Cry, “Chaos!”

By Charles Sarvan –January 30, 2016 

Prof. Charles Sarvan

I read in Colombo Telegraph the claim by the Prime Minister, Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe, that the previous President and his supporters are forming, fomenting and are about to unleash a “new fascist Buddhist movement”. It reminded me of Shakespeare’s history play, Julius Caesar (Act 3, Scene 1) from which I adapt and quote a few lines: Shout “Chaos!”, and then let loose the dogs of violence and destruction. Blood and destruction shall become normal, and all pity will be choked by evil deeds.

It is not easy to think of a greater contrast than that between violence and Buddhism. Violence in the name of the Buddha, the Soul of Great Compassion, is an ironic and tragic contradiction. I have suggested elsewhere the following proposition for consideration: Religious doctrine is divine, religion is human. What I mean is that while the original doctrine is claimed to have a divine or near-divine origin (be it from the teaching of the Buddha, of Christ or the Prophet Mohammed), religion with all its paraphernalia, myths and rituals included, is what humanity makes of this doctrine. Perhaps this goes towards explaining how the same religious doctrine can be expressed in very different forms at different times and in different places? Rather than pristine religious doctrine influencing (if not determining) politics, man-made religion becomes an instrument of politics, justifying, even sanctifying, violence and cruelty on the lines of: “I do it not for me but for our religion. God and religion are far more important than mere non-believing human beings”. The willingness to be violent and cruel is made the mark of religiosity: the greater the hate, cruelty and injustice, the greater the piety. For example, one thinks at random of the Spanish Conquistadors virtuously recording that they saved the souls of Native-American babies by baptising them before dashing their brains out.

As for violence and Buddhism, I quote from the Buddhist folk-tale Monkey, by Wu Ch’eng-en, 1500 – 1580, translated into English by Arthur Walley. Page reference is to the Grove Press edition, New York, 1970. “A priest, said Tripitaka, should be ready to die rather than commit acts of violence” (pages 132-133). “To save one life is better than to build a seven-storeyed” place of worship (pages 194 & 256) “Hereupon the Tathagata opened the mouth of compassion and gave vent to the mercy of his heart”: In the bounds of your land “greed, slaughter, lust and lying have long prevailed. There is no respect for Buddha’s teaching, no striving towards good works” (page 283).

Facing the threat of a political and civic tsunami, we have the statement of the Friday Forum (Colombo Telegraph, 27 January 2016) and articles by concerned and caring citizens such as, among others, Sharmini Serasinghe. While I admire and applaud, I confess I also have some doubts. For a start (and as I have written elsewhere), rather than speak about the people or for the people, one must speak with the people. And to speak with the folk, one must speak not only in their language (in this case, Sinhala) but in terms understood by them; in their idiom.                                                   Read More