Buddha’s preaching’s and Politics

Shenali Waduge

The core of Lord Buddha’s teachings rest in what we know as the Middle Path. The path enunciated by Lord Buddha was explained by the Four Noble Truths : There is suffering, the cause for suffering is craving, if craving ceases, suffering ceases & that there is a path to the cessation of suffering. That path was called the Noble Eight Fold path:

Right Understanding (Samma Ditti), Right Thought (Samma Samkappa), Right Speech (Samma Vaca), Right Action (Samma Kammanta), Right Livelihood (Samma Ajiva), Right Effort (Samma Vayama), Right Mindfulness (Samma Sati) & Right Concentration (Samma Samadhi).

In a population of 20million people Buddhists in Sri Lanka account for 71% of the population. Yet, in a land where Buddhism takes such prominence unfortunately it is this very craving that has proven the undoing of Sri Lanka and the disintegration of its society over the years following Independence.

Our political arena is in a sorry state. We pass on Governance every six years to a party / individual with faith that he/she and his new Government will take us out of this oblivious state we have fallen into – a few months is perhaps all the public receives as acknowledgement of thanks and then we see a return to corruption, commissions & chaos and all the ills associated with bad governance.

Each time the public expects a difference it is sadly disappointed.

The cravings that Lord Buddha so rightly spoke about and advised us not to fall prey is what has led these men and women in Parliament to be blind to the Noble Truths and the teachings of Lord Buddha.

It is easy to lay blame on the politicos but apart from a handful of Buddhist clergy in remote temples in Sri Lanka the rest of the Buddhist clergy are really no better. A simple dana has been turned into a sumptuous buffet with menus being given by Buddhist monks & at times dictating what they desire and not what is being served. Their cravings today far exceed that of ordinary laymen.

Is this really what Lord Buddha has been preaching? Our younger generation is not learning what Lord Buddha has preached but a distortion of what people have customized to suit their existence.

With more and more followers of Lord Buddha increasing globally it is sad to say the least that our politicos, our clergy and even the people are not following the correct Path that Lord Buddha has preached.