Decapitated Buddha statue
Posted on March 17th, 2018

Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 Canada

16 March 2018

The Editor (Letters)

The Ottawa Citizen

Dear Editor:

On Friday, 16th morning, the Buddhist monks of the Hilda Jayewardenaramaya at 1481 Heron Road, woke up to a heartbreaking sight outside on the Monastery’s front lawn.

The four-foot white Buddha statue sitting on a four-foot pedestal had been decapitated and the head was broken to pieces and strewn on the carpet of snow. This peaceful Buddhist community was in shock and numbed and some were in tears.

We have difficulty to accept such an insensitive, moronic act in a very civilized, sophisticated and a compassionate Ottawa which is home for thousands of peace loving Buddhists.

If this statue-assassin’s intention was to break the spirit of us Buddhists,

then the person was wrong.  Yes, the person did hurt us, but not our spirit and Ottawa will continue to be our home as Buddhists, and for some of us for the rest of our lives. And I humbly request this person not to hurt us again, as we do not deserve it.

Since we Buddhists have to live in harmony with whoever you are in our fair City, I encourage you to try a daily half-hour session of the ancient art of Buddhist miraculous techniques of Metta Bhavana (Meditation on Loving kindness) to overcome your anger and resentment, and Anapana Sati , Mindful Breathing Meditation which will help you to calm yourself and develop inner peace.

As Buddha’s tenet teaches us about compassion (Metta), I am being honest when I say to this Buddha-statue vandal – may you be well, may you be happy, may you be peaceful and may you be loved. And please take good care of yourself.

Asoka Weerasinghe

Coordinator of Outreach Programs and Meditation Leader

Hilda Jayewardenaramaya

Ottawa

15 Responses to “Decapitated Buddha statue”

  1. Charles Says:

    And the Tamils in Sri Lanka want a statue of Mandela set up in Jaffna.

  2. Nanda Says:

    I imagine if actualy the Buddha was sitting there what would have happened.

  3. Hiranthe Says:

    They won’t dare to do this to a weapons and swords bearing Hindu God’s statue with a fear of retaliation.

    Lord Buddha preached Ahimsa and lived a life of a humble monk although he could have been the “Sakvithi King” and was above all the so called Gods who worshipped Lord Buddha with great respect.

    Whom these fools are messing with? It is ignorance. Let them be in peace and realise their folly and seek solace from the Dhamma preached by the Lord Buddha to clear their hatred which otherwise will kill then internally..

  4. Hiranthe Says:

    @ Asoka,

    On another note, I feel shocked to see this sacred statue exposed to harsh weather!!

  5. Lorenzo Says:

    BAD things happened to those who damaged Buddhist objects of worship. Buddhists do NOT worship rocks, clay, genitals, etc. But NO ONE has the right to destroy others’ objects of worship. I don’t believe in KARMA (an evil concept based on revenge) but BAD things always happened to people that damaged Buddhist things.

    1. In 2001 Afghan Taliban BOMBED Bahamian statues. The same year USA invaded Afghanistan and BOMBED as NO COUNTRY was BOMBED in the 21st century. The war killed over 1 million Afghans.

    2. In 2004, a group of Muslims BULLDOZED a Buddhist temple in the east of SL (“Dighawapi”). The same year a MASSIVE TSUNAMI BULLDOZED everything they built on that site.

    3. Maldives BURIED Buddhist shrines and guess what – Maldives will be BURIED under water in another 30 years’ time!!

    4. In late 1800s Japanese emperor Meiji ordered to attack and WIPE OUT Buddhist shrines apparently to “modernize Japan”. During the time of his grandson, two NUKE bombs WIPED OUT everything on ground in 2 Japanese cities!

    5. In 2011 supporters of a certain Tamil Nadu politician attacked and CONFINED a SL Buddhist monk. Just 5 years later that Tamil politician was CONFINED 3 times – first to prison, next to hospital and then to death!

    6. In 1985 Endian funded HINDU terrorists attacked JAYA SRI MAHA BODHI in Anuradhapura SCATERRING THE PLACE WITH DEAD BODIES. Before a year passed the siege of the GOLDEN TEMPLE in Endia killed scores of Indian Hindus SCATERRING THE PLACE WITH DEAD BODIES.

    7. In 1987 Hindu terrorists killed 30 Buddhist monks WHILE CHANTING RELIGIOUS CHANTINGS (“Ithipiso”). Just a year later Endian IPKF air force killed over 100 Hindus in a Jaffna kovil WHILE CHANTING RELIGIOUS CHANTINGS.

    8. In 1998 Tamil terrorists EXPLODED part of the SRI DALADA MALIGAWA. Exactly 10 years later an EXPLOSION of a Tamil weapons dump EXPLODED the adjoining Tamil kovil.

    9. Jaffna Hindu king Sangili poisoned and killed Buddhist monks and PARTLY DESTROYED the Kantharoddai Buddhist temple. Just a few years later the Portuguese captured him (later killed) and PARTLY DESTROYED the Hindu kovil in Nallur.

    10. Endia REJECTED Buddhism about 1,000 years ago. Since then Endia’s independence has been repeatedly REJECTED, invaded and attacked by MUGHALS, EUROPEANS and CHINESE/PAKISTANIS.

    I pity the ethnic community that decapitated the Buddha statue and FEAR DIVINE JUSTICE that awaits their entire ethnic community. VERY VERY SAD for you! When you SIN, it tastes like HONEY but when the JUDGEMENT DAY comes, your sins will taste bitter like KASAYAM.

  6. Nanda Says:

    Lorenzo,
    There is a Sinhala Buddhist stanza we used to sing in Daham Paasela.

    Karana Kalata Pau Meeriya Mee se (When you SIN, it tastes like HONEY)
    Vindina Kalata Duk Dediveyi Ginise ( when you suffer (due to sin) it will be as hard as burning in fire)

  7. Nimal Says:

    This the work of some ignorant idiots and we should put up with it, without reacting to it.I remember in 1960s the had erected the statue of Gandhi in front of the Indian YMCA in Fitzroy Sq in London W1.People was so outraged they started patronizing the nearby YMCA during their meal at lunch. I knew several of my colleagues who were working nearby felt very sad and concerned. Idiots and bigots will be ignored and decency will prevail. They can’t erase the teachings of Buddha and this stupid act will attract the attention of the decent non Buddhists.

  8. Vijendra Says:

    Buddhist philosophy is based on avihimsa or compassion. This also involves conducting their business in a manner not to be an unnecessary target by arousing others’ animosity. There is no doubt that a Buddhist statue is a must inside the temple. However, such a statue placed outside the building as an exhibit, exposed to the elements is not serving anyone but to arousal hatred in their selfish and crooked minds when they see such an exhibit. So, Buddhists must re-consider the value of having such a statue outside the temple itself in a country where Buddhism is not the main religion. The money needed to repair the statue can be put to better use as there are nice and beautiful statues of Lord Buddha already available inside the temple for those who want to calm themselves and offer Buddha pooja. In my humble opinion, there is no benefit in having a Buddha statue outside the temple building as an exhibit in this cold country, as no one really goes there to offer pooja.

  9. Ananda-USA Says:

    Vijendra,

    I beg to differ.

    Buddha statutes are MAINLY placed out in the open air, conforming to the larger Buddhist TRADITION of building Buddhist Temples that are UNCONFINED and OPEN unlike Christian Churches and Hindu Kovils.

    I have visited many LARGE and OLD ChRiston Chuchest and Cathedrals

  10. Ananda-USA Says:

    Vijendra,

    Oops! Continuing my previous comment, when I am at a Buddhist Temple, I feel calm and at peace with myself and with nature. The white sand of the court yard, the protein white dagaba rising in the distance and the fluttering of the bo-leaves and a Buddha State placed on an open air pedestal are things that I enjoy and would not exchange for the grandness of a Christian Cathedral, the Tall heavily decorated pyramid of a Hindu Kovil or the Tall slender minarets of a Muslim mosque.

    Let us TREASURE the open architecture of the Buddhist TRADITION and it’s inestimable ONENESS with Nature!

  11. Ananda-USA Says:

    Vijendra,

    The OPEN ARCHITECTURE of Buddhist Temples also EMPHASIZES the CRYSTAL CLARITY and LOGICAL CONSISTENCY of Buddhism as few other temporal Buddhist symbols do.

    There is a embedded powerful subliminal message in the architecture of Buddhist Temples that conveys it’s meaning better than a million words. I would not want to change that TRADITION for any reason.

  12. Fran Diaz Says:

    What a great shame to destroy that beautiful Buddha statue.
    The person/persons who did that crime must be very unhappy and filled with anger.

    What can we Buddhists say ?

    Let us say “May all be well & happy”.

    Happy people will never destory any beautiful statue.

  13. Hiranthe Says:

    Thank you Lorenzo for the detailed analysis and Nanda for the comment.

    Good explanation:-

    “When you SIN, it tastes like HONEY but when the JUDGEMENT DAY comes, your sins will taste bitter like KASAYAM”

    “Karana Kalata Pau Meeriya Mee se (When you SIN, it tastes like HONEY)
    Vindina Kalata Duk Dediveyi Ginise ( when you suffer (due to sin) it will be as hard as burning in fire)”

  14. Nanda Says:

    Let me add some further explanation (may be useful to Lorenzo more than others.)

    Here, some idiot belonging to a religion or a ‘free thinker’ comes and smashes the serene Buddha statue head off.
    What kind of thoughts they have that time doing it.

    1. It could be extreme anger – buy a Jihadist hearing trouble in Sri Lanka
    2. It could be an ignorant gorup of teenangers for fun

    Regardless of who they are, their thoughts cannot be happy thoughts. On the otherhand when hundreds of people who see this statue in its original serene form, there are hundreds of thoughts of people with peaceful hapiness. Those who did this are now depriving it. It is also the being represented by the statue is an extreme human being above all Gods in action. Buddha did not do any harm to anyone or carryout ANY kind of punishment or a reaction to anyone or created an individual who suffers all his/her life. Those punishments evil people suffer are self inflicted due to ignorance, hatred and desire of various kinds). Buddhism has no ‘punishment’ unlike all other religions.

    “By oneself is evil done; by oneself is one defiled. By oneself is evil left undone; by oneself is one made pure. Purity and impurity depend on oneself; no one can purify another.”

  15. Fran Diaz Says:

    There may be some low cunning/politics involved in this shameful act ?

    We wonder what are the Canadian authorities doing about this ?

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