Features
Buddhism, Spirituality and Science
Some 800 km East of Bhutan is the city of Varanasi in India. In the 2566th year of the Buddhist era, human beings – members of the species Homo sapiens sapiens – total some eight billion individuals and still increasing. There is an estimated total of over two million separate species of animals, plants and microorganisms, with humans evidently poised at the pinnacle of evolution, on a planet that is 4.500 million years old. Today humans comprise a species ill at ease with itself, uncertain of its place and role in the scheme of things. Evidence of our cave dwelling ancestors date back to over two million years and our stone-age ancestors nearly 12,000 years ago.
An impressive recorded history of art, culture and civilization associated with modern man stretches over at least 5,000 years. Yet the past 100 years have seen the most dramatic changes in the entire history and destiny of our species. Alongside the acquisition of scientific knowledge and the explosion of technology on a grand scale, there has been a steady moral decline and decay which appears to continue unabated. The decline has a profound effect on the well-being of the planet itself. The Earth’s scarce resources of energy are being squandered, and its environment polluted in ways that threaten the very integrity of the planet.
The unbridled greed of the richer nations to amass a disproportionate share of the planet’s resources is leading to a situation where the inequality between rich and poor continues to rise. The number of people living close to starvation is reckoned, not in tens or hundreds of millions, but closer to several billion, and this number continues to grow. International aid projects are patronizingly conceived to pay lip service to “compassion” and to assuage the consciences of the rich, but the underlying causes of inequities are scarcely touched.
In the developed world, perhaps the most dramatic changes to the human condition have followed the weakening and virtual collapse of the social unit we call the family; a social unit that had served our ancestors exceedingly well for millions of years. Billions of humans are now left wandering hither and thither on the surface of a threatened planet like a disturbed swarm of bees, bewildered and without any sense of moral purpose.
Evidence to justify this grim caricature of ourselves can be seen everywhere. On a Friday or Saturday night in most of the major cities of the UK (for instance) one could see all the signs of a civilization in decline. Binge drinking in public houses and bars overflows into the streets in the form of disorderly conduct, even senseless murders – a pattern of behavior unmistakably symptomatic of a social system in the throes of decay.
Newspapers and the media the world over are full of stories of gratuitous violence at all levels. From strife within small social groups at the lower end of the scale to a simmering discord between nations that might eventually engulf the entire world in war. We are being constantly reminded of the horrors of international terrorism whenever we travel and pass through ever-more stringent security checks at our airports and seaports.
Against this grotesque backdrop of insecurity it is not too difficult to convince oneself that we are perilously close to self-destruction. Disaster could strike within a matter of a few years or decades unless measures can be devised to avoid it. And destruction, if it does come, will not be restricted to the humans; rather would it threaten the extermination of all life on the planet.
The long-term survival of humanity must be contingent upon the emergence in the very near future of a collective sense of sanity and group preservation – an Enlightenment. Whether this can be seen as an extension of the Darwinian process of natural selection, the struggle and instinct for survival, for which there is an evolutionary imperative, is left to be seen. As individuals we are unquestionably endowed with an instinct for self-preservation, but in the larger demographic groups of the modern world such an instinct appears to have become increasingly insignificant.
Natural biological survival instinct at an individual level may have to be replaced by a self-preserving philosophy of life embodying some form of moral code. Perhaps this can come from the emergence of AI (artificial intelligence) which seems to be emerging as an ever more powerful factor in controlling human behavior.
For centuries in Western Europe moral and ethical values were provided by Christianity that proved to be a powerful civilizing force. Even though such ethical principles failed to prevent the recurrence of wars and conflicts, they were adequate to secure happiness for individuals in society, maintain the cohesion of social units, and to ensure the survival of mankind. With the rising tide of secularism in the latter half of the 20th century, the influence of Christianity as a moral force for good began to wane, leaving a moral vacuum in a society that is now the poorer for its loss.
All this has happened against the backdrop of a unique empowerment of our species through advances in science. In a brief interlude of a hundred years the world has witnessed a technological revolution that has seen no parallel in the past. The atom was smashed in the 1930’s unleashing the formidable power of nuclear energy. The blue print of life – DNA – was discovered in the 1950’s, heralding the birth of biotechnology.
Space science and astronomy have advanced enormously in the past two decades with the development of a new generation of telescopes and instruments. The solar system has been thoroughly explored using space vehicles and spacecraft. Orbiting space telescopes like the Hubble telescope have unraveled the minutest details of astronomical processes that are taking place in the most distant galaxies. The Kepler telescope launched in 2009 have revealed the existence of many million habitable (Earth-like) planets in our galaxy alone.
In the past year evidence of life on an exoplanet over 100 light years away has been discovered. The origin of most of the matter in the visible universe had been thought to be traced to an explosive Big Bang – type event that occurred nearly 13.8 billion years ago. But this point of view has been challenged months ago after the discovery of galaxies much further away – far, far too close to the Big Bang itself.
We have understood the processes by which life arrived at the Earth, and spreads through the Universe, although the precise processes that led to the emergence of the first life in the Universe is still obscure. Maybe life and the Universe were always there, and there was no beginning or act of creation. This is what was stated in Buddhist scriptures of 2,500 years ago. It is becoming increasingly clear that life, even intelligent life, could be ubiquitous in the galaxy.
Computers, the internet, and mobile phones have transformed the lives of every inhabitant of our planet. Recently scientists have engineered a bacterium from synthetically constructed stretches of DNA. We are at the threshold of creating new forms of life in the laboratory, or for that matter lethal microbes that could kill an entire species at will. It is all too obvious that the fruits of modern science could be harnessed for good or for evil. Today bioterrorism and nuclear weapons in the possession of rogue states pose the greatest threat to the security of nations.
In the crisis that faces us it is perhaps no surprise to find more and more people in the West turning for solace to Eastern philosophies, philosophies in which peace and compassion are accorded pride of place. Buddhism is a supreme example in this category.
Buddhism has an immediate appeal to the intellect. It seeks solutions to the problems of the world by trying to understand their causes at a deep and fundamental level. Solutions are sought mainly by a process of meditation and self-analysis. Such a procedure might be expected to lead to the transference of interest in oneself and self-preservation to the benefit of larger groups. A deep concern for one’s own inner peace and tranquility could be quickly transformed into an equal concern for all mankind or even for all living things. So arises the Buddhist refrain, May all living beings be happy!
In its original form Buddhism may be seen as a pragmatic philosophy worked out by an Indian Prince Siddharta Gautama 2,554 years ago. As a royal prince, married and with a young son, he had enjoyed all the regal comforts that befitted his station. But such privileges did not make him blind to the intensity of human suffering that he witnessed all around him.
One day, at the age of 29, riding in his chariot in the royal gardens, he is said to have witnessed four sights: a decrepit old man leaning on a stick and shaking all over, a sick man, a corpse and finally a monk in calm repose. He began to ask questions about what he saw, but he could not find answers that satisfied him. He was so deeply moved by what he saw that he rode out at night to renounce all worldly pleasures and to lead the life of an ascetic. For six years he tried many forms of asceticism, including self-mortification and fasting, but to no avail. Finally he retreated to meditate under the shade of the sacred Bo-tree, seeking to discover his own solution to the problems of life, disease, suffering and death. His eventual enlightenment came after 49 days, after which he came to be known as Gautama, the Buddha – the enlightened One.
The philosophy that emerged from this enlightenment was at once simple and profound. lt touched upon all aspects of life, the cause of suffering and the nature of human relationships as well as the nature of the world in which we live. It was as all-embracing and comprehensive as any philosophy could be. An important point to note is that this enlightenment was not regarded by Gautama Buddha as a miraculous event or one that involved communication with an external divine agent.
It is presented as a state of mind at peace with the world from which objective knowledge flows naturally. It is a condition that every single human being could aspire to and reach to varying degrees in his or her own lifetime. For the remainder of Gautama’s life until his death at the age of 80 he travelled widely in Northern India preaching his doctrines and making millions of converts to his point of view.
(Vidya Jyothi Prof Chandra Wickramasinghe, MBE, MA, PhD, ScD (Cantab) is an internationally renowned Sri Lankan-British astronomer. Former Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, former Professor at Cardiff University, Honorary Professor University of Buckingham UK, Ruhuna University and National Institute of Fundamental Studies Sri Lanka)
(To be continued next week)
Vidya Jyoti Prof. Chandra Wickramasinghe
The escalating conflict in the Middle East is of such magnitude, with loss of life, destruction of cities, and global energy shortages, that it is diverting attention worldwide and in Sri Lanka, from other serious problems. Barely four months ago Sri Lanka experienced a cyclone of epic proportions that caused torrential rains, accompanied by floods and landslides. The immediate displacement exceeded one million people, though the number of deaths was about 640, with around 200 others reported missing. The visual images of entire towns and villages being inundated, with some swept away by floodwaters, evoked an overwhelming humanitarian response from the general population.
When the crisis of displacement was at its height there was a concerted public response. People set up emergency kitchens and volunteer clean up teams fanned out to make flooded homes inhabitable again. Religious institutions, civil society organisations and local communities worked together to assist the displaced. For a brief period the country witnessed a powerful demonstration of social solidarity. The scale of the devastation prompted the government to offer generous aid packages. These included assistance for the rebuilding of damaged houses, support for building new houses, grants for clean up operations and rent payments to displaced families. Welfare centres were also set up for those unable to find temporary housing.
The government also appointed a Presidential Task Force to lead post-cyclone rebuilding efforts. The mandate of the Task Force is to coordinate post-disaster response mechanisms, streamline institutional efforts and ensure the effective implementation of rebuilding programmes in the aftermath of the cyclone. The body comprises a high-level team, led by the Prime Minister, and including cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, provincial-level officials, senior public servants, representing key state institutions, and civil society representatives. It was envisaged that the Task Force would function as the central coordinating authority, working with government agencies and other stakeholders to accelerate recovery initiatives and restore essential services in affected regions.
Demotivated Service
However, four months later a visit to one of the worst of the cyclone affected areas to meet with affected families from five villages revealed that they remained stranded and in a state of limbo. Most of these people had suffered terribly from the cyclone. Some had lost their homes. A few had lost family members. Many had been informed that the land on which they lived had become unsafe and that they would need to relocate. Most of them had received the promised money for clean up and some had received rent payments for two months. However, little had happened beyond this. The longer term process of rebuilding houses, securing land and restoring livelihoods has barely begun. As a result, families who had already endured the trauma of disaster, now face prolonged uncertainty about their future. It seems that once again the promises made by the political leadership has not reached the ground.
A government officer explained that the public service was highly demotivated. According to him, many officials felt that they had too much work piled upon them with too little resources to do much about it. They also believed that they were underpaid for the work they were expected to carry out. In fact, there had even been a call by public officials specially assigned to cyclone relief work to go on strike due to complaints about their conditions of work. This government official appreciated the government leadership’s commitment to non corruption. But he noted the irony that this had also contributed to a demotivation of the public service. This was on the unjustifiable basis that approving and implementing projects more quickly requires an incentive system.
Whether or not this explanation fully captures the situation, it points to an issue that the government needs to address. Disaster recovery requires a proactive public administration. Officials need to reach out to affected communities, provide clear information and help them navigate the complex procedures required to access assistance. At the consultation with cyclone victims this was precisely the concern that people raised. They said that government officers were not proactive in reaching out to them. Many felt they had little engagement with the state and that the government officers did not come to them. This suggests that the government system at the community level could be supported by non-governmental organisations that have the capacity and experience of working with communities at the grassroots.
In situations such as this the government needs to think about ways of motivating public officials to do more rather than less. It needs to identify legitimate incentives that reward initiative and performance. These could include special allowances for those working in disaster affected areas, recognition and promotion for officers who successfully complete relief and reconstruction work, and the provision of additional staff and logistical support so that the workload is manageable. Clear targets and deadlines, with support from the non-governmental sector, can also encourage officials to act more proactively. When government officers feel supported and recognised for the extra effort required, they are more likely to engage actively with affected communities and ensure that assistance reaches those who need it most.
Political Solutions
Under the prevailing circumstances, however, the cyclone victims do not know what to do. The government needs to act on this without further delay. Government policy states that families can receive financial assistance of up to Rs 5 million to build new houses if they have identified the land on which they wish to build. But there is little freehold land available in many of the affected areas. As a result, people cannot show government officials the land they plan to buy and, therefore, cannot access the government’s promised funds. The government needs to address this issue by providing a list of available places for resettlement, both within and outside the area they live in. However, another finding at the meeting was that many cyclone victims whose lands have been declared unsafe do not wish to leave them. Even those who have been told that their land is unstable feel more comfortable remaining where they have lived for many years. Relocating to an unfamiliar area is not an easy decision.
Another problem the victims face is the difficulty of obtaining the documents necessary to receive compensation. Families with missing members cannot prove that their loved ones are no longer alive. Without official confirmation they cannot access property rights or benefits that would normally pass to surviving family members. These are problems that Sri Lanka has faced before in the context of the three decade long internal war. It has set up new legal mechanisms such as the provision of certificates of absence validated by the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) in place of death certificates when individuals remain missing for long periods. The government also needs to be sensitive to the fact that people who are farmers cannot be settled anywhere. Farming is not possible in every location. Access to suitable land and water is essential if farmers are to rebuild their livelihoods. Relocation programmes that fail to take these realities into account risk creating new psychological and economic hardships.
The message from the consultation with cyclone victims is that the government needs to talk more and engage more directly with affected communities. At the same time the political leadership at the highest levels need to resolve the problems that government officers on the ground cannot solve. Issues relating to land availability, legal documentation and livelihood restoration require policy decisions at higher levels. The challenge to the government to address these issues in the context of the Iran war and possible global catastrophe will require a special commitment. Demonstrating that Sri Lanka is a society that considers the wellbeing of all its citizens to be a priority will require not only financial assistance but also a motivated public service and proactive political leadership that reaches out to those still waiting to rebuild their lives.
by Jehan Perera
A recent panel discussion at the University of Peradeniya examined the implications of the Supreme Court’s judgement on ragging, in which the Court recognised that preventing ragging requires not only criminal penalties imposed after an incident occurs but also systems and processes within universities that enable victims to speak up and receive support. Bringing together perspectives from law, university administration, psychology and students, the discussion sought to understand why ragging continues to persist in Sri Lankan universities despite the existence of legal prohibitions. While the discussion covered legal and institutional dimensions, one theme emerged clearly: addressing ragging requires more than laws and disciplinary rules. It requires institutions that are capable of supporting victims.
Sri Lanka enacted the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act No. 20 of 1998 following several tragic incidents in universities, during the 1990s. Among the most widely remembered is the death of engineering student S. Varapragash at the University of Peradeniya in 1997. Incidents such as this shocked the country and revealed the consequences of allowing violent forms of student hierarchy to persist. The 1998 Act marked an important legal intervention by recognising ragging as a criminal offence. The law introduced severe penalties for individuals found guilty of engaging in ragging or other forms of violence in educational institutions, including fines and imprisonment.
Despite the existence of this law for nearly three decades, prosecutions under the Act have been extremely rare. Incidents continue to surface across universities although most are not reported. The incidents that do reach university administrations are dealt with internally through disciplinary procedures rather than through the criminal justice system. This suggests that the problem does not lie solely in the absence of legal provisions but also in the ability of victims to come forward and pursue complaints.
The tragic reminders; the cases of Varapragash and Pasindu Hirushan
Varapragash, a first-year engineering student at the University of Peradeniya, was forced by senior students to perform extreme physical exercises as part of ragging, resulting in severe internal injuries and acute renal failure that ultimately led to his death. In 2022, the courts upheld the conviction of one of the perpetrators for abduction and murder. The case illustrates not only the brutality of ragging but also how long and difficult the path to justice can be for victims and their families. Even when victims speak about their experiences, they may not always disclose the full extent of what they have endured. In the case of Varapragash, the judgement records that the victim told his father that he was asked to do dips and sit-ups. Varapragash’s father had testified that it appeared his son was not revealing the exact details of what he had to endure due to shame.
More than two decades after the death of Varapragash, the tragedy of ragging continues. The 2025 Supreme Court judgement arose from the case of Pasindu Hirushan, a 21-year-old student of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, who sustained devastating head injuries at a fresher’s party, in March 2020, after a tyre sent down the stairs by senior students struck him. He became immobile, was placed on life support, and returned home only months later. If the Varapragash case exposed the deadly consequences of ragging in the 1990s, the Pasindu Hirushan case demonstrates that universities are still failing to prevent serious violence, decades after the enactment of the 1998 Act. It was against this background of continuing institutional failure that the Supreme Court issued its Orders of Court in 2025. Among the key mechanisms emphasised by the judgement is the establishment of Victim Support Committees within universities.
Why do victims need support?
Ragging in universities can take many forms, including verbal humiliation, physical abuse, emotional intimidation and, in some instances, sexual harassment. While all forms of ragging can have serious consequences, incidents involving sexual harassment often present additional barriers for victims who wish to come forward. Victims may hesitate to complain due to weak institutional mechanisms, fear of retaliation, or uncertainty about whether their experiences will be taken seriously. In many cases, those who speak out are confronted with questions that shift attention away from the alleged misconduct and onto their own behaviour: why did s/he continue the conversation?; why did s/he not simply disengage, if the harassment occurred as claimed?; why did s/he remain in the environment?; or did his/her actions somehow encourage the accused’s behaviour? Such responses illustrate how easily victims can be subjected to a second layer of scrutiny when they attempt to report incidents. When individuals anticipate disbelief, minimisation or blame, silence may appear safer than disclosure. In such circumstances, the presence of a trusted institutional body, capable of providing guidance, protection and support, become critically important, highlighting the need for effective Victim Support Committees within universities.
What Victim Support Committees must do
As expected by the Supreme Court, an effective Victim Support Committee should function as a trusted institutional mechanism that places the safety and dignity of victims at the centre of its work. The committee must provide a safe and confidential point of contact through which victims can report incidents of ragging without fear of intimidation or retaliation. It should assist victims in understanding and pursuing available complaint procedures, while also ensuring their immediate protection where there is a risk of continued harassment. Recognising the psychological harm ragging may cause, the committee should facilitate access to counselling and emotional support services. At a practical level, it should also help victims document incidents, record statements, and preserve evidence that may be necessary for disciplinary or legal proceedings. The committee must coordinate with university authorities to ensure that complaints are addressed promptly and responsibly, while maintaining strict confidentiality to protect the identity and well-being of those who come forward. Beyond responding to individual cases, Victim Support Committees should also contribute to broader awareness and prevention efforts, within universities, helping to create an environment where ragging is actively discouraged and students feel safe to report incidents. Without such support, the process of pursuing justice can become overwhelming for individuals who are already dealing with the emotional impact of abuse.
Making Victim Support Committees work
According to the Orders of Court, these committees should include representatives from the academic and non-academic staff, a qualified counsellor and/or clinical psychologist, an independent person, from outside the institution, with experience in law enforcement, health, or social services, and not more than three final-year students, with unblemished academic and disciplinary records, appointed for fixed terms. Further, universities must ensure that committees consist of individuals who possess both expertise and genuine commitment in areas such as student welfare, psychology, gender studies, human rights and law enforcement, in line with the spirit of the Supreme Court’s directions, rather than consisting largely of ex officio positions. If treated as routine administrative positions, rather than responsibilities requiring specialised knowledge, sensitivity and empathy, these committees risk becoming symbolic rather than functional.
Greater transparency in the appointment process could strengthen the credibility of these committees. Universities could invite expressions of interest from individuals with relevant expertise and demonstrated commitment to supporting victims. Such an approach would help ensure that the committees benefit from the knowledge and dedication of those best equipped to fulfil this role.
The Supreme Court judgement also introduces an important safeguard by giving the University Grants Commission (UGC) the authority to appoint members to university-level Victim Support Committees. If exercised with integrity, this provision could help ensure that these committees operate with greater independence. It may also help address a challenge that sometimes arises within institutions, where individuals, with relevant expertise, or strong commitment to addressing issues, such as violence, harassment or student welfare, may not always be included in institutional mechanisms due to internal administrative preferences. External oversight by the UGC could, therefore, create opportunities for such individuals to contribute meaningfully to Victim Support Committees and strengthen their effectiveness.
Ultimately, the success of the recent judgement will depend not only on the directives it issued, the number of committees universities establish, or the number of meetings they convene, or other box-checking exercises, but on how sincerely those directives are implemented and the trust these committees inspire among students and staff. Laws can prohibit ragging, but they cannot by themselves create environments in which victims feel safe to speak. That responsibility lies with institutions. When universities create systems that listen to victims, support them and treat their experiences with seriousness, universities will become places where dignity and learning can coexist.
(Udari Abeyasinghe is attached to the Department of Oral Pathology at the University of Peradeniya)
Kuppi is a politics and pedagogy happening on the margins of the lecture hall that parodies, subverts, and simultaneously reaffirms social hierarchies.
by Udari Abeyasinghe
Several of our artistes do venture out on foreign assignments but, I’m told, most of their performances are mainly for the Sri Lankans based abroad.
However, the group Mirage is doing it differently and they are now in great demand in the Seychelles.
Guests patronising the Lo Brizan pub/restaurant, Niva Labriz Resort, in the Seychelles, is made up of a wide variety of nationalities, including Russians, Chinese, French and Germans, and they all enjoy the music dished out by Mirage, and that is precisely why they are off to the Seychelles … for the fifth time!
The band is scheduled to leave this month and will be back after three weeks, but their journey to the Seychelles will continue, with two more assignments lined up for 2026.
In August it’s a four-week contract, and in December another four-week contract that will take in the festive celebrations … Christmas and the New Year.
Donald’s birthday
celebrations
According to reports coming my way, it is a happening scene at the Lo Brizan pub/restaurant, Niva Labriz Resort, whenever Mirage is featured, and the band has even adjusted its repertoire to include local and African songs.
They work three hours per day and six days per week at the Lo Brizan pub/restaurant.
Donald Pieries:
Leader, vocalist,
drummer
Led by vocalist and drummer Donald Pieries, many say it is his
musical talents and leadership that have contributed to the band’s success.
Donald, who celebrated his birthday on 07 March, at the Irish Pub, has been with the group through various lineup changes and is known for his strong vocals.
He leads a very talented and versatile line up, with Sudham (bass/vocals), Gayan (lead guitar/vocals), Danu (female vocalist) and Toosha (keyboards/vocals).
Mirage performs regularly at venues like the Irish Pub in Colombo and also at Food Harbour, Port City.
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