Think for a
while. As a society have we gone mad? Exposition of relics of the Lord Buddha
and other revered disciples, in Sri Lanka, is now advertised on TV radio and
the newspapers more like a form of entertainment. It is regarding this lowering
of our values of humility and sincere reverence to our belief system that I
wish to get people thinking on.
This recent
Poson, where ever one looks and hears there are expositions of relics, for
people to pay their homage. It is advertised in a manner all devout Buddhists
should make it a point to go to these expositions during this season.
Any scholar or
Priest of Buddhism will tell you it is how you lead your life that is important
and not how you venerate, where you venerate that matters. Therefore going to
pay one’s respects at any point of veneration, is at best merely a family
picnic to go on a quick pilgrimage to satisfy one’s demons that you can obtain
questionable merit!
The worst challenge
here is when the Priest also knows that the devout person is enslaved by this
and takes maximum advantage of the pilgrim to gain from this act of
showmanship, one upmanship or enhance one’s standing in society for being the
temporary custodian of the relics in one’s temple.
Frankly all
these are completely un-Buddhist activities as it encourages feelings of
desire, and discourages the need to attempt to discard any longings one might
have.
Trust me this
pattern is going to increase and every Poson festival will feel naked without
any exposition of relics. Temples that have relics will become popular for both
permitting the use of their relics and transporting them to other places for
exposition, and thus be considered very meritorious and receiving temples will
similarly be glorified as places that give a person a unique experience. This
created even more competition amongst Buddhist Temples to become more popular,
and popularity is then measured by size, sophistication of the building and
therefore the popularity of the priest is directly related to the size of the establishment
and the congregation that he is able to muster.
The secondary
benefit is the prestige attached to this never ending litany, and now we have
come to expect the words for the fiftieth time, as being more DIVINE than the
fortieth time!
Religion has
turned into entertainment, and in order to attract crowds the reverence has
been replaced by attractions. A Poson Zone today, is NOT complete without
Dansals, Pandols, Bakthi Geethas, Lantern competitions, musical shows, stalls that
sell all kinds of things intermingled with and around places of worship, that
give the stall holders a captive clientele. It has all become one large
business venture, and in fact a money making one, as local businesses are asked
to contribute to the event, in terms that are worse than a tax, as there is NO
benefit except for possible merit if one believes in that, and the Organizers
are doing it to make money of the back of the generous benefactors and gullible
public who are hoodwinked into thoughts that are factually untrue. All God
stuff or good stuff, mind the pun.
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