for power went to the extent of bringing bottles of poison to press briefings. With no respect to Buddhism and the Doctrine of Buddha those politicians offered a bottle of poison to the Most Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera because the Prelate opposed the previous regime and wanted a change for the benefit of the people and the nation.

Now, after the untimely demise of Sobhitha Thera an ‘educated fool’ backed by venomous politicians is carrying out a poster campaign stating that Sobhitha Thera’s death looked suspicious. Here again, those who insulted that great Thera are trying to play cheap politics out of his death. Sobhitha Thera, whom I respect and worship was a unique monk who never engaged in politics. He stood for justice and the truth. Our politicians when on the losing side hate justice and the truth.

In that trance, they even insult Buddhism and monks who are true disciples of the Buddha. For the education of our political leaders and politicians, it is time they stop playing with Buddhism and using hallowed Buddhist precincts to propagate their political future or make false promises from Buddhist Temples and Sites. Powers of Buddha cannot be overpowered by executive powers.

Courtesy:Ceylon Today