Features
Buddhism and Buddhists: Ageing inevitable, not weakness
This Friday Cassandra is on a very different tack or track. No dealing with politics; no criticism of politicians; no harping on the fate that befell our splendorous island and no mention of those who sent us down the pallang on account of their self-centeredness, huge hubris, power craze, corruption and lack of administrative ability. Why, you may query.
Does Cass think things are now hunky-dory; the economy is back on track and politicians have become honest, sensible and intelligent, even though short of being statesmen? Definitely not! The reason is that leopards don’t change their spots; dogs do not rid themselves of ticks, wayward children continue being stubbornly wayward. So, Cass decided to entertain her readers this Friday instead of adding fuel to their anger and frustration. She intends narrating a personal experience, which might annoy some stern Buddhists, but if Cass shoots shafts at powerful politicians, what is it to irritate a couple of Buddhists who we hope have metta within them. The second part of her article is mainly for the older women who read Cass’s Cry on Fridays.
New and now Buddhism
Got a dose of this on Saturday 4 November. Cass went to the Maitreya Hall in the premises of the Mettarama Temple in Bambalapitiya to listen to Ven Vajiraramaye Nanasiha Thera address the Servants of the Buddha and others. These Saturday talks have a long and almost unbroken history from the time of the inception of the Servants of the Buddha Society of devout Buddhists in 1921 founded by Dr Cassius Perera, assisted by W J Soysa, W A de Silva and Justice Hema Basnayake. Dr Cassius Perera later was ordained and took the name Kasssapa Thera. His granddaughter was present on the Saturday event I write about, having arrived from Australia.
Ven Nanasiha Thera spoke into a microphone but it was not loud and his voice may not have gone beyond the hall we were in. I was in the middle of the hall and soon was disturbed by an echo. Looking around I saw that a man across the aisle was listening to his cell phone, later explained to me by the possibility of listening via Bluetooth or whatever. This person could have moved away from being in proximity to others present. He would have heard the Ven Thera’s talk on his cell phone even from the back of the hall, not disturbing others.
Then midway in the Ven Thera’s talk a loudspeaker bana preaching in Sinhalese began in the hall of the temple. There was no possibility of hearing what Ven Nanasiha was saying. Here arose a question in Cass’ mind. The Maitreya Hall meeting of the Servants of the Buddha is on Saturdays starting at 4.30 pm, from way back, maybe for more than a hundred years. The temple monks know this.
So, could not the usual Bodhi pooja of the temple have been delayed somewhat on a Saturday, or the bana not amplified so loud? Cannot there be dialogue and a fitting in of two programmes so they do not clash? Looking into the bana maduwa Cass noticed only about 15 devotees listening to the bana in Sinhala. The temple monk would surely have been heard very well without the amplifier system. But no, that is the new trend of broadcasting very loud (annoyingly to others) every temple pooja, pirith and bana.
This happens in the most sacred place in Anuradhapura: at the Sacred Bo Tree. A constant drone of chanting goes on as people pay the kapuralas to mediate between themselves and gods; the Buddha Himself (?); to grant them their wants. At frequent intervals the vihara amplifies its poojas. Silence and quiet to meditate seem out of the question here, which is what should prevail and be done by devotees.
I wrote of one devout Buddhist who was not considerate of his trying-hard –to-listen neighbours. The other was met as Cassandra moved to leave the premises. Her car was parked within the temple premises without blocking any others. Her driver too was keen to listen to Ven Nanasiha and so sat in the Maitreya Hall. Coming out with rain starting to fall, we found a car very inconsiderately parked blocking all others from leaving the temple premises. Cass’ driver asked around who the owner/driver of the offensively parked car was. No result. Cass too, in spite of the falling rain, asked around.
She felt she should enter the bana maduwa and enquire but did not want to intrude, though by now her disdain for inconsiderate Buddhists was high. After many apologies for preaching overtime the temple monk ceased his sermon which the driver said had no Buddhism in it at all except criticism of society in general. Then a man in trousers emerged from the verandah of the vihara ge and moved his car allowing Cass’s to proceed out. He heard the driver’s question, saw Cass’s anxiety to get her car out and took no notice until he could please himself about moving his car.
A very long tale but it amplifies what is happening to our religion of great consideration, kindness and concern for others; and some who profess they are Buddhists being only concerned about themselves. Cass makes bold to say the religion or way of life preached by the Buddha who went through much, even self-mortification, to show a way out of unsatisfactoriness in countless rounds of birth, is degraded now. And some who outwardly proclaim to be devout Buddhists have not got over selfishness and egotism.
Inspiring story of determination
Cassandra watched on Netflix the film Nyad. A review in the November 3 Washington Post written by Sally Jenkins starts by saying nature and age are in conflict with the two women protagonists. The characters they portray conquer the two elements, “not in some trite, scripted or airbrushed way but with the sinews and cartilage of real athletes. Every now and then a cultural moment comes along that exposes how severely and artificially we continue to limit the conceptual range of female ideals, and the cannonball biceps of these actresses in their un-camouflaged 60s constitute a significant one. Sun-scorched, straw-haired, scored with tendons, they are glorious.”
Nyad, directed by husband and wife Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, is the biopic of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad who culminated her swimming career and records held for long distance swimming in the open sea by completing the 119 mile swim from Cuba to Florida in 2013 at age 64 with the help of her closest friend and trainer, Bonnie Stoll. In Nyad the swimmer is played by Annette Bening (age 65) and her friend by Jodie Foster (60).
As Sally Jenkins comments: “But there is a story within a story in the film: the friendship of two women frustrated by a Hollywood culture that permits so few dynamic roles for mature women and who do something about it. When Nyad began filming in a 233 by 233 -oot tank of water in April 2022, Bening showed up on set with stunt doubles, whom she promptly rendered bystanders. Bening trained under an Olympic swimmer for more than a year for her role in the film, and swam all through the filming. This meant eight hours each day in water, and swimming.
Cassandra is not merely narrating stories this Friday morning. Using old fashioned jargon she says there is a moral or morals in the story. Yes, there are messages that should come through.
The two actresses mentioned above may have been on the shelf, because Hollywood definitely is young-age worshipping. Once one’s looks and glam figure are somewhat lost, one is shelved a discard not only in Hollywood but more so in Bollywood. It happens in societies too.
Mercifully, in Sri Lanka the Aachie/Athamma are respected and given a place in family hierarchies. The younger generation usually respects and loves the old biddies. The old have much to give of experientially gathered knowledge and accumulated wisdom.
Very importantly, the film shows there are no limits placed in the path of the older woman that cannot be broken through. It was determination, will power, confidence in self and the belief of friends that got the swimmer Diana Nyad swimming more than 100 miles in shark infested waters. She had confidence in herself and trust in her coach and her team.
We, though a small nation, boast our own intrepid women. Politically, Mrs B comes to mind. She started off naively, answering questions on her policy as that of her late husband’s. But she matured in politics and came to know people well, so much so that during the latter stages, she was considered to be the only man in her Cabinet of Ministers.
Consider petite Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala who summited Mt Everest – the first South Asian woman to do so. She told Cassandra that it was a terribly hard climb though she had practiced climbing for long. Her Sherpa guide became intolerant of her and started reprimanding her severely until she wanted to send him packing and give up her hard-won place in the queue to the peak, and the ambition itself. She then realized he was goading her, knowing she was capable of that last stint of supreme effort. And with his help she won. She stood on the summit of the world on May 21, 2016, with the Vesak moon seen beside her. She continues her struggle, now against rampant prejudice as an activist for people’s rights.
We have innumerable women of strong spirit and determination, unsung, even unknown to the rest of the island. I definitely don’t mean dames like Diana Gamage. It is high time women of this nature turned their combined effort to fighting and finally eradicating corruption in the land. It’s men who in the majority fall prey to greed, particularly of power and money and turn to dishonesty. So, women should take over.
Major concerns
*Looks as if the brave Sports Minister’s attempt to clean out SLC is being thwarted by the highest in the land: puppet-stringed by vote promising supporters or those he is beholden to? Just too bad since corruption must be wiped out.
*One protest Cass approves of is the postal union’s strike against the sale of the iconic PO building in Nuwara Eliya, destined to be sold and surely demolished. It is a heritage site and not to be touched, particularly to earn money for State coffers. Get the money from high powered rogues, not sell the home silver.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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