Dr Sarath Obeysekera

In recent years, social media platforms such as Facebook, Messenger, YouTube, TikTok, and other online networks have become powerful tools for spreading news, opinions, and unfortunately, rumors and sensational stories. In Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks often become subjects of intense public scrutiny whenever allegations of misconduct arise. Videos, photographs, and accusations spread rapidly, creating public outrage and embarrassment for the Buddhist community.

This raises an important question:
Why do Buddhist monks appear to face greater public exposure compared to clergy of some other religions?

Part of the answer lies in the unique nature of Buddhist monastic life in Sri Lanka.

Unlike many religious systems where clergy enter religious service as adults after years of personal choice and preparation, many Sri Lankan Buddhist monks are ordained at a very young age. Some enter temples as children or teenagers from rural villages, poor families, or deeply religious homes. The temple becomes both their school and their home.

These young monks are not born saints. They are human beings undergoing discipline, education, and spiritual training while living within society itself. Buddhism openly recognizes that ordinary human desires, emotions, and weaknesses do not disappear instantly merely through ordination. Spiritual development is understood as a gradual journey requiring discipline, mindfulness, sacrifice, and self-control.

In Buddhist teaching, higher spiritual stages such as Sotapanna, Sakurdagami, Anagami, and Arahant represent progressive liberation from worldly attachment. Until such spiritual maturity is genuinely achieved, human weakness may still exist.

This is not unique to Buddhism.

History shows that every major religious institution in the world has faced moral failures among some members of its clergy. The Christian world has witnessed major scandals involving priests and churches in various countries, including cases of abuse that remained hidden for years before whistleblowers and investigative journalists exposed them publicly. Similar controversies have affected religious leaders in many faiths and even secular institutions.

The difference is often not the existence of human weakness, but the level of public visibility.

Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka function as highly open community institutions. Monks interact daily with villagers, devotees, politicians, businessmen, schoolchildren, and the wider public. Their lives are visible and accessible. As a result, any misconduct — real or alleged — quickly becomes public discussion.

By contrast, some other religious systems operate within more closed institutional structures where internal disciplinary matters may remain less visible to society. This does not necessarily mean fewer problems exist. It may simply mean that the organizational structure controls information more tightly.

At the same time, modern social media thrives on controversy. A single accusation against a monk can generate thousands of shares within hours, while the silent service performed daily by thousands of dedicated monks receives little attention.

Across Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks continue to provide enormous social service — conducting schools, caring for temples, counseling families, preserving culture, helping the poor, supporting villages during disasters, and guiding people spiritually. Many live simple and disciplined lives with remarkable sacrifice and commitment.

Yet the public conversation often becomes dominated by the failures of a few.

This does not mean genuine misconduct should be ignored or hidden. Religious institutions, including Buddhist institutions, must uphold accountability and moral standards. Wrongdoing should never be protected merely to preserve reputation. Honest self-correction is essential for the health of any religion.

However, society must also be careful not to allow selective outrage, misinformation, or sensationalism to destroy respect for entire communities based on isolated incidents.

Sri Lanka’s religious harmony depends on mutual understanding and fairness. No religion gains by humiliating another. No faith community is strengthened through hatred or mockery. The moral struggle against human weakness is universal.

Perhaps the deeper lesson is this:

Religions are carried not by perfect human beings, but by imperfect people striving toward higher ideals.

The challenge for all faiths is not to pretend human weakness does not exist, but to cultivate honesty, discipline, compassion, and spiritual growth despite it.

In an age of viral judgment and social media outrage, wisdom, balance, and fairness have become more important than ever.

Regards,
Dr Sarath Obeysekera