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Hypocrisy of Buddhist Sermons.

By Charles Perera

Perhaps when Shenali Waduge wrote the title to her article, The Hypocrisy of Buddhist Sermons, she did not mean to generalise that Buddhist Sermons are nothing but hypocrisy.

That is understandable, if Shenali is not conversant with the teachings of the Buddha, and therefore does not understand on what grounds a Buddhist priest in a sermon which she happened to listen , could interfere into the freedom of the people to do what they want with what they earn.

The Buddhist priest was obviously addressing a Buddhist audience, and therefore he was not interfering into the freedom of the people , but trying to remind them how one should live a Buddhist life according to the teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha was a human being, and he knew the failings of the people. He taught that there are three factors that lead human beings to get blindly enmeshed into suffering. They are firstly, the attachments which consists of desire, possession, and enjoyment, secondly aversion, which is dislike, anger, jealousy, and hatred, and thirdly delusion, with all that comes along with it, foolishness, pride , conceit and stupidity.

Life one would say is not always suffering, there is also a time to enjoy. That may be so but one who is enjoying life may think that pleasure and enjoyment will last for ever and suffering if it comes it may be a long time after. They will unfortunately not be ready the day when the suffering comes down on them with all its force. That is the nature of life, therefore one has to be reminded and kept informed of the darker days that may arrive.

The Buddha did not only tell the people to follow his teaching to attain Nibbana, but he also told lay people how to lead a good life, and as living a good life is not the whole of it , also to prepare themselves for a life hereafter.

In one of his discourses called the Singalovada Sutta, Buddha tells the lay people what reciprocal duties have to be performed by one another- such as between a husband and a wife, father and a child, teacher and a pupil, a master and a servant, employer and an employee. In Viyaggapajja Sutta he speaks about accumulation of wealth, how to protect it , and live according to one's means. In Sampada Sutta the Buddha advices the lay followers to exert diligently in what ever business undertaking, to mange wisely what has been earned, associate with a circle of good friends, and live within one' earnings, not spending lavishly what one has lawfully earned.

The sermon Shenali had heard may have been based on one of these discourses of the Buddha, to tell the Buddhist audience not to indulge in unnecessary expenditure, and to live
a good life, be simple and generous. It is true that people most often when they have the means do not reflect wisely when spending it. Attachment or desire is such that people are never satisfied, more they have more they want.. A father who has money will always by a present to his little child every day when he comes home, while the neighbour who is poor may have no such chance of showing his love to his child. That causes jealousy, anger or even an unpleasant environment.

It is therefore good to remind people to change their habits, to be generous, kind, and wise. Therefore Shenali the Sermon has to be viewed in the context in which it was made without jumping to conclusions to write about The Hypocrisy of Buddhist Sermons.

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