Two nights of blatant, incessant, lame Sinhalese songs. The kind that revolve around the wide range of flora in
Nothing but the evidence of the pathetic state of this country. Even the religion is now been modernized, monetized and molded to suit the sinful desires of the people. However, the two mornings were rather blissful. With every TV channel telecasting Buddhist Dharma Deshana with minor interruptions to allow for the commercial advertisements, I listened, knowing for a fact that the general behavior of the Buddhists was to change at night. Oh the kinds I would meet on a vesak night…
Whistling teenagers on their fancy bikes and wearing devil masks trying to make way through the hoards of crowds fleeing towards the town to see the giant, glimmering pandols. The disturbed adults indulging in the crude mockery of the Olu Bakkas and showing their kids what vesak is supposed to be. Dansal organizers using the Buddhist flags as the obstacles of their choice, which by waving they stop the passers by to force them to have a cup of iced coffee before moving on to the fried rice stall a few feet away. The desperate alcoholics, cursing the police for enforcing the order to keep the wine stores closed and searching the slums for an illegal moonlighter for their daily dosage.
I ask again… what is wrong with our people? The day that marks the most important events of the Lord Buddha’s life is the very day that we disgrace him and his teachings more than any other day. It’s the very day that we Buddhist go against the fundamental teachings of Buddhism. The two holidays have become nothing but god given amenities for our temporal pleasures. The art of ‘assuming to honor Lord Buddha through’ Amisa Pooja has taken over the much preached Prathipaththi Pooja and that too with the overwhelming participation of Upasaka Ammas in the temples. The temple in the village is suffocating from the lack of followers to keep the offerings while Bellanwila Viharaya, Kelaniya Viharaya or Kalutara Bodhiya is swarming with people, people who have over the time come to believe that Nirvana is closer to these places. And the obvious question faced by most in the day after; “eeye re vesak balanna giyada?” What is there to see?
Anyway, this morning was peaceful for me. Woke up early to a Dharma Deshana by late Gangodawila Sõma thera. I admire most of his preachings, especially how he denounced the Buddhists following the gods of other religions, predominantly the Hindu concept of god. Well, that could become the topic for a later date.
5 Comments:
It is Vesak Festival. Every festival is a feast. As long as there is a feast we cannot avoid all those things.
I don’t know the history of Vesak. I don’t know when we start to celebrate it with a feast. But I’m pretty dam sure Buddha never celebrate his birthday or birthday celebration is not part of eastern culture to begin with.
Vesak cards, Vesak carols (bakthi geetha), Vesak lanterns all introduced to us by Anagarika Darmapala and borrowed from Christian Festivals. I guess he had fair reasons to do so back then.
The concept of “Pooja” (Prathipaththi Pooja, Amisa Pooja, etc..) is not a Buddhist concept. There is Dana (giving), but no Pooja. (There is a big deferent between Pooja and Dana).
End of the day, Vesak is all about having good time and go out. I guess every society need that sort of things and we have fairly good feast.
But never judge Buddhism looking at Vesak in Sri Lanka. :-)
I'm a Buddhist and I think the 'Vesak celebrations' are an absolute farce. So much so that even when I was a kid, me and my parents used to leave the city and go off somewhere less crowded, away from the traffic, the dan-sal, the lanterns and the rest of the commercialised hype (BS) that most Buddhists seem to believe is an integral part of Vesak. You're right, the village temple is deserted in favour of the more glitzy temples, and frankly it's depressing to see it all.
sorry sam, seems you've got it wrong from the very beginning. Vesak is not a feast. it's about remembering the three most important events of Lord Buddha's life. i don't have anything against people having a feast any day in the year. even in the vesak day. but is should not be on the name of vesak.
i'm surprised to hear you say that "vesak is all about having good time and going out". it certainly is not. it's about attending to ur religion and doing good deeds.
and thanx darwin. exactly my point.
If it makes you feel good going out to the temple, you can go to temple and have a good time, if it make you feel good getting away form the city, you can do that too. If that make you feel good get to gather and organize a Dansal, it is good too. If it make you feel good stay home and have a nap or meditation you can do that too (assuming temple close by do not have loudspeaker music on). Nothing wrong with any of that.
Don’t be surprise. Buddhism is all about having good time. It is all about find happiness – in everyday life to ultimate happiness.
But I’m not saying there is nothing wrong in institutional level. I’m just saying people have deferent taste in religion and they do that according to their attitude toward life. Buddhism allows that freedom while showing everyone the way to have happiness.
Buddhism shows everyone the way to "happiness"? Hmmmm.
Im not a Buddhist of course so I am the least qualified to comment! I just noticed that in the 20th-21st centuary a number of religions appear to be adapting to the modern desire to follow the quick fix american version of the "pursuit of happiness".
The little I know about Buddhism is that as an off shoot from hindu traditions, it appears to involve a life long process of introspection and reflection. In those days, I suppose this was easy, when you went from point A to B in a Bullock cart and had to while away the time. These days its damned hard. My hats off to those who succeed in balancing the two.
Its interesting how these debates are common among all religions.
Anyway, I suppose if people were happy in the true sense they wouldn't make other people unhappy so I like that idea of "showing everyone the way to happiness". :-)
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