Saffron robed destroyers of Sinhala-Buddhism

April 11, 2014 Can there be a more loathsome sight on earth than that of rampaging Buddhist monks in saffron robes? The sight is made doubly loathsome, because a rampaging monk is a contradiction in terms something that cannot be. The Buddhist expectation is that a monk in particular ill ha!e at least an out ard demeanour of restraint. Those familiar ith the "inaya rules ill kno ho much emphasis is placed on the maintenance of this out ard appearance of poise and self control by monks e!en though the monk may not be feeling any calm at all ithin. #n Buddhism, in ard calm is ac$uired through understanding, but the emphasis in the "inaya is to control the out ard appearance of the monk regardless of his actual state of mind. #t is said that %mperor &soka of #ndia first e!inced an interested in Buddhism because of the out ard demeanour of a no!ice monk he sa on the street. 'ad %mperor &soka seen a marauding monk as in latter day (ri )anka, instead of that no!ice monk of yore, he ould ha!e personally seen to it that e!ery Buddhist monk in his empire as beheaded and the religion itself destroyed. )ast eek T" !ie ers once again sa the sight of Buddhist monks threatening, intimidating and almost assaulting another Buddhist monk at a press conference at 'otel *ippon hen the Bodu Bala (ena in!aded and disrupted a press conference called by a ne organisation calling itself the +athika Bala (ena. This has serious implications. The last thing that e ant is for ri!al political organisations in!ading and disrupting each others press conferences simply because one does not agree ith hat ill be said at that meeting. This is a country here not e!en press conferences of the Tamil *ational &lliance is disrupted e!en though the hole country is fully a are that they are plotting day and night ith international conspirators to create a separate state. &part from the implications for the secular politics of this country, the Buddhist faith itself is under stress as ne!er before because of this mad monk phenomenon. This riter has said this earlier and ishes to say so again that this is not a conspiracy launched against the minorities, it is a conspiracy launched against the ma-ority community of this country by o!erseas conspirators ith a handful of Buddhist monks as collaborators. &nybody familiar ith the ay political parties in this country ork ill kno that e!ery political party highly !alues politicians and acti!ists ho can muster a cro d at short notice. %!en among politicians, not e!eryone can do that. But some, by thro ing money around, doing fa!ours, doling out patronage and being ith the masses, ha!e the ability to muster a

cro d ith -ust a fe phone calls. (uch indi!iduals are !alued by leaders of political parties because it is such people ho bring cro ds for political acti!ities at short notice. %!erybody kno s that nobody can do this unless there is money and patronage a!ailable. #n the past couple of years e ha!e seen the rise of not one but se!eral organisations led by Buddhist monks ho can muster cro ds at short notice and ho appear to ha!e no shortage of toughs to do their bidding. &ll these organisations ha!e goons ho assault people in public ith no care for the conse$uences. %!en politicians do not ha!e follo ings like that. The $uestion that emerges is ho is funding these operations? 'o is that these monks ho ere complete non. entities -ust t o years ago, are suddenly able to muster gangs of thugs and go all o!er the country interfering in all and sundry? Targeting minorities "ery often, hat e hear especially from anxious minority community members is that organisations like the Bodu Bala (ena, (ihala /a!aya, and /a!ana Balakaya are targeting the minorities. 0n the face of it, that appears to be the case. %!en the latest incident is apparently due to an alleged settlement of 1uslims on the border of the 2ilpattu forest reser!e. Though these sho s are organised to oppose something that is done or not done by some minority community, the actual casualties are not the targeted 1uslims but the Buddhist faith. )ast eek hat the Buddhist faithful sa on T" is the sight of one monk threatening another senior monk, addressing him as miniho and actually raising his hand as if to assault that monk. These are sights that shake the faith of the Buddhists. The (inhala Buddhist public has been so disgusted by such beha!iour of these marauding monks that there no is no danger of any (inhala action against 1uslims. The Bodu Bala (ena first started this hate campaign by calling for a boycott of certain 1uslim business establishments. There is no not the slightest chance of any such boycott succeeding as hat captured the attention of the (inhala Buddhist public as not the alleged misdemeanours of the 1uslim businessmen concerned but the deplorable beha!iour of the monks. The !ast ma-ority of the (inhala.Buddhist public are no indifferent to the shrill allegations against minorities being made by these mad monks. But -ust as the )TT% as ne!er dependent on the support or good ill of the Tamil people of the *orth and %ast for their sur!i!al, organisations of Buddhist monks like the Bodu Bala (ena, /a!ana Balakaya and the (ihala /a!aya do not appear to be dependent on the good ill or support of the (inhala.Buddhist public. (ome mysterious source keeps them funded and regardless of ho many members of the public they distress by their beha!iour, these groups are able to carry on their acti!ities. Consider the follo ing facts. 3. 4ntil -ust a couple of years ago, all these monks belonging to the Bodu Bala (ena, /a!ana Balakaya and (inhala /a!aya ere not heard of by the (inhala Buddhist public. 5. %!en during the ar, not one of them had gained any kind of prominence by trying to protect the (inhalese from terrorism. 0ne ould ha!e thought that gi!en the concern that these monks no profess for the rights of the ma-ority community, they ould ha!e taken up residence in the border !illages and rallied (inhala resistance to Tamil terrorists ho ere

trying to destroy (inhala !illages in the border areas. But e sa no such thing. 6. &ll these organisations, the Bodu Bala (ena, /a!ana Balakaya, and (ihala /a!aya emerged suddenly out of no here. *one of the monks acti!e in these organisations had e!er e!en had a reputation as skilled preachers before they suddenly burst in upon the scene. &ll of them o e their notoriety entirely to acts of !iolence and unseemly disturbances perpetrated in full !ie of the public. 7. 'ad these monks been doing anything to promote Buddhism in and around their temples they ould ha!e gathered a large follo ing in the outlying areas e!en before they gained national notoriety and they ould ha!e been controlling perhaps hole electorates and to ns. %!en politicians ould ha!e had to talk to these monks first before being able to talk to the people of the area. But none of these monks appear to ha!e any influence in the areas here they are usually resident. 8. %!en a prominent monk ielding much influence in the to ns and !illages around his temple, ill find it difficult to muster cro ds for acti!ities outside the area. (o the $uestion arises, ho do these complete non.entities find the resources to launch operations in Colombo and indeed all o!er the country? #f such resources and organising ability ere al ays a!ailable to these monks, ho is that that they ere not kno n to the public earlier? &ll these are $uestions that go unans ered. 1ost inexplicable of all is the fact that being monks, all of them seem singularly obli!ious to the effect their beha!iour ould be ha!ing on the minds of the (inhala Buddhist public. %ach of these monks seem to be !ying ith one another to beha!e in the most !iolent and outrageous manner possible, to cause as much disgust and loathing among the !ery (inhala Buddhist public they claim to be representing. %!en ith regard to last eeks incident, hat gained the attention of the public as not the alleged settlement of 1uslims on the border of the 2ilpattu forest reser!e, but the beha!iour of the monks. These monks are not stupid. They should be fully a are that their beha!iour is causing more consternation than the issues they claim to be protesting about. This is hy this riter is completely con!inced that all these organisations, the Bodu Bala (ena, /a!ana Balakaya and the (inhala /a!aya are all parts of an international conspiracy to destroy Buddhism in this country. That ould be the ultimate re!enge for the international forces opposed to the (inhala ma-ority. &fter the ar against Tamil terrorism as on conclusi!ely in 599:, in a manner that ama;ed the hole orld, the (inhalese ere riding high. %arlier, the impression as that the (inhalese ere eak, irresolute, fickle, co ardly and no match for the Tamil terrorists. That as put an end to ith the ar !ictory and the enemies of the (inhalese ere rendered speechless. They ha!e no responded ith a conspiracy to destroy Buddhism from ithin, as a ay of getting their o n back on the (inhalese. This mad monk phenomenon all started ith a trip to *or ay funded by a shady foreign organisation. The monks ho ent on this trip ere not as mad as they no are before they ent to *or ay. Before this trip to *or ay, all monks, e!en those ho ere directly in!ol!ed in politics ere acutely a are of the need to maintain an appearance of calm and restraint that the public expected of a monk. &fter this

trip to *or ayho e!er,all restraint !anished. *o bhikkus engage in !iolence in public and -ustify it on the grounds that they are doing all this due to the concern they ha!e for the country and the (inhala Buddhists. The (inhala Buddhists for their part ha!e been more scandalised by the beha!iour of the monks than by any of the issues real or imagined that these mad monks ha!e been talking about. 2ith each such incident ere monks engage in unruly beha!iour clashing ith members of other organisations, or ith the police and e!en ith other monks, Buddhist sensibilities are outraged. #f Buddhist monks had beha!ed in this manner during the colonial rule of the <ortuguese, =utch and British, this country ould by no be a completely Christian country. Clearly, these agents pro!ocateurs are out to discredit the saffron robe that has in many ays symbolised the (inhala Buddhists. #f these people ere bona fide nationalists ho are actually concerned about the acti!ities of !arious minority communities, they ould disrobe first if their acti!ism necessitates beha!ing in a manner unsuitable to a Buddhist monk. But in this case e see that the saffron robe is being used as a shield to pre!ent action being taken by the police. Take last eeks incident for example. 'ad the indi!iduals ho in!aded that press conference been laymen, the police ould ha!e baton charged and dispersed the cro d, and some of them may ha!e e!en been remanded. But because the in!asion as by Buddhist monks, the police took no action although they ha!e initiated action on a complaint lodged after the incident. The police too ha!e not yet e!ol!ed the procedures and practices to deal ith monks ho beha!e in this manner. %!en the go!ernment is still groping its ay around as no pre!ious go!ernment had to deal ith a phenomenon like this. #t is true that there ere monks ho did e!en orse than this in the past. %!en the marauding monks of today ha!e not been able to reach the peak attained by Buddharakkitha and (omarama ho planned and carried out the assassination of <rime 1inister (.2./.=.Bandaranaike. But at that time, it as -ust t o monks acting in secret. Buddhism sur!i!ed (omarama and Buddharakkitha because until they carried out this assassination, there as no public misbeha!iour by monks aimed at outraging Buddhist sensibilities. (omarama and Buddharakkitha targeted only one man hereas their latter day successors are targeting the hole Buddhist dispensation in this country. They are out to destroy Buddhism as completely as the (ri )ankan military as able to destroy the military arm of the )TT%. Cannot be una are The "en 1ahanayake theros as ell as senior monks cannot possibly be una are of the danger that these mad monks pose for the future of Buddhism in this country. Because of the actions of a handful of monks, the saffron robe has no become a symbol of disruption and political tension. )ike the go!ernment itself, perhaps the 1ahanayake theros may ha!e been aiting in the hope that this phenomenon ill die a natural death hen support from the public is not forthcoming. But as last eeks incident sho ed, it is not dying a natural death or at least it is not dying a natural death fast enough. &s e pointed out earlier in thus article, these monkish organisations are >as the )TT% as earlier? not dependent on the (inhala public for their good ill or support. & reaction to this phenomenon is taking place ithin the Buddhist clergy

>albeit not !igorously enough? ith one *ikaya prohibiting monks belonging to that organisation from participating in demonstrations, protests and other such acti!ities. But this phenomenon cannot be controlled ith -ust one nikaya hich is -ust a small part of a larger nikaya banning such acti!ities. (o far, the 1ahanayakes of the three nikayas ha!e not taken any action to control the beha!iour of their o n monks. 'o e!er hen it comes to a matter concerning laymen, the 1ahanayakes are $uick to issue statements. Casinos are not a matter that concerns monks. )aymen should ha!e a right to gamble or drink if they ant to. The 1ahanayakes ho sho much concerned about laymen >and foreign laymen at that@? going to casinos do not sho any concern hen it comes to Buddhist monks beha!ing in a manner that threatens to destroy the entire Buddhist dispensation in this country. & fe pri!ate mutterings of discontent ill not do in situations like this. The "en 1ahanayakes ha!e to rest control of things from these thugs mas$uerading as monks. The role of the +athika 'ela 4rumaya also has to be $uestioned. 0n an earlier occasion hen one hysterical monk burned himself to death demanding a ban on cattle slaughter, the +'4 tried to make hay hile the sun shone by trying to emphasise that this monk had sacrificed himself for a cause. *o once again hen marauding monks in!ade a press conference and threaten another monk, the +'4 leaders are talking about 1uslim settlements in 2ilpattu ith nothing at all being said about the beha!iour of the monks ho in!aded that press conference. 0ne ould ha!e thought that the +'4 in particular ould be more concerned about the image of the (inhala Buddhists than that. The +'4 seems obli!ious to the fact that the beha!iour of these monks is shaking the faith of the Buddhist laity and gi!ing an added fillip to the a!e of con!ersions to Christaianity taking place in the country. %arlier, if poor Buddhists had to be gi!en !arious incenti!es to con!ert, today e!en middle.class Buddhists may be moti!ated to con!ert because of the thuggery, bigotry and sheer boorishness displayed by a handful of monks. #f politicians belonging a political party ere to beha!e like that in public, the popularity of that political party ill plummet. +ust imagine the effect that unruly clergy ill ha!e on a religion. The fact that the +'4 appears obli!ious to this fact is $uite inexplicable. (ome may argue that hile middle class Buddhists may be scandalised by the beha!iour of these monks, that the Buddhist hoi polloi see these marauding monks as heroes ho are championing the cause of the do ntrodden Buddhists. But that does not seem to be the ay things are turning out. #f the Buddhist hoi polloi ere grateful to these marauding monks ho claim to be doing things on their behalf, then each of these thuggish monks ould ha!e a follo ing bigger than Aangoda ila (oma thera. =oes it look as if these marauding monks ha!e been ac$uiring a follo ing among the ordinary Buddhist masses e!en to the extent that crackpot monks like <itidu e (iridamma ha!e, much less Aangoda ila (oma thera? Besides, hen it comes to expecting restraint and good beha!iour from monks, there is no class di!ide. This is a matter central to the Buddhist philosophy and the code of conduct for monks. The biggest -oke of all is the political acti!ism of a senior monk like 1adulu a e (obitha Thera, ho sees the executi!e presidency as the biggest danger to the country in a situation here Buddhism is being destroyed from ithin more surely than the colonial po ers e!er could from outside. That the "en 1ahanayakes of all nikayas are issuing press statements

about casinos and "en (obitha Thera is campaigning against the executi!e presidential system at a time like this ould ha!e been hilarious if it as not such a tragedy. Besides, hat does it look like hen senior Buddhist monks ho cannot put their o n house in order and ensure at least the bare minimum standard of beha!iour expected of a monk in public pontificate on ho laymen should beha!e and criticise political institutions in the country? The senior monks are no like failed school principals ho cannot maintain discipline among their students. To be sure, the 1ahanayakes ha!e less control o!er Buddhist monks than principals ha!e o!er their students. 'o e!er, there is something called moral pressure. #f the 1ahanayakes in one !oice condemn unruly beha!iour by monks, the thuggish monks too ill be compelled to modify their beha!iour as e!erything is finally dependent on public acceptance. &s of no , because the 1ahanayakes are keeping $uiet, the marauding monks continue in their mission of destroying Buddhism and the public passi!ely atch the goings on ith mounting dis$uiet. #f the 1ahanayakes take a united stand against this kind of beha!iour by monks, the public ill at least feel that the Buddhist establishment is untainted and that these marauding monks are -ust an aberration like Buddharakkhita and (omarama. But today, ith the 1ahanayakes keeping $uiet, it appears as if the entire Buddhist establishment is ac$uiescent or paralysed in the face of this monkish thuggery. The $uestion that e ha!e to ask oursel!es is hether these monkish thugs ha!e threatened and intimidated the 1ahanayakes as ell, the same ay they intimidated that monk on T"? These are matters that ha!e to be looked into by the authorities concerned. #f *ero fiddled hile /ome burned, hat are the 1ahanayakes doing hile Buddhism is being destroyed from ithin by people ith shady foreign contacts? This is a conspiracy to turn (ri )anka into another (outh Borea hich turned from a largely Buddhist to a largely Christian country not due to colonial domination but through proselyti;ation. 2hat better aid to proselyti;ation than gi!ing the targeted public the feeling that the religion that they belong to is a barbaric, *eandethral faith? 2hat is the face of Buddhism in this country today? #ts that of Aalagodaatte Ananasara@ =id e in the ar against terrorism and restore the self respect of the (inhalese in the orld only to end up at such a pass?