An Old Piece Edited Today
Buddhism Betrayed
Month of May or Wesak
I never intended to use the word betrayed but when editing this piece a decade or more later, I find it more practical.
Let me first tell you why I was attracted to Buddhism.
Number one is Avihinsa or the “Non Violence” which extends to the animal kingdom.
The simple outcome of this strategy is to become a Vegetarian in life style.
The “Karaniya Metta Sutta” (this one of the chapters in my new book "Meditation Business" is a living monument to this cardinal theme.
The second is the “Aryan Way of Living” exemplified by the “Ariya Ashtangika Magga” or Noble Eightfold Path.
1. Right Speech
2. Right Action
3. Right Livelihood
4. Right Effort
5. Right Understanding
6. Right Thought
7. Right Mindfulness and
8. Right Concentration
As one can see Right Concentration or Meditation is the last.
It is also classified into 3 categories Sila, Samadi and Pagna.
Comprises of three stages along the Eightfold Path.
1. Sila or Morality
Morality (Sila), or Right Conduct
Right speech,
Right action
Right livelihood
Right Effort
2. Samadhi or Mindfullness
Right Understanding
Right Thought
3. Pragna or Wisdom
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration
The third principle probably is the way forward.
I believed that “Meditation is the One Way”.
I used to tell it is the “Only Way” in my earlier writing but in this book, I have decided to take a different outlook.
I must state that I try to find a simple explanation of the Eightfold Pathway in the Internet but I could not.
The above categorization is from my simple memory and may have some errors.
The pathway is a graded and gradual ascent form simple livelihood to mindfulness to full realization of the Dhamma in Essence.
I do not have any books in my hand except Dhammapada which contains 423 verses related tothe Buddhist Teachings.
Getting back to original tenet of "Buddhism Betrayed" in this chapter, I would state how in our food habits we show this tendency very clearly.
If one is "True" in Buddhist practice, one has to become a vegetarian which is an uphill task.
I have dealt this in detail in my book “Vegetarian Saga” which is coming out soon.
Even Vegetarianism is classified into 3 main categories.
1. Lacto-vegetarian who supplements milk in the diet
2. Ovo-vegetarian who supplements eggs in the diet.
3. Pure Vegetarian who shun milk products and eggs.
This is the Month of Wesak where universal brotherhood is talked about.
This universal friendship should be extended to animals, too but I find when, I classify according to current philosophical tenet there are some discrepancies and discrimination of animals especially, the birds we love to be consumed on a Christmas Eve.
There is a perception that Buddhists are classified according to Mahayana and Hinayana.
I believe that this was a very ancient classification and is out of touch with modernity and we need a proper and investigative classification for the modern century when some prophecies are claiming that the end of the world is near by year 2012.
If I do not do this before this May, 2012 (before the end of the World), I feel I am doing some injustice to Ceylonese history in record.
My period of investigation is little over 50 years and I was a little brat barely able to understand the logic of modern Buddhism.
According to my classification there are about 10 to 20 varieties of Buddhists in this country.
I will list the first 10 that come to my mind and a good reader may add the last 10.
1. Eggo Buddhists
The eggs and not ego-there is no Ego (self) in true Buddhism.
This is something as a little brat not even going to nursery school I have heard and seen at first hand. There was an intense debate over eating eggs before and during 1956 and the Eggo Buddhists won the day. The argument was that we Buddhists can eat eggs as long as we eat the eggs not fertilized by a cock.
This is where cock’s right to sex is violated not any cock but the bird’s variety.
We are “cock sure” that every egg we eat is NOT fertilized before our consumption and we can see it through the shell with our meditative instinct.
This is where cocks rights are violated by default and cocks are not allowed to screw since, if they do that we Buddhists won’t be able eat eggs. This is the cork screw solution we extend to non-Buddhist rearing animals for our consumption. If we Buddhists are not there to consume the products made by non Buddhists their livelihood is lost to our economy.
The logic pops out like a cork screw of a campaign bottle.
With this point of confirmation we Buddhist over the next 50 years evolved the Modern Buddhism, to even kill our fellow beings Tamils, in the name of a Single Nation and National Building.
The guy who was instrumental in building (with the help of another guy who was very good at introducing Vulgar Sense to Local Literature) this Hegemony (the word Concept is inappropriate) or Saga died in America, looking for Western treatment.
2. Mujja Pama Alcohol Buddhists
Then came the Mujja Pama Dharshanaya which culminated during the period of Mrs. Kumaranatunge where the highest amount of alcohol was on sale and produced except wine.
This is coming out of the 5 precepts where one takes intoxicating beverages and depends on one’s liver’s powerful enough mechanism to detoxify them and as long as one does not show signs of intoxication, it is NOT a bad thing.
A little bit is OK, philosophy!
I have written a book on alcohol and drugs where I state that, even one tot will cause “Fatty Changes in the Liver” which lasts over 8 hours, after ingestion of any type of alcohol.
In the “First Pass” of the liver, it causes metabolic changes.
The rationale here is one must train the liver to identify alcohol early enough ideally during pregnancy and then when the big match (cricket the national game) comes one must train the teenagers to indulge.
If the training is done early on, one can consume alcohol even on the Dalada Perehara (except elephants on 4 legs) and specially on May Day Perehara.
3. Lottery Buddhists
The third one is the most powerful economic wise.
Arogyasala Lottery or the Hospital Lottery and this has now progressed into Lotto Game and extend even up to World Cup and I.P.L Cricket and bidding for players.
4. Then come the Casino Buddhists.
The owner can be a Buddhist as long as the players are not Buddhists.
All the above are for the powerful Buddhists in the Colombo 7 and around.
5. Copyright to Thera Vada Buddhists
This is the category of Sri-Lankan Ego Buddhists with copyright to Thera Vada.
Now that the sole authority (copyright) on Buddhism is with Sinhalayas and there is a category of Buddhists who protect the copyright of Buddhism (without practicing precepts and principles) of Theravada, come what it may and promote practices exclusively mentioned below and resistant to spread of Buddhism to other nations and countries and monopoly, on Theravada.
It is the tendency to spread arguments for and against or Vada for the total monopoly and commercial consumption.
I must say Buddhism was not recorded for over 1100 years and it was probably done first in China (Chinese texts disappeared after Mao Zedong) and it was recorded in Aluvihara, Matele, Ceylon, probably 1700 years later.
What is relevant is there is no copyright or Pure Buddhism in existence in the present or in the past.
In the 11 year, Bemintiya Seya or the great Famine, it is said Buddhist monks who were starving tried to memorize the Dhamma Texts.
Beminitiya Seya
Beminitiya Seya, also known as the Great Famine (103–89 BCE) was a major famine which occurred in the Anuradhapura Kingdom during the rule of the Five Dravidians, shortly after overthrow of King Valagambahu. For over a decade, the irrigation systems of the Anuradhapura Kingdom had failed as a result of invasion, corruption and neglect.
It was undoubtedly one of the darkest eras of Sri Lankan history.
Long periods of drought coupled with South Indian invasion meant that maintenance and repair of the once advanced irrigation systems of the kingdom were now completely neglected. The situation eased after the death of the last of the Five Dravidians and the return of King Valagambahu. As soon as Valagambahu returned to the throne in 89 BCE, many reforms were introduced to repair and reconstruct the ill fated irrigation systems of the kingdom, which eventually brought the Beminitiya Seya to an end in 89 BCE.
To this day, Valagambahu is regarded as one of Sri Lanka's greatest kings.
The rest of the five types are follows.
6. Bodhi Puja Buddhists
Bodhi Puja Variety is the most popular one.
This is the category who get round the Bodhi or the sacred pipal tree (not papal or pupal or phallus) chanting and pouring milk on it roots (which leads to rotting of the aeriel roots and the tree prefers dry or arid soil with roots growing very deep in search of underground water).
This chanting done without understanding the difference of water and milk to a living tree.
7. The Chicken Buddhists
The next variety is the most common.
If you ask them do you eat meat.
They say no, no and not for beef but if you prompt and ask what about fish and chicken, then they come out with the circular theory and logic that broilers live for 42 days and if it was killed on the 41st day and we actually contribute to its well being by reducing the misery of the chicken by one day and that helps them to evolve into better life, next time round, by making a hungry human happy at meal time.
This was the best philosophical tenet that evolved from Eggo Buddhists to modern Tech and Computer Buddhists.
The answer goes like this.
The small fish is fodder for the larger fish, in the food chain and man is the last in that chain because we are terrestrial and the fish on a muddy pool is saved from cranes and they have no business to be on our domain or the terrestrial footing, anyway.
8. Confused Buddhists
The next is the Confused Buddhist (I come under this category) where part of me is ancient Buddhist Thinking and the other part is Modern Buddhism but with age catching up with my own intellectual interpretation, I am becoming more and more of an ancient Buddhist, good for an ornamented coffin, in a few years time.
The last two if I try to explain fully I will be expelled from this blessed country (I am out of the country presently) like the Buddhist monk who wrote poems instead of Gatha in ancient times, the Vidhagama Rahula Thera who ended up as the Saint of Mumbai.
9. Political Buddhists
They are the Political Buddhists in the Parliament.
10. National Buddhists
the National Buddhists are mainly in the Army.
11. International Buddhists
12. Emerging Buddhists
The Type 12 and above are the Emerging Buddhists from ashes (of ruined practices) of Phoenix, some of whom are already in Parliament and devising various means to make Buddhism more and more difficult to understand and is good only for foreigners (International Buddhism).
It is not for simple practice for the practicing Buddhists.
There are of course various cults, BBS is one of them.
