Seeing An MP Monk
Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka spoke at my grandfather’s dhane (photos). He has a beautiful voice and, as a Member of Parliament, drives a beautiful Benz. I’ve always been a bit suspect of monks in Parliament, but he did speak some simple sense. And it’s certainly a great show for the villagers near my maternal home. Dhane’s are a decent feed and doze, but also quite important in the long-view. We still remember my grandfather 41 years later, and that’s important.
A dhane is, in practice, an alms-giving to monks and, by extension, family and friends. The monks chant and the children twitch and squirm. I still do. I get verra uncomfortable but I like seeing family and there’s usually a good feed with prawns poking about sacrilegiously.
The local monks give a nasal and, in my opinion, rather half-hearted chant but this Ven. Dhammaloka is a TV Monk and he does have a voice. He’s also a Member of Parliament, starting from the JHU and then jumping (inexplicably) to the UNP, I think. I YouTubed a bit above, it’s really quite beautiful. He also spoke at length about simple stories and life lessons and how Nibbana is in this life and now may be the best shot you’ve got.
I’m a Buddhist and the preservation of that empowering faith is one of the things I’m most proud of as a Sri Lankan. Buddhism the faith has personally chilled me out and managed to modulate my insanity. I’m thankful that Sri Lanka preserves the Theravada way. However, the cocktail of Sinhala and Buddhism is, I think, a bit too intoxicating.
A lot of what revivalist monks say is actually nonsense, and racist at worst. That said, the monastery is fundamentally a noble calling. I wish there was more charity in Buddhism, but the monks are still a backbone of community life. I think engagement in material things and especially politics is dangerous, but from what I heard this Ven. Dhammaloka was OK. I’m glad he came to my grandfather’s dhane.
This is not an endorsement of any political views, but as monk I think the people from my maternal village enjoyed having him. I personally enjoyed the manioca the most.
Today on the 
Janith has updated 
This is highly dubious. Miss Travel is a travel/social networking site that connects ‘Generous’ and ‘Attractive’ travelers. To, like, travel together, I guess. It all seems a bit like arranged prostitution and trafficking. This is part of a broader online trend to connect rich men to younger, attractive women. Sites like 
Sri Lankan domestics never say anything, they just stop coming. My maid just stopped coming and when I finally pressed her she said I needed to get a washing machine. I was hoping to ride this one out, but I’ve run out of underwear and I have no choice. I finally caved and bought a washing machine, from 
I’ll agree that he’s a very charismatic speaker and his sermons make a lot of sense, but I find it very difficult to reconcile with the idea of a politically active monk. Political activism is (at least in its present form) to me, a deviation from the Eight-Fold Path and therefore unbecoming of one who wears the Robe.
I think Buddhist monks do have a very large role to play in society, but I think they can do a lot more good by talking sense in their sermons and advocating racial and religious harmony than they can by shaking their fists in parliament. By entering parliament I think they’ve fuelled the incorrect notion that Buddhism is tied to Sinhalese nationalism.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s something in the Monastic Code of Conduct that frowns upon a monk driving that Benz.
By entering parliament I think they’ve fuelled the incorrect notion that Buddhism is tied to Sinhalese nationalism. – Agreed!
Apparently it was said in our history that Priests do have a say in how the country is run if times are bad. But the way they went ahead in the recent past is a little disconcerting, though the JHU does point out some good stuff once in a way.
This maybe out of context, but as you said, they do play a big role in society, but it needs to be marketed more. For example, the Hope seminars, prayer meetings and pre-marraige classes Christians conduct seem to help a lot of people. A more proactive and innovative approach can be taken to help younger people understand and live by the dhamma. ^^ In villages, where there are high rates of alcoholism, suicide…and in urban settings where people live in stress everyday. I just think there’s a LOT of untapped potential.
Just some thoughts :)
I won’t argue about MP monks. But I’m pretty sure you will understand the background behind the cocktail of Sinhala and Buddhism, if you read a little history.
Sinhalease went through tremendous hardships under South Indian and colonials powers. In almost all these difficult times it’s Buddhist monks who led them out of the trouble. That’s the origin of the power Buddhist monks are having within the political sphere of Sri Lanka.
“I’m a Buddhist and the preservation of that empowering faith is one of the things I’m most proud of as a Sri Lankan. ”
If this is the case, you must read a little bit of Sri Lankan history ( if possible use original sources- available in English) . Then you will understand how Sinhala and Theravada Buddhist tradition draw support from each other for its survival on this land. Truth is not a person or a group of people. In that sense Buddhism is not Sinhala people. Then again truth or Buddhism cannot exist in a vacuum.
I won’t argue with you about racism or nationalism having no place within Buddhist thinking. But like in most of the other cases, we got to understand how a system of thinking can survive for 2500 yrs unless the followers cannot alter it to suite their needs.
However, it’s still very much possible to follow the original thinking, leaving the other stuff behind.
“I wish there was more charity in Buddhism”
I agree with you that Buddhist monks can do lot more that they are doing now to help people.
On the other hand, I don’t think no other religion or philosophy talks about charity than Buddhism does. That’s one of the reason for Buddhist monks and temples playing an influential role among Sinhalease. But you must understand that Buddhist thought of charity is not arising from the lack of sound philosophical or spiritual content to be delivered. Buddhist are not in a quest to expand their herd and they don’t have to distribute milk packets etc etc because of absence of ways to convince the potential followers.
I have trouble with the concept of a monk with a merc – the Buddha preached the distancing from material possessions and reasons for vanity, hence the shaven heads, the simple robes, a begging bowl and umbrella. A monks role is to provide spiritual guidance, not to sit amongst laymen. Brought up to worship the robe, I know ONLY worship the man I know who wears them, and he does not posses a car let alone a merc. The Buddha preached that in time to come the only way to recognize a priest would be by a simple colored thread tied around his waist and that he would be found down by the sea shore, fishing – we seem to be getting there