jayalath jayawardana gena katha karana kota menna me letter eka mage mathaketa awa
read this--
Last week’s Sunday Island newspaper carried a news item "Dr. J.J. Spearheads Buddhist Temple project in Tamil Nadu."
By Dr Jaysuriya--USA [
Note: Dr. Jayalath.Jeyawardena is Catholic Christian!]
As a Buddhist this is my response to this news item:
Cardinal Ratzinger, known also as God’s Rottweiler, gave a key-note address to San Francisco Spiritual Community before the 9/11 World Trade Center event. In that speech he stressed the Vatican’s success in defeating Communism in Europe, and went further to state that the future challenges from Buddhism can also be defeated in the same way.
Tamil Nadu (TN) had a wonderful and colorful Buddhist history just like ours in Sri Lanka. Most of the historical TN Buddhist temples are now converted to Hindu Kovils. When Dr. Ambedkar read Dr. Lakshmi Narasu's “THE ESSENCE OF BUDDHISM” he decided become a Buddhist. TN now has a very strong atheist movement with a long history and also, importantly, some rationalist progressive political movements that venerate and support Saddarma of Sakyasimha, our teacher.(Religion of the Modern Buddhist by L.Narasu, completed in early 1930s)
Venerable Anagarika Dharmapala did not have much success in propagating Buddhism in India. He was the greatest Sinhalese that ever went there to propagate Buddhism, but he put too much trust in his fellow Sinhalese who had come with him to India. He was also expecting genuine support from his trusted Hindu friends but their support never materialised.( ref: Ven. Sangarakshitha (UK) books)
In happy contrast, when Dr.Ambedkar started to propagate Buddhism it started spreading in India and still that wheel is rotating. He used Buddhism as a Mass Social Justice movement, as a Mass Education movement, and as a Family Planning and Women Empowering movement. That spirit or torch is still burning brightly in most parts of India. Chief Minister Mayawathi and Late Poolan Devi (who visited New Jersey Buddhist Community) were products of those movements.
The American Buddhist community works with genuine Buddhist grass root activists in TN. Women leaders become Bhikkhunis without robes. These Buddhist movements posed challenges to the TN Catholic Social justice Movement which is well funded by the Vatican. Dr. Jayalath.Jeyawardena (J.J.) is bringing ritualistic (Vishnu) Buddhism from Sri Lanka (i.e.Bellanwila) to TN Hindus. But TN Hindus are even more bigoted and reactionary than Hindus in north India.
Nevertheless, fair minded and educated people in TN still consider Buddhism as the real and only alternative to the Hindu Ritualistic caste establishment. Buddhism is not in any way connected with Hinduism. (Well explained by Lal Mani Joshi, Periyar, Jamanadasa, Dr.Ambedkar and Ven. Palane Vajiranana Mahathera). But Dr. J.J. – Catholic Christian! - brings real estate on a tray to our monks to enjoy but at the same time he is destroying the uniqueness of Indian Buddhism.
Please allow Indians to propagate Buddhism in India. Do not forget that Buddhism originated in India. It is the greatest and the most wonderful part of Indian History. Do not allow Catholics to propagate Buddhism anywhere for whatever purpose. Sinhalese Buddhists need to be self critical about participating in these dubious kinds of action.
S.D.Jayasuriya - New Jersey
March 10th., 2008
