‘Bodhidharma’ is widely believed to be a South Indian ‘Master’ or a ‘Brahman’ who travelled to Great China approx 5^th Century AD. He is respected for teaching meditation & martial arts to the Shaolin monks of the Shaolin Monastery. The dialog between ‘Bodhidharma’ & the emperor of China is a good read for anyone interested in liberation. It may be more useful to SL Buddhists who are busy competing & conflicting with others to organize ‘Rainy Season’ offerings to the monks (Katina puja or Bon Kethan as known in Cambodia). When the emperor inquired on how much merit (positive deeds) he had collected by building Buddhist temples & monasteries etc. to the Monarch’s dismay, the Master had stated that deeds with the intention of accumulating merit are of no value. According to him such deeds may result in comfortable rebirths but would never lead one to enlightenment. None seems to think that India was bullying China using Bodhidharma (Ref. Chinese history).

Enriched with Buddhism, Taoism & teachings of Confucius & the visions of legends such as Bodhidharma, Chinese civilization moved forward slow but steady. As a result China accumulated a trade surplus by 2010 & decided to invest globally to raise millions above the poverty line in more than 150 nations. The Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) is the vehicle used for this. China few days ago released a white paper titled "The Belt & Road Initiative: A Key Pillar of the Global Community of Shared Future". The paper is expected to expose the global populations on the value of the BRI, facilitate high quality cooperation & deliver tangible & intangible benefits to more than 83% of the global population (Ref BRI sources).

Win-win to replace weakening violence

Thousands died in Afghanistan recently due to natural causes & some are killing each other in hundreds spending billions. While western Super powers are trying to use these disasters for domestic political gains, Chinese leader Xi Jinping directed his country to build stronger cultural confidence through; openness & inclusiveness, uphold fundamental principles to break new ground to provide a strong ideological guarantee, spiritual strength & favorable cultural conditions for building a modern socialist society (Ref. Chinese sources). This approach synchronizes with the BRI white paper & indicates the end of economic science & the beginning of Buddhist theory of development economics (Ref. Prof Jagath Wickremasinghe).

Why Bully with Buddhism?

Some critics focusing on China – SL relations were concerned about China bullying SL using Buddhism. It is not clear if they think if Buddha himself & Emperor Ashoka were also bullying SL using Buddhism. Buddha visited SL thrice & Ashoka helped establish governance based on the Buddhist philosophy (Ref. SL history). China with Buddhist roots has provided loans to most countries with people of all major faiths including the USA. Buddhism directs humans to a way of life resulting in peace & harmony. A strong economy is the base for lasting peace in a plural country such as SL & China has helped SL to go towards that goal. Sri Lankans use the Sinhala word ‘Ape’ referring to their own. Sinhala movie ‘Tarzan the Ape man’ was about one of their own. However the English movie with the same title referred to others but humans. At this moment peoples representatives in SL seems to be more worried about electoral reforms than economic stability. Sri Lankans use the terms ‘Ape Shakthiya’ to indicate collective energy. They should use the wisdom gained from Buddhism & their energy to ensure economic stability. If not foreigners learning Sinhala language may get mislead?

Photo source: National Museum Malaysia

(Views expressed are personal).