More parties, more confusion

"Prabhakaran has only one party and therefore unanimity in every decision against those who are against the LTTE. All the other parties, calling themselves anti-LTTE, anti-terrorist etc are divided on any solution to the current bloody conflict."

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by Jayatissa Perera from Colombo

(February 06, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian)This tiny island is saturated with political parties and every now and then we hear a new party is born. Every new party is an addition to the already existing confusion, playing with ideas thinking that each new party is tremendously revolutionary, hypnotising themselves with such words as ‘desha premi’ or lovers of the land etc. etc.

Every political party has its own ideas in solving the present crisis. The more parties, the more ideas and as a result more confusion. The SLFP has its own ideas which are anathema to the JVP and vice versa. With just two such parties we see how there is no trust and respect between each other. Add a third party, a fourth, a fifth and so on till we keep on adding to the number of parties the way we keep on adding to the number of Cabinet ministers!

Prabhakaran has only one party and therefore unanimity in every decision against those who are against the LTTE. All the other parties, calling themselves anti-LTTE, anti-terrorist etc are divided on any solution to the current bloody conflict.

From the day God created Adam there have been no end to conflicts. In the beginning man was in conflict with God and God was against man if we are to believe that since Adam, every human being is born a sinner. War against God, war against man, man killing man, in the name of God, in the name of democracy, in the name of a flag or label or religious or national symbol, this ruthless civilisation in which man has ceased to love man if he ever did, a civilisation that is synonymous with suffering, war murder, despite all the religions from the Buddha, Christ, Mohamed to Sai Baba, despite all the sacred books, Tripitaka, Bible, Quran, Gita and so on, what are we? Why do we live in conflict? Between one community and another? One ethnic group or one language against another.

Day after day, month after month, year after, till we die, are we going to kill each other? Where are our holy men in robes? Some have entered Parliament, some are living in the lap of luxury, bishops, imams, maha nayakas, ayers. What is their answer to all this misery in this world?

In Sri Lanka, ever since the arrival of Maha Mahinda during the reign of Hindu monarch who was converted into Buddhism at Mihintale on a Poson Poya day, an island to which the Buddha himself is said to have come long before Maha Mahinda, though the Buddha was unable to establish the Sasana or the Order of the Sangha, in this beautiful isle, why isn’t there any peace and tranquillity?

The Portuguese brought Roman Catholicism, the Dutch and the British Protestanism, the Muslim traders Islam, with all the temples, churches, kovils and mosques, in every nook and corner why can’t we live in peace?

Being in conflict, as we are, implies a confused mind. In fact all over the world we see this phenomenon. America, the richest nation in the world, cannot boast of one thing, that is peace in the minds of the Americans. But America’s evangelism exports Christianity or the Voice of God to all parts of the globe 24 hours of the day! Can a nation that knows no peace export peace by means of TV evangelism?

For a man who wants to find peace, for a man who wants to find truth, can saints help? Can monks help? Can bishops help? If they can why don’t they do it straightaway.

The All Party Conference has just handed over their peace proposals but watch the different political or religious groups who will try to sabotage it! The answer to inner peace which will ultimately lead to outer peace lies in rejecting all spiritual authority, all the gurus or saints, the ecclesiastical hierarchies and stand completely alone. Once you are alone, you are your own guru, your own authority, and then you will realise through self knowledge the hypocrisy of all those in authority who have tried to shape humanity from Adam and failed.

You cannot change in installments though all religions advocate it. Either you realise the hypocrisy of organised faiths now, or never. Political parties are also a kind of organisation like religious bodies, with their hierarchy, like Pope to priest, or Maha Nayake to the acolyte.

For most of us conflict and misery have become habitual. We are conditioned, brainwashed the accept everything as God’s will or Karma. So we are complacent.

Once you see the absurdity of all spiritual organisations at once the way you spot a claymore bomb, not in installments like sotapanna, then sakadagami, then anagami and finally the truth or arahathood, unless you see the truth at once, you will never be free of conflict.

If you can see the truth of a mind that sees the conflict, confusion, misery and all that goes with it, if you can see that no amount of religious or political propaganda by organised faiths or political parties has ever solved conflict in society you may realise a complete change. Then you are out of conflict completely. Most of our spiritual and political leaders are full of violence in their hearts and despite all the loving kindness and compassion they shout about from pulpits and TV or radio channels - their hearts are full of ambition, envy, hatred and aggression. If you can read between their lines you will see!