From: Eranda Ginige 

Sent: Saturday, 5 September 2020 10:58 AM
To: gaja param

Discussion based on Article 9 of the Constitution - which goes to the core principles applicable to Lankan war

Dear Gajalakshmi

 

Your entire argument is based on the Premise that Buddhism (Buddha Shasana) is given foremost place "compared" to other "religions". But that is a False Premise. Because in no where does the constitution says that Buddhism (Buddha Shasana) is given the foremost place "compared" to other religions. 

Not necessarily. Since it is left ‘open’ it would be appropriate to include any pathway – including the tribal pathway that continues to prevail in remote parts of  Sri Lanka. Both sides to the armed war capitalised on this. There was certainly no Buddhist value in that war between tribal armed forces.

Religions cannot be generally "compared" because most religions have very different foundationary belief and ritual systems. Secondly whether Buddhism is a religion is also debatable. Even if it is, still the constitution does not "compare" it with any other religion. 

I agree. Hence they have separated through Articles 10 & 14. The intent at that time might have been to bring Rural folks under regulated pathways which were religion based. Most religions have this capacity to bring about ‘commonness’. A good proportion of junior caste Tamils embraced Christianity due to separatism on caste basis. LTTE’s leader also swayed between Christianity and Hinduism. It was not merely due to Norway’s influence but also because coastal folks who undertook fishing for their livelihood became Christians. Paashaiyoor in Jaffna is one such Catholic suburb. They are known as Karaiyaar. The Sinhala parallel is Karava. As per my knowledge – Thiruketheeswaram temple in Mannar was built by Karayaar. Wikipedia confirms this as follows:

[Thiruketheeswaram's initial instalment is credited to the indigenous people of the Manthai port, the Karaiyar Naga tribe The Karaiyar claimed to be related to several classical period public figures hailing from the international port town, including the creator of the oldest extant Tamil literature by an Eelam Tamilian, the Sangam poet Eelattu Poothanthevanar.]

And also

[The Naga people were believed to be an ancient tribe who once inhabited Sri Lanka and various parts of Southern India. There are references to them in several ancient texts such as Mahavamsa, Manimekalai and also in other Sanskrit and Pali literature. They are generally being represented as a class of superhumans taking the form of serpents who inhabit a subterranean world]

Naga folks therefore combined their Nature worship with Buddhism . The interesting connection that I make is how the SLFP which brought about this Artilce got only 1 seat in National Parliament and that was from Non-Buddhist Tamil area of Udupiddy. Udupiddy lies along the same coastal area as Uduthurai in Jaffna Peninsula which was known as Naga Nadu:

[They inhabited the Northern and Western parts of Sri Lanka. The Jaffna Peninsula was mentioned in Tamil literature as Naka Nadu, in Pali literature as Nagadeepa and in Greek gazetteer as Nagadiba or Nagadibois. The name Nagabhumi was also found on an ancient coin from Uduthurai, Jaffna and in a Tamil inscription from Pudukkottai referring to the Jaffna peninsula] Wikipedia

Udupiddy is close to the town of Valvettithurai whose native genes are confirmed as follows by Wikipedia:

[The population of the coastal town are predominantly Shaivites. The Kadalodiekal own the major temples such as the famous Vaitheeswaran Sivan kovil. The Kadalodikal (Tamil name for mariners) of Valvettithurai, the wealthier clan of the Karaiyars were specifically involved in the seatrade between Jaffna region and the Coromandel Coast, including up to the coasts of Myanmar. The Japanese occupation of Burma, hindered the seatrade of the Kadalodiekal. Their situation was deteriorated with the colonial independence of Sri Lanka, and many of the Kadalodiekal got engaged in large-scale smuggling between Sri Lanka and India. The town also produced the renowned brigantine known locally as Annapoorani Ammal.^[9] This native vessel known as thoni, built with a blend of Jaffna and European tradition, sailed from Valvettithurai to Gloucester in Massachusetts of United States in 1937. Built in 1930 by native traditional shipwrighters for the purpose of serving as a cargo ship in the Indian rice trade, the vessel was bought by an american known as William C. Robinson. Robinson, changing the name of the ship to Florence C. Robinson (after his wife), sailed to the U.S with a crew of six natives from Valvettithurai including their Thandayal (Tamil for sea captain) known as Kanagaratnam Thambapillai.

As an effect of the 1958 anti-Tamil pogroms, severals students from Valvettithurai formed organisations based on Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism, such as the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), founded by Kuttimani and Thangadurai of Valvettithurai.  One of the earliest members of this organisation was Velupillai Prabhakaran of Valvettithurai, who later became the leader and founder of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Several chief commanders of the LTTE, such as Colonel Kittu, were natives of Valvettithurai]

 

The above explains the Common tribal powers of Sri Lanka which survived the domestication through religions continues to have a home in Northern Sri Lanka. As Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa explained – he needed the ‘jungle-power’ of South to defeat LTTE. Buddhist power would not have brought them victory in that war. In terms of Tamil combatants they ended up in Nandikadal for this very reason. It was an honourable death for soldiers who relied heavily in ancestral powers. During the last days of the 2009 battle, I prayed openly that the LTTE leader would surrender to Nallur Murugan. But now I realize that the LTTE’s parallel was the Nanthi Lagoon which joined them to the Indian Ocean. Thus Nanthi Lagoon is  their parallel of the Bay of Bengal where River Ganga merges with the Indian Ocean. Ashes of created bodies of Hindus is merged with River Ganga which is identified with Lord Shiva. Hence the Memorial by Nature – Water to Water.

To my mind, Southerners used the tribal forces whilst claiming status as Buddhists. The Tamil combatants openly declared separation from mainstream and hence their minds have been made eternal through merger with Nature.

The body perishes but the mind lives on for all believers in their own culture.

 

What the Article 9 states is that it will be considered first in making any State matters of the Republic. 

Was it considered before the tribal war  against the LTTE? If yes, what does Buddha Sasana say in this regard?

 

Thus, your entire case is debunked because you are making a false cause fallacy.

 

May the Dhamma guide you always.

Hindu Dharma guided me in Australia when I felt let down by the State.  The end of that is Natural Justice – as explained above.  If you are a Buddhist – then you can bless only Buddhists.  YOU are the example of why Article 9 ‘enforces’.

Ginige

Gaja