Features
Women of Sri Lanka should emerge to the forefront in 2021
I present to my readers this first article of Nan’s for 2021 with affectionate good wishes for a much better year than 2020. I well remember in my first article last year, I said the very sound of the year – twenty twenty – slipping off the tongue so easily, is propitious. How wrong I was. But silver linings are always there; they only need seeking and seeing. The candle of hope should be kept burning, difficult though it be.
The entire world was totally skewed by Covid 19. However the countries that were least affected and managed to have their New Normal very akin to the normal they were used to, were almost all headed by women. Examples I need hardly spell out as everyone knows how New Zealand recovered from the pandemic almost totally, led by PM Jacinda Arden, so also Taiwan with President Tsai Ing-wen, while of the European countries, Angela Merkel steered her nation the most competently. Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, has a very hard time, sandwiched as she is between mainland China, becoming more aggressive, and democracy demanding protesters, but her poise and determination are obvious.
Hence my contention that women in our country should move forwards, taking greater responsibility in steering Sri Lanka to recover as hastily as possible from present troubles. I don’t mean here take over the leadership. Not at all! We have competent leaders in the two highest posts and the Opposition, but within these ranks are some very competent women who should be drawn to centre stage. It’s only Pavithra Wanniarachchi who is a VIP now and she has let herself down badly in several ways. No example at all to emulate. I have heard on TV panel discussions new politicians like a young JVPer with a doctorate and Lihini Fernando of the SJB, so very communicative in English and so very different from such as traitorous
Greatest women in Buddhism.
The thought or rather hope I mentioned in the previous paragraph is due to the faith I have in women’s steady, honest capability. Also we have just had Unduvap Poya which in Sri Lanka is considered a month for celebrating women. Why? Because of Theri Sanghamitta. Thus my thoughts moving to promote women of our country this year and ones to follow, with outstanding women followers of the Buddha.
Theri Sanghamitta
Sanghamitta was the eldest daughter of Emperor Ashoka (304 BC – 232 BC) and his first wife, Devi. Together with her brother Mahinda, she entered the Buddhist Sangha. Mahinda Thera travelled to Lanka to introduce the teachings of Buddha at the request of King Devanampiya Tissa (250 BC – 210 BC). With him came a young samanera – son of Sanghamitta. When the king’s sister-in-law, Anula Devi desired ordination, he made a second request to Emperor Ashoka. Thus Theri Sanghamitta, on her own insistence, was sent to Sri Lanka together with several other nuns. She established the Order of Nuns or Meheni Sasna in Anuradhapura, and thus conferred equality on women which equality the Buddha proclaimed and Buddhism follows. She lived to a ripe old age, happy in Lanka.
Yasodhara
The ancient history of Buddhism has many great women of saintliness and perseverence: Prajapati Gotami, Prince Siddhartha’s foster mother and his chief female devotee – Visahka. Kisa Gotami and Patachara are made much of as their stories encompass life’s tragedies, but rising above with the help of compassionate Buddha. To me however, the very greatest is Yashodara, wife of Siddhartha Gautama, through many lives in samsara, to end with the Prince attaining enlightenment and Yashodara getting ordained and becoming an arahant.
She was neglected and even I did not consider her character until script writer and director – Prof Sunil Ariyaratne – presented to us his 2018 film Bimba Devi hewath Yashodara.
The entire film runs true to the life of the Buddha as recorded in the Buddhist Canon. It is a narrative beginning eons ago and dealing in detail with the life of Siddhartha Gautama and Yashodara with all important incidents shown. The film starts with a group of bhikkhunis trekking with the voice of Yashodara saying that she is old and near death and walks to where the Buddha is to die after seeing him for the last time.
The most striking of her character traits is her deep understanding and empathizing. She was happily married to Prince Siddhartha but knew before long he was seeking the truth of life; given a glimpse of suffering in his guarded life by his father who had been warned he would either become a great king or hermit. He saw a sick man and a corpse being carried for cremation. The urge to find a solution to humankind’s suffering had come through many samsaric lives and it had to be fulfilled in his present princely life. He had told Yashodara about this and his father and foster mother, requesting his stepbrother be made heir to the throne of Kapilavastu. Yashodara’s only request was that he leave her when she was asleep. He did so soon after their child, Rahula, was born.
Her sacrifice was intense but readily made. When she heard Siddhartha was suffering ascetic restraint, she slept on the floor and gave up luxuries. Her sacrificing her husband and allowing him to go his way is admirable. As a nun who spoke on TV on poya – Dec. 29 – emphasized, never once did she complain about being ‘deserted’ as she knew, carrying that through many lives, that he had to go seek the Truth of existence to help all mankind. She also realized that the Buddha had a great gift to give her son. Knowing, I suppose, that the Buddha might ordain the child, she sent him to meet his father when the Buddha visited Kapilwastu when Rahula was seven years old, directing him to ask for his inheritance.
She gladly decided to go forth renouncing her royal life when her responsibilities to family were over, showing immense steadfastness.
Her determination is evident in wearing the robes of a Bhikkhuni and striving and attaining arahatship. Her femininity comes in here. She decides to see the Buddha for the last time and die where he was resident. Hence her long last journey.
The nun I mentioned also said that being a mere housewife is not mundane and of no use to the nation. Bringing up her children well is her duty, which is almost always done well. Women have inner strength and most importantly are not swayed by desires for even money. Against so many scandals swirling around men leaders, women at the tops of countries usually emerge untainted. Hence our need for more women in active government and the Opposition. Let 2021 revert from being second and third waves of C19 and rampant corruption to the Year of Sri Lankan women!