Who is afraid of the Buddhist flag? (Educating Navanethem Pillay)
Posted on September 4th, 2013
C. Wijeyawickrema
Pillay’s guts before a multi-cultural President
Would a Pillay dare to ask a US president why he always ends his public speeches with parting words, ƒ¢¢”š¬…”God bless youƒ¢¢”š¬‚ or ƒ¢¢”š¬…”God bless Americaƒ¢¢”š¬‚? Would she ask so from the Queen of England or the King of Norway? But it is alleged that she had the nerve to ask the president of Sri Lanka why the Independence Square has a Buddhist flag flying.ƒ”š‚ She is justified in asking this because if Sinhala Buddhist politicians now say that Sri Lanka is not the country of the Sinhala Buddhists but a multi-cultural zone in the Indian Ocean, then there must be multi-flags, one with a black cross, one a crescent moon in green and one with a tri-shuula. Or there should be no flags at all.ƒ”š‚ The Buddhism ministry PM who should really be in a retarded retirement home, handed over the Sambuddha Jayanthi celebration to lebbes and multi-faith agents, so the local agents who supplied fodder to Pillay must have asked her to put this question to the president as a trial balloon or to give an inferiority complex to the president (What they really wanted Pillay to ask was about the lion holding a weapon against the minorities on the national flag that Ashraff raised in the past). We do not know what his response was. As reasonable Sinhala Buddhists we must respond to Pillay as she is only a cat’s paw of the international Christian evangelical movement supported by US presidents and UK prime ministers and others in the west.
(horizontal stripes represent the races of the world living in harmony, vertical stripes represent eternal world peace)
Reasonable minorities
Rich Christians, who have controlled Sri Lanka since 1931, now by 2013 have confidence to openly say that ƒ¢¢”š¬…”the Sinahala Buddhist foundation of Sri Lankan society should be erased.ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ƒ”š‚ Rosy Bernadine Senanayaka leads this group with the likes of Ranil W and Mangala S behind the scene.ƒ”š‚ Even Sonia (Antonia Albina) Gandhi did not want to say such a thing in the case of India, despite the fact that the balkanization of India is a grand Christian evangelical movement now in full force.ƒ”š‚ The only person who explained Sinhala Buddhist position was Sarath Fonseka before he became a victim of international king makers’ conspiracy led by Robert Blake and Ranil Wickremasinghe.ƒ”š‚ The army general Fonseka said so correctly and in so simple words that ƒ¢¢”š¬…”Sri Lanka is the country of the Sinhala Buddhists. Other minorities can live in Sri Lanka with equal rights and equal opportunities. But they should not make unreasonable demands.ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ƒ”š‚ Russia’s Putin said the same thing about Russia just a few days ago. This was also the same idea that the late Prof. Gunapala Malalasekera said in 1956.
ƒ¢¢”š¬…”The Buddhists wishƒ¢¢”š¬-and quite rightlyƒ¢¢”š¬-that in this country where they form 70 percent of the population, Buddhism should be recognized as the predominant religion of the people. In the rest of the world, Ceylon is regarded as essentially a Buddhist country, and they want this claim established here as wellƒ¢¢”š¬‚¦They will not be content to remain in the position of inferiority to which they have been reduced by 450 years of foreign occupationƒ¢¢”š¬‚¦ Theyƒ”š‚ have no desire to make Buddhism the State religionƒ¢¢”š¬-in spite of the cry raised by self-seeking politiciansƒ¢¢”š¬- but they want the State to help them rehabilitate themselves and undo some, at least, of the injustices perpetrated against them during the days of their subjection.ƒ¢¢”š¬‚
(From a speech by Professor Gunapala Malalasekera, President of the All-Ceylon Buddhist Congress, printed in Times of Ceylon, January 15, 1956, reproduced on page 196 of the book, ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ Ceylon: Dilemmas of a New Nation by W. H. Wriggins, Princeton Univ. Press, 1960, p. 196).
This was after DS Senanayaka, on the advice of Sir Ivor Jennings, told him that there is no Fourth Refuge in Buddhism called ƒ¢¢”š¬…”Aanduwa Saranam Gachchaami.ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ Suffice it to say here that the late Mahanayaka the Ven. Balangoda Anandamaitreeya once said, ƒ¢¢”š¬…”If Sir D. B. Jatilleka became the first PM of Ceylon, the fate of the country would have been different.ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ ƒ”š‚ President MR still has time to not become a R. Premadasa who relied on Malayali poosaariyas or a King Rajasinghe who destroyed Buddhist temples.
What is Buddhist Flag?
If Pillay was properly briefed by local UN agents and local NGOs she would not have asked a stupid question from the president about the Buddhist flag.ƒ”š‚ Buddhist flag is a universal flag of a religion that never used sward, bottle, bread or dollars to convert others. If president had genuine Buddhist advisors with him he could have achieved a real Pillay Damanaya that would have tamed her for her own good. There was a time that when Vesak was to be declared a public holiday in Ceylon, the Sinhala representative objecting saying ƒ¢¢”š¬…”there is one week of holiday for Christmas and therefore there is no need for anymore religious holidays.ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ The British governor said he was embarrassed by the behavior of this ƒ¢¢”š¬…”Sinhala representative.ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ƒ”š‚ That happened in 1884. In May 1880, at Galle, Ceylon, ƒ”š‚ the American, Col. Olcott became the first white Buddhist in the world. While American evangelical schools started in Jaffna in 1820, it took 60 more years before a Sinhala Buddhist school began with foreign support.
A committee of Buddhists designed the Buddhist Flag and was hoisted for the first time on 28th May 1885, Vesak Full Moon Day, by Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera at Deepaduththaramaya in Kotahena (The Kotahena riots, which started with an attack on a Buddhist procession by Catholics, took place in 1883. The British rulers took the side of the attackers. The Great Panadura Debate took place in 1873). The flag was reduced to its present size on Vesak Full Moon Day in 1886. It remains unchanged to this day and is used by all the traditions and schools of Buddhism throughout the world.
Professor G .P. Malalasekera was instrumental in making it the Flag of the Buddhist World. His proposal at the meeting of World Federation of Buddhists held in Kandy on 25th May 1950, to accept it as the official Buddhist Flag. It was accepted as the International Buddhist Flag by the 1952 World Buddhist Congress.
ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ The original design’s six colours; Blue (nila), Yellow (pita), Red (lohita), White (odata), Scarlet (manjestha), and the mixture of these six colours (prabaswara) of the flag represented the colours of the aura that emanated from the body of the Buddha when He attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.
1. Blue: signifying the concept of loving kindness and peace in Buddhism
2. Yellow: signifying the Middle Path, that is, the complete absence of form and emptiness
3. Red: signifying achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity.
4. White: signifying purity and emancipation that the Dharma will always exist regardless of time or space.
5. Orange: The essence of Buddhism which is full of wisdom, strength and dignity.
6. The Combination of these five colors symbolizes that it is the one and only Truth.
Pillay needs to know the following
- The Buddhist flag does not belong to Sinhala Buddhists even though it began in Ceylon with an American actively behind it. It is like the UN flag
- ƒ”š‚ In Islam and Hindu religions Buddha is recognized as a saint or an avathar
- Jesus is believed to be lived and died in Kashmir as a follower of Buddhism
- In Arabia and Israel Buddhism was a religion in the 5th century before Christ
- The Sri Pada Mountains is venerated by Christian and Islam believers too
- Buddhists never used sword or bribes to convert others
- Buddhist formula is as simple as Einstein’s formulas viz. 4NT+(8NP)
- The Four Noble Truths and the Eight Noble Path is a universal truth as the sun is always rising from the east.
- You need to discuss items 7 and 8 with Bishop Desmond Tutu and former US president Jimmy Carter as all three of you are prejudiced against Sinhala Buddhists due to sheer ignorance or dishonesty.
- Why do you think two former Indian presidents, both non-Buddhists and one is half-Tamil, declared publicly that the solution to world’s problems could be found through Buddhism?
- Not only the Buddhist flag does not belong to Sinhala Buddhists, but it does not belong to president Rajapakse or other politicians in Sri Lanka.
September 4th, 2013 at 3:20 pm
To quote the article:”“The Buddhists wish—and quite rightly—that in this country where they form 70 percent of the population, Buddhism should be recognized as the predominant religion of the people. In the rest of the world, Ceylon is regarded as essentially a Buddhist country, and they want this claim established here as well…They will not be content to remain in the position of inferiority to which they have been reduced by 450 years of foreign occupation… They have no desire to make Buddhism the State religion—in spite of the cry raised by self-seeking politicians— but they want the State to help them rehabilitate themselves and undo some, at least, of the injustices perpetrated against them during the days of their subjection.”
I am a Catholic Sri Lankan. but my Grandfather on my fathers side was a Buddhist Scholar of the highest standard. He would translate Pali scriptures brought to him by the Bikkus since they were unable to fully comprehend them. He converted to Christianity under British rule so that he can get a position as the president of a school but the moment he retired he reconverted to Buddhism. His philosophy or justification was to do what it takes under the British to earn enough to support a family of eight children and a wife. He bought a plot of land in Dehiwalle which was roughly two city blocks large and raised his children where his eldest son, my father, Dr. Edward Frederick Reginald Wijeyasingha became a Medical Doctor. His second eldest son. my uncle was one of the first to graduate out of Oxford and held a position in the government. his name is Mr. Leslie Wijeyasingha. My other uncle Mr. Bertram Wijeyasingha also held a high position in the government. My Grandfather’s wife, my Grandmother was a staunch Catholic so her children were raised as Christian.
I say this because even though I am a Catholic by birth I fully support the Buddhist Sanga and go one step further than the quote in this comment. Sri Lanka should and must became a Buddhist nation recognized by the State. Only then can the Constitution be written according to the philosophy of Buddhism and not by Secularism as demanded by Mrs Pillay or the Western world. A Buddhist nation recognized as the state religion can allow the freedom of other faiths to function but restrict them from converting or demanding a separate state based on their religion or ethnicity. Finally a Buddhist nation recognized by the State will finally give the powers inherent in the Buddhist Sanga to act in an equal manner as the State in deciding the future of Sri Lanka.
This is not unique as over 50 Muslim nations determine their future by Sharia laws and the acceptance of Islam as the State religion. If the UN recognizes their right to elevate the faith of the majority to that of an official status then Sri Lanka has the legal right to do so and by doing so claim all parts of Sri Lanka as Buddhist which allows the function of other faiths.
September 4th, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Indeed SL MUST be a Sinhala-Buddhist country. That is the ONLY uniqueness of this nation. EVERYTHING else is found elsewhere!!!
Lord Buddha departed the subcontinent ONLY to visit SL. 3 times. NO OTHER country has that honor. Krishna, Christ, Allah, Mohammad never visited SL.
Tripitaka was written in SL. Not in Endia, not in Thailand or Burma.
Holy Bible, Bhagawat Geeta, Koran, Hadith and Torah were all written ELSEWHERE and ALIEN to SL.
(A chapter of Jewish Torah was written in Sinhala in SL a few years ago with the participation of a Jewish Sinhala Buddhist monk in SL.)
September 5th, 2013 at 1:39 am
It is the Buddhism much more than Sinhala that Tamils hate. No wonder Nondi Pillay didn’t like it.
September 5th, 2013 at 9:38 am
now sajith premadasa and his mother too are with rosy senanayake. most of the sinhala Buddhists u.n.p voters are ignorant about what is happening in the party
ravi ranil rosy sajith mangala are all traitors. Buddhists monks should not accept sajith”S donations to temples. this money comes from ROSY”s CHURCH.
ANY WAY IF WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO CAN SAY THAT THIS COUNTRY IS A SINHALA BUDDHIST COUNTRY AND ACT ACCORDINGLY THERE WILL BE NO PROBLEMS
September 5th, 2013 at 12:58 pm
NOTE that Vaiko OPPOSES the building of a Dam across the Cauvery River because it adversely affects Tamil Nadu. With Vaiko, it is ALWAYS what benefits Tamils … to hell with ALL other people!
More importantly, State Powers in India limit National Development Projects that cut across State borders.
This will happen CONTINUOUSLY in Sri Lanka, once the TNA assumes control of the Northern and Eastern Provincial Councils. The TNA will OPPOSE every National Project that will benefit non-Tamils living in bordering Provinces.
Still think the PCs should have LAND Powers?
The People of Sri Lanka will RUE THE DAY when UNREPENTANT SEPARATISTS were allowed to ATTAIN in PEACE the RACIST GOALS they failed to WIN by an UNREMITTING RACIST WAR lasting 30 years!
…………..
Oust Lanka from commonwealth, says Vaiko
By Express News Service – VELLORE
September 5, 2013
Sri Lanka should be removed from the Commonwealth for its anti-Tamil activities, said Vaiko, president of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (MDMK) here on Wednesday. He was here in Vellore to participate in the preparatory meeting for the party’s 105th birth anniversary conference of Aringnar Anna, at Virudhunagar on September 15,
Vaiko said the Congress has betrayed the interests of people of TN and Tamils in Lanka. “Sri Lanka should be removed from the Commonwealth and the meet should not be held at Sri Lanka,” he said, adding, “I do not want India to boycott the meet; by doing so, the Congress would take advantage politically.” He said,“People had lost faith in the Congress-led UPA due to the bad economic policies leading to an economic disaster.”
On a dam across the Cauvery at Meghadathu, Vaiko said the project should be stopped as it was against the interest of people of TN.
September 5th, 2013 at 4:59 pm
“now sajith premadasa and his mother too are with rosy senanayake. most of the sinhala Buddhists u.n.p voters are ignorant about what is happening in the party”
Sajith, his mother, sister, sister in law, Vesi Senanayaka, Eran W are ALL BORN AGAIN Christians.
Born again Christians are the Wahabi equal of Christians.
September 6th, 2013 at 2:43 am
Nanda
It is the Buddhism much more than Sinhala that Tamils hate ( also vice versa) – That is the fact but no one accept !
do you thing Tamil & Sinhalese have any problm ? No
but Bhudish & Saivar have problem ! but no one aggred with me !!!
September 7th, 2013 at 5:50 am
Christie Says:
September 7th, 2013 at 3:49 am
I just got some news from a friend in the island nation. He tried to put a paid advertisement in the Daily News and the Island news papers. The DN Advertising manager refused to publish it even it was a paid advertisement. The Island took it and the money but later refused to publish it and offered to refund the money.
The ad was a 2 columns by 5 cm:
” Navi Pillai; Hon UNHRC You are an Indian colonial parasite from Africa Hence you should keep out of the affairs of the subjects of the Indian Empire”
The DN is a government run news paper and the Island’s owner Upali Wijeyawardana was blown off by the Indian colonial parasites of Malaysia, agents of the Indian Empire.