Using Buddhism for peace

Last year in March, the Digana area of Kandy went up in flames with anti-Muslim violence. Years of culmination of one particular community being seen as the ‘other’ and conspiracy theories spread freely on social media helped to steer the violence. Much publicity was given in the media to many stories of hate. Yet, there were the stories of love and wisdom that were hardly reported. 

The Dawn newspaper in Pakistan on 11 March 2018 in its feature page, Footprints, featured the Lankan Buddhist monks who kept guard outside mosques so that Muslims could pray without fear and monks who prevented busloads of troublemakers from elsewhere in the country coming into areas where Sinhala and Muslim villages live in close proximity. The monks who gave protection to Muslims included Ven. Halpotha Dhamajothi Nahimi, the Chief Monk of the Buddhist centre in Balagolla between Digana and Tennekumbura, who personally came to the nearby mosque to be with the Muslims during their prayer hours.

The Dawn newspaper article of 11 March 2018 also wrote in particular about how a 31-year-old Buddhist monk, 25 kilometres away, in the scenic hamlet of Muruthalawa with its dozen mosques, Buddhist temples, and Sinhala-and Muslim-owned shops, who prevented, with the support of all other Buddhist monks in the area, any politically-motivated mobs entering into the village. 

Along with other monks and Sinhala villagers, staying vigil for three nights in a row at the height of the riots in Digana, Ven. Wathurukumbure Dharmarathane, founder of the picturesque Nelligala International Buddhist Meditation Centre in Muruthalawa, prevented even one pebble being cast on the mosques. Using all his contacts with the military and getting the support of the then Army Commander, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, no outside mobs were allowed to enter the village.  

One year later, Ven. Wathurukumbure Dharmarathane Thero recalls the active support of the Sinhalese patrons of the village to secure the peace of the area. He also revealed how the terrorist Zahran had tried to secure land in the area and had many face to face arguments with him on the matter. 

After the 21 April attack there had been threats against the monk and the temple but instead of creating a fear psychosis among the Buddhist patrons and possible anti-Muslim sentiments, the monk had resorted to the wise action of getting the needed security and extolling the Sinhalese of the area to keep the peace when there were riots in May this year elsewhere in the country. 

His key message in a recent discussion with this paper, was peace and a clear opposition to Buddhist monks getting into politics. The Harmony page will feature an interview with Ven. Wathurukumbure Dharmarathane Thero in its 9 November edition.