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email from Lesley Sirimane
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May 22 (3 days ago)
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'If
you ask me to point out the most important message that I can derive from
Buddhism for reconciliation in our society, I would like to remind you of this
verse in the Dhammapada.
Jayam
veram pasavati – Dukkham seti parajito
Upasanto sukham seti – Hitva jaya parajam
(Dhammapada,
Sukha vagga verse 5)
This means, "Victory breeds hatred; the defeated sleeps in sorrow; the
peaceful sleeps happily, abandoning victory and defeat." Accordingly, I
can say any sort of victory celebrations certainly negatively affect the idea
of reconciliation. As long as we keep 'the victorious and the defeated'
dichotomy in society, we are keeping alive the "hatred and the
anger". If we want to have reconciliation and a peaceful country, we need
to get our people away from the "victory and defeat" mentality. It is
not my word. It is the word of the Buddha.'
-
Ven. Galkande Dhammananda Thera, Lecturer, Department of History, University of
Kelaniya.
22 May (3 days ago)
