Most Venerable Bhante Walpola Piyananda's 80th Birthday Celebrating - Collected Essays

in patients to this day.
In order to survive these unfortunate times when the whole
world is plagued by Covid-19 pandemic, it is of the utmost importance
to carefully lead our lives according to the medical advice we are given.
To do so, we need a disciplined and well-groomed lifestyle (sanwara).
To guide us to lead such a life style, the Buddha taught the five precepts
of Buddhist ethics. If followed, these precepts would automatically
allow a person to lead a happy, content and a healthy life.
To lead a meritorious life, one should not cause trouble for
others or oneself (Attabyabadhaya pi samvatteyya parabyadhaya pi
samvatteyya ubhayabyadhaya pi samvattyya akusalam). As described
in the five precepts of Buddhist ethics, killing or destroying the lives
of other beings, taking that which is not given, sexual misconduct
and other inappropriate behavior, such as lying and consumption of
alcohol or other intoxicants would lead to the destruction of one’s
life, as well as that of the others which in turn leads to the demise of
society as a whole. These are unwholesome actions. Therefore, it is
the ultimate responsibility of a disciplined, law abiding citizen to lead
their life upholding the teachings of the five precepts of Buddhist ethics
to the best of their ability. We can successfully weather this storm of
unfortunate pandemic only if we lead a life listening to Pirith chanting
daily and doing everything in our ability to ensure our own safety as
well as that of others around us.
12
Offensive to Our National Pride?
I was greatly distressed when I heard about Naomi Coleman,
a tourist from the UK, being deported because of the Buddha image
tattooed on her shoulder. As everyone knows by now, Naomi was
shamefully detained in prison in Negombo for one night and then spent
another two nights at a detention center before being thrown out of
Sri Lanka, a pattern that seems to be repeating itself. In an attempt to
apologize and make amends the Sri Lankan Tourism Authority sent her
off with a business-class ticket back home and gifted her with a future
holiday on our beautiful island. This is, however, no consolation for the
horrible way she was treated. Meanwhile, our international image and
reputation have been damaged yet again, and we are now branded as
intolerant, lacking in compassion, and narrow-minded – characteristics
that can be added to the long list of negatives the international media
has already tacked onto our profile.
If wearing Buddha images on the body is offensive to our
hyper-sensitive Sri Lankan Buddhist society, what should we do about
the monks from Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries that
have ritual Buddha tattoos on their torsos? Should we deport them,
too? In many countries faithful Buddhists wear Buddha images on
amulets around their necks; should we ban those people from entering
our country as well? Every year I give hundreds of children – both in
Sri Lanka and in America – small images of the Buddha that they can
wear to remind them of their Precepts, and help them remember to be
compassionate and understanding in their daily lives. Should these
children be tossed out of Sunday Dhamma School? In the West we
Sangha members wear the yellow robes, unfamiliar attire to many in
this society. How are we perceived here? How would we feel if we
were persecuted for the way we dress as monks? Should we be deported
from America and other countries just because we look different? Is
dressing as a monk disrespectful to society?
Naomi Coleman was herself a faithful Buddhist, one who had
already been on meditation retreats in Thailand, India, Cambodia, and
Nepal. To her, the tattooed image of the Buddha on her shoulder was
a mark of respect; she meant no offense to anyone. On the contrary:
she only wished to honor her master teacher with an outward symbol
of her beliefs. For our immigration officials and judicial system to
perceive her mark of faith as offensive and defamatory, we do nothing
but demonstrate our lack of skillfulness and compassion in recognizing
other cultures’ perceptions and outward representations. Just because
we in Sri Lanka don’t like tattoos of the Buddha on the human body, it
doesn’t mean that we have the right to demonize individuals from other
countries that wear them. In fact, our judgmental attitude totally goes
against the fundamental teachings of the Buddha – especially in regards
to defining kamma as “motivated action”; and Naomi’s motivation
was certainly not to be disrespectful. I read that the magistrate didn’t
even allow Naomi Coleman to speak in her defense; she was simply
sentenced and shipped out. She was quoted as saying that there was
no forgiveness or compassion in Sri Lanka, and her friend said that she
would definitely not come back – not even with her free trip.
I have been speaking to our Ministers and other Government
officials for years about properly utilizing the media to improve our
national image. Unfortunately, my pleadings continue to fall on deaf
ears. The only things published in other countries about Sri Lanka
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