By Rehan Fernando –
Rehan Derrick Fernando
The article is another extension of the idea brought out with the concept of the “wrong number” of PK movie. An article was published a week ago explicating this concept of the wrong number in a Sri Lankan context. Applying its basic idea to another scenario would be more appropriate I guess.
Nowadays, we often encounter Samanthabadra [I would never call him a Buddhist monk for any reason because he is a businessman more than a monk] in social media because of his business. There is no true Buddha-praxis taking place in any way possible. Whereas, a massive business is being promoted by him and many other social media forums. His Umandaawa is a good place for the people who tirelessly work hard for nationalism and racism.
Samanthabadra speaks to the Sri Lankan Buddhists and foreigners who live in Euro-Western premises. It’s a business world where people now seek an enjoyable life setting while getting involved in some charity and almsgiving. So, Samanthabadra attempts to recreate a Buddha version that would perfectly suit Western countries. His Buddha version, therefore, is a created dhamma for those who enjoy life to its fullest. I am not here to defend any life of suffering, but Samanthabadra has created a mechanism to teach a way of life that is full of fun with all modern types and luxury items. Is that the true essence of Buddhism? I would be available for any argument in this regard.
Samanthabadra, you are mistaken…
Sri Lanka has been invaded by wrong mechanisms which could be named as neo-liberal wrong turns. There is a slavery type of living in this country that would accept any foolish methodology. People accept Mahinda Rajapaksa at times while they embrace Ranil Wickremesinghe at the same time. They would elect uneducated men and women to govern the country and would chase them when they are tired of them. The Buddhists in this country refuse Buddha the enlightened one and would welcome some businessmen like Gnanasara, Kotuwe Hamuduruwo, and Samanthabadra.
Why do I say that he is mistaken? Samanthabadra expects a triumphant life so that he could speak to different audiences and he wants his voice to be heard. He also attempts to preach and teach as if he knows everything like Buddha; indirectly he claims to be another enlightened one. To laugh at his foolishness, I guess just a mouth would not be enough. He even does not know the essence of the primary four visions of Buddha and the praxis of detachment in Buddhism. So, the very first at Ummandawa should be to learn proper Buddha-praxis and become a better disciple of Buddha. In other words, Samanthabadra has gone insane.
Further, Samanthabadra is also mistaken for his:
– inappropriate language in addressing the public [he tries to be gameminiha (a village man) through different versions of his language but it is a filthy version],
– uneducatedness,
– self-centered egoism
– interiority complex.
These issues are giving us more shreds of evidence of the foolishness of Samanthabadra and his Umandava.
The majority of Sri Lankans promote such types of personalities because they see a statue of Buddha at Ummandava. That is more than enough for them to practice Buddhism with the offering of flowers, food, dress codes, dry rations, etc. Samanthabadra, therefore, is a good businessman for Sri Lankans to say out loud “Saa…du..saadu…saadu.”
But, I would directly condemn such a type of Buddha version in Sri Lanka and would come forward to say “It’s a wrong number.”
Svenson / July 25, 2023
I’d like the writer to comment on the crimes of his Catholic church which far exceed anything any corrupt monk has done, including Somarama and Buddharakhitha. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
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Thilre@777 / July 25, 2023
I’ve been critically pointed out Christian church’s misleading paradigm shifts. This is an article about the nonsense of Samanthabadra.
So, you may analyze it and come up with better arguments.
Author of the article.
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Thilre@777 / July 25, 2023
Correction:
Critically pointing out*
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cugan / July 25, 2023
Is it crimes or fabrications .
In side the Vihra a monk with two women naked…
To defend another monk comes and told dont expect 100% from the monks as they are all suffering from economic crisis.
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The author should add what’s the Kandy Mullas contributions and involvement outside the sasana.
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Native Vedda / July 25, 2023
Svenson
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“I’d like the writer to comment on the crimes of his Catholic church which far exceed anything any corrupt monk has done,….”
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Can you specify period, country, ….. before I list all the crimes committed by Catholic Church?
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Do you think two wrongs make it right?
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What happened to you that you are suffering from arrested development?
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leelagemalli / July 26, 2023
1
Good that the writer has given us a chance to discuss about the kind of mode designer style monks in today s srilanka.
I think Samantha Badra is a good marketing manager and he knows how to win over people. Specially, those stupid women, that would fall on any tricks easily would offer him millions yearly. We need such motivating managers. Had he not been dressed in Sanga attire, he would not have collected so much money as wealth for his various business ventures.
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So anyone who lives in a village can NOT get that level of development in their agriculture, because a layman is not priviledged to rely on police and army men. Crook politicians such as Mahinda Rajapakshe provided him army from the beghining on.
Truth is that, Samantha Badra has used the country’s police and army to implement her project by force. A poor peasant in a village across the country cannot do the latter. Unlike other Sinhala Buddhist monks, he has a science degree from a local university, which convinces him with the rational actions he takes in his farming.
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tbc
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leelagemalli / July 26, 2023
2
However, even if some of the points he presented in the guise of Buddhism are acceptable, he should not be taken seriously as an exemplary Buddhist monk.His is not at all gentle, if one would look at him closely, He behaves like a thug in a cornered village mostly.
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The position given to a sangha-costume in our island has helped him or the like to abuse power more than others.
Lately, from what our eyes could not believe, even if a monk had sex with several women in a Temple, the prevailing laws cant do anything against him. That became clearer during the last 4 weeks.
;
I agree with some of his arguments like for example, He is right in saying that people must work hard as one to achieve high productivity which is essential for any society to achieve progress. However, some of his interpretations are not really compatible with the actual teachings of the Buddha.
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Douglas / July 27, 2023
Dear LM: I like Samanthabadra. As you correctly said, he is an EXCELLENT marketing manager. He knows his STUFF (Buddhist Teachings) and equally shines in marketing it to live a life of plenty. He is from Galle – a village called “Pitiduwa”- a few miles away from my village.
Look at even Jerome. The CID has found out that he is worth “Billions” and so with his wife. So there are so many “Samanthabadras” and “Jeromes”. In addition how many “Casavovas” in uniform – the Saffron Clothe?
I think it is time to have: Your Own Religion.
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old codger / July 26, 2023
Svenson,
It is a deadly sin for a Buddhist to criticize the Sangha. So, you cannot object to criticism from a non-Buddhist, because the Sangha themselves have painted themselves into a corner.
You might also consider that this very same Samantha Badra is on video calling the Tooth relic a “pig’s tooth”. Natasha was jailed for a lesser offence.
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Thilre@777 / July 25, 2023
I’ve been critically pointed out Christian church’s misleading paradigm shifts. This is an article about the nonsense of Samanthabadra.
So, you may analyze it and come up with better arguments.
Author of the article.
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Thilre@777 / July 25, 2023
Correction:
Critically pointing out*
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Raj-UK / July 25, 2023
Svenson
The article is about a con artist masquerading as a Buddhist monk, hoodwinking the gullible with his own version of Buddhism. Obviously, the Sanga Saba, or whatever the hierarchical monks are called, are blind to the exploitation of Buddhism by yobs & thugs in robes, is probably due to the fear of losing their own luxury life style by rocking the boat. I have heard this yob speaking only once & it was appalling how he could distort, even contradict, Buddhist teachings but more than that, how the average Buddhist is willing to let him continue unquestioned or unchallenged
The catholic church, or any other religion for that matter, or crimes committed in the name of religion, are not the subject but if you wish to expose the failings of another religion, why not do so?
As long as SL Buddhists, knowingly or unknowingly, are in denial, these punks continue to discredit Buddhism.
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leelagemalli / July 26, 2023
Raj,
.
The problem is that we no longer have true teachings led Buddhism in that country. As a child, I have experienced how our elders prepare monthly alms to temples. They did it with heartfelt respect. In those days (late 70’s to late 80’s) the monks of the temple had better manners than the wild animals like the unbelievable monks of today. The villagers depended a lot on the good advice given by those monks from all over the country. Now with the orphaning of the society, the monks have become like wild animals. In recent years, little monks came after me requesting “Smartphones”. Their response to my cross question was ” we would also love to have some fun in the evenings”.
There are nearly 30,000 monks from all over the country. But how many are real Buddhist monks? Either they were forced into the priesthood by their poor parents, or some were ordained for their hidden sexual addictions. Paediatric hospitals prove the rectal bleeding of the child monks are evident to them. However it is still a taboo topic in our uncivilized dominated culture.
:
Since the day my mother passed away, I stopped giving equal respect to all monks, and some of them made us angry again and again in offering them ” dana”:.
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chiv / July 26, 2023
Is Samanthabadra alone ??? Not at all. Lankans have rapist, pedophiles, murderers, bigots, pogrom organizers / executors, corrupt politicians ……… etc…….etc, as SB monks/ prelates. Samanthabadra is just a ” face of SB”. The immoral community sees their made up Buddha in such A . Holes.
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chiv / July 27, 2023
Read DM article (24 July) , “prominent monk’s actions stir outcry”. A convicted Pedophile yet considered as prominent Buddhist Monk, is free and allowed to continue (sexually) abusing innocent children . Only in Lanka’s “Low and Odor”.
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Raj-UK / July 27, 2023
Chiv
I don’t know if you are referring to the monk who molested young girls at the London Vihara & was subsequently indicted & deported after 8 years in prison. The victim had to wait until her own father passed away to bring charges, decades later as it was taboo to speak ill of the sanga who could do no wrong. At the time, there was a huge outcry by Sinhala Buddhists in UK that it was a christian conspiracy to discredit Buddhism as the victim was married to an Englishman & was assumed to be a convert. Although it happened many years ago when the victim was about 10 yrs old, several others then also came forward & the UK police was able to prove the case beyond doubt. I understand this monk was not de-robed after deportation but continued living in a temple in Gampaha area which also ran an orphanage. In UK, pedophiles, although not disclosed to the public, are listed & their movement monitored but in backward SL, the authorities, including the politicians, knowingly turn a blind eye, so what justice for poor victims?
Cont.
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Raj-UK / July 27, 2023
Cont.
The SBs in UK had a massive fund raising campaign in support, despite MR, the President at the time, instructing the SL high commission to pay the legal costs, but the fact that this victim’s own parents, unlike backward villagers in SL, were not willing to believe her, shows our universal blind faith. It is most likely that the victims did not come forward because the SB community would not accept the wrongdoings of monks in a misguided attempt to ‘save’ Buddhism & this has now escalated to monks preaching their own version of Buddhism but people continue to dare not question the sanga.
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chiv / July 28, 2023
Raj -UK, from the article , looks like the same Pedophile, is allowed to abuse more children. Through out world sexual abuse of a child is considered a serious criminal offence but not in SB Lanka.
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Lasantha Pethiyagoda / July 26, 2023
When a revolution wipes clean, the ignominious stinking morass that is the politico-religio-commercial framework, these kinds of imposters and con artists will be given the justice they deserve. Let us hope that such a reclaiming of their country by the people will come sooner rather than later.
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Buddhist1 / July 26, 2023
It’s sad to note that under every Bo tree, there is a Buddhist temple. It’s the birds that eat the fruits of the bo tree and the bird waste grows a new tree Long time ago a young Buddhist monk taught me Hindi. One day he mentioned to me that the best business in Sri Lanka is to find a Bo tree and start a pansala or start a tuition class. Today what he said approximately 50 years ago is widely seen as a common practice. When will the Buddhists in SL open their eyes?
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deepthi silva / July 27, 2023
This man calling himself a priest is a disgrace to Buddhism and even all other religions.
Who is a priest ? Who is on the path of spiritual freedom ?
Do we know ?
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Raj-UK / July 27, 2023
Rehan
I won’t quite agree to your statement ”…Samanthabadra speaks to the Sri Lankan Buddhists and foreigners who live in Euro-Western premises…”
SL Buddhists, certainly but foreigners interested in the teachings of the Buddha are better informed than to believe in this rubbish talks by so called ‘enlightened’ monks. The temple I frequent is Amarawathi near Watford in UK where the monks & nuns have embraced Buddhism after much researching of the subject, but unlike our average yob monks with hardly any deep understanding of Buddhism, lead a simple life as preached by Buddha. They conduct talks on Buddhist philosophy which are well attended by non Buddhists as well.
Cont
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Raj-UK / July 27, 2023
Cont
In contrast, a few years ago, SL Buddhists in my area organised a talk on ‘mindfulness’ by an apparent scholarly SL monk who had been specially brought in but it was a disaster. Many Sri Lankans had persuaded their friends & neighbours to attend the talk but it turned out to be an utter waste of a Sunday evening. I was even ashamed of my participation because the monk waffled on without any idea of the time about his many trips to foreign lands, totally irrelevant to the subject.
Monks like Samanthbadra are ok for hypocritical SL audiences to justify the luxury living of monks & the decadent SL society. A friend recently sent me a tiktok clip of another young punk in robes washing his gray BMW coupe & had the audacity to comment that the cost of his car come from his sermons. I couldn’t believe such punks are tolerated & even venerated. These punks bring disrepute to Buddhism, yet, allowed to carry on their distorted version of Buddhism.
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