Curiousity - Buddha, Violence & Fanaticism

Travel can be more than pictures and places. Often, it can trigger curiosity.

What happened here? 

Why is this place important. 

What’s the context - political, social, etc? 

How does this history and place connect with us?

Travels through Sri Lanka is leading me into deeper understandings. I especially want to know more about Buddhism and its role in Sri Lankan history.

First stop is Buduruwagala Temple. The name Buduruwagala is derived from the words for Buddha ( Budu) image ( ruva) and stones ( gala).

One thousand years ago, devotees of the Mahayana school of Buddhism carved a colossal image of Buddha into a natural stone wall. Imagine the tools and engineering it took. It’s not primitive.

To get there, we leave a two lane highway and take a scenic side lane. Our driver navigates ruts and curves. As it becomes more narrow, it also becomes more beautiful.

There’s a small lake and a grassy Stupa or burial mound where sacred relics are often deposited. 

These places have drawn pilgrims for more than 1000 years to meditate on the human condition. 

Through a grove of teak wood trees, we catch our first glimpse of the Buddha. 

It stands 51 feet high. It’s been carved into the rock face. Remnants of colored stucco reveal a once colorful persona.  Other figures are flanking the Buddha on the left and right. They are believed to be important for Buddhist Mahayana worship.

Buddha welcomes all 

Notice the fingers pressed into the palms. It’s a gesture of welcome beckoning us to come to the Buddha. 

But please read the sign. It requests visitors to be respectful.



No pictures taken with backs to the Buddha. 

The Buddha welcomes everyone – face to face.

Temple complex with the gold roof of the central building

Onward to Kandy. 

It’s the center of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and a most important pilgrimage site for the relic of the Sacred Tooth of the Buddha.

Gautama Buddha is said to have died around 543 BCE. From the ashes of his burial pyre, followers vied for relics including a tooth.

According to tradition this one tooth, enduring over thousands of years of travel, eventually came to Kandy, Sri Lanka. It’s become not only an object of religious veneration, but also a symbol of governmental authority.

Whoever has the “tooth” has power. It’s a blending of religion with government. While modern Sri Lanka confirms freedom of religion in its Constitution, Buddhism is given special status as State Religion.

We go towards the sacred place. It gleams in the morning sun. Vendors sell floral arrangements that will become offerings.

Inside, drummers announce a time of worship. 

Overhead gold ceilings gleam. Ornamentation rivals western cathedrals. 

Visitors crowd the Main Hall viewing images on the walls. 

Buddha presides in the Main Hall

Wall of Waves

As we leave, I notice a decorative wall. It’s pristine white with stylized holes to hold oil lamps. Delicate and beautiful, it’s known as the Wall of Waves.

Sadly in 1998, I learn that a truck bomb exploded at this exact sight. 

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) claimed responsibility. This Hindu group had been fighting a bloody 17 year civil war with the mostly Buddhist Government.

VIOLENCE

According to Wikipedia:

"On 25 January 1998, the LTTE exploded a massive truck bomb inside the Temple of the Tooth premises.    Three suicide LTTE Black Tigers drove an explosive laden truck along the King's street (Raja Veediya), firing at soldiers manning road blocks around the place, crashed through the entrance and detonated the bomb around 6:10 am, local time. Two explosions were heard. The truck contained 300–400 kg of high explosives. 16 people, including the 3 attackers and a 2-year old infant were killed in the incident.

Learn more about this bombing and the Sri Lanka Civil War.

Hindu Shrine

As we turn towards home, we stop at a Hindu roadside shrine. It’s festooned with golden figures. I don't know much about Hinduism and vow to learn more.  

I see some families enjoying the tranquil surroundings. I try to take a couple of non-intrusive pictures.

Seeing this Hindu shrine so close to Kandy, the Buddhist Center,  gets me to thinking...

Maybe it's possible for people of different religions and walks of life to live in harmony.  Tolerance could replace endless violence.   

After-all, fanaticism is always toxic even if presented in religious or ideological garb.  Hatred begets violence begets retribution begets more hatred begets more violence and so forth.

Mohandas Gandhi is quoted as saying, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." There must be a better way.

In 1966 Martin Luther King wrote, "Only a refusal to hate or kill can put an end to the chain of violence in the world and lead us toward a community where men can live together without fear. 

"Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives."  

 Non-violence: The Only Road to Freedom

In a few days, I'm off to Hanoi, Vietnam. 

As a young man, I remember chanting on the National Mall in Washington, DC, "All we are saying is give peace a chance" as I protested the Vietnamese War.   

Now we are at peace with Vietnam though we are still capitalists and they are still communist. Why did we fight for so many years?  

Curiosity leads the way...

SRI LANKA ROAD TRIP

You gotta be brave to drive in Sri Lanka. 

The traffic gets intense and everybody is driving on the wrong side of the road (British left).

I’m in my first tuk-tuk. It’s a three wheeled vehicle.  The name is onomatopoetic given the sound coming from the small motor.  

There are more than 1.2 million tuk-tuks on the island with a population of about 1.2 million.  

Wow, so many.  Take a look...It's as if you are here.

Beep beep, here we come. 

 We weave through traffic often with less than 12 inches between our fender and the next. 

One lane streets become three lane highways as tuk-tuks slice between cars and vans and motor cycles squeeze into the gaps. 

I want to squeeze my eyes shut.

Jenny checks plans with our driver

My niece, Jenny, and husband, Shannon, have arranged a grand road trip to see the sights of Sri Lanka.  Aidan, my Great Nephew, will join us too.

Our driver is Priyantha.  He arrives in a mini-van. He’s a native and I'm hoping he's accustomed to the driving style here. 

Off we go...

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

Started in 1975, the Orphanage provides safe space for 60 elephants of all sizes. It’s an important breeding site with its second generation of elephants.

The rainy season is late and water levels are quite low

In the morning and afternoon, they are free to roam a wide swath of the river bed. 

Around noon they are guided up a hill past rows of souvenir shops to an area where they are fed.

We eat lunch on a veranda overlooking the elephants

It’s not elephants in the wild, but then again it’s not a small zoo. We get to see the elephants and babies up close.  It's wonderful.  

They appear relatively free and well cared for.

Fresh Paper

I discover a shop where they are making paper from elephant poop. That’s right, poop! 

Slurry made from
 elephant poop 

Since elephants eat a high fiber diet, their poop can be dried, sifted and boiled into a slurry pulp. 

From there it’s made into paper.

We watch the entire process.

I pick up a package of the elephant "poop paper."

 No, it does not smell. It looks to be of high quality. I intend to use it in a watercolor or for some other art project.

Examples are for sale throughout the shops.

Mountains and Vistas

“Are we there yet.” As children we wail these words from the back seat. But as adults we soak in the sights hoping for lasting inspiration.  I'm not disappointed.

Leaving the coastal plain of Colombo, we travel into the Hill Region. The road is single lane and winds around mountains and through valley plains.  There are steep curves with many nearly 360 degrees.  Thrilling and more than a little scary...I must say! 

Look out the window.  What do you see? 

Sunny skies

Cascading water falls everywhere

Rolling hills and mountains

Tea plants terraced up a hillside

About 25% of the world's tea  grows in Sri Lanka

Inspiration for a watercolor

Roadside Hindu Shrine

Kandy – Cultural and Spiritual Center

As we drive into Kandy, the transmission on our van acts up.

Not fully aware of the problem, we take a spin around a beautiful lake in the town center.

Before the Brits took over in 1815, the last King, 
 Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, construct a lake from a marshy area. It was an extravagant project showcasing the adjacent ancient Temple of the Sacred Buddha Tooth which is considered the source of all ruling power in Sri Lanka.

 We walk towards a pavilion where a cultural program takes place. 
 Immersed in ancient mythologies, drummers pound out rhythms while dancers introduce us to their culture. 

It’s mesmerizing especially when lit torches are juggled and fire eaters perform. 

How do they do that?

Afterwards, we face a big problem.  Our struggling van has finally whimpered to a stop.  

Yikes!  After some worry, maybe a lot, we’re rescued by tuk-tuks.  

Imagine that!  Our driver arranges for two tuk-tuks to take us to our hotel.  We climb into the backseats and take a wild ride. 

Meanwhile, our driver makes arrangements to get a new vehicle from Colombo.  

As they say, "Alls well that ends well."  We all agree that our van troubles will become one of those stories to tell and re-tell.  

The next morning I’m up before dawn. I take time to watch the sunrise through the mountain mist. 

It’s so delicate, thought provoking and inspiring...a great way to greet a new day.

The adventure continues....