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Pluriversity and subversity, let’s see them?

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Is writing in Spanish, French, English, Arabic, Chinese or Japanese a sign of a colonised mind? Is reading in any of those languages a sign of an infection of colonialism? Is directing Oedipus Rex in English by a Sri Lankan professor, in a Ghana, university a sign of damning colonisation? Was Ludowyk, when he directed Androcles the Lion in the University of Colombo, trying to colonise young minds? Is listening to Schubert or Stravinsky an act of a colonised mind? Is writing in Pali to a Sinhala audience in the 21st century an antidote to colonised minds? What is a colonised university and what is a de-colonised one? What comprises decolonized education and pedagogy? One is grateful to Professor Andi Schubert for permitting even a man outside academia to raise these questions. Oftentimes, the writing on these subjects is so dense and mind-boggling that one dares not touch it but with an extra-long barge pole.

I am still confounded by the use of the terms ‘pluriversity’ and ‘subversity’ attributed to Boaventura (is an n missing?) de Sousa Santos (whom I have not read) in last Wednesday’s The Island. The term university, that we use, is mediaeval Latin in origin. When the Pope issued a Bull addressing ‘universitas vestra’, he was addressing the collective of students and teachers to whom he gave a charter establishing a universitas generale, the progenitor of modern universities. The Pope established a teaching institution with its own privileges and rights and still there are echoes of that autonomy in running universities. The university, in structure, still is a mediaeval institution. There are rectors, vice-chancellors, faculties, departments, professors and lecturers as there were in Bologna, Montpellier, Oxford or Wittenberg. US universities have a system of administration headed by a President but a Provost, Deans, Faculties, Departments and Professors carry on the functions of a university, regardless. Derek Bok, a distinguished President of Harvard, gave currency to the term multiversity to recognise the multiplicity of functions carried on by universities in the US in contrast to the practices common in Europe. The term has not been in use now for almost a half-century. Universities whether in Nsukka, Montevideo, Yokohama, Wollongong or Walla Walla have been able to accommodate changes in university life across the world and centuries. It is now more than 1,000 years since the first universitas generale was founded. Universities have been able to accommodate within their structure the incredible expansion in knowledge from the quadrium to natural and moral philosophy. For someone who mastered a discipline in the humanities 30 years ago, it is impossible now to step into a classroom with confidence. It is not simply that what was taught has drastically changed during those years but that the methods of learning, research and teaching have undergone change. Yet the university has not changed.

Then why pluriversity and subversity? For effect? Silly, isn’t that? By all means, engage in ‘challenging the continued functioning of capitalism and colonialism in pedagogy and intellectual production’ and succeed. But forgetting the origin of the term university is no promising way to do that. Karl Marx challenged the whole caboodle of the superstructure of knowledge in capitalist societies to great effect. Universities teach and research on the lines that he showed us more than 150 years ago. It is true of the great work of Michel Foucault; he worked at one of the oldest universities in the world. We also find that societies that claim to be communist have universities no different in structure from those in capitalist societies. It may be written in Cyrillic but the structure of a university in Moscow is no different from that of Charles X in Prague. In Hanyu, it is Beijing da xue or Tsinghua da xue, but in structure, they are no different from Northwestern University in Chicago.

What’s in a name? If you want to subvert the ‘continued function of capitalism and colonialism in pedagogy and intellectual production’, go ahead and do it. If it comes soon enough, I would enjoy the fun.

Old Fogey



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Opinion

“Ye are the light of the world.”

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A mystical approach to Easter

by Hiran Perera

The resurrection of Christ is the corner stone of Christian mystical thought. As such, there are no neutral or idle thoughts for the spiritual seeker. In this way, all thought produces form at some level but they are either true or false. For the spiritual aspirant, the resurrection, correctly speaking, is the highest level of thought; for it acknowledges that there is no thought but God.

Christ’s thinking differs from mortal man’s insofar as the latter dissipates his creative energy by thinking of everything else other than God. Christ is one-mindedness and his creative energy is a constant in God and his mind is filled with no thought but God. Our ordinary senses depict a world of duality whereas all mystical experiences overcome this dichotomy.

The Bible uses a term such as to “Know” God which is similar to a direct experience of unspeakable love. A close parallel to understanding this concept was documented by Huxley after having ingested a hallucinogenic substance when he thereupon directly experienced becoming the flower he observed — breaching the dichotomy between the observer and the observed.

In some religious disciplines, meditation, which is replete in Buddhist scripture has the purpose of attaining one-mindedness or a state of stillness as a prelude to enlightenment. Thus, the body becomes neither a hinderance nor an aid to in this process.  Purpose is.

Spells and possession

In Christian thought, the resurrection is about transcendentalism of the body. To be body-conscious and to identify one’s self with the body is an unnatural state for those in quest for the kingdom of God. As thought produces form, lower vibrational thought is expressed as dense matter being physical in nature, whereas, in a higher state of consciousness, it engenders spiritual light and translucency of energy.

Spells cast on people or even demonic possessions occur to them resonating at lower frequencies, but, for them who are on a higher plane, those spells boomerang on the initiator. The black arts work only against people who have already condemned themselves and who operate at the lower level of the psychical field.

For this reason, it is important to understand that the original sin of man — or the decent from a sublime plane to a lower one — represents the mind’s decision to replace the Knowledge (Thought) of God with perception. In the latter realm, the body symbolises the expression of duality or a perceptual state of separation from God and every-body, which is experientially real. The “Word,” therefore, cannot in a real sense become flesh because the Word is God (higher plane) whereas the flesh (lower plane) is outside the domain of His kingdom and are in two different orders of reality.

The closest analogy to reconcile the irreconcilable is that “God is light (the word) and in Him there is no darkness” (the flesh). But in experience, the physical plane is very real with souls (light) appearing to be trapped in bodies (matter). No wonder, Einstein’s famous equation E= MC2 equates matter to being trapped light! On the other hand, when translucency is attained the resurrection restores this misperception by raising the thought vibration where the physical and material are completely undone. Thus, “Ye are the light of the world,” the Holy Bible proclaims with certainty and clarity.

Meditation

Most religions either exalt the body or condemn its purpose. Some exalt its beauty while others scorn its appetite. Worse still, in meditation, some focus on its impermanence, corruptibility and disintegration while others venerate its supposedly strange powers and abilities. This preoccupation with the body makes the error real and diverts the energy of the spiritual aspirant.

Such extreme distortions actually happen from a psychological standpoint of resistance or fear to mask the true nature of man — who is Spirit — and, therefore, this action perpetuates the sense of victimisation and vulnerability and, in some bizarre way, justifies this notion to be true. In contrast, the resurrection demonstrates invulnerability.

By unnecessarily focussing on the body, the mind continues to harbour lower frequency thought forms with self-aggrandisement of needs. The only way out of this dilemma is the middle path prescribed by Lord Buddha: we must neither exalt nor degrade the body but use it as an instrument to transcend its earthly trappings so that we re-align the purpose of mind to attune with its true nature of being while relinquishing the ego.

False construct of reality

Concepts such as Absolute Reality where nothing but God exists is difficult to grasp in post-separation world. In contrast, this post-separation world is based on perception, and perception is highly variable and always uncertain. This uncertainty always demands a need to fill the vacillating mind with illusory thoughts.  In a group study of behavioural perception, a renowned psychologist played a chanting of, “That is embarrassing!” several times.

Then he scripted a message on the screen while the same chant was played, “That isn’t my receipt.,” and the audience were bewildered to hear that this same chant fitted the words on the screen. The eyes take on an electrical signal based on expectations and reconstructed the chant to fit the message. He concluded that we see nothing that is real but that we construct our own false reality.

To correctly perceive the body, we should become aware that it exists outside the mind. Properly speaking, the mind of man is a function of the Mind of God. Here there is no dichotomy and thus cause and effect are therefore really one and the same thing. Since God has no body, man yet believes he exists as a body but he is free to believe infinitely even in a lie no matter how strong the impression is. Strictly speaking, this thought is an illusory one, at any rate. Therefore, from the mystical perspective, we cannot accord the body any reality because only God is Real. Either the body exists or God ceases or vice versa.

Focussing wrongly on the body in this sense is a barrier to knowing God. Yet God is not mocked according to St. Paul. This may run contradictory to formal beliefs, but there are compellingly reasons to see it in another light. As the body is a separation device, “The wages of sin (cause) is death (effect).” The resurrection is therefore the overcoming of death, which is simply the re-establishment of the separated mind with that of God’s. It is akin to a state of oneness-joined-as-one.

Reversing cause and effect

Birth and death have no special merit except that they both re-enact and perpetuate the separation notwithstanding the entry into or the exit of the world at a lower state of vibration. Life in the physical plane manifests as though thought has no power or causal effect. We are buffeted and bruised by everything external and the impact of them is experienced by the body where it “perceptually” witnesses to this schema.

Thus, from a state of mindfulness to a state of mindlessness, the descent which reflects the separation from God, the body becomes the hallmark of all who “have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” But the resurrection, on the other hand, is one of great importance since it restores the function of Causation to cause in the mind. Accordingly, the Bible says, “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye, shall say unto this mount, remove hence to yonder place and it shall be removed and nothing shall be impossible.”

The practice of mindfulness is therefore essential to the path of redemption. Here a reversal of thought — cause and effect — is urgently required so that what was an external infliction is no longer perceived that way but is instead perceived as a projection of mind. All misperceptions have to be healed within the mind, for there is no external world “out there” to adjust and manipulate. This idea also resonates with modern scientific thought.

The awakening

In summary, it must be understood that the body is a projection of a misthought — an illusory thought, so to speak. Only thoughts, which are in accord with God’s are Real, whereas all others are outside His Realm.  Once a misthought is corrected — or the sleep of forgetfulness which weaves a dream-like world is undone — it inevitably gives rise to the “wakened” state of mind akin to the resurrection.

In this wakened state was Jesus crucified on the cross. Logically, if you take a cause and show it has no effect then the cause ceases to exist. The body symbolises the separation (effect), but when Christ demonstrated that the resurrection was possible, he reversed cause and effect that — sin had no effect — thus reestablishing the relationship between man and God. As a result, man is no longer under the spell of the separation or bondage but is set free from bondage if he now chooses so.

Our purpose in this world is to choose the resurrection where we join with Christ and seek his power of thought to restore our minds to their original glory.

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Opinion

What is wrong with Sri Lanka?

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By Dr Laksiri Fernando

It is not the country per se, but the politicians and the people who are wrong. While politicians should take 70 percent responsibility, the people also should take 30 percent. It is true that these wrongs on the part of the politicians or the people are not limited to Sri Lanka. Even in a country like Australia where I now live, there are intermittent corruption, crime, gender abuse, killing, and misguided politics. However, the difference is extremely vast. Sri Lanka’s wrongs are perhaps 50 times higher than a country like Australia.

One may pinpoint this to the economic difference or development. There is some truth in it. However, the whole truth is not that. It is rooted in the political culture and social culture in general. That is one reason why Sri Lanka was not being able to develop after independence like Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, etc. India also has come to the forefront of development today. Sri Lanka became caught up in a vicious cycle where political culture prevented development, while underdevelopment influenced the political culture.

What is this political culture? It is mainly renovated feudalism with family at the core of politics that dominates the political culture. It is also the same in social culture, families dominating business, religion, entertainment, and the media. Only female members are set apart. It is in a way natural for members of a family to follow their fathers, brothers, or other close members. Or it can happen the other way around, fathers or uncles helping and promoting their siblings.

Even in America or the UK, this could be seen. The Kennedy family promoted members into politics. However, in Sri Lanka this is overwhelming, some families completely dominating politics and social arena. While the Rajapaksas are the most prominent example with abhorrent practices, the Bandaranaikes, the Senanayakes and the Jayewardenes (Ranil Wickremesinghe with links) were also playing the same game. In Australia, I have not come across this process. When John Howard was the Prime Minister, his brother Bob Howard continued to serve as an academic at the University of Sydney whom I used to meet often.

In 1995, I decided to come back to Sri Lanka to serve the country. I applied and got the appointment as the Director of the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI) through a competitive interview. It was a great institute with many capabilities and the people working there were quite flexible and committed. However, when it came to filling vacancies and expanding the staff for new tasks, I came across political influences and pressures.

I managed to overcome them luckily as the SLFI came under the purview of Chandrika Kumaratunga as the President and as she did not make any interference at least in my case. However, I resigned and came back to Australia within six months as the situation was unbearable. People who tried to influence me were either top ministers or bureaucrats.

Again, when I finally came back in 1997, I first joined the University of Colombo before undertaking any other appointments. By that time, I had fairly learned how to overcome political influence. The university system was fairly reasonable (not completely) and on that basis it was possible for me to follow my impartial principles. However, there was at least one instance where a former friend of mine tried to blame me publicly, claiming that I myself asked for favours! It was heartrending.

Sri Lanka’s public service is large and widespread. There are around 1.5 million people working in its various institutions, departments, and branches. Although there is the Public Service Commission which is supposed to be independent, even in its appointments political and other influences are paramount. The most discriminated people in this service are Tamils, Muslims, and Women. Although there are over 15 percent of Tamils in the population, their presence in the public service is less than 10 percent. Apart from discrimination on the reason of ethnicity and gender, there are discriminations on the basis of caste, religion and region. The dissolution of Provincial Councils since October 2019 has enlarged these discriminations overwhelmingly.

It is mistakenly claimed that the ‘large state sector’ is the primary defect of Sri Lanka’s economy. It is not the size of the sector that has mattered but its inefficiency, incapacity, unproductivity, and sometimes duplication. In Australia, out of the total workforce, 20 percent are in the state sector. But it is sufficiently productive and provides necessary services even to private enterprises. In Sri Lanka, if we count 12 million as the workforce (adult population 14 million), the state sector comprises only around 12 percent.

The state sector undoubtedly should be restructured, and the workforces should be retrained or even dismissed. There is no point in keeping people like Sirimanna Mahattaya in the public service if we take an example from the teledrama, Kolam Kuttama (Funny Couple)! Even privatising certain (loss-making) state enterprises is in order. However, there are certain sectors and services that the state should hold on to. Education and Health are the most priory sectors among others, depending on national dialogues. It could allow the private sector to participate, but the state should not give up its primary responsibilities.

There can be other strategic sectors where the private sector could be allowed like the ports, airports, airlines, electricity, gas, oil, and even water, but the state should not give up its responsibilities completely. Public-Private partnership can be a model in certain areas in this respect.

The stagnation of the education sector has been a primary problem area in Sri Lanka now for a long time. This applies both to school education and university education alike. In the case of university education there have been some curricula and teaching methodology changes but those are not up to modern and current needs.

We still get a huge number of Arts students while the country’s need is in the direction of Science, Technology, Medicine, Nursing and Business Management. Those who come from the Arts streams in schools, if it is not possible to change in the short run, should be able to move to scientific areas, if capable. In Australia, there is no prohibition of changing the stream if the students show high capability in whatever area that they qualify in. School education should be totally reformed with emphasis on scientific and international knowledge.

The discarding of English education (since 1956), in my opinion, has been the major mistake that the country has committed in degrading the educational system, the economy, and the country’s international profile. In recent times young generations are trying to overcome these barriers through private education, tuition, and social media. However, this is mostly limited to the well to do. English should not be considered as a superior or imperial language, but a practical and international language.

While this short article, with word limits, confine to only few areas of ‘wrongs’ that Sri Lanka is committing, a possible conclusion is to call for an overall change in the political and economic system in the country. Those political leaders and parties responsible for the country’s present political and economic crisis should be completely ousted.

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Opinion

Plan to transform country into an export economy

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Dear Mr. President,

A Presidential Media Division statement, titled “Country set for rapid transformation into an export economy” quoted remarks made by you at the inauguration ceremony of a historic temple in Kegalle.

As a caring citizen I said, “three cheers”, happily thinking that at last, the country was on the correct governance path focusing on the creation of new strategic leadership options and policy changes to encourage present and new investors to produce tradable goods and engage in external services. I was delighted that the statement began with a reference that Sri Lanka can no longer continue to rely on borrowings (presumably external?) to address the imbalance between imports and exports, which if pursued will inevitably lead to another economic crisis within a decade.

As I read the rest of the statement, I noted that your plan for achieving such a transformation by holding discussions with the World Bank, ADB and the IMF to initiate a programme and passing two new laws in April. The only other reference even as a vague statement was in relation to implementing an agricultural modernisation programme, where you anticipated results only after 6-7 years. Are you planning in addition to leverage the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) and its Secretariat as a part of your implementation strategy[ii] ?

I am sure that many highly competent Sri Lankan trade economists (including those who have guided you in the past), will be able to advise you on more important winning strategic policy/implementation and change management options.

They would surely stress the relative importance of developing strategic networking options with supply chains in the region, assisting capable SME’s to upgrade quality/productivity, and enhancing public infrastructure productivity; along with the need to remove para tariffs, enhance ease of doing business, and one stop facilitation center benchmarking services in South Indian states. These can bring big gains, well before dreaming as your short-term goal, leveraging Free Trade Agreements with India, China, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and attempting a high jump by  joining RCEP.

Chandra Jayaratne

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