Politicking and ‘selling’ Buddhism

By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana

“We will take trade union action in 48 hours, if our demands are not met” was the rallying cry of a trade union leader, in the midst of a grave national health emergency, which shocked me for more reason than one. Although the initial grasp in controlling the Covid-19 epidemic seems to have been lost, for whatever reason, and the problem in Sri Lanka is nothing compared to what is happening in the rest of the world around 300 dying daily of the deadly virus in UK, still we are facing a grave situation as our battered economy is not likely to withstand any more challenges. In this situation an implied strike, to say the least, is grossly irresponsible.

What is this trade union? A nurses’ union. Are they not supposed to be healing angels? Who is the leader of this union? A Buddhist Priest! Has he forgotten what the Buddha said: “Health is the greatest gain” and “He who would minister to me should minister to the sick”? For a Buddhist priest to even suggest risking patients’ lives is the greatest insult that could be done to the ‘Compassionate One’ who introduced the concepts of ‘Metta, Karuna. Muditha and Upeksha’.It is a great shame that nurses in Sri Lanka, who are second to none, are not able to find a member of their own profession to lead their trade union. In the country that produced the first female prime minister in the world, is there no lady with leadership qualities to lead the union of a profession still largely dominated by women? It indeed is an outrage for a Buddhist priest to be the leader of a trade union, nursing or otherwise and do hope the new Constitution would rectify this anomaly.

Obviously, this priest is politicking. Whilst 20A was being discussed in Parliament he had the audacity to say at a press conference: “If they want to amend the Constitution, they should get our permission first!” Has he forgotten that the government is there to carry out the will of the people, not that of the Sangha? Let him and the other politicking bhikkhus be reminded that Sri Lanka does not belong to them nor to Sinhala Buddhists alone, but to all children of Mother Lanka irrespective of race, religion or caste.

His latest offer to lead the Opposition is hilarious! Has he forgotten that the people voted Sajith for this role? He may be trying to emulate another Buddhist Monk who led the anti-Rajapaksa campaign, which resulted in our having to endure, for almost five years, a rotten Yahapalanaya. Shameless Yahapalana politicians are now trying to get behind the robe of this trade unionist! Sajith, perhaps realising his inadequacies as the leader of the Opposition, has visited him! Not to be outdone, Ranil also has made a courtesy call! Is this not the hypocrisy of the highest order?

It is true that Bhikkhus have come to the rescue of the country at times of national peril but that does not entitle them to play a part in daily politics, which some of them are doing in various guises. Bhikkhus entered Parliament and behaved as disgracefully as other elected ‘honourable’ politicians. There were brawls in the well of the House. Disappointed Buddhists stopped voting for Bhikkhus although a party which was formed by them got a seat on the national list but the debacle that followed can only be equalled to antics of the now-doomed UNP!

Did the Buddha get involved in politics? Did He go around proffering unsolicited advice to the rulers? Definitely not. He maintained a distance and recognised the fact that rulers had to make unpalatable choices at times. He gave advice only when it was sought but some of the modern day ‘political priests’ not only attempt to be kingmakers but also threaten to bring down governments when they refuse to do what they want, sometimes personal favours.

Another glaring example of Bhikkhus’ putting their self-interest before what the Buddha taught and practised is the utterly disgraceful action of perpetuating the caste system. The Buddha rebelled against the caste system but some members of the Maha Sangha are more interested in protecting their caste by forming exclusive nikayas. I need not go further, as I discussed this in detail in my article “Have we let down Gautama Buddha” (The Island, 8 May 2020), except to pose the question: Have they not read Agganna sutta?

I have heard rumours that some Bhikkhus are charging for bana preachings (sermons) in various guises: Dhamma for sale! However, first-hand confirmation of this came with a recent conversation I had with one of my very dear friends who, unfortunately, lost his daughter to cancer: “When the Hamuduruwo, a renowned preacher whom I invited to the Mataka-Bana sent a message that he needed Rs. 25,000 I was shocked. I had only Rs. 15,000 cash with me which I sent”. This Bhikkhu discharged his noble responsibility for a fee! He is not alone. I am told that a famous preacher has upped his fee to Rs. 75,000! Some others insist that they need their own sound system and charge for that; a simple ruse to sell the Dhamma! We get enraged when a foreigner exhibits a tattoo of the Buddha but venerate and encourage these businessmen in robes!

I am reminded that Ven, Walpola Rahula accepted invitations to bana Preaching’s on the express understanding that no pirikara was offered. In his writings he mentions how guilty he felt after receiving an umbrella after a bana preaching. He feels he may have indicated that he needed an umbrella but from the time he received it, every time he looked at it, guilt overcame him that he had sold the Dhamma. I can well understand devotees’ desire to make an offering as we are made to believe that it adds to our good karma. Just to satisfy that desire if a Bhikkhu accepts a pirikara, perhaps it may be construed as harmless but to preach for a free is despicable.

Ignoring the profound dhamma expounded by the Buddha, some Bhikkhus have specialised in telling stories, worse still spreading canards, the latest being that the Buddha was born in Sri Lanka. I would love this to be true, but unfortunately, there is no archaeological evidence even to prove this. Bhante Dhammika of Australia has written an excellent article disproving this and showing where the Buddha was actually born on the basis of archaeological evidence (Was the Buddha born in Sri Lanka? Sunday Island, 25 October). Still, there are many who continue to believe that the Buddha was born in Sri Lanka despite overwhelming archaeological evidence to the contrary.

The greatest achievement of the Buddha has been empowering us to seek our own destiny; freeing us from any supernatural overlords. He gave us freedom of thought and laid the foundation for the scientific basis of analysis of questions. He walked miles and miles, most likely barefoot, to pass on His message to all and sundry, explaining his dhamma in such a way that everybody understood it. During his travels, on most nights, the Buddha must have slept under a tree gazing at the night sky. His bed would have been nothing more than a folded robe. In contrast, what do some of His followers do today? They live in opulence—some of them even boast of having attained Enlightenment—seek power and profit by selling the dhamma.

Due to the deplorable actions of a few, unfortunately, the entire Sangha may be tainted as there are many with hidden agendas bent on discrediting the Sangha. I do offer my apologies to the Bhikkhus who do yeoman’s service if this article has hurt their feelings. In one of the suttas, the Buddha has stated that when bad monks ordain and train other monks, they too become bad; then the Sangha will go into decline. I do hope we are not there yet and that these learned monks would take corrective action.