Truth about the Sangha as Third Refuge of Buddhists

Parliament turns into a ‘bana maduwa’ before Unduvap Poya

Parliament took the sombre air of a Sunday Daham Pasala in session, when President Ranil and Opposition leader, SJB’s Sajith, renounced their lay duties to engage in a deep discourse over a few of the well-known salient facts found in ancient Buddhist scriptures.

On Tuesday, the President gave his own reasons on why he had referred to some errant monks as ‘saffron clad batto’ recently -- which had angered some Buddhist monks --and sought to justify his description by citing an example from the Buddha’s own lifetime. He said: ‘Angulimala wore a robe and attacked the Buddha on countless occasions.’

JVP’s Vijitha Herath, whose party is firmly of the monotheistic faith that holds there is no God but one God, and his name is Karl Marx, arose to correct the President on Angulimala. He said: ‘It is the monk Devadattha who attacked the Buddha and not Angulimala who, far from attacking the Buddha, had attained Arahant’s status.’

He also referred to a remark Ranil had made earlier that Buddhism did not speak of equality but only dealt with the Four Truths concerning sorrow and the way out of it. He said that contrary to what Ranil had said about equality, the Buddhist texts reveal that the Buddha had spoken of it. Vijitha quoted the Dasa Raja Dhamma which the Buddha had expounded for just governance, as evidence of it. Jolly good, Vijitha. You have not forgotten the Buddhist texts, despite renouncing the Buddha for Marx.

Sajith came on Wednesday to also correct Ranil’s reference to Angulimala. He also countered Ranil’s interpretation of the Parabhava Sutta which Ranil had said had nothing to do with the sangha. Sajith quoted a stanza from the sutta to show it certainly did refer to the Sangha and how showing disrespect to the Sangha can make one a wastrel. He said: ‘I quoted this to show that disrespect to the Maha Sangha is wrong’.

One thing was sure. The Dhamma interlude revealed many in Parliament were all good Buddhists, a week