The Mosque Issue: Intolerance At Its Worst
May 6, 2012
By Visakha and Venetia – both Buddhists -
This recent unsavoury and unacceptable issue of the attack on the mosque in Dambulla shames the Sri Lankan community, which for generations has lived with tolerance towards each others’ places of worship. The operative phrase being “tolerant towards each others’ place of worship” should be considered mindfully because this has not been the case where ethnic tolerance is concerned. This incident also reinforces the phenomena of a deeply fragmented society where the rifts and wounds are getting deeper and wider. This fragmentation is an epidemic which has all dimensions – religious, cultural, class, caste, wealth, cultural and political. The common good is not considered in the long term and short term petty gains are the order of the day.
Most tragic for Buddhism is that the word of the Buddha and tolerance which is innate in the Buddha Dhamma is totally misrepresented by a minority of Buddhists, especially a few (not all) of the yellow robed representatives, who are but intolerant beings masquerading under a shroud of sanctimony.
