22  December 2023

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

 

 

HINDU BRAHMINS V BUDDHIST MONKS

GTF & BUDDHIST CLERGY

 

Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth. – Mahatma Gandhi.

 

On 17 March 2021, I wrote under the subject matter ‘GTF vs LTTE.  On 19 December 2023, I was referred to the article headed ‘GTF-monks’ Himalaya Declaration: Asgiri Chapter backs imprecise yet progressive objectives’

 

It came to me through a Tamil Diaspora Elder. Another Elder responded ‘Imprecise is the accurate  term’.

The former concluded ‘Against this backdrop, the Siam Sect’s Asgiri Chapter’s Supreme Sangha (Buddhist clergy) Council’s Secretary Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Thera yesterday (18) told The Daily Morning that the Asgiri Chapter will not obstruct any efforts which are being taken to restore national harmony and reconciliation, and that therefore, the said declaration will also be supported by the chapter in spite of the parties who drafted it, only if it does not harm the coexistence and territorial integrity of the country.’

I responded to this as follows:

“Our former PM John Howard often used the word ‘coexistence’. I rejected it then and do so now. We need to merge as sovereign communities  or relate through common laws and principles. Coexistence sounds lifeless and seems to promote ‘sitting on the fence’ attitude.”

Below are some excerpts from our discussion with those who contribute to Commonness:

Common Tamil Elder:   It would be good to have good relations with the Buddhist Monks, as most have good qualities, and are trustworthy compared to politicians. I remember Uncle X who was a good Buddhist as well as having a very open mind.

Perhaps at last we can move forward towards cordial and peaceful co-existence.

I knew so many Buddhists at University, sports and at work, never having any conflicts. We Sri Lankans are friendly and connected by similar religions.’

 

Gaja: Monks are the parallels of Brahmins. Brahmins promoted caste based discrimination due to their desires. When that force was beyond their control, it produced its enemy in the form of  Sinhalese politicians. Otherwise, the junior caste would have resorted to reverse discrimination and it would have seriously damaged our investment in higher education. In the case of Buddhist monks the risk is promoted by ‘Buddhism foremost’ policy. Given that both – Brahmins and  Monks claim to be close to the ‘absolute’ when they ‘cheat’ the ‘opposite return is also close to absolute. Hence GTF does not have the capacity to naturally offset  the exponential spread of the almost absolute return of Buddhism foremost. In fact by dealing directly with the monks, they are disadvantaging the secular part of the Tamil community. LTTE on the other hand is promoting investments in temples. If GTF has merged with LTTE, then the resulting war would be like Hamas v Israel

Common Tamil Elder: You have made very valid points , Gaja.  I am in agreement with most of your points of view; as per my understanding the majority of the organizations in the Tamil diaspora - post July ‘83 - had been sympathetic towards the causes of Tamil militancy: not only the LTTE , EROS, EPRLF even the other minor groups, had diaspora associations allied to them, though the LTTE supporters dominated influencing diaspora organizations. As far as I had been given to understand the members of the GTF were a bunch of vacillating individuals , shifting their alliances and varying their policies regarding Tamil self determination: the members of the Forum seemed a more affluent lot than the other associations with greater mobility. The members of the British Tamil Forum have always been more steadfast in their stand concerning Tamil aspirations . The rest of the diaspora lot who had been supporting the LTTE , subsequently shunned the GTF .

 

Gaja: Thank you Aiya. You state :

 

[The members of the British Tamil Forum have always been more steadfast in their stand concerning Tamil aspirations]

This is confirmed by my knowledge. With LTTE, I have deep intelligence by living with them as part of them. They inform me from within

Common Tamil Elder: Thank you for your opinion, Gaja.

Gaja: Thank you for your analysis

 

Common Tamil Elder: The Brahmins are selfish, inventing castism to put themselves above other professions, when the advaita principle clearly puts everyone on the same level as Atmas.

 

Gaja: Yes. When we realise the  formless, we appreciate the Oneness of the Soul. But where majority in the whole, are primary level thinkers we need competition and therefore two sides through which to realise the whole. Sports are examples of this. Hence in Democracy, Equal status for Opposition. But the catch is to invoke the invisible power of our ancestry through the vertical pathway. Brahmins became ritualistic and ‘forgot’ that the junior castes were part of themselves. Hence they lost insight into their own juniors. To the extent Junior caste folks were true to their own forms of God, they get separated by Truth itself. But when we realise their truth, their insight into juniors gets restored and they become One whole. There are many such seniors amongst Tamils.

 

Common Tamil Elder: Buddhist Monks on the other hand arose from the rejection by the Lord Buddha of the false inequality among humans.

Gaja:  Thus they became Buddha’s Opposition. Hence they empowered genuine Tamils who opposed the Buddhist government.

 

Common Tamil Elder: I am personally against any terrorist organization starting another civil war, when a peaceful approach tallies with Buddhist and Hindu principles.

Gaja: Some wars prevent Terrorism.

 

Common Tamil Elder: The Bhagavad Gita of course dwelt on DUTY and GOD's will.

Gaja: Duty arises when we have a structure. Structure forms naturally when we make sacrifices of earned benefits.

The sacrifices we made become our intuitive intelligence. When this happens, there is natural restructure of our system. The pathways through which we made  those sacrifices become the protecting armour/kavasam. Karnan was born with such kavas am. Every morning  I pray to Sun to help me protect my opportunities and also to render me the Energy to work those structures. My husband’s senior at the workplace,  (he was of Hungarian origin) said to me at the hospital that I was like the sun around whom the family revolved. Our daughter and Param were hospitalised after a vehicle knocked them down at a pedestrian crossing. I relied on that ‘certificate’ to sustain me through that trauma. This strengthened my structure.

 

 

Common Tamil Elder: The Pandavas under Lord Krishna tried all peaceful methods before resorting to War.

Gaja: Hence the natural restructure that upholds the values espoused through  Bhagavad Gita

 

Common Tamil Elder:  Just my opinion that another Civil War will damage all credibility of the minority Tamils, and make us outcasts in Sri Lanka.

Gaja: No one but ourselves can make us outcasts according to Advaita.

 

Common Tamil Elder: The World in this Kali Yuga too readily tries to solve all problems with force.

Gaja: Hence it is necessary to use intellectual/educational power to Oppose and prevent us sliding down to Asura level, while claiming status as intellectuals.

 

Common Tamil Elder: LTTE investments in temples seem hypocritical, as are the investments in Buddhist Viharas in the North East.

Gaja:  This in essence means you are against GTF partnership with Monks.

If you observe impartially, you will note that most in North are Vairavar / Kali temples .

‘as are the investments in Buddhist Viharas in the in the North East’

Not if they have merged Buddha with Muruga, and Kaliamman.

 

Common Tamil Elder:  It would be best if both sides invested in the knowledge of their respective Religions such as AHIMSA.

There is no room for PRIDE and VIOLENCE, promoting the concept of separation.

 

The Elder then referred us to the Sri Lanka Guardian Editorial ‘Himalaya Declaration: Bridging the Chasm Between Rhetoric and Reality’

I then thought of Nilantha Ilangamuwa, the founding editor of Sri Lanka Guardian, who valued my articles to regularly publish them.  In its own way that past investment drew my attention to the line ‘The Himalaya Declaration emerges as both a lyrical ode to the stunning landscapes of Nagarkot….

Then as is my way, I looked up Wikipedia and found the following:

Situated in a strategic location, Nagarkot was an ancient fort of the Kathmandu valley built to monitor the external activities of other kingdoms. Later, it became a summer retreat for the royal family before becoming popular as an international hill station.’

This meant it protected the then leaders through ‘intelligence’ about outsiders. Then I felt the intuitive urge to look up Nagar and the following came to me from NAGAR.org:

‘Nagars are believed to be one of the oldest of the Brahmin groups. Historians claim the origin of Nagars to be purely Aryan, having come to India from Southern Europe and Central Asia. They migrated through the Hindu Kush to either Trivishtapa or Tibet; later through Kashmir and settled around Kurukshetra.’

 

It was intuitive intelligence, invoked by a service oriented group of Sri Lankan Elders of Tamil origin. Kurukshetra is the birth place of  Bhagavad Gita . I felt that Lord Krishna was blessing our group of Elders.