The Return of Statue Politics - Groundviews

When the left fails to provide sufficient respite to “the tired, the poor, the hungry”, they can be receptive to the populist right.In Sri Lanka, the populist right uses the monks of the “Rajapaksa Nikaya” as flamethrowers and Buddha statues are their wea

By Tisaranee Gunasekara “We are members of the Rajapaksa Nikaya. (We) are robed in the Rajapaksa Nikya, members of the Rajapaksa caste.” Ampitiye Sumanaratana “He who has control over his hands, feet, and tongue, who is fully controlled, delights in inward development, is absorbed in meditation, keeps to himself and is contented – him do ...Continue reading ‘When the left fails to provide sufficient respite to “the tired, the poor, the hungry”, …

The Return of Statue Politics - Groundviews

Photo courtesy of The Morning Telegraph “We are members of the Rajapaksa Nikaya. (We) are robed in the Rajapaksa Nikya, members of the Rajapaksa caste.” Ampitiye Sumanaratana “He who has control over his hands, feet, and tongue, who is fully controlled, delights in inward development, is absorbed in meditation, keeps to himself and is contented – him do people call a monk.” The Buddha (Dhamma Pada, Bhikkuvagga) On the night of May 15, 2005 a 12 …