Gajalakshmi
Paramasivam
23
December 2019
SINHALA
BUDDHISM & THE PRESIDENT
Rathinam our gardener handed over 5 months’
Electricity bills to our coordinator. The last one for the temple showed a
total of Rs. 3,409.53. I generally approve over the phone any amount below Rs.
500. My instructions were to handover the bills as soon as Rathinam collected
them. I asked our coordinator to pay a month’s salary and inform Rathinam that
his services were no longer needed. To
most – the decision may seem harsh. To some others it may seem entertaining –
to the extent Rathinam showed off his
status through this position – often using abusive language to punish rather than
discipline by including. Such inclusion becomes difficult because Rathinam is
very attached this his children and grandchildren who the sources of his
motivation to work at this age. Rathinam is over 70. Rathinam started arguing
with me over the phone – saying that he did not use the Electricity and Water. That
was his measure of right and wrong. I said I was terminating because he had
continued to breach due processes. Last week when he received his wages he did
not handover the bills. I had to remind our coordinator to ask him.
Due Processes like law – confirm invisible Energy of
the person/group that forewent pleasures to develop structures that would
preserve the Energies of the original power. Merging that Toddy Tapper
community with wider society required commitment to higher pathways. Like
English being the link-language as per Sri Lankan Constitution – I became that link in Thunaivi through the secular rules and
laws. My concerns with Electricity was that the youth tap into our system –
which is not uncommon in that area and secondly the meter readers skip a few
months and then charge us cumulatively at the marginal rate. The pain I
underwent previously led me to set down some processes that were to be followed
without question and with diligence. This required respect for my authority.
But when they do not see me – they takeover authority and make out that it is
their private business.
Many times I could not explain to Rathinam because
due to his age he had difficulty coping with a different pathway. Those were
more serious breaches but due to isolation (caste-based) Rathinam would not
have understood the logic. Nor did he respect me as an elder even though he
would ‘show’ it when he desired something from me. I received the ‘show’ as
genuine and hence maintained the
connection. But Rathinam was not grateful. Without gratitude nor respect there
was no real connection / pathway through which we could connect mind to mind. I
reduced his workload but not his wages. Yesterday’s manifestation’s reasoning
would fit Rathinam’s cumulative attitude with me. Had I treated it as an
isolated ‘project’ I would have ended up demoting myself. I maintain records
systematically and the extent to which I come down to do so – is the Energy
that is stored in those processes. This then takes over leadership beyond a
certain point. That point is when a wrong becomes a curse. Whenever I go down
to grassroots level – I contribute to this Energy Saving. The value of Due
Processes through which I expect connections to be maintained is that Energy. If
Rathinam had cheated me in a big way by claiming ownership of the temple –
which habit is in the genes of those folks – that would have become a curse for
his whole family – who have been assisted by me in many ways. Hence when this
happened – I was pushed to terminate his services. I now have to find another
gardener but I felt good that I protected the Energy that protected that
village. Ending that desire was ending his family’s demotion.
In the article Ceylon Today report ‘President Gotabaya Rules Out Devolving Power
To North And East’ Gagani Weerakoon highlights some breaches of the Due
Processes laid down by Lord Buddha which are likely to promote Desire and
therefore Dukkha confirming polarization when emotions are not raised to the
intellectual level and/or level of truth where there is no difference between
the two. Below are some of my responses:
1. [While reiterating that he did not receive
Tamil votes, and a majority of Muslim votes at the Presidential Election, he,
however, said he will not promise to grant federalism or power devolution like
any of his predecessors, to appease those in the North and the East.]
Devolution means that the Central Government deals
only with that which cannot be dealt
with by the Provinces. In the above example – I am the Central and our
coordinator is the local authority. North & East are different to other
provinces including in terms of law and order – due also to religious and
cultural laws including Thesawalamai and Muslim laws. But what the President
fails to recognize is the Economic Advantage of Devolution to such provinces in
recognition of their ability to manage through these local laws.
As per published figures, LTTE were, on average,
about 8% of the official armed forces. If it took the Government 30 years to
defeat the LTTE – one can work out that the LTTE was backed by the invisible
power of ‘Ownership’ felt by the community and the Due Processes carrying that ownership
Energy. In turn, the LTTE was a disciplined group due largely to Prabhakaran.
Discipline is essential in any armed force to control is tendency to use
emotional authority.
Whether the Sri Lankan Government acknowledges it or
not – Tamils, Muslims and Christians were alienated by the Government through
Sinhala Buddhist majority.
When we divide at visible outcome level – we shrink.
When we share power at Policy level we carry the power exponentially – as in
Soul Power. This is the value of true ownership which is exponential and
therefore the value of the whole is greater than the sum of the individual
parts.
2.
[He said this when
asked about his plans to garner votes in the North and the East, and his future
plans to achieve reconciliation. President Rajapaksa said he could only promise
security and economic development to the people in those areas.
"Security is vital.
If there is terrorism and communal violence, there won't be peace or
reconciliation. I will ensure development, so the gap between rich and poor
will be reduced. I met Bishops from those areas, and they all spoke about
vocational training opportunities and skills development, to end unemployment
in those areas. I will promise those," he said.]
This year’s
Easter Bombing happened in West and East. The fact that tourism was targeted confirms
opposition to ‘foreigners’ as in Bali bombing. Through shared ownership we
diffuse the urge to separate and therefore cure ourselves of the ‘separatism’
weakness. That way security is self-developed and natural forces protect and
lead us.
3. [President Rajapaksa insisted that they should not expect
power devolution or federalism from him, as he will not promise those like any
other politician.
"They have been promising those for so many decades to deceive voters. I will not promise those because it is not practically possible to keep those promises. I will not do anything against the wishes of the majority," he emphasised.]
"They have been promising those for so many decades to deceive voters. I will not promise those because it is not practically possible to keep those promises. I will not do anything against the wishes of the majority," he emphasised.]
Where the Will of minority is stronger than the
wishes of majority – devolution happens naturally – as manifested in 1977 and in 2015 when Tamil Political group
became leading Opposition in National Parliament. Whenever Sinhala-Buddhist
politicians use Buddhism to show majority power – they downgrade themselves. Being
influenced by wishes of majority
effectively is a promise to rule by desire. Anyone who values Buddhism would
recognise that:
1. Dukkha
- Suffering is Natural.
2. The
root cause of Suffering is Desire
3. Cessation
of Dukkha ends with cessation of Desire
4. The
pathway is one that would lead to Nirvana / No Desire.
The example of Dukkha identified by the President
is:
["When I
was the Defence Secretary, I remember a father came to see me. He brought sand
collected from the site where his son got killed in an artillery shell attack,
and wanted to do a DNA test from whatever human specimen found in that sand, to
make sure that his child was actually killed. No matter what, as parents, it is
difficult for a parent to digest that their child was killed, unless they see
the dead body," he elaborated.]
What was the Root Cause of this father’s Dukkha ? To
my mind it was his desire to know that his son should live.
The President did not identify with the solution –
i.e. the Cessation of this father’s desire for his son to live.
The reason why the President could not identify with
the solution is in the following passage:
[Asked whether
he would lead the election campaign, President Rajapaksa said; "Well, the
faction I represent has the most popular and the best politician Mahinda
Rajapaksa to lead the campaign. When it comes to setting out and executing the
election mechanism, we have Basil Rajapaksa, who is undoubtedly the best. I
will just support them, as those two can lead the campaign."]
A President who is himself strongly attached to his
biological brothers to ‘win’ votes – is the parallel of the parent who wants continuity
of his body through his son. The family is an autonomous unit and when one
experiences completion through that unit – one takes only the Truth / Nirvana
of that experience – into one’s work / social / Public life. When one extends
those relationships – one confirms rebirth which confirms continuity of Desire
and Dukkha.
Hence if the President’s family wins – we are
assured of More Dukkha.
The end of body completes life only when one loses
consciousness of that body. The father needed to know whether his son got
killed – so he could perform the ceremonies/Due Processes to raise the life-value of that son towards higher
value in next birth. There are numerous parents
like the above father who do not know whether their children are living or have
died. The need is to share in their pain as if it is that of the nation’s and
therefore of the President’s. If the father who came to the President was a
Tamil – then by including Tamils as part of his ‘family’ – the President would have ended his own
desire and that of the Tamils who politicized ‘missing persons’. To deny
knowledge is also politicising.
To my mind, the Right Pathway is Commonness until we
see no beginning nor end. One who ‘sees’ the beginning needs to see the end to
complete. At the age of 70 – a President who is strongly attached to his
biological connections – can promise only division and therefore more seeing and
not Nirvana. Sinhala-Buddhists who elected him would thus demote their branch
of Buddhism to physical connections and continue to multiply their Dukkha.
Those who opposed this President – including Tamils
and Muslims – would attain Nirvana by managing with the little they have and by
exponential sharing through higher level.
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