Is Angry Response Of Buddhists To Religious Conversions Justified?
By Mahendra De Silva -January 15, 2014
A thief may harm a thief; an enemy may harm an enemy; but a wrongly directed mind can do oneself far greater harm. -Dhammapada Verse 42
Last week myself and millions of other viewers in internet watched with horror, a video showing Buddhist monks attacking a evangelical church in Hikkaduwa. It was quickly picked up by BBC and many international news agencies. It would have been a great propaganda tool for those who have a prejudice against Buddhism, human right activist and also for people genuinely wants to seek reforms in how Buddhism is practiced in Sri Lanka. The Video shows clearly the anger, hatred and rage in the attacking monks. Watching how these monks in robes instigate young boys and others to attack a religious place is one of the saddest moments. I can imagine ordinary people engage in this type of violence. How can we justify learned monks who are disciples of Buddha with the purpose of carrying the message of peace, loving kindness, compassion, forgiveness ever think of engaging in this violence? In a democracy this type of hate crimes carries server punishments and people do the crime secretly. It is strange that in our country acts of serious crimes of this nature are carried out openly with the participation of many ordinary people and leading monks of the area.
I often wonder why Buddhists are so scared of new churches coming into the area or Buddhists converting to Christianity. Statistically numbers of Buddhists who have been converted to Christianity in recent years are far lower than the number Christians converting to Buddhism. Buddhists should know that despite Hindu Kings and European were controlling for many centuries in our history; still nearly 70% of the population is Buddhists. Today, they have a majority Buddhist government. Protection of Buddhism is enshrined in the constitution. They have even Buddhists extremists in the government. It is not the Buddhists but other minorities who should feel insecure in their own country for genuine reasons. This imaginary threat of insecurity of Buddhists in Sri Lanka could only be a paranoid as termed in psychology. Buddhism is not a religion that needs protection from invaders in the 21st Century. It is a science friendly philosophy which would appeal to intelligent human being of the modern society. Interest on Buddhism is growing fast in everywhere in the world. Read More