‘Modabhimanaya’ everywhere

The events relating to the recent arrest of a ‘stand-up comedian’ who is allegedly to have insulted the Buddha and Buddhism can be taken as a true reflection of how confused the Sri Lankan society is when it comes to the adoption of religion and law-and-order in their true meaning.

There is absolutely no argument about the sheer folly and callousness on the part of this person in picking such sensitive material as part of her comedy gig. There can be arguments as to whether it was intended to be as derogatory to the Buddha as it seemed on the face of it when the context and the content of that gig are considered in total. But that is completely beside the point. Even if the intention wasn’t malicious, it was a grossly stupid (moda) and improper choice for which proportionate consequences must be expected.

However, have we done any better as a society in the manner we have chosen to react to this event from either a Buddhist or a law-and-order perspective? Apart from a few sane words by a minority, what we could mostly see is an equal measure of idiocy, laced with confusion, hypocrisy, inconsistency, and hatred. The immediate reaction of some of the so-called protectors of the Buddha Sasana seems the complete opposite of the fundamental teachings expounded by the Buddha in his great wisdom. Reacting in this manner begs the question as to what exactly they’re trying to protect and from whom.

Whenever the Buddha was challenged or insulted, which seemed to have happened occasionally during his lifetime, he never encouraged his followers to lose their minds or to seek revenge. The Buddha didn’t rush to enter any defamation complaint at the royal courts either. He only did his best to make his accusers understand and see the truth for themselves. That was done with complete kindness – not with a revengeful heart.

Buddha’s teachings are so profound that his followers are supposed to become wise, stable, and strong enough to be able to handle any praise or contempt that come their way without losing their own minds. It’s therefore very unfortunate (and amusing) to see some of the “followers and protectors” of the Buddha’s teachings, including some Monks, grossly deviate from the teachings they themselves claim to follow and protect!

The law-and-order perspective in this regard also seems to lack clarity and consistency like in many other similar areas. While the provisions of ICCPR Convention were extremely progressive and well-intended, the way our local ICCPR Act is being used leaves a lot of questions than answers.

There appears to be some confusion or misunderstanding about the true intentions of this Act and under what circumstances its provisions should be used. To prevent any misinterpretation or misuse, the ICCPR Convention had clearly emphasised the need for considering the factors like the context, content, intention, potential for violent reaction, etc. before making a call. In the absence of such consistent guidelines, our ICCPR Act could easily become putty in the hands of our scheming politicians and their lackeys in the law enforcement machinery.

Haven’t we already witnessed a lack of consistency in this regard in recent times?

Upul P, Auckland