The photo of the two monks above looks innocent enough. One of the men presents the other with a birthday present. It’s difficult to make out, but it looks to be some sort of gold figurine on a red velvet base. In fact, the photo would be totally uninteresting if it weren’t for the fact that these men are two of the world’s most important leaders of a dangerously radical brand of Buddhism.
The man on the right is Burma’s Ashin Wirathu. Known as the “bin Laden of Buddhism,” Wirathu leads the country’s 969 movement, which sees the country’s Muslim minority as an existential threat to its majority Buddhist population. The man on the left is Sri Lanka’s Galagoda Atte Gnanasara, the face of hardline Buddhism in the island nation.
By Jake Scobey Thal
Read more in the blog.foreignpolicy.com
Amarasiri / March 8, 2014
RE: This Is The Modern Axis Of Buddhist Hate,
“In fact, the photo would be totally uninteresting if it weren’t for the fact that these men are two of the world’s most important leaders of a dangerously radical brand of Buddhism.”
REMEMBER, It was the Sinhala Buddhist Racists who taught how to kill innocent Tamils to LTTE and VP. Remember 1958 and 1983. Remember Somarama who killed SWRD.. They were ALL Sinhala Mahanama “Buddhist” Racists . “Buddhist” because they are NOT Buddhist. They are racists.
Now the Buddhist Axis of Evil- the Buddhist “Enlightenment”, The Mara Buddhism and Monk Hegemony.
Read Below: “As such, genetic evidence linking the legendary origin of the Sinhalese population to East India (Prince Vijaya) is lacking.”
So we had a situation where the Paradeshis. the Para-Sinhala killing Para-Tamil based on Mahanama racism. That is NOT True Buddhism. This is what the True Natives, Native Veddas have to say about the Para- Sinhala and other Paras-, the Paradeshis or foreigners.
1. All the above descriptions support the Sinhala and Tamil as Para-Sinhala and Para-Tamil, like Para-deshi, Foreigners, as far a the Native Veddah are concerned, who walked at least 16,000 years ago when Lanka and India were connected by a land bridge as the sea levels were low. So, the Sinhala and Tamil Nationalism need to be identified as, Racism, Para-Sinhala Nationalism and Para-Tamil Nationalism. Monk Mahanama imaginations of Mahawansa need to be exposed and discarded. Why? Non- Confirmation bias of Mahawansa Did Dr. Para-nawithana, the noted Sri Lankan Archaeologist believe, the Imaginations of monk Mahanama of 5th Century such as:
a) Grandfather of Para-Vijaya was a lion? Any DNA data in support of this imagination?
b) Buddha visited Lanka three-times in 500 BC? any support for the Imagination.
c) During one visit, Buddha left his giant footprint on top of Mount Samanala Kanda, “Adams Peak”. Did he fly by the Dandu Monera Yanthraya, Giant Bird, and parachute?
d) The Veddah are the offspring of Para-Vijaya and Kuveni. Is there any DNA data to support this? No. Another Monk Mahanama Imagination. Sri Lanka’s indigenous inhabitants, the Veddas — or Wanniya-laeto (‘forest-dwellers’) as they call themselves — preserve a direct line of descent from the island’s original Neolithic community dating from at least 16,000 BC and probably far earlier according to current scientific opinion.1 Even today, the surviving Wanniya-laeto community retains much of its own distinctive cyclic worldview, prehistoric cultural memory, and time-tested knowledge of their semi-evergreen dry monsoon forest habitat that has enabled their ancestor-revering culture to meet the diverse challenges to their collective identity and survival.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3166342
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1988 Jun;76(2):217-25.
Blood genetic markers in Sri Lankan populations–reappraisal of the legend of Prince Vijaya.
Saha N.
Author information
Abstract
Serum protein (haptoglobin types; transferrin and group-specific component subtypes); haemoglobin and red cell enzymes (acid phosphatase, esterase D, glyoxalase I, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, adenylate kinase, and phosphoglucomutase (locus 1) (subtypes) were studied in the Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslims of Sri Lanka. The allelic frequencies of all the polymorphic systems were similar in these populations without any significant differences. A close look at the present results and earlier investigations on 13 polymorphic loci controlled by 37 alleles did not reveal any genetic characteristics in the present-day Sinhalese population that are distinct from those in the Tamils of Sri Lanka. As such, genetic evidence linking the legendary origin of the Sinhalese population to East India (Prince Vijaya) is lacking.
PMID: 3166342 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
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justice / March 8, 2014
We are breeding a new generation of ‘Wirathus’ in sri lanka.
The BBS maybe only the first one – politically supported by the Defence Secretary.
All ‘devout’ buddhists who vie for posts of “basnayake nilame” for purposes of prestige only,ignoring poverty among the rural faithful who ‘donate’ ten year old boys to the sangha for ‘merit’,should take note.
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Safa / March 8, 2014
Hitler and Mussolini of Asia exchanging a relict of the remains of their muslim victims? May they be destroyed as the destroy innocent people. May the evil they unleash return to torment them in the life hereafter.
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C. Wijeyawickrema / March 8, 2014
The two monks did nothing other than pointing out aggression against Buddhists and the need for a plan of action to stop it.
Buddhist in Sri Lanka were treated like kind-hearted women. This should change.
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Ceylonese / March 9, 2014
C. Wijeyawickrema
Thanks to People like you and those lovely monkeys will destroy not just Buddhism, the resplendent Island as well. Your neighbours will watch with awe, so will the rest of the world for crimes against the minorities.
Watch a real Buddhist below if you can stomach it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtH4K_tEwjE&list=PL7Fq1-RrQNO_Z01_MYDSMj5dTpyxLbSxj&index=27
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Amarasiri / March 9, 2014
Ceylonese,
Thanks for the above link.
It is highly commendable that a Rev. Buddhist Monk has a good possession of Islamic knowledge. He understands Islam, Buddhism and Christianity. He make an excellent point and says, many Muslims, Buddhists and Christians do not know their own religion as described in their scriptures.
However, he makes a good point about being obedient to one’s religion as given in the Scriptures.
So, in Islam, we have in the Wahhabi, The Taliban, their own invention of militant Islam- the Islam of the Devil, Satan, Shaitan, separate from the True Islam.
So, in Sinhala Buddhism we have in the Monk Mahanama “Buddhists”, and the Burmese Buddhist Racists and their own invention of militant Buddhism of the Mara, Satan and True Buddhism of the Buddha.
This Rev. Monk knows his Buddhism.
In the End, the religions prey on the fear of people on death. Abrahamic religions promises eternal heaven or hell in the hereafter, where as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and others give additional options for the “soul” to reform.
What a great business to be in, Religion.
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Park / March 8, 2014
Buddhism has been spreading in the West due to the humane teachings of Buddha. With these THUGS acting against the noble teaching of Buddha the western growth of Buddhism is going to slow down and may even die. What a sad situation.
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JimSofty / March 9, 2014
Buddhism is the only philosophy and the doctrine that does not talk about a Creator.
Because of that two major Abrhamic religions are against Buddhism.
Christianity is a vanishing religion since 1700s. Islam is for Wahabis and Jihadis.
So, accuse buddhism if the buddhists are active against the anti-Buddhist activities and if they are self assert.
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Amarasiri / March 9, 2014
Jim Softy,
“Buddhism is the only philosophy and the doctrine that does not talk about a Creator”
Religion is about fear of death and afterlife. If Buddhism DID NOT talk about REBIRTH and Athma, then it could be considered a philosophy. Since, the way, Buddhism is taught, with rebirth, Buddhism is a religion, because it deals with afterlife, life after death.
If you you want Buddhism to be Philosophy, to the following;
1. Get rid of Athma and Rebirth.
2. Stop Making Statues of Buddha and Prying to Them.
3. Stop Praying to Trees, spacially. If you want to pray to a tree, pray to a coconut tree, a jack tree, a mango tree and look the the tree the monkeys venerate. The Bo tree is useless tree, give no useful produce for you yo live in this life.
4. Stop Praying and Prostrating to Monks. Buddha did not say that.
4. Give up the Racism and Imaginationd of the Para-Monk Mahanama of the 5th century. A German scholar said it is Tissue of Absurdities.
In Abrahamic Religions, One chance is given to behave in this life. Afterwards, one ends up in Heaven or Hell for eternity, and the this fear drives the religion.
In Rebirth and Athma Religions, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, multiple chances are given to behave in this life. Afterwards, one ends up in a different body. human or animal, upper or lower case, for the next life, and the this fear drives the religion. So, all the Para-Monk Mahanama Sinhala Buddhist racists, according to this dogma should end up in the next life, being cattle and pigs, to be slaughtered or the bad Athma they are creating now in Sri Lanka.
However, the good Buddhists and Hindus will achieve the Sanskrit Nirvana or the Pali Nibbana.
Read
Create Your Own Religion: A How-To Book without Instructions Paperback
by Daniele Bolelli
http://www.amazon.com/Create-Your-Own-Religion-Instructions/product-reviews/1938875028/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1
Create Your Own Religion is a call to arms–an open invitation to question all the values, beliefs, and worldviews that humanity has so far held as sacred in order to find the answers we need to the very practical problems facing us.
Writer, philosopher, and professor of comparative religion, Daniele Bolelli, leads the reader through three thousand years of mythology, misogyny, misinformation, and the flat-out lies about “revealed truth” that continue to muddle our ability to live a peaceful life, free of guilt and shame and the ultimate fear of death.
“Our worldviews are in desperate need of some housecleaning,” says Bolelli. “We enter the 21st century still carrying on our backs the prejudices and ways of thinking of countless past generations. What worked for them may or may not still be of use, so it is our job to make sure to save the tools that can help us and let go of the dead weight.”
One Comment by :
By Tuco Ramirez
This review is from: Create Your Own Religion: A How-To Book without Instructions (Paperback)
I have read Daniele Bolelli’s other works and grew to be a fan as he distills ancient and current wisdom into a form and substance anyone can apply to their own life philosophy. If anyone is familiar with the philosopher Alan Watts, Daniele basically tells us that “This is It” and you might as well have a good time while one is here breathing as there is no where to get to. While Watts wrote in an Eastern way about the interconnectedness of all, Daniele synthesizes this in this treatise on Religion. If all of life is a web connecting everyone else then why not choose the best bits of culture/philosophy in order to live the best possible life. What I like about the book is how he skewers the hypocrisy of organized religion yet shows us the illumination inherent in some of the world’s perennial philosophies. If you want to read one of modern day history’s greatest story tellers infused with great quotes by Nietzsche and others than this is a book for you. I had fun reading this and had a wry smile on the whole time. Bolelli is half monk, half raconteur.. ie, the Drunken Taoist..
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paul / March 10, 2014
Amarasiri, Please try and express your views on subject matter you are familiar with. I can not educate you on the fundamentals of Buddhism. However, to put it mildly, Buddhism does teach that Athma exists. On the contrary it speaks of Anatta or non-self. It appears that you are confusing yourself with the teachings of Hinduism.
“The Vedanta tries to establish an Atman as the basis of everything, whilst Buddhism maintains that everything in the empirical world is only a stream of passing Dharmas (impersonal and evanescent processes) which therefore has to be characterized as Anatta, i.e., being without a persisting self, without independent existence”.
Source: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/vonglasenapp/wheel002.html
Eliciting you on Rebirth is even a bigger task. Basically Buddhism teaches that rebirth is occurring every moment we exist and death is just one such instance it occurs. Please visit above excellent website and do your research before you put your pen in to action on this subject area.
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Amarasiri / March 11, 2014
Paul,
“However, to put it mildly, Buddhism does teach that Athma exists. On the contrary it speaks of Anatta or non-self. It appears that you are confusing yourself with the teachings of Hinduism.”
Thanks for you link. The subject was, is Buddhism a Philosophy or Religion? Buddhism has elements of Philosophy and some elements of Religion, related to after-life and rebirth. Read the 500 odd Jataka Stories.
Yes, Hindu Atman, the permanent Soul and Buddhist Anatta- The doctrine of No Soul are different. So, the absence of a soul, Anatta, will certainly move Buddhism,m towards a Philosophy, than a religion such as Hinduism with Gods.
However, It is where Nirvana, makes Buddhism, a religion, because it deals with life after death, or continuation. This is what Rev. Walpola Rahula in What Buddha Taught says, on page 33:
…” What we call death is the total non-functioning of the physical body. Do all thees forces and energies stop altogether with the non-functioning of the body? Buddhism says “No”. Will, volition, desire, thirst to exist, to continue, to become more and more, is a tremendous force that moves whole lives, whole existences, that even moves the whole world. According to Buddhism, this force does not stop with the non-functioning of the body, which is death; but it continues manifesting itself in another form, producing existence which is called rebirth. ‘
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paul / March 10, 2014
Anti Buddhist activities in our region includes, but not limited to, unethical conversions. The formula is this: (B,I,C and H are initials of 4 major religions in our region)
Number of less educated and /or economically deprived persons who changed their religion from say, 2000 to 2014 in our region. Let us call it X. ie XBI is Buddhism to Islam conversion; XIB is Islamists who were converted to Buddhism etc.
The position is an overwhelmingly large number of less educated and economically deprived Buddhists and Hindus are being converted to Islam and Christianity than the other way around.
This is forced conversion.
Number of well educated and /or affluent persons who changed their religion during the same period date. Let us call it Y. In this category,a large number of more educated and economically viable non-Buddhists Buddhists and Non Hindus are converting to Buddhism and Hinduism than the other way around.
This is voluntary conversion.
Our argument as Buddhists and Hindus is stop this forced conversions funded by rich Arab countries and the Christian church. Let people make this choice at their free will. Temples, Mosques and Church should not have any say on this.
Sooner the Islamists and Christian living in our region realize this, sooner the harmony among the citizens belonging to all religions will grow and sustain.
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Amarasiri / March 11, 2014
Jim Softy,
Yes, in Buddhism, there is no Creator God, or Gods as in Hinduism, make it a Religion or not?
Read the link below. Buddhism is both a Philosophy, and a Religion.
It is like Light. It had particle properties as well as wave properties.
It is the Religion part of Buddhism that makes it violent, like Monk Mahanama Sinhala Buddhist Racism, and the curse of Lanka.
http://www.homeoint.org/morrell/buddhism/buddhism.htm
IS BUDDHISM A RELIGION OR A PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE?
“So I would probably define a religion as a system of ideas and beliefs which help a person to develop greater self-understanding, greater peace and tranquillity and also greater kindness and sensitivity to the feelings and needs of others. Also it should contain some view of the after-life or wider meaning to life. Buddhism certainly has all of these features, but some people claim it is not a religion at all, especially Zen Buddhism, which many people feel is just like a martial art applied to the mind. Maybe it is!”
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JimSofty / March 9, 2014
Christianity and Islam made the world a very dangerous place. Christian crusades, Islamic conquests, Jihadis, Wahabis are all killers.
Why there over 41000 denominations just to worship Jesus ?
How many Popes have been accused of instigation of wars, mass murders and mayhem to the world.
Even today how many muslim countries have been violent against minority religions, how many mullahs have been preaching against other religions ?
Why the West wanted a Cols war against muslims just after the crumbling of Soviet Russia ?
Target these two self -assertive monks.
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Mohamed Marzook / March 9, 2014
There are sometimes negatives in the practice of religions but the positives extensively outweigh the negatives. Philosophers discuss only th negatives and do not provide any clear alternatives to religions, but only create never-ending confusion.
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jehan / March 10, 2014
buddhism is dead so live with it.most budhist practice hinduism u see in kataragama and other devales, and part christianity a mixture because budhism is so negative only a fool will like to practice somthing where u win only when there is no existance after being reborn thousands of times, a very long story created by the monks to keep there jobs.
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paul / March 10, 2014
The animosity of Buddhists and Hindus against Islamists and Christians in our region is mainly due to forced conversion of the poor and the illiterates by promising better economic and educational opportunities, Voluntary changes among the more educated and the economically viable is acceptable. The Church money or the Arab money should play no role in this. Religious harmony in our region is only possible when the playing fields are leveled this way.
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BBS Rep / March 11, 2014
These two saffron robed men have come together only because of their common identity of intense hatred. Hate is anathema for Buddhism. The shame of it all, the only path these two dangerous men have taken to propagate Buddhism is through hatred and violence.
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Ally Weerasinghe / March 11, 2014
Now the situation in both Sri Lanka and Myanmar is not the questions on conflict solution,but conflict creation.
Unfortunately due to irresponsible rhetoric utterences and acts by persons appears to be responsible, the “Buddhism being Betrayed” in both the countries
To make the things bad to worst the “Rule of Law” in Sri Lanka has now been strictly limited to words in the Constitution alone due to foresighted policies of the real politicians of the country whose main ideal is to win the next elections only.
These rhetorics by irresponsible community leaders has boosted the moral of the ordinary peaseants in the country and they think it it time they protect the country by supporting these anti social actions. Due to Islamic phobia created in line with the business rivalry they think the country is at a risk and the existence of their religion is being challenged.
So the journalists like you all should enlighten the people on what to do while exposing the wrong doers.
For example you see when they aditated against Halal issue they said oncce this halal licence is removed the cost of those products (Chicken and other similar goods) will come down. Further Ven Gnanasra said that companies are coerced to obtain Halal. Other than the Thera has any company which obtained licence has ever declared they obtained the Halal under duress. This is all to fool the people.
But they cant make the people fool all the time.. But now it is their time. Because we hardly have any discerning people who dare to analyse an issue impartially and objectively. In these cases we can’t depend on any of the politicians be it sinhala tamil or muslim because it is time for them to fish in the trouble water.
Journalists please make a normative approach and tell them what to do and how to perceive at things in time of crisis
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shankar / March 11, 2014
gnanasera-there is something red in my glass.
wirathu-it is rohingya blood.drink it to show your solidarity with us.
gnanasera-yuk.what about some other way of showing solidarity.
wirathu -okay come with me.We have a captive rohingya.I will bite off one ear and you can bite off the other.
gnanasera-er,i got a better idea to show solidarity and i don’t mind sacrificing my virginity which i treasure very much.You sleep with a rohingya woman and i will too.i’am prepared to even do that for you.
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