Buddhism Becoming an Academic Exercise
It "Kalena Dhamma Sakachcha" is good but distorting Dhamma is not a good.
This may be my last piece I would do on this subject.
As I have said repeatedly, the guys who destroy a language is one who belongs to it and using the very same language.analogy
Current YouTube guys are a very good example. They destroy our language.
My judgement and observation is that rule applies to Buddhism,too.
It is the Buddhists with political intention who is destroying Dhamma.
This applies to Indika Totawatta and his associates.
I would not talk about the monks who are causing enough damage to Dhamma if not Buddhism.
1. Dhamma is not a philosophy.
2. Dhamma in my way of thinking is not a religion as it is practiced globally.
Religion is fast becoming a Modern Cult Feature and Buddhism has fallen into this trap.
3. Buddhism is a way of life.
To practse it one has practice Sila and one should respect, Buddha, Dhamma and Sanga.
It is OK writing on Dhamma issues but TV Model Discussions in my opinion is destroying it.
What matters is not theory but the practice of Dhamma and trod on that path of emancipation.
It is all about Mind Control without Hate and Gossip.
Nobody would achieve any of the Phala or Effects by having a TV show.
It is self centered, an individualistic exercise.
Meditation is the simple way, forward not any acdemic exercise.
Monks discussing among themselves in the Temple Setup is correct way and is OK.
Well accomplished people (not J.B.D. or JVP type or Debidi Type, while killing fellow citizens for no reason and praying to Buddha-1971 and 1989) should run these Dhamma discussion forums (at least well read if not digested the essence).
4. Laymen discussing on Dhamma in their own space (not TV ) or a local club or in a pub over alcohol, I have no problem.
5. Then having a healthy discussion on a Poya Day with the monk and laymen in the temple should be the correct way.
It should not be like Sajith Premada handing over free handouts as a political Bribe.
Let the Capital MahaRaja Organization and TV channels dispense their ill gotten money of CIA through India!
TV should not be a substitute for temples and discussion forums.
TV for me is an antithesis.
Apart from news, sports and films TV has no place for attaining higher goals.
Also TV is no substitute for practice of proper guided meditation.
Going to the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy and contributing to its print cost should be another way.
I am against Buddhist Literature and for me Jathaka Katha is actually Buddhist Literature, according to one of my friends who is well versed in Dhamma (I learned the basic concepts from him but I had to dispesne some alcohol afterword for his consumption).
Buddha stories if one believes in immense rebirth potentiality cannot be be 550 and it stopped abruptly (the author would have died) but should RUN inbto of Millions of Life (Jataka stories) episodes of Buddha.
Ten Parmitha is also is part of this literature.
One has to try more than millions and millions of time to become a Buddha.
PaseBudhu should be analyzed in this context.
Those past lives do not matter a little bit to our current predicament (sinister attempt to destroy Buddhist way of life (Avihinsa - JVP is an antithesis to Avihinsa and they carry weapons of mass destruction) and to our future emancipation.
Not a bit in my belief.
However, The Birth of Buddha should be celebrated as nothing to compare with.
That is Wesak Poya Day.
Please shorten the Sansara Track and do not extend it by TV shows.
What about people who do not have a TV but most of them have a radio in their cellphone at least.
We used to have very good radio discussion when I was a kid.
I am glad we did not have TV as kids.
Had we had TVs as a children, I would have been spoiled a lot and would not have become a doctor and a voracious reader and a writer.
It is very difficult to find good books due to TV and Digital Media.
Very soon we will have AI Buddha's.
That is the way we are heading.
I have more interest in philosophy than religion now.
It is the first order discipline and religion is always second order discipline and always man-made, including Dhamma(no sly intended to Words of Buddha).
Philosophy is a natural tendency just like evolution in the biological world.
More and more pristine themes of philosophy is the way forward for mankind.
Since I have not achieved any Marga Phala, I wish myself to be remembered as an emerging or budding philosopher who abhor violence including to animals and any form of WAR.
Read Dhmmapada verses every day of the week to remind hate is not and gossip is not the way forward.
Lies are good for politicians but not for True Buddhists
All these TV channels should be named as Gossip TNL, or Gossip - Sirasa, Gossip-Rupahavini and Gossip -ITN.
Kumara Chapa Bandara is by his own "Beginning and Tradition" does fall into this category of Gossip by default.
But it is his craft and way of life which he is entitled to.
We should not get stuck in the corridors of religion but venture into the wider universe as it is.
What I hate is the Word Niragamika which comes from JVP cookbook which I have never read or heard in my life,
Until this guy Anura addressed the opening of the sessions of the parliament.
There are two English words Atheist (do not believe in god) and Agonist (a very confusing English word) which has no proper word for word translation in Sinhala. It is not in Eastern tradition but found in the West.
I think when we talk about Dhamma we should use only Pali words and not psedo or new Sinhala adapted words, like Aragalaya and Niragamika.
These words I think JVP and NPP brought into our polity.
They are going to stay in politics but should not be in Dhamma traditions.
It sickens me when people use inappropriate or bull shit words with no meaning that were picked up from JVP/NPP vocabulary.
It is alright for their grassroot convicts and also for Nirmal Ranjith for his daily discussions, which are becoming boring now.
JVP has not got any new theme except violence against the established system.
This system change and Aragalya (illegal word to mean an opposition to the established system which should in reality be legally prosecuted).
Anything which goes against the established law should be punishable unless the law is modified in accordance with the parliamentary traditions.
It is the beginning of anarchy or destruction of democratic way of governance,
which JVP/NPP has been guilty of violating over 50 years.
They are mad hatters in evolution not revolution.
Democratic System and other political systems did not come about overnight.
They evolved gradually.
JVP/NPP is an antithesis to systematic evolution of politics.
I do not know why Ceylonese do not question their approach.
Timidity brings on demolition of established system and that is what JVP and NPP wants.
We are slowly heading for a dictatorship.
Just look at Latin America.
Do not give them majority in the provincial council election.
Defeat their new theme of Niragamika lest we won't be able to change thevsystem drifting into either anarchy, mayhem or one man dictatorship.
Be mindful always.
Their hidden agenda is unpredictable.
Sorry drifting into politics
Dhamma is also dragged into politics by India and the Anura Gang.
Indika Totawatta is very unstable and changes his political thinking at the drop of a hat.
What has happened to his independent philosophy?
I think monks are using him for their own popularity on TV and Image building.
This is the Very Dander I see and want it to be avoided to save "What is left of the Teaching of Buddha".
There is already two traditional themes let them remain as such BUT PLEASE do not add anymore of peudo-themes.
Two is confusing enough and three or more TV Schemes is a disaster for Dhamma.
In summary
Sila
Samadhi
Pagna
Metta
Karuna
Muditha
Upekka.
My comments are based on the last of all which is supreme.
Upekka or looking at a problem without political (collective) or individual (private) attachment.
Rember Dhamma is Global and it did not belong to even Buddha himself.