A simple illustration might help. A human body is made mostly of water. Where was this water 2 weeks ago and where
will it be 2 weeks from now? Could it
not have been in the body of an ‘enemy’ and might it not be in the body of the
animal whose limb we are about to devour with relish? Indeed, that water that was part of the dead
chicken whose wings, spiced and sauced, that we suck on greedily, could very
well have been part of one’s own mother or child.
Take ‘thought’. We
say ‘I think’ as though an idea was birthed by ourselves and no one else
contributed to the birthing. The truth
is that our thoughts are a blend of thoughts that came our way from innumerable
sources: the books we read, the people we’ve encountered, the music we hear and
everything that has grazed or lacerated our senses. ‘I’ is a composite of all these encounters in
their multiplicity of form and source.
There are four books that my father recommended that I
read at a very young age. One was ‘Bobby
Fischer teaches chess’ which made me fall in love with the game. The second was ‘Mother’, by Maxim Gorky,
which was to me an introduction to Socialism. The third was Gorky’s ‘Literary
Portraits,’ which created a thirst for Russian literature. The fourth was a
collection of poems by Jalal ad-Din Rumi, which introduced me to the Sufi
Mystics, Sufi poetry and Sufism.
Rumi made me look for other Sufi poets. I frequently return to my precious volumes of
Rumi and Hafiz of Shiraz. I have
collected books containing the poetry of other ‘Muslim’ poets such as Ghalib
and Iqbal. I’ve enjoyed the ghazals of
Faiz Ahmed Faiz. I return to them as
frequently as I revisit the Buddha
Dhamma. They are part of me.
There are conversations I’ve had with amazing human
beings who adhere to the tenets of Islam.
The Chief Subeditor of the Sunday Island, Mansur, a Marxist (and
atheist) who returned to the Quran and became a devout Muslim is one of the
most learned people I’ve met in my journalistic journey so far. Mr. Ilias, who taught Logic at Royal College
and doubled up as Scout Master, is someone I still have interesting
conversations with when I run into him near Ladies’ College. He taught me Tamil
at school and took pains to teach us Grade Niners lines from the Thirukkural.
This is why, twenty years later I sought him out and persuaded him to teach me
Tamil, an exercise which unfortunately didn’t go beyond half a dozen
classes.
Most importantly, I firmly believe that if the ‘I’ that
is ‘me’ is made of anything it is made of free education. Who gave me free education? Who paid for free
consultancy in state-run hospitals?
Sinhalese? Buddhists? Yes, but
not just them. There were Tamils and
Muslims, Christians and Hindus, men and women from all parts of the country, of
all faiths, all castes, all political persuasions who directly or indirectly
paid for my education. Some observe sil, some pray to Allah, some make the
mark of the cross, some pray to Vishnu or Shiva. Some are found in kovils, some in churches,
some in mosques. Some wear short skirts, some wear the hijab.
I am a Sinhalese. A Buddhist by conviction. But this ‘I’ is also made of water-parts and
thought-parts that have sojourned in non-Buddhist corporality. More than this, men and women of all
communities have made me who I am in ways that I cannot count to a finish. If I raise my hand against a community or a
faith that would not only be inconsistent with the truths I subscribe to and
defend, but it would be a self-slap. If
I do not defend someone who is attacked on account of his/her faith, I would be
abandoning a blood-brother and a blood-sister.
I cannot recognize myself if I don’t see ‘me’ in someone who subscribes
to a different system of belief, speak a different language or has different
preferences in clothing.
Buddhism teaches me to do my best to treat things with
equanimity, to appreciate the transient nature of things, to exercise
compassion and err on the side of reason (over emotion). The Buddha gave me the Kalama Sutra (The
Buddhist Charter on Free Thinking). All
of this has opened me to other faith-worlds, people of different
persuasions.
I am a Buddhist in whose mind, heart and body there
resides Muslims, indeed a Buddhist whose understanding of Buddhism encourages and permits such residency. I cannot evict them and
have no reason to do so either. I am
richer for their residency.
[Published in THE NATION, March 31, 2013]
Just saying…
3 comments:
This is what the Buddha said in The Simile of the Saw (Kakacupama Sutta Majjhima Nikaya no.21)
"Monks, even if bandits were to carve you up savagely, limb by limb, with a two-handled saw, he among you who let his heart get angered even at that would not be doing my bidding. Even then you should train yourselves: 'Our minds will be unaffected and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic, with a mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading these people with an awareness imbued with good will and, beginning with them, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing world with an awareness imbued with good will — abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.' That's how you should train yourselves.
"Monks, if you attend constantly to this admonition on the simile of the saw, do you see any aspects of speech, slight or gross, that you could not endure?"
"No, lord."
"Then attend constantly to this admonition on the simile of the saw. That will be for your long-term welfare & happiness."
So defend me, my blood brother with heart, mind and tongue. But beware, you'll risk hatred and vilification which will sorely test your equanimity.
This is a good article of Malinda's own ideas IF WE LIVE IN A PERFECT WORLD.
> In a perfect world where Sinhalese have no threats whatsoever for their existence and can live in peace and harmony
> In a perfect world where Buddhist have no threats and can practice their religion in peace
> In a perfect world where there is no threats or intimidation for the nation who built the country with Buddhist values
> In a perfect world where there is no threat to sovereignty and territorial integrity of that country
ARE WE LIVING IN A PERFECT WORLD !
M. Srilal D Perera
Melbourne
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