The Container and the Content.

Email forwarded by Lesley Sirimanne.

This is an excellent discussion that took place between Most Ven Ajahn Brahm and a journalist. The meaning of true Buddhist attitude shines through this invaluable passage. Ajahn Brahm is one of the foremost western monks who trained under the late great Thai monk, Ajahn Chah. 

“A local journalist called and asked me “What would you do, Ajahn Brahm, if someone took a Buddhist Holy Book and flushed it down the toilet?”

 Without hesitation I answered “Sir, if someone took a Buddhist Holy Book and flushed it down the toilet, the first thing I would do is call a plumber!”

 When the journalist finished laughing, he confided in me that that was the most sensible answer he had heard.

 Then I went further. I explained that someone may blow up many statues of the Buddha, burn down Buddhist temples or kill Buddhist monks and nuns; they may destroy all of this but I will never allow them to destroy Buddhism. You may flush a Holy Book down a toilet, but you will never flush forgiveness, peace and compassion down a toilet.

 The book is not the religion, nor the statue, the building or the priest. These are only “containers.”

 What does the book teach us? What does the statue represent? What qualities are the priests supposed to embody? This is the “content”.

 When we recognize the difference between the container and the contents, then we will preserve the contents even when the container is being destroyed.

 We can print more books, build more temples and statues and even train more monks and nuns, but when we lose our love and respect for others and ourselves and replace it with violence, then the whole religion has gone down the toilet.”

 From “Good? Bad? Who Knows?”  upcoming book by Ven. Ajahn Brahm 

‘12 Years a Slave’ , award winning film.

Email forwarded by jks weerasekara

The film that yells out

American atrocities to the world !

Over the weekend at the Odeon Cinema in Swiss Cottage, North West London, I watched the much-lauded film – “ 12 Years a Slave” made by British director Steve McQueen.

Having read a lot about the film beforehand, and wondering how it could be different from that of gun-toting Hollywood Westerns we usually had seen with Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and the like, I expected to see a similar story full of customary American violence and pillage in latest digital film techniques. No, this was not one of those, but a complete different creation which made viewers to look back at the history in horror, dismay and anger. In my opinion, ‘12 Years a Slave,’ an extraordinary true story which is cinematically superbly done, should be screened all over the world to reveal sheer capacity and capability of American brutality, ruthlessness and sadism emanating from the mentality of white-supremacy.

The story is an adaptation of the 1853 memoir of the same name by Solomon Northup, a New York State-born free Negro who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in 1841 and sold into slavery. He worked on plantations in the state of Louisiana for twelve years before his release.

One American writer described it as "easily the greatest feature film ever made about American slavery."  All across America the film is enabling a discussion about the horror of slavery. Many people have asked why it has taken so long for a film to address America's past.

In the meantime, I read an article in London Guardian newspaper about this film which ended the writer asking this question: “Will there be a day when a British film attempts to depict the horrors of our colonial past, not in a heroic sense, as in Zulu, but in an honest examination of the evil that was perpetrated in the name of empire?”

I don’t know about others, but my answer to the above is " NO"

12 Years a Slave received critical acclaim following its release in 2013, and was named the best film of the year by several media outlets. In 2014, the film was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and received nine Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director for McQueen, Best Actor for Ejiofor, Best Supporting Actor for Fassbender, and Best Supporting Actress for Nyong'o. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) recognised the film with its Best Film award two weeks ago (16 February 2014) with Ejiofor winning the BAFTA for Best Actor.

What makes this film so memorable and powerful are the complex portrayals of the slaves who, broken and paralyzed with existential fear, could do nothing to stop the barbarism yet managed to survive. I presume this ability of endurance and survival is a unique trait factor common to all African nations, because no other nation suffered as slaves like they did from biblical times to the very recent past.

The main role of the film is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, OBE, an acclaimed British actor of Nigerian descent. He has received numerous acting awards and nominations for films and drama. In 2008, Ejiofor was presented with an OBE by the Queen for services to the arts.

12 Years a Slave is about the slavery mainly took place in America. While black people all over the world are united in condemning white atrocity and supremacy, other nationalities too echo and share the same sentiments and sympathise with the blacks. But if the film is seen by other countries, for whom slavery is not a familiar occurrence in their socities, what would they make out of this film?

For them, I think, contents of this film will be a real testimony to America’s exact behaviour towards small countries, especially the Far East and Middle Eastern ones.  Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria or Sri Lankamust reckon that 12 Years a Slave is not just a story belonged to the past, but a revelation of oncoming events to be expected sooner or later and that it talks about American mentality in the coherent present tense.

Don’t miss this film. See if it’s playing near you !

- D R

Pacific theatre, World War II.

Good collection of World War II pictures from the perspective of the USA. Click on the link below:-

Photos: The Pacific and Adjacent Theaters in WWII - Plog

Painting for sale of the Birthday cake for, Prince Charles.

email sent by jks weerasekara.

Prince Charles’s Birthday cake.

http://www.geraldscarfe.com/shop/politics/the-surprise-cake/

For all our clever batch mates- Easy quiz

From: Sena & Sarojini 
Subject: For all our clever batch mates- Easy quiz

Hi Philip

Please share with our batch mates.

Nana



How good are we with general knowledge? I bet you know everything!


New Senior's Exam, you only need 4 correct out of 10 questions to pass.



1) How long did the Hundred Years' War last?

2) Which country makes Panama hats?

3) From which animal do we get cat gut?

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?

7) What was King George VI's first name?

8) What colour is a purple finch?

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?

10) What is the colour of the black box in a commercial airplane?



Remember, you need only 4 correct answers to pass.

Check your answers below .....


ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ


1)How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years

2) Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador

3) From which animal do we get cat gut? Sheep and Horses

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
Dogs

7) What was King George VI's first name? Albert

8 ) What colour is a purple finch? Crimson

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from? New Zealand

10) What is the colour of the black box in a commercial airplane?
Orange (of course)


What do you mean, you failed?

Me, too!


(And if you try to tell me you passed, you LIED!)

Pass this on to our brilliant friends.

( Who originated this Quiz? Haven't a clue)


C.S.Nanayakkara

John Kotelawala Snr.

John Kotelawala senior. 100 years ago. Murder of Francis Dixon Attygala and the telegraph ‘ who shot him?’ Forwarded. As a kid in the 1940s, I read the story in a Sinhala booklet  that John Kotelawala senior had been ‘poisoned’. He was looked up to as a hero by the ‘peasants’ and the booklet  was hero worshipping him. One  tale in the booklet was  Kotelawala had gone to a restaurant with companions and ordered a roast chicken. It was served. Soon a Suddha had arrived and ordered  roast chicken, but there was available only  the one chicken  already served at Kotelawala’s table. The Suddha, full of authority and pomp had demanded  the roast chicken. John refused. Suddha had shouted ‘ I will do to you what you will do to that chicken’. John Kot.  senior provocatively  raised his arm high, inserted one  little finger into the roast chicken’s anus and licked it! Read on! jksw I also recall the telegraph message being discussed by  our elders ‘ Who shot him?” And also that John Kotalawela Pm claimed in public that as a child h was not well off. jksw Subject: FW: The first famous murder-history of Ceylon 100 years old. Revisiting Ceylon's first sensational murder trial more than 100 years ago There were several families that made a fortune in the latter part of the 19th century. Mudliar D.P. Attygalle of Madapatha, Piliyandala was one such person who amassed enormous wealth. In addition to huge tracts of coconut land, he also owned several plumbago mines, namely Kahatagaha Mines and Maduragoda Pits. Plumbago was in great demand at that time, and tons of it were shipped to England for the manufacture of pencils etc. There were no ball point pens then. The Mudliar had three daughters, and a son named Francis Dixon Attygalle. The eldest of the daughters was Alice. John Kotelawala (Snr) was also from the same village. He joined the Police, which was then known as the Ceylon Constabulary, as a constable. He was an able police officer and within a few years rose to the position of an inspector. At that time most inspectors were British. He became known for busting up gambling dens, the most famous being the one portrayed in the play "Nainage Sooduwa". It is not known whether the Mudliar's eldest daughter married John Kotelawala on a proposal, or whether it was a love affair. She and John Kotelawala (Snr) had three children. They were Sir John Kotelawala, one time Prime Minister, who married and divorced Effie Dias Bandaranayake, Justin Kotelawala , a barrister, who married the da0ughter of Sir A.M.de Silva FRCS, and Freda, who married C.V.S. Corea (Sid), one of the earliest men to specialise in homeopathy. Freda's son was Dr. Gamani Corea of UNCTAD fame and Justin's son is Lalith Kotelawala of the Ceylinco Group. It is not known whether the Mudliar approved of Alice's marriage to John Kotelawala (Snr). A few years after this marriage Mudliar Attygalle died leaving an unlettered widow, two unmarried daughters and a school going son, Francis Dixon, who was attending Wesley College. To manage the enormous Attygalle Estate, John Kotelawala (Snr) resigned from the Police, along with Singhoni Perera, who served as a police sergeant under him. It is reported that John Kotelawala (Snr) appropriated a major portion of the profits from the coconut estates and the plumbago mines. It was so much over and above his wife's share, that his mother-in-law was forced to file several cases in the Kurunegala District Court to eject him from the management. Her son Francis Dixon left Wesley College at the early age of 16 yrs, but he was too young to pit his strength against his brother-in-law John, whowas a veteran ex-police officer. On Mrs. Attygalle making representations to the Governor of Ceylon, Francis Dixon though a minor, was conferred "Letters of Venia Aetatis", making a major out of a minor, using the Govenor's powers. When Alice's and John's children were yet of tender age, Francis Dixon's 2nd sister married Engineer Col. T.G. Jayewardene, an uncle of the late President J.R. Jayewardene. Col T.G. had four lawyer brothers; Justice E.W (King's Counsel), Justice A St V (King's Counsel), J.S. and J.Q. John Kotelawala (Snr) knew that with the union between the Jayewardene family and the Attygalle family, his ability to appropriate the bulk of the proceeds of the Attygalle Estate would be severely curbed. At the wedding in Madapatha Walauwa, he made derogatory remarks against the Jayewardenes, referring to them as "Thambiyas" -- Mohamedans. Francis Dixon was infuriated that his brother-in-law to be and his family were insulted. Thereupon he went up to John Kotelawala (Snr) and gave him a slap. John (Snr), in the presence of the congregation told Francis Dixon, "umba denaganning yakada habalapethi kevai kiyala", meaning, " know ye, that you have bitten more than you can chew" Thereafter, he planned the murder of Francis Dixon with the help of his former police sergeant Singhoni Perera. He floated a bogus company called Ceylon-Japan Trading Co and set sail to Japan, to create an alibi for himself. Singhoni Perera enlisted the assistance of his cousin Baron Perera, and the two of them found in Piloris alias Pila, a man who could handle a gun. Not even the 1st World War had broken out and there were very few people who could handle firearms. Piloris was from Wadduwa and is said to have fought in the Boer War, under the command of Winston Churchill. Singhoni and Baron bought a gun from Walkers for the princely sum of Rs 25. For a few days, they kept Piloris in a room in Pettah. They made certain that Piloris did not know their identities. Francis Dixon Attygalle who was then managing this vast fortune, was in the habit of residing at the house of C.P. Dias, his former Wesley College Head Master, whenever he came to Colombo. Mr. Dias was a highly respected person, and was a Municipal Councillor. In that era it was prestigious to be elected to the CMC. Dias Place in Pettah is named after this gentleman. One night, when Francis Dixon was on the verandah of the Dias residence, Singhoni and Baron took Piloris near the fence, with instructions that Piloris should open fire, when Francis Dixon comes out to the garden, and when he is properly identified as the target. There was no electricity way back in 1905. Things worked according to plan. Singhoni called out, "Francis, Francis", and Piloris opened fire as Francis Dixon came out. Then Singhoni and Baron made a quick get away, having given strict instructions to Piloris to return on a particular route. The plan was for Singhoni and Baron to kill Piloris on his return journey. He was a hired assassin and was paid some money with the promise that the balance would be paid when the job was done. It dawned on Piloris that he should not return on the designated route, and that now, his own life could be in danger. He was intelligent enough to know that the safest place would be the cell in a police station. Therefore, he went straight to the Police and told them that he had shot a man totally unknown to him. Francis Dixon, apart from John Kotelawala (Snr) had other, enemies in his estates, because he was a strict disciplinarian. Kotelawala (Snr) though an ex-police officer, not too popular with the British police officers. He was then the president of the Carters Association of Colombo. . In those days, the mode of transport was bullock carts. There were no lorries and vans. (Francis Dixon Attygalle died in hospital without wanting to make his sister Alice a widow by implicating his brother-in-law, but left all his properties in a death bed will, to his other two sisters; Ms. T.G. Jayawardene and the youngest sister, who later married F.R. Senanayake, the father of R.G. Senanayake.) Soon after the killing,  Alice sent a cable to her husband in Japan, "Francis died. Funeral took place". The fool John Kotelawala (Snr) cabled back, "Who shot him?" By his stupidity, he gave the show away!British police officers found Kotelawala's cable strange. How did he know, thousands of miles away in Japan that Francis Dixon died of gunshot wounds? There were no telephones then, no radios, no TV. Soon thereafter Singhoni sent a cable in code; "Cow calfed", which was deciphered to mean, job accomplished. The police patiently waited, and as John (Snr) landed at the Colombo Jetty, they arrested him and took him to the Police Magistrate of Colombo. Kotelawala (Snr) got cold feet, made a confessionary statement implicating Singhoni and Baron as co-accomplices. The police were not interested in Piloris. The Attorney General with the powers vested in him, made Piloris Crown Witness, provided he spilt the beans. Because of the personalities involved and the gruesome manner in which the young man was killed, it evoked much attention. This was the first sensational murder trial in Ceylon. Three English Barristers were retained for the three accused. Eardley Norton, a top criminal lawyer from Madras was retained for John Kotelawala (Snr), Thomas Thornhill a criminal lawyer from Calcutta for Singhoni and F A Hayley, uncle of Chas P Hayley appeared for Baron. The trial came up in 1906 before Justice Wood-Renton (later Chief Justice), in the Colombo Assizes, and went on for several days. On the day of the Verdict, it was crystal clear that these accused will be sentenced to death. John Kotelawala (Snr) had cyanide smuggled into his cell and committed suicide. Singhoni and Baron were sentenced to death. The Carters of Colombo got into a frenzy thinking that their boss had been killed by those who appeared for the prosecution. They were so ignorant that they did not understand the niceties of a fair legal trial. The prosecution was conducted by Acting Attorney General Walter Pereira (KC) who later became a judge of the Supreme Court. He was responsible for the "Laws of Ceylon". His house was the present Pettah Kachcheri. Pettah was then, a highly residential area.Walter's son Aelian Pereira, became a top class jury lawyer. young According to him, hundreds of carters stormed his father's house and was about to attack him and his family. One carter started climbing the front steps. Walter Pereira got hold of this man and threw him into the crowd and amazingly, the whole crowd dispersed and walked towards Galle Road Asoka Gardens Junction, to the house of C M Fernando, (the 1st Ceylonese Crown Counsel) who assisted Walter Pereira in the prosecution. C M Fernando was the brother of Sir Marcus Fernando. Sir Marcus was then a member of the legislative council. These two brothers were married to the daughters of Sir Charles De Soysa. C M Fernando on hearing of the crowd approaching went into hiding with his family. The crowd smashed up his house. Thus ended the country's first sensational murder trial. (The writer is a President's Counsel)

Starling patterns.

email from Gallege de Silva

This is absolutely stunning!  Truly incredible sight.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/88UVJpQGi88