{"id":57737,"date":"2016-08-18T00:34:36","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T06:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=57737"},"modified":"2016-08-17T06:25:44","modified_gmt":"2016-08-17T13:25:44","slug":"continued-constitutional-recognition-of-the-preeminence-of-buddhism-is-no-threat-to-the-secular-status-of-the-sri-lankan-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2016\/08\/18\/continued-constitutional-recognition-of-the-preeminence-of-buddhism-is-no-threat-to-the-secular-status-of-the-sri-lankan-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Continued constitutional recognition of the preeminence of Buddhism is no threat to the secular status of the Sri Lankan state"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Rohana R. Wasala<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

Fears have been expressed by concerned groups and individuals that the special place now enjoyed by Buddhism in the Constitution is likely to be done away with as part of the reforms proposed by the experts appointed to advise the government based on public representations. But government ministers confidently dismiss such concerns out of hand. Important though the subject of the place of Buddhism in the Constitution is, it should not be allowed to be used as a red herring for deflecting attention from other more pressing central issues that should be tackled during the imminent constitution making process to be launched by the current regime. As for this alleged constitutional threat to Buddhism, we can rest assured that there is nothing like that in the offing.<\/p>\n

The existing republican constitution (as amended up to 15th<\/sup> May 2015, i.e., inclusive of 19A, the latest of its periodical amendments) declares Sri Lanka to be a unitary state. Chapter II (i.e., Article 9) concerns us here:<\/p>\n

\u2018The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, <\/em>while assuring to all religions the rights granted by Articles 10 and 14(1)(e<\/em>).\u2019<\/p>\n

Chapter III is headed \u2018Fundamental Rights\u2019, where Article 10 is as follows:<\/p>\n

\u2018Every person is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.\u2019<\/p>\n

And Article 14 (1) (e) is that \u2018Every citizen is entitled to-<\/p>\n

the freedom, either by himself or in association with others, and either in public or in private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching;\u2019<\/p>\n

Some liberal scholars and politicians talk about a so-called Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalism, which, according to them, has called forth answering fundamentalisms from minority groups. These theorists hold it responsible for the presence of the current ethnic problem that constantly undermines the political and economic stability of the nation state. The final report on Public Representations on Constitutional Reform (PRCR) (May 2016) attributes the present troubles to the so-called ethno-nationalism of different groups. Critics often feel that the reformers are targeting to neutralize the supposed ethno-nationalism of the majority community (which is, no doubt, another name for \u2018Sinhala- Buddhist fundamentalism\u2019 ) by modifying or suppressing altogether its various\u00a0 manifestations, the \u2018supremacy\u2019 accorded to Buddhism being one.<\/p>\n

The article in the current constitution that guarantees special recognition to Buddhism is viewed at least in three different ways: some think that such constitutional provision for Buddhism\u2019s protection and growth is absolutely essential in view of the historical link between the Sinhalese, the country, and Buddhism; some subscribe to the view that though it is not necessary, it should be retained as a politically neutral feature that nevertheless symbolizes the predominant Buddhist culture of the country; a third group, perhaps a minority, opposes the continued inclusion of that article on the ground that, in their view, it harms the expected secular character of the country\u2019s democratic government system, and that it institutionalizes discrimination against other religions. Conceptual misunderstandings also cause trouble. Public confusion over the concept of a \u2018secular state\u2019 in this context largely accounts for the controversy. The Sinhala translation of the word \u2018secular\u2019 as \u2018anaagamika\u2019 \u2018not religious\u2019, which is usually misunderstood as something immoral or bad adds to the confusion.<\/p>\n

Chapters 4 (titled \u2018Religion\u2019) of the PRCR report deals directly with the problem we are talking about here. According to the report, three main positions were submitted before the committee: that the state should foster and protect Buddhism, which was countered by the view that the state should be secular, i.e., religion should remain outside the purview of the State, and the third position that all religions should be equally recognized and protected by the State, and hence the title of the relevant chapter in the Constitution should be \u2018Religions\u2019, and not \u2018Buddhism\u2019 as in the current one. Five of the six recommendations that the experts make (to be presented to the constituent assembly for debate) are for retaining the place of Buddhism in some form or other. The only incongruent one is No iv: \u2018Sri Lanka shall be a secular State\u2019. But, during submissions, it was pointed out that the Supreme Court on some occasions had stated that despite Chapter II and Article 9, Sri Lanka is a secular state. (This means that the mere inclusion (in the constitution) of the particular article conferring preeminence to Buddhism, given its unique character as a \u2018religion\u2019, does not make the State a Buddhist theocracy. So the secularists\u2019 attack on that provision is unwarranted. \u2013 RRW). The preponderance of opinion in Chapter 4 of the PRCR report is in favour of retaining the article that grants Buddhism its special status, though with some explicit terms added that assure other religions equal rights (which is in effect what we already have).<\/p>\n

For the majority of the majority Sinhalese, the matter is important because of the long established historical relationship that exists between the Sinhalese, the island, and the Buddha sasana (the Buddhist dispensation), something other ethnic and religious communities also recognize. This unique triad of a people, a land, and a moral philosophy fused into \u00a0an indissoluble organic unity forms the civilisational core of Sri Lanka\u2019s identity as a unitary state. It is the civilization of an island people protected by the most powerful defence known to humankind, the sea, which also afforded the inhabitants of this island, as it did in the case of other insular peoples, the medium for the widest global reach achieved in their history (as evidenced by the advent of Sinhalese ambassadors in the Roman court during the reign of emperor Claudius [41-54 CE], trade ships from Sinhale to Egypt about the same time, Sinhalese Buddhist missionaries in China and other far eastern countries, visits of foreign travelers, and adventurers, exchange of scholars between local and foreign centres of learning, and Sinhalese architectural influence found in edifices built in Thailand and Cambodia , to cite just a few random examples that come to mind); the sea also made them separate, proudly independent, and watchful, and jealously cautious of foreign attention. (Concerns raised about the proposed Hanuman Bridge must be viewed against that \u2018insular\u2019 history.) But the Buddhist values that they shared with other nations made them broadminded, cosmopolitan, and inclusive towards minorities.<\/p>\n

Such is their Buddhist heritage that still informs the broad cultural milieu of Sri Lanka irrespective of different ethnic, religious, and other social identities freely and unselfconsciously asserted and enjoyed by coexisting groups of people that compose its population.<\/p>\n

At a ceremony of Buddhist monks held at the Sri Sambodhi Viharaya in Colombo about three weeks back to felicitate the newly appointed Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter, the Most Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera, \u00a0the Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith commented on the profound influence of Buddhism on the life and culture of all the people of our country. Speaking in Sinhala, he said: In Sri Lanka, there is a certain reality, something that affects the lives of us all. That reality is the Buddha\u2019s teaching. The very air that we breathe is saturated with it. Whatever religion we profess, the shared heritage of this country, the essence of life in this country, its nucleus, is the Buddhist philosophy \u2026\u2026 therefore we cannot set it aside; so, we don\u2019t accept this secular state concept.\u201d (Here he was implicitly referring to the alleged suggestion that the article in the existing Constitution that grants a special place to Buddhism be modified, replaced or removed in terms of the proposed reforms.) The new Mahanayake Thera also warned the powers that be not to try to impose on the country foreign inspired revisions that are detrimental to Buddhism and the nation. The Archbishop showed concurrence with the views of the Buddhist prelate. He solemnly pledged to work in brotherhood with the monks for the spiritual and moral uplift of all the people of the country. The Cardinal further said: We will not leave West\u2019s human rights concepts to submerge our cultural heritage, or abandon it (in favour of those secular values). No human rights are realizable without (the support of) religion.\u201d In conclusion, the Cardinal reiterated his readiness to cooperate with the monks in tackling such issues.<\/p>\n

Our highest respect and reverence are due to the Right Reverend Malcolm Ranjith for expressing those generous sentiments. There is no doubt in my mind that the monks reciprocated those feelings. What better evidence could we adduce to prove that that there is not the sort of religious disharmony here that foreign meddlers wish there were so they could pursue their own agendas? His Eminence the Cardinal\u2019s words light a beacon for the ship of the Sri Lankan state currently sailing through troubled waters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Rohana R. Wasala Fears have been expressed by concerned groups and individuals that the special place now enjoyed by Buddhism in the Constitution is likely to be done away with as part of the reforms proposed by the experts appointed to advise the government based on public representations. But government ministers confidently dismiss such concerns […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rohana-r-wasala"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57737\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}