Buddhist monks in Sri lanka who preach about dharma daily through their radio broadcasts has found a new icon to speak about. According to Ramaswamy Wijayapalan, a tea planter in Colombo, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the new role model for the Buddhist monks in the island nation who are held in high esteem by the people.
Jayantha Bandara, a security guard employed at Vihara Maha Devi Park in downtown Colombo had this to tell when Wijayapalan met him during his daily morning walk.
“Sir, the Buddhist monk preaching dhamma through daily radio broadcast devoted his entire speech to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the first time I am hearing our monks praising a public figure in their daily dhamma broadcasts,” Bandara told Wijayapalan.
Radio stations, both in the public and private sector run evangelical programmes on a daily basis . Monks speak eloquently about the virtues of Buddhism, Sri lanka’s State religion. The planter said he could feel the excitement in the words of the security guard whom he meets daily and exchange pleasantries during his routine morning walk through the park. The routine radio discourses broadcast early mornings focus on the Buddhist way of life.
“But today what we heard was about Modi. The monk said the life and principles of Narendra Modi are worth emulating. should be emulated He also asked us to closely follow what Modi is during for his countrymen,” the guard told Wijayapalan.
But what moved the security guard was the reference made by the monk to the personal life of the Prime Minister. “He did not bother criticism levelled against him. Modi treated all in the same wave length. The monk also said that the Indian Prime Minister does not smoke, eat only vegetarian food, fasts for self-purification and keeps all his relations away from the Prime Minister’s residence and office,” Bandara is reported to have told Wijayapalan.
According to Bandara, the Buddhist monk exhorted all social and political leaders to try to position themselves like Narendra Modi who follows the teachings of Buddha “love all and hate none”. Narendra Modi’s address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the Independence Day was widely discussed in Sri lankan media and found mention in the Defence Seminar 2014 held by the Sri lankan Army in the month of August. Both the Sinhala and Tamil political leaders are looking towards the Indian Prime Minister to help them resolve the three decade long crisis in the island nation.