Buddha did not advise leaders on how to lead

By Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne

2017-11-02

There is a disputed statement that the two Mahanayake Theras of the Malwatte and the Asgiriya Chapters issued a special announcement saying Sri Lanka does not need a new Constitution or amendments to the present Constitution of the country.

It further states that, the Anunayake of the Malwatte Chapter, Ven. Dimbulkumbure Wimaladhamma Thera told the media that the proposed Constitution is detrimental as it will devolve so much power to the provinces, that not even the Parliament will have power to control the Provincial Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas.

Apparently the Thera has emphasized that the Mahanayakes of the other two Buddhist chapters, Ramanna and Amarapura, as well, agree to this. Hence the entire Maha Sangha, will be enlightened on the reforms and their strong opposition to a new Constitution will be expressed. However, there were disagreements and contradictions. Most certainly many other Nayake Theras disagree with these statements.

"Buddhists in Sri Lanka talk highly of their rich past of 2,500 years and believe they have a great treasure to give to the whole world. This makes Sri Lanka a country of boasts – very proud of a vast and rich culture spanning over 2,500 years. Through this rich past, Buddhist Sri Lankans are hell-bent on recreating identity as missionaries of future mankind, taking the message of Meththa, Karuna, Muditha and Upekkha, sticking to it, practising and ever moving forward, never aspiring to be more than what Ananda and Olcott did in the past. But unfortunately they have nothing to do now, except spreading greed, hate and misunderstanding among other nationalities. They talk about a past that is gone with nothing valuable to do in the present. Strangely they yearn for a future of sacrifice and sacred commitments. They continuously assert the whole world will be Buddhist and that is the end of civilization. All what they do today is speak of the history of this country without truly attempting to add a treasure to this history. Sinhala Buddhists have gone stagnant and rooted," said one intellectual in a discussion recently.

Lord Buddha preached equality and unity

It is correct to say that considering the state that some countries that have achieved only in the last 400 to 500 years, Sri Lanka is nowhere near that rate of development. Sri Lanka could have developed with the rest of the world instead of wrongly analyzing the past and wasting time dreaming about the past, living in the past. There is simply no point taking pride in all historical artefacts and stupas if people do not also make use of them to develop as a nation uniting all communities in the country. One devout Buddhist said, "I would like to mention that Lord Buddha never preached his Dhamma for it to mix with policy and governing. He did not attempt to advise the country's leaders on how to lead. As time went on, Kings and Maha Rajas made way for monks to be a part of governance, and today, we have mistaken this, and have allowed religion to govern the land. We are told to give priority to Buddhism, but how are we to do that when there are multiple Chapters in this country alone? Lord Buddha preached equality and unity. How then, were these Chapters formed? What foundations are these Chapters based on? It is indeed ironic that many of these Chapters are founded on caste basis, and Lord Buddha has always rejected the caste system. This issue is not just something we can avoid or ignore. It is a truly heartbreaking fact that we have held on to our 2,500-year-old past so much that it has now become a cause for that very same pride inducing past to destroy a potential future for the country. It has annihilated the entire system of this country.

We need to create a generation that is willing to think anew and to think out of the box. The path that the current Government is taking is appropriate. This Government has united and has agreed to bring in a new Constitution. This is beneficial. Furthermore, it is still under discussion and nothing has been finalized yet."