{"id":59045,"date":"2016-09-23T21:25:11","date_gmt":"2016-09-24T03:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=59045"},"modified":"2016-09-23T14:10:35","modified_gmt":"2016-09-23T21:10:35","slug":"world-fellowship-of-buddhists-wfb-must-strive-to-be-on-par-with-the-organization-of-islamic-cooperation-oic-and-world-council-of-churches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2016\/09\/23\/world-fellowship-of-buddhists-wfb-must-strive-to-be-on-par-with-the-organization-of-islamic-cooperation-oic-and-world-council-of-churches\/","title":{"rendered":"World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) must strive to\u00a0be on par with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and World Council of Churches"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shenali D Waduge<\/span><\/b><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Colonial rule was about takeover of nations, conversion of people and plunder of resources. Fast forward to the 21st<\/sup> century has the objectives of the former colonial countries in the West changed? If colonials were Western Christian invaders today we have a competition between Islam and the Church for supremacy. The only nations that\u00a0have not taken over completely are the majority Buddhist and Hindu countries. Therefore, while theosophical discussions and debates on theoretical Buddhism can be put to another day, the most pressing need of the hour for the Buddhist world is to identify the challenges, incursions and prepare a strategic plan to meet them without behaving like ostriches. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) are to meet again in South Korea from Sept. 26 -30, 2016<\/span> for its 28th General Conference. While previous agenda items have been on \u2018intercultural\u2019 and \u2018inter-religious\u2019 dialogue it is time to wake up to the fact that these are smokescreens floated by the two competing religions to bring Buddhism and Hinduism on par where they are the minority and once that is achieved by virtue of their global influence take over and dictate the agenda. The Majority Buddhist and Hindu nations\u00a0agreeing to dilute their historical status to the same level will eventually end up in expunging the place that their religions historically held. South Korea is an excellent example of Christian Evangelicalism reducing the once majority Buddhist population into a religious minority within a span of a lifetime while Maldives is another example of Islam wiping out the Buddhist heritage totally. These two examples should suffice to ring alarm bells of the likely scenario awaiting the handful of remaining Theravada Buddhist countries. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important that the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) take stock of the dual importance of first identifying and meeting the incursions taking place while also promoting the virtues of Buddhism as against the violence that Abhramic religions promote. The Western leaders all openly align with their commitment to Christianity while at the same time having no conscience about dropping bombs or sending drones where unarmed civilians are getting killed, injured and displaced. Buddhists in Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Korea have not forgotten the bombs that fell on them nor the identity of the parties that bombed them thereby committing some of the most horrific crimes against humanity in the last decades. The Day of Accountability for crimes committed against innocent Buddhists by the western colonial powers is yet to come. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Similarly, the Islamic terror cults are all carrying out terror quoting from the Quran. Other than in self-defense Buddhists have never waged a single war of conquest in the name of their religion neither have they invaded nations to forcibly convert natives with sword\/gun. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also important for the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) to take stock of why the West is pivoting towards Buddhism and Asia, and why those born into Buddhism who are mostly poverty stricken are being converted to Christianity\/Islam as a result of the better life being promised. These are unethical practices no doubt but there is a problem and the problem is that those leaving Buddhism do so not because they want to but because other religions are offering them relief for their poverty. These are factors that the Buddhists meeting at International Conferences need to address immediately. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a world where cruelty towards animals and the animalistic instincts of man combined with the vagaries of the fast-paced competitive capitalist lifestyle is draining out humans, the Buddhist world must come out with new Buddhist economic structures and peaceful Buddhist value systems that can salvage the situation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also a good time to address the profane cultures and value systems that are ruining the youth primarily as a thirst for profits by parties creating all sorts of nuances to draw innocent victims to their fold. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most important factors that the WFB forum need to realize is that a very deep seated systematic effort is being made to destroy Buddhist cultural heritage \u2013 with the ICC recently declaring the distortion of history and destruction of cultural property as a war crime, countries where Buddhist artefacts, sites etc are under threat must be tabulated and through the forum presented globally demanding action. A global voice is what we Buddhists need. One country meekly putting their threats to the world will not suffice when the culprits come from the two religions competing with each other to dominate the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Some of the incursions that Sri Lanka currently faces are listed below:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>In a majority Buddhist country the historic place of Buddhism is being challenged by non-Buddhists,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Christian-controlled media demonizing Buddhists\/Buddhism<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Demands for one law for all to be replaced by minority religious laws making a mockery of the sacrosanct principle ‘ Equality before the law’\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Minority-religious banking methods all with long term plans<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Demand for mono-ethnic conclave independence<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Minority politicians not representing interests of the country but only their minorities& thereby creating injustices and unfair treatment<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Influencing weak government officials and acquiring and making incursions into sacred Buddhist sites<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Minority politicians ruining environment by destroying natural forests for settlement of their minorities<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Mushrooming madrassas and evangelical churches \u2013 brainwashing people<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Foreign funding via Churches and Mosques to buy land at whatever price<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Concerted effort to remove the historical place afforded to Buddhism in a new Constitution being created to respond to demands of the minorities plus the geopolitical agenda of foreign parties<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Demands for removal of Sinhala Buddhist settlements and calls to destroy the Buddhist architecture of historical Buddhist sites<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Demands for minority religious new trends to be applied to all \u2013 halal <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Free flow of missionaries \u2013 Islam and Christian to increase their flocks<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

These are only a handful of examples that needs to have strong statements by a global Buddhist voice \u2013 in the absence of such every day the Buddhist space is shrinking and there would be no requirement for any Buddhist forum or gathering if those that are meeting in South Korea play ignorance to the threats and stick to discussing only Buddhist theology.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

The subject of protection and preservation of Buddhism must be given more emphasis at World Buddhist Conferences than topics with hidden agendas such as ‘ inter – faith harmony’ and ‘peace building’. These are all cosmetic exercises to trap followers of Eastern Dharmic religions while plans are afoot to remove the Buddhist identity of historic Buddhist countries that still contain over 70% Buddhists in the general population. The sanctity of the Maha Bodhi Temple at Buddha Gaya must be maintained without any qualification. The Govt. of India must ensure that the peaceful environment in the vicinity of the Maha Bodhi Temple continues and is not compromised b<\/span><\/b>y caving in to unreasonable demands of non – Buddhists.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

It is time the Buddhists of the World put their heads together to confront the crisis facing the Buddhist world.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\n

Shenali D Waduge<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shenali D Waduge \u00a0 Colonial rule was about takeover of nations, conversion of people and plunder of resources. Fast forward to the 21st century has the objectives of the former colonial countries in the West changed? If colonials were Western Christian invaders today we have a competition between Islam and the Church for supremacy. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59045","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=59045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59045\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}