SEXUAL MISCONDUCT OF THE CLERGY - THE SOCIAL FALLOUT
by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne-
Sex and Buddhism
What Buddhism Teaches About Sexual Morality
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Ven. Rajakeeya Panditha Dharshanapathi Ambanpola Seelarathana, Master of Philosophy, Chief incumbent of Shanthi Vihara of Kelaniya, a rapist who torture and raped 42 years woman in the temple and many women were sexually assaulted by this man
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Closer home, I look at the Sexual Misconduct Policy (on exploitation, sexual harassment and violence, all of which the celebrated and venerated monk in Kelaniya is seemingly guilty of) of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto which says: “every human being is created in the image of God who has made us for loving, covenantal relationships with our Creator, others and the world. We believe that our peace arises out of right relationships. Our personal dignity, freedom and bodily integrity are ensured by faithfulness to just covenants of mutual trust, care and respect. Such covenants undergird the moral framework of our communal life, responsibilities and entitlements”. The Policy goes on to say: “There is universal agreement that respect, reverence and mutuality are necessary in all human relationships. This agreement about the fundamentals of human relations, including sexual relations, leads to a firm judgement and condemnation of sexual abuse and exploitation... sexual abuse is self-gratification by exploitation. It makes an impersonal object of the other person, abusing both the person and sexuality itself. Abuse occurs in a wide range of sexual activities: always in rape and child molestation.”
Rape is rape, whether committed by a member of the clergy or other, and the punishment is the same in most jurisdictions. Monks convicted of rape (and there is no evidence that the particular monk in question has been convicted of the offence) do not get less of a sentence than others who commit rape. However, there is a bigger point here and that is the inevitable issue of social trust. In any civilized society, the members of the clergy are trustees of the faith and are deemed to uphold principles of moral rectitude. In this context I am reminded of my reading during my adolescence of the unforgettable Father Sergius by Leo Tolstoy which left in me an indelible mark.
The story is about Prince Stepan Kasatsky, an exceptionally talented and accomplished youth who was destined for achievement and glory. On the eve of his wedding he discovers the infidelity of his fiancĂ©e, Countess Mary Korotkova who has had an affair with the Tsar. Serguis’ pride as well as his standing is seriously hurt and he joins the Russian Orthodox faith, entering a monastery as a monk. He remains thus for many years, in solitude, humility and morality. He is requested by the Orthodoxy to take up the life of a hermit as he is remembered for having so remarkably transformed his life and because he shows all the signs of being permanently removed from the world.
His world changes when, one cold and wintry night, a group of merry-makers visit him, among whom is a divorced woman named Makovkina, who spends the night in his cell, with the intention of seducing him. Father Sergius’s weakness surfaces and in order to protect himself and ward off the temptation, he cuts off his own finger. Years follow when Father Sergius' reputation for holiness grows. He becomes known as a healer, and pilgrims come from far and wide to seek his blessings and healing. Yet Father Sergius is still profoundly aware of his weakness, which precludes him from attaining a true faith. He is still tormented by his innate boredom, pride, and lust. Finally he succumbs to temptation when the young daughter of a merchant successfully seduces him. His path changes and he begins to wander, until eight months later he is arrested and banished to Siberia, where he becomes a hired laborer of a well-to-do peasant.
The story of Father Sergius, which is one of mortification and human frailty, brings to bear the inexorable fact that if one is a man of cloth who is expected to be a guiding light to society, a certain type of conduct is expected. A flouting of this principle creates a beach of social trust. As an analogy, one can take a lesson from Christian annals. In the 14th Century, Christian clergies led secular and worldly lives. They adorned themselves with ostentatious and rich garments and lived a life of opulence and luxury. The populace were getting increasingly disillusioned with the clergy and suspected that the church was using its power tendentiously, neglecting the good of the people. Increasingly, priests in charge of parishes and dioceses neglected their duties, destroying confidence in the people and seriously harming their reverence of the church's authority. The sentinels of faith became lethargic, concentrating only on their own personal possessions and land. The Popes excommunicated people they did not like, misusing their Christian mandate. Bishops and other clergy in power sold indulgences and condoned wrongdoers’ acts, even forgiving them. The church indulged in selling clerical positions to the highest bidders, thus producing a lot of ignorant, illiterate, uneducated people. Candidates for popes bribed, blackmailed, tortured, and killed their way to being a pope.
The distrust in the clergy led to distrust in religion. People became materialistic and disillusioned.
Getting back to Buddhism, the Sangha refers to the disciples of the Buddha. Generally, it includes the Buddhist monks and nuns, who make their commitments to lead a monastic and retiring way of life, usually in isolation and away from worldly society, carrying on and preserving the teachings and tradition left behind by the Buddha. They, above anyone else, are expected to subscribe to the basic doctrine they preach, i.e. Thanhaya Jayathi Soko, Thanhaya Jayathi Bayang, Thanhaya Vippamuththassa, Natthi Soko Kutho Bayang:, Pematho Jayathi Soko, Pematho Jayathi Bayang, Pematho Vippamuththassa, Natthi Soko Kutho Bayang: Kamatho Jayathi Soko, Kamatho Jayathi Bayang, Kamathoo Vippamuththassa, Natthi Soko Kutho Bayang (avarice begets sorrow, avarice begets fear, in the absence of avarice, there is no sorrow or fear; love begets sorrow, love begets fear, in the absence of love, there is no sorrow or fear; lust begets sorrow, lust begets fear, in the absence of lust, there is no sorrow or fear).
This then is the ultimate social fallout, where those in a position of trust abuse it. If these fundamental truths are abdicated by those who are expected to lead us to live a life according to the Dhamma, they would no longer have claims to being a fortress of redemption for the common man.
