After the defeat of terrorism

Rajah Kuruppu

Nearly three decades of terrorism in our country appears to have been brought to an end by the triumph of the military forces over the terrorists recently. A colossal price has been paid in terms of human life and limb as well as the destruction of substantial material assets of the nation. We have been recording an annual growth rate of around 6 percent over the past several years.

Perhaps, it would have reached 9 percent or 10 percent, if not for the destruction caused by the civil war which adversely affected the normal growth of production and the opportunities foregone by the insecurity that prevailed over that period. It was the communal disharmony in the country that was the root cause of the rise of terrorism. Those who seriously suffered from this conflict belonged to all the major communities in the country, Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim.

At this juncture, it would be prudent to reflect on the reasons for the communal disharmony that led to the brutal civil war and contemplate on measures that may be adopted to prevent communalism from raising its ugly head again with all its serious destructive consequences.

According to the Dhamma, the greatest living thing in the world is the human being and within the human being the greatest thing is the human mind. From a purified mind, wholesome actions, both physical and verbal, follow. On the other hand, from a defiled and corrupted mind, the results would be the opposite. For this reason, the Buddha declared as recorded in the Dhammapada, a collection of important sayings of the Buddha, as follows. “The mind is the forerunner of all states of being, the mind is supreme and mind made are they.”

All physical and verbal actions, other than reflex actions, originate in the mind. An important noble quality advocated by the Buddha for the purification of the mind is Metta, which is the sincere wish for the happiness and welfare of all living-beings.

A significant and indispensable characteristic in the development of this noble quality is that such thoughts should be extended to all living beings, without distinction; even to the smallest creature that crawls at our feet. Just as the Sun shed its rays to all without any discrimination even so, Metta bestows its goodwill to all without any distinction. A purified mind with thoughts of Metta would always view with sympathy and understanding the welfare of others, their fears and anxieties, their rightful hopes and aspirations.

After the irreparable losses to human life and material assets caused by the Second World War of the late 1930s and the first half of the 1940s, the world community recognized the crucial role of the mind to overcome war and establish peace.

This was endorsed in the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations Educations, Social and Cultural Council (UNESCO), which followed the establishment of the United Nations Organization (UNO) in 1945 which encouraged world peace and discouraged war. The Preamble significantly reads as follows. “Since it is in the minds of men that wars are created, it is in the minds of men that the fortresses against war must be erected.”

To encourage thoughts of goodwill towards others, including minority communities and vulnerable social groups, the need of the hour from a Buddhist standpoint is for Buddhist leaders, Monks and preachers of the Dhamma to instill in the minds of the people the importance of Metta and extend to all living beings thoughts of goodwill without any discrimination whatsoever.

Metta is a popular subject for Buddhist sermons and talks. However, unfortunately, this important part of the Dhamma is not being often presented by the Sangha, lay preachers of the Dhamma and Buddhist leaders in a manner to promote communal harmony and goodwill, perhaps because many of them have not overcome the prejudices arising from differences of caste, creed and religion. Had this noble quality been inculcated among the Buddhists on a non-communal basis, perhaps, the unfortunate events of 1983 and before could have been averted.

With regard to goodwill towards other communities and religions, we could take with advantage a leaf from the reign of Emperor Asoka, an outstanding Buddhist ruler of North India around the third Century BC. He is recognized as one of the most just, wise and benevolent leaders. While taking a great interest in the propagation of the Dhamma to bring peace and solace to people, the Emperor did not fail to give State recognition and Government funds for other religions. This was, perhaps, one of the reasons that prompted H. G.Wells in his The Outline of History, to refer to him in the following highly complimentary words: “Amidst the tens of thousands of monarchs... that crowd the columns of history the name of Asoka shines and shines almost alone, a star”.

Furthermore, according to Buddhist philosophy, all living-beings are caught in a cycle of births and deaths called Samsara. During the Samsaric journey, one could be born in various planes of existence and a person belonging to one community in this life may have belonged to another community in the previous life and could belong to still another community in the next life. Thus, in Samsaric terms, these differences of a communal nature would not be of much significance.

Another important factor explained in Buddhism is that one should not be judged by one’s birth, but by one’s conduct. In this connection, the words of the Buddha, as recorded in the Vasala Sutta of the Suttanipata is most relevant as given below:

“Not by birth is one an outcast

Not by birth is one a Brahmana

By deed is one an outcast

By deed is one a Brahmana”.

Sri Lanka is inhabited by people of different communities and professing different religions and they should learn to live in harmony, understanding and goodwill.

The majority community and religion of the country, Sinhala Buddhists could make a significant contribution in this direction by the understanding and practice of the noble quality of Metta, the supreme medicine prescribed by the Buddha for the purification and calming of the mind. If they do so, other communities and religions are likely to respond positively.

May the Sangha, lay preachers and Buddhist leaders of the country even belatedly inculcate in the minds of the Buddhists the value of the practice of Metta to overcome discrimination in terms of caste, creed and religion so that all people could live in peace and harmony as it was in the reign of Emperor Asoka in India in the third century BC.