Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 02 April   2016

Nainatheevu  or Nagadeepa ?

The ethnic problem of Sri Lanka is highlighted yet again through the island of Nainatheevu in Northern Sri Lanka. This island is known to Sinhalese as Nagadeepa – Island of the Nagas (Nagam = Cobra). The latest row is published as follows:

Ceylon Today - Nagadeepa Prelate accuses Jaffna GA – By Priyapema Manikkaratne

[The Chief Incumbent of the Nagadeepa Temple Venerable Navadagala Padumakiththi Thera claims that the Government Agent of Jaffna has sent a letter ordering construction of the planned 75-foot Buddha Statue at the Nagadeepa Temple in Jaffna to be halted immediately. The construction is estimated to cost Rs 120 million.
The Chief Incumbent made this statement to devotees who participated in the Reconciliation Tour which connects the 'thalpatha and panhinda' at the Nagadeepa Vihara and met him at the temple recently.

The Chief Monk said there is a conspiracy being hatched to destroy the Nagadeepa Temple which, because of its importance, can help forge reconciliation between the people of the North and the South and that the letter sent by the Government Agent of Jaffna confirms that there is a hidden hand behind this conspiracy.
The Thera said  he strongly suspected mala fide objectives here judging by the manner in which the Government Agent of Jaffna and other officials are acting while everyone including fishermen in Jaffna have said that they will provide assistance to construct the Buddha Statue.

Venerable Padumakiththi Thera added that construction of the Buddha Statue will not be halted irrespective of any impediments. He said he hopes that the attention of the government including the President and the Prime Minister, as well as top officials will focus on this problem and issue directives changing the decision of the Government Agent.]

In terms of Law and Order, the Buddhist clergy are no exception to the ordinary citizens. By expressing his expectation that  the President and the Prime Minister would intervene in the Administration of  the temple – the Buddhist Chief Monk has confirmed that he is part of the reasons for the breakdown of Law and Order in the country.

The Government Agent may be right or he may be wrong as per the law in making the ruling he is alleged to have made. But Due Process needs to be followed in establishing how the Buddhist Chief  made his decision. If the monk’s decision was made as per Buddha Sasana as facilitated by Article 9 of the Constitution – then the Government Agent who is a Hindu is entitled to include his belief in making the decision – the belief that Buddhist construction would damage the rights of Hindus and therefore would be in breach of Article 14 (1) (e ) which states as follows:

(e) Every citizen is entitled to - the freedom, either by himself or in association with others, and either in public or in private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice or teaching;

If indeed the Prime Minister and/or the President intervene/s to overrule the Government Agent – they would be guilty of acting in breach of Article 14 (1) (e )

Strangely, the recorded background to the Buddhist part of the island goes as follows:

[The site is known as the place where Lord Buddha came during his second visit to Sri Lanka, after five years of attaining Enlightenment, to intervene and mediate in settling a dispute over the possession of a gem-studded throne.

When Buddha arrived and saw the Naga Kings prepared for fighting, Budhha used psychic powers to appear in the sky performing miracles. This made the Nagas astonished and happy. After having listened to the Dhamma sermons displaying Buddha's masterly knowledge of unity and harmony, meththa and compassion, the Naga kings paid homage to Budhha with overwhelming faith. The throne was offered to him in unison and they became pious devotees.

The Naga King Maniakkitha, ruler of Kelaniya, moved by the compassion of the Buddha, thanked him profusely for settling the dispute.]

One could therefore conclude that the actions and expressions of the Buddhist monk are not in line with the above heritage of Higher Powers. Neither the Prime Minister nor the President claim to have attained Enlightenment and therefore neither could play the role of Buddha in this instance. If they do so claim – they need to also demonstrate their higher powers of Truth.

I am a Hindu and I believe in Nagapooshani Amman. I learnt from my mother that our uncle Sri Khanta who is one of the predecessors of the current GA in that position of GA Jaffna - also believed in Nagapooshani Amman of Nainatheevu. I learnt from my mother that Mrs. Sri Khanta had prayed at the temple and received confirmation that her husband would win that job. As per my mother -the indicator was the camphor sending a spark from the ceremonial flame – very similar to the following example that reached me today from Mr. Samy Pasupati - a nephew of Mr. & Mrs. Sri Kanta:

These are the parallels of Lord Buddha’s ‘miracles in the sky’ to bring the dueling tribal leaders out of their lower mind order.

To me it is no coincidence that I received the above message on the day I read the article about Nagadeepa problem as reported by Ceylon Today. Yesterday, in relation to Sri Lankan Airlines I stated as follows:

[Sri Lankan Airlines – in reality became ‘Inner Budget Unit’ of the Government in 1998 – except that the Government here is not just Sri Lankan Government but also Government of Dubai – the owner of Emirates. ]

Even in families we have the inner units known as immediate family and outer units known as extended family. Those who are bound by belief are part of the inner circle and they share each other’s Energy (positive or negative) naturally. Some may be biologically distant from the head of the family but they may be bound more closely to such a person through common belief – sometimes even if the two have never met. I feel this with some of my ancestors and my father in law and more recently with my brother in law who passed away in 2010 and over whose Intestate Estate there is a Testamentary case being heard through Thesawalamai Law. By preparing for this hearing I learnt about the wealth of Thesawalamai and the height of the minds that drew up this Constitution for Northern Sri Lankans driven more by experience based knowledge than by external knowledge. Through this process I became part of the inner circle of Thesawalamai leaders. Once we are in this inner circle –we do not need ‘proof’ nor knowledge-based arguments. We know through that Common Belief whether the person Administering / Judging is part of us as a group or is an outsider.  If former, we would naturally abide by their decisions. If latter we have the responsibility to insist on objectively measurable proof as outsiders or subjective proof as relatives.

I knew this in relation to current reporters who wrote about Sri Lankan Airlines. I knew this also about lesser Australians at   University of New South Wales whose Vice Chancellors sent me to prison for making my declaration based on this Belief in the Institution. A few within the University who considered me to be the ‘enlightened  person’ sought to support me and felt supported by me. That is the way Ownership Energy is shared instantaneously – as between mother and child.

In terms of Nainatheevau – the Buddhist temple is a minority power – a distant relation to the Hindu majority in that land area. Minorities  are entitled to use the outcomes produced by majority for their own purposes but they do not have the authority to ‘tell’ on behalf of the whole nor do they have the responsibility to accept the authority that tells them. The Chief Buddhist monk has every right to establish through lawful process that the Government Agent was acting in breach of the law but he does not have the right to ‘tell’ on behalf of the government. Such telling needs to be limited to Buddhist circle which may include the President and the Prime Minister if they are Buddhists – but they can express and/or act - only through Article 9. They in turn do not have the right to ‘tell’ a Hindu Government Agent due to Article 14 (1) (e ).

The roles are reversed at National level – with Buddhists forming government. They do not have the right to ‘tell’ followers of other religions but have the Responsibility to actively tell Buddhists through Article 9. This would go against Sri Lankan Buddhists taking Equal position in countries outside Sri Lanka – including here in Australia where a migrant has the responsibility to take Equal position with others until known otherwise through merit. That is owed to Australia not only by the Government but by all of us – especially migrants. I believe that by insisting on Equal footing – I protected my Sovereignty and the dignity that comes with it. That is the riches heritage I share with those who believe in me and in whom I believe.