The intolerant faction of Buddhism triumphed over the tolerant one in Sri Lanka’s sangha.

Evidence

H. L. Seneviratne (1999) has argued that Dharmapala’s agenda comprised both economic and cultural aspects, and that soon after his death in 1933 each was adopted by different groups among the sangha. According to Seneviratne, the monks at the Vidyodaya Pirivena subscribed to the moral-economic teachings, emphasized village development and a crime free society, and overall adopted a more pragmatic and progressive stance designed to foster compassion, tolerance, and polyethnic coexistence. The monks associated with the Vidyalankara Pirivena, however, disregarded the moral-economic imperatives in Dharmapala’s teachings and instead merely emphasized anticolonialism, Sinhalese Buddhist cultural renewal, and Buddhist supremacy. Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, the latter won out. The culmination of this victory was the publication of Walpola Rahula’s Bhiksuvage Urumaya. The political bhikkhu was thus born and has had a baneful influence on the sangha and the island’s politics, as discussed below. For Seneviratne, however, Rahula’s political bhikkhu is antithetical to the sort of monks Dharmapala clamored to promote, and the dominance of the Rahulites has only corrupted the sangha and made monks more materialistic. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 118 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

In postindependence Sri Lanka, numerous extremist Sinhalese organizations have mobilized against the devolution of power to the Tamils. These groups support political Buddhism even as they manipulate Buddhism. They most certainly are among the protagonists promoting the nationalist ideology. The three most prominent political parties in this regard are the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (People’s Liberation Front—JVP), the Sinhala Urumaya (Sinhala Heritage Party—SU), and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (National Sinhalese Heritage Party—JHU). — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 157 (#expands, via linked claim)

Scholar monk Walpola Rahula best articulated the bases of political Buddhism in a 1946 book entitled Bhiksuvage Urumaya (later translated as The Heritage of the Bhikkhu), which argued that given their mandate to perform social service, monks could participate in politics and had done so since the time of Buddha. Although historically monks did advise kings, legitimize rulers, and thereby influence policy, H. L. Seneviratne (1999) has vigorously challenged Rahula’s claim. However, many Rahulite bhikkhus have resorted to radical politics and have espoused positions antithetical to Buddhist teachings. Significantly, political Buddhism emphasizes politics over Buddhist values (Schalk 2007) because it disregards Sri Lanka’s polyethnic heritage and seeks to institutionalize a Buddhist ethos for the entire country. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 51 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: A tolerant faction of monks lost to a supremacist faction within Sri Lankan Buddhism. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 118; Extremist Sinhalese parties weaponized Buddhism against Tamil devolution — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 157; The very forces that built Ceylonese secularism also cultivated Buddhist communalism. (+5 more)

Related

• A tolerant faction of monks lost to a supremacist faction within Sri Lankan Buddhism. (similarity 0.95)
• The very forces that built Ceylonese secularism also cultivated Buddhist communalism. (similarity 0.91)
• The monastic interpretation emphasizing Buddhist supremacy triumphed over the pragmatic one (similarity 0.89)
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology commands broad popular support in Sri Lanka (similarity 0.87)
• Political Buddhism elevates ethnonationalist politics above Buddhist doctrinal values (similarity 0.86)
• Extremist Sinhalese parties weaponized Buddhism against Tamil devolution (similarity 0.85)
• Monks built anachronistic historical claims to legitimize politicized Buddhism (similarity 0.85)
• Ultra-nationalist Sinhalese parties drew negligible support until monks ran for parliament (similarity 0.84)
• Modern challenges to the sangha, not primordial identity, explain monks’ political engagement. (similarity 0.83)
• Sinhalese political Buddhism emerged as a protest against Christian and Western dominance. (similarity 0.83)
• The monks’ political manipulation accelerated nationalist entrenchment and blocked peace (similarity 0.83)
• Sri Lanka’s constitution enshrines Buddhism in a privileged state role. (similarity 0.83)
• Sinhalese monks frame Buddhism’s status through territorial threat perception (similarity 0.82)
• Buddhist monks entered national politics only very gradually over decades (similarity 0.82)
• A pacifist religion has been harnessed to an ethnocentric state ideology. (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• A tolerant faction of monks lost to a supremacist faction within Sri Lankan Buddhism. #corroborates (1.00) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 118
• Extremist Sinhalese parties weaponized Buddhism against Tamil devolution #expands (0.92) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 157
• Political Buddhism elevates ethnonationalist politics above Buddhist doctrinal values #expands (0.85) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 51
• The very forces that built Ceylonese secularism also cultivated Buddhist communalism. #complicates (0.70)