Baby jumbos, Buddhism and baloney
Posted on August 8th, 2009

By Janaka Perera Courtesy Asian Tribune

Do Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Buddhists today have a moral leadership?

This question has to be raised in the wake of humbugs calling themselves Buddhists trying to cover their naked immorality with a legal fig leaf.

If ever there is contest in obfuscation KandyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Diyawadana Nilame Nilanga Daela Bandara, Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge and the Mahanayakes of Malwatte and Asgiriya will be the top prize winners. Their response to the baby elephant abduction issue reminds us of a deaf character in a Sinhala folk tale. When asked where he is going he says, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I have coconuts in my bagƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (Yanne koheda malle pol).

Addressing a media briefing over the Max television channel on Thursday Daela Bandara seemed to be blowing his top off over the accusations he is facing. He made a stupid attempt to justify his sinful act by diverting attention to utterly irrelevant issues like the wild elephant slaughter by Europeans during the British colonial era and blasting imaginary NGO conspirators trying to undermine Buddhism. His and Minister LokugeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s attempts to cover up the dastardly deed is not going to fool anybody since the crux of the problem has nothing to do with violating the law or stealing but forcibly separating sucklings from their anguished mothers violating all accepted moral norms. Babies whether they are humans or animals are not meant to be snatched from their mothers but weaned away whereas what occurred at Pinnawela was a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”legally sanctionedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ bull-in-a-china shop scenario.

Are these a new breed of terrorists in religious garb?

Hats off to the National Bhikku Front demanding a public apology from the Diyawadana Nilame and others for insulting Buddhism The NBFƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s action is all the more laudable since the Buddhist Jaathika Hela Urumaya which strongly supported the Animal Welfare Bill is deafeningly and strangely silent on this issue, which also relates to the same subject. We wonder whether the DN will now allege that non-Buddhists and Christian Evangelists are manipulating the National Bhikku Front.

It is heartening to note that the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Sathva MithraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ organisation has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, against the forcible removal of the two under-age baby elephants. Whether or not the petitioners win the case (because the law is an ass) the matter will surely draw wide public attention both in Sri Lanka and abroad.

The forcible removal of the two baby tuskers ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Raju and Sindu ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” from the Pinnawela Elephant orphanage on the pretext of festival requirements goes to prove that this country is fast becoming a case study in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Show Boat Buddhism.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Using Cabinet approval as a license to separate sucklings from their anguished mothers exposes the depths to which the so-called custodians of the religion have sunk. While the government is promoting the International Breast Feeding week that began on Saturday August 1 two baby elephants have been deprived of their motherƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s milk and warmth.

Adding insult to injury Minister Lokuge (on Rupavahini news July 31) is saying that if the need arises the mothers would be brought to feed the babies! Otherwise it is powdered milk for them. And Diyawadane Nilame Daela Bandara is pictured feeding the two captive elephants after having done all the damage. No explanation is given to the agony caused to the mother elephants. This is no different from forcibly taking away a breast feeding human baby from its screaming mother and then saying everything is okay because it is given powdered milk and other food items.

Whom are these clowns trying to hoodwink? Surely it cannot be the intelligent public.

The Young Zoologists Association have charged that the two calves were being beaten with poles by their keepers as they had turned aggressive deprived of motherƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s milk and care. Pictures of this brutal act have been published in the , August 2 The most heart-rending part of story is of the mothers pining for their off-spring at the Pinnawela elephant orphanage. An Island report states orphanage officials as saying that the nipples of the she-elephants were swollen as they could not feed their babies. When the vets were treating the mothersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ milk was spraying from the nipples. They had also been injured when they were desperately trying to prevent the babies from being separated. According to the vets the mothersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ milk might clot in their breasts causing serious complications unless they are allowed to feed their babies.

The morons who caused this unimaginable suffering to these hapless animals should drink the milk themselves, as a Divaina journalist has suggested. These imbeciles are perhaps giving a new twist to panathipatha ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” BuddhismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s first precept. That is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-killing is bad but cruelty is okay.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Panathipatha does not mean only abstention from killing but also refraining from deliberately causing harm and suffering to living creatures as writer L. Jayasooriya has correctly pointed out.

Article 9 of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Constitution gives Buddhism a predominant position and condemns cruelty to animals. What occurred in Pinnawela was downright torture according to eyewitnesses. Have these self-proclaimed Buddhists forgotten ahimsa (non-violence) and maitri (compassion) towards living creatures?

According to the Sri Lanka Wildlife VeterinariansƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Association as reported in the press weaning baby elephants at an early age could lead to nutritional complications such as protein deficiency resulting in the swelling of the abdomen, calcium deficiency that could cause abnormalities and fractures. Bottle feeding these very young animals could cause indigestion, lactose intolerance, infections of the digestive systems causing diarrhea, anemia, dehydration and other complications which could be critical to their survival, the association further stated.

Officials have also warned that sudden separation of baby elephants from their mothers leads to behavioural changes like aggressiveness in those females that could cause conflicts between other elephants as well as their keepers. Elephants are known to have very good memories. If as a consequence of the incident the pachyderms develop hatred towards humans and cause the death of an orphanage employee or a visitor the self-righteous abductors will have to bear full responsibility for such a tragedy.

Here we are reminded of the famous king elephant (Raja) which died of under a hail of bullets trying to save its herd during an attempt to push them into a kraal (enclosure) many decades ago. The Sinhala song Panamuray Eth Raja composed in the memory of this brave tusker still mesmerizes many a listener

Neither the Buddha Dhamma nor the laws of nature approve manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s cruelty to animals and we earnestly hope that retribution will come to the culprits behind this despicable act. There can be no hope for the future of Buddhism in this country if everyone who condemns evil deeds done in the name of the noble religion is branded an anti-Buddhist conspirator and enemy of the Sasana. Sweeping the dirt under the carpet is definitely not going to help Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Buddhist cause.

It appears that these bogus Buddhists and foreign-funded Christian evangelists are competing with each other to see who will cause the most damage to the islandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Buddhist heritage and image.

– Asian Tribune –

One Response to “Baby jumbos, Buddhism and baloney”

  1. keerthi Says:

    Call me a Christian evangalist, anti-Buddhist conspirator, enemy of the Sasana, NGO conspirator or Mara. I love it.

    Truth has no religion. Therefore, no religion has truth!!!!!

    The Buddha himself was a son of a king. He had so many kings such as Bimbisara, Kosala, the Lichchavi kings and Ajasatta as his friends and followers. Yet he never asked any of those kings to make it national religion in any of their countries. His teaching was not a religion but a path for total emancipation of people of all religions or beliefs. He declared his teaching, the Dhamma is not for every one but for Pannawantas (Panna wantassa maya dhamma). Therefore, “Buddha Damma” cannot be a national religion in any country.

    But, “Buddhism” the religion made by lay monks about 500 years after the Buddha can be a national religion where you have blind “believers”. Buddha Dhamma cannot be challanged. But Buddhism can be challanged and argued at.

    Buddha never asked to do Perahera and never rode elephants. Never used auspicious times. But his tooth relic is taken on elephants and taken out only on an auspicious time! If his relics really have the super-natural powers that Buddhists believe they posses, why did he ask to crimate his body after death? He should have asked to mumify his body instead and taken to each country around the world! They believe it rains when his tooth relic is removed from where it is placed. But, during his life he sometimes passed through droughts and did not have water to drink! The Buddha should have had at least 32 teeth and if they are so powerful he should have given at least one to 32 separate countries and made the world a very fortunate place!

    In Kalama sutta Buddha asked not to believe even what he teaches. But, Buddhists “believe” the statue they worship is that of Buddha’s while none of the followers today have seen him. The monks, his so-called followers, are bold headed. But in the statue Buddha has a long hair knoted at the top. Buddha’s hair relics recently displayed in Sri Lanka were longer than that of a pony tail! Statues were made about 250 years after the death of The Buddha. But the oldest statues found in Afganistan show unusally long hair knotted beautifully at the top!

    The tooth relic in Sri Lanka is said to have already tested in India under the sledge hammer before it was taken to Sri Lanka. Why do Buddhists believe that story? Can’t we do another test in Sri Lanka?

    The temple teaches possesive desire is bad. But you cannot find a key bigger than what they have in the temple anywhere in the village! They spend millions for Perahera while the country is poor. They spend so much for clothing the elephants while countries poor bearly cover their body with cheap and used cloths. They lit the whole Dalada Maligawa and even you find bulbs on elephants while majority of the population is in total darkness!

    They believe the tooth relic can bless and give you protection. But there are more than 500 police and army personnel gaurding the tooth relic! The Buddha said you are your own saviour. But, they bless the protection of triple gem and the protection of the tooth relic! The Sri Maha Bodi is also said to give protection and still it too is heavily gaurded by police and the army! Unlike at any Buddhist place of worship and exactly like what they do in Hindu temples you can see they put dots of ash on the forehead of the devotees at the Sri maha bodi!

    They start rains retreat “Vas” exactly when the dry season starts in Sri Lanka’s dry zone! This August the drought had been so severe! At the start of Vas they beg the monks who live permanently in the temple not to leave it during Vas period!

    In Thipitaka The Buddha banned the Arahaths from performing any form of miracles while he was alive. But in Mahawansa, 250 years after The Buddha, Arahath Mahinda who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka had performed so many miracles! Even they believe women of Anuradhapura could not dry their paddy due to shadows of Arahaths flying like clouds in the sky! Unluckily no female Arahath had flew in the sky! They have even not done Pindapatha!Even Arahath Mahinda’s sister came to Sri Lanka in a ship and walked to Anuradhapura from Jaffna despite being female!

    When you talk about Sinhalese they call you a racist. When you talk about silly Buddhism they call you anti-Buddhist.

    Let them do more silly things until an Arahath emerges and preach true Dhamma.

    Keerthi Wijayatunga

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