Buddhism

Perhaps there was no other Head of State who dwelt on the precepts of Lord Buddha in reaching for decisions in his private and public life as did President Jayewardene. It was his perception and proclamation of the immortal words of the Buddha 'Hatred ceases not by hatred but by love' in San Francisco in 1951 which moved 51 other sister nations to see the future of Japan in an entirely different perspective devoid of anger, vengeance and contempt.

President Jayewardene acquired his knowledge of Buddhism at first as a pupil of Ven. Pelene Sri Vajiragnana Thero and Ven. Narada Thero. Later through his own wide reading not only did he build his storehouse of knowledge of the teachings of the Buddha, he also translated the precepts into practice in real life.

In presenting the first budget in Ceylon's Parliamentary history in 1947/48 he declared - " I could not act better than by following advice of that Great Teacher the Buddha when he said - 'Divide the wealth you own into four parts. Of that wealth one quarter should be spent on maintaining yourself and your family. Two quarters should be spent on future investment to your business in order to develop it; the fourth quarter you should save for a time of depression".

In his book 'Golden Threads', which indeed is a golden piece of writing, a chronicle in which he relates the history of Ceylon divided into periods - Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, etc up to the present times, he depicts Buddhism as one golden thread running through a welter of impediments and oppressions under various kings, regimes and foreign powers and still managed to survive to be the main faith of the Sinhalese nation.

Buddhist Essays by President Jayewardene is another invaluable collection of essays on Buddha's teachings expressed in simple and logical language for everybody to read and understand. Apart from teachings, one of the most interesting essays is the one in which President Jayewardene compares and contrasts Buddhism and Marxism. The Buddha from the inception of his preaching asked his followers to avoid the extremes, namely vulgar and ignoble self-indulgence on the one side and painful and profitless self-mortification on the other. He quotes the Buddha ........” He who follows the way gradually realizes that all Loka (the world of phenomena) is Anicca (transitoriness) Dukka (suffering) Anatta (non-entity); then disgusted with Loka flings away all cravings for it and understanding phenomena as they really are directly attains Nibbana and experiences happiness. Since Nibbana is not a mere concept but a mental state to be attained here and now, the beginning and the end and the very essence of the way that leads to it are in the mind. The path then lies not in the outside world. Our joys and sorrows arise and ceases within ourselves. The outside world continues in the same way. It is neither good nor bad, happy nor sorrowful. In the manner one thinks or acts, the world is a sad place this moment to one; to another it is full of happiness; at the same time a third full of jealousy is planning vengeance.

Karl Marx on the other hand adopted a different approach to the problem he sought to solve. His teaching of economic determinism was that the economic state of a given society was the fundamental principle or form of its life and all other places of its civilization, religions, aesthetic etc were only variable, dependent functions. The totality of productive relations forms the economic structure of society; that the mode of production of material life determines the general character and the social political and intellectual process of life. It followed then, according to Marx that if you can change the means of production you change the economic structure, and thus the nature of man himself.

This indicates two different approaches to the problem of man's relationship to the world around him. The Buddha wants man to understand phenomena and the relationship between man and his environment. Happiness to his way of thinking comes not from outside, from a hostile world but from within and suffering is man's own creation and not a quality of the outside world. Man can, therefore, eliminate suffering by his own effort.

Marx emphasizes the economic structure that surrounds man. Change that structure and man automatically changes. He is not concerned with the morality of human existence. Ethical conduct is despised. The means used to achieve the end is immaterial so long as the economic structure is changed. Even violence is condoned and is considered to be the only means of changing society.

As regards the practice of Buddhism, President Jayewardene stated.................... "most devout Buddhists profess to follow by building temples, offering flowers and organising peraheras (religious processions) and pinkamas (religious ceremonies). Buddhism is the teaching of Buddha and wherever that teaching is followed, Buddhism is. Some call this teaching a philosophy, others call it a religion and there are still others who refer to it as an ordinary ethical code. Bhikkhu Nyanatiloka calls it an ethico-philosophical system yet Buddhism, in its true spirit, is none of these. The proper practice of Buddhism therefore involves the technique of living, which, while not worrying about Karma or Rebirth, places upon the individual the responsibility of perfecting the art of living until he has attained in this life the goal Nibbana.

President Jayewardene not only practiced the teachings of Buddhism in his political life but also materially helped the sasana. As a young Member of Parliament he donated land at Vedamulla to build the Dharmaloka Vidyalaya. He also gifted 37 acres of valuable land called Manelwatta to the Buddha Sasana.

Even his funeral rites were performed in the holy precincts of the Kelaniya Temple, in accordance with his wish written in his personal diary.